Do NOT remove the timing chest outer cover without removing all the battery terminal negative lead(s) first. Failure to do so can cause sparks and a diode board or other failure.

Do not install a battery disconnect switch; I find them mostly poor in quality and function.

Do not over-tighten the hollow speedometer screw at the right rear of the transmission, where the battery cable connects to. That screw holds the cable in place, the battery negative wire in place and also provides for transmission and driveshaft venting. To make this an easy disconnect, slot that wire lug just enough to fit over the screw threads….but use the stock washers.

Do NOT use an ohmmeter to test the Hall device in the ignition canister (used on 1981+ models). Most ohmmeters pass too much current through what they are connected to, and may ruin the delicate Hall device. It is probably best not to use the ohmmeter on the ignition black box ("module") under the gas tank. For those inquisitive types, that unit has 7 pins, numbered FROM THE RIGHT SIDE. Pin 1 is for the coil; pin 2 is ground (to circuit point 31); pin 3 is ignition trigger minus (-); pin 4 is ignition/light switch (to circuit point 15); pin 5 is ignition trigger positive (+); pin 6 is the "0" ignition trigger; pin 7 not used. To test a canister for total failure of the Hall element; disconnect the three pin plug in the timing chest outer area. You must remove the very thin round bale wire first. Turn on the ignition, set the bars kill switch to center (RUN position), and using a bent paper clip or other means, repeatedly ground the center pin. Each time that should produce a spark at the spark plugs. To see that spark at the spark plug gap, have the plugs removed, wire caps on them, and plug bodies MUST be grounded. Failure to ground the plugs will almost certainly cause expensive damage; and that damage may not show up for a long time.

The large diodes in the diode board are Motorola 1N3659 (cathode to case) and 1N3659R (anode to case). They are rated at 50 volts, and 30 amperes at 100 degrees Cent. You may use higher rated diodes such as the 1N3660 (100 volts) or 1N3661 (200 volts). Be very careful pressing them in and out. Lead length varies on diodes depending on what the manufacturer decides to do, no matter what the books say! If the lead from the diode is long enough, and it usually is plenty long, FOLD IT over onto the printed circuit board, scraping away the coating over the copper on the board, before soldering. Use a 50-50 solder rather than 60-40; plumbers wire solder is usually 50-50 if you can't find any at an electronics shop. Be sure to use rosin flux.

If the large diodes on the diode board are showing signs of heat distress at the solder joint of that diode wire to the PC board, and IF the wire is NOT folded over; the board will fail, and the best fix is tricky to do, which is to clean the board of coating using a gel paint remover, and then drill a tiny hole through the copper printing material, and add a piece of solid copper wire, soldering it as a folded-over tab to the PC, and at a tightly wrapped connection on the diode lead. Use of 50-50 solder, and not doing the tricky drilling, etc., may also work. You need not recoat.

Measurements can be taken on your Airhead to determine connections and switches condition, with various components turned on and off, particularly the heavy drain of the headlight. You will get a more accurate reading, or, better said, a direct reading, of voltage drops in the system, no subtracting of two readings needed…by attaching your voltmeters positive (+) lead to the battery + post itself, and using the voltmeter negative lead as a test prod, proceeding to various testing points down the system. ANY voltage drop over 1/4th of a volt at a point that is supposed to be at battery voltage, is a cause for investigation. BE SURE your system's ground wires (brown) are firmly secured, as well as battery leads, and so on, before spending time doing any of these tests.

Your headlight shell may contain an unused parking lamp socket. Some may want to put a truly usable lamp there; one that is not as powerful as the headlight, but will do considerable illumination during the daytime, to warn oncoming vehicles; yet reduce over-all electrical consumption, as the headlight can be turned off (various means for that). The lamp suggested is a Philips 12452; a 10 watt quartz lamp. There are others, listed on the author's website. The ignition switch can be rewired, moving one wire, to allow ignition-on, and bike to run, in the PARK position. Otherwise, one needs the Euro controls on the bars. This applies to many models. Do NOT put quartz lamps into the eyebrow of the RT.

People are STILL over-torqueing, expensively, the M6 nut that holds the centrifugal ignition advance to the camshaft tip on the Pre-1979 models. Proper torque is about 4 ftlbs.   Use an INCHpound wrench if you have one. I always do this nut by FEEL.

Around the end of 1972, BMW changed the design and specifications of the automatic advance unit, for the /5 models. Previously the maximum advance was at approximately 2200 rpm. The modification moved the point of maximum advance to about 3200 rpm. Concurrently the position of the actual timing of the POINTS cam ITSELF-to-the-camshaft, and the markings on the flywheel, were all changed. The results of these changes were that the STATIC (S mark) timing of 9 degrees BTDC was UNchanged. The maximum advance was changed. Because of the changes to the points cam, and that the long dwell points cam was overheating Police bikes, the dwell angle was also changed (shortened). If your /5 shows the maximum advance point to be around 2200 and not 3200, you still have the old advance (well, springs) and if you are having problems with 'poor gas' or pinging...you can contact me and I will give you the part numbers and information on changing or modifying your advance unit. One easy change is to put on the later stiffer springs. This information is also on the author's website.

When you purchase tires, be aware that the snowflake wheel rim design is for use with tubes. Many HAVE modified the valve stem hole (or, used a BMW metal valve or similar that FITS the stock hole!) and are using tubeless tires withOUT tubes. I am not at all convinced in the slightest that tubeless tires on WM2 rims are safe. I HATE fixing rear flat tires on my tube tires, BUT, the thought of a high speed sudden air loss crash keeps me from doing something stupid. YOU do what you want! I am referring to BMW boxers, and wheels that originally came with tubes. Do I consider it highly unsafe? No, I do not. What conditions might it be less safe in?….my GUESS is that it would be if you ran into a very large and deep chuckhole in the tarmac, which seriously dented the rim.

MOST tires that are marked Tubeless, are OK for use with tubes. Most manufacturer's allow this, with an associated one speed rating reduction.

To allow slower release of air on tube tires if one gets a puncture, it has been proposed rather often that one could add an O-ring at the valve stem, then run the knurled nut down to the rim. I am not convinced of the wisdom of this approach. It is quite likely that this would be offset negatively by having to need the knurled nut at the rim. The knurled (or hex) nut, as all of you should know, is not necessary, and is only needed AS HELP when fitting a tube into the tire and wheel. If you leave that nut on the wheel, run it up to the valve cover cap...NOT to the rim. I do that myself, as some tubes don't come with the nuts. With the nut at the valve CAP, the tube can shift a tad in the tire, if the tire decides to move a tad on the rim (happens), without ripping the valve assembly out; which causes you to lose all your air VERY suddenly. A SLOWER loss of air is preferable, when riding, for advance notice of a pending flat.

SOME 120-90/18 size tire will fit many of the late 70's-to 1984 airheads. The original size was, of course, 4.00-18. Models from 1981 to 1984 generally will NOT require that right side tophat wheel spacer be changed (original was 9.2mm thick, the thicker one is 10.7mm and is part number 36-31-2-301-737). Models before 1981 probably will require you to change this spacer to that number. This centralizes the tire in the swing arm better, to avoid rubbing. The 120/90/18 size tire works best on the wider 2.75 inch rim used on the RS and RT models. The 120 tire is much harder to remove from the bike, even when fully deflated, and moreso on the drum brake models….the 110 is a better choice for many, if not most, and will give a better handling feel too. HOWEVER, the CLASSIC ride of a BMW is had only with the original type of tire, a soft wall tire like the Continental K112/RB2, in the original sizes. On the front, the stock 3.25-19 tire can be substituted with a 3.50 or a 90/90 or 100/90. Different tires MAY require different tire pressures, and will handle a bit differently. The large size tires generally give a more stable feeling, but are not quite as quick handling. You may not notice the difference except in longer wear. Some early front fender supports (a sort of fork brace) won't allow a wider 100/90 front tire…and can be changed for a later brace.    Modern tires, such as the Bridgestone S-11; Dunlop K491, etc., have stiff sidewalls and will almost for sure require rather considerably more tire pressure than is in your owners book.  Front pressures of 36; rear of 38-42, are typical.

After the 1984 Airheads, in general; the stock size tires seem to work best. However, tire pressures shown in your owners manuals, for ANY year airhead, even for the stock size tires, MAY BE too low for MODERN tires. This leads to mushy handling, shorter life, and less crisp handling. You may have heard that you can determine the proper pressure for the tire, weight, speed, etc., of your type of riding, by measuring carefully the pressure before and instantly after a ride. While true, in general, the change is small, on the order of about a pound or two or sometimes more....and hard to read accurately. SOME tires don't follow this rule of thumb. It use to be called the 10% rule. Following the tire manufacturer's oldest possible recommendations are more likely to be correct. NOTE that many manufacturers are using BMW's pressures nowadays, and NOT their much earlier recommendation. I think this due to lawyers. Tires are designed to be operated at a temperature of around 250 degrees Fahrenheit, at the contact point, quite a bit cooler up the sidewall. Tires have many ratings, and motorcycle tires are now becoming more compliant with the type of ratings that the car tire manufacturer's have had to put on the sidewalls for some years. There is a letter code for load, a letter code for speed rating....and some are coding for wear. Car tires are coded for temperature and wear/traction, and motorcycles are beginning to have this sort of thing. The 10% rule was that after a decent ride length (20 miles at cruising speed?), one quickly measured the tire pressure quite accurately, comparing that reading with the reading before you began riding. The tire pressure should be Increased 10%. If too low an increase, Decrease pressure and retry from cold; if too high an increase, Increase pressure and retry from cold. The increase from riding was supposed to be due to flexing effects, and some other things. Use this rule with caution and a bit of skepticism.

You may be surprised to learn that the difference between tires of various speed ratings is SOMETIMES just a matter of tread depth! Often there are other differences, of course. As a GENERAL rule, if you plan on purchasing a tire, getting a tire rated for your particular driving speeds is more likely to get you a longer-wearing tire. Tire heat kills tires. Deep tread...all other factors kept the same...means more heat from tread squirming. High speed means LOTS more heat. S rated tires are OK for occasional spurts to 112mph H for 130; V for over 130; and the crotch rockets use Z tires for over 149mph. Adding a tube to a tubeless rated tire will reduce the speed rating one position. It is NOT UNUSUAL to purchase an S or H rated tire instead of a V rated tire, and get more miles before it wears out!

BMW has used several types of wheel seals, felts, retainers, etc. over the years. Some of these are interchangeable, some are just updated versions. Variances exist between the disc brake and drum brake wheels and spoke wheels, and even between left and right side parts, sometimes on the same vehicle! There were some real odd-ball situations, such as some from 1978. If anyone gets confused, after making a diligent effort (first please!), to identify the proper seal, etc., contact me with the model, type brakes, which wheel, type of wheel. This situation ended in the early 1980's.

The original 1976 and before spark plug caps were 1000 or 1200 ohms, not the later 5000. It really does not make a big difference on a stock machine if you use 5000 on an early airhead. HOWEVER, for the PRE-1981 machines, that do NOT have electronic ignition, the use of 1000 or 1200 ohm caps gives a slight advantage. NEVER use resistor wires and never use resistor spark plugs. You must NOT use anything but 5000 ohm caps on 1981+ models which have BMW electronic Ignition.  Do not ever use resistor spark plugs.  See the Author's website on the various spark plugs, spark plug caps, etc....and the 'new' problem with Bosch plugs.

Normal shifting, let alone hard use, can be hard on the U-joint bolts at the rear of your transmission. If those bolts loosen up at all, they will continue to do so, and eventually they will let go. When the U-joint becomes disconnected or left hanging by only two (or, one) of the bolts, it will rip the entire rear end off your transmission, causing you a real bad day. I have personally seen this happen on a R60 and a R75/5. The bolts on the early models were to be torqued at 17-19ftlbs, for the 1977-1980 models the old specifications were 28-31ftlbs. From 1981 on, the factory says 29ftlbs. In 1983 BMW stopped using the lockwashers under the bolts, the reason was that when a lockwasher partially broke and got thrown away from the bolt by centripetal force, the bolt was now able to get, eventually, quite loose, and then would get much looser, much faster; and, the other 3 would soon loosen up. BMW started using a new heated treated M8x13 bolt, and the part number is 26-11-1-242-297; this part is 1.5mm shorter than the original ones that used the lockwashers. I HIGHLY recommend any lockwashers be tossed and the shorter bolt used!! The longer original bolt must NOT be used without lockwashers. These various bolts supposedly stretch when they are fully torqued to specifications. They are supposedly not to be reused, but I am well aware that lots of folks, including some shops, and ME, reuse them without any, EVER, problems. The only easy way to tell if a bolt might have stretched is to screw one in by hand (just your fingers). If they screw in easily, they are likely not stretched and likely can be reused. In any event, install the bolts AFTER cleaning the male and female threads (must NOT be oily) and DO use Locktite in the medium strength, which is BLUE. I repeat again: do NOT use the original 14.5mm length bolts and lockwashers! … DISREGARD any parts person at your BMW dealership that tells you BMW has gone back to the longer bolts and lockwashers…that is NOT True!! Torqueing these bolts has proven to be a bit of a pain for some. .Your torque wrench and socket just won't 'get in there'. BMW makes a tool for this purpose, the part number ends in -560. This tool....a piece of Germanic Craftsmanship (NOT! Pretty!), is really just a 3/8 drive piece of round material, with a slot, and a hacksawed off part of a 12 point 10 mm size box-end wrench, pressed and welded into that slot!!! It is perfectly OK to use the 10mm ring spanner (flat box wrench) that BMW put in the stock tool kit, and give each bolt a 'good grunt'. Loctite BLUE first! However…if you use such an adapter on your torque wrench, you are making the torque wrench LONGER by the length of the center-to-center distance of the tool. You will have to calculate the effect, for your own torque wrench. There may be other sources for this adapter tool, such as Ed Korn. A photo of the original BMW tool is on the author's website.

In 1985 BMW boxers came with a new type of rocker arm assembly with adjustable end play, by shims. The purpose was to quiet the valve noises. IMHO this modification did only a little and costs a whole bunch to convert to. Between the beginning of the /5, until 1985, there were a number of changes in the valve gear, most of which can be installed, one at a time in many instances. In addition, at the same time, BMW decided that the addition of some relatively hard silicon rubber pads/inserts into strategic places on the fins, at top and bottom of the cylinders, would also quiet things, by stopping 'metal ringing' of the fins...sort of like hitting a bell- that type of ringing. These DO help, and are cheap, and have no effect on cooling, maybe even help due to turbulence added. The inserts are under #11-12-1-337-818. 24 are required.

For those of you that feel that cost is no object, ever, for your BMW, the entire kit for the rocker conversion for your older BMW is #11-33-9-057-699. Please be advised you will may need new support bushings, part is #11-12-1-261-405. There are some complications in using the kit, so ask. Depending on what year and what is actually in your airhead, you may elect to do nothing, or to add some or all of the various changes. One of the simple ones is the later pushrods.

Some of you may have occasion to remove your rocker shafts, perhaps for a valve job, gasket or O-ring at the cylinder base, whatever. BE ADVISED that if you assemble some year models of these shafts incorrectly, you will lose oiling to your upper end! Rather than a long paragraph here on identifying which is which, simply follow these instructions: The correct assembly is for the off-center punch-prick marks on the shafts, which are on one end only, to be ON TOP, FACING OUTWARDS. Various shafts have been made. If punch prick is centered, it is on top; same for discolored center area.

Brake squealing: All sorts of fixes are touted, including glues and pastes, and BMW car type anti-squeal backing plates (very Unsafe if pads are near new thickness);... and some will work for some time, as will changing to a soft pad lining material. While different models of our airheads are specified with different brake material, they are ALL designed to be used rather vigorously....specifically the design is for the worst case conditions! To help avoid squealing you need to use your brakes at speed or down a steep mountain pass, or pulling a trailer, carrying the wife...etc. Gingerly using the front brakes, which many seem afraid to actually use vigorously, is a PRIME reason for squealing. If you seldom use your brakes hard, and mostly just use them kind of gently, the SURFACE of the pads will HARDEN. This will cause squealing. MOST of the time, NOT ALWAYS HOWEVER, if I hear a BMW near me that is squealing, I usually guess that the rider does not use his front brakes much. Rear discs sometimes squeal too. Much more on the author's website. But….if you remove the pads, a very easy job, you can place them on an upturned piece of fine grit sandpaper on a flat piece of glass...whatever.....and make even-pressured figure eight motions, and remove a SLIGHT amount of material. Adding a SMALL DAB of anti-seize compound to the CENTER of the pad metal backing when reinstalling, may help also; I usually advise against this.

Some models of BMW's, those with 'swinging ATE calipers', have an adjustable cam at the bottom of the wheel brake cylinder assembly; inside a capped area. You can use an ink marking pen on the disc, and adjust the cam to give equal erasure as that brake is applied. A very specific article is on this Airheads website on its adjustment.

When cleaning and lubricating the starter motor engagement parts (often called a Bendix Drive), use a medium to light grade of SILICONE grease.

Front fork filling varies by model number. Back in 1983, BMW had a service bulletin about fork levels. Fork oil should be replaced approximately every 10K or so. BE SURE to drain WELL, moving the forks up and down a bit to be sure. Let them drain overnight!:::Amounts shown here are the latest corrected amounts for wet refill..that is, the fork has NOT been disassembled and cleaned and dried.

Model cc per leg

MOST models to 1980: 235
R45, R65,R65LS, R80ST: 190

Not noted models to 1984: 220
R80R and R100R: 410

R80GS and R100GS: RIGHT leg SAE10 and 440, LEFT leg SAE 15 and 410
From 1985, the R80, and R65 from 1986: 300
From 1985, R80RT; R100RS, and from 1987 the R100RT: 320.

You will find that a 5 weight or 7-1/2 wt oil is about correct, with a 10 wt too stiff, except as noted.

CC means cubic centimeters, and is interchangeable for our purposes with ml (milliliter). I highly recommend the use of a graduated flask...or...at least a known accurate container...when installing the correct amount of oil. Plastic graduated flasks are available cheaply. You can also use an old graduated BMW fork oil container. You can, on some models, such as a R100RS or RT from 1983/4, measure the oil level quite accurately with a piece of welding rod, about 1/8th inch diameter, inserted to the very bottom of the fork (you may have to jiggle the rod some to get it over the internal ridge and down to the bottom). The proper depth of oil is 11.8 inches. Other models use different depths, and some have no specfication. The R65 for 1980 and prior is 3/4 to 2"; and other early models are 1=1/4^th to 2-1/4^th inches. These are with fully extended forks. You many find books saying that up to 1977 the large bore bikes are 437 mm (17-1/4^th inches) from top surface of fork top plug to top of the oil itself. Then, to 1980, 50 mm above the damper piston. Some books say the R45 and R65 up to 1985, and the LS and ST, are 35 mm +- 15 mm, above the damper piston; and the /7 and to 1984 on the other bikes, and the G/S and RT…all to 1984….are 300 mm. All this is a different way of either measuring, or of the same thing.

Those of you who are being thrifty and want to purchase less tools, may want to know of the following substitutions: 19 mm, use 3/4 inch; 13 mm TRY 1/2 inch; 11 mm use 7/16 inch. For the 27 mm locking nut on the two sided driveshaft models, you are undoubtedly already aware that due to the thinness of the nut, you really need to flat-grind the end of the 27 mm socket. However, you may also use a 1-1/16th inch socket. You also may need to grind the outer diameter of the 27 mm or 1-1/16" socket...and a 12 point socket may work out best. NOTE!!!!…..BMW has lately been selling bolts and nuts under the original part number that have different sized heads! This may be fine for K bikes, with, for example, 18 mm heads, but this means an extra tool for an airhead tool tray. Watch for this potential problem. I have seen it where original 19mm becomes 18; 17 becomes 16. The dealer MIGHT still have the original head sizes in the same box.

Due to new regulations in Europe, BMW has dropped cadmium plating on many fittings. If installing studs and bolts into aluminum, be careful, you may need to use antiseize; and might need to change torque settings.

In 1970 and again in 1971, BMW/Bing made some fairly radical changes in the Bing carburetors, which were 'new things' back then. Particularly they had problems with irregular idling, poor starting when cold, and surging. The details are too lengthy for this posting, but the particularly BAD carbs are: 64/32/3 (left); and 64/32/4 (right). The first decent updated carbs have slash 9 for left and slash 10 for right. Some intermediate carbs, without the full fixes were stamped "C" on the dome top. The author's personal website has intimate details on these early carbs in their own separate article.

The proper plug to use when plugging the cylinder head smog pipe area near the exhaust port is a 16 mm car oil drain plug.

It is possible for a really bad battery to cause the GEN (alternator) lamp to come on...so before digging really deep, check that the battery is OK.

On the later models, below the left pushrod tubes, on the engine cases, will likely be found a smoothed flat area, that may contain stamped characters. There seems to be a difference in what these characters indicate. I think only the factory knows the true story on these on the lower line of characters. In general, however, the top line will indicate the week and year, in two digits each, of manufacture, and sequencing number following that

In 1997 I sent Oak (Orlando Okleshen, a well-recognized Airhead expert) a Purolator and a Fram oil filter, both of the hinged type, both were sold and boxed for BMW airheads with oil coolers (the part number ends in -575). I asked Oak to determine what he...and friends and fellow engineers...thought of these filters. I'd already made up my mind, which they agreed with NOT ACCEPTABLE! Since our bikes use full flow filters, and ALL oil MUST pass through the filter, any problems with filters is of vast concern. Oak sent back quite a bit of information on the filters, recommending AGAINST the Fram.

The genuine BMW oil filters are very likely good for 9-12000 miles, over a years time, so you may well get 2-3 oil changes in before changing the filter, a pain on the faired models with the coolers. Broken in engines of reasonable mileage usually can go for these extended changes without any harm at all. When changing filters, it is a very good idea, if you have not been exposed to the information before, to read the multiple articles in our club's publication Airmail, on: The $2000 O-ring; and, on the author's website in particular. Especially see articles #49-52D.

A common problem is to have the voltmeter on your BMW fluctuate, more than normal anyway. Perhaps it drops as much as a volt or more when the brakes or turn signals are used...perhaps the GEN light glows FAINTLY at normal riding rpms'..noticeable especially at night. I suggest you remove the headlight and clean the fuse contacts and fuses themselves too. Bad batteries can also cause these problems, of course. Brushes that are close to needing replacement, as well as little bits of electrical connection corrosion in the rest of the bike, can also cause these symptoms. NOTE that the BMW fairing voltmeters are NOT the same as the CAR voltmeters; they look the same, but the airhead voltmeters are much more highly dampened. Use of car voltmeters will cause them to swing madly about with use of such as the turn signals, or even road irregularities. Digital meters are available in 2-1/16" size, that fit and work very well.

Airheads built up to about 1984 need clutch spline greasing at about 15K. Going over 20K on them usually results in seeing lots of rust on the spline, a sign of wearing the spline out needlessly. Sometime around 1990 (??), BMW began plating the shaft, and 30K greasing intervals may be possible. I am not totally convinced.

If you CANNOT turn off the engine with the key...the problem is likely a shorted diode inside the HEADLIGHT relay!!

Alternator brushes are about 16-1/2 mm long when new. While there have been minor changes in the brush holders over the years, a common problem is to let those brushes get too short, and then the leaf-coil spring on the brush will bottom out on the brush holder, and you will begin getting strange charging problems. It is best to replace the brushes when they are around half worn. An article is on this website.

The factory preload specification on the wheel bearings of our models with the so-called tapered bearings (often called Timken style), used up through the 1984 models, is too tight...and in practice the factory has often shipped the wheels with the preload set WAY too high. This WILL lead to worn/scorched bearings and races/shells. The worst case would be a seizure at speed.. Preload measurements are made WITHOUT grease seals, and with cleaned and OILED, not greased, bearings and races. The book limits are 15-30Ncm, which is about 15.6 to 31.2 INCH OUNCES....NOT foot pounds! I have found that 15-25 inch ounces is better...and in fact I prefer the lower edge of that. Doing your own preload measuring and adjustment, and changing or modifying the one shim involved, is NOT at all difficult, although moreso on the earliest models of /5/6. You should already be cleaning and regreasing your wheel bearings and installing new grease seals, at EVERY or every other tire change. Maintained correctly, your bearings will last a lifetime. BTW: you do NOT need a torque wrench, but you DO need some carefully machined adapter spacers that make up for the forks not being there with the wheels off…although the preload work can be done by hand feel….but it is more difficult to do correctly that way, and is hardly precise.

Genuine BMW control cables, after the 70's, are lined with a nylon type material and should not be oiled or greased. DO oil the end bits.

Maintaining windshields and visors, which are made of various plastics, should be done carefully, rather than sloppily as usually done. Clean your plastic with the ring-less palm of your hand...and water with tad of liquid dish soap. Do not use a rag. Do not use solvents on the plastic...although use of kerosene on a rag, briefly, to remove tar, is OK. NEVER use Windex or other cleaners, particularly if they contain ammonia. Some folks have been finishing a cleaning job using Johnson's Pledge, and it seems to do a reasonable job. A better job is done by Meguiar's, type 10 and type 17 covers basic needs. The final part is applying the polish, which usually contains a small amount of a wax substance that tends to fill-in fine scratches. When applying these cleaners and polishes, be sure to use a Turkish towel type rag...a great way to use old bathtowels...and NEVER use circular motions....they can leave fine marks that will blind you when riding into the sun. For SERIOUS scratches, you have little choice: replacement, or fix. Scratches that are just feelable with your fingernail can almost always be fixed by using superfine grades of sanding paper from your hardware or paint store. I prefer "wet or dry" paper, in grades from 600 to 1600. You may have to go to an automotive paints supplier to find grades above 1000. Use light to moderate pressure, NEVER with a power tool, and lots of water.

References to the author's website:  http://bmwmotorcycletech.info

Snowbum
ABC #1843