Boxerworks.com

Hey All,

I am about to rip down my R60 for a much needed inspection and overhaul.
A pretty good deal on a 1982 R65LS landed in front of me, so I am taking it on for the time being, to stay up.

Are there any better updates to its innards that should be considered?
Any quirks about this model to know about?

For now I was just planning on running it through the basic maintenance points, and roll on. But curious for long term planning.

Thanks in advance!

Opus

There's not much in way of common parts with the rest of the line, so that'd be its primary quirk.

I don't know whether the early Nikasil-bore 650s (all '81-'84 R65s) had the same valve seat/valve recession issues as the '81-'84 1000cc and 800cc "big frame" bikes, or not---a 650 generates less heat, so maybe they didn't. R65 fans will pipe up shortly, I'm sure.

An R65 is just a short stroke version of the larger airheads so while there are many parts differences including narrower valve stems, as far as basic maintenance principles are concerned they are much the same with no big surprises I can think of especially on the engine. One running gear difference is that the front wheel bearings are ball races while the rear wheel has the usual taper roller races.

Thanks guys!

I think it will be a fun project.

I am listing out the basic things I need to do off the start and thought of these questions:

Can the rear drum brake shoes of a 1976 R60/6 fit the rear drum of the 1982 R65LS?

Do they use the same battery?

Same front and rear tires?

Same air filter?

And is the clutch cable interchangeable?

It appears that you've never looked at an R65LS. Not much in common with a big-frame /6. The tank emblems are probably interchangeable.

Clutch cable might work. I think mine is from a /5. Compare the lengths.

Same rear tires but front is different.

opus451 wrote:I am listing out the basic things I need to do off the start and thought of these questions:

Can the rear drum brake shoes of a 1976 R60/6 fit the rear drum of the 1982 R65LS?

Do they use the same battery?

Same front and rear tires?

Same air filter?

And is the clutch cable interchangeable?

I know for certain The rear brake shoes on an LS are different (wider ?) from other R65's and I guess that also means different from an R60/6

The LS battery is a smaller and slimmer 18AH type than the usual 30AH batteries used on other Airheads. I think the short wheel base /5 battery was similar.

LS Front wheel is an 18" instead of 19"

Very different air filter. /6 will be the old round type also used on earlier R65's but 81 onwards all R65's changed to the flat filter as did all other airheads.

If the clutch cable is the same length it should fit.