From ibmwrNoSpam@NoSpamworld.std.com Fri Jun 20 01:12:51 1997 Date: Thu, 19 Jun 1997 23:55:20 -0500 (CDT) From: "John f. Greusel" To: laciceroNoSpam@NoSpamstanford.edu Cc: bmwmcNoSpam@NoSpamworld.std.com Subject: BMW: bmw:old beemers Reply-To: "John f. Greusel" > > > > I am considering buying a 1965 R 50. The bike has 5500 original miles but > > is said not to be a museum piece. It has been garaged and ridden only > > intermittently in the last 20 years but I haven't seen it yet. Can the > > folks with experience with this or similar models give me a few clues about > > the value of this bike? The owner claims it is currently operational, > > fires right up and that the engine runs strong. He says the seals and > > gaskets are intact. Other problems of which I need to be aware? Will it > > need some kind of a leaded/unleaded conversion? > > > > Is there a shop in Sacramento, CA where you would recommend I bring it for > > a going over? > > > > This is, I'm certain, a can of worms yet the part of me that has never > > attempted a restoration has yet to be beaten down. And I am an optimist. > > Please write to me directly, all responses will be sincerely appreciated. > > > > Thanks in advance, > > Linda > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > L.A. Cicero 1990 Ducati 750 Sport (Mona) > > laciceroNoSpam@NoSpamstanford.edu Montare per mangia, mangia per montare. > > > > "The best things in life aren't things." -Gary Snyder > > Linda, > > I looked to see if anyone responded to you publicly and I didn't find any, so > > thought I'd give you my 2 cents worth. The R50/2 is the smoothest, quietest > airhead that BMW ever made. If you hear it run it should be almost silent and > > vibrate imperceptably- it's the proverbable sewing machine. It's companion, > the > R60, is a little louder and shakes slightly more but is also pretty quiet. > They > are quite easy to tune and maintain but do require an engine teardown at 40K > for > slinger cleaning- people are available to do this. On a bike with this few > miles > watch for bearing noise in the trans- seems like they don't like to sit for > years. In any case be sure to find a local shop with an older mechanic who > has > wrenched on these bikes- the young ones are great but they haven't been > trained > to work on pre '69 bikes and there are some differences (magneto ignition for > > starters). They are highly reliable and are ridden by thousands of people > daily > all over the world. Parts are readily available and a competent amateur > mechanic > can do most any job with a manual, Ed Korn's tools and Craig Vechorik's sage > advice. > > good luck- > probably worth 4k unless it's really perfect > > John Greusel > 7829 Westwood Dr. > Elmwood Park,Il > 60707 > > R60/2 1967 > > > > > > >