1978 BMW R-Series

2999473

Just like anything there is a story that goes with the item for sale. Here is the story that goes with this BMW motorcycle. My Father bought this motorcycle in the late 70's early 80's I'm not exactly sure of the exact year because I was just a child between the ages of 7 and 11, I am now 40 years old. The way I understood the situation was that my Dad was to be the second owner of this bike, the first owner bought it new and ran it into a curb, bent the front forks which scared him off of motorcycles for good. So my Dad bought the bike as sort of a winter project, he took the whole bike apart and packed it into crates and it remained in crates until the year 2004, when he had finally retired and had finished building his retirement home. By the way the bike was purchased in California and my Dad retired and built his retirement lake home in South Carolina, so he moved the bike with him. The time finally came where he had time for this winter project, he replaced the front forks along with tires and numerous other little items to make the bike just right. The day came when he was finished and was to take it for a test ride. Well a long story short the ride did not go as expected, the bike did not handle the way it was supposed to, so my Dad took the whole bike apart again, and come to find out the frame had a very slight bend in it which really wan't visible to the naked eye. It was only detected after making several different measurements, and it really wasn't a bend, but rather more of a slight twist. So back to square one, my Dad not one to give up found a 1973 frame that was straight and would work, but could not locate a 1978 frame. So the 1973 frame was what he ended up using, and when he was done, and took it for a test drive again it handled great. Now you would have to have known my Dad which unfortunately passed away last year, but to him it was just another motorcycle and he was ready to move on to something else, so up for sale it went. That's when I found out what he was going to do and I couldn't believe it. We had always had a BMW motorcycle in the garage this R65 being the smallest one my Dad ever owned. I grew up on the back of a R80 and a R90. So I had some attachment to these wonderful machines, and I told my Dad I wanted to buy it, and to take it out of the paper. It took me a while to get the money together, but I finally did and owned my very first BMW motorcycle. My Dad turned around and bought yet another BMW motorcycle, an ex police bike, which is another story for another day. I ended up crashing that one, but like I said another story. When I bought the motorcycle it had exactly 15,000 miles on it and over the course of the past few years of my ownership I have managed to put another couple of thousand miles on it. But the mileage listed is the original mileage on that engine and drive train. Basically the whole bike is 1978 except for the frame. The only difference between a 1978 frame and a 1973 frame that I am aware of is the 1973 frame doesn't have the mounts for a center stand. Now you are probably wondering why I am selling a bike that I love. Well here it is: My Dad passed away last year, so I am having to take care of his house plus my own. The other BMW motorcycle that he had I was going to sell, when on a trial run I had a bad accident and broke my leg severely. I have 3 inches of bone missing, several surgeries including a bone graft. So I have been out of work going on half a year. So after going through most all my savings I am trying to sell some possessions to keep from losing my house. Hopefully I will be able to go back to work in another 6 months, but until then I am having to do whatever I can, and this economy is great isn't it. Anyway enough of that. As far as the bike goes, it didn't matter if I went on a 5 minute ride to the gas station or a 2 hour ride through the country side, I always received compliments on the bike. Even the Harley Davidson owners had an appreciation for this bike. The bike runs great, and always starts with just a push of the start button. Of course like anything, nothing is perfect. The gauge housing has a crack which is shown in the photos, and the saddle bags have some stress cracks strictly from age. The bike doesn't leak or burn oil, has good tires, brakes, battery, and everything works, lights, turn signals ect. I have a reserve on the bike, but it is lower than the blue book price just to hopefully make a sale, and the starting bid is very low. I know this bike isn't for everyone, I just hope someone that really appreciates it ends up buying it. Feel free to submit any questions that you may have.On Jan-17-11 at 12:11:05 PST, seller added the following information: Also not mentioned previously I have a BMW motorcycle cover for the bike, and also have the Haynes service and repair manual for the bike. I also have a few spare parts for the bike, clutch brake lever, fuses, brake pads. I will look and see what else I have that I can include in the sale.