R80ST gets the GS Treatment

NOTE: 8/28/12 This is an old thread covering two very different rebuilds of the same bike. The first leading up to a trip to South America, the second to make all the changes that trip made me realize that I want. The HPN stuff starts with the teardown of my bike after my south america trip on page 28. [/note]


Well, it's been quite a while since I've written anything about my ride in a thread of my own. I've mainly been polluting all of your threads with my dumb questions and requests for measurements. Anyway, as payment for the help and wisdom I've received on credit, I figure I owe the inmates some photos plus interest. It was about a year ago this week that this bike was bestowed upon me after lying dormant for about 20 years with 2051 miles on it. Since then it's had a thorough going through and breaking in (and a little breaking). It's gone 15k miles all over the northwestern corner of this continent (washington, oregon, nevada, BC, Yukon, Alaska) and is currently being ruggedized for a run down to south america and back with a couple of other airheads next winter. A note to the purists: all original parts have been lovingly packed up and stored. No permanent modifications have been made. No STs were PERMANENTLY harmed in the making of these photos.

Since I've had it I've done the following:

• R100GS tank (couldn't have done alaska without that)
• jesse bags (returned them after Alaska. Yuck.)
• broke the stock subframe and replaced it with an r100gs subframe
• r100gs rear fender (didn't want to modify my original to work with the new subframe)
• r100gspd solo seat and rack
• Fiam dual horns with relay. BEEP BEEEEEEEEEEEEP!
• broke the stock rear shock, replaced it with a YSS (great so far)
• enduralast alternator (does its job fine so far, need to clean up my install a bit though)
• R100GS sump
• twinheadlight ernie bashplate and centerstand plate
• DR650 front end w/ 19" wheel (thanks to solo for use of his ed korn puller. might get replaced with R100GS forks and 21" wheel which I found VERY cheap)
• Trailtech Vapor computer (haven't got it wired cleanly yet as I'm still waiting for a couple of bits and pieces)
• PIAA 510 aux lights (great, but the "super white" bulbs are too blue - a little too ricerocket for my taste. Maybe I should get a big spoiler, a loud muffler and a bunch of "powered by ___" and pissing calvin stickers too)
• LED semi-truck taillight. Best $10 mod I can think of. Period.
• Baja Designs sol-tec headlight (jury's still out on this beast. the beam is a little too tight for road use, but maybe I'll get used to it)
• R100GSPD plastic tank. (wasn't expecting this one to fall in my lap, but that's what happens when you find your friend an HPN tank for $500. Anyone need a red R100GS tank?)
• Touratech pannier mounts (much nicer than the jesse mounts, but need a little tweaking to fit as my right side passenger peg isn't located in quite the same spot as it would be on a R100GS)
• Happy Trail bags (on their way, shipped today)

Yet to do:

• Get a front brakeline made to go from a bmw master cylinder to a dr650 caliper
• Clean up my wiring (both my Vapor and Enduralast install jobs aren't as clean as they should be)
• possibly swap out my front end again for an R100GS front end. Anyone who rides both have a reason why I should go with one over the other? (anyone want a deal on a dr650 front end?)
• pull my speedo cable and replace with an aluminum breather cap w/ snorkel tube
• snorkelize my final drive breather too
• replace my pushrod seals (one's leaking now and I might as well do the rest while I'm at it)
• check my timing chain tensioner and possibly replace my timing chain. I'm getting some weird clicking up front and a jumpy timing mark under a timing light after warmed up (how much jumping is normal?)
• Replace my centerstand and sidestand with something longer. Right now my centerstand will hold the bike vertical, but won't get either wheel off the ground. If I need to change a flat I'll need to find some sticks/rocks to stack under my centerstand first.

Any input is welcome. I'm always looking for recommendations or not so obvious tips and tricks. The next major thing I'm looking at is bombproofing the ignition system and I haven't figured out which way to go on this yet. I kind of like datchew's points-in-a-can retrofit. Any other options to look at? I can always just buy a spare coil, ecu and bean can and pack them. Anyway, as promised, here is a year in the life of an ST and its slow transformation into something entirely different. Enjoy.

As picked up:


Bigger tank and luggage:

Dry run:


For Alaska:


Then came an R100GS subframe, solo seat, and rack:


Then the truck taillight, PIAAs and enduralast:

then a DR650 front end, baja light, fender and GSPD tank:


Now the touratech racks and Vapor computer (she's getting close):

Very nice, bike looks great.
Those pictures of Alaska, wow I would love to do that some time

and is that a Norton I see hiding in the darkness?

man does that sound familiar. We've about got the same bike! That grey powder covering your bikes looks pretty dang familiar too! Good looking bike. My opinion may not be worth much, but I think you've done a good job choosing your upgrades.

I'm looking for a more permanent solution for the speedo plug too. Maybe Nathan at Boxerworks will have some suggestions, he's got a lathe and can make some fancy stuff. I'll post something whenever I figure it ou. I'll be running my negative down to the bottom right tranny mount bolt. I saw a post from Stephen Botcher that recommended it to help charging. He said to run #8 wire to that tranny bolt and to the frame. He also recommended another wire for the diode board but neither of us have those anymore.

I don't blame you about the Jesse's. Mine are getting on my nerves. The opening's too dang small, but I don't think I'll change them out. Too much money in this bike already. I really like how narrow the back of my bike is compared to what I've seen on other setups though. Always a tradeoff.


What's got you looking at a r100 front end over the DR? I would definitely prefer a 21" rim over a 19". Not just for the rocks, it's really easy to find 90/90-21s for cheap. There's a big craze going on in mountain bikes(the kind you pedal) right now with 29" rims versus the standard 26" rims. It's supposed to make a huge difference by lowering the 'angle of attack' where your tire hits stuff.

Have you gotten your tach on the TrailTech Vapor to work well? My jumps all over the place and I've changed the loops from 4 all the way up to 12. I'll call tech support if I can't get it straightened out.
The engine temp only goes up to 400 and my operating will likely be almost that when it hits 100 degrees out. The ambient temp is always way off. I'm not overly impressed by the Vapor. If it did what it says it does it'd be awesome.

Nathan said the stock electronic ignition is really good(don't know if that ST has it or not). He has the Omega charging system on his GS and so he could mount up the Omega ignition that goes straight on the crank...but he doesn't. Rick at Motorrad Elektrik said he runs points in a can with a Dyna booster going to two separate single output 6V coils. He said the booster means there's not much load going through the points so they last forever. The separate coils MAY give a better spark and it's been in older BMWs forever so it's tried and true. He put it in 4 years ago and it hasn't needed adjusted yet.

I'm interested in hearing about the trip though. Where are you planning on going in South America? From Washington you must be looking at 20,000 miles or more to hit all the countries.

Sharp eye there, Kev. Yes, that's my buddy's Norton. I really can't tell you much about it other than that it's at least twice as sexy in person.

hmmmm. You mean something like this?

There are a few places you can buy them out of Germany. They run about $20.

I don't really like the way the axle is fixed to the DR forks. Those 4 light threaded studs have been known to fail and they aren't something that I would want to snap in the middle of nowhere. I've read reports of them pulling out of the fork bottom cap when overtightened taking a chuck of aluminum with them. Not good. In comparison the r100GS forks have an axle and mounts that are grotesquely overengineered. In addition to this there's just something nice about keeping the bike all BMW. Not so "unholy" of a union, I guess. Also, I DO plan on running a 21" wheel on this thing. The 19" was a vain attempt at limiting the height of the front end. I agree the 21" wheel will result in a much lower angle of attack and less harsh ride in the choppy stuff as well as cheaper and more readily available tires anywhere in the world.

I also had trouble getting my tach to work when I wrapped the sensor wire. No amount of wraps would get a good reading so I eventually just went with the other installation option which is to hardwire it to the coil. That worked great. There's a little lag between revving the engine and the response on the screen, but then again, these aren't the fastest bikes in the stable and don't rocket through the revs before you know to shift.

As far as the temp sensor goes, I'm not sure which one you have. I have the oil drainplug temp sensor and haven't installed it yet. I don't think my oil will get up to 400 degrees though. I think it tops out under 300 under normal conditions. Maybe you have the sensor that replaces the sparkplug washer. I can see a dry part of the head getting over 400.

Yeah the plan is to ride from seattle to tierra del fuego and back. ~6 months, 25,000 miles, not exactly sure which countries. I'm travelling with two other guys, both on r100GSPDs. We're going super low-tech. No GPS, no cellphones, no computers. Just a map and compass. Hell, maybe even a sextant. That'd be sweet. We'll be leaving september '09. Maybe we'll see you on the road.

Similar problems here at first. Call Trailtech to get a rpm sensor cable with the resistor integrated -> rock solid rpm display! I am using the 14mm spark plug adapter for engine temps and it is working stable. Since it really measures surface temperature of the cylinderhead it can't be an absolute measurement, more relative. I used deg C and it usually sit around 140C, which probably equates to around 90C-95C oil temp. I have set 180C as warning temp.

Hi. I'm curious about the tail light.
R100GS, solo seat and 1/4" thick aluminum plate as a carrier, no fender. I've got to come up with something for a tail light/license plate bracket combo. Truck tail light might be the answer. Pick it up at a truck parts place, I assume? Oh, and I enjoyed reading your post.
Throttle cable thingy looks cool to. I'm going with a bicycle speedo.

Berni-
Here's the exact tail light that I used.

http://www.maxxima.com/products/product_detail/45/M63320R%20Oval%20Surface%20Mount%20Stop/Tail/Turn%20Light/view/.html#

The website also shows an inline flasher module you can wire up if you really feel like hurting some eyes.

The light was $10.99 at a truck supply store down in the industrial district. The autoparts stores usually want about $30 for them though. You can probably find one online with the model number. I just shrinktubed the leads running to it, stuff the wires through the grommet (tight fit) in my stock taillight housing and hooked it up to the leads on the bulb holder with some piggyback spade connectors. It took all of 30 minutes and hurts your eyes when standing close behind. Also, these things are REALLY waterproof - as in submersible - so that they can be used on boat trailers that get backed into the water. I just used a couple of zipties to attach it onto the rubber turn signal stalks. It doesn't look nearly as ghetto as it sounds.

Thanks a bunch. That looks like the ticket right their. Cheap and waterproof.

Wrangler... Man this is just what I've been trying to do to the rear end of my g/s. I'm still trying to locate the R100gs subframe and fender for a decent price... and it goes on like that for ever. I'm at the point of ordering the HT r100gs rack and panniers in anticipation (plus they're on sale now).

Thanks for showing us the pics and inspiration. I'd love to have a setup like that.. anyone have a r100gs subframe and/or fender?

Your headlight and spedo bracket is a real art of work

I have a couple of questions about my GSPD tank. What exactly is it made of? I've heard people say it's fiberglass, plastic, etc. Does anyone know for sure? If it's plastic is it polyethylene, nylon, something else? Also, does anyone know if there's a max recommended weight for stuff in the "glove box"? I'd like to keep tools and spare parts in there, but don't want to break the tank. I'd pad them in there so they don't make any gouges as they rattle around in the bumpy stuff.

Gotta gloat a little:
I just got a big box from germany last night with a used black HPN tank (for a friend). $580 US w/ mounting hardware, petcocks, etc delivered. It only took 2.5 weeks to get here too. It's a little scuffed up, but nothing serious. Just pre-loved. Miracles do happen. Now I'm wondering why I ordered it for a friend and not for myself. I probably won't find that deal ever again.

Hey Wrangler: I AM your friend !!!

No, REALLY oser

I'll let you in on a little secret, mine was less!

I've been outgloated. Damn. Well at least I know there's hope for finding one of my own though word on the street is they stopped making them for good 6 months ago, but maybe that's just a dirty rumor.

Back in action after a brief hiatus. Just a few farkles added, but hopefully next week I’ll have something of substance to add when the remaining parts for my GS front end arrive from Deutschland. Jaaaaa! Anyway, here we go.
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Happy trails bags installed slightly off kilter: Check<o></o>
<o>(notice the GS front end on the left just WAITING for parts to get installed )</o>
<o>For the money I'm pretty happy with these after getting rid of my jesses. The inside face (where the mounts are) is not as stiff as I'd like resulting in a little bit of bag wobble when you push them around a bit. I'm planning to cut some 1/8" stainless to the size of the inside face, epoxy it on, and run all my fasteners through it. That should stiffen things up a bit.</o>
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Cheapo Chinese HID conversion kit: Check
Thanks StephenB for the recommendation on these. These guys are bright as hell. $90 for a car kit off of ebay that does two lights. Split it with a buddy and you're looking at $45 to your door. The ballast and ignitor are housed in the shell so no more precious under-tank electrical real estate is taken up. Does anyone know what the starting current on these guys is? Hopefully it's nothing that the stock headlight relay can't handle. I'm just a little worried about how many tickets I'll get with this thing. I considered getting the 55 watt instead of the 35 that I got, but I'm glad I didn't. This thing is plenty. When tilted up and aimed down a long straight dark road reflective road signs light up WAAAAAY out in the distance seemingly 1/2 mile or more away.

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Pieces of ADV and ABC Bling: Check<o></o>
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Touratech Speedo Cable Plug: Check<o></o>
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New German Rubber: Check

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HID... wow :eek1 Is it as dramatic in use and on the road?

Are those Mefo's?

Looking good

Can you include a close-up of how you mounted the tail light?

This KIND OF shows it. It's super ghetto, but effective. One zip tie through each hole on the ends of the light wrapped around the rubber turn signal stalks. That's it. 1 minute mod.

that looks so familiar.



i've been meaning to make a bracket to hold the light, but the zip ties have worked for about 2yrs just fine.