I have seen an old well maintained 1984 R65 for sale.
Problem is that the few reviews i have read suggest this is not a good bikle for the open road, but better suited for town work.
As i wish to swop my old super dream for a bigger cc bike,and possibly a lower seated and lighter bike.i was wondering as to its suitability?
This bike comes complete with a fairing and panniers built on and seems to have been owned by one guy for a number of years, so i have no real doubt as to its reliability or maintenance.
Also i assume that being a BMW its don't have to many technical niggles, or am i mistaken?
Ps dont say buy this or that as i only have a limited number of pounds to spend!:confused1:
Thanks for your help

Oldesoman,Our old R65 was a great touring bike. It was a 1978 R65 I bought in England in 1988.I was cheap and also a basket case when i brought it.Was in one piece when i picked it up .I had it in England for 3 years before heading home in 1992 .doing 26,000 2up, with panniers, back roll ,tyre ,cylinder racks and tank bag ,it as cosy though comfortable and stable.It wasn't much to look at compared with all the para lever GS doing RTW 's at the same time .We sat on about 55 to 60 mph ,thats with Therese on the back loaded up .But on one of my first outings, being a good ossie boy on british roads it rans exceptionally well a 90mph on the m25 and down to Salibury with the headers glowing red hot all the way around the bend...If it was to brake it would of done it early in its live with me....the only part to break was the gearbox in Iran ,a $25 US fix,it went a long way back then ,5 brand new SKF and Timken bearing. Oh ya put a exchange pair of fork stauntions on in the camp ground up the road from Motobins, while doing a rece trip around England before heading off home. Drowned her ,the bike that is ....in the depths of Pakistan,but thanks to a local paki trucker and Allah (thats another story) we whereback on the road in an hour . a bit long winded but all in all a great reliable touring bike
steve

Hello mate, remember you can tour on any bike, dont be influenced by the lardy machines favoured by the likes of mcgereggor/boorman wanabees, the r65 is a great bike and will do the job of touring perfectly well. It is a simple machine, easy to repair roadside (if necessary) and parts are cheap and easy to come by anywhere in the world. I rode one for years around europe and N. africa before selling it for a new GS Basic. Touring/travelling is limited only by your imagination (and money) not your bike - aint that right Helga Pederson and Ted Simon?

yes i agree....its just that any report i had read of the machine has it lacking power and steerability on long roads, although thats not what i want totally.
its got to carry a big guy with equipment..
thanks so far for your comments.

I guess that is why I never put too much stock in reviews.

I spent 10 years touring the Alps on a 1980 BMW R65 and that was two up at times; myself at 195 pounds and 187 cm and my passenger at 130 pounds, including packed Krauser bags and a sport bag across the rear rack. BTW, I bought it in its 14th year and sold it when it was 25 years old. The only thing that went were the original rear wheel bearings when they were 21 years old.

That model and year is rock solid and reliable.

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All the best,
Alex

Alex's BMW Motorcycle & Global Touring Page
SmugMug Site
Alps Motorcycle Tours - Priced Right


- If motorcyclists claim to be individuals, why then do so many of them ride in packs?

People go touring on 125 cc bikes so a 650 cc should do the job easy.
It is a misunderstanding that you need a big bike for touring.
Personaly I think a 125 would be to small for me but I would have no problem using my wifes CB400T (from 1978) for a serious tour.
I never had an R65 but one of my friends had one for years and he was happy with it as a two up touring bike. (I did have my share of other BMW's, check my website)

Personaly I think a R65 is one of the perfect touring bikes
- it is cheap so you can use your money on gas, lodging and food (= make longer trips)
- it has a reliable shaftdrive. No worries about lubricating the chain
- with krauser- (or other) panniers it is easy to take your luggage with you
- it is easy to maintain
- it is not very heavy so you probably can get it upright again by yourself when you dropped it. (my wife could with our R90/6 years ago)
- cruising at 120 km/h for hours is no problem so even on the German autobahn (the only place in the world where speed realy is an issue) you can do fine as long as you do not stay in the fast lane.
- if it has a fairing, you will be comfortable, even when the weather is not so nice.

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Jan Krijtenburg

My bikes are a Honda GoldWing GL1200 and a BMW R1200GS

My personal homepage with trip reports: https://www.krijtenburg.nl/
YouTube channel (that I do together with one of my sons): motormobilist.nl

I bought an R65 in 1980, and i still have it .

Used to tour all around europe two up on it before the my son was born. In fact my wife still toured on the back of it when she was 4 months pregnant.

Just a little cramped in the foot area when riding two up, apart from that, great.

I'd echo all the above positive comments. The boxer twins from the 70s and 80s are simple, economical and reliable and if they do go wrong are relatively easy to fix at the roadside. The power output is adequate for touring, just don't expect to keep up with the jap 4 cylinders of that era or later.

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If you think you are too small to make a difference you have never spent the night with a mosquito.

Thanks to all you kind folks who have commented.
In the end my legs made the decision and i bought a big Suzuki Burgman scooter.
Its not that i wanted the scooter but i couldnt get me leg over...must be my age!I had set my eyes on a really nice older model R65...but...its life
i hope to meet you out here one day .i might be the blue scooter scooting past you lol