Hi all,

I have noticed what appears to be a missing bolt and wonder if anyone can help identify...

When looking at the sump from the left side, there is a hole that is partially threaded on the rear left side (horizontal plane).
In other words in the furthest left rear corner of the sump. What size/type of fastener goes here? Thanks!!

If the bolt goes in from the side its one of the mounting points for a belly pan or alternatively engine bar mountings.

Some of mine have rubber bungs in those holes but on my RS the belly pan sub frame is mounted on it. On my K1100 the engine bar is mounted on it.

I just got to see an enlarged photo and its the above mounting points.

92KK 84WW Olaf wrote:I just got to see an enlarged photo and its the above mounting points.

I see on the Max BMW diagram below that it is in fact a bung as you suggested... It's part number 8 listed at the bottom of this image. 

Front brake calliper action today and then thought I’d see what would happen if I just gave the starter button a tickle, having installed an old battery I have lying around. The engine fired up after a couple of spins and a bit of choke and I killed it pretty much immediately. For a brief moment it sounded sweet as a nut though. Tantalising and a good sign…

Hi All,

Are the front and rear ABS sensors different? I have a spare rear sensor but need a front sensor...
If they are different, in what way?

Cheers, NealC

NealC wrote:Hi All,

Are the front and rear ABS sensors different? I have a spare rear sensor but need a front sensor...
If they are different, in what way?

Cheers, NealC

 The cables are a different length, the front one is the longer one so the rear spare is no good for you.

Extend it?

Dai wrote:Extend it?

I have done that in the past but being a safety feature it may not be recommended.

BMW fiche part numbers have always indicated an accurate fit to me; if the part numbers have been the same among models and applications, the parts have fit the purpose in each model. In Max BMW's fiche, the front and rear wheel sensors (pulse generators) have identical numbers. That indicates to me the cables are the same length. The sensor part numbers don't differ among all ABS Bricks until ABS II in the K1100 after mid '93, then the sensors' numbers also differ from front to rear applications.

Maybe Neal should check the cable reach and let us know what's what on that particular Brick.

Hi Laitch

I just checked my spares and have to disagree, maybe they eliminated the shorter cable at some point but I have a selection of both. Part number 1459680 for the Rear - Short Cable, and 2305056 for the Front long cable.

You're correct, Ringfad. The longer shorter cable was eliminated and its number was superseded by the 2305056 unit. I prefer Max's fiche to realoem but realoem told the story. Given this outcome, it's likely Neal's substitution will work. Maybe we will get the news.
 

Laitch wrote:
Maybe Neal should check the cable reach and let us know what's what on that particular Brick.

I will do that and thanks for the input.

Ringfad wrote:

Dai wrote:Extend it?

I have done that in the past but being a safety feature it may not be recommended.

I take it that the wiring allows for extending and get what you’re saying about safety.

NealC wrote:

Laitch wrote:
Maybe Neal should check the cable reach and let us know what's what on that particular Brick.

I will do that and thanks for the input.

The spare I have is 90cm long. I will have a look at the bike just as soon as I can get to my garage.

NealC wrote:

NealC wrote:

Laitch wrote:
Maybe Neal should check the cable reach and let us know what's what on that particular Brick.

I will do that and thanks for the input.

The spare I have is 90cm long. I will have a look at the bike just as soon as I can get to my garage.

 Just checked and the front one I have is 120cm long, so it looks like you spare is for the rear.

Dai wrote:Extend it?

Would you say it's straightforward soldering or is it more like "brain surgery"? Asking for a friend... And I would take full responsibility for my actions
On balance buying a used item will be my preferred option by the way.

Rear master cylinder appeared to be leaking. Upon inspection I found the hose from the reservoir looked more like the culprit. Master cylinder looks ok in fact. New brake lines next. All hoses looked like the originals…
Front callipers ready to go back on and scrubbed up nice with new seals etc.
Cheers, Neal

NealC wrote:

Dai wrote:Extend it?

Would you say it's straightforward soldering or is it more like "brain surgery"? Asking for a friend... And I would take full responsibility for my actions
On balance buying a used item will be my preferred option by the way.

It's easy enough - just use heatshrink to cover the solder joints. If you've already got the iron and the solder and the heatshrink, it'll cost you about 20 minutes. Also I'm a skinflint - I'd rather fix it than buy it

ABS sensor wires are coaxial so soldering in an extension is not as simple as it is for regular wiring.

NealC wrote:Rear master cylinder appeared to be leaking. Upon inspection I found the hose from the reservoir looked more like the culprit. Master cylinder looks ok in fact. New brake lines next. All hoses looked like the originals…
Front callipers ready to go back on and scrubbed up nice with new seals etc.
Cheers, Neal

Those rear hoses perish very easily but are very cheap. I get mine from www.tills.de

Thanks Olaf!
Been researching older threads on here to see where the brake pedal return spring attaches. Mine is missing.
This came up. A mine of info…

I couldn’t find the pic though.

NealC wrote:I couldn’t find the pic though.

I know it fits onto the bracket at the end of the master cylinder adjuster that inserts into the boot and the other end clips onto the centre stand if I understand correctly.

Dai wrote:

NealC wrote:

Dai wrote:Extend it?

Would you say it's straightforward soldering or is it more like "brain surgery"? Asking for a friend... And I would take full responsibility for my actions
On balance buying a used item will be my preferred option by the way.

It's easy enough - just use heatshrink to cover the solder joints. If you've already got the iron and the solder and the heatshrink, it'll cost you about 20 minutes. Also I'm a skinflint - I'd rather fix it than buy it

Sounds fair enough! I will see... it's a toss up between spending £60 and the soldering which is no problem...

Does anyone give the ABS sensor bracket hole a light honing to make it less like an interference fit? The pulse generator is held in by screws anyway so shouldn't be a problem. Just a thought.

duck wrote:ABS sensor wires are coaxial so soldering in an extension is not as simple as it is for regular wiring.

Point taken!

I got to inspect the ABS sensor cable yesterday and I doubt I will be trying to solder the coaxial wire. I did find a chap showing how he does is but I am not sure it's worth trying...

I have soldered co-ax that small before now but I agree, it's a PITA to get right.

Dai wrote:I have soldered co-ax that small before now but I agree, it's a PITA to get right.

I'm gonna practise on some old wire... for the fun of it 

If you don't care about a bit of a lump at the repair, try this:

Slide a 3 inch piece of shrink tube over one of the cable ends.  This will be shrunk over the final repair.

Strip the outer insulation back about 1 inch on each side of the repair.

Strip the shield back about 1/2 inch on each side.  If it is a braided shield you might be able to just push the shield back to get it out of the way.

Strip the inner insulation back about 1/4 inch on each side.

Slide a 1/2 inch piece of smaller shrink tube over the inner conductor of one of the cable ends.  This will be shrunk over the inner wire repair.

Solder the two inner conductor ends together.  No need to twist them, just tin the wire and remelt the solder with the inner conductors side by side.  Get them as close together as possible. Do this part of the repair quickly to minimize the heat that can shrink the tubing.

Slide the inner shrink tube over the soldered wires and shrink it.

Solder a 1 1/2 inch piece of bare stranded wire to connect the shields of the two ends of the cut cable.  Give this wire a 1/2 turn around the cable between the two halves to add a bit of slack to allow the finished repair to end.

Slide the shrink tube over the repair and shrink it in place.

The best shirnk tube for ths job is the stuff that is sold for marine use that has a hot melt glue inside the tubing that seals the joint from water.  Harbor Freight or a marine chandlery are good places to get it.

Thanks Point Seven Five!!

Today, I was trying to remove the rear calliper but there was an Allen bolt that was stripped - one of the two fastening the calliper to the frame. I tried various things I could think of but it wouldn’t budge.
I think I will have to weld a nut onto it. Other methods?
There is evidence of some sort of drop or slide. Pannier frame is scraped on right side. I have seen a fairly small crack in right side upper fairing too and the gouges in the final drive housing you can see here. Also the shock spring was not seated properly. I managed to pry it up slightly and get it back into position. Interesting….

If you’ve got a torx socket set…pick the one that is about the size of,  or is slightly bigger than, the Allen head and hammer it in (something like T50). Generally the tool material is harder than the bolt and, if you’re lucky, it will cut in sufficiently to the bolt material to allow you to extract the stubborn bolt. I have been successful with this method a few times.

If that doesn’t work, drilling the bolt and using an ‘easy out’  may work. Make sure you keep drill bit central and square to the bolt and use cutting fluid. Personally, however, I have never had much success with easy outs (an easy out is a tapered, left hand threaded tool that you screw into a pre-drilled hole in the damaged bolt…as it screws in, the tapered threads tighten and grip the bolt shank. Since it’s a left hand thread, the action of screwing it in twists the easy out and hopefully the bolt anti-clockwise i.e. slackens and removes it without damaging the threaded bolt hole. A decent penetrating oil will help this process too). If the bolt is still refusing to budge, be really careful not to snap the easy out in the bolt…else you’ll have created a hardened steel core to your mischievous bolt and that will be really troublesome to drill out.

If you go for the nut weld option, you may find the heat of the process might be enough to free the bolt threads.

Cheers for that. Will have a go…

My recalcitrant Allen has really gotten on my nerves
It has resisted all efforts this far. This has entailed whacking it with a torx bit and impact wrench, trying to spin it with a cold chisel, cutting a groove in it to turn it with said chisel, snapping off the end of an extractor - argh!!!!. Anyway… I am now going to remove the final drive and get it on a bench. Welding a nut on good and proper etc… we shall see.
Any advice welcome of course… before I go mad.

Been there. First be patient with your next attempts...on occasion I have acted out of frustration and made a greater mess. 3 processes may be needed in sequence to break the chemical corrosion holding the bolt in place: 1) soak in penetrating fluid for a prolonged time [50/50 mix of acetone and ATF has a good reputation and you can mix your own]; 2) repeated sharp tapping with a  pin punch aiming to break up the chemical bond on the threads; 3) heat. Hopefully a liquid soak and tapping followed by the heat from welding a piece of steel rod or bolt onto the mangled Allen head will do it. Or... it may be time to pass it on to an engineering shop.

Neal: the nuclear option (if all else fails) is to 

- first ensure that the caliper will split by loosening the two bolts
- drain any hydraulic fluid left
- remove the brake hose from the caliper
- detach the speedo drive cable up at the side panel
- remove the bevel drive
- drill the head off the allen bolt (a bench drill will help greatly)
- split the caliper and remove it from the drive that way
- clamp the remains of the bolt into a vice, heat the bugger up and manually turn the caliper off the bolt

There is an assumption buried in this: the corrosion is not gripping the bolt between the head and the caliper (i.e. the mounting lug on the bevel drive) or the non-threaded half of the caliper. I've had some serious fights with recalcitrant Brembo calipers in the past but none as bad as that.

Dai wrote:Neal: the nuclear option (if all else fails) is to 

- first ensure that the caliper will split by loosening the two bolts
- drain any hydraulic fluid left
- remove the brake hose from the caliper
- detach the speedo drive cable up at the side panel
- remove the bevel drive
- drill the head off the allen bolt (a bench drill will help greatly)
- split the caliper and remove it from the drive that way
- clamp the remains of the bolt into a vice, heat the bugger up and manually turn the caliper off the bolt

There is an assumption buried in this: the corrosion is not gripping the bolt between the head and the caliper (i.e. the mounting lug on the bevel drive) or the non-threaded half of the caliper. I've had some serious fights with recalcitrant Brembo calipers in the past but none as bad as that.

Thanks for this Dai! and thanks to redrockmania too!!
I will give it a go and report back just as soon as I have "got a grip."

I haven’t had a chance to progress this yet…

weld a nut to it , the heat will shift it imo

Yes, that is a plan.

Hi All,

Well, I have not progressed as I would have liked I am ashamed to say. Been doing the odd little job on the bike and have sourced some bits eg a used front ABS sensor courtesy of Mworks. Been mending some stuff with Plastex, which I found pretty satisfying. 

Anyway, I am planning, or hoping, to get round to finally sorting my brakes when I can...though that will be after a work trip to the US of A for two months pretty much.

Anything I should buy while I'm there I wonder? I did buy some special CycleWorks tools for my Airhead when I was last there...

I hope you're all getting on well with your K bikes and can't wait to get mine actually on the road. It's been too long.

Cheers, NealC

Neal good to see you back..

Of course I am wondering about your work trip to the USA and what gems await me for when my Linn music system finally makes its way back to me. Ks are everywhere and my Klouts needed recapping and new cards in. Thats assuming you are back in the MET.

So your K...well. How much have you to do on the brakes? Probably a thought to look at both master cylinders.

If you are having trouble finding parts tills.de [new parts only] and kpartsholland.com [mostly used but some new service parts] are good bets.

I have a UK visit....Tubular Bells 50th anniversary concert on 7th November....hoping to take bike and trailer over for it. I will update this more but could bring some parts too. Tills sold me brand new discs for less than Motorworks were charging for used ones.

@92KK 84WW Olaf Thanks for that!

I'm off to San Francisco this time - a Tristan production where I will be the insurance policy for the role of Tristan, so not particularly glorious but a job (hey-ho or should I say Hi-o-ta-ho).

My brakes are no major problem - just a question of time and application... 

I get back from SF on 7/11. Drop me a line and perhaps we can meet up when you're over.

92KK 84WW Olaf wrote:I have a UK visit....Tubular Bells 50th anniversary concert on 7th November....hoping to take bike and trailer over for it.

Where to? I see he's playing Poole where I used to live and where I saw him for the first time about 45 years ago. Saw him a couple of years later in Bournemouth too. I'd love to go to one of the concerts but the cost and logistics kill it for me.

[Edit] Of course, stupid here can answer his own question. High Wycombe. I had one girfriend who lived in Cookham, but I'm damned if I can remember the name of the lovely pub right on the village green. And another who lived in Bourne End while it was still a relatively small village.

NealC wrote:@92KK 84WW Olaf Thanks for that!

I'm off to San Francisco this time - a Tristan production where I will be the insurance policy for the role of Tristan, so not particularly glorious but a job (hey-ho or should I say Hi-o-ta-ho).

My brakes are no major problem - just a question of time and application... 

I get back from SF on 7/11. Drop me a line and perhaps we can meet up when you're over.

I smiled at that......

Hopefully it will work out. Given the concert is a Thursday and my daughter does not work on Fridays it should be a weekend for me. I will probably have to take the K1100 as the RS [ULEZ exempt] is off road at the minute...although the Sprint is also ULEZ exempt.