CALLING ROB VANZEN!!! 73 R75/5 Pinion Shaft Seal

[poobah56]

So I was told to search for someone named Rob Vanzen for help with my pinion shaft seal so I did.

My original post is below.

The pinion shaft seal on my 73 R75/5 needs to be replaced. I realize there are special tools required and will be unable to take care of it myself. Can anyone recommend someone in the Detroit Michigan area who may be able to do the work at a decent price?

Or if someone out there lives in the area and has done the fix and has required tools that they would lend or has any insight into changing this seal it would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Deleted User 72]

He's your guy. Hope he comes along. I'll bump you back to the top in the meantime. If you make your subject line match mine he may show up. You do know you can edit your post, right?

[Deleted User 287]

He's your guy. Hope he comes along. I'll bump you back to the top in the meantime. If you make your subject line match mine he may show up. You do know you can edit your post, right?

He seems to be a quick study! I'll bet this isn't his first forum.
(the title grabbed my attention!)

Welcome poobah56. I don't have any answers for you, but I'll bet Bob (vanzen) will be along shortly.

Others too, no doubt!

[khittner1]

If you're not happy with Detroit-area dealer support (I'm in the Lansing area and don't have much basis for evaluating the two Detroit dealers for their service work---anymore, I just go to them and the Grand Rapids dealership for relatively quick sources of OE parts), you might want to bite the travel bullet and take your machine to Steve Strickland at Motoworks in Chicago. As with most big-city operations, you'll pay good money for his time, but, unlike lots of dealers who don't want you anywhere past the service desk, Steve is willing to talk about what's needed, will usually offer a range of approaches to dealing with particular problems, and he'll share his knowledge. If you're a reasonable person with a question that requires a bit of illustration, Steve will invite you back to his lift for a brief tutorial. I've come away from each of our several encounters smarter about my bike than I was before, and I'm confident that he knows what he's doing. These days, and in this area that suffers from an apparent shortage of working airhead repair talent, it doesn't get much better than that.

If you find a better/closer source of good airhead work, let the rest of us know.

Konrad

[vanzen]

1st, I must apologize for my inaccessibility.
The user name (vanzen@rockerboxer.com)
was intended as an immediate method to contact me –
but the address is no longer active.
Repeated attempts to change that username through BW have been ignored.

To the point.
A local friend & my long-time reliable source for access to BMW special tools / services
has recently all but abandoned the business.
Kevin Lentz, proprietor of Vintage Motorcycle Works, Ann Arbor, Mi.
has suffered the vagaries of "the cheapest thing on an airhead sits on the seat" syndrome,
gone reclusive, & now earns a good living in the field of machining & metal fabrication.
He still has tools ... does some work ... & may be convinced ... perhaps.
Be forewarned,
I will also know him to be an "all systems go – or nothing" advocate / mechanic
who would, for example, never agree to simply replace a seal on your MC
if the FD is worn & in need of attention.
His insistence upon perfection does counter the typical business model –
The quality of his work is second to none.

[poobah56]

Rob- Thanks for jumping in if you have an email or other contact for Kevin please pass it along. dalamberti at gmail dot com

The old girl (73 swb R75/5 Toaster) has been super reliable but I noticed fluid overflow from the rear hub after a rip down the freeway last weekend. I checked the fluid levels- too much fluid in the hub and low levels up top. I'm not a rich guy and but the "the cheapest thing on an airhead sits on the seat" saying doesn't fit me. It's piece of art, it deserves respect and to be maintained properly, I don't like to "half ass" it.

[Deleted User 72]

Rob- Thanks for jumping in if you have an email or other contact for Kevin please pass it along. dalamberti at gmail.com

The old girl (73 swb R75/5 Toaster) has been super reliable but I noticed fluid overflow from the rear hub after a rip down the freeway last weekend. I checked the fluid levels- too much fluid in the hub and low levels up top. I'm not a rich guy and but the "the cheapest thing on an airhead sits on the seat" saying doesn't fit me. It's piece of art, it deserves respect and to be maintained properly, I don't like to "half ass" it.

poobah56-

Most here seeking contact disguise their particulars from the spybots with words or spaces between symbols as I have done (crudely) in your quote above. FWIW

[poobah56]

Okay thanks I forget about that stuff- I changed my message content

[Kurt in S.A.]

I usually spell everthing out...even the "dot".

Kurt in S.A.