1 rescued a garage-bound 89 k100rs ABS, thanks to you. Mon May 20, 2013 6:12 pm
thal13
active member
3 weeks ago today I visited my sister's neighbor in Lancaster PA who had an "old bmw" he wanted to get rid of. 59,000 miles, Two flats, dead battery, stuffed in a corner with yard implements and car parts, but complete with panniers and with his assurance that it ran fine when he parked it a couple years ago. Had a Fox rear shock & the owner stated that the previous owner had upgraded the front shocks as well. Staintune exhaust. It had been dropped on the right side, but just paint damage (retouched). I offered $500 with absolutely no idea what I was getting into & trailered it home the next day.
Popped a new battery in her and it cranked just fine but didn't catch, so I started combing the online forums for info. After gathering much courage from others' experiences, I pulled the plugs and discovered massive corrosion in the plug wire caps, so went with NGK plugs and wires from bob's bmw. Installed them and confirmed fire but still not starting. Next up was pulling the fuel pump, and to my dismay I discovered the common issue of alcohol-ravaged rubber. I cleaned everything out (hours) and bench tested the bosch pump & it was seized. Again the forums saved the day and directed me to euromotoelectrics for an aftermarket alternative, & I purchased a kit that included lines, filters, pump, electrical bits and a foam sleeve to match the lesser pump diameter to the anti-vibe mount. I had to order a new anti vibe mount too, cause I had to basically remove the old one with a putty knife.
A few hours later I was thumbing the starter button, and slowly but surely it was catching, catching... and idling! Pretty rough at first, but quickly everything smoothed out and I took a low speed jaunt around the neighborhood. Pretty excellent, so I scheduled her for inspection. Needed a few minor tweaks, such as disconnecting the rear amber running lights (illegal in PA), plus new tires, but she's on the road again and I'm utterly impressed by how well this bike makes her weight disappear in motion. The day after inspection I was assessed for riding skills for a MSF ridercoach position (emergency stops, figure-eights in the box, swerving), and passed with no issues on this bike. I changed the fluids out, detailed her and took a 120 mile road trip to celebrate.
I just got the belly pan back on after finding the necessary hardware at Lowes (bolts and a solution to replace two missing threaded inserts in the bracket), so here she is, approximately $1100 total for bike and parts, maybe 10 hours in the garage poring over my friend's Clymers manual and working on the bike. I love the color combo - I think this is the "SE" edition based on the ABS and the color, plus it has factory temp and fuel gauges (not that the fuel gauge works great; it drops suddenly to empty after 2 gallons usage), heated grips, and factory leg warmers (boy these bikes shed a lot of heat out the sides).
https://i.imgur.com/UBaFNxI.jpg
Thank you, forum. I'm mechanically-inclined but I've never dealt with a fuel pump or a K-bike, although I have had an oilhead r1150r in the past. I feel like I have a bike that's on the verge of being a "classic", purchased for a song. Looking at used K parts prices, my outlay was a little more than I could get for just the tank and belly pan. This forum and others stepped up where the Clymers manual fell down, such as info on how to reset the ABS fault without dealer intervention.
Next up is replacing all the dash lights with LEDs & installing an Eastern Beaver mini-fuse box for gadgets. The bike has two powerlets on the left side below the seat, but I need power at the dash too...
Cheers! And safe travels,
thal13
Popped a new battery in her and it cranked just fine but didn't catch, so I started combing the online forums for info. After gathering much courage from others' experiences, I pulled the plugs and discovered massive corrosion in the plug wire caps, so went with NGK plugs and wires from bob's bmw. Installed them and confirmed fire but still not starting. Next up was pulling the fuel pump, and to my dismay I discovered the common issue of alcohol-ravaged rubber. I cleaned everything out (hours) and bench tested the bosch pump & it was seized. Again the forums saved the day and directed me to euromotoelectrics for an aftermarket alternative, & I purchased a kit that included lines, filters, pump, electrical bits and a foam sleeve to match the lesser pump diameter to the anti-vibe mount. I had to order a new anti vibe mount too, cause I had to basically remove the old one with a putty knife.
A few hours later I was thumbing the starter button, and slowly but surely it was catching, catching... and idling! Pretty rough at first, but quickly everything smoothed out and I took a low speed jaunt around the neighborhood. Pretty excellent, so I scheduled her for inspection. Needed a few minor tweaks, such as disconnecting the rear amber running lights (illegal in PA), plus new tires, but she's on the road again and I'm utterly impressed by how well this bike makes her weight disappear in motion. The day after inspection I was assessed for riding skills for a MSF ridercoach position (emergency stops, figure-eights in the box, swerving), and passed with no issues on this bike. I changed the fluids out, detailed her and took a 120 mile road trip to celebrate.
I just got the belly pan back on after finding the necessary hardware at Lowes (bolts and a solution to replace two missing threaded inserts in the bracket), so here she is, approximately $1100 total for bike and parts, maybe 10 hours in the garage poring over my friend's Clymers manual and working on the bike. I love the color combo - I think this is the "SE" edition based on the ABS and the color, plus it has factory temp and fuel gauges (not that the fuel gauge works great; it drops suddenly to empty after 2 gallons usage), heated grips, and factory leg warmers (boy these bikes shed a lot of heat out the sides).
https://i.imgur.com/UBaFNxI.jpg
Thank you, forum. I'm mechanically-inclined but I've never dealt with a fuel pump or a K-bike, although I have had an oilhead r1150r in the past. I feel like I have a bike that's on the verge of being a "classic", purchased for a song. Looking at used K parts prices, my outlay was a little more than I could get for just the tank and belly pan. This forum and others stepped up where the Clymers manual fell down, such as info on how to reset the ABS fault without dealer intervention.
Next up is replacing all the dash lights with LEDs & installing an Eastern Beaver mini-fuse box for gadgets. The bike has two powerlets on the left side below the seat, but I need power at the dash too...
Cheers! And safe travels,
thal13