I just "Had" to do it... bought a bike

[Capt Steve]

Back in high school and college I rode bikes. Started with an 85 cc Kawasaki trail bike, moved up to a Kawasaki 175 street/trail and finally ended up with a 73 CL 350 Honda. I had a blast with all three but after losing the Honda on the freeway at 75 some of the joy seemed to fade.

Fast forward nearly 40 years and the itch that never completely went away finally demanded some scratching. Now I am not a Harley or a Rice/Crotch rocket kind of guy but.... always had thing for BMW's. Never dreamed I would ever be able to afford one, much less a nice one but sometimes if your heart is pure good things happen. {Now that cannot be the case here but I digress}.

My next door neighbor had one more bike than his garage would hold given the full on machine/carpentry shop he has in there. He had bought this very nice 1987 R80 RT as a companion to his Harley. After tweaking it for 6 months getting it damn near perfect he agreed to sell it to me {I had been on the first right of refusal list since the day he bought it}.



It has 68,450 miles on it and came with the full service history, I think I am the third or fourth owner(???). Unless I am mistaken $3,400 was a very good price. It gets better....

My neighbor has a custom 8' trailer that he built to haul the bike (or anything else for that matter). I traded him a very nice Ruger Single six SS 22LR/22Mag (nib) with a custom leather holster, straight up for the trailer.

We have a 24' 2012 Nexus Class C (with the V-10/5 speed Torque Shift trans and the full tow package), that will not even notice the 350# trailer and 500# bike are back there. I plan on a couple of weeks in the canyon parks of Utah in mid April seeing the canyons from the back of the BMW.

Just returned from my first hour getting reacquainted with riding and fortunately it really is... a lot like riding a bike. The bike is awesome if a bit intimidating but cautious, conservative and dressed for safety I am keenly aware how much I have to learn/relearn but am in no hurry.

My other neighbor is retired CHP motor officer who also rides a BMW (his old CHP bike that he bought at retirement), who is making turning me into a safe rider his personal mission. Hard to get better instruction than that and he gets a another riding buddy.

Yep, I have a grin that could open a branch face! Life is good.

 

[smitholdtimer]

BMW R80 RT

First Congratulations are in order, you will ride one of the finest Motor Cycles ever built, apologies to the Harley Riders but in the day I rode it was very true. Sorry that my riding experience does not go as far as your R80 RT, I rode an R75/5 which was purchased second handed with 12,000 miles on the odometer. Realizing the freedom experienced during any ride was the reward so if the morning was very warm the BMW was there to cool it no matter the actual temperature. Unfortunately while riding through the County Seat another vehicle failed to stop for a "RED" traffic signal and caused me to incur a spill. The injuries were not too serious to me but some repairs were required to the BMW. After this experience the decision was made to park the bike and never ride again. There are 28,000 actual miles and its been stored improperly since the 80's. Enjoy your New Ride and pay attention to your instructor!

 

[Rogue Wizard]

That looks like an ammo box saddle bag ....

 

[wilkoi]

Very nice.

To take a motorcycle from a person who loves to ride is like taking the wings from a bird that has learned to fly.

 

[Wyatt p. Tato]

Nice BMW at a good price. Be careful. I rode for 50 years, one minor accident. I made 2 cross country trips on my BMW, 1 on my Electraglide. However my stroke took me off the bikes.

Enjoy while you can.

 

[oberlin1]

Lovely machine! You will have so much fun (I hope). Got back into it about 5 years ago...even talked the boss into getting her endorsement. We both ride; just enjoy going out in the countryside and puttering along. She has a scooter and I have a BMW (couple of old ones actually!). Told her as long as we are having fun we will continue to ride.

Congrats!

Larry

 

[Big Cholla]

Great Buy! IMHO, you should think about the installation of a crash bar across the front of the engine to protect those cylinder heads. Consider it cheap insurance. ....................

 

[WardenRoss]

I've got quite a few miles on airhead boxers. They are great owner-friendly all around bikes.

The Airheads Beemer Club is a great organization. Best group of motorbike guys on the planet.

http://www.airheads.org/


Congrats on the R80!

 

[Long Barrel]

Nice bike, almost infinitly rebuildable.

They call them "airheads", to distinguish them from the rest of the Beemer line. I moved from a K1100LT to an R1200RT about four years ago, myself.

A good idea would be to join the BMW Motorcycle Owners Association (MOA). Their website is a virtual fountain of Airhead information. Also, lose the ammo boxes and get some Krauser bags.

 

[LostintheOzone]

That's a nice ride. I had several Beemers. The first was a 1000 CS. Then a R80RT like yours. I really liked that bike. The only complaint I had was the gear ratio. It seemed to put the engine RPM too high at 70 mph. I purchased mine used so I'm not sure if it was ordered that way or was a std. ratio. If you don't do a lot of interstate out west it will be a very good touring bike. If you do just get the final gear switched out. No big deal.

Get some bars on that frame to keep your valve covers off the pavement.

That's a keeper. Congratulations.

 

[Marshwheeling]

Congratulations. That bike has a lot of miles left in it, if you ride it rather than letting it sit. I have put a lot of miles on Airheads myself.

I wouldn't worry about the revs or gear the bike any taller. The boxer twin thrives on revs, and cruising at elevated engine speeds won't hurt it. That bike is geared the way it is because that big fairing, although it is pretty efficient, still has to push a lot of air. Geared as it is (probably 32/10 or 37/11), it should be quite happy to cruise at 75-80.

The 750s and 800s are my favorite airheads. They seem to run a little smoother and a little cooler than the 1000s, and tend to last a little longer (no science there, just my impression gathered from riding the things for over 40 years and immersing myself in the literature). Their stock gearing is well matched to the power characteristics of the engine, and gives a very flexible ride with good acceleration in top gear.

Get some refresher training like the Experienced Rider Course and listen well to what your buddy tells you. Above all, have a safe ride.

 

[Vulcan Bob]

Very nice! I've always wanted a BMW but dealer support is sketchy here in central PA and that is important to me. I think a R100RT would suit me just fine.

 

[Fishinfool]

Nice bike. All you need now is a rifle scabbard mounted on the left side.

Larry

 

[CH47gunner]

A really nice motorcycle there. At 68,000 miles she's barely broke-in.
While mine's not an airhead, I appreciate the "classics" like yours.
My K1200GT will probably be the last road bike I ever buy.

2007 K1200GT

 

[Edmo]

Congrats on your new scoot! It looks like a nice one.

I'm one of those Harley guys and love to ride every chance I get.

Below is my current Harley, a Road King Classic which I bought in July 2006. It had 1 mile one it when I picked it up and yesterday it rolled over 95,500 miles. After coffee I'm going to take it for a quick spin.

Watch the road and be wary of the cell phone/texting idiots. They are everywhere and they definately aren't looking out for you.

Edmo

 

[pawncop]

I am glad to learn you have reconnected to your passion.

Remember the joy is in the quest.

 

[Capt Steve]

da bike trailer

Here is a shot of the trailer that came with the BMW:



My neighbor (a very talented guy), fabricated/welded a shoe that through bolts to the front of the bed to contain the front wheel. Four heavy duty ratcheting tie downs will further secure the bike. As you can see by his garage {in the background}, creating a little more space has become a priority that I was happy to assist with.

 

[Beemerguy53]

Capt. Steve, I think you got a great deal...and of course I approve!

 

[gus4440]

I've got quite a few miles on airhead boxers. They are great owner-friendly all around bikes.

The Airheads Beemer Club is a great organization. Best group of motorbike guys on the planet.

Airheads Beemer Club - About


Congrats on the R80!

Hi Allen, nice bike. I remember that bike. We've rode a few miles together.

Gus

 

[JSR III]

Congratulations. When attending the 2003 SWCA conention in Milwaukee we took a sidetrip to the HD plant. They had a very nice display of Anniversary Editions and I was struck at one of the great colors called of all things "gunmetal blue".

Since blue is my color and I was there only because of a S&W gathering, I thought that it must be providence that they chose the color name.

Well, I couldn't swing it at the time but 10 years later, I found one that had been in storage while the owners were overseas and it had like 3,000 miles on it. Price was reasonable and as they say, the rest is history.

By the way, the old adage that seeking forgiveness is easier than seeking permission did not go over well with Mrs. JSR III.

Hard to explain a $4,000 purchase as necessary when it involves a motorcycle.