Boxerworks.com

Hi All,
I've slacked off since my intro post about a month ago, and figure it is time to start a thread on my ongoing 1979 R100T project.

The bike, no name yet - we'll just call it the pit for now, was running and in use when I bought it last fall, but had definitely seen better days. Apparently the previous owner(s) must have thought that the dirt and oil congealing on everything added character or reduced wind resistance?

I had been obsessing with getting an older BMW for months and immediately fell in love with the pit's potential. The After a bit of haggling and an exchange of $ for title, I was able to drive the pit the roughly 40 miles home with a friend following in my car... It was a ride not without its trials and tribulations and included numerous stops, luggage that wouldn't stay closed, and almost losing a bar end mirror that wasn't tightened properly.

That ride home represents 98% of my time in the saddle of a BMW airhead! The other 2% being the short test ride before purchase. (yes... I bought the first one I looked at.)



So the moment the bike was home and in the garage I started to take things off of it. I was pretty enthusiastic and not very organized so the documentation at this stage is sparse. Unfortunately that means little photographic evidence of the mess I've cleaned up to date. I am sure this will result in a few "Where does this wire go?" forum questions somewhere down the line. Luckily I did manage to get most parts into little labeled zip lock bags to keep the future head scratching to a manageable level.



This is my first real project bike (though not my first bike project!) and it quickly brought me to the realization that something was missing in my life... That something was a part cleaner. This realization turned into a lot of internal debating and research which derailed progress on the pit for a short time. I wanted to avoid flammable or harsh chemicals in the house, and am really limited on work space as well.

What I ended up with is a cheap plastic Harbor Freight table top parts washer full of Simple Green. It's probably not as fast or efficient as a large solvent washer, but it fits nicely on my table saw and has gotten the job done so far!

Anyhow... cut to a month and a half after purchase and I was finally down to an empty frame. It was time for refinishing... I rushed out to the local powder coating shop with the frame, center stand, and luggage rack and had them finished in Solar Black. It's a satin finish with a bit of a sheet to it in sunlight.



Seeing how good the frame looked made me reevaluate all the bits I'd skipped thinking I would just paint them later; including a swing arm, battery tray, headlight bucket and a few smaller bits. Needless to say I now have a pile building up for "Powder Coat round 2".

Further reinforcing the bike's working name of money pit I also started looking for possible upgrades over the past several months and have ended up ordering a number of tasty parts. These include but are not limited to: 1 billet top fork clamp, 1 used braced swing-arm, Race-tech springs and emulators for the forks, some very nice shocks from Works Performance (to hopefully match up nicely with the Race-tech bits up front), reconditioned valve covers, a stainless steel hardware kit (lots of nuts and bolts!), replacement tank badges, various bearings, seals, gaskets, etc.

Here's a shot of the shocks...



That brings the project pretty much up to date! It's slow progress with the pit, owing mainly to my having a busy work schedule and also being a relatively new dad. (Unfortunately the munchkin isn't at the "hand me a wrench" stage yet!) I'll try to add more updates and photos as things progress. You can find a few more photos I've taken over here:
http://www.vintagebmw.org/v7/node/8334

Please feel free to offer advice, ideas, and if necessary, criticism.

Thanks!
- Mike

good luck with the bike, Im sure it will be great.

Take a look at the postings both here and on ADV regarding the Racetech Emulators. I would possibly advise you to start off with standard forks and then fit the emulators later. Dont use the racetech springs, and you will have to reduce the height of the standard springs to get the correct amount of fork sag.

Charles

I kow you said you have already bought the Race Tech Emulators, but take a look at these valves. They can be installed without complete disassembly of the forks and do not require drilling out the holes in the damper rods(you can go back if you want to). You can drain the forks, pull the springs out the top, drop the valves in and refill with 5w and you are done. The Jan. issue of Moror Cycle Consumer News had them as the innovation of the month.

http://store.ricorshocks.com/

Cool project, AO ... here's hoping your bank account can keep the pace !

George,
Have you used these emulators ?
... and the BMW community has responded favorably ?

No I have not. I will be trying them in My R90S when I complete other mechanical work (strange knocking sound in the trans). I will probably try them in my '74 super Glide before the R90S, It needs something even worse than the BMW as far as dive on braking. The blurb in MCN was very positive. I can scan it and PM to you if you don't get the mag.???

George Ryals wrote:I kow you said you have already bought the Race Tech Emulators, but take a look at these valves. They can be installed without complete disassembly of the forks and do not require drilling out the holes in the damper rods(you can go back if you want to). You can drain the forks, pull the springs out the top, drop the valves in and refill with 5w and you are done. The Jan. issue of Moror Cycle Consumer News had them as the innovation of the month.

http://store.ricorshocks.com/

Drilled out rods can "go back." I've known people who brazed them over and redrilled them to stock specs.

It looks to me that the smallest insert that Ricor make is 41mm, which is a bit big for an airhead.

The RT alterations to the damper tube means that you would have to braze over the top as well. As a racetech user I would suggest that all the work is not worth the bother.

Charles

Major Softie wrote:Drilled out rods can "go back." I've known people who brazed them over and redrilled them to stock specs.

... regarding "stock spec":
Even as the diameter of damper-rod holes has remained constant
the number of holes used by the factory has varied from 2-5.

They show 41 mm on the home page. They have a lot of sizes look at the menu on the left side of the page.

Well... This certainly digressed into a fork emulator thread quickly.

I did do some reading on the racetech parts for the BMW before before purchasing, and know that opinions are not all positive... but I am comfortable with diving into it and think I will be able to get the result I am after. The setup i am after is more like a sport bike, not an adventure bike or tourer. However I am going a bit lighter on the springs than I did on my Honda (even though the bike weight isn't radically different and I love the way the SuperHawk handles!)

On a side note... No new progress on the project. This pesky thing called work keeps getting in the way.