Vintage BMW Motorcycle Owners

I too have found a 69S for sale and am wondering on price.

I've attached some pics. Seller is original owner since '65 and
bike has 83k miles on 'er. Side bags and rear case, large tank
(haven't seen many pics with this option) and a fairing.

Flared mufflers look odd. Haven't had a chance to see in person yet.

one thing is clear - the seller loves Harley's

what's the asking $$ ?

What is the maintenance history of the bike? If there is no proven, known mechanical work done on the bottom end/slingers, that would be the first priority for me. If it had fewer numbers of miles, I might run it awhile to get to know the bike. But with over 80K miles, I'd probably head to an immediate teardown.

one thing is clear - the seller loves Harley's

what's the asking $$ ?$9300

What is the maintenance history of the bike? If there is no proven, known mechanical work done on the bottom end/slingers, that would be the first priority for me. If it had fewer numbers of miles, I might run it awhile to get to know the bike. But with over 80K miles, I'd probably head to an immediate teardown.
Ad states one owner who kept up on all maintenance. Garage kept and not ridden since '02 due to health reasons. Advertises 'extra trans and Mag' goes with the sale. Why the trans?
Is listed by a friend of an elderly gent.

Haven't yet gotten a reply from the owner as to when I can see it.
Thanks for the replies!

Keeping up on maintenance might just be tires, oil, etc. More than likely the slingers have never seen the light of day since the factory. $9300 is bordering on being a perfect bike. Sure there are lots of goodies, but that's still quite a bit for what might be just a runner.

...hardly see the motorcycle under all that stuff! That's a GIGANTIC Hoske tank, with an almost as hugh dual USA seat...if you take all that off, the bike will handle much better. Generally I think Kurt talks about slingers too much, but here I'd agree with him...

I agree that the asking price is too high, but it does look like a pretty solid bike. $7000-7500 would be closer to the mark, in my opinion.

You could sell that monster tank (ten gallon?) for more than enough to get the slingers cleaned and the engine checked out (though I am also a bit of a slinger-agnostic). I've seen those tanks go for close to $2000 on ebay. The same goes for the chrome farkles and Harley bags: ditch them and invest in other things the bike may need.

I also worry less than some do about mileage. If it hasn't been flogged to death and if the maintenance has really been constant and thorough, I would not be put off by the 80K+ on the odometer.

Jon

You guys have thicker skins that I do when it comes to slingers. ) It's a big unknown as to the actual state of the slingers, and there are stories where a bike in storage for 20 years with 10K miles has the slingers full and then there are bikes with 60K with slingers barely filled with anything. The costs of a crank rebuild seems kind of extreme for me. Thus, when in doubt, I would opt for getting the bottom end taken care of. Then, you have peace of mind for many, many years.

My R69S had 27K miles on it when I got it...regular maintenance that I know of...slingers fairly full. My R25/2 had 15K kilometers on the speedo when I got it...how many times around was that? Dunno. Vech did the slinger service...slingers were fairly clean, however he said the bearings looked kind of grungy. The cylinder was already 1st over, so someone had been in there before. I have no background on the bike...it was a German police bike. So, it looks like someone went into the engine, decided to ovesize, and just change the slingers, keeping the bearings.

So, I felt I got something out of both circumstances. Peace of mind for about as long as I'll own and ride the bikes.

Bike looks "OK", but almost 10k seems a little steep. But then again, you cold take all that junk off (rack, bags, fairing, crazy turn signals) and sell as parts on eBay for another 1-2k. Use that extra cash to clean it up a bit, new tires, etc. The tank is nice, looks like a Hoske?

If in doubt, check out the slingers. I value peace of mind and have no disagreement with that principle. But when it comes to "doubt," there is vanilla and there is chocolate. My view is qualified by multiple "ifs." If the maintenance record is clear and believable, and if the oil has always been changed on schedule, and if the bike is in good overall condition, and if it has not been flogged, and if there is no debris in the pan, and if it's not audibly knocking --then slingers would not be at the top of my personal precaution list.

Granted, my direct, personal experience is limited to half a dozen /2s in the family at various times over 40-plus years. Properly maintained, they just go and go. Out in the larger world, probably relatively few bikes would satisfy all of my "ifs." Most of them would fall into the "check the slingers" grey area. If I bought a bike that fell into that area of doubt, I would pull the engine and check it out.

Back to the bike this thread is discussing, I would think that most of my "if" questions are answerable. If not, then adjust the price to allow margin for inspection and possible needed services. (And by the way, why there is a spare transmission is certainly a question worth pursuing!)