R80/7 + a newb = a long road to cafe

[MrBob]

Originally Posted by Rob Farmer

For some reason this car makes me think of Laurel and Hardy.

[Bill Harris]

Originally Posted by Benthic

Quote:
Originally Posted by woodgrain View Post
...The pan gasket goes on dry if you're going to replace it. ...

I could have swore I read in my Clymers to use Hylomer gasket sealer - I'll recheck!

The oil pan gasket has a heat-activated sealant on it and supposedly doesn't need additional sealant. Contrarywise, I usually rub a very faint application of silicone sealant ("Blue Goo") onto both sides of the oil pan gasket. This gives a bit of extra leak protection ("Belt and Suspenders") and also serves as a release compound so that next time the gasket will easily peel off the sealing surfaces instead of having to be scraped off.

Your call.

[Renner]

hey man.
good meeting you and seeing the bike.
I can't get over how clean & original it looked inside the headlamp bucket, should have snapped a pic of that to share here.

let me know if you want a hand going through those forks... it should go smoothly

love that color

[benthic]

It was so great to meet such awesome guys as Renner and Mike V. this weekend. I bow before their knowledge and generosity!

Mike has virtually the same bike as I do (a 1978 100/7 even the same color!) so the moment he saw mine he could see all the little things that were wrong (missing bolts, PO changes, etc), and he knows all the tricks and problems! Then Renner showed up and was kind enough to take my bike for a spin and give me an opinion on it's performance.

Between the 2 of them they gave me oodles of fantastic advice and tons to think about! I can't thank them enough for meeting with me and helping me get started (AND! offering further help!). I was blown away.

Key take away notes: (there was more of course, but I'm focusing on these 2 for the time being)
Mike is worried about my transmission - I'm going to try to change the fluid and check the magnetic bolt this week and report back
Renner is worried about my steering bearings (and boy, after comparing Mike's 100 to my 80, my steering bearings are CRAP) - so I'm going to try to get some parts and get ready for a complete fork/neck tear down...

good times:)
Spencer

[hardwaregrrl]

A good source for bearings and races http://http://www.allballsracing.com/. I would replace the races at the same time. See if you can borrow a bearing/race puller.

Originally Posted by benthic

It was so great to meet such awesome guys as Renner and Mike V. this weekend. I bow before their knowledge and generosity!

Mike has virtually the same bike as I do (a 1978 100/7 even the same color!) so the moment he saw mine he could see all the little things that were wrong (missing bolts, PO changes, etc), and he knows all the tricks and problems! Then Renner showed up and was kind enough to take my bike for a spin and give me an opinion on it's performance.

Between the 2 of them they gave me oodles of fantastic advice and tons to think about! I can't thank them enough for meeting with me and helping me get started (AND! offering further help!). I was blown away.

Key take away notes: (there was more of course, but I'm focusing on these 2 for the time being)
Mike is worried about my transmission - I'm going to try to change the fluid and check the magnetic bolt this week and report back
Renner is worried about my steering bearings (and boy, after comparing Mike's 100 to my 80, my steering bearings are CRAP) - so I'm going to try to get some parts and get ready for a complete fork/neck tear down...

good times:)
Spencer

[Wirespokes]

Fifty percent of the time (probably more) the steering head bearings are ok; old sticky grease makes it feel like they're trashed.

[Bill Harris]

Originally Posted by Wirespokes

old sticky grease makes it feel like they're trashed.

A big +10 on that. I wonder how many head bearings have been replaced when all they needed was cleaning and fresh grease.

[Renner]

true.

won't know for sure till we look at the rollers & races.

[hardwaregrrl]

Originally Posted by Bill Harris

A big +10 on that. I wonder how many head bearings have been replaced when all they needed was cleaning and fresh grease.

Good to know. You to wire. What's the best way to clean them? I just blew mine out by over preloading them. Less than a year old. I'm a dumb ass

[Bill Harris]

Clean with mineral spirits/parts cleaner solvent with final cleaning by spray brake cleaner (or carb cleaner) And plenty of compressed air, but don't spin the bearings when dry.

[apt13]

have fun with the fork rebuild. i got through the teardown of my forks this weekend and realized whoever "rebuilt" them previously must have been very drunk or smoking something, haha. no wonder i had mysterious noises and clunks. lots of little things missing and lots of things replaced in the incorrect order. a mixture of new looking rubber "bumpers" along with some completely disintegrated rubber parts and plenty of sludge. the rebuild kit didn't come with some of the missing odds and ends, so the forks are still in pieces on the floor while i figure out what extra bits i need to get. fun times.

[benthic]

Originally Posted by apt13

have fun with the fork rebuild. i got through the teardown of my forks this weekend and realized whoever "rebuilt" them previously must have been very drunk or smoking something, haha. no wonder i had mysterious noises and clunks. lots of little things missing and lots of things replaced in the incorrect order. a mixture of new looking rubber "bumpers" along with some completely disintegrated rubber parts and plenty of sludge. the rebuild kit didn't come with some of the missing odds and ends, so the forks are still in pieces on the floor while i figure out what extra bits i need to get. fun times.

Nice, yes, I'm learning all about the joys of previous owners;) - where'd you get your fork rebuild kits?

So after my delightful time with Mike and Renner I was all motivated to change my transmission fluid last night (a first for me - well all this stuff are firsts for me;) ) and I was successful changing the fluid and had a great time, but I learned a new word - "emulsify" - a word that should be reserved for things like salad dressing and homogenized milk!


fluid immediately poured out of the FILL hole once the plug was removed.


the glob on the magnetic bolt - no "chunks" of metal but was definitely gritty


the nastiness draining out. (PO had not used a crush washer here, but it hadn't been leaking - I used one on reassembly)

I'm going to try to do the shaft and final drive this week too and see what I find:)
Spencer

[apt13]

i got the kit from huckys. comes with all the bumbers, gaskets, etc. that need to be replaced. i also got new springs from him as well, although as you may have read in my thread (and some others) that the progressive fork springs may not be the "proper" ones. i'm going to go ahead and use them as i can't really afford to order another set of the "bmw heavy duty springs" that some people recommend.

http://www.bmwhucky.com/

[Bill Harris]

the glob on the magnetic bolt - no "chunks" of metal but was definitely gritty

It will look gritty on the magnet, but did it feel gritty twixt the fingers? Water in the tranny oil, looks like a latte' . Come from a cracked boot on the speedo cable (right side near the driveshaft boot). Replace it and always keep an eye on it. Fresh tranny oil, run it for a week or so, change it again. Annoying, but a common occurence.

I'm going to try to do the shaft and final drive this week too and see what I find

More on that later...

[benthic]

Originally Posted by Bill Harris

It will look gritty on the magnet, but did it feel gritty twixt the fingers? Water in the tranny oil, looks like a latte' . Come from a cracked boot on the speedo cable (right side near the driveshaft boot). Replace it and always keep an eye on it. Fresh tranny oil, run it for a week or so, change it again. Annoying, but a common occurence.

More on that later...

I still have the fluid so i'm going to finger test it tonight...

Actually, Mike V. noticed that my speedo boot looked ok, but i'm missing the vented screw (the hole is completely stripped) and that is probably where the water came in. bummer. not sure if I can fix the threads - might have to wait a while... But yes, after conferring with some experts;) I'm going to do exactly what you describe - flushing with fresh fluid at an increased interval for a while till the fluid starts looking normal.

Thanks Bill!