Infra's 1981 R80 G/S Maintenance and Improvement Thread

Well, it has started. Not a farkle but.... Placed an ad on IBMWR seeking a right side pannier rack for my bike. Mine was mangled by the PO and then more or less straightened out. But on the way home I used tie downs on the rear and tightened them to the pannier racks on both sides as I've done before on many bikes. The left side rack was fine after the ride home but the right side one bent out like a pretzel. Meaning the rack was really weakened.

After getting about 5 spam emails from the UK offering me the parts... A seller in my own state offered a set of both left and right for $100. Used, not cosmetic pretty, but not bent. I took the deal. A friend of mine who is out enjoying the good life in Moab right now is going to swing by Grand Junction and pick them up on the way back.

I'm not gonna toss my racks, but instead will consider having it repaired. I asked a friend who said welding these racks to fix my kind of problem is not the best way. Suggested "brazing" it, or replacing the entire top piece with a new piece of metal. Thoughts?

Here's what the right side rack looked like when I got the bike. You can see the big deformation at the top center:




Here's what my rack looked like after I got home. Hard to tell unless you look close but the rack at the rear is sticking out at least 4-6".






I welcome input on best way to fix the rack.

Tom

Spent a minute this morning to see when my bike was actually built. If this VIN calculator is correct then it was March 1981. So my bike is about the middle of the pack for the first US year of the G/S. I entered the lasy 7 digits of my VIN at the top and the decoder spits out the rest. This then drives you right into the correct parts fiches for your bike.

I know there are some other sites where they give VIN ranges but don't know what they are. If you want to use this page you can start at this link: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/select.do



Tom

Beautiful bike. On the rack, cut out mangled tubing a little before the radius. Cut a piece of tube or round stock to fit inside the tube to add strength to the joints, install new tube. Fabricate another tube to tie the left and right racks together like the later PD's. Brazing or TIG will look best.

Thanks. I'm going to snag the used set as I'd like to be able to have a set to use ASAP. The seller of that also has the 'crossover' piece brand new from the later racks that connects the right and left racks together. I'm getting that as well. He said it simply fastens on by a bracket to both side racks and braces them. Cool.

Do you know if the tubing on the racks is solid steel or is it indeed just a hollow tube? My guess is hollow tube. I'll get the old racks off and try to find a good local welder who can make it right. Then either keep or sell that other set.

Tom

Stock stuff is tubing (hollow). When you weld-in a new section, see if you can source some thicker-walled tubing (14ga). The stock stuff is 16ga. I don't have 14ga round tubing laying around or I'd send you some. TIG or MIG weld the new stuff in place (TIG will look better), grind off any big protrusions. I think I would just toss the old racks in a box and put in storage.

Roger: Good idea. I'll search the Rockies Forum for a good local welder. Get them fixed and set aside.

I am going to approach my brother (1 year older) in a few weeks about coming out to Colorado in July and going off on a one week ride together. He's a Harley guy now but would be fun to do a ride with just the two of us around Colorado. You never know when it's going to be too late.

T.

Yeah, we need to hook up. My odometer just quit on my R80G/S so I have to fix that. I'll get my tranny back in the R100GS in May I'll be ready to go on one bike or the other, at least one of them is always running, right?

One more note on the luggage rack. I put Hepco Becker racks on both my bikes because a) I make luggage to fit H-B racks, b) they are heavier duty than the stock racks (thicker wall tubing), and c) you can still get them in 4-6 weeks lead time. My stock racks and cases are stored away in a box.

Roger: Whoa, I didn't think I could get H-B racks for a R80 G/S. I can? If so, I would definitely move in that direction and then purchase a set of your panniers. Do you have a link?

I'm always available if you'd like to ride/drive down. Am just now realizing all of the differences between a 100GS and an 80 G/S. I think my G/S forks are made of pot metal!

Tom

They're stronger than the glass that your subframe is made out of. Ask me how I know. (my ST had the same subframe) Yes, HB makes racks, Jesse luggage claims to make racks for the G/S but they're really just R100GS sloppily adapted. Before you plan on carrying luggage, you may want to beef up some of the welds on your subframe.

Sorry for the hyjack! let me know if I should nuke this post Tom

I'm gonna try an mirror the HPN sub-frame reinforcement seen below... see that second strut in the rear?

Solo: That's fine. I'm also still intrigued by these guys at overland solutions out of the UK. I emailed today asking for prices and availability. Not gonna buy anything until I'm employed but still. Wow.








Just Dreaming...

Tom

I asked the price on these myself a year or so ago..... can't remember what is was but it was hefty!

Have you checked with the grandfather of motorcycle adventure touring?

LINK

Overland Solutions has some really amazing stuff. The quick release panniers are the best thing I've ever seen and I've got Jesse's.

My friend Ned (Neduro) graciously picked up my set of pannier racks in Grand Junction today. He even fronted me the money. Wow. They should arrive back home mid next week. I'll buy Ned lunch.

Is learning to weld hard? I have to admit I've always wanted to just buy a little wire-feed welder and start making stuff in my garage. Maybe a welding class at the local community college would be best? Then I could fix my own stuff when it breaks.

Tom

welding is fun. i bought a wire feed mig last year. i'm slowly learning. i can make it stick together fine at the moment but nothing is pretty. a grinder is generally needed to clean things up a bit.

Tastes like

As far as the cost of those overland solutions subframes, Malindi put together a pretty detailed budget for his trip and lists the price of the overland solutions subframe at $2,028.49, but that was a couple years ago. Infra, you in particular will like his budget. Very detailed. Go to his site and click on the money link on the left, then on 'costs.'

EDIT: Woops, forgot the link: http://nohorizons.net/index2.htm

Tom,

Congratulations on the find and purchase. Catching up on your threads brought back memories of my efforts to locate a G/S after falling head over heals for the R100PD. Although I am certain there are others, you and Roger are two people I am aware of that have both an early R80G/S and a later R100GS.

And yes. you do NEED the PD version of the R100

Doug...

Tom,
welding is not hard, it just takes some patience and practice to get the right mix of current and wire feed rate, and the rate at which you lay the bead. I got a simple wire feed welder for christmas a few years ago after putting my wife through a gazillion episodes of Monster Garage and Orange County Choppers. After a bit of practice, I welded a rack for my '74 /6 and mounted a set of pelicans. Its no work of art, but it seems rock solid.

Gero

Subscribed

Not much getting done on the R80 while I try to get the R100 back together. That thing hasn't been off the bike lift in about 3 months now. My goal is to get it working soon.

Parts for the G/S like an oil filter kit, etc.. are on their way. In the meantime I just spent a bit of time cleaning the front and back wheels to make them shine. I'm not really a "cleaning" kind of guy despite my OCD but what the heck.

And can I tell you that I've found yet another disappointing thing about the G/S? The stupid thing only had 3 lug nuts not four. Man, that's weird. The G/S has nuts that go over the studs. Not at all like the GS which has what look like regular lug nuts that cover the studs so you don't see them. Not sure why they switched.




Haven't cleaned up in there at all. This is how I found it. Brake shoes look clean and maybe new. I'll measure them soon. Also need to find out the spec for the lining on the wheel hub side of things. I don't see any leaks just mud from the PO's last ride.





Tom