I'm the proud owner of a 1975 R75/6 which I've had for a few weeks now. Minus a few fuel line leaks which were easily fixed, it runs perfectly. I'm the third owner, the second is an inmate as well. I was just reading a thread about a '77 R100RS where the reply was "please don't butcher it up." That got me thinking; what are folks doing to these bikes that "butchers them up"? And what mods are common that aid ride-ability/reliability that aren't considered "butchering"? I've no complaints with my bike. In fact, it's the perfect daily rider. But I'm feeling that itchy wrench-turning muscle which is telling me to fix it even though it ain't broke. I'm not trying to farkle it to death, but I'd like to make it better. First thought is brakes, maybe? Or should I just enjoy a beautiful airhead and go get myself a broken Triumph to satisfy my wrench-turning urges?
My opinion, if anyone cares...Unless you have a bike that less than 1,000 exist, is that it's YOUR bike, do what you want with it, and to hell with everyone who thinks they have a right to tell you what to do with your bike!
After further reading of the "Should I buy it" thread, something came to mind about the '75 R75/6: a cursory look inside the tank with a flashlight shows a bright orange surface inside. Is the tank covered in rust? or is this common? I come from the Ducati world where the only worry was a plastic tank that bubbled up from ethanol. What's the test & treatment for tank rust? I don't know where to begin on that issue...
I dont' care if it has 0 miles on it, do with it as you please. If someone doesn't like it, then they can buy it from you and do as they please...lol.
Houseoffubar: I like it! I'm just curious about what those with experience with this model have found to be ideal mods. In other words, if the consensus is to change part X to aftermarket part Y because this will save me drama, then I'd like to know that pre-drama.
I think the comment about butchering is a common one among those of us who feel that these bikes should be kept somewhat stock as they are a part of motorcycling history. That being said, yes, some upgrades do make sense. But to start changing forks just to add much more modern brakes, and trying to get the latest fat tires on them is just going to ruin an otherwise perfectly fine motorcyle. I have always felt that if you want a bike with modern brakes, suspension, high reving engine etc. Then go and purchase a much newer bike. These airheads were state of the art in their day. Once they get all butchered up, it is very difficult to do the reverse and take them back to stock. The same goes for buying an RS or RT and removing the fairing. If you want a naked bike, go buy one. Once you remove the fairing and sell it off, it is no longer an RS or RT. There are only so many of these bikes left. More and more of them are being butchered or parted out, just because people can get more for the parts than for a complete bike. I have seen lots of our beloved airheads being parted out, just because someone was too lazy or cheap to do some simple maintenance. A simple example was an fairly nice 1978 R100/7 I picked up last year from a guy that was trying to part it out. He had bought it and let it sit in his garage with gas in the carbs for 2 years. Then wondered why he could not start it. He did not want to deal with rebuilding the carbs so was advertising it for parts. I was lucky enough to get there first and made him an offer that he was glad to take. I rebuilt the carbs in an afternoon, threw in some new points and changed all the fluids. Sold it as a complete bike for double my total investment. The new owner is very pleased and has not had to do anything to it. Right after he bought it he rode from Vancouver to Montreal and back to visit his brother. So my advice to you would be to learn about your bike, learn it's limitations, maybe do some simple upgrades, if required, and just ride and enjoy it. If you really want something to work on, there are lots of bikes out there that you can buy that need a lot of love and affection. You can work on one while still having your airhead as a reliable daily rider.
Orange is the BMW coating. Just sold a tank last week, took the borescope with me so the new owner could see where it was starting to peel. Hard to see otherwise and a real PITA when it really starts to come off in big chunks and plugs the filters.:eek1
Rant start Oh hell, do whatever you want to it. Kawasaki front end with Harley wheels, Maybe some late model Ducati disc brakes. And while you're at it, swap out that frame with something someone made up in their back shed, just because they could. Then get rid of that horrible opposed twin and drop in a nice UJM 1000cc 4 cylinder. And paint if a nice polka dot pink, green and purple. Chrome everything else. And don't forget to either lower the whole thing to about 3 inches off the ground, or turn it into a full out off road machine with 4 feet of susspension travel, at least 12 gallon tank and humongous aluminum box type panniers. I give up on all you people that just don't care about preserving history. Rant finished. Now carry on.
Thanks for all the input. If I'd have wanted a new F800R, I would've bought one. So I don't plan to replace anything functional or paint anything polka dot. I'm glad to know I don't need to strip the inside of the tank and refinish it. As it stands, it looks like I don't need to do anything to it. I may fix the rattle in the steering damper knob on the handlebars and put some bar end mirrors on it, but other than that, I plan to ride it as perfect as it is, and live off of the Asylum and the Clymers manual to keep it good to go. On a different note, I saw a pristine condition 1976 BMW 2002 in black at a car show yesterday and thought I may have found the car equivalent to my bike. If the price were right, I'd have bought it a friend.
I think that the "butchering" comment is exactly what DaveBall said...a lot of people buy Airheads (and other 70s bikes) and expect them to ride like a modern. Then they proceed to ruin a cool classic by cutting it up trying to make it up to date. No different than what lots of classic musclecar owners do trying to make their 1970 Chevelles perform like a new M3. There are certainly lots of things you can do to make the bike ride and handle a bit better...more modern rear shocks, newer tires and modern brake pads and rotors. None of this takes away the character of the bike. The only mods I made on my R90/6 after purchasing it was R90S handlebars and converted it to R90S dual discs. After doing that I've found that it's more than capable of keeping up with much more modern machines and I'm just enjoying what is arguably the finest motorcycle of it's era.
GeneF, you got it. I am glad that some people understand what these old bikes are really all about. The upgrades you mention make perfect sense. No need to go any further with them as you can't make a modern sport bike out of an airhead. But, a properly sorted one, in the hands of a good rider, can keep up with most newer bikes. You just have to know your bike and how to get the most out of it. Now, if I could get my hands on a nice old BMW 2002 in good condition, it would be in my garage being pampered along with my bikes. I have always loved those cars. I used to race a Datsun in club racing and always drooled over those old Beemers as they blew by me. We were in different classes, but always tried to give them a bit of a run.
I had a 71 2002 with ti carbs and leather seats from the factory for 10 years and got bored with it, it sat under a tree and then in the garage for 2 years befor i basically gave it away, I kind of regret that now....
Neither of my bikes are stock, they all have various changes to help make them work better on today's busy roads, the 1070 bike started as an RT but now looks like a 90s. The problem with airheads is that they are relatively easily and cheaply available as a 70-80s bike and they are perceived as being reliable and easy to work on, so they are taken up by people who have a winter to fill and fancy their hands on a Cafe Racer or Scrambler. If you want to see some bikes that have been butchered, take a look at some of the Cafe racer and Scrambler BMWs that have been converted........Many (but not all) of these bikes have been butchered with very poor workmanship and not much of an idea of what you can and cannot do to an airhead and still have a bike that actually works on the road. It's sad to see the results as a part finished project on EBay, sometimes you see a very highly priced badly built conversion on eBay for megabucks just waiting for the next sucker. To make a good conversion you need to have a deep wallet, a good workshop, real skills and a good aesthetic sense, not many converters have those skills.
Had one just like it! damn I miss that car. as for the butchering idea, I really don't care what people do with their bikes, but some of these are getting rare, and they don't make em anymore. a 77 RS in nice original condition is a pretty nice find, most would know that it's worth something, but it would be very sad for some hack to get that bike and turn it into some backyard experiment. Like I said, not my bike, but just trying to let the poster know that the bike has some potential value, and by "butchering" it, your gonna lose that value real fast, it's only original once. That said, I've done some projects on the past, I built a cafe racer 20 years ago before they were "cool", but I didn't do anything that couldn't be undone, so when I got it out of my system, and wanted a usable bike again, I was able to turn the bike back to original condition with ease. and If I'd known what r80g/s's would be worth today, I would have never beat the crap out of mine for 300K miles! bottom line, ya find a beat up /6 with mismatch paint and such, sure, have fun, build up something unique and enjoy it, but if you run across something mint, original paint and pinstripes, give some thought before you hit it with the grinder, in 5 years you may be kicking yourself, trust me, I've seen it happen.
You'll enjoy my butchered airhead then. No idiot lights, speedo, tacho, indicators, mudguards, fork-brace & mirrors (no brain you're thinking). Forks are hopeless in comparison to the rear but i'll be upping the oil weight & capacity this weekend. Its got the recalled snowflake up front and the rear wheel is tubeless (no, I didn't seal the rim and the tire has held pressure since May). The coils are originals but I've a feeling the front one is suspect. I've spent £900 on it so far and put ~800miles on it since October (OK, there is a speedo but I can't see it on the road well and it tops out at 75mph). I've ridden much newer machines (Tiger, Bandit650, SV650) and I my bike to be as enjoyable as the SV of not more so as I find mine to be more flickable. Comfort-wise? The pegs have to go and I have no issue with the seat after my 1st few rides on it.
To me, this is the difference. Do you have a plan? Do you have the skills to carry it out? Will you finish it (including going back and fixing what isn't right)? Modifying is one thing, butchering quite another.
I'm fairly new to air heads as well. I have no desire to butcher it up. I do plan on dual front brake & maybe a more comfortable seat, but I'll save anything I take off. I think I'll leave the paint as is too. Havana Gold (Brown) is not that great of a color and I'll leave it original with all the character marks it's picked up since '78. I like it for what it is. Not making it what it isn't.
Rego, It's not really to my taste I'm too old for clip ons!, I understand why you have an R45, but they are not that quick! The rear subframe looks kind of spindly. To sort out the carb problem, you might take a look at the float heights, bings seem to be very sensitive to getting this right and if they are too low the bike just stops accelerating.
Oh, I was well aware of the weak engine before I got it. I've ridden a 125 for years and to get anywhere quickly I have to not brake (and lunch a valve or 2). When i've ridden other bikes it's no challenge to go fast, especially on B-roads. The subframe is weak and i've felt on a few occasions the rear end "wobble" when leant over. I may x-brace the 2 sides together in the future. I did have to adjust the right float (the tab was mushed and bowl overflowed), never thought to check the left, the problematic side.
