Since having neck surgery last year, it bothers my neck to ride very long on my '87 R80S. The bike has low narrow Euro bars and I purchased some medium height Flanders BMW bars to have installed. It doesn't look like I am going to be able keep the S-fairing as the bars are too tall and will hit the underside of the the fairing. I would like to keep the oil temp and voltage gauges on the bike. Does anyone have any suggestions for mounting the two small gauges?
I suppose your bike is alredy a collection of parts, I'm not familiar with an R80S model? So sell the S fairing and if you want a fairing buy something that fits the larger bars. Most full size fairings require larger bars. The RS fairings use a short bar but the RT bars use a long bar. There is a stand alone pod that mounts to the top fork clamp that holds the clock or the Volt Meter. These are the brackets for a pair of meter pods. They replace the washers under the fork top nuts. Notice the fit around the extra small bolt head in the fork clamp also. These are gauge pods mounted on the brackets. This is the OEM system. Some of these parts may be available at the dealer but no telling at what price. They show up on auction sites and in flea markets. You may decide to make something of your own.
I believe the bike started life as an RS. Previous owner bumped it to 1000cc and converted to the S style fairing. I like the setup in your pictures, but have done some searching and haven't found any available. Anyone else have any other suggestions?
It may be that you actually have the brackets. I think they are also used to mount the S fairing? But there is another way to mount the S fairing. It can be mounted on an RS bracket. Since your bike started as an RS it may be this is the way they mounted the S fairing. An S fairing turns with the handlebars. When mounted on the RS bracket it becomes frame mounted and points straight ahead when the wheel is turned. Gets confusing I guess.
You can also use VDO pods to mount the gauges. If you send me your email I can send a picture of them.
In the US an RS would have been 1000cc from factory. The stock gauge pods are an option. NLA but around. It's actually 3 pieces and they can have cracks on the interlocking rims and back cover. I have a pair of the brackets or two sitting around. You can also get gauge pods in most auto stores/speed shops. mount on the stock brackets. or you can go different gauges. You can get very tiny digital voltmeters. Stick them anywhere. I think you will find the same in temp gauges..but more costly.
The BMW voltmeter is known to be very inaccurate. Most people replace them with a aftermarket brand. On my RS I replaced it with a Motometer Voltmeter that I bought at Auto Zone, on my R I bought the one offered from Aerostich and JB Welded it to the plastic cover on the fork. You can stick it anywhere. When the BMW clock gave up the ghost on my RS I replaced it with a Motometer oil pressure gauge. Some people prefer the stock look. Be prepared to pay high $$$$ even for used gauges. The stock pods are on ebay here and there, some people have them flying around their spare parts... Kind of depends on you and what you want to do and what is important to you.
I put /7 USA bars on an R90S a while back. It looked ridiculous, but we were able to leave the "S" fairing in place.
