I bought an 86 K100 RS And was stupid enough to think I could start riding it after an fluid change. I was wrong, I found many things wrong with it and here is a log of what it took to get it safe.

After I got it home I started a full fluid change and rear spline lube. The rear fluids and spline lube was no problem. The forks however had been raised in the yokes by 15mm. This figure had been noted in the manual that came with the bike along with lots of hi-light pen markings in the manual in the forks section. As they had been raised like that I had to remove the console and bars to get the end caps off. Later on I saw a black stain inside the front guard on the left hand side, so there must have been a small disaster there prior to me.

I decided to put the forks back to normal instead. I ran into butchered allen head bolts on the left side yoke and the console. I removed the fairing and removed the bottom yoke bolts with big vice gripes. I drove a torx head into the console bolt and got it out.

Now we set the fork height back to normal and went to replace the oil. The left fork drain bolt came out with the thread, it had 2 washers on it? I retapped the holes all the way through, flushed it out and got longer bolts, fixed.

I got the fairing back on, got some insurance over the Internet and took it out for run with my son. He's got a new F800R. I found the bike was akin to ridding wet spaghetti, but the engine was fine as was fuel economy. I pulled the rear shocky and the rebuild shop confirmed it was an original untouched 86 BMW shock.

Since the rear shock is away for rebuild, I figured I'd try and get the gearbox out and lube the spline in there and check the clutch plate. I got the swing arm out and found the rubber boot on the clutch rod is split open around the top. It's been like that for some time, it's really grubby in there and it looks like oil has been blown back along the bikes drive line over time. Looking at the swing arm and rear drive compared to other alloy on the bike, they are very dirty and stained.

Can I just scrub them with soap impregnated steel wool after a degrease or should I be using some sort of alloy cleaner? It looks like I'll need more parts to finish this job so I'll have 2 weeks at least to do it till the parts arrive.

If the parts are not corroded, be careful when cleaning, not to remove the factory applied finish if possible.
Doing so will require refinishing with some kind of coating to prevent the freshly cleaned aluminum from quickly turning dull grey & ugly. Generally, home applied re finishing is not as durable as the factory anodize or whatever it is.
My machine was hopelessly beyond salvage, that way, after sitting outside in salt & sand for many years, I had to scrub everything with phosphoric acid, purple cleaner and wire brushes, then re coated with automotive wheel paint.
I could have done better but given the overall condition, these were my choices
Regards, ibj...

I was concerned steel wool would mark something. I'll try stuff out on the underside of the swingarm maybe and see what it does to it. Cheers

After you get tge grunge off I use BLITZ it's an aluminium cleaner mainly used by the truckies to keep the kangaroo blood from staining the bullbars. You need a few applications and mostly it's clean then you can use a brass brush and WD40 or CRC and that will bring back the new look.
KYB make a really good clear finish if you have a look through Halo's thread on his resto you will see the results using the KYB (at least I think KYB is right.)

Have a look at any of MikeP's posts and you can wee what can be done.

I have used steel wool and sunlight soap with success and have recently tried Mikes recommendation of WD40 and a slow brass brush in a hand drill.

I got everything out so I can have a try and see what works best for me. There is a lot of degreasing to do first.

I had trouble getting the clutch out, I think the locating pins were stuck, but it's out now. The clutch is down to 4.6mm so I'm going to get a new plate with new bolts and washers. The rear seal was also leaking and I had trouble getting the O Ring out. It was more like metal than rubber, it finally snapped and fell out.

Is there anything else in here that is a must do while it's apart? Gearbox seals look ok.

[edit]
The main nut is a use once self locker and must also be replaced.
[/edit]

I'm guessing the black thing in this pic is the rear seal. It also seems very brittle. That outer ring thing doesn't have to come off does it? Can't find the rear seal in the manual.

The rear seal may appear hard because of the material it's made of.
Your new seal when you get it needs to be installed not quite so deep into the aluminum housing. It needs to be left sticking out above the surface of the aluminum a thumbnail thickness or a little more. Look for more specifics around the forum. I'm not sure about the following, again, check with the others. If the new seal is made of tephlon, it needs to be put back with the sealing surface and the neck of the clutch housing completely clean and dry. NO lubricant of any kind. If it is not tephlon, you would lube it lightly with motor oil upon assembly.
Like I said, the above is just an "I think so"......be sure to check with some of the others and read previous posts for the correct info. There is a Service bulletin about the height of the seal installation.

The seal is the metal thing with the rubber attached. It all has to come out. The bit inside the red circle. The cheapest seal is OEM from Motobins, you can get them localy but they will try to charge $80 and if you really crack up the generous bastards will let you have it for $50 and I can get them for $33 which is still more than Motobins including postage.

$30.60 + shipping from Max bmw

So that whole part pulls out? They got a big arrow on the metal bit, I thought it screwed in

I got a fair bit on this parts list so far, I couldn't afford to buy it all here, probably be Motorworks for this one. It seems to be taking about 2 weeks to arrive and there's no rush to reassemble it. Bits for the front-end and tappets would start arriving next week to keep me busy. Thank god for the bike jack, I can still move it around while it's in bits

The arrow only represents the direction of engine rotation that this particular seal is designed to work with. You can just pry it out with a screwdriver but you must be very careful not to let the pry bar get out near the edge where it could scratch or gouge the aluminum housings. Once you get it bent up some, it should come out easily.
As I remember, the new one goes in very easily.....just have to be careful and attentive that you get it lightly started straight & even and don't get it tilted sideways. As I see the OEM part in the pic I posted it says it is tephlon.
My information is that any lubricant on the tephlon sealing lip surface will cause it to leak but again you need to consult the group on that point

Cheers, I've got a seal puller to get it out but I'll leave it there till the new one arrives in a couple of weeks. I ordered everything from moto-bins and they say to soak it in oil for 2 hours before installing. Just thinking of making a tool to install it so it's left .5mm proud. Just saw a pic of a tool made out of wood that would do it. But right now I'm off to get about 5 gallons of degreaser

RobinW wrote: But right now I'm off to get about 5 gallons of degreaser

But no one apart from you is ever going to see down there.

One word of warning. Well a few actually.

Be very careful of the gear position switch cover. It will be very brittle and it will break if you look at it for too long. Just very casual sideways glances only.

Unless you absolutely have to, do not try to remove it. It will break. You will have to buy a new one or at best will have to cover it in some waterproof scum that RickG can recommend.

rossko wrote:

RobinW wrote: But right now I'm off to get about 5 gallons of degreaser

But no one apart from you is ever going to see down there.

One word of warning. Well a few actually.

Be very careful of the gear position switch cover. It will be very brittle and it will break if you look at it for too long. Just very casual sideways glances only.

Unless you absolutely have to, do not try to remove it. It will break. You will have to buy a new one or at best will have to cover it in some waterproof scum that RickG can recommend.

Big +1 for the brittle stuff.

If you feel the surface of the clutch basket where the seal runs with a finger nail (rub the nail over the surface as if you intend to scratch it) and if you feel any sort of irregularity then you need to install the seal .5 -1mm proud of the surface. If the surface feels ok and there is just a shiny ring then it's ok to put the seal all the way till its level. If in doubt leave it out .5mm

RobinW wrote: But right now I'm off to get about 5 gallons of degreaser

Wurth brake cleaner is cheap and is a better degreaser than most.

Yeah, no need to pull the change switch but it and everything else in there was thick with goop. Even a short bristle paint brush wouldn't move the stuff, had to don the gloves and rub it out with my fingers. Looks a whole lot cleaner now. I think it's been like that for a long long time

I also ordered a new nut that holds the clutch carrier on. I thought I read someplace that they are a use once and discard type thing. Better to be safe than sorry over a couple of bucks.

I'll have a bash at cleaning the oil stains off the swing arm tomorrow. Now it's degreased, the stains are worst down the back around the rear drive flange. It's obviously been blown down there.

MikeP wrote:

RobinW wrote: But right now I'm off to get about 5 gallons of degreaser

Wurth brake cleaner is cheap and is a better degreaser than most.

Don't know that brand Mike. I got a 5litre container, a squirt bottle and 4 x 400ml spray cans of degreaser for AU$25, about 16 pounds. I don;t expect to use all that for this job, I'd just run out of the stuff here

But while your there Mike, can I use the same cleaner for the alloy and the chrome parts?

I'd be surprised if Wurth don't have suppliers in Oz.

It's around eleven quid for 3 litres here. Compared to degreasers, brake cleaner evaporates so it doesn't need to be rinsed off. Just agitate with an old paint brush and wipe the dirt away.

Admittedly, the coated casings here are easier to clean:





But this one was a bare version:



As for cleaning the outer casings, I don't believe that they are given any protection from new, anodising or otherwise:









Slow speed hand drill with a brass wire brush and WD40 will lift the surface dirt. A squirt of WD40 will help the resulting goo to wipe away and then thoroughly degrease (to prevent dirt sticking again). Finally I apply a good quality polish to give some protection.

See. Told ya Mike had the answers.

They look great. I don't think I've ever seen a brass wire brush apart from dremel bits, then again I've never looked for one. Cheers Mike, I've have a look around tomorrow.

Wurth products may be available here, my purchases for stuff you basically throw away are always price driven


And that nut on the clutch carrier is a use once lock nut, according to the manual.

RobinW wrote:
And that nut on the clutch carrier is a use once lock nut, according to the manual.

Robin, it is. So is the collar and the clutch cover screws/washers.

I've used the clutch carrier instead of a special tool to seat the output-shaft seal. I used the throw-away collar and nut to draw the carrier onto the shaft, thus pressing the seal home uniformly. Then just fit the new O-ring, collar and nut to the correct torque and job's a good 'un.

Incidentally, locking the clutch assembly in place when undoing and doing-up the various nuts, bolts and screws, I just used a block of wood between the carrier and the bell-housing. None of the bits should be overly tight if the correct torque values have been used on assembly.

What do you mean by the collar? The washer the goes against the O Ring? It's called a shouldered spacer in the manual.

Collar, spacer, washer: Same horse, different jockey.

Cheers, it doesn't say to replace it in the manual but when they come back to me with postage I'll add one anyway.

[edit]
They don't list them by the looks. The only place I see them listed is MAX BMW.
09 11 21 1 460 696 COMPRESSION RING 0.01 1 $4.38

I'll see what the local BMW shop wants for it.

I think the book has a special procedure for final installation of the new nut/collar combo. Tighten to the first high spec, then loosen and re-tighten to a lesser final spec.
I'm wondering if this peer is using the factory manual available in this forum or the less complete Clymer thing???

That's for K100 bikes, K75 bikes are not like that.

Where is the factory manual? got an address?

Avenger GT wrote:http://www.flyingbrick.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=106&Itemid=153&lang=en

Thanks Avenger, I found that I already had it on the hard drive.

Thanks to MikeP for the advise, I got hold of a brass brush and cleaned all the crap off the swingarm. It's looking good, gearbox is next

Since I've cleaned up the swing arm, I had a look at the bearings and one is toast. I got the 2 shields out intact from both sides but there appears to be a grease retainer or something stopping the roller from coming out.

First question is: How do I get it out with the race, I don't have any of the hammer type tools they mention, is there another way?

Second question is: even though it's labelled as a 540619, can I just install a normal 2 piece 30203 tapered roller bearing which is also 17X40X13,25.

Searching google for a 540619 bearing just returns BMW parts.

i was told that there is a slight difference in width between the 2 types ...im heading towards the one thats available ...it should fitt up ok

fingers crossed

The only cross reference I have for that one is for an FAG 32203A but that may be the bearing that BMW use and I have tried to get here and it isn't available in Australia.

The 32203A also has that lip on the inner race and is also made for BMW. I don't think that lip is really required and I found elsewhere that a normal 30203 17x40x13.5mm works fine and is easier to regrease. I see cheapies on ebay but I'll try and find a quality one instead. Swingarm bearings for the goldwing are the same size but look different.

I also found people are hitting the inner race with a welder which makes them shrink and they drop out after cooling. I don't have a welder either

A Dremel tool with a grinding stone will do the job but very slowly.

Nope, no dremel either. If it won't pry out I'll see if the mechanic I do computers for has something.

To get the cone and rollers out just put a big lever in the hole and give it a jerk but do it inside a plastic bag as the rollers will be lost forever.

Cheers, I'll give it a bash tomorrow, I guess it's time to be fearless
Or go begging to the bm shop



[edit]
Two SKF bearings where 25 pounds delivered.
Beats $200 + shipping from Perth.

Yeah Bruce from Munich is a nice guy but the prices are a bit on the high side so he just smiles while he had his hand in your pocket.

RicK G wrote:Yeah Bruce from Munich is a nice guy but the prices are a bit on the high side so he just smiles while he had his hand in your pocket.

LOL! How true!

The roller half of the buggered bearing came out easy enough but I'm not even going to attempt the bottom race. I can't find anyone I know still living in town that has a welder either so I'll ring the bm shop on Monday and see if they will do it for me.

And the gear change switch did fall apart I made a new cover for it out of blue gasket silicon. The LCD on the dash is stuffed anyway.

Robin,

I had similar problems getting some front wheel bearings out once. I just went to the nearest small independent motorcycle repair shop and they whipped it out with a puller in exchange for a few beer-tokens.

They'll probably be doing such jobs regularly enough to justify having an internal bearing puller (one of the slide hammer type).

RobinW wrote:And the gear change switch did fall apart I made a new cover for it out of blue gasket silicon. The LCD on the dash is stuffed anyway.

It is worth putting it back on despite the lcd display or lack of.

If the neutral light does not come on when you try to start the bike, you will have to pull in the clutch every time. Even when it is in neutral.
Depending on the bike, that may or may not be done with the side stand down.

They are fun bikes eh.

Mike, I will try the mechanic I do computers for first, they may have something. There doesn't seem to be too many small bike shops around anymore apart from the bm shop. They all seem to have been gobbled up by chain stores more or less.

Rossko, I didn't pull it out, and it was working before all this, I did have a neutral light on the dash and hieroglyphics on the LCD. If you look at that previous pic of the back of the oily box, it was cracked when it came out, I guess the oil and filth was holding it together. Once the bits fell out I could see wires so I just coated it with hi temp silicon. With a bit of luck it will still work. I'm definitely not buying a new one

Jeyes Fluid is a very good degreaser and cleaner, I use a paint brush gets into all the nooks and crannys, leave for about 5 mins then hose it off.
You get used to the smell.

<BLOCKQUOTE>
RicK G wrote:Yeah Bruce from Munich is a nice guy but the prices are a bit on the high side so he just smiles while he had his hand in your pocket.</BLOCKQUOTE>

I had a ride up to Lincolnshire last week to buy a few service parts from Motobins.

I mentioned that they get many positive comments/recommendations from forum members around the world especially Australia. They said that their biggest customer was from down under - Munich Motorcycles.

Bill

OooooH BMW would not be a happy bunch if they knew that but I aint telling as he does the best he can in Oz to give good prices.

MikeP wrote:I'd be surprised if Wurth don't have suppliers in Oz.

It's around eleven quid for 3 litres here. Compared to degreasers, brake cleaner evaporates so it doesn't need to be rinsed off. Just agitate with an old paint brush and wipe the dirt away.

+1 Its great stuff
Spray.. jiggle with brush wipe spray again... done


Lucky to have a Wurth trade counter nearby
Picked up a 20 litre drum for £39 +vat

I looked for wurth stuff yesterday but didn't see it. I guess when you shop at a place called SuperCheap you take what you can get

Does anyone know the measurements of the steering head bearings? I see them as 17x50x14 IDxOD,Depth.

My top bearing is brinelled,the bottom looks ok thank god.

I also replaced the fuel hose to the regulator, the one that came out had BMW written on it so I'm guessing it's 27 years old, it was cracking. While I was in there I saw a lot of crap in the plenum. Should I pull this off and clean it?

Its a 4T 320/28X. Don't buy from Pyramid parts on fleabay as they are junk. Don't ask.
Dont be concerned about the oil residue in the plenum that is just how they get and you clean it and 2000 later filthy again.

the plenum takes the engine breather into the rear end of it ....so is prone to picking up a lot of oil residue in the horizontal section

a bit tricky to get the the back end of the plenum with all the velocity stacks along the way ....but why not ?

but no biggie if it got no attention

Post consolidation going on.

Hickup