Howdy everyone. I just joined and have a question. I recently swapped a jeep for a 1981 BMW R100RT, and am in the process of restoring this cool bike. My question is, where is the best place online for parts for this old bike. I have scoured the internet world looking for the rubber fairing boots with absolutely no luck. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
http://www.bmwhucky.com/010046.html #46 63 1 235 500 and 1 $20.50 each. Dealers may have them: PITA to re-install. Not worth it IMHO. Better to install gaiters.
Maxbmw.com - great fiche to help you find parts, and very helpful, knowledgeable parts staff if you need to speak to a human.
Many remove those "boots" and leave the fork gaiters on. The gaiters will protect your fork seals forever...almost.
If practical, get to know your local dealer. The online vendors are handy for researching parts but are not necessarily a better deal than the local option. Spoiled here in Atlanta with two excellent dealers. Good pricing. Great service.
or checkout ,motobins and motoworks ,both in the uk ,both hold tons of stock ,for nearly everything 2 valve ,i just brought a set myself ,think they were about £12 each ,or about $16 -or so dollars ,if you get really stuck ,im coming over to boston ,in september ,im happy to bring a set with me then post them to you ....dave
Here's a start: Gulf Coast BMW 1210 College Avenue South Houston TX 77587 Phone: 713.944.7951 Fax: 713.946.4829 Toll Free Phone: 866.944.7951 http://bmw.gulfcoastmotorcycle.com/home_bmw.asp
Unless your doing a concours restoration, I would get rid of the boots completely and install the 11 rib gators for more of a retro look and better protection for the fork tubes. I replaced my boots one time. Eventually they will tear again starting at the drain holes. I notice no additional problem with air or rain. The faired bikes always reminded me of the girls with the skinny legs!
Unfortunately, the nearest dealer is almost two hundred miles away. So, it is basically online ordering for me.
I like that look. What did you do at the fairing with the rest of the holes? Do the gaiters just ride flush with the underside of the fairing? Thanks for the info.
The hole remains the same. Throw the old rubber boots away and remove the rubber slider boots that sit on top of the fork legs The top of the gaiter fits tight to the bottom of the lower tree. There are hollow (anti rattle pins) used to keep them from rotating and to let the air go in and out as the forks compress and rebound. Parts used can be found on MAX BMW parts fish Select the R100/7T then go to front suspension for the gaiters and clamps Go to the lower triple tree for the anti rattle pins <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td style="width: 17px; border-bottom: solid 1px #ccc;" align="center"> </td><td style="width: 85px; border-left: solid 1px #ddd; border-bottom: solid 1px #ccc; font-weight: bold;" align="left"> </td><td style="width: 235px; border-left: solid 1px #ddd; border-bottom: solid 1px #ccc; font-family: Arial Narrow;" align="left"> </td></tr></tbody></table>
I think you are better off going with early GS fork boots. They look better IMO. They are much less bulky and won't rub the fairing nearly as much. They don't bunch up and restrict fork travel like the '70's style boots do.
I havent found that to be a problem on my bike I didnt care for the GS boots. All a mater of opinion obviously. As far as bunching up, I have seen that happen when someone used both the stock rubber boot and the gaiters combined.
Put the '70's style boots on any forks and don't slide them down to the marker line on the earlier sliders like has lately become so popular to do or don't do it on the later sliders for there not being enough room and then bottom the forks out before you put the springs back in. They restrict fork travel by quite a bit. I guess poeple are following Ausherman's advise and not sliding their boots down as far as they should be so that the boots will supposedly last longer. The problem is that they retrict fork travel installed like that and bunch up real bad and look stupid during normal riding, let alone when you are into the brakes. The important thing being that they aren't stretched out nearly as far when the bike is on the center stand? My advise is set your bike up to ride, not sit there.