Buying tips for an R65?

[Darryl.Richman]

The R65 you're looking at is functionally equivalent to the R80 of that year. It's a Monolever frame (single sided swingarm, but no Paralever control arm) with the Y spoke wheels you probably had on your K75s.

If the bike is in good mechanical and cosmetic shape, $2200 probably is a good price. You can look at the Internet BMW Riders Marketplace to get an idea of what things are selling for. BMWs tend to be more expensive on the coasts and cheaper in the middle of the country.

The monolever bikes were introduced in 1985. I had an R80 from 1985 that I travelled around on quite a bit. I added the hard saddlebags, an S fairing and the S handlebars. I put 92k miles on it and sold it at the end of 1994 for about $2500. (I regret selling it to this day.) Other than those changes, I put a Works Performance shock on it at about 40k miles and BMW heavy duty fork springs a couple times.

You might find maintenance even easier on the boxer motor than the K motor. Only 4 valves total to adjust, done with screw-and-lock-nut adjusters. The oil filter can be finicky, and you have to make sure you get the right set of bits together in the right order, to maintain oil pressure.

As you say, the rest of the drivetrain is familiar. The gas tank doesn't get hot in the summer, either. And if you need to change out the clutch, it's not a huge job, like on the later bikes, where everything is essentially bolted to the drivetrain.

The R65, although lighter even than your old K75, is going to be down on power. I don't recall what its exact rating was, but it isn't higher than 50hp. It will do freeway speeds, but I doubt it will top 100.

[Flying Duck]

Thanks.

I did check IBMWR and Kelly Blue Book has trade-in at $1565 and retail at $2395 so I"m thinking that with those miles something a little under $2k might be a fair price since it's on the left coast.

The hp is rated at 48(http://www.bmbikes.co.uk/specpages/R65mono.htm and I know that it's not a speedster but that's exactly what I'm looking for. A bike that'll top 90mph is more than adequate for my brother's first bike as the purpose is to get him something to putter around on while he develops some riding skills.

I also looked at getting him a late 80s/early 90s UJM but for some reason I'm partial to BMW.

[Darryl.Richman]

A friend picked up an '82 R65LS a couple years ago, a bike which is from the previous generation of R65s. He got it in Morro Bay for about $1800, but it required new mufflers, fork seals and a shock, and the little cowling was cracked. And, it was FILTHY, to boot! It's difficult to get a running BMW in California for much under $2k.

[VBMWMO]

OK, the bike i'm looking is only 20 years old (an 86) but I figured some kind soul in here might take mercy on me and be willing to help me with some buying tips.

First of all, let me introduce myself. I come from the DarK side, currently owning a 93 K1100LT or a 91 K100RS4V - with a K75S and K75RT before that. So I am not unfamiliar with BMWs, I just don't know squat about airheads.

The bike I am looking at is a 1986 R65 for my brother who is just starting to ride. I figure if he gets a BMW then I won't have to relearn Jap bike stuff.

I poked around in the ETK a bit and the drive train, clutch, etc... look pretty similar to a K75.

So, was wondering if anyone know of a buy'er's guide type webpage for these bikes or if someone can give me an idea of what to look at. I do all of my own maintenance on my Ks but the airhead stuff is foreign to me.

Any opinions on the price? Seller is asking $2200 for an 86 R65 with roughly 70k on it.

Thanks is advance,
Duck