This could happen when that relay was cold, or with even a slightly discharged battery, or both. A simple modification to the relay innards will cure the problem. Later Airheads had a more conventional relay, without the transistor, and there was no similar protection against running the starter motor with the engine running The early SWB bikes use a smaller battery and a different saddlebag mounting not all that different from the later-introduced R45 and R65 which were also short wheelbase but hardly exhibited the instability.
While on this subject, please take note that the outer lens used on all motorcycles is NOT the same for right-hand-drive countries, as for left-hand-drive countries. The proper combination of metal shields of the lamp itself, and the lens and reflector, are what is necessary. Later in production BMW phased out the kickstart, but kickstart transmissions were available on some models as standard, and on special order or on Euro models, and can be retrofitted.
As mentioned much earlier in this article, the kickstart transmissions were weak, and the kickstart on them should not be used except in emergency. The pre 5 speed transmission can be installed directly in earlier models. The pre transmissions had a longer input shaft than later transmissions. Installing a and later transmission into early bikes requires a change of input shaft, which is pricey; or, machining work; or, the new style flywheel clutch carrier and clutch.
In many instances a pre transmission fits into a and later bike, and you need not change the input shaft, just cut it. There are various methods of doing these various things. For example, in some instances, depending on what you want to do, installing a late or early clutch and flywheel or clutch carrier as it is called from will enable a particular transmission to be installed.
The 4 speed transmission parts are now very pricey, and few know how to properly overhaul these 4 speed transmissions. There are a number of aftermarket alternators available with even more output, two articles covering most of them are on this website. The watt R90S had a very slightly changed inside diameter stator, which was done as crankshaft whipping was believed possible on that model and the larger air gap is responsible for the slightly lowered output.
Rotor diameters were changed slightly at times. Many BMW's had rubber-mounted diode boards which were troublesome and caused charging problems, breakage and aging problems, etc. There are several article on this website dealing with diode boards, grounding wires, and other allied items. The battery physical size and capacity has changed over the years. While battery sizes are listed in BMW and other literature on all the other models as 15, 16, 28, and 30 ampere-hours sized Generally those are known as the 20 ampere-hour or 17 and 28 or The cc engine was eliminated in , but a size, the R45, rarely seen and never officially imported and sold in the USA, was produced from into The R45 was made in two versions, one had 26 or 27 horsepower, depending on what literature you are looking at, and the other had 35 horsepower.
These bikes varied in not only compression ratio but in carburetor size and rear end ratios. Thus, with the proper R45 see R45N , 'beginners' could legally ride a big bike, but with a lower output engine.
For a comprehensive article on rear drive ratios, speedometer ratios, etc. An R65LS model was produced with compound construction wheels and it had many differences compared to the R65 mono model. The R65 cc bikes perform favorably compared to the larger cc R80 bikes. These smaller engines are designed, and geared, to run at a somewhat higher rpm.
Like all Airheads, the engines are designed to be capable and reliably able to be run for enormous mileages continuously at high speeds and high rpm. The R45 and R65 should not be heavily 'lugged' however Neither is the R45N and R In fact, they are marginal for freeways even without a passenger.
The R65 is far better than many think, and will carry two-up on the freeways quite decently, especially if a 'slippery' frame-mounted fairing is installed. Pinging Pinking on lower graded fuels even with 91 octane is a problem with the R50 and R60 models, and can be dealt with. Much of the pinging problem is due to the extremely mild camshaft profile which raises the effective dynamic compression ratio. Often the problem includes excessive carbon deposits in the cylinder head and on the piston.
Some Airheads came with 18 inch front wheels such as the R45, R65, Certain early "cast snowflake" wheels were recalled in ONLY the 19" size, and the recall still exists, and the factory will provide labor and a new wheel, although the silver wheels are NLA.
That leaves the gold wheels. The various wheels came in different rim width versions, and three styles of internal rim shape; one version in particular was for tubeless tires and had safety humps. BMW also made some very clever spoked GS wheels that had the spokes outside the inner portion, so tube or tubeless type tires could be used. All Paralever bikes are mono single sided rear, but not really the same as 'the' Monolever, although there were many similarities.
BMW introduced a wider spline on the rear drive, so the spline held up longer. The bullet headlight unfortunately went away. Also added was the famous sporty S version, the R90S. It was the only Airhead ever produced equipped with Dell'Orto carburetors. The had the first 5-speed transmission, and into some of , had problems, as has been extensively noted, well above. In BMW enlarged the case cylinder hole to 99 mm; previously it had been 97 mm.
The pushrod tubes also changed to 18mm. The alternator stator mounting bore in the case was mm from , although some early models still had the mm timing chest cavity. In the front wheel spindle axle was increased from 14 mm to 17 mm. As typical with BMW, one can fit most things interchangeably if one knows how. It had an integrated instruments in the fairing, and its various engine items, such as carburetors, exhaust size, compression ratio, etc.
An cc model was introduced for the model year. If the the stock engine has the sloped breather housing opposite the starter motor, and a recessed oil filter cover, then it is a and later model. The recessed area on the oil filter cover is on the non -oil cooler outer covers, and it is a fairly large round area.
The rear of the clamshell air cleaner on the , RS, and RRS, had holes drilled at the factory for better breathing, probably helped with the existing hot air intake too. The early R65 and R45 models were SWB, and in the mid-eighties, the larger frame of the larger displacement models was used, and the R65 always had a very nice thick casting for the top triple clamp BMW installed tubeless rims and tires on very late models. BMW also designed some clever spoked wheels for the GS, which allowed tubeless tires, as the spokes were located outwards on the rim.
The R65LS was produced from into late It had a few things thought of by some enthusiasts as a 'cheapening'. It is not really that bad. They did have compound wheels. The relatively beefy front forks top triple clamp is one of the things that was quite nice about the R There were some weird technical things with those R65 instruments, but nothing of great note.
The early 19" front snowflake cast wheels were recalled. The recall is still in effect. The ignition system was changed in on all BMW Airhead motorcycles.
The ignition trigger was still points, but was now contained, with a similar to prior models ATU, in a metal canister with a considerably better mechanical drive method off the camshaft. In the ignition points were eliminated in favor of a Hall transistor device used with full electronic ignition; the control module being placed under the fuel tank, on the pedestal previously used to hold the front brake s master cylinder, which was moved to the handlebars.
The front brakes became Brembo, and no cable-to-master cylinder was used. The brakes became considerably improved by these changes. The points bikes are reliable, but like all points do require regular maintenance. The electronic ignition bikes must have ohm spark plug caps, or the system can fail. I am well aware that some owner's booklet may say differently!
All Airhead models can have coil failures and even condenser failures, etc. Eventually that became standard for Airheads. Early gray-plastic two-tower coils tended to crack and then fail, especially with moisture being present. There is much to know about the ignition, and I have several articles on it. For , and continuing to the end of Airheads production, BMW changed to a single roller timing chain which is just as good as the prior duplex chain, and possibly a bit better, considering the improved, but not really perfect, associated chain guide and tensioning method changes.
This has been a point of controversy and argument for silly reasons. Basically, BMW stopped adding slash numbers, and this confused people. The fully faired RS and RT models were quite an innovation when they were introduced, and they became the long distance touring bikes of choice. BMW did extensive wind-tunnel testing during the design of these fairings. The faired bikes made a big impact upon the motorcycling world.
The RS was introduced in , but there are few of the earliest ones. A few aftermarket fairings were also available for some years; and, one, the Hannigan STe, was very good at slicing through the wind.
BMW eventually incorporated a second exhaust crossover near the transmission, and this was used on both 40 mm carbureted and later 32 mm carbureted models. In the final years, a completely different muffler system was used on some models. After the late seventies, all USA-shipped models had a reduction in horsepower, but could be operated on Regular grade gasoline's, but the torque curve remained excellent, so they remain excellent touring bikes, but with somewhat less acceleration, and a reduced top speed.
The highest power output motorcycles were the R series of the late 's and somewhat up into for foreign-shipped bikes. At the end of the seventies BMW began to make changes of various types, including camshaft timing with regards to the crankshaft, exhaust, valve size, carburetor size, and compression ratio, to comply with emissions requirements and at the same time continue with similar characteristics for torque flatness, etc.
Earlier USA bikes usually needed premium fuel, later bikes can usually use regular grade. Earliest brakes on the front wheels were drums, and they are fine, except that they can grab on a damp morning for the first stop, and will fade under severe use. ATE swinging calipers were on the early bikes, and they take more effort to adjust properly, and more work to bleed of air bubbles, particularly at the under-tank master cylinder; while the later Brembo brakes and late seventies ATE non-swinging brakes, of such as the R65, have no adjustments at the caliper area.
It is possible to improve braking by various means, particularly the size of the master cylinder. A single disc brake is not always more powerful in initial braking than a properly set up drum brake. That applies to both front and rear. BMW front drum brakes, used only on the earliest Airheads, are of the twin leading shoe type.
Properly set-up, they can work quite well. The ATE 'swinging caliper' brakes can be OK, but one needs to know how to adjust the eccentrics and bleed the system, etc, and they still are not as good as the later Brembo's. There may still be an article on the Club website, www. I have a brakes article too, link at the end of this paragraph.
It should be noted that every model with a single front disc can be converted to a dual-disc. BMW offered slightly thinner discs on some models, particularly with dual front discs. I think they were trying to keep good handling by keeping the weight down; resaid, BMW put a single disc on the ST and GS models to help front end handling. ATE made a type of brake caliper that is similar to the Brembo, it is not the ATE 'swinging adjustment' type, and looks much like the Brembo, except for ATE cast into the outer area, and its color, until you compare more closely.
The R65 had one of these. These are excellent brakes. A R65 bike converted to twin front discs with this ATE non-swinging caliper and proper master cylinder piston size original works fine too can stop very well; you will think you almost have 4-spot brakes.
When converting from one to two discs, one may want to keep the original single brake disc master cylinder size The rear disc brake with Maguro-built master cylinder was introduced on the RRS in , and it had a Brembo caliper. It is generally believed, with considerable reason, that the REAR disc brake was installed for marketing purposes, as it is not as good as the rear drum brake.
The Brembo front caliper s and the Magura on-bar master cylinder came in for all Airheads; which was an improvement over the under-tank MC, with its problems and with the associated cable. Prior to using Brembo front brakes, the front brakes were either the swinging type made by ATE, which had an under-fuel-tank master cylinder operated by a cable to the handlebars lever; or, were ATE single spot calipers that were fixed, and looked something like the Brembo's, and actually worked better than the ATE swinging brake, for practical purposes.
Every Airhead that came with single disc brakes can be converted to dual-discs. Squealing of disc brakes is fairly common, and my brakes article discusses that and how to fix it. In the early eighties, the rear drum brake had narrower shoes , and some other things were changed such as the O-rings, etc. All is described in the brakes article. Initially, and simply-put here, BMW sold and imported into the USA a supposedly last model series known as the "Last Edition"; and then, due to screaming by enthusiasts, re-started production for the USA.
It was a messy situation for everyone. During this period, which is a bit complicated with models, etc, these were not officially produced for the public some police models, known as Authorities types in BMW literature were produced. BMW tried to placate those who had sometimes paid a premium price for Last Editions, by offering free helmets. This so-called Last Edition has nothing to do with any similarly named bikes in the mid-nineties. The R cylinders won't fit the R90 cylinder heads.
Between and the swing arm housing size got larger , and the driveshaft design was changed to a driveshaft with the torsional stress relieving spring and cams, often called a cush driveshaft. In general, parts will interchange with or without minor work. Fitting of oversize tires on the early bikes can be a minor problem and this has been most often seen when using metric sizes of tires. The front fork brace on some models might need to be replaced with a later version.
For the rear, particularly if prior to , you may need one spacer changed, not expensive and very easy to change; and BMW sells the wider spacer. Still, some size tires of some manufacturer's will not fit properly. Oversize tires change handling, not necessarily for the better Most x 18 tires fit fine with the spacer change, but some x 18 are too wide.
For the twin-rear-shock years with rear DISC brake, a minor modification on the rear disc brake stay, and adding a left side washer spacer, and using the wider right side BMW spacer, will allow most all road tires to fit OK. After approximately , more tire manufacturers began to produce original inch size tires that fit both rear and front, and with new rubber and tread designs, even radial tires are being produced. These are proving to be very good.
Most all of these newer The front forks innards were substantially changed in , and not for the better, in my opinion. The heat sink was moved to the right side of the frame backbone considerably later, still needing the heat sink paste renewed now and then. In the U. It is possible to raise the compression ratio with different BMW pistons, or to mill the head, or even turn the cylinder base.
If one mills the head, one must also do something about the recess area of the head that the cylinder lip fits into. It is relatively easy to modify head or cylinder or both, depending on the situation.
Several folks on the Airlist will do this type of work properly. Be sure to get someone with considerable experience and knowledge. Going to different intake spigots and carburetors from 32 mm to 40 mm can further improve power. Going to the larger cylinder head valves is of lesser help, but does increase power somewhat, as does the stock larger exhaust system.
In , the simplified newly introduced front forks were noisy some modifications, at intervals, came soon , and I think they did not work as well as earlier forks. The forks were modified some several more times. The frame was not exactly the same as the and later twin-shock models The transmission on the were having neutral and over-shifting problems due to the lighter clutch assembly reducing inertia in moving parts during shifting, and BMW began phasing in the so-called Shift Kit, really an updating modification to the earlier version Whenever BMW introduced radical changes, it seems there were bugs in them, witness the and the bikes.
Oak told me that some castings for engines or transmissions had incorrect dimensions, which could cause perpetual failures of the input shaft of the transmission. Boy, he was mad when he found out about the lie.
In the USA a vehicle is not known by the start of production. Every brand of vehicle production is around Sept of the previous year. The first 4 months of production are known as the next year. In Europe, a vehicle year is that of the date of production. Those bikes were titled as However, the ones produced in those months is known as a bike in the USA.
A BMW that was imported from Europe may show that contradiction. If first titled in Europe and privately imported into the US, the title will show I never once turned in a brief for the dozens of antique BMWs that I imported. Photo courtesy of Darryl Richman, thanks.
It is on the left side of the bike and on the casting that holds the rear plunger spring. The thick paint is covering up the two BMW logos. This one of from the sport model, the R The photo was "lifted" from the German R68 site, thanks. The number on the plate has no legal standing. For an explanation of and later, go to snowbum's site. For a list of VIN's by model go to this site.
Do you want to know the date that your BMW was built? Send the VIN to Andreas. Harz partner. He is a very nice man. Moto Guzzi Frame Numbers at mgcn. Villiers Villiers Engine Numbers hulsmannmotor. The management of this system is carried out by the Mines Department, upon receipt of the vehicle.
This service is divided into fifteen administrative regions maps called mineral districts, the one of Marseille including in the first years the 3 regions of North Africa Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia as well as Monaco. European Marques at Bikelinks.
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