It was in 1982 when BMW attempted to upgrade the image of the BMW R65. And Hans Muth was responsible for the looks that made the slim boxer an absolute top seller. That was the same Hans who was hired to transform the perfect, but so boring, Suzuki four-cylinder into the razor-sharply styled Katanas.
A BMW for the youth
The BMW had to become an affordable, sporty motorcycle when there were enough young people who had decided that motorcycling was fun.
The R65 LS had a sharp, wind-splitting profile. Old Skool BMW drivers thought the tub looked like something from Star Wars. The buddy styling was taken over by later BMWs. The BMW was not as confrontational as the Katanas, but the clientele of BMW was almost as keen on wild changes as the elders of an Article 31 community. So there were quite a few BMW drivers who turned away from the LS in horror.
Technically, the LS was identical to the regular R65
The entire bicycle part was also identical to the R65. The only functional difference was the fact that the sportiness of the R65 LS was emphasized by the extra brake disc in the front wheel.
With his active forward-facing sitting position, he was very sporty. But the moderate knee angle made long journeys possible, just like the tank capacity. Because BMW is a German brand, those production figures are known right up to the last made engine. Where the Italians would report "between the 3.000 and 10.000 units", the Germans inform us that 6.389 BMW LSsen were made.
These LS
René Rooke is a perfectionist. He says it himself. But a perfectionist with sparkles in his eyes with a flexible mind. This LS came to him after he was employed as a 'driving motor for women' by a driving school owner. He had not had an easy life. And he didn't look. Moreover, René found Polaris blue silver a color of nothing. Technically, the engine also turned out to be less fresh than hoped. The LS was supposed to be henna rot, but René was unhappy about the black area at the bottom of the tank. That was omitted.
Nicht Original!
The side covers also became 'Hennarot' because there is no dispute about taste. The henna red snout must actually be white lettered. But those stickers are no longer available. The blue stickers belong on the Polaris, but look great. René didn't like white wheels and of course the BMW got modern brake lines. Furthermore, some bolts and screws have been replaced by stainless steel copies and René has done monk work by cutting tiny BMW emblems and filing out ... BMW paper clips. The result is a very fresh, super-fine and meanwhile quite rare BMW R65 LS that can be made 'factory original' with minimal effort.
The value
These BMWs are not often offered. And the restoration of an LS is therefore labor of love and does not bear witness to a profit motive in the short term. Consider when purchasing a nice copy with maintenance history to amounts between € 4.000-4.500. *It's strange. But we also found that 45 pk in our archive.
