very inspiring, Charlie

Red frame looks killer.

Took my new baby on her first real outing today. A good 20 hours just to get her legal and feeling safe. She really has only one obvious problem left, which funny enough was something that was working...the starter.

But I'm almost glad it went on the fritz, since I now see how easy it is to bump start these beasts.

In about 10 days I've

Changed oil and coolant.
New Clutch cable
New tires
File down and lube a battered throttle cam
Get blinkers, running lights and temp gauges working.
Got a first start on the grunge.

Ride impressions. I ride alot off-road on KTM and GG trials bikes. No street bike since my GS750 which I retired in about 85. But I really rode that thing alot, so it's at least one point of comparison

Ride position is quite "bent". It's fine but I might cramp on a long ride. Pirelli scorps are incredible to me. Great grip even brand new. Very smooth and effortless to lean. It was blustery which moved me around alot more than the bike. It's pretty stable.

It purrs like a gold wing at 42mph. At 60, as you guys know, the buzz is going in bars and pegs, at 5500 it's coming straight up my crotch. But 4k does not feel so bad if you have been zipping around in the higher revs.

It reminds me of the R50 MINI, which does have a buzz, while the R53 has a balancer on the flywheel and no buzz. (I have both right now) Now I remember why I always hated motorcycle mirrors, just enough buzz to make it hard to ID cars at a distance.

I was braced for the "dive" in braking, but maybe all that time on bad suzuki suspension prepared me: brakes seem excellent and very easy to feather.

Running around town the bike is very sweet. Lots of power way down low in 2nd and 3rd. I'm going to have to name her....Angela Merkal?


L1059547 by unoh7, on Flickr


L1059551 by unoh7, on Flickr


L1059569 by unoh7, on Flickr

Thanks to everyone here. So nice to be able to chase down whatever issues the old girl comes up with

Won't be selling this one soon.

good to hear uhoh

some get that buzz ...myself I don't mind it ...but perhaps I'm not comparing apples with apples ,,,so far

the upright position of the rt bars certainly makes a difference in ride comfort ...as one or two of my mates say ...when following behind ...I look comfortable ...relaxed arms . legs and all that stuff

once did a run maybe about 1600 kilometres  ( 1000 miles ) with 2 breaks for sleep etc ... in just over a day

was comfortable all the way

this build will be an rs fairing up front ...but elevated somewhat ..so I can get away from the lean in of the rs bars ...

the rs feels great, but is quite a lean forward  body flow type feel whilst riding rather than a more relaxed and body centred upright feel ...that I like

I have always had issues with the lean forward position ...with my neck, back and wrists ......and much skin on the road ...by the way

I have found a position I can deal with, so I'm sticking close to that ...the ride comfort with sorted out shocks front and back on the k is very good

and the weight is a bonus on long trips ...rather than bouncing all over the joint .. on light weight machines

with good tyres its as nimble as one wants , city or country

still a lot of things to get for this one ..but time and perseverance ...well you know the rest

enjoy mate ....ride well !!

Just FYI Charlie: LFB has standard K100 bars on with a pair of 25mm risers underneath. Your hands still get protection from the wing mirrors and I find the riding position a lot better. Can't speak for the effect on wiring loom and cables because, as you know, I make my own.

hi dai

yep ive got some "c" type bars here mate  and they will be going on
also an k75 triple clamp - the non rubberised bar mount type ...im thinking with a little extension to the end of the bars ,,and perhaps risers ..I will be making a good compromise ?

at least getting higher and wider than the rs bars ...yes ?!!

charlie99 wrote:..yeah black finger nails  are a good part of it

but a word of warning ...I recon you should find a good hand cleaner real quick paul

else the "better half" may not be so ..accommodating to the project challenges and your joy of life in general ...gigglesnort

No problems with the "better half" - she voted with her feet 5 years back and, funnily enough, life has been better ever since. Still need a decent hand cleaner though as, although my daughters don't mind me working on the bikes, they do expect me to drop everything to shop, cook, taxi and catch spiders for them and don't appreciate me doing it with black, greasy hands. Don't really know why they want me to catch spiders for them - perhaps I'm not feeding them enough?

We can export some red back spiders to the UK for your daughters.

after second coat of paint ...the frame appears to be taking on a new appearance

quite a bit different to a few weeks ago

excuse the random boxes and lighting in the back ground (just pulled the frame inside for the night )

Did Blakey have any say on that beautiful red colour?

ainsjac wrote:We can export some red back spiders to the UK for your daughters.

Thanks Stan - they're bad enough with a common and garden, totally non harmful, UK house spider - I don't need to introduce them to your Antipodean killer varieties! 

Maybe the red back spider is where Charlie got his colour scheme inspiration from? Killer colour scheme!

giggles ...could be paul

just loving this colour ..I didnt think it was the right thing at first

In the sunshine late this afternoon

received some stainless goodness yesterday

just a bit of bling ?





not bad for a scrapper eh ????  grin

a few needed parts arrived from "old blighty "  just stuff that is sometimes hard to find in reasonable condition

motorworks second hand stuff arrived today







including 2  lift handles ...bugga ...must have been tired and not noticed the quantities in check out before payment

no worries I saved the really good one to pass onto someone in need

still some prettying up to do on this lot ...

so the journey continues

of course...a little while later
 






might look ok at the end ...eh ?

and a bit later ...after the Charlie treatment  for some of the bits

the lift handle finished up looking quite spiffy , I think




but doing a review of the motor , as I was lubricating it today .just trying to stop corrosion setting in whilst sitting

the output shaft has rivet movement , about 1mm rotational ...and can see the rivets moving in the output shaft

and measuring the valve clearances ...at last,, found at least 1 exhaust valve with about 5 thou clearance , the others are up around 6-7-8 thou

 hmm unknown by me kilometers ...just wondering if I should pull the head and do it properly ...hmmm     thoughts please ?



not looking too bad in there all the same ...





please forgive the auto rotate on the picture ...the servimg service is just too smart

I guess I still have "Gerty's " original head , which may look and measure a whole lot better ...being a generational change in valve seats ...um perhaps
as the valve clearances were far closer to spec at the last measurement anyhow .

you might remember I did one up and plonked it onto gertys bottom end

food for thought anyhow

so ...moving along

refurbishing the "hard as a plank " standard  twin seat , to something with maybe some comfort

still lots to do

but a different profile starting to show

so after a few minutes with a hack saw blade through the newer and less dense foam
we have a replacement under seat core

a bit more work and it fits , ready for some glue to bind it together

some more profile forming to the inner - outer core  and its ready for a outer layer of softer foam also maybe 8 mm thick

but looks like it will come together ok , not a comfort seat ...but comfy enough I think













I'm going to build  a base support section across the seat proper to restrict sliding back etc  and will form part of an enclosure where the passengers section  was located .

While waiting for the 12 rivet output shaft replacement (since arrived), I was looking to fix the 6 rivet shaft which had a little play

Clamped a large flat ended punch in the vice. Got my son to hold the output shaft - with rivet sitting on the punch.

Then got another fat tapered punch and hit the open end of the output shaft rivets with a pound hammer.

Was very pleased with the result - no play whatsoever. It will only serve as a backup... but it is do-able in a pinch.

Guy

GF Wollongong wrote:While waiting . . .

I think you took a wrong turn during your walkabout, GF, and wound up here in charlie's yard while he's cleaning up parts.

GF Wollongong wrote:While waiting for the 12 rivet output shaft replacement (since arrived), I was looking to fix the 6 rivet shaft which had a little play

Clamped a large flat ended punch in the vice. Got my son to hold the output shaft - with rivet sitting on the punch.

Then got another fat tapered punch and hit the open end of the output shaft rivets with a pound hammer.

Was very pleased with the result - no play whatsoever. It will only serve as a backup... but it is do-able in a pinch.

Guy

cheers Guy

in many cases the rivet has worn out the aluminium support , from the flogging it gets ...once movement starts , with the aluminium becoming quite elongated along the radius of the rivets ...

but point taken, the output shaft  in this motor has yet to be evaluated , after removal ...with a bit of luck your technique  could be a winner , although I would imagine that the peening process you describe might only take up slack around the head of the rivet, leaving a fair bit of contact area , along the length of the rivet , still loose , to a degree ....what is important, could be, to observe if the rivet core  hole has been in fact distorted and if not severely affected . a new rivet body could be installed and fitted up to spec . or over sized drilled and new item replaced ?

but in many cases is ignored till beyond help ...

cheers for the post mate ...defiantly a positive contribution indeed

just back from the northern tablelands ride
with some goodies

first off , Guy has sent me a wiring loom , seems all ok , but a few snips of cables noticed 'and the efi subassembly not present (under seat computer stuff , including injectors ,temp sensor and afm wiring )
 


second was a surprise gift from smithy
an output shaft , with new main bearing , no slop at all on the rivets or damper core


woohoo


but my friends this is where it stops for now
the village where I live has introduced new rules

one being "no repairs "

so im off to find a new home , hopefully with a garage of some sort so I can lock away "works in progress" , rather than pull it all back in the house each day

surprisingly  some parts arrived from gb

an internet friend sent me a couple of bit ive been missing

interesting packaging I recon



of corse I could help but clean them back and applying the Charlie treatment

 

'but back into a box for the future move

sorry smithy ,,, just had to tart it up

some parts arrived ...sorry not bmw ...or even close , but what I can afford at the moment



the electrics will be a lot of roll my own  with a few extra relays to take the load off fragile components switching stuff



and a cute rear brake fluid reservoir , with a different mount , it will do the job well and look a whole lot better than a plastic bottle that deteriorates in the sun ,  hopefully similar for the cooling fluid reservoir

Nice Charlie! That rear reservoir looks cool. Where did you get it? Any details you can share?

try here rob ....a few colours as well

https://www.ebay.com/itm/CNC-Motorcycle-Master-Cylinder-Fluid-Oil-Reservoir-Cup-Front-Brake-Clutch-Tank-/232343052750?var=&hash=item3618b9a1cembY0rfsB4h8gbthJq9mYf2A

Here we come bearing bad news again {sigh}. Make sure the spigot in that reservoir is well and truly glued in. I had one on the front of LFB and (eventually) had to ditch it because the spigot started leaking.

will do dai .
I don't think there will be a lot of movement when bolted up at the rear end , rather than suspended by a rubber mount at the bars
but will keep an eye on it .

having a closer look it appears to be threaded in, rather than a push - displacement fit




cheers

If its threaded, maybe using thread sealant would be a good idea.

It's threaded alright - it's a bolt with the head turned off. There's also a very thin o-ring at the reservoir end.

some brake - clutch - throttle body  type switches arrived today  (about 2 weeks from blighty )  and about 1/3 rd the price of the bmw part,  , just don't throw away the cable sections ...if you have spare dead switch assemblies  - including cables ...im after a couple please ..

charlie99 wrote:some brake - clutch - throttle body  type switches arrived today  (about 2 weeks from blighty )  and about 1/3 rd the price of the bmw part,  , just don't throw away the cable sections ...if you have spare dead switch assemblies  - including cables ...im after a couple please ..

I have a half dozen defunct switches in my shed, 4 each on my K100 2v bikes.  Haven't looked into the K1100 yet. Those look a good price.....

some more bits arrived for el cheapo prices

not too different to the bmw ones , the design for an encapsulated globe assembly is good ...implementation again simple and crappy


but will and should do the job



may add some leds to them to make the rear end at night appear wider ...the bmw k rear running lamp is pitiful on country roads at night time

some thing like this may help

of course a little while later

Take the spray can away from this bloke!

ainsjac wrote:Take the spray can away from this bloke!

This is exactly why we have had a word with Charlie's village elders and got them to ban all repairs & DIY. It'll give the rest of us amateurs a chance to keep up.

But, seriously, nice job Charlie!

cheers paul

thanks for the enthusiasm mate



psst  I had to wait for it to rain around here so that no one would be outside to witness the spray event , well I felt safe then anyhow ...giggle

charlie99 wrote:whilst in there, did some pipes off old gerty , I had got some earlier that I swapped over when I did the head a couple of years ago now , but gerty's cleaned up just fine ,  just lots of time and noise

before


after




these will probably go on the old motor ...unless I can figure out a way to make them all more equal  and perhaps a collector ? huh ?            grin   !

I've opened up a collector box and it's that part of the exhaust that BMW used to equalise the length of the headers.

yes weve seen that on k1100  and 16 valve models mike ...but unsure on standard 8 valve models
have you explored inside them ?

charlie99 wrote:yes weve seen that on k1100  and 16 valve models mike ...but unsure on standard 8 valve models
have you explored inside them ?

Yes I cut one open some time back and if memory serves me correctly, the 8v collectors use equalisers inside the main exhaust.

so a bit lucky I guess
got some rubber bits being thrown out 
and finally got to see the early rubber mounts for the foot peg plates complete for the first time

so I took some measurements as well







also , last thing to arrive from china
a fluid reservoir ,
a bit of clear coat required to protect it
a bit large , but will do the job

about to start with the gearbox ,
thanks to alby , some time ago i got a second hand box , a bit ugly looking to start with
but a little work inside and out , almost ready to transfer all the running gear out of gertys into this one , new bearings of course



a little brush work today on the outer case

Last Few bits for this year , arrived from GB ...thanks greatly to Frank and Dave

some useful bits in there for both "gerty " and the redframe resto

side panels are near pristine (well best I have seen as second hand parts at least ...grin )

I can hide some small paint jobs for the moment ....to add to the building list of the old frame

lets see what can happen

working on the metal bits , just a little while later, already looking better, yes ?




side covers are cut back with 1200 wet and dry in prep for a new colour

and the battery hold down bracket cut back to remove the rust , now receiving some rust converter to dig into the deep scars of age

Looking better.... yes.... yes.

getting there slowly