I have put this in here, as I found it funny that I managed to forget it during my two "K" bike 

ownership.

I LUBRICATED THE THROTTLE ASSEMBLY...........
 
I also checked for free play between the grip and the Bar end weight as per instructions from Rossko

But what a difference ...a different bike

I now recall an article in a british bike mag, about a young guy who took his bike to 

a shop, who advertised very cheap tune ups.

When the bike came back, and duly found to be much faster, the guy enquired as to what was done to 

improve the performance.

Guess what...

He lubricated the the throttle assembly...

nuff said.

One portion of  humble pie coming up..

Bob

On lubing the throttle: years ago, at a BMW dealership in Oregon, whenever someone brought in an Airhead with 32mm carbies needing a full service, after the required work was done on the engine, valve check and adjust, ignition timing check & carb sync, a 40mm throttle cam gear & chain was fitted into the throttle housing and properly lubed - a similar design to early K bikes. It was only a few dollars back then.

The more radical 'ramp' of the larger carb's throttle pull would make an amazing difference in revibility and response. Just like a quick turn throttle.

Against general consensus I lubricate all my cables with a PTFE lubricant called Triflo. It is compatible with the Teflon liner and will not degrade it like some other types of lubricant. I added a grease nipple to the clutch arm and I also grease the lever pivot points and lube the cable nipples and grease the throttle gear assembly. My Brick is now 26 years old I've owned it for 21 years and still on it's original cables. I have however replaced a couple of levers. Anything that moves will benefit from an occasional lube with the correct type of lubricant.

Regards Martin.

I too fitted a grease nipple to the clutch arm, lube the nipples, and lever barrel.

A new clutch too, and the action is very light.

Having recently renewed the front master cylinder, you would have thought I would have noticed 

the lack of lubrication..

My K is a delight when filtering at low speed, even more so now.

Bob

MartinW wrote:Against general consensus I lubricate all my cables with a PTFE lubricant called Triflo. It is compatible with the Teflon liner and will not degrade it like some other types of lubricant. I added a grease nipple to the clutch arm and I also grease the lever pivot points and lube the cable nipples and grease the throttle gear assembly. My Brick is now 26 years old I've owned it for 21 years and still on it's original cables. I have however replaced a couple of levers. Anything that moves will benefit from an occasional lube with the correct type of lubricant.

Regards Martin.

Having worked with OEMs for many years my understanding of the oft-repeated statement that new cables should not be lubed is more like that they should not need to be lubed like in the days of yore when cables were not lined. If TriFlo works for you then no worries, it may be a good idea.

In fact, most BMW OEM & replacement cables have had liners in them since the early to mid-'80s.

I'll give you another good reason for lubricating lined cables. The exposed bottom section of the inner gets covered in sh!te and drags it up into the liner for around two-three inches. The result is teflon-backed grinding paste which doesn't do the inner cable any good whatsoever, no sirree.

You're right Dai, when I spray in the Triflo I spray until it runs clear. The first part to come out can be pretty grotty. Another little trick I do is to pack the rear master cylinder boot with heavy silicone grease which stops the ingress of water and road crap and stops the corrosion that effects a lot of rear master cylinders. And I have only replaced leaking front shock seals once when I first got the bike, twenty years ago. I now pack under the dust boots with silicone grease, whether it has extended their lives who knows. But it can't hurt.
Regards Martin.

Listening to Martin go on about Triflo made me go and get some from the local bicycle shop.

I've used it on various cables (including my K's) and it works a treat.

Sort-of-like DeoxIT for cables.

There you have it, as with most things in life, a little added lubricant does the job.
 

If I remember correctly TriFlo is sold in a small plastic bottle, not in a can with propellant.  Is it then applied to the cable end held vertically, with gravity pulling the lube through the cable lining?  Or, am I confusing this with another lubricant?

No Gryph you can get both, the local locksmith has it in both. I thought it only came in spray cans. My can is that old the label fell off probably 30 years old. Only use it on the Bricks cables.
Regards Martin.

Of course Martin bathes in the stuff ... and then cleans his teeth with (2 part) Deoxit

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/TriFlow-Superior-Lubricant-Bike-Chain-Lube-4oz-113g-PTFE-Teflon-Tri-Flow-Spray/263833989272?hash=item3d6dbb3098:g:7-QAAOSwQDhbVsL1:rk:170

This was the cheapest can I could find on Ebay Aust (our American friends can no doubt get it for half that.

Have just placed an order

Aha! Also known as GT85 in the UK.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GT85-400ml-Spray-Lube/153344080870?hash=item23b404fbe6:g:aR0AAOSwCgtcQb-k:rk:10

I picked up a crate of twelve cans last mid-year for £25 on ebay. It's always worth scrolling past the one- and two- can adverts.

No doubt it's cheaper in the US...$13.99 plus 9.4% tax down the local hardware for that same sized spray can. There are several varieties of Triflow, or at least different labels. Perhaps like fizzy beer from a mega brewery, different bottle, same piss-like taste.

This thread has opened up a mystery of sorts for me.  BMW says no lube for cables. They are plastic lined and may be damaged.  Riders report lube is beneficial.  Triflo has petroleum distillates; such material could damage plastic.  That being the case, I'm left to wonder what this all means.  Does BMW advise against lubing cables for marketing reasons (maintenance-free for the owners' convenience)?
Could some cables will be damaged with lube and some not, according to what material the manufacturer chose for a given run of products? 

Brickie, go up and have a read of post no. 5 above.

Actually Guy I've gone off DeoxIT the last couple of times I used it I got mixed results. I've gone back to my old favourite LPS1 and the only reason I rarely mention LPS it is because it is extremely expensive and hard to get in OZ. DeoxIT is expensive but easy to get. As for the Triflo it is brilliant, but I'm still on my original 30 year old can.
Regards Martin.

I generally avoid lubing cables but when I do I use aerosol silicone lubricant because silicone is inert.  

I also use it on electric windscreen rods and in locks because it doesn't retain dust like many other lubricants do.

I was wondering if there is benefit in providing a list of recommended lubricants et.al to help newer K bike owners? Not exotics like Martin's special sauce he's been keeping from us but good quality middle of the road stuff. I suspect there is a list of recommended salves and ointments somewhere.

My current ride is a naked K100RS 84 and I quite like its patina - so it's not getting cleaned / polished. 

And to kick it off my favourite is:

Inox (a marine WD-40) - for general lube and surface protection (K bike frame paint is rather thin). It has a big brother ... Lanox (leaves a clear coating that smells like mutton). Best of all, you can apply it while holding a cold beer in the other hand!
 
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/6-Pack-Inox-MX3-Original-Super-Lubricant-Aerosol-Spray-300g-MX3-300x6/253971857716?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Triflow for the cables 

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/TriFlow-Superior-Lubricant-Bike-Chain-Lube-4oz-113g-PTFE-Teflon-Tri-Flow-Spray/263833989272?hash=item3d6dbb3098:g:7-QAAOSwQDhbVsL1:rk:17:pf:0

Deoxit for the electrics / connections (Martin's comments above not withstanding)

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/DeoxIT-D-Series-Contact-Cleaner-Rejuvenator-5-Solution-142g/322940597859?hash=item4b30c27663:g:HEgAAOSwDaBcDfCr:rk:1:pf:1&frcectupt=true

As a footnote to my bike's patina, I have noticed some vibration when riding and, being selectively anal, I don't like noises or pending mechanical issues, did a compression test. 1: 155psi, 2&3: 165psi, 4:170psi. (wires to coil disconnected, engine warm, all spark plugs out, throttle fully open). 
On one hand I am quite pleased for these figures on a bike of this age (speedo reads 79000 kms). However, I want to change some inlet/exhaust shims to get clearances back into spec. Their tightness gets me thinking that valve seats might have worn. I am currently using 98 octane and valve seat lube (though there is no remedying any wear that might already have occurred).

Question time: yesterday while "testing" the bike, I noticed a little front to back movement of the front shock (I was head down near the speedo - needed for the 140km/h I was doing) near the axle. Steering head bearing is good, axle bolt to torque spec, clamp bolts to spec, fork oil good, no play in the forks. Highway was smooth. Any ideas what this might be? Wheel bearings were not changed but will be soon. Do the early forks have any issues (eg Showa forks had a brace across them).

Happy riding 

Guy

Good idea Guy but probably should start a separate post. Maybe titled Products used and recommended by Brick riders or along those lines.
Regards Martin.

brickrider2 wrote:This thread has opened up a mystery of sorts for me.  BMW says no lube for cables. They are plastic lined and may be damaged.

I am of a similar mind, I once lubed some Honda cables which are Teflon lined and all it did was gum them up - I had to blast it all out with brake cleaner afterwards, then they slithered just fine.

My K is currently sporting cables from Venhill who do recommend using some lube. I'm sure I'll get round to that job one day..

I have tried both Venhill and BMW cables and have to say BMW all the way for me. Teflon and no lube. On my K100RT in 2013 it got new cables and well over 50k miles and a one finger pull on the clutch. No lube but lube the lever nipple very very often.

I have heard Venhill are not as durable as OEM and the nipples are more prone to pulling off . However I've now got 165,000 K's on all my OEM cables and I've lube with PTFE lubricant. Some lubricants will react and degrade the Teflon liner so if you go down the slippery lube path do your research.

Regards Martin.