As many may know and read of TWB's (Darren) recent visit back to aussie accompanied by the fabulous Pamela , 
and a local meet by some of the northern Mob both before and after his family visit down south 

i have been fortunate and lucky enough to acquire his quite exceptional red rs .
the RS of many fabulous adventures detailed by "Dazza" around this countryside over the years .

My plan is to restore the machine up to an "charlie level" of ability .
meaning i wont have a motza (aussie term for "lots" ) of finances to throw at it but considered rework of what is currently fitted to the machine , along with general maintenance of the regular issues arising from long term storage and intermittent riding under limited timeframe visits by TWB.

fortunately Darren has been able to also supply a plethora of spares , for the bike, acquired along the path for just such things , including new fuel pump, vibration isolator mount and filter various seals , keys , spare parts for locking components , etc etc .

after getting the Beast home and up onto the centre stand , 

immediately noticed issues included

foul fuel in the tank , although nearly full to the brim

cracked headlamp glass

oil at the back of the gearbox , clinging to the centre stand pivots and legs and plastered along the swing arm and diff

missing bar end weights 

bolts replacing studs at the exhaust flanges 

3 keys required for ignition seat and tank and another for top box 

and botched / destroyed yolk bolts damaged during an impromptu  fork swap at the storage shed on pickup day .




and so begins the battle to restore "RED"

so lets begin 
fresh off the trailer at home after a trouble free run down the coast , then up the hills to home , behind my little , tiny even , tin box 





cracked headlamp



exhaust


then to explore the drivetrain , pulling the diff and swingarm areas off 



the bike looking a little more ...erm incomplete ...!!

some results ... possibly 

found the oil leak at the gearbox to be the output seal leaking into the swing arm 

cleaned up and replaced seal 



additionally alternator drive seal leaking oil out of the sprag clutch area 



also cleaned up , along with a clean of the starter and alternator ,  fresh paint on the battery tray after replacing broken rubber mounts , and stripped threads into the gearbox 









 swing arm and diff cleaned , before and after

 








exhaust removed, studs replaced where bolts once fitted  and cleaned up the pipes

You just can't help yourself, can you Charlie. Well done so far.

only what i have posted ...so far Stan 

been a busy month 

all locks on the bike now keyed to one key 

fuel tank replaced filter , hoses pump and cleaned out and ready to go , just to replace the external fuel rail feed pipe (rather thin ) 

fixed electrics on joined cables to headlight , added new switch  to dash for under fairing drls ,the switch i rebuilt adding a led for illumination when active , added switched power and highbeam feed so off is centre , on always = down , on with highbeam only = up 

removed relay off heated grips wiring , and reused it for drls 

relocated brake reservoir from battery plate to back of electrics box , behind side panel 

replaced footplate fixings , both to the gearbox and panier frames ,

replaced brake caliper - fork guard mount bolts etc with stainless as the footplates 

made bar end weights and relocated controls to mate up properly , fitted stainless allen head screws screws to the philips head electrics panel  fasteners on each perch 

made an under fairing scoop as per Fred  , 

replaced right hand horn  with the correct one right hand this time instead of left  so it lines up through the holes correctly 

refurbished the headlight assembly fully , including new glass (supplied from TWB )  added led lamp for parker light  and NEW led headlight to keep the current down , and the brightness up (replacing a qi lamp with only high beam actually working )

reroute various electric cables  and tidy up under tank area 

added a fuse for auxilary lighting 

replaced earth cable with something way more substantial 

yanked a connector off the coil cover 

pulled all spark plugs , test high voltage cables , and coils for good measuerements 

any bolt undone has been either copper sliped or nickle sliped 

replace manky alterrnator bolts and clean regulator brushes 

replaced seal to starter whilst out 

reinstall front guard 

repair fairing left hand frame mount hole , fibreglass broken 

clean and repaint internal fairing instrument mounting / baffle plates adding rubber edge buffers 

clean up just about every electrical connection with deoxit 

added stainless nuts and washers to rear guard mount brackets 

found and replace various 5mm bolts missing from fairing holding the screen and others in place 

and im sure many other little things 

will likely have to pull the gearbox and replace the output shaft bearings , likely the whole  lot , and lube the clutch splines , but waiting for a run on it to determine that first .

oops forgot to mention cleaned up the whole exhaust system , from header clamps separated pipes to end of muffler

Bricklayer wrote:"also cleaned up , along with a clean of the starter and alternator ,  fresh paint on the battery tray after replacing broken rubber mounts , and stripped threads into the gearbox"


The rubber mounts can be repaired, if the rubber splits, by cleaning the surfaces that separated and the applying superglue and a bit of pressure while it dries.

thanks 
 yes the mounts can be repaired , but , not when the thread on the bottom going into the gearbox has been fretting and actually worn the thread thin so it no longer is a 6mm thread , and it that process worn away the thread holes into the gearbox .
i had to replace the mounts for better ones , retap and helicoil the gearbox to take the replaced rubber mounts .
ill try to find one that i pulled out so you understand what i mean as i dont remember taking a good pic during the operation

I understand, I was unsure if you had any with split rubber and was unaware. 

;-)

i find it fairly common on the older ones that have done a lot of country road exploring .

What do you use to clean the entire engine area in depth without damaging the gaskets and rubbers?

a cheap degreaser   and a dremel tool with small steel brush , or a nylon brush on a battery drill , depending on what i have at the time and the job at hand , 

welll that one way to clean but leave the sandcasting marks as original

bar end weights turned out ok , and now fitted up , adjusted grips and perch to suit 







under fairing scoop fitted prior to drls going in



also stripped out clutch arm and lubricated adding grease nipple 

pulled the radiator and flushed and washed the fins of grit and crap , a fair bit came out actually , a 3 core type 



 the temp sensor in the water riser stub was the cleanest i have seen to date including the thread in the stub , coated with copper slip and back in

Good old ocky strap holding the mirrors in case they are dislodged. Smart thinking and preventative measure.

Good move cleaning the fins on that radiator.  Dirt and wildlife packed in those spaces caused serious overheating on one of my K100's.  That fin flush is now a part of commissioning every "new" bike that comes to my garage.

To add to Charlie's comments on the battery anti-vibration mounts: the top left one in his picture is a blind hole. The other three have threads that go right through. If you can't helicoil then you can drill and tap to 8mm thread. For that blind hole, once I had tapped as much as possible with the normal three taps, I ground a final tap so that it was almost flat across the end and exposed only full threads so that I could rethread as much as possible into that blind hole.

Indeed Dai  done thst before  just had a "BOTTOM TAP AT HAND    then it went in smoothly

battery going in ,stollen out of FRED , for the moment 


thought to put a rubber vibration damper on the tray before installing the battery 






at least the restorers club registrar has cleared it for roadworthyness , given that fairing parts to go on are low risk  and all other functions are working correctly ...yippee

charlie99 wrote:a second start had all 4 cylinders running with a reasonable idle some little while later .
woohoo !!!! took some vids , which will come soon

WOOT!  That's gotta be a good feeling, after all that work. Bravo!  

Cheers  , thanks for commenting
And yes good to get a result, indeed

 what are you naming the new addition to the family.
Regards Martin.

Not sure yet martin   but for the moment RED seems to fit nicely......lol

Erica the red???

So as not to get confused with your red frame, how's about Fred the Red? cause that's even more red than Fred.

daveyson wrote:So as not to get confused with your red frame, how's about Fred the Red? cause that's even more red than Fred.

Yep - I'm with that!

Nice work Charlie, old Ks will always come back with a bit of TLC.

Pleased to see that you have inherited the rear suspension stud support that I made for Darren, keeping it in the family!

Cheers,
Paul.

Hi Paul,

Good to see you posting again.

Mike (BMW Club UK).

sidecar paul wrote:Nice work Charlie, old Ks will always come back with a bit of TLC.

Pleased to see that you have inherited the rear suspension stud support that I made for Darren, keeping it in the family!

Cheers,
Paul.

oh wow , good to see you Paul

yes as soon as i set eyes on the bike i noticed that little gem of a thing quietly doing its fabulous stuff 

like the one on Gerty , that would have to be 8-9 years old now ? 
fabulous work olmate , nothing like the original SCP stud brace 

many thanks

It is good to see that the choice was well-made as to whose calloused hands and knowledgeable mind might best attempt to resurrect ol' Red. The bike had sat too much between my less and less frequent trips home, then roused from storage shed slumber to do a month-long slog between Queensland and Victoria, often laden with pillion and gear.

I must say hearing her (I always referred to it in the feminine) fire, clear and tick-over gave me mild homesickness. That new rear Progressive-brand shock and Paul's finely crafted stud support worked together in concert quite well in the past on OZ's rough (and getting rougher) roads, as witnessed by our sodden hire car road-trip last month.

There is a lot of life left in Red, thanks to my old mate Charlie. How'd she roll?

Cheers

hi Dazza

well the old girl certainly does move along , although the front end does appear rather tight on the many potholes around the area 
id be guessing the profile of that radial out front  and likely replenishing the current fork oil with some lighter oils may let the forks do more movement with less jarring.

still a few things to do ol mate , which i shall document as i can get to them 

solved an alternator no charge issue , bloomin led in the instruments , now duplicated in the fuse lunchbox with a globe in a housing , until i go in there to sort a number of issues , sometime in the future 
started work on paint issues around the front of the engine being blasted off by road grime - grit  


  
repainted the hall effects cover which now looks great 



and a spare water pump cover , but just masked up the current one and blaster it , until i go into the cam cover and repaint that also 



and still to put some fresh exhaust gasket o ring to eliminate some fluffing 

but all good so far 

more to come

That instrument cluster has a Duck-supplied LED set in it, since 2008 or '09, best guess. It always charged plenty, and we know things can change, unless you're referring to the usual late to extinguish/rpm delay.
You'll note a fresh set of exhaust crush washers, (possibly studs) & copper nuts including in the copious supply of spares, intended for a rainy day.
As you know those are the original RS forks, spent a dozen-plus years bolted onto the Airhead, most of that in storage. Dunno when the oil & accumulated sludge was drained from them. Prolly last decade.
Last time home (2018) I did the steering head bearings, carefully massaging flat the protection plate beneath the bearing on the lower triple - I did not have a simple repacement at the time.
Oh, it's good to see her begin to shine again. That engine was always an eagre one for the road ahead.

And what a historic vehicle it is.

so after checking valve clearances and changing 4 inlet to get about 8 thou  instead of 6 to match the others 
decided to repaint a spare cam cover that had decent marks all over it

a bit of prep took out some marks and cleaned up rough ground patches 


and then some new to me paint , a satin black 



 then cutting in the profile ridges to produce a more recognizable look



found another spark plug cover to which i did the same treatment 




and finally  both the parts together after a bit more finessing

just debating if i should clear coat it with a crystal clear ....?

 


what im trying to replace 

some exploring - testing with mates  last weekend,  over to Dorrigo , and back the same way for me .
i had changed the "big wheel " 4.5 inch 1100 rs rim and tyre  for a standard k100 y spoke  with vintage tyre , just for fettling .
and wasn't going down the gorges to Grafton from there , especially after all the big rains around these parts .
Everything ran well .






a week later preparing for a Club day Ride  to the "Lamb and Potatoe" Festival with the Inverell Restorers Club (whom i have all my historic registrations with )  down at Guyra , we also have a local "New England Classic Kbike " group on facebook which i'm hoping a few members will turn up for , if not on bike , just to say G'day .
big wheel back on .

well it started raining didnt it , was expected with several days of wet predicted , Bugga !!!

oh well washed and waxed will have to do , with a wipe over to remove all the grit from the roads as i get there eh ?!!

Good to see her out n about again, Chazza. She was always a good strong runner, now must be nearer purrfect.

She looks stunning Charlie.

She looks Soooo Good! Love a red K100, but then I am kinda partial!

That metallic red colour is a nice respray - the original colour was Motorsport white - done by the gent who imported it from Holland to OZ in the late '80s. It could use some touch up, especially near the petrol cap, and in some slightly scratched fairing panels. But when clean it glows.

indeed it does ....

took a trip out to a bash in the backlots around here last weekend ,Graman pub actually (which we stayed at on one of our new england tours , some time ago , new owners now ...thank heavens )

and walked away with a bit of a bonus ,  before the rains fell , quite heavily all the way home .

Red was one of a kind in those Harley infested regions 



this weekend out on the "Black dog ride day " (australia wide )

took Red up to tenterfield with the locals ,
cleanup after 

Beautiful bike. Love the colour.

Good to hear she's getting out & about, & to see she's looking good, & a prize, too! A testament to the refurb(er) 

Is that an extended rear mudguard, Chazza? I don't recall it sweeping that low before.

Hi Darren , yes added a bmw extension piece

Soon to add an extension to the front as well

Too many rocks and crap on the roads around heee  so i want to add a little more protectiin ..

Well done Charlie you can always add the new and improved Bucket Flap to protect Red.
Regards Martin.

Well done, i looks even nicer in RL.

just an update , 

as we're heading to the k-bike 40th celebrations soonish .

some time ago i noticed some roughness in the front end , turns out the was no spacer in the front wheel between bearings , and the little one 6005 was really grinding away with some noticeable notchyness on the other .



was able to find a standard spacer , and cut it back to 57 mm to fit the 3 spoke rim , new bearings and all much better

mean while thought to recoat the foot plates , which turned out quite nice 

before then afters ,,,,













as usuall for me all pivot pins and mount screws replaced for stainless alternatives .

after heading to and from Brisvegas for the 100th year anniversary , thought i would need new rubber to make the trip south for the k-fest  

the michy road pilot now pretty squared off and maybe not road worthy with at least 1400 klm to traverse later this week.
so prepared another big rim, painting it to match , wheel tape to install after fitting thee rubber .







tyres fitted up 

Just fixing up a rough idle rs for a local.
No gear indication pr start , except for clutch bypass   ...and fuel level lamp on at strage times   had me pullibg the thing apart , finding leakage out the gearbox weep hole

Anyhow gpi switch replaced and instruments attended including recalbrating the speedo

Today big clean up in the shed
And finally took all the rs versions out into the sunlight  ...at once

Not seen before 

My rs lineup all at the same time

Looking good Charlie. You need a blue one and then you can do a patriotic red, white and blue display.
Regards Martin.