Page 14 – Airheads Beemer Club

Bike Storage Preparation

It’s that time of year again, so I thought I would post the storage procedures that are contained in the 1978 BMW Owner’s Manual for those of you that don’t have access to such. The following is a reproduction of the storage procedures specified by BMW on page 35 of the 1978 BMW Owner’s Manual:

If you intend to lay up your motorcycle during the cold season of the year or for a long period, the following precautions will help to guard against corrosion and superficial damage:
Drain the oil when the engine is warmed up, clean the oil mesh strainer and oil sump.
Add corrosion inhibiting oil up to the lower mark on dipstick (app. 1 Liter = 1.05 US quarts). Run the engine for about 1 minute off-load. Remove the oil filter and close the empty filter chamber. When storing for more than 6 months, drain oil from gear-box, swing arm and final drive and add corrosion inhibiting oil. Contents: gearbox 0.4 liter (0.4 US quart), swing arm 0.05 liter (0.05 US quart). Place the machine on its center stand, engage 2nd gear and turn the engine at a fast idle for a few seconds.

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Centerstand Repairs

Owners of early BMW twins are divided into two sorts; those whose centre stand bolts have failed and those whose bolts are going to fail soon. The root of the problem is that on the pre-square air filter models the stand pivots on bushes retained by a pair of bolts which screw directly into the frame. The continued heaving on and off the stand eventually loosens the bolts and the threads in the frame will start to fret. Retapping the frame to the standard thread (M10x1.25) and replacing the bolts delays the evil day, but when I found a bolt lying under the bike only days after doing this, I knew it was time to look for a better solution.

Wheel Bearings

These procedures may seem complicated at first, but in reality it takes only minutes, once you have done it previously. MUCH of the information will not, perhaps, apply to YOUR motorcycle, but it all does need to be read, and understood.

BMW Airhead motorcycles are relatively tolerant to abuse and poor maintenance. Our human bodies are not tolerant to being dumped on the road at speed from a motorcycle. Of all the items that are safety related, the mechanically most important are the condition of the wheels, tires (tubes if any), brakes, wheel bearings. For non-mechanical, well, of sorts, one could add the importance of the rider’s clothing, and, in particular, the rider’s condition and competence/skill.

Discussion of ‘Tank Slappers’–Part 1

Discussion of Tank Slappers–Part 1 (Snowbum) Since the original publishing of the discussion about tank slappers”, I finished writing an extensive article on that and allied subjects. This was after accumulating a very large number of tests on a large number of BMW Airheads, mine, and customer’s bikes. The article is on my website. Here […]

Type V Fork Rebuild Tips

When I did research on rebuilding the forks on my 88 R100 RT, I found very little information regarding the “Type V” forks on the monoshock RT and RS’s. And, what little I found turned out to have a significant amount of incorrect information. I’m writing this to be used in companion with other information. Clymer indicates the wrong damper rod assembly for the Type V forks. In addition, the exploded views of the forks by both BMW and in the Clymer book are missing an O ring on the damper rod assembly. The BMW fiche indicates only one O ring located on the damper rod; however, there is an O ring on the valve, which is not shown. This O ring on the valve is the same O ring that is on the damper rod, so just double the order. Since I had a hard time trying to figure out what parts to order, I have included a parts list at the end of this article.

Throwout Bearing Maintenance

Sure… The reason I suggest doing this, is due to the nature of the layout of the rollers in the bearing. Before the ’74’s (/5 and earlier), BMW used a ball bearing throw-out assembly. They went back to this after 1984. If you referrence a price list, you will see that the ’74 to’84 roller set up is a LOT cheaper. The rollors are laid out radially in a circle.This insure that as the rollers attempt to roll, one end will go faster than the other and will scrape on the two “thrust pieces” on each side.

Flywheel Removal Warning

seal..etc., it is CRITICAL that the crankshaft be BLOCKED from moving forward. If you do NOT block the crankshaft, you run the risk of the crankshaft moving forward a small amount. This can result in a HIDDEN thrust washer moving downwards and off its two locating pegs. If that happens, the washer will not align back on those two pegs as you tighten the 5 flywheel (or clutch carrier) bolts, and you run the risk of MAJOR DAMAGE to the thrust washer….and even MAJOR damage to the engine casting. The crankshaft will begin to freeze up as you tighten those 5 bolts. There is another similar thrust washer located rearward of the engine casting, and it can also come off its pegs. I install it oiled, which acts like mild glue when installing the flywheel (clutch carrier) You REALLY do NOT want any of these problems happening. If you forgot or did not know about blocking the crankshaft, and you want to know IF the crankshaft has moved, there is a link near the end of this article, which will give you the information. The dimensions need to be as shown, in order to know that the crankshaft has not moved. The only way to see and get the hidden thrust washer back in place, if it has moved off the pegs,

Fuel system. Tank cleaning & protection. Premium vs. Regular. Fuel additives. Fitting other tanks/seats. Rusted/frozen seat hinge screws. Throttle & choke cables. Fuel hoses. Tank sealants/liners.

Tank cleaning & protection methods. Premium vs. regular. Fuel additives.
Fitting other tanks…seats & fitment with various tanks. Pesky
rusted/frozen screws on seat hinges. Throttle & choke cables.
FUEL HOSES. Tank sealants & liners.

No Spark on a /7

I have a ’78 R100/7. It’s my first BMW. It broke down a few weeks ago and I never got it started again. The problem is I have no spark. The local shop is no help unless you bring the bike in and I don’t trust them. I don’t think it would be a coil because there’s no spark on either side.

Double Row Timing Chains for Dummies

YOU CAN DO IT. You will want to replace everything. Don’t do a rinky dink job that will need to be redone sooner rather than later. Replace the chain $35, crankshaft nose bearing $10 and sprocket $65. Also replace the tensioner $10 and spring $2, and all gaskets and seals $17. These are 2003 prices. I got everything from Motobins and Eurotech. I found that the most worn piece was the crankshaft sprocket. The chain and bearing actually do not wear that much, but that sprocket is half the size of the cam sprocket and made of some soft stuff. The teeth get narrow and pointy. The gap between the teeth gets really wide as the sprocket wears. That’s where most of the slop in the old chain comes from.

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