Another shot of Weeman's new? bike... Much can be determined by your first fluid change. Inspect the motor oil carefully for shiny bits. Do the same for the tranny. Take a small stick and measure the level of the gear oil in the driveshaft. Drop the rear drive oil and check again for "the brassy sheen". Order the magnetic drain bolts from Benchmark Works. They are very helpful in keeping track of wear and tear. To post pics on this website you need to have them preposted on a photo sharing/storing service like Flickr or something. Better yet, instead of blowing $40 on MOA, blow it on joining SmugMug. The owner of ADV, keeps ADV free for our use, by running the SmugMug operation. You'll then be able to post all the pictures we want to see...
Thank you for all your wisdom and info regarding my decision whether or not to bite the bullet to get this bike. I know that there are things to replace but can say that from your reactions it will be a solid purchase. Steve
airheads carbs have a sliding piston that blocks air flow when taking a compression reading even with butterfly open. to get an accurate reading one needs to take carbs off or jam piston open. BMW motorcycle compression testing instructions if you are new to airheads .. take extra care torquing down bolts that thread into aluminum. which is pretty much all over airheads. when spec's say 7ft lb ... it means it. a 1/4in drive in lb torque wrench is a handy tool to have around. spec's list compression at a low 7.5-1 ... so engine could be just fine if your /2 starts and runs good. pretty safe to say several inmates, including me would be happy to take that /2 home. <iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NdBptlmu7kA?feature=player_embedded" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" width="640"></iframe>
Fantastic useful information! I do know after reading this that the right cylinder does have the flat spot when trying to adjust the carb plus it's sound is not as crisp as the left. We shall see... Steve
Are you mechanically inclined? What attracts you to that bike? Do you want to ride it or just own it? Have you ever heard of "slingers"?
Started riding bikes at 13 (honda s90) then late teens raced motox campaigning a Husky 400. In my early 20's raced a Yamaha rd 350 in AFM until a nasty crash set me into street riding until I got married. Recent divorce launched me back into riding again with a 1995 r1100 rsl. In between motorcycles I've restored many English cars mainly Mini's or English Fords (locorts or GT's) with a few Lotus's in the mix. Right now at almost the age of 60 yrs. all I would like to do is enjoy riding a vintage bike any chance I can get before they pry my hands off the steering wheel or handlebars. Steve
Forgot to mention that I'm very informed about slingers......will have to do it on this one because no mechanical history at 52k.
Nice bike. You'll have fun with that! Keep us posted. Feel free to ask questions. You'll have more answers than Carter has Little Liver Pills...
Thanks for all your encouraging words I do appreciate it! I will most definitely keep you posted. Cheers, Steve
Great, others have mentioned on slash 2 that going for that initial ride before cleaning the slingers can really cost you. Hope you've seen that. Great looking bike.
Today I set the valves and torqued the cylinder head bolts then warmed the engine up to get a compression reading. Left cylinder @ 85psi Right @ 85psi When testing I opened both carb sliders by throttle to get these results. This test resulted by an increase of about 25% and now I will adjust both carbs this weekend. I'm still planning on tearing the motor down this winter to clean the slingers and freshen the engine. Thanks for all your help! Steve
did you also open the butterfly on top of propping slider open? both has to be open .. that's why taking carb off is a good way to go.
Looks like you did good, Headlight mirrors, bar end signals dual solo seats, all nice accessories. /2 BMW's are a great way to get into vintage bikes, bought my 69 R-69-US when I was 27, I'm 64 now and still have it and and 8 others, plus 2 NSU's, 2 Horex's, 2 Victorias, An Austro Omega, and a 46 Indian. It gets in your blood. Ride the BMW's most of the time. Do the slingers, bearings and seals, probably rings and a valve job and with modern oils it will last a lifetime. Have fun
Yeah, really enjoyed getting my '65 /2 also, a complete barn find that ran. (Rode it up & down the block.) Tore it apart to do those slinger 'thingies' and discovered that solidified crap filled them just up to the level of the crank oil feed holes. Keerrist! That was close! I'd suggest not riding it much with no known maintenance history. It looks great, keep it a happy story. What a great bike for a Sunday afternoon backlane wander!
What a great bike for a Sunday afternoon backlane wander! That bike can run everyday and every way, up until it hit's the Interslab...
danedg-I haven't ridden the bike yet because of needing rebuilt carbs synchronized first. I did change the oil and looked for grey sludge and metal bits but didn't find any. It was very clean in there but that doesn't indicate clean slingers either. Spoke to Vech he suggested a magnet in the pan while rebuilding the engine. Also, when riding my bike where I live it's just a two lane freeway for 40 miles then it gets three lanes all the way south to Seattle. They, (other drivers) can just go around me if they don't like my speed. isdt BMW- I was very lucky to find this at the price too. I traded a 1965 Hillman Imp race car that I've lost steam on plus very little cash. Yes, the old bikes do get in your blood as most vintage/classic English cars that gave me an isum over 30yrs ago now it's vintage bikes. airheadPete- Wow, that was close! I'm hoping to be safe as well by tearing mine down. I will revisit this to report after it's done in the spring.
Wish I could have kept mine..... I STILL have the sound of wringing the engine out to redline, ever so suhweeeeeet!! btw, those carbs are not the "lifting diaphragm" type as suggested by several posts above: simply cracking the throttle lifts the round slides and allows in plenty of air for compression testing.... one CAN over-analyze all this stuff! Take care of slingers, ride her and enjoy the sweet harmonies of low compression engine, shaft drive and a genteel twin exhaust... 'tis mesmerizing!
