Rocker "H" jig

[audiowize]

Are these still available?

My ~500 mile shakedown ride on the 71 R50/5 has gone reasonably well. The only issues that I see are that I need new rim strips (I forgot when I changed the tires/tubes, and the originals are pretty shot), and that I have one push rod seal that's started to slowly leak.

[Bamboo812]

Don't bother using the H tool, they don't work that well. Just use your fingers to hold them together when doing the initial torque. With the valve adjusters backed completely off, you want no play or binding of the rocker when doing this. It can take several tries to get right. Electrical tape or similar will work as rim strips in a pinch...

[Ken in Oklahoma]

. . . Electrical tape or similar will work as rim strips in a pinch...

I actually prefer tape to the strips. With the strips I'm never confident that I haven't moved it out of place in wrestling the tube into the tire or when levering the tire on to the rim. Duct tape is my tape of choice. You can rip it to the width you want, and it ain't gonna creep like electrical tape is prone to doing. Duct tape also readily comes off when it's time to put on a new tire (and tube).

Duct tape, as useful as it is, is piss poor for taping ducts together.

Ken

[bbelk]

Duct tape, as useful as it is, is piss poor for taping ducts together.

Ken

It is good at taping ducts together. It is poor at taking ducks together.

[Major Softie]

Sorry, but Ken's right. Some university did a big test of duct tape a few years ago to see if it really was good for all the various purposes people have found for it. They found that it really was unbelievable at doing anything . . . except for holding ducts together. It has been supplanted in that job by aluminum tape, if I recall.

[Duane Ausherman]

Forget that H shaped jig. It doesn't work. Better to just know what you are doing. Use Google.

[Ken in Oklahoma]

Forget that H shaped jig. It doesn't work. Better to just know what you are doing. Use Google.

Or ask here. Some of us here actually know what we're talking about, even more so than many other people on the internet who want to be seen as gurus.

And if we should give out any bad advice, Major Softie will come along and do us all a service by pointing it out in exquisite lucid detail.

Ken, aspiring novice guru in Oklahoma
(or said another way: wannabe)

[audiowize]

Yeah, I feel like I lucked out a bit. In forgetting to order/install new rim strips, I had one fail at 70 MPH on I-5 in Seattle. I think the tube went from inflated to flat in about a minute, which was an interesting/terrifying experience in and of itself.

I limped off an onramp and to a gas station to see if I could just put air in it, but I had gone far enough to tear the valve off the tire. I hopped onto my found, and found that there was a classic motorcycle shop close by. Unfortunately, they never answered their phone, and in slowly limping my way down there, I actually drove right by it without ever spotting it. What I did see was a large building with about ten adventure outfitted BMW's out front, which turned out to be a Touratech retail outlet.

I went inside and managed to find a new tube that was pretty close to what I needed. When they figured out that I had a flat and the bike was outside, they let me bring it in and change the tube. I was very thankful to be able to snag some air from their compressor, as getting 30 PSI out of a small hand pump seems tough.

Anyway, when I was in there, I met a gentleman who worked in the bay area as a BMW mechanic for ~20 years. He has agreed to come give me a hand with replacing the push rod tube seals, and he convinced me to replace the rocker bushings while I was in there. Apparently he also hates this jig.

[Duane Ausherman]

A major reason for a quick flat can be related to incorrect installation of the tire/tube. Never tighten the valve stem nut against the rim.

I have to disagree with Ken. He likes typing and I hate it. Or, maybe he is looking for something to do. That is why I have a website devoted to this subject of BMWs. I am only willing to type it up once and then it is your job to go read it. Google finds it very easily and instantly.' About 5 websites hold nearly everything that you could want to know about your /5. Put them in your favorites. Read them in detail for future reference. One person showed me a print out of my website and it took an entire ream of paper.

Ask here if you can't find it, or it is something so arcane that nobody wrote about it on the web. By asking here you risk getting advice from someone that is an expert due to having a keyboard. Thank goodness the worst case person left a couple of years ago.

Be very cautious about any of my advice.

[ME 109]

Thank goodness the worst case person left a couple of years ago.

He's still out there, just a couple of click away Duane. And still as much of a shit head as ever.
I do enjoy biting his ankles almost every day.