[nigelogston@gmail.com]

I love REs and am waiting my chance to buy one.   Meantime, without looking, the opportunity to by a 2 previous owner (current owner from 1 year post initial production) 1974 BMW   R 75 just owned by a Class A mechanic and kept under a tarp indoors for many years while he and his wife rode their Harleys' (which she preferred due to saddle height issues to her matching BMW R 60 currently apart but also available ) has come up.  No price yet negotiated.  Bike is supposed to be pristine.  Farings, original paint, respoked.   
I am  no mechanic and sure don't need endless headaches of a used vintage machine and all that could go wrong with it .  Mileage 47,0000 .  I hear however, that BMWs of that age are very simple to work on and , with the driveshaft , air cooling etc pretty bulletproof.   
SO   , from the collective wisdom of all you multibike owners, is this the opportunity of a lifetime that I would be nuts to pass up, or is this the siren song of temptation enticing me away from the RE which actually speaks to my heart and seems to be shaping up as a bike that fits my aptitude for maintenance (lowish, but willing to improve)     Thoughts?

[ace.cafe]

It's one of the real classic BMWs.
It could give you something to ride while waiting to buy your RE.

They are relatively mundane motorcycles without much personality, but they will get you to the grocery store all right, and you can tour to another city or across country with it, if it holds up.
Mine didn't.

I'm not a BMW fan. I would commit Seppuku before buying another one. Worst motorcycle I ever owned. If I could have found even one endearing quality in it, I might have been able to partially overlook how horribly unreliable it was.
I bought mine because I was suckered-in by the "German engineering" legend, which I found out was actually just "crap engineering".
My stock Iron Barrel Bullet was 1000% more reliable than my BMW ever was.

YMMV, but my experience with BMW was horrible.

[r80rt]

I've ridden many thousands of miles on a 1975 R/75, It's Brilliant trouble free, easy to maintain motorcycle. I toured the USA on a '84 BMW R80/RT it was an even better bike, I put 90.000 miles on it with zero problems. Change the oil and tires when needed and an occasional (easy) valve adjustment and you are good to go.

[nigelogston@gmail.com]

Wow ; ACE.  Such passion.  Hit a nerve there whereas you are normally so layed back.  But I hear you and respect your opinion because if anyone knows about motorcycles, I think you do.  .  Reputations have such inertia, either holding them  when erhaps undeserved (BMW) or earing them after periods when they were not great or not known (RE).  Thanks for your input.   Seems like this may be a polarized topic  Nigel .

[nigelogston@gmail.com]

YMMV???

[ace.cafe]

YMMV, means "your mileage may vary", and is a generic term which is used to say that your experiences may not be the same as mine.

I'm willing to admit that my experience may have been an anomaly, and that others are very happy with theirs.
However, even if it was an anomaly, it's an anomaly that I won't risk repeating.

On the "good" side of it, mine was a fairly decent looking bike, in a plain sort of way.
When it wasn't broken and stranding me on the roadside, it rode with fair comfort, but very "plain white bread" kind of appeal. Not much for speed, and handling wasn't anything out of the ordinary. In fact, it was a very ordinary plain machine. Boringly plain in every way. I'd classify it as a "transportation" bike for getting to a destination, and not really for enjoying the ride.
Parts costs were astronomical. And mine broke ALOT.

I came into this bike after owning 3 Ducatis and a Laverda and a Benelli, all from the mid-1970s vintage. None of which are known for being paragons of reliability. I never had any trouble keeping them going, and I was never stranded with any of them.  There are very few machines that I can't keep going.
I'm not even sure how many times I was stranded on the road with the BMW I had.
The guy with the flat-bed tow truck knew me real well after a while.
Eventually, I sold it for a few hundred bucks to a neighbor's kid who wanted to learn about bikes. I never wanted to see it again.
When I sold it, it had 28k original miles on it. I bought it with 18k miles on it.

Ever since then, every time I hear those 3 letters mentioned, my blood pressure goes thru the roof.

That R75 might be a perfectly fine bike that would last for many miles, and serve you well.
It's just not something I would ever buy myself, after what I went thru.

[Tri750]

wow.condemning an entire line of motorcycle?
i manage the local beemer shop and have owned 3 or 4 versions of the "airhead"
i was anti Norton based on the experience I had with one.
I had a bad experience with women once too, I didn't swear them off nor did i spread my bitterness to people that looked to me for advice.
The R75/5, like any older bike or car has its weak points. virtually no brakes, weak charging system, clunky transmission.
But, like an old car or bike, they can be easily upgraded. The parts interchangeability is amazing.
That being said, the R75/5 is bringing crazy money these days. They are a cult bike really sought after.
If it has the chrome panels on the fuel tank, its a "toaster model" worth even more money. These bikes were meant to drone on forever (100K plus miles) on the freeway and handle pretty well in the mountains. On the /5, you can cruise all day at 70-75 until you need gas. The C5 and the BMW are like comparing oranges to grapefruits. Similar, but very different. Like many older bikes, including RE, there are lots of "fixes" to make the bike reliable and roadworthy.. electronic ignition, improved alternator and diode make a big difference. its easy to figure out who has the good stuff and decide from there. Check with other owners and see what experiances you hear of.
Feel freel to email me for any help i can offer. Big Al

[Tri750]

Ran out of room.
I've had a 60k mile R75/6, a much improved 750 that had a front disc and 5 speed, an R90S, the hotrod 900 with Delorto carbs, dual discs and over 300K miles on it when I bought it from the original owner, a 75k mile '79 R100S  that was reliable and very pretty but was a bit of a bore to ride until I changed the rear end to a higher numerically unit and put some BUB mufflers on it. and my current airhead, a R75/5 based  vintage racer that now has a disc brake front end, a 1000cc top end, sport camshaft, lightended flywheel, mikuni carbs and the long wheelbase conversion.
At the very worst, if the BMW is cheap enough, you can resell it for a profit if you don't care for it and help pay for the RE.

[nigelogston@gmail.com]

Interesting discussion.   To be honest I have no "feeling" for the R 75 other than a general sense of respect for what I thought was an iconic machine of its time.  It certainly doesn't have the visceral draw for me of the RE (I'm a G5/B5 man actually)

The particular circumstance in which it came to my attention was a women who saw my B 5 screen saver image and remarked that she had "5 motorcycles in her basement" then clarified "3 in the basement 2 in the garage.  Three Harleys of various vintage '93 and later , and two BMWs, the 600 in pieces and the R 75 under a tarp in the basement. 
When I cocked a quizical eyebrow , she went on to explain that she and her husband were motorcycle afficianado's but that he had passed away just a few months ago (which I did not to that point know) and that this bike had been her husband's well loved baby until he stopped using it to join her and the Harley crowd (lower seat height---she is quite short and striggled with her BMW 600)  He was a mechaninc and never parted with anything so there it sat for I gather at least the last 5 and possibly more years :  It was respoked last year ? in an attempt to prepare it for sale, but this was before his brief and fatal illness.    She is currently in a bit of a daze and I think seeing the motorcycle image on my laptop and hearing my moto-enthusiasm was the first time she actually put words to her intention to sell this machine.
I wouldn't feel right "flipping it for profit (If I thought it had collector value, I would simply telll her to sell it to someone who was a BMW collector for the best dollar.  She emailed a local dealer (I presume for an off the cuff estimate.)  If she does decide to proceed, I would only be interested if the cost were low enough for me to swing..otherwise I will just keep saving. 
However, the discussion does, I think frame an interesting issue for the growing brand consciousness of the RE , and I launched the thread n this forum not to be a traitor , but because I respect the opinion of all the contributors to it.  Nigel

[olhogrider]

I would not swear off a brand because of one bad bike. That said, if someone offered me an R65 like my old one, I would not take it for free! All bikes have issues. Some call it character or personality. Sportbike ride with Goldwing handling. The dreaded "Shaft Drive Effect" was actually a plus. More ground clearance if you accelerate through the curves.

[ace.cafe]

I would not swear off a brand because of one bad bike. That said, if someone offered me an R65 like my old one, I would not take it for free! All bikes have issues. Some call it character or personality. Sportbike ride with Goldwing handling. The dreaded "Shaft Drive Effect" was actually a plus. More ground clearance if you accelerate through the curves.

Mine was also an R65.

[olhogrider]

I understand. I bought mine new. With only a few thousand miles on it, it tried to throw me off in a high speed wobble! After a close encounter with a red light running station wagon, it was no more. I don't miss it.

[P. Schraub]

Hello Nigel and Ace,
        Hey Ace ! I guess that for you, BMW stands for " Bring My Wallet " ! Hey Nigel, I currently own a Harley 79' Shovelhead, A brand new RE G5 Deluxe, and a Vespa, ( for getting around Fan Francisco ! ). I have owned two BMWs' in the past, A 1962 R60 w/ sidecar, and a 1974 R75, and had ZERO problems with them. They were the most trouble-free and reliable bikes I have ever owned. One contributing factor is they didn't have a dam COMPUTER in them !! They were so smooth and quiet, that I got bored and went and brought a Harley ! I needed some noise and vibration. If I were you, I'd buy the BMW and, when you can, The Royal Enfield. That way, you'll have a bike to fit your mood. Either sport or touring. I love my RE,and I always have an eye out for a good used BMW. Ace, sorry you had a bad experience with a BMW. Very rare.

[P. Schraub]

I meant " San Francisco " !

[Maturin]

When I was 20 and suffering from a Yamaha SR500-eperience (i.e. very mixed machining, spare parts - if existent at all - ridicolous expensive etc.) I wanted to get a real bike - a BMW! After months of searching I finally got a R90/6 and never sold it since. Currently she is awaiting her second major overhaul. I´m buzy with my RE, though, so she will have to wait a bit.
If you look at the available bikes in 1969, the time when the direct ancestor R75/5 was introduced, this bike must have been outstanding: no British vibrator, no Japanese toy-bike, no Italian breakdowner - a German Autobahn-bike! Capable of running 170 km/h all day long and being quite comfortable along the way it must have felt like riding a bullet  .
The advancing 70ies, however, highlighted the weak spots of a construction that featured medieval and futuristic details directly nearby: ignition and elctric system surprisingly weak, the new disc front brakes basically a gross faulty design, roadholding severly compromized by the cardanic shaft  that produces irritating torque.
In contradiction to Ace´s unkind words ( )  I experienced that machining genarally is very good, even today all parts are available wihout an problem at decent prices.
To ride that bike today, Br. Schraub, you have to take care of the electric system - including ignition - and the brakes, in case your BMW shows a modern ( ) disc design. It´s not too complicated though to mount a full-hydraulic double-disc-design in the front as parts are interchangeble up to the 80ies! But I guess the bike in question is a 75/5, so it has the drum design, which is quite sufficient.
It´s not possible to improve the roadholding, though. In Germany these BMWs have the nickname "Gummikuh" - rubber cow. If you open up the throttle, you are moving upwards first before you accellerate - cardanic torque! You have to get used to that, as it means you should never (really never!) close the throttle beeing inclined - the bike´s rear will collapse like a house of cards, creating and unwelcomed curve and reducing the possible incline angle - no good, that! Gummikuh-riders prefer to open up throttle while beeing inclined as that has a stabilizing effect and keeps your curve round instead of hexagonal.
A BMW is so much different from a Bullet! The Indian longrunner is fleet-footed and tame, creating even in average riders like me a feeling of confidence in your skills.
Unlike the boxer! The turbine-like engine in combination with the tenacious handling presents a challenge for even experienced riders, as it´s always clear that this can be a very fast bike - if you know how (and avoid making mistakes!).
Both bikes though share a common attribute: a very unique character. That´s why both a great fun, most of the time