Airhead advice

[challey]

OK, I know. This is an oilhead forum and specifically the Roadster forum. But I gotta ask the question: Is the R75/5 as much of a hoot to own and ride as it is to look at?

A "friend", knowing that I've been sans ride for some time now - and jonesing heavily for some saddle time, sent me a craigslist posting of a 1971 /5 for sale. The bike looks fabulous with that toaster tank, the price is reasonable, and though I haven't spoken to the owner, we've exchanged e-mails and he seems to have kept it up very well.

Unfortunately, I know very little about airheads. What I read on-line talks about how reliable and durable they are and how easy they are to work on. Folks rave about their ability as a touring bike (this bike has nice Krauser bags) and as all-around fun machine. There are tons of postings from guys who regret selling theirs. Though it's difficult to accurately judge, there seems to be a pretty good sized support base for spare & replacement partsout there.

I had been considering getting a DL or SV 650 as something to ride while I work on my Roadster. Am I crazy to think of getting an R75/5 for this purpose? In the interest of total transparency, one of the reaons I was considering the Suzuki was to have something for my 24 year old to ride (we are doing the father/son thing and taking the beginner MSF course so he can get his motorcycle endorsement). Will a /5 be a good beginner bike, notwithstanding the tears I'd be likely to shed when it gets it's first tip-over and scratches that nice aluminum engine head? Can you be happy with 50 hp, a 4-speed transmission and drum brakes? Will I regret the purchase the first time that I find out that the dohickey I need to replace has to be built by hand by retired elves in the Bavarian Alps and won't be sent to the states until the Horst Wessel song is next sung? I'm outta my mind to even think about buying a nearly 50 year old machine when there are tons of perfectly capable and reliable Japanses V-twins out there with every factory and aftermarket part you could ever need available for next day delivery - right?

Now you see why there were quotes around the word friend in the second paragraph.

Charlie

[boxermania]

challey

If you are lookig for a reliable, inexpensive and fun to ride second bike stick with the SV650. '06 or newer, naked....can't go wrong and you'll love it.......no kidding

[Airman]

challey

If you are lookig for a reliable, inexpensive and fun to ride second bike stick with the SV650. '06 or newer, naked....can't go wrong and you'll love it.......no kidding

Right. A friend of mine had an old R75 he rode to work and he tinkered with it continually. I don't think that's what you're looking for. But speaking of decently priced bikes. A guy at work showed up with a showroom fresh 2007 Honda ST1300. Said he paid $10,500 for it. A very nice bike. Seems Honda has a number of bikes from previous years they just could not sell. Now if you were to find that Suzuki was suffering in a similar manner, your SV650 might be less painful to aquire.

[toolinalong]

Can you be happy with 50 hp, a 4-speed transmission and drum brakes? No.

Your intuition as stated in your long paragraph is spot on.

They are great to look at, and I suggest you buy the book "BMW Motorcycles" by Darwin Holmstrom and Brian J. Nelson for that purpose.

For a second bike Boxermania has the right advice.

signed,

A former 1978 R80/7 owner, who loved it, rode it around the country, and then just could not get back on it, though it was fine mechanically, after buying the R1150R.

[wncbmw]

I will go with the flow here. I had 2 wonderful airheads and rode many happy, relatively trouble-free miles on them (all problems fade with memory! ). Great bikes for their time. But a while back while doing the same 'I would love to return to simpler times' thing with a friend of mine, he explained that what broke him of all such thoughts was a ride on an older one!

After you get used to better suspension, more power and brakes that don't require a reservation to stop, it is hard to go back. Maybe as a 3rd bike for putts to bike rallies or shows but nothing more.

And before you get all into the fallacy of older bikes didn't have the mechanical troubles the new ones do, remember - they don't - they just had different ones. Virtually all generations of airheads had some sort of quirk and/or problem. We just accepted it as part of the charm. Now, due the internet, we all know everyones' problems with their bikes!

A Suzuki or maybe a 650 BMW sounds like it more fits the bill for you.

[sweatmark]

My riding buddy has 2 airheads: slash 5 and slash 7. The old bikes get all the attention during our travels, not my Rockster.

I've helped him work on the bikes - and fix problems. And I've seen him keep up with the R1150R during all types of riding.

There's a great network of airhead owners with tones of experience, better than even our network of the Roadster board and ADV combined.

Bottom line - consider an airhead, especially if you have a hankering for tinkering.

[Boxer Briefs]

As the proud owner of an airhead (R80/7) and a Roadster, I would encourage you to consider the /5. There is no question that it is an entirely different animal than the oilhead, but they ARE reliable, parts are readily available (from BMW, ebay and elsewhere) and they are fun to ride. I'll admit that when I take a long tour it's on the RR, but I still put many enjoyable miles on the airhead each year. The brakes and suspension are certainly not in the same league as the RR, but there are aftermarket options that certainly improve them over "stock," and I am starting down that road now. And, of course, there is not the same power with the airhead, but then again, that may be a good thing for a new 24 year old rider. Oh, and your concern about the head cover getting damaged after a tip over- crash bars are one option, and new replacement covers are about $70.

[jfbarron]

So you have /5 fever.....

I rode mine after a month of owning what was then my new R1150R and realized-it's gotta go!

Had it for 30 years and sold it to a buddy who wanted it. He likes it, but I like my 1150 better.

They are funky and get lots of attention. Drunks will leap off the sidewalk at you and want to ride or buy it. Old Germans will tell you about their war time rides that had a sidecar and a machine gun.

If you buy it, get the deep oil pan with the suction spacer so you can get another quart of oil in it-it will run cooler. The kickstarter turns a pinion gear that has a shaft which press fits in the back of the tranny housing. Sometimes they come loose and fall in the tranny. You have to watch for that-the fix is tapping the shaft and securing it against the housing with a SHCS and a washer.

Get the stiffer fork springs so that you can stop without going over the much better euro handlebars.

The brakes last for decades, but the front one has to be set up properly to be useful. It's a good thing that the compression braking is so strong.

If it has rib tires ( so retro...), throw them out and get something that works with some real tread or you'll be doing a face plant when it's wet.

Riding them demands that you set up for a corner ahead of time and keep the gas on all the way through-preferably in the powerband. Chop the throttle in a corner and you will wish you hadn't. They can corner well if you push them.

The speedometer needles will probably rot off and the tach springs will break eventually. The halogen headlight is mabe 1/3 as good as the stock light on the 1150.

But they are a funky bike for sure. I had a lot of fun on mine!

[Daryl.Stamp]

Challey;

When MLW suggested a few years ago that we should get a bike, I suggested that maybe we should start w/ something simple & inexpensive (a euphemism for '..old & cheap but needs work..') she countered with the statement "I want to ride, and how much time do you have to renovate/maintain an old bike anyway?". By the end of today we'll have put 30K on the R1150R that was delivered to us on 10 Aug 06. I don't have any personal experience w/ them but KLR 650s & V-Stroms are pretty highly regarded by a lot of folks for being inexpensive & durable.

Life is short; enjoy it.

DLS

[BoxerSteve]

I too owned several airheads before getting my '02 R1150R and though I loved them they just can't compare to a modern oilhead as far as handling, braking, and acceleration. I only have room and finances to support one motorcycle but if I could, I would like to have an airhead to ride occasionally. But personally, I wouldn't want such an old one; I'd want a newer one with disk brakes, for example maybe an '84 R100RS. I've not ridden such an old bike as the '71 R75 you mention but have heard that the drum brakes on those bikes don't stop very well!

The airheads have a certain character though that some might say is lacking in the oilheads.

If you'd like to check out a cool forum where airheads are king, you would probably find lots of knowledgeable opinions on your proposed airhead purchase:

Boxerworks.com

[iowabeakster]

For my comments...I would just quote...you!

I'm outta my mind to even think about buying a nearly 50 year old machine when there are tons of perfectly capable and reliable Japanses V-twins out there with every factory and aftermarket part you could ever need available for next day delivery - right?

The air-head is cool...but it will be a fairly high maintenance princess. It's just that old.
I would be thinking about things like: fuel-injection...cheap and easy chain final drives...modern suspensions...

one of the reaons I was considering the Suzuki was to have something for my 24 year old to ride

Absolutely! get a bike with some modern brakes.

[Jammess]

Well, I gotta throw in my 2-bits. I have an '81 R100RT and other than the valve recession problem I might someday have with this model year I would take it to my '04RT because of simplicity, low center of gravity and just a great machine. She has only 7K original miles and looks for all the world like the day she was built. If you want a great airhead get an '83 or later because BMW solved the valve recession problem after that year. My bike does not have the problem but with only 7K miles it shouldn't and if it does in the future I can get new valves and seats for about $800 including machine shop cost. I can lube my trans input shaft splines in an afternoon over a couple beers. Try that with an oilhead. If you are new to airheads I would look for a /6 or /7 if for no other reason better brakes. The '81 on have extremely smooth shifting transmissions which is another big plus. Check out Airheads Beemer Club. The monthly club magazine is tops and just full of information. Oak Okleshen is the master wrench for all things airhead and we all read and reread his articles. I wouldn't trade my airhead for any oil or hex head no how no way. That's not to say I don't like the '04.

[challey]

Thanks to all for the replies.

I've looked a couple of DL and SV650's but haven't truly made up my mind and am still tempted by some of airheads I've seen. I'm leaning very much toward the Vstrom though. My brother had one and I had chance to ride it a couple of times. Always liked the bike and it ran very well on the trips we took together. I have my eye on an '04 DL with only 7500 miles that has a center stand (can't believe that this is an option!), handguards, barbacks (which I'm not really sure I need or like) and a Givi top box (which I hate the looks of but love the functionality).

Ironically, my brother traded his DL- which ran flawlessly during the time he owned it - in on an R1200RT. His experience with the BMW has not been like the Suzuki. He's had lots of small problems, all covered under warranty but each trip to the dealer has been a fight for him. Given my problems and his rather negative experience with the marque, it's almost as if BMW Motoraad is doing their best to ensure high negative customer loyalty.

Maybe BMW has already made up my mind for me . . .

Charlie