Odd part on eBay

[dwire]

I'll be brief - what is this? pic below and hyperlink to a poor description at eBay...



http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-Airhead-R50 ... 27&vxp=mtr

[Duane Ausherman]

That is the fixing clamp that clamps around the inferior split (adjusting) ring for the steering bearings on a 1970-71 /5. You don't want that part, as the later 72-73 is far superior in attaining and holding a stable and proper adjustment.

The info is on my site.

[dwire]

Doh! OK, I see now; from the description and image, somehow I thought they were saying they attached somewhere on the fork tube/stanchions. I see there are a handful of things in that department that I would be far better off NOT having the 71 parts on there. It has been too long since I have even looked at my sort of BMW-in-a-box, but some years back I purchased a cheap spare triple-tree arrangement. I wonder if I was smart or lucky enough to come up with one later than my '71 bike? Hopefully so...

As far as looking at the bushings in the outer fork tubes? nope, can't recall if they were one piece or three... They're likely the older style I would guess as well.

The more I look at your picture(s) from overhead, (of either the center clamp, or the fork bushings) the more I think I'm likely to have the clamp being sold on eBay that is NLA (wonder why it is NLA - maybe because it was POS?) and very well the one piece bushing(s) too. Maybe this winter I can report back.

Anyhow thanks; Duane to the rescue once more.

[Major Softie]

NLA is virtually always for the same reason: as the stock was running out, the demand seemed too small to justify a production run of any new ones. Obviously this is a part not subject to "wearing out," so I'm sure the demand was miniscule. If it is easy to retrofit the newer system, that would be another nail in the coffin for the old part.

[dwire]

Yes MS, I am aware of that, but sadly sarcasm often does not transfer through all too well in English writings; it is more suitable for spoken word... That is sort of why I added the notion of my belief that the top bushings in the fork tube stansions were solid too. - Leading to the notion I could possibly have a perfect combination of all the parts on the triple-tree and front end in general that are on Duane's hit list of "junk-ware" to upgrade - that's all I was eluding to.

[Major Softie]

I hang my head in shame....

[jjwithers]

here is a shot of it in action.


exciting huh?

Yeah, you want to replace it with the /6 collar. There is a topic i started nearly a month ago about the same item.

[dwire]

Makes me want to go look, but I know darn well that it is the inferior part. I'm also 95% sure the bushings on Duane's hit list were one piece as well. It may have taken me a couple of days to churn from my memory that day of cleaning on the forks and outer fork tubes and as well seeing how utterly out of whack they were, but seems to me I have the "bad" stiction bushings too. Dang - it's always the "little things!" Nickel dime me to death this thing will! Thanks everyone.

[dwire]

Price sort of out of whack, but this triple-tree is supposed to be from a 1977 BMW (/6 or so I guess???) anyhow, this would contain the "solution" part to the offending clamp I inquired about; is that right?





So, am I getting it right? i this what I need to scour people's backyards and garage sales for? Big garage sale weekend coming up... I don't suppose I'd run into a handful of these. What the better question would be is when I run into my spare, the clamp goes beneath the top triple tree plate to set up the top bearing interference; is that correct? If so, (and that's why I wasted time posting the pics...) It should be easy to tell what I have here as a spare is what I want - AND AS WELL, I WON'T BE FOOLED BY AN EARLY PART WITH NO CLAMP INSTALLED??? Not sure if the question makes sense, I guess I can just shoot some pictures of mine if there is any question that the spare is an early one missing its clamp, one that has the clamp (what I know to be on my '71 already...) or I have other confusions over it as my head bearing and race is smooth as silk with no play at all currently... anyhow I'll report back when I find the box with my spare triple tree in it. I could steal the top potion and cut up the lower clamp to try and make a slight improvement on the alignment tool I finally ended up with... (Wow, that was some time ago!) Sorry, in some ways this is a bit rhetorical since I don't know yet what vintage my spare is; but otherwise, someone can likely confirm/deny that this is the arrangement I should be looking for and that I won't just "miss" that the clamp is not installed on an earlier part.

[Duane Ausherman]

I don't see the newer part on that set that would be the better part for adjusting the bearings.

Doug, I must say that I am not able to follow your text. The parts shown in the two photos have nothing to do with the better part for clamping.

I guess that I am missing something in this discourse.