While the fine lines and sculpted
features of most sport bikes spring
from the drawing tables of stylists,
those ofthe BMW R65LS had adifferent birthplace.
The drafting tables of German
engineers.
As a result, they are the recipients of thesame pragmatic consideration and evolutionary refinement
as thelegendary engine thatpowers
this 650cc machine.
The shapely sport fairing, for
example, provides much more than
cosmetic appeal. It helps reduce
front-wheel lift by over 30%.
The LS handlebars are low, compact, and help to provide a seating
position that "is sporting in a
way that Japanese bikes,
even with red paint,
have notdiscovered"
(Cycle World).
(High bars are
also available.
The bike's
slender tail,
artful as it too appears, was created in one of the most aesthetically
indifferent environments known
to man: the massive BMW wind
tunnel in Ismaning, Germany.
Even the wheels of the LS possess a beauty that goes far deeper
than their gleaming enamel. Each
rim section is made ofa highly rigid
aluminum alloy;each hub and spoke
assembly is separately cast from a
far more elastic aluminum alloy to
provide added flexibility. And then
everything-hubs, spokes and rimsiscast as
asingle unit.Culrnnating In
'
an exceed
ingly resilient "composite"
wheel that
notonly
helps
increase handling prowess but decreases unsprung weight.
In the end, the BMW R65LS is
one sports bike whose graceful
linesdo notserve as camouflage for
weak engineering. For it is a machine as adept atslicing through the
wind and rounding comers as it is
at turning heads.
Its price? A lofty $3,790~ .
Butas a motorcycle columnist of
AutoWeek observed, "a bad motorcycle is worthless;agood motorcycle
is worth whatever it costs...By that
standard, the R65LS is a bargain:'
' Manu
facturer's suggested retanpnce: $3,790. Actualpoce W In depend
upon dealer. Pnce excludesstate and local taxes. dealer prep ossn.
.
oauooane hanehng charges :> 1982 8MWof North AmerICa, Inc. The
.
BMW trademar andlogo are registe
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redtrademarksof Bayensche
Motoren Werke, A.G
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