Just acquired an R65

[boney]

Anyone?

[azcycle]

Originally Posted by boney

I know BMW made a little wedge shaped fairing for the R65... is there anything else out there like a little fly screen that will fit over the big plastic instrument panel?

I think you're referring to the fairing for the r65ls model. Good wisdom here... will be lots of help as you polish that old gem. I love my r65!

[mountainJ]

Originally Posted by boney

Anyone?

I am in the midst of a restoration/cafe project on my r65 now and just removed a Pulsar Headlight modulaor that was shorting out. I'm not a fan of headlight modulators anyway and it was put on by the previous owner. But after removing the relay for the Pulsar unit I noticed that same blue plug and was also wondering what it was for. I studied the wiring diagram for a while and though I found out what the extra plug on the back of the tach is for (volt meter) I could not figure out this one. Anyone know?

Also, and I will look through other threads but, does anyone have any good suggestions for a replacement SS single breakline for te r65. Part number/retailer info would be a huge help.

[Mike V.]

Boney,

Great bikes! I also purchased an 81 R65 for my wife and totally restored it. When it was completed I refused to give it up until she completes an MSF instruction. These bikes have braking ability that will impress you when they are operating correctly. Wish my /7 had the stopping power of my R65. If in fact you need to overhaul the calipers and braking system; here's a bit of a photo tutorial I did on mine just to prepare you what to expect, not a difficult job at all. The ATE' caliper rebuild kits do not include the o-ring inbetween the caliper halves, if you decide to do a complete rebuild contact me. I have a pile of correct size and composition o-rings I can forward to you at no cost. Good luck with the bike.

http://tinyurl.com/3el4hqp

[georgesgiralt]

Hello !
Congrats to your wife ! She has got one of the finest BMW ever made.
I own mine since 30 years and it's the same as yours (of course, European version instead of an American one... ).
The calipers are quite exact copy/replacement of the Brembo which where fitted later. If you go the rebuild route, check for the rebuild kit as it is DIFFERENT from the Brembo one. Bear in mind that build quality of the ATE is inferior to the Brembo one. The piston, for one, are chromed instead of special/hard steel. So you can have a bad surprise opening the calipers...
If I where you, I'll change all fluids and change the neutral switch at that time. Put fresh filters everywhere and clean the gasoline tap filters. Then check valve clearance and carb synch.
Then when your wife has run the bike for some time see if you need more restoration (carbs cleaning and new rubber/jets are a lead to follow. Bing make a repair set quite cheap. Buy new needles, jets, and a carb cleaner spray. you'll be surprised with what you find in there !)
Then you may want to lube the wheel bearings and the steering bearing and you are set.
Myne has around 100 000 miles on the odometer and is like new according the dealer I bought parts from. HE knows one with more than 350 000 km ...... so yours is just new

[nhmaf]

The blue plug in your picture is an "auxiliary equipment" plug - most often this connector was used on the police service bikes in Europe, but the connector is on mostly all R65 bikes. Mine (1982 R65LS) has this connector, and most other R65s I've seen (and that has been a few dozen) have this same connector. Somewhere there is a schematic which shows which pins on there are "hot" and ground, etc.

[JimX]

The optional aux light set plugs into the blue connector

[boney]

Thanks for the info. I keep meaning to put a test light on all the connectors in that plug to see what they do.

I've got a couple of kits to rebuild the calipers and some appropriate o-rings (I don't remember the material they're made of, but I did do the homework on them. BTW the o-ring store has just about everything for great prices if you know the size of what you need.) I just haven't opened the up because we're still riding. We practiced with the bike quite a bit before deciding to wait for the rain to come and feel comfortable that it does stop as it needs to, it's just that the lever action is less than ideal even though it is consistent.

I'm looking also at replacing the front brake lines, but I haven't decided whether or not to ditch the multiple pieces of metal lines and several pieces of rubber lines for 3 pieces (total) of stainless. I think it would be ideal, but certainly less than original or "stock."

[georgesgiralt]

Actually, if you replace the rubber brake lines with stainless, you will retain the metal tubes between the fork leg(s) and the caliper(s) and maybe one metal tube joining the repartition behind the headlight ant the tube coming from the MC.
I say maybe because it is not clear to me when this tube was or was not fitted. Two possibilities exist.
I can't insist enough on having the brake lines replaced. They have normally to be replaced every five years. I bet that the plastic rings on them shows the date of manufacture of the bike...... Mine where 30 years old when I changed them and it showed !

Beware of O-rings on the brake system not coming from the brake manufacturer. The material used is very special to resist brake fluid. Do not mess up with brakes for a couple of cents saved ! Your life may be at stake ! This is why I advised to get the ATE caliper repair kit for ATE calipers ! They will sell you correct parts and you'll get as much braking as the system is capable of. Consistently.

As per the blue connector, IRC there is a brown wire which is a ground, one wire is a + before contact (so permanent) one is the same but after contact and I can't recall the last two. If you get the owner manual, at the end there is a flipping schematics showing the exact wiring of that plug.