Greetings, new BMW owner

[pat76r90]

Hi to all. Thought I'd give you all a little story. I've been riding a Harley FLH shovel four speed since 1993, and it is ready for a major refurbishing. To keep it brief, I was figuring to push it one more year, but having to pull a badly leaking inner primary, and surveying the carnage, I knew it was time to pull it out of service. I knew I wouldn't be happy on the old ladies Virago, and I've always admired the look of the old classic BMW's, so I set out to find something relatively cheap, which will carry me through what looks like a long term project.
I really like the looks of the 60's, but they're out of my price range. I need a bike that can handle commuting and 2 up weekend riding, a little light touring if I'm lucky. I fixed upon a 1976 R/90 , 39K on the clock, asking $2500. Dude said it ran and drove, needed an ignition switch, some lighting work, battery, etc. So I bit offered him 2200, and drove down with a buddy and pickup to the Big Apple, where I witnessed it run, title in hand, ignition lock cylinder broken out, owner not there, but his minions(2 black fellas in a sketchy neighborhood) had been instructed to close the deal. So close it we did, loaded it up and headed home.
That was about 3 weeks ago. I had to cobble the battery tray back together and fit a battery first. I drained the tank, blew it out, it fired up willingly. Ran and drove good, trans and final drive feel ok. Bring it home quick, no plates yet, then thought to check the charging system. Not charging hmmm....funny thing is, charge light does not come on with key on. Search around a while, hey, I bet this voltage regulator will work better when it's plugged in. Sure enoughlight comes on, and stays on while running. It dims a little with some rpm's and a quick check with the voltmeter confirms, charging but not enough, I could get 13.2 volts out of it at 3 grand. Some more studying of the wiring diagram led me to the diode board, which is obviously burned junk when I uncover it. First setback, wait for parts....
Hey I've got to go for now, but I'll finish my story later, don't worry, it's a happy ending

[Major Softie]

Welcome welcome.

Such a purchase invariably ends up either being stupid easy to get back on the road, or a horrendous money pit. It sounds like you may have been lucky and gotten the former.

I liked this:

I knew I wouldn't be happy on the old ladies Virago

At first I thought it was a spelling/punctuation error, but now, the more I think about it.....

[Deleted User 287]

Welcome! Hope you weren't scared off by the website domain issue!

Here is a [female] friend's Virago:



She might be out your way - Eldred, NY!

[Jean]

Hey, it runs.
You didn't mention getting a title...parts are easy.
Charging at 13.2 volts at 3 grand ain't bad. Was the headlight ON?
Curious the diode board was in such bad shape and yet you saw charging...also I'd really wonder WHY the voltage regulator was not connected.
Hopefully you've discovered that when you pull the front cover or re-install it, you should disconnect the battery. It's really easy to fry the diode board during this procedure.

[pat76r90]

All right then, thanks for the welcomes. Ummm, Eldred NY is pretty close to NYC I believe, I'm closer to Rochester NY, NYC is a good 250 miles.
And 13.2 was without a working headlamp, turns out the main light switch was broken. I'm sure the regulator was disconnected so the light wouldn't be on while trying to sell it. Two thirds of the diodes were still good, it would charge some, but not to full capacity.
Parts are scarcer for this bike than the old shovelhead, nothing on anyone ones shelf anywhere. The BMW dealer in Rochester snickered when I asked about the availability of a board. I settled on a replacement from a guy in California, who makes his own out of "more modern materials". $75 and another 28 for a solid state fixed regulator.When I got it(only took a week), I could see he took the guts from an old Delco alternator, and soldered the rectifier bridge and diode trio to a board along with all the proper terminals. Brilliant, and works like a charm. Thunderchild is the name of his company.
Anyway today is going to be Jezebels commuting debut, I believe I have most of the big bugs worked out. And DMV went smooth, that's another story, but she is now titiled and registered in my name. It's been a tough 3 weeks without a ride, and I'm ready. When I come back we'll talk carbs, and then I have a few questions.........

[Jean]

Thunderchild makes pretty good stuff. I've got their diode board, too.
If you hang out on this forum you'll find parts are not all that hard to find. There are lots of shops that DO have what you need and there are salvage operations, too that can supply good used parts.
Sounds like your bike was a victim of assault.

Go to the IBMWR website and go to the "motorcycle Marketplace where you will find a specific listing for Airhead stuff.
A number of folks sell parts there and the prices are generally fair. Better sales than you will find on E-bay too, at least they are more likely to be square with you as to condition, etc.

I believe your light switch is on the left hand handlebar. Sometimes you can get a whole assembly salvage at a swap meet or someone will have one in a box...and will contact you off this forum. I got a spare left assembly for my 78 R100s at a swap meet a couple of years ago...it was $25.
Carbs. Bings or DelOrtos? At any rate, you ought to get a manual for these. If Bing, a very good manual is available from them. Since the bike runs and you are riding around, the carbs won't need as much work as they would if it did NOT run!
Hang with us. We'll get you going.
There are probably some other Airheads nearby...Maybe even a TECH DAY in your neighborhood where a bunch of other people will work on your bike for fun and free.

[Deleted User 287]

or someone will have one in a box...and will contact you off this forum.

You have to watch closely for PM's on this forum. There is no pop-up box to alert you to new messages. You need to watch the second line of information at the top of every page. On the left, next to your User Control Panel is the link to your PM's.
Right now mine says (0 new messages)

[Duane Ausherman]

Pat, welcome to the "home"
I wish to state that your charge voltage, properly measured, should be at least 14.0 and probably higher. Just be sure that you measure it properly with the probes directly on the battery posts and not on the terminals that are bolted to it. It will take time to reach terminal voltage. I like to fully charge the battery, start it up and then do the measurement. That way one doesn't need to run the bike at 3000 rpm for very long.

[Ken in Oklahoma]

. . . Go to the IBMWR website and go to the "motorcycle Marketplace where you will find a specific listing for Airhead stuff.
A number of folks sell parts there and the prices are generally fair. Better sales than you will find on E-bay too, at least they are more likely to be square with you as to condition, etc. . . .

That's a good recommendation. Back when I was expanding my spares and "project" inventory I "haunted" the IBMWR want ads. And I got more than a few really good bargains. On eBay there is the occasional bargain, but there is so much visibility and competition that a true bargain is a fairly rare event.

The IBMWR want ads are not without their scammers, but the thing I like about IBMWR is that you can directly exchange emails with the other person and pretty much size him (or her) up. I have been taken through misrepresentation a couple times, but I had resigned myself to the notion that the occasional cheater was a necessary evil for access to some truly great bargains.

I like the ability to post items wanted as opposed to simply scanning through what's for sale and hope you can find it. I did receive a "typical" scammer response a couple times. Typically the response to my ad went something like, "I have what you're looking for in great condition." Something sounded fishy in the response, which is possibly obvious to most people reading my post. That is, there was no mention of the item by name. What I was getting was a pat phrase that the scammer copied and pasted onto all of his responses to things wanted.

As opposed to looking for specific parts, when you're "trolling" for cool stuff you didn't even know you needed, it pays to visit the IBMWR want ads often. The early bird gets the "3/4 solo seat w/cowl" for $200. A couple buys like that allow you to gloat for months.

I have bought stuff from eBay as well, and as Jean indicated the seller is more likely to be square with you on condition. But if you're turned on by bargains, the potential is less than the IBMWR want ads. Plus you sometimes have to wait a long time on ebay to spot a fairly rare part you've been looking for.


Ken

[Steve in Golden]

You have to watch closely for PM's on this forum. There is no pop-up box to alert you to new messages. You need to watch the second line of information at the top of every page. On the left, next to your User Control Panel is the link to your PM's.
Right now mine says (0 new messages)

Hmm, mine says "0 0 new messages", I must be special.