Partners bike

Any ones other half looking for an easy to ride, none intimidating bike i reckon could do a lot worse than one of these.
This is my partners (52yo) who has ridden it from Qld to the Island and back 5 times, including a 8.000k trip to Tassie for 3 weeks(used swags)
So you definitely CAN tour on them.Feels a bit hinged in the middle to me after the Bandit but you soon slow down and enjoy the ride.They sound FANTASTIC with staintunes but fuel range a bit small (270).Rear tyres cost about $200.Problems in 60.000k broken battery connection.
I hated the triumph sprint i had but these i like.

I like! I'm hoping to inherit my Dad's '79 BMW R80 (restored). Similar styling.
That bike is a story within itself - two bikes become one.

Restored a BMW 75\5 once which i bought for $250
Great on a long trip ,bad around town horrible gearbox,no brakes except when it was wet and it tried to throw you onto the petrol station floor.
Useless two up, impossible to start in the morning when it was realy cold.Heard stories of riders lighting little FIRES under the sump to thin
out the oil Any one heard that one ?Plenty of character though.Sold it and brought a 1200 bandit.


I"ve just come across the Haynes manual for that. BMW twins 1970-1985 .If want it let me know.

Not enough power for my wife.

Can understand that ,when you want to get up it you have to ring its neck. Top speed 1 well slower than Bandit.

Still, not what it was made for.Likes 110 sun out nice view.

[quote="gus"]Restored a BMW 75\5 once which i bought for $250
Great on a long trip ,bad around town horrible gearbox,no brakes except when it was wet and it tried to throw you onto the petrol station floor.
Useless two up, impossible to start in the morning when it was realy cold.Heard stories of riders lighting little FIRES under the sump to thin
out the oil Any one heard that one ?Plenty of character though.Sold it and brought a 1200 bandit.


I"ve just come across the Haynes manual for that. BMW twins 1970-1985 .If want it let me know.[/quote]

Hold that thought Gus, I may need it.

I ilke the concept of the long flat seat - go back to the late 70s and eraly 80s and you get get plenty of bikes that you sat on rather than 'in'. Of course that had its disadvantages too.

But my 5-bike garage did include the new Kwaka W800 for all the reasons you cite. Not sure if I'll be able to get the missus on one though - she's still happily plodding about on the VL250 Intruder and hasn't even got it to the 1,000 kms service! Might be a while before she looks up.