Hi Guys. I am James and I live in North Wales UK. I have just bought a 1990 K100 LT which I’m doing a little bit of work on before fitting a chair.
I have acquired a Hedingham sports chair, Wasp wheels and forks and subframe which should make a nice outfit.
The chair needs repainting and if I have the chair painted, it would show the rest of the bike up which was okay but obviously 25 years old and looking a bit “challenged”. I’ve decided therefore to paint the lot, and tonight I stripped all the plastics off. I have done this once before with an R80RT and said that I would never do it again. Well I have! A friend of mine did it and it’s not particularly complicated it’s just that there are a lot of screws. I must admire the guys who designed this.
What does amaze me is how heavy the plastic actually is. Tail unit alone weighs a ton.
The PO hasn’t much of the mechanicals but had a habit of replacing bolts with things which were too long and need cutting off.
It has a MOtad exhaust which is okay but I don’t like and does make getting the rear wheel out a pain in the backside as it sits too far over towards the wheel. I think a little bit of hammer work might be called for
I must have bought the only BMW ever made which doesn’t have heated grips so I have bought some Oxfords and I have located the wiring connector (aren’t the cables thin!?) under the tank so I will connect into that.
It looks like the fuel tank has had some corrosion along the bottom seam on each side because there appears to be some filler there, although inside, apart from a few small specks of corrosion on those seams it looks to be quite healthy.
I have drained the fuel and will take all the innards out and make sure it is devoid of fumes before attacking it with a wire brush in an angle grinder along those seams. It is being repainted anyway.
I intend to use it for the Elephant rally next year so watch this space.
Regards
James
 

PS look forward to lots of stupid questions

Hi James and welcome to the forum. Two new members from Wales this weekend, the other is in Glamorgan.

Everyone here is very helpful and don't be afraid to ask any questions. There is a section on the home page about what to do if you have just bought a K but you seem to be in the know anyway.

The fairing is off putting to someone not in the know but they come off very easily and just a box of screws that are really only of two sizes. The main fairing [front fairing] is a 2 man job simply because of being awkward.

When you put the fuel tank back make longer pipes so you can simply move it back to access the radiator cap, or lift it to access the electrical relay box without disconnecting the pipes. Angle the clips so you can disconnect them without removing the left fairing, do it by setting and tightening them after you put on the left fairing panel. When you are putting the fairing back the radiator panel goes on before the two side panels........and take off the snorkel on the air intake to get it into the grill on the radiator panel.

I too don't have heated grips and never find a need for them. The LT fairing mirrors are great wind deflectors. I use rain over mitts to keep wind off in winter, wind is the real problem. I don't suffer cold in the morning, the gloves live on the Aga so they are always warm.

If you feel like a preparatory trip head west to Holyhead and come see us.....always welcome.

Welcome James,

Looks like you have quite a project on your hands there - good luck with it. 

As Olaf says, there is loads of helpful people out there and a lot of excellent information on just about everything her on the forum. 

Sidecar Paul is the force to be reckoned with when it comes to everything side car in middle England...i.e. not far from N Wales - if you can match anything like his standards which he casually calls "a bit of a tidy up" then you will have an awesome rig at the end of the project. To most of us a bit of a tidy up means replacing a white zip tie with a black one!

Unlike Olaf, I am a fan of heated grips - definitely a job worth doing if you are going to be winter riding.

Enjoy.

Welcome to the forum, James.
Having used over mitts and heated grips the best option for the winter is a pair of handlebar muffs.
You retain good feel of the controls, keep the rain off and your hands are completely out of the breeze.
I used a pair on my K1600GT over the winter and rarely used the heated grips. They cost under a tenner including p&p on eBay.
If you have gortex gloves and use heated grips in the rain, your hands will get wet. Something to do with affecting the moisture barrier.
Downside of muffs is that they are ugly. But, there again, they'll be on a sidecar outfit anyway. 

Thank you John et al.
 
I have Oxford handlebar muffs but find them a little tight.
 
I do like that little bit of heat you get on the palms with heated grips.
 
A friend of mine has some neoprene muffs made by Bike-it which look much better shape and a much more flexible.
 

I have Gore-Tex gloves (a variety of them) and I only get wet hands if I don’t tuck the gloves under my jacket sleeves. Why oh why don’t they make the jacket sleeves bigger!




Thanks Olaf for heads up on longer fuel tank pipes. Excellent idea. Farthest S in RoI I ever get is Abbeyleix at an MZ rally in Sept. I also have friends in Waterford.

Welcome James,
You will be in good company building a chair on this forum.

BTW, is Touchwood a reference to Catweazle's toad?

"Meanwhile Catweazle searches for a way to return to his own time whilst hiding out in 'Castle Saburac', a disused water tower, with his familiar, a toad called Touchwood."

Just askin'

James our 'regular' meeting spot is Stradbally Fayre which by coincidence is down the same M7 with a turn off at Portlaoise, a little before Abbeyleix and just 6 miles down towards Carlow. Now you have no excuse. Make it Saturday August 1st and Born Again Eccentric will be over here. . .

Comberjohn is right about the handlebar muffs too. I simply haven't got around to getting another set. My gloves are goretex and I use the k all year. A tank of juice in the car lasts 2 months or more. I did buy heated grips for my son who 'wouldn't be seen dead with those yokes' and 'wouldn't be seen dead on those bikes' despite his amazement at how one can do big miles on them in comfort.

Another reason for the fuel pipe change is the old ones will be hard and taking tank on and off a few times will crack them. They shoud be changed I reckon by 10 years. The one between the fuel pressure regulator and the injector rail is not so easy to get at, getting the airbox off can be a pain trying to open the allen bolt inside the airbox. WD40 may help but you might end up cutting the box. . . .when you put it back you can also angle the clip to remove it without removing anything the next time you need to do it. Also the crankcase vent rubber is a cheap item and likely perished.

Also if you are doing as much as you are use a genuine clutch cable when you are putting it all back together. There is a significant difference. And don't forget the sleeve for the nipple on the lever end. It doesn't come with the cable and they don't tell you.

As for MZ Rally. . . Bjorn has a very nice MZ so if you come on that let us know. . . They are like Ks. Incurable addiction. I have never owned one but always liked them.

We sometimes camp down at www.norevalley.com and its just about 4 miles off the M9 to Waterford. Motorway all the way from Dublin ferryport. . .

Hello James from another James and UK member.
I'm newish on here too and in the process of restoring a K75 RT to a K75 C.
I've learned so much on here from these experts-always willing to share their knowledge, so ask away.

Hi guys.
My usual annual trip to Abbeyleix area is Aug/Sept at our RoI  MZ Rally at Ballacolla, but I just looked in the events diary in the magazine (I am the UK and RoI national chairman) and it doesn’t seem to be listed so I don’t know whether the organisers are not doing it this year or whether it’s just not in the diary yet. I will enquire. Anyone is most welcome. I will let you have the details if ever I get them.
 
The fuel pipe has been changed on this bike but is only just long enough so I might get a longer one. I shall look at the one between the regulator and the injector rail because of it isn’t easy to get at its probably not been changed!
 
The PO told me that he had greased the rear splines (Honda 60 moly) about 5000 miles ago but PO spoke with forked tongue. I got all the plastics off (screws everywhere) and will start flatting down for paint…one day soon.
 
I just can’t decide on a colour for the plastics and the chair. I quite fancy just solid red because it is easy to touch up. Red and silver might be nice.
 

Decisions decisions.