added an R80 to the stable

[CRUISIN]

almost done

Well a few folks have PM'd me with questions about the R80 project so here is a teaser shot from a thread on Chromeheads called, "My other cruiser" with the complete story. The link will open to the last page, but there are two previous pages that start at the beginning much as this thread did.

 

[Muneio]

Greetings all,

I added an R80 to the stable on Saturday. This sort of takes me back to the days of my first beemer, an R75/6 purchased in the fall of '77. Now that I have an airhead, I need to seek the advice of those in the know. The bike is a '79 model with ~35K on the clock, has new tires, new paint & fresh top-end. A couple of problems though. First, it has not been started in 6 years and second, I will need to shorten it a considerable amount to handle safely at low speeds and at stops. I have a 27" inseam and handle my other two beemers quite well (the RT is lowered about 2" though). So, to open the can-O-worms, what advice do you have to make this an enjoyable experience? I would like to keep any changes to a point that I can convert back to original equipment if I ever decide to sell it. Otherwise, I am planning on making this a part-time commuter and part-time weekend pleasure cruiser for the wife and myself.

Here it is the way I brought it home on Saturday. I have some work to do and am lookng forward to diving in, but want to do it right. That's why I came here to seek advice from those who own and maintain their airheads themselves. The big driving lights will be swapped out for something smaller and more attractive and I plan to add some LEDs to the rear. Other than that and the lowering, I sort of feel like airheads are sacred ground that shouldn't be tampered with too much.

Are the tires new but have been sitting for 6 years, shouldn't they be replaced if this is the case? Curious because I just got a 88 R100RT that has new tires but it's been sitting for 5 years. I was planning on replacing them even though they look fine no cracking etc.
Bill

 

[CRUISIN]

probably

I will likely do that next spring. Although I have ridden it a bit over 600 miles now on the old (but still new tires) and they seem fine. Like yours, these tires have no cracking nor show any signs of wear.