1986 R65

Jay Grafton

I am the third owner and the bike had sat for about 11 years before I purchased it.  This bike had just over 16,000 miles on it when I got it.  Iโ€™ve had a lot of used airheads over the years – this is the first to come with a complete set of keys including pannier keys and a complete toolkit with rider’s manual.  Iโ€™ve done a few upgrades including rear shock, Seibenrock valve covers, ran the valves, freshened up the front suspension and replaced a bunch of rubber parts including a  new Michelin Road Classics. Iโ€™ve put about 2300 miles on the bike since late summer (2025) and really like it.  This is my first MonoShock Airhead.

About

In this series, weโ€™ll be talking with independent mechanics, product developers and aficionados of the classic airhead BMW motorcycles, produced from 1970 to 1995, also known as the โ€œType 247 boxer.โ€ If youโ€™re an airhead rider, youโ€™ll recognize nearly all of our guests in this series. If youโ€™re generally a motorcycle enthusiast, this a great opportunity to add some knowledge to your database and enjoy some great motorcycle talk.