1
Using the centre stand Wed Jul 20, 2011 4:43 am
gregbrodietyrrell
active member
Chaps,
Years ago I had an R75/5 that had been thoroughly abused, but even so it took me no time to fall in love with it completely. After a series of Japanese monsters of divers brands it was a real thrill to be able to climb onto a bike that went where I pointed it without wallowing or bucking or changing line through the corners of its own accord. Even (very) rough surfaces were no problem; it was as though the bike was saying "Yeah, we're going over some rough stuff. Don't you worry, I'll handle that and you just steer." Wonderful stuff. Then came families and kids to take to school, and the bike was no longer practical.
Now the kids are grown up and have their own transport, I no longer work for the man and more of my time is more my own. I watched the clouds of fools roaring through our hills on Japanese iron, flinging themselves into the paths of cars and under guardrails, and thought "Not for me." I also looked at the lines of Harleys parked in rows outside pubs and thought "Are you blokes out for a ride, a piss-up or a pose?" I rode a Harley once and have regretted it ever since. So the choice wasn't hard, really. I just bought a 1989 K100 RT, because there was one available, the price was right, I had the dollars and the bike in good nick; couldn't pass it up, really.
This leads to my question. Given that I am a short-arse (and always have been, being only 5'6") and am no longer as strong as I was in my younger days (it's really disappointing to find out what you can't do any more when you're 65), is there a knack or trick to getting the bike onto its centre stand? Or do I just need more Weet Bix and upper body strength training?
I also note that the speedo doesn't work, or at least works intermittently. When it works it works well, but sometimes it starts to give low readings, saying that I am doing 30 Kph when the tacho says I'm doing 4,500 rpm in top gear, which I know equates to roughly 110 Kph. Then it will stop reading altogether. This suggests to me that there is some loose or dodgy electrical connection. Before I begin to dismember Berthold BMW, are there any known trouble spots? Can someone say "Oh yeah, the connector at the base of the xyzabc always causes that!", or alternatively, "Well, you could try looking at these things." All and any help would be greatly appreciated.
Greg BT
Years ago I had an R75/5 that had been thoroughly abused, but even so it took me no time to fall in love with it completely. After a series of Japanese monsters of divers brands it was a real thrill to be able to climb onto a bike that went where I pointed it without wallowing or bucking or changing line through the corners of its own accord. Even (very) rough surfaces were no problem; it was as though the bike was saying "Yeah, we're going over some rough stuff. Don't you worry, I'll handle that and you just steer." Wonderful stuff. Then came families and kids to take to school, and the bike was no longer practical.
Now the kids are grown up and have their own transport, I no longer work for the man and more of my time is more my own. I watched the clouds of fools roaring through our hills on Japanese iron, flinging themselves into the paths of cars and under guardrails, and thought "Not for me." I also looked at the lines of Harleys parked in rows outside pubs and thought "Are you blokes out for a ride, a piss-up or a pose?" I rode a Harley once and have regretted it ever since. So the choice wasn't hard, really. I just bought a 1989 K100 RT, because there was one available, the price was right, I had the dollars and the bike in good nick; couldn't pass it up, really.
This leads to my question. Given that I am a short-arse (and always have been, being only 5'6") and am no longer as strong as I was in my younger days (it's really disappointing to find out what you can't do any more when you're 65), is there a knack or trick to getting the bike onto its centre stand? Or do I just need more Weet Bix and upper body strength training?
I also note that the speedo doesn't work, or at least works intermittently. When it works it works well, but sometimes it starts to give low readings, saying that I am doing 30 Kph when the tacho says I'm doing 4,500 rpm in top gear, which I know equates to roughly 110 Kph. Then it will stop reading altogether. This suggests to me that there is some loose or dodgy electrical connection. Before I begin to dismember Berthold BMW, are there any known trouble spots? Can someone say "Oh yeah, the connector at the base of the xyzabc always causes that!", or alternatively, "Well, you could try looking at these things." All and any help would be greatly appreciated.
Greg BT
