Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Mid-Century Moto Mecca Makeover

[sakurama]

Okay folks, grab a cup of coffee and a comfortable chair and get ready for an enjoyable week of watching me suffer, hustle and generally work my *** off.

On a ******** GARAGE (related) PROJECT!

Months ago Ben and I signed up for another Jimmy Lewis Offroad Workshop outside of Vegas on the 10+11th of November. I was thinking of taking the new KTM 500 EXC because... wheelies! Ben was thinking of taking the Alta but it won't make the distance so he put his sights on getting the 990 rebuilt. It needs a new top end after it's overheating episode during our trip. *****.

Well, it doesn't look like he's going to get it done so he's taking his new 1290 and if he's riding a big bike there's no way I'm going to let him suffer alone so I decided to take my BMW. Plus I want to get tips on riding the big pig. It's been burning oil really badly but compression was good and leakdown wasn't bad. The previous owner rebuilt it and thought he might have used the wrong valve guides.

Easy, I'll just swap the heads for the big valved R100RS heads and I'll get another set of 40mm carbs so the big girl can breath - simple swap, afternoon at best.

First though I needed to repair the tanks.

The last ride I did the gas caps were just rattling around and I could barely keep them in - the the threads weren't holding. I took one apart to measure and it turned out the "threads" were just Home Depot 1-1/2" pipe plugs bolted and glued to a gas cap. You don't use tapered threads for a gas cap - you just don't. I tried to make a stainless cap but it just galled.

The only option was to order new aluminum caps and bungs, cut out the necks and weld them in. Being that my aluminum welding is not a sure thing I thought I'd find a pro who I could also get some tips from. Luckily a friend put me in touch with Heath Knapp who used to do aerospace welding, then worked for MotoCzysz and now works for Outside Van - all top tier.

I brought a hood and got to watch up close and I was sort of amazed as it looked just like every video I watch on YouTube - effortless. Thinking this was my opportunity to learn the secret settings to nirvana I asked what his electrode negative setting was, "Oh, um, I keep it at 80 I guess..." Do you change it based on the weld, or inside or outside corner? "Um, no. Just 80" Oh. Well what Hz are you welding at? "Oh, I weld at 150hz." Do you change that for different projects? "No. Haven't yet" Okay, what's the reason? "I like the way it sounds. Anything below 100 is too flashy and anything higher than 150 is annoying and buzzy. I like the way 150 sounds the best."

So there you have it. I learned that to be a good welder your settings mean **** all and you just need to spend half your life under the hood.

And Heath is damn good. The one thing I did learn was by watching his amps - thank god he varied those. He would manually pulse the pedal laying down what was essentially a series of stacked tack welds with the amps going from 170-180 and then backing off to 100. When he'd regrip the filler he'd drop the amps to 50 and just reposition. That was awesome to see and explained a lot. Never knew you could pause like that. For that cap he was steady at 230amps but kept the puddle from getting too hot by feeding the rod a lot. Each ripple was about a 1/2" of filler rod fed really aggressively. It was also illuminating.

So back at home I decided to pull my heads a few days ago and swap them out. Maybe change the tires too.

Ben told me the shop that was doing his KTM heads/barrels did a lot of BMW stuff so I thought I'd pull the jugs too and take them down to see what they thought. Sadly Ryan thought the jugs were too scratched and the pistons and rings were not looking good. We saw flecks of bronze on the sides of the pistons. He suggested checking the pan to see if there was more.

Hmm, I guess I'll start by checking the rods. The rods rocked side to side. A lot. Oh, no. That's bad.

Pulling the rods confirmed my fears - they were really shot. Like fully cooked. The big ends were baked black from heat. How did this even run?

I have a spare block that was to be used as a hot rod project so I pulled that from the trailer and there was a little surface rust on the rods but they felt great. I pulled those rods and pistons and they were perfect. Maybe I could just swap them?

I went and ran my fingernail across the crank rod journal and felt scores and ridges. WTH?

So then I gave up.

Gregor

 

[sakurama]

Did I get you?

Okay, I did for a day. Ben suggested that I post an update to the bikes thread on ADV. I actually got a bunch of quick responses suggesting that I pull the whole engine. Jim K PM'd and I actually called him to see what he thought. I was so ready to throw in the towel but he suggested that I swap blocks instead of cranks. It was a good idea. He cheered me up and on. Yes, I can replace and rebuild an entire engine in 10 days. That's tons of time!

Not really.

With no time to lose I did the only thing I could think of... clean.

I put away all my tools, meticulously scraped the glue off my woodworking bench, swept the floor, cleaned off my work bench, sold my 562 BurrKing grinder to get more space and then turned on the heaters. This was going to be a long one.

I lined the bench with shop towels, got the shop manual out and laid out my tools and started to take the thing apart. I know that if I rush now all I'll do is exponentially add time to the reassembly. I need to be meticulous because that's the way you got to do this.

Every assembly I put into baggies and label them.

Also, just so we all remain friends, never, EVER, mix standard and metric. For the love of God people you don't do that. Intermarry, juggle cats, chew with your mouth open... I don't care. But don't ever, ever, ever mix imperial and metric on a single motorcycle. If you're going to build a bike you're obligated to use the hardware that it came with. If it's a Triumph use english - there's no crime there. But if it's a German bike you don't put on cheap standard fasteners where ever you want. Especially if you're from Canada as the original builder was. It almost feels like he made an effort to be spiteful because Canada is a metric country.

But I digress.

Sorry. I just had to get that off my chest. It makes me crazy that I've got to keep twice as many wrenches on the counter. Anyway. Let's disassemble this *****.

It was a tight fit with the modified frame. I had to pull the extended oil pan and the starter motor in order to pull the engine from the frame. All my wires are tied back. The lift is lifted.

And here's the coolest thing. I never looked at the manual. I opened it but didn't need it because I remembered all of it. I would go into the tool chest and there was my special turned down socket from 25 years ago when I was amazed that this thing called a "lathe" could take a normal socket and turn it into this esoteric BMW specific tool to remove the swingarm. I was so green back then.

But damn did this feel good. It just unzipped like a race bike.

Well, until I looked in the oil pan.

I am posting a lot of photos on my Instagram stories of the teardown - sort of a blow by blow. Follow me on IG if you want to follow this in real time. I don't keep up IG stories so they disappear after 24 hours but I'll keep posting here.

Anyway, when I found this I joked that if I was a bronze miner I would be thrilled to find this pan full, FULL of bronze. Like more bronze than I think there are bearings. The bottom is covered. Every nook and cranny is filled with bronze. How did this bike even run?

BMW's are hard to kill. My dad's bike has 295,000 miles and he's never done anything to it but change the oil. I don't know what the hell happened to this bike but this engine is destroyed. The crank is ruined and that's damn hard to do.

So that's where I'll leave it tonight. I got the whole thing apart. Tomorrow I'll pull the other block apart to see what I need to swap and what I have to modify. I bought a set of cylinders and pistons off ebay. The new block, crank and rods are all good. I need to make a list of the gaskets I'll need and get those on the way ASAP. Tomorrow I'll clean up the parts. You never want to put dirty parts back. It's bad for the soul.

Tomorrow will be nine days and counting. I really only have about 7 or 8 since I need to test it out before shoving it in the van and driving a 1000 miles. I think I can do this.

I really thinks so. Cause I'm no quitter.

Gregor

 

[Matias]

That Tig welding is pure **** to watch. Your approach is really what should always be done: clean, prepare, remove and organize and organize some more with photos in addition.

This will be a great thing to watch the next couple of weeks. Thanks for sharing this, as it also takes time from the project!

I think it is those down moments, and then when you work even harder to surmount them, is what makes these builds memorable. Not always a joy during the build, but the memories and stories we walk away with is priceless. I nearly sold my bike for spare parts a couple of months ago when I noticed the single side swingarm had a crack, the feeling of hopelessness and tiredness at that moment was overwhelming.

 

[sakurama]

This will be a great thing to watch the next couple of weeks. Thanks for sharing this, as it also takes time from the project!

I nearly sold my bike for spare parts a couple of months ago when I noticed the single side swingarm had a crack, the feeling of hopelessness and tiredness at that moment was overwhelming.

Yes, the moment when you're not sure what path to take is the worst. Once you commit either way you just march forward.

I can say that right now I am really enjoying working in the shop. Aside from one terrifying hour when my Airplay quit working and I had to stop all work to reboot and update the network. I don't think I could work in a shop without music.

Onward!

Gregor

 

[polexican23]

wow. only you. only you could fall into this mess and have tens of followers waiting on how will he come out of this alive.

 

[rk_tek]

I've been following this on IG (love the Halloween photo as well). You're in it deep now, but you're also one that just puts their head down and gets it done. Besides, you get to throw it in the van and go ride with your friends when you are done.

 

[csp]

I cringe every time I see one of those tire carriers with the spindle welded to the bumper mounted in single shear. I've seen a tire/wheel/carrier bounce off the pavement and through a windshield after the spindle tore free from the bumper. The welds held, but the HAZ around them was the problem.

Hopefully that spindle goes through the top plate of the bumper and is also welded to the bottom of it.

 

[sakurama]

I cringe every time I see one of those tire carriers with the spindle welded to the bumper mounted in single shear. I've seen a tire/wheel/carrier bounce off the pavement and through a windshield after the spindle tore free from the bumper. The welds held, but the HAZ around them was the problem.

Hopefully that spindle goes through the top plate of the bumper and is also welded to the bottom of it.

Tell me what you think because those same thoughts went through my mind as well. The "post" is stitched in on both sides and then I spread the load with the plates. I'm not an engineer so I used the bracing methods I'm familiar with when we built race bikes.

In addition to this I'm going to make catch plate of delrin that will bolt to the bumper and serve as a load bearing anchor below the center of gravity. It will have a slight lip and be positioned so that under load it raises the tire about an 1/8" to take pressure off the bearings. This will distribute the weight across the bumper in two places.

Gregor

 

[sakurama]

Being as today was Halloween I didn't get much done. It doesn't mean much to my kids but I'll never miss the chance to TP a neighbors house... Err, no wait.

I managed to scoot over to BMW of Western Oregon and surprisingly they had pretty much everything I needed gasket and bolt wise. It's always hard to walk out with a box of essentially disposable parts for $200.

All the top end gaskets and the front timing cover gasket plus the rod bolts and the swingarm bolts which are stretch bolts so you only can use them once.

I made a special "BMW Rotor Removal Tool" by turning off the first inch or so of threads on a long M8 bolt. The hardest part was finding a fully threaded bolt that long. Both the rotor and the crank are threaded and the bolt holding the press fit rotor on is only threaded on the front so it squeezes them together and if you remove the threads on the front of a bolt and screw it in it will bottom out and press off the rotor.

So both blocks are stripped down all the way. I need to pull the clutches from both as the old engine has a new clutch plate. I don't think I'll replace the rear main seal since it's dry but the block does need a really good bath. After that I'm going to cut the top of the engine off like the old one. I think I'll have to do that for clearance with this frame modified the way it is.

So tomorrow is cutting the block, cleaning and prepping. 9 days to go.

Gregor

 

[Huxley]

Moment of silence for the Burr King. Damn.

 

[lilscorpion]

Tell me what you think because those same thoughts went through my mind as well. The "post" is stitched in on both sides and then I spread the load with the plates. I'm not an engineer so I used the bracing methods I'm familiar with when we built race bikes.

Gregor

The spindle and bumper are one piece after that bracing. Concern will be the bumper itself twisting with leverage if the spare. I might have preferred to install the spindle in the passengers side so it swings away from the road when on the shoulder with a flat. Otherwise, it’s money. I still think your Fn crazy for TIG’n everything. Clearly you need a MIG. No one would judge you if you bought one. [emoji6]

 

[sakurama]

The spindle and bumper are one piece after that bracing. Concern will be the bumper itself twisting with leverage if the spare. I might have preferred to install the spindle in the passengers side so it swings away from the road when on the shoulder with a flat. Otherwise, it’s money. I still think your Fn crazy for TIG’n everything. Clearly you need a MIG. No one would judge you if you bought one. [emoji6]

There's an opinion I certainly trust!

The catch plate will mount right near the spot where the bumper mounts to the frame so hopefully that will spread the load and direct the live loads (bouncing and pot holes) more to the frame. I chose that side so I could still open one of the back doors and you have to open the pass first but I did weld a stop on the hub so it will only open a bit past 90.

Okay, grab a chair...

 

[sakurama]

Yes, I should be in the shop instead of posting but I had to shower for dinner as I was covered with aluminum and now that I'm clean I don't want to go back in there.

Besides, today has a lot of photos.

Ben discovered an amazing machine shop just a few blocks from his house and after I pulled the engine apart I thought I'd take the heads down to have them look at it and see what they thought.



Baisley Hi-Performance is a pretty established, famous and unknown to me performance shop. They do work on many bikes but mostly Harley's. I had just come back from taking the kids to a Dr's appt when the father, Dan, called to tell me what he'd discovered on my ebay R100RS heads. Essentially the seats were in good shape but the valves were cupping. I explained how I'd like to have the heads done but I'd need them by next week and he said if it was okay to start he'd work on them today. Heck yeah. Can I come take photos?





There is almost nothing I'd rather do than hang out in a machine shop. Heads are stacked on heads on shelves and the shop has the feeling of being neat but dirty. All the stations are swept but the work is piling up and every cabinet shows the grease stains of a million touches.





And mixed in with all the machines is Dan and his son Ryan - both slight framed and bright eyed. Typically there's signs in most shops with a red line that customers can't pass - or worse a waiting room. Here the door is unmarked but unlocked and opens into the actual shop. I understand a lot of machining but this was a world of machines and tools I've never seen.



Dan had cleaned my heads and just taken them out of the oven after removing and replacing the valve guides. The first thing with the new guides was to ream the guides to fit the new Black Diamond valves that we were going to put in. Here he's reaming the guide with a gimble mounted adjustable reamer in the drill. Three or four passes and then he checks it with a gauge sized like the valve stem, adjusts a tenth or two and does it again until the feel is perfect.



The head is mounted in a trunnion table on the valve seat cutting machine. My heads are stamped with my initials and the date they came in. The trunnion table weighs 500lbs but with the press of a foot switch is floated on air and moves as easily as an air hockey puck. It's amazing.



Once it's close the table is moved to center the first valve guide to within a .00001. That hunk of aluminum is gently tapped and the dial indicator shows the movement.



Once centered the table is leveled in both axis with a level on par with a Starrett Master Level. Again, to tenths.



When all the setup is done for that one valve in the one head a special dial indicator is used to show how far out of concentricity the valve seat is.



This specially made cutter is spun via the ball head and pins but is held by the valve guide with a precision ground shaft.



Every valve, every bike and every seat have different profiles and every profile requires it's own cutting tool. Dan says stones are faster but not as precise.



The cutters geometry is checked under magnification and adjusted to the spec of the valve.



I was surprised at how slow the cutter spun. One revolution took between 1-2 seconds and the only cutting fluid was the cleaning solution from the parts washer.



This and another million details caught my eye. Nothing, not a single thing in this shop has not been optimized, customized or tweaked to make the job better or easier. No one bends their cleaning brushes in a Z because they're easier to grab, use and sit better in the solvent can. Dan does.



The single cutter cuts several angles to match the valve. The cut is biased to be a tenth high on the outer edge so that it will seat in flat after it's been run in. I have tried to work in tenthes - the best I can do is to manage a half a thou if I'm lucky. Dan lives in a world of tenths. He can feel tenths.



After he's satisfied with the cut of the seat it's time to lap the valve in.



A small amount of grinding paste is put on the valve and a small suction cup with a handle is attached to the face and the valve is set into the head and Dan vigorously spins the valve back and forth on the seat for maybe 15 to 20 seconds.



One valve done. The entire process starts over with moving and leveling the table.

Back home I reach for the Sawzall...

Gregor

 

[Terranova]

Of all the things, what stood out to me the most?

His hands.

Those hands have knowledge. Things we'll never know. Feelings to fine for "us" to feel.
Almost a sixth sense.

Touch. Tuned by years of doing.

 

[sakurama]

Of all the things, what stood out to me the most?

His hands.

Those hands have knowledge. Things we'll never know. Feelings to fine for "us" to feel.
Almost a sixth sense.

Touch. Tuned by years of doing.

Right? I guess it's obvious that I saw that too and my photos concentrated on that. So much knowledge. Dan's father was a machinist as well and his son Ryan works by his side in the shop. Three generations of knowledge. No CNC can match that.

Gregor

 

[dchance]

Thanks for the visit to the shop. It is really great the things that one can learn.

Dwight

 

[polexican23]

Did you bring the machinist a fresh can of lemon pledge?

 

[Max Power]

"Back home I reach for the Sawzall...l" I laughed out loud.

 

[sakurama]

Back to my shop where I'm about to get medieval on a crankcase...

The old short block was quite filthy and rusty. I don't know the clutch and given the rust I figured I'd pull it and swap to the known one.

To keep the crank/clutch from spinning I stuff a rag between the gear and the case. Many, many moons ago I read the shop manual and it called for a special BMW tool - it was essentially a piece of bar stock that you'd screw to the case. I can't say where I learned the rag trick but it's been a very useful trick for stopping gears. I've never broken anything with it and I always have one handy.

Then it was time to get ugly.

Surprisingly I wasn't all that bothered about destroying a set of cases. I was bothered by all the dust.

The first side went with a recip saw and the second took a cut off.

Then it was a bunch of flap wheels. I put some rags in the jugs and covered the front timing chain but you'll see I forgot to cover the dipstick hole - doh!

I decided at this point that I might as well remove all the rags for a good bath and that I should probably spray out the cases in case I got swarf in there. Brake cleaner got the bulk off and loose and that was followed by degreaser and... I just know that this seems wrong, a power washer with hot water.

I looked at it this way - water won't hurt anything in the engine. I've drowned bikes and flushed them and they come out okay. It's the water in the oil that's the killer. So I'll get the water out after.

I've cleaned a lot of old BMW's and at this point I have my "system" that works for me. Degrease, scrub with an stainless brush, degrease again and then rinse. After that, when it's all clean, I spray it down with mag wheel cleaner. It's an acid that etches the aluminum and I only spray it on the block when it's wet. I've tried when the block is dry and it's very splotchy but a soaking wet block seems to spread the acid evenly.

Leave it on for a few minutes and then rinse it off. If you want to brighten it up some more give it another spray down on the wet block, let it sit and rinse well. It even got all the rust off the flywheel. I sprayed all the galleys and nooks and crannies and wondered all the time if I'd regret this.

After I rinse the mag cleaner off and the block is clean I spray the whole thing down with WD40. This keeps the aluminum from oxidizing and getting white. Having owned the trailer for a few years I'm starting to convert over to LP3 which does a real good job as well.

To ensure nothing was wet or rusting in the block I blew out all the water I could then put it in front of the small shop heater. I would come out and spin the crank a bit and rotate the block to get the heat even. My infrared thermometer says the block got up to about 115°F and it was dry as a bone. So I don't think that was such a bad thing to do.

Nonetheless, my plan for getting the bike running is to put some cheap oil in it and then crank it with the plugs out to get the oil circulating before I start it. Then I'll run it around for a bit to test it out and get it to temperature and then swap the oil to be on the safe side.

If it runs. There's no guarantee right? The closer I get the more I think I should try to shove the KTM in there just in case...

Gregor

 

[Brian_P]

Love it. Seriously considering whether I should try playing with an airhead BMW (haven’t ridden a bike in years and mostly play with old cars these days). But yes, you should bring the KTM also. I’ve never finished a rebuild this extensive without having a quirk or two to iron out afterwards. A week of riding and tweaking might do it but it would be unfortunate to bet your entire trip on a miraculous problem-free rebuild.

 

[sakurama]

Love it. Seriously considering whether I should try playing with an airhead BMW (haven’t ridden a bike in years and mostly play with old cars these days). But yes, you should bring the KTM also. I’ve never finished a rebuild this extensive without having a quirk or two to iron out afterwards. A week of riding and tweaking might do it but it would be unfortunate to bet your entire trip on a miraculous problem-free rebuild.

Yes, I'll probably play it safe. It may be all moot as Ben challenged the KTM dealer if they sell his Superduke he'd buy a KTM 500EXC - so it's possible this hustle isn't needed. I still want to do it though. Self imposed deadlines get things done.

And absolutely you should get an old airhead. There are still deals out there to be had but prices are going up. The basic airhead platform is essentially the same from 71 to 96 and R100's span from 76 to 96. As you can see from this I'm using parts from many years - a 78 short block, 92 ******, 82 heads etc.

The basic design is pretty consistent and as far as engines go it's about the easiest thing in the world to work on. An entire top end can be replaced without changing the oil much less removing the engine. It's sort of the ideal beginner mechanical project. I learned everything on these bikes and have a huge fondness for their quirky yet robust design.

Better still, present bike notwithstanding, they are hugely reliable given simple care. My fathers has almost 300,000 miles. I never look at miles - only condition. I guess that can bite me as seen with this bike but the engine wasn't a concern for me - I knew it had engine issues, they just were much worse than I thought. But you're getting to see an entire engine rebuild in a week.

Plus, they've got a massive following so parts are plentiful.

Gregor

 

[bdking]

Yes, I'll probably play it safe. It may be all moot as Ben challenged the KTM dealer if they sell his Superduke he'd buy a KTM 500EXC - so it's possible this hustle isn't needed.

Honestly I might put on some big boy pants & take the 1290 either way. That bike is super fun & I’d love to achieve superpowers on it.

 

[sakurama]

Honestly I might put on some big boy pants & take the 1290 either way. That bike is super fun & I’d love to achieve superpowers on it.

That's the spirit! What could be more fun than struggling to ride a 500lb motorcycle in the dirt?

Well, actually there's a pretty long list but that which does not maim us makes us better riders. Or something.

Before I put the engine in the frame I want to just get it clean. Ideally I'd strip the whole thing to nothing and then powder coat the frame but the last time I did that I ended up with a two wheel drive KTM 990. I'm limiting my mission creep.

As you all know I'm part of the Pledge cabal. I believe it can cure cancer and clean wiring harnesses and so much more. I sprayed the the whole bike indiscriminately.

And because I didn't want to open the can of worms that is the wiring harness I used a cheap brush to between the wires as I moved them to and fro to get the whole frame. Then I wiped them all down with a microfiber towel cleaning each wire one at a time. With good music this isn't as tedious as it sounds.

I feel comfortable to put the engine in the frame now. I'll do more later to neaten it up but this is good. First I want to fix one little thing that bugs me...

I won't rest until this bike has had all english fasteners eradicated. ;-) The modified front cover was held in place by 1/4-20 all thread and a nut. It was fine but I wanted to make it a metric 6mm socket like the rest of the front cover.

I drill, tap and helicoil the two front screws. I used to think that helicoils were "fixes" but I know consider them an upgrade over threads in aluminum.

I made a stand off of aluminum and then drilled, tapped and helicoiled the end so that I could use a short bolt. Now the case has something solid to land on and the hardware matches.

Then I bead blasted the paint off and scrubbed it down.

The top hole was misaligned a bit so I welded it up - my first practical weld on aluminum on this bike. I can see how the porosity of the case makes it hard. It worked though and the whole thing only took about three hours.

Now the block can go in the frame!

Usually the thing that can give you hope on a build is to get it to a rolling chassis because then it looks like a motorcycle. BMW's can't have the swingarm in place until the ****** is in place so that will have to wait. It's now after dinner and I slept through the kids movie after making pizza but I have a second wind so I want to work on stuff that I find tedious. Wiring and electrical.

I've not bolted the block in yet as I want to be sure I am shoving it as far to the right as I can. These bikes aren't great with wider wheels and tires so pushing the engine gives you room.

Starter, alternator and ignition go in.

Years ago I bought this heat shrink fabric tubing from McMaster. I rarely use it but when I do I wish I used it more. Such nice stuff and prettier than the wire wrap stuff.

Hopefully that helps someone.

And thankfully I took quick photos with my phone that I can refer to when hooking up the wires.

At that was my night. All the ignition, charging and starting wires are in place and the engine is ready to accept the transmission.

It doesn't seem like much but getting that much wiring out of the way is a big deal. It's the building equivalent of folding laundry. No one wants to do it but it has to be done.

Gregor

 

[stsmytherie]

That totally helps. ;-) Thanks.

Years ago I bought this heat shrink fabric tubing from McMaster. I rarely use it but when I do I wish I used it more. Such nice stuff and prettier than the wire wrap stuff.

Hopefully that helps someone.

 

[dhubbard422]

Gregor, I always enjoy your posts, but, I'm truly enjoying following your BMW rebuild and I hope/expect that you'll successfully make your deadline!

I have my 84 R100RS apart for maintenance and upgrades (RaceTech suspension goodies) and I'm gonna' try Pledge on it's dirty wiring to see if the Pledge Cabal is onto something! Thanks for sharing.

 

[sakurama]

Gregor, I always enjoy your posts, but, I'm truly enjoying following your BMW rebuild and I hope/expect that you'll successfully make your deadline!

Working on this bike has really made me excited to get the RS on the road. It needs steering head bearings but that seemed like too much hassle...

Okay, today's goal was to get a rolling chassis.

I had two pretty much identical clutches. The one from this bike seemed a bit cleaner and had a new friction disk but the plates seemed a bit thinner.

Putting a machinists square against the plate told the story as light peaked under. Worn. The other, much more rusty, set was good and flat.

Before I hand these off to my assistant I needed to mark the balance point with something better than the almost invisible paint the factory uses. Two hash marks will do the job and not affect the balance.

It was time to get a little help on this project. Very little. Kids and adults alike are always mesmerized by the bead blaster. You can't really see the glass beads but like a magic wand the rust and grime vanish before your eyes.

Lucas shows off his handiwork and his future as a goth. The kid dresses in black and skulls or Adidas track suits. It's either going to be goth or NJ gangster...

While Lucas worked on the clutch plates (and it took a while with gloves that large) I spun up a my second BMW tool - a clutch centering device. The knurling isn't necessary but these things have a tendency to stick around so I might as well make it nice.

Hot damn we're ready to put a clutch in.

Tool worked pretty good. And yes, Lucas could have done a better job on the clutch plates but we only needed to get the heavy stuff off. Fully serviceable.

This bike uses two bolts through the airbox to hold the upper ****** but this block uses a stud on one side. As you probably know the way to get a stud out is to put a pair of nuts together and tighten them up then unscrew the inside one and it should jam on the other and then back the stud out.

Which it did.

When I put the bolt in it felt cross threaded but I think it was just the thread locker. To be safe I chased the hole with a tap with a bit of grease on it to pull the chips out.

And with that the transmission when in the frame. I was just cruising along here, everything was going just great and then...

I take a lot of calculated risks when riding a motorcycle and I don't get sloppy or careless. When I placed that collection of stainless metric fasteners on the band saw table that I knew wasn't really tight (because one handle was missing and there was a bolt there instead and a bolt is a hassle) well, I was just asking for it wasn't I?

So before I picked up a single bolt I found the extra parts for the band saw, modified the spare handle to work and replaced that bolt so that the table locked.

Then I sat down on the floor, turned the music up and started picking and sorting the bolts...

...for two hours.

My plan was to wash the rear end before it got dark - that didn't quite work out.

But it got done in the dark. I pulled the rear wheel and cleaned the bench and floor again so I'm ready for the next step. A lot of work was put into making this bike's rear brake function and have the pull be upside-down. I'd generally prefer a disk on a dirt bike. I like a weak drum on the track where the feel seems easier to manage but on a dirt bike I'm dragging the rear all the time. Works fine though so it stays.

Okay, tomorrow I try for the roller.

Gregor

 

[Terranova]

Dude, I'm digging your

Zen and the art of your motor cycle maintenance.

 

[sakurama]

Dude, I'm digging your

Zen and the art of your motor cycle maintenance.

You know this is the **** that I wanted the garage for. I'm happy as a clam right now to have this single focus project and a goal. Talk to me Friday when it's not done or doesn't run...

Gregor

 

[meathooker]

Honestly I might put on some big boy pants & take the 1290 either way. That bike is super fun & I’d love to achieve superpowers on it.

You guys are crazy!

A 500cc sounds like big boy pants territory to me! Bring on a 300cc 2 stroke!

 

[Terranova]

You know this is the **** that I wanted the garage for. I'm happy as a clam right now to have this single focus project and a goal.

It's like Wile E Coyote.
We spend so much time chasing our tails, planning, purchasing, lining up, organizing, visualizing... we almost begin to believe it won't happen.

Dude, you've caught your road runner! It all worked!

Talk to me Friday when it's not done or doesn't run...
Gregor

We both know you won't let that happen.
Stay on target.
Remain in your element.
Chop wood, carry water.
And it will materialize.

 

[Millcreekmadman]

Man what a great thread.

You do some really nice work.

 

[stsmytherie]

Gregor, what is LP3? Do you mean LPS 3 rust inhibitor?

Cleaning up a very dirty old Porsche 902 transaxle and may try this mag wheel cleaner trick. Good stuff.

I've cleaned a lot of old BMW's and at this point I have my "system" that works for me. Degrease, scrub with an stainless brush, degrease again and then rinse. After that, when it's all clean, I spray it down with mag wheel cleaner. It's an acid that etches the aluminum and I only spray it on the block when it's wet. I've tried when the block is dry and it's very splotchy but a soaking wet block seems to spread the acid evenly.

Leave it on for a few minutes and then rinse it off. If you want to brighten it up some more give it another spray down on the wet block, let it sit and rinse well. It even got all the rust off the flywheel. I sprayed all the galleys and nooks and crannies and wondered all the time if I'd regret this.

After I rinse the mag cleaner off and the block is clean I spray the whole thing down with WD40. This keeps the aluminum from oxidizing and getting white. Having owned the trailer for a few years I'm starting to convert over to LP3 which does a real good job as well.

 

[sakurama]

Gregor, what is LP3? Do you mean LPS 3 rust inhibitor?

Cleaning up a very dirty old Porsche 902 transaxle and may try this mag wheel cleaner trick. Good stuff.

Oops. Yes. I think because my daughter refers to her Littlest Pet Shops as "LPS" I must have avoided that combo.

Gregor

 

[Jyzze]

Starter, alternator and ignition go in.

Years ago I bought this heat shrink fabric tubing from McMaster. I rarely use it but when I do I wish I used it more. Such nice stuff and prettier than the wire wrap stuff.

I watch this instal in your Instagram count and it looks super!

 

[sakurama]

Today I didn't get as much done as I'd like because I had a pistol match in the morning and a Diwali party in the evening. But I eked out some time.

I've got grease under my nails but I still take my coffee seriously - and in the shop where I can contemplate what I need to get done.

My plan was to get the swing arm on the bike. Mounting it is one of the more cruel tasks of owning one of these bikes. Sure you can change the top end sitting on a stool drinking a cool beverage but attaching the swingarm is pure pain.

First there's those tiny bolts. And no room. The spec calls for something like 38NM's and I've never had a crows foot 12 point whatever attachment for my torque wrench. What I do have is my own film crew now. Nadia took my camera and shot photos for me and Lucas swept. This build's production value is going through the roof. Expect a Patreon soon. Just kidding.

Anyway, how to tighten the driveshaft bolts; I just put a dowel in the spokes under the swingarm to block the wheel and then pull as hard as I can on the 10mm wrench. Once my face makes this expression I'm around 35NM. To be safe I put red locktite on them. It's probably time to buy that tool.

I like that shot - it looks like one I'd take but Nadia took it.

The next bit of pain is a two part rubber accordion with these loose spring rings serving to ostensibly keep them together. I've never encountered this and it was a royal pain in my ***. My kids and I have a deal - I teach them the correct way to use curse words and they don't use them around their mom. Today we all learned something new.

After an hour or more of struggling with the swingarm and it's stupid bolts and gaiters I won! That's the I-got-the-son-of-a-*****-in expression. It was followed by an explanation of female dogs.

I don't always have the right length fasteners but I've made peace with the hacksaw. In my youth I saw the hacksaw has a torture device that you would use as a last resort. I didn't know that the single blade I owned was dull - I was also dull so it followed. Many years later when that blade broke I ordered more from McMaster and suddenly I discovered that the hacksaw can make fast work of cutting things.

Buy good blades in different pitches or tooth counts and buy a bunch of them so that when it gets dull you won't feel bad tossing it for a new one. When I cut a bolt shorter I hold the part I'm tossing in the vice and then I can really squeeze it tight without worry. Use some cutting fluid on the blade and it cuts fast and easy.

You can't use them until you deburr them and I always find the belt sander the best choice followed by a scotchbrite wheel. Just grind a tiny taper on them and smooth it out.

This bike is so tight and compact that it's like a jigsaw puzzle. I can't tell you how many times I've had to unbolt an assembly I'd put in - like the battery box or the shock - in order to get some other small part in. I have a lot of respect for the Bromax.

Which leads me to one tip I've always found super helpful. If you need to put a nut on in a super tight space, something this bike has a lot of, put a piece a tape behind the wrench to hold it while you get the bolt started. Works well.

The other thing I learned with this bike is Deutsch connectors. Strangley Harley uses them but not BMW but they're the best connectors ever. You can get solid pins instead of the tin ones and while they require an expensive plier to crimp them the quality is top notch. Waterproof, smooth and easy to open and also easy to disassemble to change pin configuration. I bought a kit and tossed my other plugs.

The best crimper is the Daniels or DMC AF8 but it's silly expensive but if you're patient you can find a deal on ebay. I got mine for $120. There are cheaper pliers but what makes these so great is that they crimp the wire in four places ensuring a solid connection. Pair that with the solid pins and you have an amazing connector.

I'm not sure what the story is with this brake lever as it seems to be made from about three different levers but I kinda dig it. Except the color - every time I see it I think it's rusted steel. I decided to take it into my paint booth...

I honored the original by going with Hammerite.

I need a new bearing for the clutch arm pivot and I'm terrified I'll have to undo everything to get to it but I pressed on. I'm getting good at disassembly and reassembly. Everything but the battery and timing is done on electrical. Rear end is in and I could actually start on the body. I need tires and cylinders but they don't show til Wednesday. I need to come up with a better crank case vent situation. I sort of wished I'd kept part of that chamber but I didn't want to chance welding on the block.

There's still plenty to do.

Four days to go.

Gregor

 

[mr_magicfingers]

Every day's a school day on here, I do love watching your projects Oh and that machine shop, that's just magic right there. It's lovely to see something like that documented, particularly so well as in your photos, as it's a world few of us really have any understanding of.

 

[straps57]

Great work as usual. Can't wait to see the finished project.

 

[Bob Heine]

Which leads me to one tip I've always found super helpful. If you need to put a nut on in a super tight space, something this bike has a lot of, put a piece a tape behind the wrench to hold it while you get the bolt started. Works well.

There's still plenty to do.

Four days to go.

Gregor

Gregor, I am really enjoying this build in spite of my motorcycle dreams coming to an end with a mini-bike/big hole/swan dive.

I put the sticky side of the tape on the open end of a socket when i can't reach a bolt or nut in the bowels of the engine compartment. Pushing the fastener into the tape holds the fastener tight enough to get it started and the tape comes away with the socket. This saves on tape when there are several SOB fasteners (I'm not that cheap, just lazy).

 

[stsmytherie]

Gregor dropping more science... this is great. I've been looking for something like these connectors for a while. Toyota uses something like these (or did 10 years ago) and I'd wanted to use the same connectors for 4Runner mods. And the Porsche needs a new wiring loom so....

Thanks again.

The other thing I learned with this bike is Deutsch connectors. Strangley Harley uses them but not BMW but they're the best connectors ever. You can get solid pins instead of the tin ones and while they require an expensive plier to crimp them the quality is top notch. Waterproof, smooth and easy to open and also easy to disassemble to change pin configuration. I bought a kit and tossed my other plugs.

The best crimper is the Daniels or DMC AF8 but it's silly expensive but if you're patient you can find a deal on ebay. I got mine for $120. There are cheaper pliers but what makes these so great is that they crimp the wire in four places ensuring a solid connection. Pair that with the solid pins and you have an amazing connector.

 

[rk_tek]

Dammit, Gregor. I have my own deadline looming and should be studying for a licensing exam, but had to take a minute and see how the bike was coming. Even though you are in the middle of a last minute thrash, your documentation is incredible. And hats off to your daughters eye for a good photo. When I saw it, I thought to myself, “that looks like a Gregor photo, but he’s in it. No way his kid framed that shot”. But alas, she’s already better than 99% of ‘professionals’.