Mike your work is fantastic, especially your painting. Is there any chance of writing a "How to paint" all items, ie fiberglass, aluminium in a clear step by step guide for this numpty and perhaps others? Being in the UK the use of Halford's paint and primers makes it easier to obtain rather than the items posted by Halo who's work is also exceptional.

bloody misfortune that Mike - it's really frustrating when that happens.

Will

Brynogwy,

Everything you need to know about rattle can spray painting....

RATTLE CAN" BLING! ...everything is here! from DoTheTon

Mike probably uses these same techniques, I'm sure.  Very good prep work, warm the paint, shake the can really really well and keep it shaken periodically,  even motion, constant distance from the object, many light coats, let it cure just right.  It's an acquired skill that needs lots of practice.

Very much the same Rob but I will do a "how to" thread and expand on some of the techniques using some of the images I have from over the years.

 

Looking good mike thats a nice colour Looking forward to the next instalment, and on the Halfords theme don't they also mix paint these days both spray and tinned.


BIG D

Yes, I believe that they do, at least at the bigger stores. I don't know how good they are in terms of covering the range or their prices. I find these people are competitive on price and very quick to despatch:

http://www.extremeautoaccessories.co.uk/products.php?section=5074

It's a bit off-putting that BmW don't appear in their lists but use the search on BMW and the paint code, it will pop up.


Just taken delivery of a pair of K1100RS wheels. I wasn't in any tearing rush to find a 3.5 x 17 front and 4.5 x 18 rear but these were cheap, I made a cheeky offer and it was accepted.



I couldn't resist giving the front one a quick clean to see what the state of the paint is like under all the grime. I quite like the colour, it goes quite well with the pine green (sort of 60's era Lotus colours).

Unfortunately it's pretty bad:



Well for me it is anyway. Shame. A good clean, even a fine rubbing down, followed by a clear coat would have been nice.

For a moment or two I did consider getting them powder coated the same yellow as the K1. That way I'd have wheels that could be swapped between the two bikes but even though it wouldn't look bad with the green I don't think that it would work with the silver transmission.

The rubber isn't bad, Pirelli Diablo Strada with a few thousand left on both.

Thanks again Mike, as a metal worker of some experience I too winced at the massive scratch!

If you aren't already you are rapidly becoming best resto/most fastidious on here, well done.

Ghost who rides wrote:Thanks again Mike, as a metal worker of some experience I too winced at the massive scratch!

In my defence (such as it is, I do agree that I'm a bit fussy), they are like that all over and it's just as easy to re-spray them.

I've been a bit side-tracked this week getting bits ready to put up for sale on ebay. 

However, I have addressed the cock-up with the headlamp cowl paint. It meant flatting all the new lacquer back again and dealing with the minor damage caused by the drop. Rubbed down and local skim with stopper (knifing putty):



Once the stopper is flatted-back I mocked-up the headlamp and horn mounting. Usually the horn is of the single tone type on the unfaired bikes. I want to retain the decent twin set-up. They do fit but I'll trim a corner off the trumpet just to ensure there's decent clearance (obviously the horns and headlamp haven't been tidied up yet   ):



So the cowl was given another colour coat and clear coat before cutting back and final polish:



I've opened the Motometer and cleaned all the usual suspects in the way of contacts, tested all the bulbs and removed the ABS one.



Next job, attack the dull outer case. Like the indicator housings, cutting paste does the trick followed by a polish:



As for the mounting, I checked the photos of the rebuild of my old K75C (some years back now) and noticed that the counter-weight is not utilised when the Motometer mounts directly onto the plastic headlamp carrier. 



So I found some large flat washers and shorter (stainless) Allen screws:



Then I couldn't resist checking that it all fits together:







I'm waiting for the clips that hold the black cover in place, a new adjuster bush and headlamp rubber boot but those little parts aside, that's another group of parts that can be bagged and put on the shelf ready for final re-assembly.

Jeez Mike, that cowl looks great!

Cheers Blakey. I've always thought that that version suits the naked K-Bikes best. It was offered in the UK as a customer option way back when. It sort of ties-in the bulky Motometer better than the naked headlamp version.

Cracking on with the grubby stuff I turned my attention to the exhaust. I really didn't intend to go this far but as I'm not going to get this bike on the road as soon as I'd hoped, I might as well set about doing it all now.

I've been dreading this bit. Along with the main stand, the exhaust headers always seem to be ignored by most owners when it comes to cleaning their bikes. It doesn't help that the K1100LT and RS have the headers hidden behind the fairing (out of sight, out of mind I suppose) where they don't get even an occasional squirt from a hose.



Most studs came out with the nuts (lots of heat applied) leaving two plus one that sheared. On the one that sheared the nut was coming off but the stud had partly corroded away and it was too much for what was left.

The second and third headers were stuck fast too:



They gave in to a thump with a soft-faced mallet and then it was a case of fishing out the old crush-gaskets:



The paperwork that came with the bike shows an invoice for "exhaust welding" and sure enough there's evidence of this at the junction of the header pipes into the expansion chamber. This is going to be a challenge to polish up:





A bit grubby under there:



The oil seems to be coming from the timing chain cover. It as well as the sump cover has the non-original blue sealant you can see in the above image. I know from experience how tricky it can be to seal the timing chain cover fully. I once tried to replicate the factory seal with a thin smear of sealant. It began weeping almost straight away. I've since learned that a liberal dollop of Three-Bond is the answer, then trim off the excess later with a knife blade once it has cured.

I've had a quick scrape and brush to get rid of the worst of the clagg and to reduce the opportunity for it to smoke or even catch alight when I hit the studs with more heat (my gas has run out so it will have to wait a day or so). The sheared stud (circled):



has done what sheared studs always seem to do and snapped in such a way that I can't get an extractor on to it. It's also too short to put two nuts on so I'll get it good and hot then try some pipe grips. I don't want to remove the head unless I really have to.

Broken stud

I had the same problem with mine. Seeing that the thread for the stud is counter sunk by about 2-3mm I took a couple of mm off the rim of the stud hole with a little rotary cutter giving me an extra 2mm of stud protruding allowing me to get the stud extractor on. So with a good dollop of heat and a couple of hail mary's out it came


Thread is countersunk

I never ceases to amaze me how some people can neglect a bike so. At some point in its life an owner must have decided it wasn't worth the effort. What mileage has it done?  Will look forward to your instalment on the stand as my recently acquired K75 sits low on its. John

Postie, My problem is that the stud extractor fouls on the oil gallery near it. There's plenty enough to get a grip on just no room to do so with my extractor.


John, I'm the sixteenth owner! This bike has been loved at some stage (lots of stainless fasteners) but not for a while. The mileage is just over 50K and documented. I think rather that it's where it was used last (in Scotland) and as a winter hack. The bike travelled south to Lincolnshire (probably still covered in road salt from the Scottish winter) to the next owner in May of this year. His intention was to also use it as winter bike and as he had no need to use it straight away, it then sat in a damp shed until last month when he decided to get it ready for use and discovered the seized rear brake. He then offered it for parts or repair.

So, getting ready to remove the gearbox, I took a close look at the clutch pushrod rubber boot now that things are a bit cleaner. It was as black as a very black thing when I stripped the swingarm out. The usual suspects are the gearbox output shaft seal or more often the pushrod boot.

It covers the pushrod thrust bearing and spring, is held by a hose clamp and the clutch actuating arm:



Sure enough, the boot is split:



Who knows how long it's been like that but a little oil goes a long way and as the output seal is okay the muck was probably all from lost gearbox oil and road dirt.

Off with the injector rail (taking the injectors with it):





Then the airbox and throttle bodies:



The lower half of the airbox wasn't actually fixed to the engine. Anyone know if that's how it should be with this model?



There doesn't seem to be any good reason to separate the airbox & inlet tubes, the clamps are all tight and the seal looks okay. I probably will though, if for no other reason than to fit some stainless clamps that can be tightened if needs be.



Before I removed the TB's I spotted that the pipe from the airbox to the balance tube behind the throttle assemblies was not connected. This is a 16v specific arrangement and I believe that it's to equalise air pressure between the TB's above the idle speed.





Now just looking at the brass by-pass screws (BBS), they are all over the place (I haven't removed them yet but when I do I'll count the turns 'till they come out), the TPS is at the extreme of it's adjustment and the broken TB adjustment screws all points to someone struggling to get the TB's to balance properly. Anyone know if the disconnected balance pipe is the likely culprit?

It may also help to explain why I'm the 16th owner!

Anyway, I reconnected it and began cleaning the 20 years worth of dirt and grime away:



I've re-crimped the connectors but I may find a "rat's tail" connector and replace the crimped clips with hose clips.

Bit of a scrubbing:



Including opening the throttles to clean the butterflies:



The injector bodies have been cleaned. The O-rings are pretty good but they'll be replaced anyway. I may send the injectors off for a proper cleaning.



The engine will be cleaned once I've dropped it out of the frame:



The spaghetti monster will be given a good clean while it's out. The redundant ABS multi-connector had been covered in a rubber glove (presumably to prevent water ingress) and taped to the frame. I'd like to chop it off but am concerned that doing so might cause problems so unless anyone knows for certain that removing it and sealing the end will be okay, I'll find something better than the latex glove and tape it somewhere better.



I'm going to leave it like this for a while:





I'll get the bits that have come off sorted before I remove the stands and the gearbox and I can keep soaking the forward engine mountings ready for the attempt at undoing them.

The inlet rubbers/injector tubes can stay put for now. They look good but they can be a source of bad running if they are perished or cracked. A close inspection will follow once the block has had a clean.

I can smell the oil, I can smell the petrol, I can smell the cleaning fluid, I can hear the hum of the fan heater in the back ground. I'm sat in my computer chair with clean hands, this is my virtual rebuild! Keep it up Mike, this is the best read on the Forum for me. John

that balance tube is not really for balancing ...I believe it gives a more constant suck of the vacume to the oil recovery system through the airbox and crankcase breather ...as the takeoffs are above the butterflies ....so the vacume wouldn't be very high at all till  (wider than closed throttle )  the port sizes wouldn't be enough to allow any considerable flow  through a balancing process at revs .

you may have been running lean on a more than a few cylinders though but I guess the motronic might compensate a little for that ....if it was the later type fitted with the ox sensor ...but all over the place is more likely

 I believe that all the bases of the air boxes are fitted with top washers and insulators on the fixing bolts

leaving them off might add to the characteristic  fracturing of the inlet tubes to the throttle bodies  , which seems apparent an all the 16 valve series

doing good mike ....we love to see the process ..and the way you do it

The lower part of the airbox is not fastened as on as K100 but has 2-3 rubber feet which it sits on and is clipped to the top section

Pure K porn Mike, keep it up please.

The rubber feet are the same grommets as used on the K75 and 8v K100 but without the bolt passage open. The corresponding receiving threads in the block are all there but look as though nothing has ever been screwed into them.

I agree that as the airbox can't go anywhere once everything is assembled, it may be that it's to allow the air intake tubes to flex. It's obviously a different set-up to the plenum chamber arrangement of the earlier machines. Just never having gone as far as removing the airbox base on a 16v bike before I was initially wondering if this was a Spandau Friday afternoon bike. 

leaning all the time ...cheers

MikeP wrote:The rubber feet are the same grommets as used on the K75 and 8v K100 but without the bolt passage open. The corresponding receiving threads in the block are all there but look as though nothing has ever been screwed into them.

I agree that as the airbox can't go anywhere once everything is assembled, it may be that it's to allow the air intake tubes to flex. It's obviously a different set-up to the plenum chamber arrangement of the earlier machines. Just never having gone as far as removing the airbox base on a 16v bike before I was initially wondering if this was a Spandau Friday afternoon bike. 

I think that bike has seen a number of Friday afternoons and not at the factory. I reckon they just jumped on it Friday afternoon and rode it till it didn't move then sold it.

If there is enough room in the headlamp shell for the connectors, I'd leave them on and stuff them in.  I don't believe that the connectors will introduce gremlins if they are left open-ended because all the contacts are sufficiently separated.  The advantages of this approach is simplicity and the ability to use the connectors for their purpose later.

If you cut off the connectors, then what will you use to seal the ends.  Heatshrink tubing will eventually fall off unless you use the special glue-ready type. You'd have to probably dip the ends in one of those coatings used for tool handles.  The advantage to this is that the loose wires will take up much less room.

I must admit Robert that one of the reasons for not heavily modifying things is that it could one day be put back as an LT. 

My instinct is to leave the connectors on, perhaps fill the exposed end with a sealer that can be removed one day, re-locate the horns from my original plan to mount them inside the cowl and find an alternative position.

how about getting the as mentioned glue lined heat shrink

in a really big size (suitable for each connector ) ....the double wall variety has a really good shrink rate ...far better than the mono plastic type (which cracks over time anyhow ) and stays rubbery flexible .

what I suggest is to make a sock for each of the connectors
that is make a tube over the connector  a inch or so longer than needed .
you can shrink the heat shrink at the wires end so it should just about crimp up the cables . at the other  or open end shrink the first centimetre of the heat shrink  then using some pliers just clamp the heat shrink  whilst still warm ....this creates a great seal with the glue lining

have used this technique when jointing cables in the field ...in very exposed conditions ....it lasts for many years and doesn't leak at all ....but has to be the right heat shrink stuff to work properly . 

just a thought

Cheers chaps. just found some glue lined stuff in suitable sizes on ebay. Order placed. 

Mike if you keep postinf filthy obscene pics here I will have no choice but report you  

RicK G wrote:Mike if you keep postinf filthy obscene pics here I will have no choice but report you  

I second that emotion ..... (JEALOUSY)

Did something about the soldered repair to the heated grip switch:



I added a few inches of cable and soldered then sealed the joints with heat-shrink (before a sleeve is slipped over):



Been binding the loom with self-amalgamating tape this morning. The bike has two aux-sockets, one on the coil cover and one originally on the handlebar crash pad. I've always though that the best place for one would be in the tail unit where phone & iPod etc could be recharged. So I've re-routed and extended the wires from the front one which will be fitted into the tail unit later:



The now redundant ABS connections look a bit odd under the tape but it keeps them out of harm's way and that whole section of the loom will be under the tank now instead of under the seat:



I've still got to bind the front section of the loom but I'm awaiting some large diameter, glue lined heat-shrink to seal the unused plugs before I do that.

Apart from that, the gearbox screws are all loose ready to remove the 'box:



and the forward engine mounts have responded to soaking in de-icer, they too are free and ready to allow the engine to be lowered out:





The heat-shrink arrived so the unused bits of the loom having been bundled together and wrapped in self-amalgamating tape then sealed:





So the spaghetti monster can be boxed ready for the re-assembly stage:



Gearbox off (and these photos are for the perverts who love seeing dirty pictures  ):



Either a seal has gone or someone has been overly enthusiastically lubing the splines:



It could be the input shaft seal on the gearbox. It'll take a bit of cleaning:



A start made (I use paraffin followed by Wurth brake cleaner):



Well I know what I'll be doing for a while.

and the forward engine mounts have responded to soaking in de-icer, they too are free and ready to allow the engine to be lowered out:

These are odd looking engine mounts.  Does the splined shape have something to do with the uniqueness of the LT?  My engine mounting bolts are normal socket head screws.

Robert, At some stage in its life this bike had engine bars. These are the ones that have a thread cut down the centre to take the mounting for the bars.

Cheers, Mike.  BTW really professional looking job on the heatshrink.  That should really protect the connectors well.

De icer is a new one on me. You presumably find this better than plus gas etc. John

John, someone put me on to it more years ago than I care to remember. Basically the old boy said that it's the viscosity and the rapid evaporation that does the job. Anything that is thin enough to flow into the joint and then evaporate quickly will help break the seal between parts.

Buy something like "shock & unlock" (I have a can here that someone gave me), squirt it onto a nut and bolt and a) feel the temperature drop as the stuff evaporates, b) smell it. Then try the same with de-icer and you'll notice the same features.

De-icer is a damned sight cheaper, especially if you buy it in Spring when the winter stocks are sold off. You can afford to really dose the parts.

For soaking, I use paraffin.

Getting back down to work on the gearbox once the worst of the oil and muck is removed I started to chip and scrape away the flaking powder-coat:





Then removed the battery tray/footrest sub-frame mounting bobbins. These are much larger on the 1100 models than the K75/K100/K1 versions presumably because they have to take a lot more weight. They also have a large washer beneath them and part of the cast 'web' on the top of the gearbox has been removed to clear them. That and the Paralever lugs are the differences between the gearbox casings.

Beginning to feather the edges of the solid powder-coat:



The clutch actuating arm is seized to the pin but it rotates smoothly so I'm not going to bother fighting to remove it. 

Also, you can see how badly the aluminium has been eaten away under the cracked powder-coat on the stand mounts (how I hate powder-coat):



The paper gasket under the Gear Position Indicator has been letting crap through:



First time I've used enamel primer. I decided to give it a try after giving the case a coat of enamel bonding spray:





Then a couple of coats of silver enamel:



Followed by a coat of clear enamel lacquer.

I like to stick to my own, sort of methodical, approach by cleaning all the fittings and mountings so that they can be re-attached to avoid losing them or using them for the wrong thing later when I've forgotten where they go. Bits cleaned:



The swing-arm, adjustable pivot was showing some signs of galling. A little work with a fine, v-shaped file removed the few burrs:



If you've ever struggled to remove the bobbins that BMW use in various applications, you'll know why I slathered them in anti-seize paste before re-assembly:



All threads cleaned with a tap and plenty of alumslip on the screws etc:





Meanwhile, the old tyres have been removed from the replacement RS rims:



And I've begun the laborious rubbing down (still not as bad as doing the black Y-spoke wheels of the K75S):



I'm trying to work out how this gouge can have got onto a spoke of the front wheel.



Answers on a postcard please!

disc lock left on i.d wager

I was thinking along those lines, hoofing great chain and padlock or something.

It's bloody deep though.

aye I would say so, just out of intrest were do you buy your stainless steel bolts

Local corner shop. Literally. Being a port, there's quite a demand for stainless from the sailing fraternity. H2 & H4 is cheap as chips, go into the shop with a dozen or so fixings for replicating with stainless and they'll do a cash price of a few quid. Usually under a fiver.

For things that are specific such as axle end cap screw and washer or drain/filler plugs I use Shaw Stainless (well known in most BMW circles and available via ebay).

when it comes to stainless bolts I cant help myself from wanting to change all the old bolts to stainless must of cost me a fortune over the years

Just an observation...no negative comment.  I notice that you don't mask off machined surfaces before painting, such as between the paralever lugs or where the fixed swingarm pivot bolt up.  I masked all machined surfaces and plugged all threaded and non-threaded holes before I sprayed my K1100 transmission.  Do you clean up the machined surfaces afterwards?  You say in the text that you chase threaded holes with a tap afterwards.

No I don't bother. The reason that some surfaces are machined is that powder-coat is much thicker than paint and it will split unlike paint which will just abrade.

The fixed Paralever hole was wiped with oil before painting, then it just wipes off leaving a quick swipe with fine grit paper to remove anything that may impede the pivot.

As for the Paralever lugs, the only thing that should be in contact there is the centre of the metalastic bush (the same goes for the Paralever bar at the final drive end). The Paralever bar shouldn't be in contact with anything.

With respect to the battery tray bobbins, when I replaced mine earlier this year, I had to use a chisel and hammer to remove the old ones despite being well dosed with coppaslip when previously assembled. (Quite a few years ago!). The threads were free but the corrosion was between the steel base of the bobbins and the alloy gearbox casting.
So, this time, I made some polythene washers to interface between the bobbins and gearbox casting. Hopefully they will be removable the next time they need replacing.......10, 15 years time?

Paul.

Paul, it should do the trick. The 1100 ones have a large metal washer between them and the casing. It made removing them much easier than I anticipated (I still covered them with Aluslip (as in the photo) just to be sure.

This is the low point in these jobs, endless rubbing, scraping, brushing etc. It's tedious and mind-numbing with very little to show for all the effort.

The wheels, once the dirt is removed, need more work than first appeared. I began by removing the accumulated rubber and lubricant from the rims:







Then there's nothing for it but hours (literally) of rubbing down by hand. I used 80 grit paper dry to begin with. This really coarse grit cuts through the paint without too much effort. You have to be careful not to use too much pressure or it will leave deep cuts inn something as soft as aluminium.

The rear wheel has the classic signs of someone having tried to get it out past the ABS sensor ring on the disc (and a nice deep graze):



To save the skin on my fingertips and to make it easier to get into the nooks, I square the ends of an ice-lolly stick (always worth keeping some in the garage as they have many uses), wrap the paper around it and this lets you get into the corners etc:



When the paper loses its effect just slide the paper to the other end of the stick:



Here's another tip, begin with the most difficult areas. That way when you're tired and pissed-off rubbing down, by the time you've got to the easier bits it's not such a grind:



The pitting where the paint has chipped becomes more visible with the rubbing down:



Eventually the first rubbing down is done:



Then its more rubbing down, this time with 400 grit paper used wet (add a little soap to the water and the paper will be less prone to clogging).

Once all the surfaces have been dried and wiped clean (tissue paper and thinners), the first primer coat can go on. I started by getting the primer into the awkward places and allowing it to dry before doing the rest:



A light first coat followed:



Then some hours later a second heavier primer coat. This was then flatted with 1200 grit paper dry. I prefer to use it dry as primer is porous.

Then the first light colour coat can go on once the surface has been cleaned of any dust etc. The same method, start in the recesses, let that dry and then do the whole thing:



Once the first colour coat is cured, rubbed down again (this time wet), dried off I can see some of the pitting is still visible:





Any blemishes are much easier to spot once the colour coat is on and they can be addressed with a combination of more rubbing down and stopper.

Then another colour coat (thin) as a guide coat to show up imperfections. That's the current position; both wheels are currently sitting with the imperfections filled. Once it has bonded fully I'll go back to rubbing down again.


I've said it before, the least attractive aspect of the K-Series Brick is the water/oil pump and sump. BMW addressed this on some bikes by enclosing the area in the fairing. With the K100RS SE and the K100RS 16 valve they offered a bellypan (at not inconsiderable cost).

They don't often come up for sale and when they do the prices reflect their relative scarcity. Often the mounting frame has rotted away because it's out of sight and out of mind. Both are still available new from BMW and at least one other source but not cheap.

Recently I made an offer on one (unreasonably priced) on ebay (offer declined but more than it's currently been re-listed at), missed one that went at a reasonable price, then last week spotted one that included the mounting frame and had a start made on preparation. I snapped it up for a decent price. When it arrived I was pleasantly surprised to see that it included a sump cover too!



The frame has been cleaned and powder coated after a small repair in one corner:



I don't know if I trust what's been done before it was powder coated. I may strip it and see for myself.

The bellypan itself didn't look bad but primer can cover a multitude of sins (it wasn't done particularly well either) so I've begun rubbing it down (more rubbing down! I'm tempted to go and do a few burglaries as I have no fingerprints at present).





Before rubbing it down, I had to do something about the mesh grille. On these it's bonded in with some kind of mastic 'sticky'. The mesh has been over-painted with the primer but it's obviously corroded underneath. I warmed the mastic and hacked it away:





Then removed the remaining 'sticky' from the aperture:



I can either re-bond the grille in place once it's been cleaned and painted or I can use castle-nut clips and stainless button-head screws through body of the bellypan:



It will need some tabs to extend the mesh at the fixing points or if I can persuade him, Mark (of Cymarc) may be able to produce an alternative with the extensions for the castle-nut clips in place. 

So, on with the rubbing down of the primer. Sure enough there are some areas that need a skim of stopper:





I'm in the process of stoppering the gouges and scratches.

That's about it for now. I won't bore you with the cleaning of the little bits of various brackets. These and the injector rail will get a coat of black paint before long.

Been side-tracked a little lately but I have been working on it at times, mainly getting the wheels ready for the new tyres.

All the little blemishes that these wheels have collected over the years have been filled and flatted back. That means that sometimes the new primer and paint is rubbed right through:



So the primer - flatting - painting - flatting process is repeated until the final colour coat is okay-ish, then it's on with the clear-coat. That's where I'm at with both wheels ready for a cutting back and polish before the new rubber goes on:



I've also been attacking other parts like the forward exhaust heat shield - degreased and ready for rubbing down:



Other parts include the brackets for the shield, the injector rail, mudguard straps, spark plug cover, swing-out lifting handle and the rear brake reservoir clip:



The heat shield design is different to the K1 and K100RS 16v in that the two brackets were riveted on, at some stage BMW changed them to screw and nuts, possibly owing to fractures in the shield or rivets vibrating loose. I'm guessing that's the reason but the newer arrangement is a bit OTT. There are rubber grommets with a steel sleeve in the centre plus washers either side. When I removed this one from the bike the screws had been replaced with Stainless Bolts that were much too long. I've raided my supplies for some shorter mushroom headed screws:





I nearly forgot to remove the masking from the injector rail cups (where the top of the injectors sit).



That would have been embarrassing when it came to start up time.

So next on the list of bits to sort out is this:



It was actually quite nice to pick up something other than a scraper or a piece of grit-paper for a change. Of the main-stand swivel pins, one was dry and one had some grease still clinging on in there. The circlip came away easily and so did the grease nipples once they were cleaned. On the 'dry' end the nipple was blocked completely solid so that explained the lack of lubricant.

Normally I find that plenty of heat on the counter-sunk screws will allow a normal ratchet drive and Allen socket do the job but in this case I had to resort of a breaker-bar on one side.

Predictably, the pivot pin on that side didn't want to come out. It wasn't seized to the stand, it was seized solid in the sub-frame. With the other side out there was enough play to get a junior hacksaw in between and cut through the pivot pin:



The bit left 'welded' to the sub-frame probably will drill out but I have a spare sub-frame so I'll use that one for this re-build and just sling this one out.



Well so much for using some tools, this pile of bits need scraping and rubbing down so that's what I'll be doing again for the next few days:





I have a reasonably good spare side-stand:



Trouble is that I think that it might be from a 2-valve bike and they are very slightly different. The difference is enough to stop the stand parking in the correct place when it's retracted. I won't know for certain until it and the exhaust are back on the bike so I'll clean up the one that has come off just in case.

I've an order for bits and pieces in with Ocean BMW, a list yet to be sent to Motorworks and another for Motobins. I find that some parts are cheaper from some sources by a considerable margin. I may have to wait until next month before my finances can be stretched further. At least in the meantime I have plenty to keep me occupied.

nice work on the wheels mike ....
pity some ham fisted tyre machine will grab them  and slice a bit of paint off ...after all the great work

good luck with the rest of the small bits ...fiddly isn't it
sometimes wish I had a blaster of some description just to get through the rough stuff quickly ..eh?

Had I known a few years ago that I'd be doing this stuff so frequently, I'd have invested in a decent cabinet Charlie.

Well my local BMW dealership are pretty competitive on tyres these days, they know how I like to keep my bikes so I don't anticipate any damage to them.

I used to do my own until a couple of years ago but I sold the gear when I thought that I'd only have the one bike. Oh for the benefit of a crystal ball!

I think that the centre stand is probably the worst condition one that I've attempted to clean up. It's heavily pitted with corrosion and the inevitable stone chips.

I began by setting about it with a scraper to get rid of the accumulated mud, rust and the odd flake of the original coating. The side-stand got the same treatment:



Then it was time spent with wire brushes in drills and emery cloth to get to bare (pitted) metal:



I used emery wheels to remove some of the pitting and then when I'd got as near a decent surface as possible, I gave all the parts a thick coat of enamel primer, followed by a heavy coat of the satin enamel. Once cured, I then hand sanded the parts, This meant going back to bare metal on much of the surface, leaving the paint to fill the imperfections. They're far from perfect but better than they looked:





The finished RS wheels have been shod with new Metzeler rubber and have been collecting dust for a little while now.



Talking of dust, the work on the stands meant that I had to take a day out to strip everything off the shelves to clean-up all the dust that flew everywhere. That's despite scraping most of it off before set about them with the wire brushes.

The stands took so long that in between cleaning and coats of paint, I set about removing the clutch.

As per usual, what, if any, anti-seize prevention had been used on the cover-plate locating dowels had long stopped doing its job. It took a fair bit of persuasion to release it but it gave up in the end.

There's a lot of old friction plate material stuck to oil/grease in there:



The source of the oil was soon confirmed:



The shaft O-ring had hardened and was allowing engine oil past. 



I knew from the lack of the tell-tale smell that the leak was engine oil and I've had placed a bet on it being the O-ring. The output-shaft seal looks okay but it will be replaced anyway (fair bit of friction plate material gathered in the bell-housing):





The thrust washer just slid aside:



With the clutch out there was no reason not to lower the engine:



Then onto the floor for now:



Once I've made space, the frame, complete with steering and forks, can be rolled off the lift and I'll put the engine back onto it so that I can raise it up to work at a comfortable height.

First job will be to remove what's left of the snapped exhaust stud, then the outer casings can be cleaned. I may paint the bare casings with enamel silver to resist the inevitable furring up again.

MikeP wrote ". . . I'll be fitting K100/K75C handlebars, once I've painted them, so I've started to get the controls ready for removal. I've never stripped the bars from a K1100LT before and had never really noticed that the end-weights have a plastic cap covering them. . . . "

Mike, this is the first posting I've seen where someone is lowering the bars on an LT.   

I'm currently planning the same on my RT (also installing heated grips at the same time).
The big question is; why are you  doing it?
Second, won't the lower bars interfere with the faring?
And thirdly, what are you doing with the slack accumulating in the cable, brake line, and wiring?