I remember back in '80 travelling to Tijuana from the San Fernando Valley (Granada Hills/Chatswood area) with Jose, a Mexicano I worked with at the print shop that employed us both, to get his sofa cushions covered in clear plastic so they'd look cleaner for longer. He had a lot of hijos y hijas (sons & daughters). I thought that was pretty silly but understood the cultural significance of it and simply enjoyed our day together in that infamous city. The food and drink was fantastico, the sights and sounds and scents at times overwhelming. I saw artisans, craftsmen and women at work hammering and sewing and stitching, cooking and laughing and living. I wish I still had that sort of place to go to get something covered or repaired or just to take it all in. Life is transient and fleeting yet full of magic and if you really take it in it is beautiful.

I hope you post a picture of that piece of artwork that is merely a seat but that you will plant your posterior on in the corners as you lever the brakes hard entering a tight corner and then crack open the throttle as you set yourself up for the next...as the roads and the corners and life come at you. Never forget the reason we are here.

About self cancelling flasher, have read in other forums that this wire can be leaved if you don`t want the function, haven`t tried this myself.

About missing tail light, does the park light in front function? (feed from the same circuit).



About non functioning flasher, remove the relay and measure in the socket.

Terminal 15: switched 12V.

Terminal 30: unswitched 12V.

Terminal 31: ground

Terminal TL: ground when left button is activated.

Terminal TR: ground when right button is activated.

Terminal TA: ground when cancelling button is activated.

Terminal L: output left.

Terminal R: output right.

Terminal 1: self cancelling signal from speedometer.

Terminal C: ground when hazard switch is activated.

Terminal W: output to hazard warning indicator lamp (in the switch).



Inge K.

The relay for the turn signals is under the tank? I didn't remove any relays, so yes, it should still be there.

I read in another forum that all four blinkers need to be connected
before the left or right side will function so I will try that tomorrow.
I'm hoping that is all, or possibly a fuse.

Nevermind, it was the fuse! Fixed. Off for the maiden ride!!

Hi Gents - it's amazing how fast this little project of mine has come to near completion. It's also amazing to note that the tail and seat really define the cafe look and make the whole thing come together. It wasn't until the seat pan was finished and mounted on top of the tail, did it look like the real thing (tm). A few tweaks were made to the tail to house the taillight, which looks very good tucked inside with a light slightly protruding out. This was the best way to keep the rear as clean as possible... something a lot of people overlook I think.

In the end it came down to wiring and electrical work to get everything working as needed to do some test drives. The acewell unit works really well and was relatively easy to install. It unfortunately does not take the speed signal from the original harness, so I will have to install the magnetic sensor in the next few days.

After a 50m drive to break the tires and bike in, the k100 still drives and feels as it always did. I wasn't as hot as it used to feel... maybe since it's all open, but still warm in the normal sense. Handling with the new bars is great and it feels like I have good movement and control. I'm glad I went with the wider type since it seems to fit the bike better and offer better handling all around.

I could go on and on... but pictures are worth a thousand words, so here you go.

Here it is with the tail but no seat pan:


The painter matched the color from the tank for the tail and it came out identical... really good work. I had all sorts of custom ideas but this color stands out and looks very classy... perfect for a retro bike of this type.



Here's a pic of the circuit described by Inge K. using solid state relays (no moving parts). The unit is probably 1 1/2" cubed and thanks for the suggestion to use these tiny relays... the others would have been huge!

Top:


Bottom:


Ordering these solid state relays required reading some specs, selecting the appropriate one (based on a few factors) and finding an online retailer like onlinecomponents.com.

Here's a pic of the seat pan mounted on the tail:






So that's the tail! Lovely from the back ain't she?

As you can see, I've got the headlight taken apart to fit most of the cabling in there... not a ton of room, but just enough. These are the cables from the harness and acewell unit going into the bucket.



And after soldering the tail light, blinkers and instrument cluster... I went off with my baby.






I haven't replaced the muffler yet because that's still a work-in-progress... probably the last thing I'll do.



Picture of the acewell:



Left side:



Right side:



Front:





Before:



After:





I have to also include a picture of the Father and Son team who did the work (that's me on the right):



That's all for today folks! I'll send an update when I get the magnetic speed sensor installed and the exhaust work done.

Cheers,

Rafael

You need some rearsets? Get rid of those bloody great big ungainly footrests that would support the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I've a set of Raask rearsets for the '83 through '85 models with the round exhaust mount. They'd go perfectly on there and you'd truly be in the café racer position.

Absolutely! I've been looking for Raask or Tarozzi rearsets... How much do these go for?

I'd sell 'em for a buck and a half, which is about the same as in your money, or close enough these days, plus postage. They weigh about 2 kilos (a bit over four pounds with packaging). Auspost's website says $66 (beef patty, no tracking, no signature, no extras) up to $101 (tracking, signature, hamburger with the lot) from our East Coast to your West Coast.

I priced some new ones for a project Airhead café I'm whacking together in our workshop and they're about four hundy Down Undy, new.

wow nice finish raf ...please say hiya to your dad as well hes done a great job at supporting his son ...i think i can detect more than one "rev head " in the family ....giggle

would love to see the new pipe and rearsets fitted up ....

actually the old k sounds real nice with a good pipe ...

nice job ...congrats

@Two Wheels Better - pm sent.

Great job Raf, that tail peice is so good looking and I love that number plate the cops over here would have a heart attack if they saw that

Fantastic job congrats all round.



BIG D

I really like this bike. Great story, OP!

Are you going to put a roundel in the tail section? It looks like theres a spot for it. If you addressed that and I missed it, my apologies.

Hey Rafael, beautiful job! I found this thread after scouring the internet for info on the K100, as I just managed the score of, well, at very least, this decade: a good shape '92 K100 RS-ABS for the low low price of... FREE!

Like you I've been counting café bikes as I drift off to sleep for the last few years now, and since some of the fairing on the right side was trashed I've completely stripped it and intend to follow your lead of building a café brick.

I noticed you're in Pasadena... I'm in La Crescenta - we're practically neighbors! Any chance I could peek at your bike and pick your brain??
Thanks!

I'm loving the look of this project - please get rid of that ugly exhaust as soon as you can. It completely spoils the whole cafe racer look Really great work though and I look forward to pics of the finished project

My thoughts exactly Krambo I'd be tempted to cut it from the collector and put a 90 mm round stainless pipe on and of course home made baffle 45 mm outlet

Hi everyone -

RE roundel:
I've already purchased a roundel from BMW and will post the pictures the tail with the roundel this weekend.

RE exhaust:
Yeah, the stock exhaust is terrible on the cafe bike... doesn't suit the bike at all. I've been working closely with another friend on this forum and I should have the new exhaust installed soon. Check back for more progress on the exhaust.

I certainly don't mind if anyone within range (like La Crescenta) want to come take a look and shoot the shit for a little. Send me a PM and we'll connect.

I haven't had any time to post some of the latest work or provide an update because things have been extremely busy for me the past few months professionally and personally. I will do my best to upload some new pics this weekend.

Also, if anyone is interested in buying my bike please let me know since it will be going on sale soon.

Cheers!

Cool build! and well written, I was looking for a replacement dash, your experiences on this matter come in handy! thanks a lot!

The tail I purchased came with a ~80mm inlay for a BMW roundel so I had to find one that fit. Most of the roundels on the market are either stickers or roundels manufactured for cars, not the motorcycles. So I went to the dealer and asked to see all the roundels and stickers that measured between 70 and 80mm.

The stickers were an initial idea, since that's what's used on the tank sides, but it doesn't look good on the tail, so I needed something with some dimension to it, so it would look good from back and side views. After looking at several roundels, I settled on a Z3 roundel that is usually used for the trunk (or 'boot') because it's the correct size and also it's a flat roundel.... which is important to note because roundels are made to match the curved body of the newer BMWs, and this curvature would have given way too much height around the edges and would not be affix-able in my mind.

The main issue with the proper roundels (not stickers), is two-fold:
1. they have three .5inch pins
2. they have some empty space underneath (dome like)

So 1) The pins need to be removed cleanly to create a flat surface. Patience and an xacto-knife was required here. And 2) I used an industrial, outdoor adhesive by 3M that comes in strips. I was able to place these strips on the bottom of the roundel and trim where needed.... the strip is almost gel-like and supports up to 4lbs of weight - enough for my roundel sitting on my tail! I added padding in the center of the roundel to make up for the empty space and add some needed surface area for better sticking to the tail. Added lots of pressure for good measure and voila!

That's it! Here are the pics:

Top of roundel:


Bottom of roundel:


Another top view:


Another bottom view:


Adhesive on bottom:


Finished product, BMW roundel on the tail:

Great looking project RB. If only the fun police here in OZ would allow us to do some of the stuff that yours does.

Shame your putting up for sale after so much effort. Good luck with the sale, don't think it will be on the market for too long.

for inspiration

http://kafe-racer.blogspot.com/







It´s Dietmar´s cafe racer 2011

Hi everyone! Just thought I'd give everyone an update on my bike:

Firstly... The Acewell speed sensor was something that I had procrastinated on for a very long time... but it's a must-have, especially for prospective buyers. I've taken some measurements and developed some sample brackets that I hope to have completed by the end of this week. I will post pictures of the progress this weekend.

Secondly... the exhaust was another point of interest from a lot of you, and myself as well that needed to be re-done to truly finish this masterpiece. I've had a friend build me a sweet collector and now I just have to finish the connection to the new muffler. I've chosen a shorty reverse cone muffler from Dime City Cycles, and expect it to be prettier and much louder than stock. I'm somewhat concerned about the decibel factor (some people don't like them loud), so I'm going to do my best to keep the old system around in case the future owner would prefer the stock setup instead.

Like I said, I'll be posting pictures this weekend and hopefully have it more finished within another week or two.

Cheers!

Rafael

Hey Olaf, I love the look of the bike in the black and white photo.

Sort-of looks like a hyena to me.

No extra crap. Cut down. Very business like.

Rafael,

Thanks for all the detail on your project, especially on setting up the Acewell. I have been working on a similar project and am at the speedometer stage. I have been having trouble getting my neutral light working by using the solid state relay solution that I learned from your story. The gear position indicator function is working but not the neutral light. I started my own thread Here to try to figure it out. The first part of the post deals with getting the fuel gauge to work. Further down I detail my led light problem.

Did you have any trouble getting your neutral LED to light properly?

I am going to try adding a resistor to the circuit. If that doesn't work and if I don't get any more leads I will go with mechanical relays.

Hi gents - as promised, I've got some more pictures of the recent progress regarding the speedo sensor for the acewell unit and the mounting brackets. Don't have a lot of time cuz I'm flying out in a few hours for work, so I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.













So that's it for the speedo sensor and it works well!


Three recent pictures of the bike:







New muffler -- staging the fitment for mounting.


Cheers everyone!

Rafael

Hi all - back in town and have some good news -- the exhaust is done and sounds awesome. I was afraid it would be obnoxiously loud, but it's not... it's has a moderately quiet sound at idle and gives a nice rich rumble with some throttle.

This weekend I'll take some time to take pictures, make a quick video and post it online for y'all.

Cheers,

Rafael

cool raf ....eagerly awaiting the update

Great looking bike. Excellent mod.

Hi all - So I've finally finished the exhaust on my cafe k100. The main issues here were:

1) figuring out how to get a 4 into 1 pipe collector
2) fitment/mounting
3) muffler install

Collector: I've heard that there is a manufacturer that makes a 4 into 1 collector, but I wasn't able to find one. The solution here was to take a stock system, chop off the part that connects to the headers and then build a thin cone-shaped collector that eventually sizes down into the diameter of the new muffler.

Fitment: I had a requirement for the new exhaust system, which was I should still be able to use the center and kick stand. This was taken into consideration while making the new collector. Not too hard, as long as you have the forethought to remember about the kick stand.

Mounting: Since the old muffler had a mounting piece to link itself to the large rearset, I needed something similar. Unfortunately the new system rides lower and the new muffler doesn't come with an holding bracket, so I had to make attach a mounting plate to the collector and make a custom bracket that would bolt to the rearset for safety and stability (pictured).

Muffler: I liked a shorty reverse cone muffler I saw one some other cafe racers and Dime City Cycles has one for $50. Compared to the parts, work of the collector, it's cheap. Here's the one I bought: http://www.dimecitycycles.com/vintage-cafe-racer-caferacer-bobber-brat-chopper-custom-motorcycle-exhaust-parts-17-inch-reverse-cone-megaphone-muffler-80-84030.html

The new setup sounds real nice... I expected it to be extremely loud because the new muffler looks pretty barren inside, it's short, and weighs about 5-10lbs. Apart from shedding all that weight, @ idle, it sounds a little louder than stock. With some throttle the thing comes to life and sounds robust, throaty and still not overbearing by any stretch. MUCH much better... more appropriate for the look and sensation of a cafe racer. Really breathes new life into the bike.

Without further ado, here are the pictures:

Parts:


Fitment/Bracket:


Bottom View:


Side 1 View:


Side 2 View:



Rear View:


There's really not much left to do with the bike... I am building a small holding bracket for the new LI battery, but other than that, nothing to do except to start riding it!

Cheers,

Rafael

Hey Rafael! I'm glad to see more updates on the bike. I can't wait to hear a video of that muffler.

Just got all the paperwork in order on mine, a new battery (she LIVES!), and waiting on my very own dcc order.

good work raf ...i was concerned about the muffler being longer than the rear of the wheel before ....but this looks a whole lot better .

cheers

I had bought a few items from Rafael and in our conversations he mentioned that he wanted an exhaust. He had a muffler he wanted to use and after seeing it, i bought the muffler and started working on making the collector ....
I must have used up 20 feet of tubing, several types and configurations.. Some looked radical as i had 4 pipes coming back over the rear sets.. I mitered.. Gritted teeth.. Tossed pieces around.. Bent pieces around my neck.. And then work got into the way..

Spent 7 months in Oklahoma.. Which was only supposed to be 2 weeks.. I got home over thanksgiving morning rested (was doing a 7/12 work schedule at night!) went to a rennaisance festival, got married (black Friday! So i will always remember the day, not the date) honeymoon
Came home worked feverously and then flew back to Tulsa..
Over Christmas, did some more.. Decided to use my only muffler and proceeded to cut that up, for the collector, then the adapters and polished it up..
Look into February before i shipped as i wanted to try a few other polishing techniques, but.. It made me batty as for the life of me i didnt have time to make the mounting plate..
I must have made several more changes to this before i got to this end..

I think Rafael has made quite a ride, kudos to you.

Whew! Just got back into town, so now i need to get my ride up..

From what i heard on my K, it sounds fine. Fine indeed...

good work commander ...interesting mod ...but if it works well ...hey !!!

Hi everyone - here's a video so you can see and hear the new exhaust in action. I recorded more than necessary (a few minutes) just because it sounds so good... enjoy: https://youtu.be/YlCUE6e7Muc

I believe I mentioned CommanderKewl in the past, he's a really great guy and my new system would not be complete without his work. Many thanks!

Cheers,

Rafael

Sounds and looks great - a really good project story

sweet !!

I really like the look of that. Great job! Sound ok?

Sorry, just saw the link. Sounds good!

Could the guest who has the Raask rearsets in Oz contact me. I would love to try them.

Hi all - just wanted to post an update... my k100 is in the shop getting new steering bearings as it was feeling notchy and didn't handle well at low speeds. Once this is done, I'm officially taking her home and I will post some new pictures and videos.

The rearsets would be the next thing to change here... although I'm not sure how that impacts the passenger pegs. A decent pair seems to run about $200, which is a little pricey for something wholly aesthetic/cosmetic.

I still have the original cluster and exhaust can that are up for sale... PM me if interested.

Thanks,

Rafael

alfasteve75 wrote:Could the guest who has the Raask rearsets in Oz contact me. I would love to try them.

"guest in the house" is his "nic" in here steve ...but i think he sold them ...

Hi all -

So somewhat recently user 'kringb' installed the same Acewell Speedo on his K100 and was able to resolve a nagging issue regarding some of the cluster indicator functions (neutral, hazard, starter, etc)! He used different relays (small, mechanical ones) and also included a diode to implement these features on the acewell. I've decided to try it myself since these problems have been plaguing me as well... I've just been too lazy to really fix them. Alas, it's time to do it right and I find myself having more time these days to dedicate a nice evening to soldering.

I should mention that a HUGE thanks is also in order to Inge K., charlie99, and Rick G, who contributed to making this work... you guys really make this forum worthwhile!

Here's a link to that thread:
http://k100rt.aforumfree.com/t2856-wiring-an-acewell-speedometer

I've got the new circuit completed, but I'm waiting on getting my baby back from the shop before I can test it out... She's in for some routine maintenance and I should have it back by the weekend.

For those who are curious, I used four small 12V, 1A relays from radioshack (OUAZ-SS-112D) and a '1n4004' 1amp diode. Here is an updated schematic and some pics:







Any feedback is appreciated!

Cheers,

Rafael

Hi all - I got her back from the shop and the new steering head bearings make a huge difference now! It's like not having power steering. It was actually getting a little precarious to ride it like that, so I'm glad I got this done.

Honestly the last bit to get done was the Neutral indicator light. Which seems like such a minor, negligible feature, but one I swore I would complete just because that little detail is key. In the end, most of the time was spent troubleshooting a bad diode in the circuit board, but I finally got it all working. MASSIVE thanks to Inge K. Don't know what this man does, but he's a rock star in my book and his contribution and participation in the forum was amazing.

I sealed and stuffed the circuit board into the headlamp bucket and cleaned up the cabling so the area isn't a total cluster. It looks organized and the wiring for the speedo fit nicely into the bucket.

On Sunday I took her out for a maiden ride, all smooth sailing and no issues. The exhaust sounds very nice and I ride with a huge smile on my face so this whole investment was worth the time and money.

I think there's only a few things left I could possibly do... rearsets, pegs and low fuel indicator. If anyone has suggestions on pegs, a low fuel indicator solution or can sell me a cool rearset pair, please let me know!

Lastly, I'll take some shots and videos this weekend and post them for everyone.

Cheers,

Rafael

cheers raf ....good work

now about the low fuel indicator .....there is a separate switch wire comming from the float mechanism in the tank via that 4 pole connector to the tank

now i havent looked to see if it goes low or high yet (or the colour of the wire yet )....but crikey it couldnt be hard to wire a up a neat chrome bezel led in your dash mate .....(radio shack used to sell them in pairs .. um 3mm in diameter leds, the hole iss about 6 or 7 mm) that and a current limit resistor maybe 1.2k - 2.0 k should do the job ?

could i add, as a constructive comment , it would be a good idea to offer some strain releif on the cables going to the pc board ...might help to keep it tidy as well ?

rbarrero wrote:I did some mapping last night based on the K100 pinouts doc I found on the motobrick.com forum, and on the acewell diagram that came with the unit. So below is an image of the acewell wiring diagram with my notes on what I think are the correct wires on the bmw harness.

I would appreciate any verification of what I've written and help determining the hazard and neutral lights. Also, IF it is at all possible to use the internal speed sensor. I can always fallback on magnetic speed sensor included with the unit, but I would rather use internal sensor if at all possible.

I'm operating under the assumption that these are the pinouts on my 85 K100:
1 Red/White Clock Power (other stuff too)
2 Yellow/White Gear Position Switch
3 Yellow/Black Gear Position Switch
4 Yellow/Blue Gear Position Switch
5 Black/Green Starter Switch(Clutch in or gear=0)
6 Green/Black Power
7 White Low fuel lamp
8 Green/Yellow ABS Warning Relay
9 Blue Alternator
10 Violet/black Temp relay
11 Brown/Green Oil light
12 Violet/White Choke indicator
13 Brown Ground
14 White/Blue Bulb monitor
15 White High beam
16 Black/Blue Tachometer
17 Blue/Black Right turn indicator
18 Brown Ground
19 Blue/Red Left turn inicator
20
21 Blue/Green Turn signal cancel on flasher relay
22 Yellow Speed Sensor
23 Brown Ground
24 Gray/Blue Backlights

Here's the acewell 2853 diagram



Thanks!

Hi am new to the forum. I am currently modifying a 1989 k100 and have bought the same guage acwell 2835, have checked my pin out its the same as yours, id like to know how you went. any problems? what was your soloution for the neutral light? and did you manage to use the internal speedo sensor? I also dont quit understand brown (23) where it is supposed to be connected, i have a basic electical background but never worked on a bike, would greatly appreciate your help. your bike looks great by the way, cheers Richie

rbarrero wrote:Hi all - I got her back from the shop and the new steering head bearings make a huge difference now! It's like not having power steering. It was actually getting a little precarious to ride it like that, so I'm glad I got this done.

Honestly the last bit to get done was the Neutral indicator light. Which seems like such a minor, negligible feature, but one I swore I would complete just because that little detail is key. In the end, most of the time was spent troubleshooting a bad diode in the circuit board, but I finally got it all working. MASSIVE thanks to Inge K. Don't know what this man does, but he's a rock star in my book and his contribution and participation in the forum was amazing.

I sealed and stuffed the circuit board into the headlamp bucket and cleaned up the cabling so the area isn't a total cluster. It looks organized and the wiring for the speedo fit nicely into the bucket.

On Sunday I took her out for a maiden ride, all smooth sailing and no issues. The exhaust sounds very nice and I ride with a huge smile on my face so this whole investment was worth the time and money.

I think there's only a few things left I could possibly do... rearsets, pegs and low fuel indicator. If anyone has suggestions on pegs, a low fuel indicator solution or can sell me a cool rearset pair, please let me know!

Lastly, I'll take some shots and videos this weekend and post them for everyone.

Cheers,

Rafael

I ve been looking at just installing the acewell fuel float, to save any headaches its only 75 aud

Hi Richie welcome to the forum
I havent seen Rafael around for a couple of months so might be an idea to send a PM then he should get an email to tell him.

Hi Richie - Yes, I did get the cluster working, including the Neutral indicator. I used the included magnetic sensor from the kit since the internal speed sensor did not jive with what the acewell unit was expecting... not sure if there is a way to hack this to make it work.... maybe IngeK would know.

For a good guide, use this: http://k100rt.aforumfree.com/t2856-wiring-an-acewell-speedometer

I went back and forth with IngeK on private messages to iron out my particular problems (bad diode), but i might post them if you think they could help you.

Also, here is a video of the bike:



Thanks,

Rafael

yep sounds like a "k" with a louder than stock exhaust ,,,not all bad either

good work raf

for the speedo , probably need a wave shaping circuit and a divider ....i guess .(without knowing all the details ) that the acewell would be expecting 1 pulse per revolution ,,,rather than many that the k produces .

a little electronic circuit could do that pretty easy ...a pull up resistor ... a couple of diodes and a 4017 decade counter chip setup to divide by the right count and a tranni to switch it to earth on the output for the input of the acewell ?

just some thoughts

I've always liked the cafe racer look on bikes and this has certainly been fun and educational to read through the post.

Very nice work Rafael, your cafe racer BMW really turned out very nice! Would this make it a BMW K100CR?

Thanks for posting all the pictures and detailed articles!

Mike

Hey everyone. I'm wiring one of these acewell speedometers on my 1985 k100. After reading though this post and the others raf. and inge. were chatting in i have most of the speedometer hooked up. I just have a few more questions if anyone feels like answering.

First question: I Photoshopped in red were I think the wires go to on the updated chart below, is this right?
" />
Second question: if pin 6 Green/black goes to the relays, as in fig. above. What connects to the red wire on the acewell? Fig. below
" />



Third Question : If I connect violet/black pin 10 to the hazard light on the acewell, will this work as a temp indicator if im over heating? Fig. above

Last Question:im not using pin: 8,9,12,14,18,21,22,23,24. What do I do with the wires? Just cap them off?

Here is the pin chart I used: below
" />

PS. I really suck at wiring. Most bikes I wire only have 12 wires or so. So this k bike is just crazy!

Also does this look right to you guys?

" />