3 airheads for sale, which one to buy?

[bluecycle3]

local guy has 3 airheads for sale and i cant make up my mind,looking for some input. first one is a R75/5 with low miles , black, very good shape and clean. price $3500. second one is a 78 R 80/7, 30k , been stored for 10 years, needs tires and tlc, needs battery . price $2200. third one is a 86 R80, low miles, needs to be rewired and have the headlight rewired, very clean, but needs work. price $2500.

Any and all opinions as to preffered model, price of bikes etc.. welcomed

Thanks Greg

[CanadianSteve]

I had an 86 R80 before my current 92 R100RS ... I really enjoyed that bike a lot, just had bags on it ... I think that if you just would like an enjoyable ride, not a lot of high performance, you won't go wrong with the R80. I didn't ride 2 up with it though, that will make a difference. All good choices though !
Steve

[Boxerkuh]

My choice is clear: I would buy the R 80, probably since I own one and if you don't want it, please let me know mor info on it... I am interested... Here is the thing, the R 80 has a very desireable front end of the K bike, it is also a monoshock set up with is very smooth. Don't know what wiring needs to be done in the head light, since there is only the headlight??? With the older bikes, you have a different frame....; if you want to get on the bike and ride it get the first one that is up and running. On the bike that has been sitting for 10 years the big question is if the motor or tranny are stuck. As with any bike, you will have to go through it, front to rear, but hopefully don't need to address issues in the motor, transmission or rearend, as those items can be very costly. Please let me know about the R80. Thanks..

[bluecycle3]

sorry i double typed on the headlight thing. leave it to the internet proofreaders to catch me.

[GregFeeler]

local guy has 3 airheads for sale and i cant make up my mind,looking for some input. first one is a R75/5 with low miles , black, very good shape and clean. price $3500. second one is a 78 R 80/7, 30k , been stored for 10 years, needs tires and tlc, needs battery . price $2200. third one is a 86 R80, low miles, needs to be rewired and have the headlight rewired, very clean, but needs work. price $2500.

Any and all opinions as to preffered model, price of bikes etc.. welcomed

Thanks Greg

Depends on what you want. /5's are considered "cool" now and that will likely be the bike that goes up in value (or the most). They are a really great ride, but have "character": 4-speed tranny and drum brakes.

The '78 R80 may well need valves and seats. BMW had a lot of trouble with valves in those years, and with 30k on it (if that's true) it just might be getting close to that. Can be fixed properly with new valves and seats, but it's a cost to consider.

The '86 R80 is the most refined bike IMHO. Best frame and forks (as has been mentioned). Once done up correctly it would be likelythe best bike to ride either daily or cross-country.

[puccini]

86 R80 all the way.

/5's have class but they are dogs.
And $3500 is high for it.

Go for the newer bike and CAREFULLY replace whatever wiring is needed.

P.S I remember all the fun I had with my /5 trying to get those &%$*@
valves to quiet down.

Fun trying to stop fast also.
Wore out a couple of boots sliding them on the pavement trying to stop.
:^)
Gerry

[GregFeeler]

86 R80 all the way.

/5's have class but they are dogs.
And $3500 is high for it.

Go for the newer bike and CAREFULLY replace whatever wiring is needed.

P.S I remember all the fun I had with my /5 trying to get those &%$*@
valves to quiet down.

Fun trying to stop fast also.
Wore out a couple of boots sliding them on the pavement trying to stop.
:^)
Gerry


Loud valves save lives!
:lol

[YB in IN]

Get the 86 R80. Before I went to the dark side of K-bikes that was my first steed. I went from Indiana to the Trenton national and then on to Quebec and Maine and back on mine. I also was able to keep up with a 1150GS on the way back from the Lobstah run at the Pemi River Rally doing 100 the whole way up I93. They'll move if you make them. It was a really great bike, but the previous owner had let it sit outside in Maryland through a couple of nasty blizzards that wreaked havoc on the electrics. I would get the bike and then have a look through the Motorad Elektrik (http://www.motoelekt.com/) catalog and get at the very least the upgraded voltage regulator (mine conked out in Connecticut on the way home from Maine) and do a few electrical upgrades to make the electrics on it a bit stronger. The guy who bought the bike off of me called me last year and asked a question about brake pads, but said that overall the bike was doing not half bad, and that he had driven the hell out of it back East to where he was originally from. I wish that I hadn't have had to have sold it, but I got a great deal among friends (thanks Blake) for my current ride that I just couldn't pass up, and as a poor college student it was my only option to sell it to get the cash to buy my current bike. It broke my heart to do it, but I'm extremely pleased with my K-bike. If it tells you anything, I still keep my eye out in case another 86 R80 pops up that I can buy.

[James.A]

The R75/5; elegant simplicity, bulletproof reliability. I wouldn't have anything else.
Point-to-point hand wired, breaker point primary ignition, no $2000 O-ring, no rubber mounts for the diode board. Properly maintained, the drum front is as good as a single disc front brake. Still fast enough to get you a speeding ticket.

[bluecycle3]

James that's kinda what i was thinking. The problem is i offered the guy 3k for it and he wont budge. The bike is very clean and he has completly tweaked it to perfection, but it doesnt have bags which i want so i think my offer is fair. I will go over this weekend and see what i can do.

[20774]

Depends on what you want. /5's are considered "cool" now and that will likely be the bike that goes up in value (or the most). They are a really great ride, but have "character": 4-speed tranny and drum brakes.

The '78 R80 may well need valves and seats. BMW had a lot of trouble with valves in those years, and with 30k on it (if that's true) it just might be getting close to that. Can be fixed properly with new valves and seats, but it's a cost to consider.

The '86 R80 is the most refined bike IMHO. Best frame and forks (as has been mentioned). Once done up correctly it would be likelythe best bike to ride either daily or cross-country.

Any pre-85 Airhead will need valves and seat at some point. However, the 1978 R80 is not the time frame when BMW had the problems you're probably referring to. The biggest problem was the 81-84 bikes and especially the R100 models. Up until 1981, the problem was valve seat recession principally due to the reduction/loss of lead in the gas. For 1981-1984, the problem was valve face plastic deformation in which the metals BMW chose for the unleaded fuel was not quite right and the valves began to deform and tulip, creating the problems. And the problems were mostly on the 1000cc models due to the excess heat generated. Another factor would how hard the owner rung the bike out. Ridden moderately, the time before replacement could be extended. Typically, the bike will give warnings that a problem is brewing in terms of closure of the valves in a short period of time, poor idling, poor performance and gas mileage. It's quite easy to fix with the new BMW parts...some prefer to go the aftermarket route.

Kurt in S.A.

[BubbaZanetti]

It broke my heart to do it, but I'm extremely pleased with my K-bike.


you have no soul.................
:laugh

[AntonLargiader]

local guy has 3 airheads for sale
Of course there are other airheads for sale as well. All three of those are good bikes in their way. I just love my R75/5. It's very direct, and just feels really good to ride. Nice power for its time, sounds and looks great. Brakes need work. The /7 is basically the most refined of the 'old' Airheads that still had the heavy flywheel. The later R80 is just a very good bike all the way around.

However, I also love my even newer Airheads. Currently I have an R100R that I'm sprucing up gradually; it has Paralever, Showa forks and tubeless spoked wheels. Really the most improved features ever available during Airhead production. And all of the bikes you mention were unfaired... the R100RS is a stunning bike and the air flow on the R90S and R100S/CS is very smooth. There's a lot out there. Have you ridden a GS?

[flash412]

Is the /5 long or short swingarm (pre or post 1972½)? What is the purpose of your purchase? Is this bike going to be a daily rider or a "collector piece"? Do you enjoy working on bikes or do you pay someone to make repairs?

[BeemoKat]

I know the guy of which you speak, Scott, over in Grass Lake, am I correct? He's an honorable guy, and a fine mechanic, so it is safe to assume that he's done the research, and his prices are in the ballpark and fair. That said, I would go for the newest bike first, then the R-80. PM me and I'll give you the number (mine as well) of another fine mechanic I know who is also acquainted with Scott. Maybe all 3 of us can take a little road trip and have a look.

[Braddog]

Any time I hear "great machine, but needs a little work", or "needs a little TLC", well, that can mean so much.

My first choice would be the /5, but as others have stated, I think $3500 is a bit high. I've tracked those things locally as well as on Cycletrader and eBay, and only the most pristine seem to get that type of money.

My 2nd choice would be the '78. The only reason being is that I would rather tackle the challenge of a bike that's been setting for awhile as opposed to a bike that has known wiring issues. Electrical gremlins are nasty buggers, although BMW wiring isn't necessarily all that complex.

[James.A]

In 5 years, $3500 for a low mileage R75/5 will be a long forgotten memory of a by-gone era. They are they best, simplest motorcycles ever made. Hell, $3500 for a running example will be a bargain by then.

[James.A]

James that's kinda what i was thinking. The problem is i offered the guy 3k for it and he wont budge. The bike is very clean and he has completly tweaked it to perfection, but it doesnt have bags which i want so i think my offer is fair. I will go over this weekend and see what i can do.

Think about what you're getting for the price of a ****ty Sportster. Or, you can wait him out and hope that a rabid half-wit with more money than brains, like me, doesn't stumble on to it. If you buy it, I'll give you a set of soft bags.

[Boxerkuh]

In 5 years, $3500 for a low mileage R75/5 will be a long forgotten memory of a by-gone era. They are they best, simplest motorcycles ever made. Hell, $3500 for a running example will be a bargain by then.

I agree with woodnsteel and with flash 412. Both true statements... The bottom line is what do you want? Don't let money stand in the way, if you want get it.

Regardless, you will go through the bike, do your own maintenance, you will have to replace this and that and add this and that to make the bike yours. Ask yourself this:
1. Why do I want this bike?
2. How much will I ride this bike?
3. Do I want it to be stock for collection?
4. What will the purpose of this bike be?

Knowing that you can find it and have it in due time, if not one of these than down the road.... I am always looking for very specific airheads that I like. Patience, but the R80 is still my favorite.

[Motorman]

Go for the one that has been run and driven. Unless you want a project bike to build up don't get one that has sit idle for years. The seals will be dry and the cylinders may have rust in them. This does not leave out that the tranny / shaft / rearend may have water and rust as well. I'd rather have a higher mileage bike that is ridden regularly than a low mileage bike that sat in the garage for 10 years unused and not "pickeled" properly.

[bigfoot105]

Have you tried offering him a price for all three? If it were me, I'd offer to buy all three for a reduced rate from the $8200 bucks total for each. Say maybe $7000-7500 for all of them. Then get them all up to snuff, at minimal cost, ride them and see which one you want to keep and sell the others for a nominal profit. That would reduce the overall cost of the one you wanted to buy in the first place.

However, If you don't do you own wrenching or don't have a buddy that can help you, it probably wouldn't work out for you cost wise.

And......

If you are married, the hard sell :deal is usually to the wife on an idea such as this one. But it can be done. :thumb

Good Luck! :)

[CustomSarge]

1> bid for the ensemble?
2> pick the newest?
3> grab the one whos' troubles are most familiar?

I can't/won't vote... electrics aren't a problem for me; Big bugaboo elsewheres. Others take mechanicals as directly. Pick your comfort/least pain zone & vote your wallet (or not).
I've got a similar situ here; just can't see 3 more in the garage, essentially regardless of price. These situations will ocurr with increasing frequency, as gentrification continues... <<<)))

[paulfinney2]

Of the 22 bikes I've had, of which 4 were Beemers, my 86 R80RT is the only bike that I just want to keep. I've had it 6 yrs, gone from commuting year-round to a 3700 mile 2 wk camping trip alone, and where ever I go, nobody has a bike that I want more the one I've got. The only problems I've had have been caused by me. Everything is stock and no add-ons. Comfortable and reliable, and fixable if need be. Of course, I bought a 76 R75/6 from my brother, which I am fixing up, and who knows how much fun that is going to be. But chances are I will keep the 86 as my prime rider.