I debated (with myself) about whether to finish this job and then compile the documentation or document and comment on it as I go.  I decided on the latter because despite 41 years of wrenching on BMW's, this is my first ever K bike and I know not Jack about them.  Since I don't get a lot of uninterrupted time to work on it, the progress may sometimes be slow.  My hope is that if there are experienced K-wrenches kind enough to watch this rolling train wreck that you may offer some constructive direction and critique as I go.  The bike only as 23,000 miles on it, so it is more time than mileage that necessitates the deep dive.  Here she is.  Her name is Lenora.  Pardon my tendency for motorcycle anthropomorphism, but all my bikes have had names starting with a phonetic "Lee"...



A couple of years ago, I bought a 1992 R100RS from a private collector and it had not been run in the last 18 years.  It looked like it belonged on a showroom floor, but when I started and ran it, every seal in the engine and transmission leaked.  I see this as, at least, the same scope of replacing all rubber parts, sealed bearings, hoses, cables, spline lubes etc. plus whatever K-specific demons there are to exorcise.  My last build, Leah...

Starting point....



Finished form....



Here is a link to the restoration process...

Leah Resto-mod

Here is Lenora on the stand and stripped of bodywork...



The starting pic shows her good side.  On the left mid-fairing is a punched through hole with green paint around it where she fell against the P.O.'s John Deere tractor.  Also, the left mirror was damaged in the fall.  I decided to remove the fairing mirrors and run with bar-ends because I like the narrower profile (similar to the K75S) and figured I'd rather lose the Mickey Mouse ears than repair them.  The repaint is underway and will be in 2016 Honda Sapphire Steel Metallic simply because I like the color.  For the first order of business I plan to take on the steering head, front suspension, and front wheel bearings.



I don't like that there is no ready access to levering off the lower bearing on the steering head, so I am resorting to removing the steering shaft in order to mill some access slots in the lower triple.  First I heated the lower triple and shaft to 250F in my shop oven...



Next I sprayed some freezing spray down the center of the steering head shaft...



The shaft was then pressed into an over-sized socket below it...



Easy peasy, no galling...



The components separated...



The pencil marks the track (one on each side) where I am going to mill a slot to allow levering off future bearings...



I have heard that some people drill holes through the lower triple to punch out the lower bearing as is done on the Showa forks.  I felt like through holes would weaken the part more than a couple of 0.100" x 0.375: milled slots at the top.  Or I may decide to just continue to press off the shaft when new bearings are needed.  There was no galling or damage.  I know I am not going to take an air chisel to them like some folks do.  We'll see.

One of the "mods" in "Resto-mod" is going to be to remove the ABS system.  I don't need to be educated on the value of ABS.  I have a 2013 R1200GS with a very nice ABS system.  However, the ABS1 on this bike is not that.  The system is modulating fine and everything works, but:  1)  one day it will not; 2) I'd like to lose the weight and complexity of it; and, 3) I think I can modulate a brake faster than this antique system does.  When I removed the two cylinders I was left with the mother of all unsightly mounting brackets.  It has to remain because it also holds the footpeg plates, but it doesn't have to be this freaking ugly.  



I reasoned that since the 1994 and up (ABS2) bikes did not have the cylinders, that they would not have the mounts for them.  And alas, they do not, so a purchase was made of a footpeg mounting plate from a 1995 RS...



A lot cleaner and easier than taking a smoke-wrench to the old one.  My goal is to completely remove the system including removing the wiring for it from the harnesses.  Since they are grafted together, that will require removing the harness, performing the ABS-ectomy, and restoring the wrap and reinstalling it.  It is worth it to me in order to be thorough.  This is a hobby, right?  I don't even HAVE to be finished before I die, I just want to.

IMHO the fastest way to remove that lower headstock bearing is to take a Dremel (or similar) to it, then hit it with a cold chisel. I've had lots of experience doing that because Moto Guzzi headstock bearings are an equal pain for all the same reasons.

Dai wrote:IMHO the fastest way to remove that lower headstock bearing is to take a Dremel (or similar) to it,

I have done that on other BMW's, but with my personal skill level, I have become leery of dremeling towards the steering shaft.  I am never really sure how deeply I have cut it and don't want to risk a notch in the shaft from my own ham-handedness and dumb-assery.  I would never have made a dentist.

There is a famous YouTube poster who heats it up and takes an air chisel to it.  Seems brutal to me.  From picking and poking around with it before taking this approach, it seems that the bearing is really tight with the Marzocchi forks on the K11.  So, I decided on the "nuclear option".

To get the lower bearing off just drive a thin knife blade under it then a thicker blade then a screwdrive each side and it's off. Easy as you like.

RicK G wrote:To get the lower bearing off just drive a thin knife blade under it then a thicker blade then a screwdrive each side and it's off. Easy as you like.

Now that sounds like something I would try.  Limited opportunity to futz it up and gentle to the machine.  I belong to PETM (People for the Ethical Treatment of Motorcycles).

Hey Dai, I like the Dremel and chisel suggestion. But when you've welded it back up, do you smooth it off with an angle grinder or a file before slipping it back on?

Just askin'

Got some more time to spend on the K today.  Started by changing the front wheel bearings.  25 year old grease in sealed bearings can't be a good thing.  Since I am averse to banging on machines, I use a blind bearing puller and some heat to remove the old bearings.



I use the puller to extract them rather than the slide hammer.  The left side had an internal circlip to remove first..



New bearings in the freezer overnight...



Clean the bore...


Heat to about 140F...



Apply a bit of press fit lube...



Press the new bearing home...



Finished right side...



Finished left side...

Next up was to remove the top steering head race.  I had already removed the bottom race.  I use a tool by Northwoods Airheads to remove the outer races from the headstock.  The kit starts with insertion of a split washer with a bevel machined on the OD.



Next a countersunk bolt is fed through the bottom and capped with a nut on top.  The nut is tightened until the edge of the washer expands under the race.



Next a spacer, large washer, and another nut are added to pull the race out.



Success.  No banging, cutting, or welding.

The last thing I will get to today is stripping the triple clamps for painting.  I will be deleting the plastic handlebar cover in my bar change, and I thought silver clamps would look better than flat black.  I had to drill the bolts to remove the key switch.



I pressed out the handlebar rubber bushings and the parts are ready now to tank.

Steering head outer races installed...



Triple clamps painted with silver wheel paint and clear coat...

Looks like small progress, but today I exorcised the wiring harness from the belly of the beast...



SO FAR, I am glad I removed it.  I found several connector pins that are oxidized and appear to have overheated.  Maybe it will eliminate a roadside stop one day from an open circuit.  All of this assumes that I have enough brain cells to reinstall it.  While it is out I plan to open the wrap and remove the wiring associated with the ABS1 system that is being removed from the bike.

Why remove the ABS. You need every safety gaget ever invented when riding a bike and ABS is one of those very good things to have.
Twice I have had the ABS cut in when doing an emergency stop, I will never know if it was that that saved my bacon but I am very glad it was working.

RicK G wrote:Why remove the ABS. 

I addressed in an earlier post that I did not like the response characteristics of the ABS1 system and chose to reduce the weight and complexity of the bike because ABS1 didn't do anything for me that I cannot do myself.  In 49 years riding motorcycles I have never dropped a bike because of a braking error.  I practice front and rear wheel lock-up and threshold braking regularly.  I never had a bike with ABS until my 2013 GS.  The performance of the 2013 system is an entirely different animal from ABS1 and I am glad to have the system onboard just in case.  My other bikes do not have ABS because they are too ancient.

beemerphile wrote:

RicK G wrote:Why remove the ABS. 

because ABS1 didn't do anything for me that I cannot do myself. 

Hmmm like to see you put to the test on that. I have heard that from more people than I care to remember and have yet to find any one that can do better than the ABSI even one in ten times on even a good dry road. A controlled stop when practicing is a very different thing than an emergency stop and maneuver on a wet and slippery surface. But its your choice.

I am with Beemerphile on the ABS.  I have been riding and racing off-road long enough to be very leery of white knuckling the brakes in almost any situation.  I have crashed often enough locking up the front wheel in less than optimum conditions to have learned to be very careful of how hard I pull. 

As far as ABS, I have it on my bikes, mainly for the 10% insurance discount it gets for me.  If it happens to activate and save my butt some time, I'm cool with it, but I'll be damned if I'm going to try to lock up the front wheel on a bike I have to pay to repair.

RicK G wrote:

Hmmm like to see you put to the test on that. I have heard that from more people than I care to remember and have yet to find any one that can do better than the ABSI even one in ten times on even a good dry road. A controlled stop when practicing is a very different thing than an emergency stop and maneuver on a wet and slippery surface. But its your choice.

I don't know how you have tested this with anyone, much less everyone ten times.  The reason to practice is so that the skill will be there in an emergency.  It is the difference between an emergency stop and a panic stop.  I don't do panic stops  (which are no doubt aided by ABS).  Even the owners manuals tell you that ABS can make it take longer to stop while it is making up for your hamhandedness  While ABS stops faster and safer than a locked wheel, it does not stop in shorter distance than a brake held at threshold.  I have had the front wheel lock in emergency stops and I had to release and reapply.

I know my position on this is controversial to some and anathema to others.  Some absolutely know without a doubt that I am wrong, but this is a restoration / modification thread.  Please be so kind as to open another to discuss the merits of ABS.

I have been working on the wiring harness.  It started out like so...



I cut the wrap off of it in order to segregate and remove the ABS wiring.



While I am at it, I am removing the undersized starter relay to replace it with a higher rated unit...



Ahem, I found a Harley-Davidson start relay that is rated about 3x higher than the Bosch relay..



EDITED:  Didn't fit in the shown location because it bumps the lid.  I will need to make a mounting plate to place it lower in the box.  Since the leads need to be about 3 inches longer, I will use the opportunity to upgrade the wire sizing between the battery and the starter motor to 2 AWG welding cable.  You can see in this picture that the relay base for the ABS relay and wiring is removed as well.



Here is the harness with the ABS wiring removed and the larger starter relay installed...



I have some high temp wire wrap ordered from Summit Racing Equipment and will recover the part of the harness under the tank with it to prevent heat damage.  The stock heat wrap tape had become brittle, so I upped the temp spec of the wrap to 1000F ambient (400F contact).  Overkill, but the OEM seems a little light for the duty.

I have two option harnesses from Eastern Beaver that will get laid in with the OEM harnesses.  One is for a relay addition and wire size increase to the headlight to reduce voltage drop and the other is a three circuit switched and fused harness for optional electrics such as the planned front Motolights.

Do you still have this bike, how did it turn out?

davidneth wrote:Do you still have this bike, how did it turn out?

@ davidneth
Beemerphile's last visit was Sun Jul 15, 2018 12:35 pm

beemerphile wrote:

RicK G wrote:

Hmmm like to see you put to the test on that. I have heard that from more people than I care to remember and have yet to find any one that can do better than the ABSI even one in ten times on even a good dry road. A controlled stop when practicing is a very different thing than an emergency stop and maneuver on a wet and slippery surface. But its your choice.

I don't know how you have tested this with anyone, much less everyone ten times.  The reason to practice is so that the skill will be there in an emergency.  It is the difference between an emergency stop and a panic stop.  I don't do panic stops  (which are no doubt aided by ABS).  Even the owners manuals tell you that ABS can make it take longer to stop while it is making up for your hamhandedness  While ABS stops faster and safer than a locked wheel, it does not stop in shorter distance than a brake held at threshold.  I have had the front wheel lock in emergency stops and I had to release and reapply.

I know my position on this is controversial to some and anathema to others.  Some absolutely know without a doubt that I am wrong, but this is a restoration / modification thread.  Please be so kind as to open another to discuss the merits of ABS.

I wonder how quick your insurance company will refuse a claim if you have an accident when the assessor spots that you have removed safety equipment from the motorcycle?

Depends if you've told you insurance company. They still may not like you for it

Pegasus wrote:

I wonder how quick your insurance company will refuse a claim if you have an accident when the assessor spots that you have removed safety equipment from the motorcycle?

On my insurance they ask a few questions when signing up a vehicle. One of them is whether or not a vehicle has ABS. I would think that as long as you answer that question honestly or modify your policy when you remove the ABS that you'd be OK. Then again, insurance companies do look for any reason to deny a claim.

bad boy wrote:

davidneth wrote:Do you still have this bike, how did it turn out?

@ davidneth
Beemerphile's last visit was Sun Jul 15, 2018 12:35 pm

Maybe he should have kept the ABS.