BMW R45

...‘Beemer Boxer Twin’, as all BMW twins are often called, means different things to different people. To myself, and I think most BMW owners, The Beemer bit explains itself (BMW = Beemer) Boxer (The engine is a box!) and Twin (2 Cylinders).

In the time I had mine it needed 2 new tyres and a battery. I had it for 4 years. But then the engine blew :-)

BMW made 28,158 of these bikes between 1978 – 1985. ...
...wouldn’t want to take a BMW r45 engine over 80MPH. Ever. And the same goes for the r65, which is basically the same engine. In fact, the r45 ad r65 look the same, just the r65 is 200cc more powerful.

However, presuming a valve doesn’t stick open and blow your engine up, they are very good bikes. They have small frames, so handling is better than that of a larger bike. As they are made by BMW, spares can be very pricey. ... more

The ‘Beemer Boxer Twin’, as all BMW twins are often called, means different things to different people. To myself, and I think most BMW owners, The Beemer bit explains itself (BMW = Beemer) Boxer (The engine is a box!) and Twin (2 Cylinders).

In the time I had mine it needed 2 new tyres and a battery. I had it for 4 years. But then the engine blew :-)

BMW made 28,158 of these bikes between 1978 – 1985. Not too many have survived until today, but the ones that have are usually in very good condition, ad have probably had 1 engine rebuild at least.

That’s the problem with these bikes, their one fault. The engines are really really bad. Reliable, yes. Good for 50,000 miles, yes. But they blow like whistles. After 50,000 miles I wouldn’t want to take a BMW r45 engine over 80MPH. Ever. And the same goes for the r65, which is basically the same engine. In fact, the r45 ad r65 look the same, just the r65 is 200cc more powerful.

However, presuming a valve doesn’t stick open and blow your engine up, they are very good bikes. They have small frames, so handling is better than that of a larger bike. As they are made by BMW, spares can be very pricey. For example, a seat – new from BMW – is 285 pounds. However, a breaker would probably charge about 30. Not alot else will go wrong with these bikes, as they are BMW quality (Of course this reflects in their selling prices)

They came in many different color schemes, the ones I can remember are:

Black
Gold
Red
Dark Blue.

Things like the petrol tank are of a high build quality aswell; they don’t usually split, as on some earlier bikes. Unlike alot of bikes, the ignition wasn’t CDI until 1981, but it didn’t make a huge difference. The electrics are 12v, which is the norm on larger motorcycles.
Good examples go for around 1000 pounds, a Basket Case (Which means incomplete, nonrunning or just extremely tatty) would be a good few hundred still. But be wary, as I said earlier, of engines that have done over 50,000 miles unless they’ve been rebuilt. There are also alot of tired old police r45s and r65s around, so be wary about buying those aswell.

These things run on LRP as standard, however they can be converted to Unleaded easily enough.

These bikes are pretty rider-friendly. They’re amazingly comfortable, especially on long journeys; they handle really well, with basically no under-steer and are powerful enough to beat that Escort XR3i off the lights. Just watch that engine and keep it well oiled and you’ll be okay.

You see alot of newer BMW motorbikes, the K series being most popular in my view, but none of them match the r65s ad r45s for performance. The r45 will do 60MPG; the K series probably do a little less. The top speed of an r45 is a smidgen under 100 and the r65 a smidgen over.

Alot of magazines rate these bikes poorly, for example ‘The r45 is best avoided at all costs, as it is slow and ugly’.
But it isn’t, take it from me it really isn’t.

So, if you are in the market for a used Motorcycle, this may well be the one to choose. With unbeatable build quality and user-friendliness the BMW Boxer Twins may well be the bikes for you!
 

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