My R65 Overhaul.

[Julio A.]

The parts I ordered from motobins finally arrived. I wasted no time tearing the bike apart to finally give my bike a much needed overhaul.
Pictures are arranged chronologically.

Bike all torn down:



Picture of the generator before removal:




I initially planned to replace the cam chain and sprocket, But these ones are still good without any significant sign of wear.



Closeup of the piston halfway done with decarbonizing. I installed a fresh new set of piston rings.




Picture of the new SS pushrod tubes:



Engine all closed up, cleaned, and  given a fresh coat of paint.
I had the cylinders painted black with heat resistant paint ala R90S.


Besides that, I also had the valves lapped and intake tract polished.
I also installed venhill clutch cables with the correct length. Wow! I never thought that a clutch properly set would be so smooth on this bike!

Funny thing though, I had all the jets, needles, pins, gaskets, etc... replaced with new ones on both carbs. While I was digging into the carbs, one side had a 135 main jet on it while the other had a 148 main jet.... Well, that explains the rough idling.  

[Julio A.]

I had the saddle bag holders chromed as well as the side stand, rear brake lever and rear brake rod.





I searched for a better and modern color that I feel suits the R65 better, yet does not scream modified. I ended up with sapphire blue.
I had the generator cover painted for the heck of it.





I had a nearby graphics shop replicate the original R65 decals for me.



While I was looking at pictures of different airheads, I though why the larger airheads had a badge of their model at their rear seat cowl but the R65 does not. I took cues from a K100 and called the guy that was making my decals. It ended up like this.



I'm just waiting for the roundels to come through the mail and its complete.

Still deciding whether to have it pinstriped.

[Lucky_Lou]

Lovely Job Julio.... White pinstripe will look good IMHO
Lou

[montmil]

Lovely Job Julio.... White pinstripe will look good IMHO
Lou

Silver, Lou. Much more subtle. The ladies will love it.

I have silver stripes on my metallic blue '83 R65 that's on loan to Soldier Son. Zach says the wimmens like it...   The stripes or him, he doesn't say.

Fantastic job, Julio!

[daveschile]

Nice looking bike!  I like the color choice.  I'm curious about the kickstarter.  I didn't know R65's had kick start!  Was it an option?  Only certain years?

David

[Tony Smith]

Julio
 
Do you happen to know if the kickstarter was ordered as an option by the original owner, fitted later or the happy result of an R80GS gearbox being swapped in?
 
Either which way I am envious, the kickstart on my R100 has got me out of trouble more than once.

[nhmaf]

That is a very beautiful job, Julio!  Alot of dedication and attention to detail in this - you should be very proud!

I think I agree with the other guys - if you pinstripe it, I think that a silver stripe might look better.   But even if you don't, it still looks great and virtually brand new!

[Julio A.]

Thanks for the compliments guys, it made all that work well worth it!

I honestly don't know when or where that kickstarter was put on my R65. But I searched the engraved part number and it came out as an R65 specific part.

I looked at the file and history of the R65 at the Government Registry, and it stated that I am the third owner of this bike. The person(2nd owner) from who my dad bought it from has completely no idea about the bike other than it is an inherited BMW R65.

Most vehicles meant for the Philippine market are US spec, Entering the VIN on real OEM showed it was a euro market model. To add to the mystery, BMW only started selling motorcycles back in 1998 in the Philippines. This made Airheads very rare here except for the R69S which were once used by the Highway Patrol in numbers. Most existing Airheads were privately imported "grey market" units. I could just infer that someone way back in time really invested in it with all the goodies(cockpit cover, kickstarter, crash bars and koni shocks) included.

[Julio A.]

With the rainy season now gone and the hectic college semester over, I finally had time to have the R65 striped. I went with silver. As per Monte's suggestion. Actually, I asked a lot of people, all the girls said silver. Haha





The painted parts are now off to the paint center for finishing and polish before the final top coat is applied.

[steve hawkins]

Nobody like a smart ass!

No, seriously, well done!

Rev light

[nhmaf]

Bellissimo!

[dav]

What a great job, your bike looks stunning. [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

[Dave 2]

Julio, what a great job on your bike. You will feel great riding it after all your work. I was interested in your history of your bike and BMW's in the Philippines. Maybe someday you will find out more about it's original owner. I'm also the third owner of my 1983 LS, although I don't know the original owners name, I know which dealer originally sold it here in Maine. That dealership is no longer in business, so I can't track that person down through them.  Anyway great Job!  Dave 2

[clonmore1]

Nice Jon Julio,

She looks a real picture

[Lucky_Lou]

Nice looking bike!  I like the color choice.  I'm curious about the kickstarter.  I didn't know R65's had kick start!  Was it an option?  Only certain years?

David

That's a good point they are rarer on R65,s but not unheard of they must have been an add on as the electric start was standard as far as I am aware but why add weight to the bike ? given the iffy stand I don't think a side operating kick is a good idea.
Lou