Hi all,
having just joined here and being rather green with the K100 I'd like to ask about whether it's worth proceeding much further.
I did a compression test this evening with 122,120,118, 117 PSI form 1-4. It's a 1989 2 valve donk.
On starting I would say it sounds pretty rattly but gets quieter after a minute or so. I guess this could be the cam chain tensioner
coming up to pressure?
Anyway I've ridden the bike a short distance and everything seems to work.
Do I fix it up or keep going until it really expires.
If it's worth a quick tidy up over winter where do we get rings bearings timing chain and gaskets etc etc?

thanks
Dave

Colesy, they are always worth doing up!!! Seriosly though, many speek of getting their parts from Motobins. If you look at the portal Two Wheels Better has just placed an order and asked if there is anything others would like to add to keep freight costs down.

Might be worth getting in touch with him.

According to my manual anything below 123-145 psi is considered poor. I am no expert though, just reading the manual.

Hope this helps.

hot or cold dave ? did you go that little bit further and squirt a small amount of oil in the cylinders and retest ......

some prefer the leak down test for this ...

but a reasonable guide to start with .....if the presure increses with oil ....possibly rings ...but nothing like a good winter overhaul with a fresh bike for spring ......

personally i would be riding it round after doing all the oils ....fuel lines and tank clean up ...etc and get a feel for the beast first ..

i have left my fairing side covers off durring this early part of getting used to my beast ...just for ease and accessablity .

good luck

oh ! and get some "deoxit" (from jaycar)

Engine should be at operating temp and throttle wide open for test. Make sure the plugs are grounded on the head though or you might damage the ignition system. Manual does say about the oil in the cylinder but that it is hard to get a seal in a warm flat motor so they say you don't have to worry about this. Just make sure you check the pistons and rings, head gasket and valves as possible causes for drop in compression.

Charlie are you an agent for Deoxit or Jaycar?? That's what you told me. Thinks to himself...must get Deoxit before reassembly.

Jeez I wish I sold the stuff...I'd make a killing!

giggles thanks dave .....i used to be a reseller of dick smith, tandy , altronics, wes, and many more ...

but it IS the BEES KNEES

solved my speedo issue in one go ....grin

Redid comp test with a hot engine this time and as Dave suggested with the throttle wide open. 130 psi all round. Big cheezy grin!!!!!! Thanks Dave I won't be getting rings for a while it seems.
I checked the valve clearances before I started and the exhausts were all OK, inlets a bit tight at 0.11 mm but when checked hot they were up to 0.15 mm which is good but I did expect them to close up as the motor got hotter?
Aluminium expands more than valve material I guess.
Anyway I will now order fork seals and try to sort out the tacho which has a mind of its own at the moment. Maybe some deoxit might help ....................
Does anyone ( in Oz ) know the bike? 1989 K100 with Custom plates BMDUB.
I would like to know the history if I can get it.
Cheers
Dave
( Horsham Dave )

Did you buy it in Horsham of from elsewhere. I will put out some feelers and see if I can find anything.
The rego mob could tell you but will want money for it.

I bought it in Melbourne at the auctions. It had landed on some mud, really very tame. I would say an older rider ( Like me ) as it has hot grips etc etc. I didn't want to put my foot in it in case a bad thing had happened to the rider!
cheers
dc

I will have an ask around and see what I can come up with.

hmmm might even be worth checking with the local bmw folks down in melbourne colesy ...

the toyota folks could tell me where my car was purchased ...and owner ...when, and when it did its services , just by the vin

good luck mate hope you find something

good news on the comp test ...yay.. just ride and enjoy

Colesy there are a number of sites that allow you to search on your vin (normally last 7 digits. This will give you detail on type of motor etc and date of manufacture. Also a REVs check can help but they want your cc to supply a report.

Ride and enjoy. Good news about the compression. You will have to keep an eye on the next get together and bring her up to show off.

Colesy, welcome. This is a great place to get info on your bike. As you have seen already, there are people ready to help with info.
As a recent member also, and after extensive reading of the info on this site before and after my purchase, I'd say as long as it sounds ok.. ride it and see what it needs and do all the service items listed on this site.

Welcome mate. And of course you already appreciated that valve clearances are to be checked with a cold engine ;-)

Hey Colesy I found out a bit about your bike apparently it was an insurance write off. It was dropped and damaged but not badly as the owner continued on his way to where ever he was going but it was written off because the quote was given using new part prices.
Apparently it was a good performer without any real issues except for the damage it got in the off.
I am still waiting to hear from the previous owner as he is overseas and will be asked when he returns if he wishes to give his details so you can contact him.

Hi,
thanks for doing that. It would be good to find out directly.
The damage is very trivial really. A bit of damage to the fairing/ crash bars which had already been patched up at least once, and a broken screen.

Doesn't need an inspection though as it is +15 years old.

thanks again
Dave

Hi fellow aussies being a recent K owner as well been searching oz for parts and discovered you need to remortgage the house so buying overseas http://www.motorworks.co.uk delivered to my door at 1/3 to 1/2 the price
example
screen and spoiler for the RS in oz $530 from the uk including freight $ 200 as long you keep orders under $1000 there is no import duty

regards Tony

Well known on this site and well used...and don't forget Motobins (my preference).

The other thing worth doing is to use a good diesel lubricating oil in the sump for a couple of changes so as dissolve out any deposits left in the engine from possible use of sub-standard oil. That can result in the engine compression rising where rings that were not free in the slots ease up and then seat properly. It can also clean up the sprag clutch to ward off the evil no start gremlin that attacks when the sprag clutch in the starter mechnism is gummed up with sludge from aforementioned rubbish oil. Change every fluid and filter and DeoxIT every electrical connection on the bike using the full clean up treatment.
Regards,
K-BIKE

Great advice K-Bike. I've just had the starter do the rotate but not turn the motor over. Gave it a sharp knock with the handle of a sturdy screwdriver, and it worked thankfully, I wasn't at home.
I have good quality engine oil in the bike supplied from the local BMW bike dealer. So not sure if it's the starter needs service or sprag.

Question. Any recommendation for diesel oil to use, and how many k's should I leave it for?

The other item on my "to do list" is pull apart/service/clean the starter motor.

I use a name-brand CH rated diesel oil in 15W40 viscosity and I change it and the oil filter every 5-6,000 kilometres minimum. I alternate it with a decent 10W40 (or in warmer months 20W50) petrol engine oil using the diesel oil every third or fourth change. I have not yet (and hope not to by my technique) had a sprag clutch issue and the innards of the motor look clean and aluminium-shiny when I remove engine covers for maintenance or a look-see. The starter motor dust clean out and/or brushes 'rebuild' ought to be a maintenance item every thirty thousand kilometres, to avoid issues down the track, I reckon.

Thanks for that. It's odd, that this issue only came up after a 350km trip. The bike only gets long runs as I live in the middle of nowhere (by NZ standards not Aus) and it gets several hundred Miles put on most weekends on a group run.

i guess its the settling of sticky oil vapors geord ....

but good advice all the same .....

This all sounds very sensible to me. When the weather warms up a bit I'll put this good advice into action.
Being of pommie origins and and BMC 'A' series fan I might add that I always used to use "Duckams Q" oil. This was a detergent oil with a very strong following in the UK. It resulted in none of the black muck building up inside the donk that you traditionally get with mineral oil. I haven't seen anything like this in OZ however.
Colesy

I looked up oil filters on here, got one today, but my filter tool does not fit it, so back it goes for another try. Lol.

The use of diesel oil is an interesting subject. I have used it in an old petrol engined tractor that had been standing for years with good results, but only ran it for 5 or 6 hours with 2 oil changes in that time. Mind you that engine was dirty inside compared to our K's. Of interest I had the sump off that engine after running the diesel oil for just that time and it was as clean as new inside.

The concerns I had over leaving it longer were as follows,
1. that I suspect diesel oil keeps some of the contamination in suspension so it's removed at each change, rater than by the filter. I think this is why oil change intervils are short on diesel vehicles. Mind you diesel engine are making contamination all the time as well.
2. I was concerned about the contamination blocking galleries or the filter.
3. I don't know enough about oil additives to say diesel oil is OK in a petrol engine.

What would be interesting is for some comment on oil additives, they do seem to be very specific to engine types.

The other thought is that the manual say 10W40 is only good up to about 6 or 7 deg C? Seems the cold engine protection may not be sufficent above that range. But, as I say I just don't know enough about oil to know whats OK.

Hey pjjms...have a look here. More than you'll ever want to know.

Colesy, and others with queries on this thread - maybe I can add a bit of info regarding the engine "knocking" when cold and the additives in diesel oils.
The '89 engine may have a 12 rivet output shaft if it is from an RS, others may be able to confirm this as a fact. If it has a 6 rivet arrangement then it is possible that the rivets are slightly loose, but not necessarily the case depending on the treatment the engine has received in the past. The other things which can cause the cold knocking are a loose spring on the output shaft backlash eliminator gear, but this will normally be heard as a rattle when cold and the throttle is backed off, especially when changing gears, or, you may need to have the throttle bodies synchronised as this can cause a knock at idle when cold if the engine is running rough.
The other thing, and I hope this is not the case for your wallet's sake, is the possibility that the gearbox input shaft spline is worn under the clutch, in which case it may need to be replaced. Buy a good used transmission if this is the case.
Diesel oil - has extra detergent additives to assist with soot suspension. Engine soot will be suspended at the rate it is generated at and this is usually much less in a petrol engine than in a diesel due to them being reasonably highly loaded these days to get some decent Kw's. So no need to worry about that, the filter will take care of the rest, change it and the oil at 5,000 K's. If in Oz a Ryco Z418 is fine. On the oil additives, Caltex Delo 400 Multigrade for example, has 0.15% Zinc as a solid lubricant. This is to assist with arduous conditions when the metal surfaces need to be kept separated. I ran it for 5 years in my '88 K100Rt and all was good. I don't tend to go for the 20W50 brade as it is not as pumpable when cold (I'm in Tassie), and this is when the damage can be done to any engine. Never ever rev the engine when cold, let it warm up gently, take some time, then ride it like you stole it, they love to rev ! Keep the oil and air clean and the coolant fresh and she'll keep a smile on ya dial, I know, I had one ! Now I run the diesel oil in my '05 K1200LT and it gets the same treatment, no need for costly synthetics, mineral is just fine in the K engine. Hope this helps, Dennis

Thanks Dennis, you have confirmed I now have the correct filter that didn't cost the earth. Put the ryco Z418 in this afternoon with the diesel 15-50 oil.

Hi all,

I am still collecting bits for the forthcoming K machine rebuild. I have a couple of oil filters which I bought at Bursons for about $8 each as they appear to fit. They are for Audi etc so that makes sense. I have just received a 1/2 drive cap wrench which I bought on eBay - couldn't get one anywhere in town - from a seller in Hong Kong "xcar". It arrived promptly and cost about $18 including postage. From descriptions on the forum I was expecting to have to drill holes for tek screws etc or beef it up at that price BUT I am really pleasantly surprised . It is quite heavy and is a really snug fit on the Ryco filter. And no xcar is not my brother!
cheers all.
Dave

good one colesy