Post by: The Mighty Gryphon on August 03, 2019, 09:46:43 PM
Bike is in pretty rough shape from being stored in not the best of environments. Story is that the original owner brought it to a dealer for service work, and never came back to pick it up. Sat at the dealer for 10-11 years when it was sold to the guy I got it from. He bought it for some spare parts and left it outside for a couple years after which he sold the seat.
The bike is filthy, has a lot of sun damage to the paint and rubber bits. The tank has a good coating of varnish and Vegemite inside it, and the pump is toast. There are several missing parts, including the injectors, which judging from the tank probably weren't worth trying to save. The bike is spattered with overspray of unknown chemical composition that, so far, can be removed with denatured alcohol without damaging the factory paint which can probably be saved.
The bike has 48,000 miles showing on the odometer. The original owner replaced the bars with what looks like C model bars and an RT switch pad. The body panels, outside of the dirt, goo, and overspray aren't in that bad shape. The bike does not look like it's been crashed other than a bit of crazing above the mirror on the left side.
The plan is to do a frame up restoration this winter. I hope to leave a lot of the original paint, and get the electrical system and mechanicals up to par. First job will be to get a set of injectors and get the engine running and electrical system sorted before stripping the bike for the project.
The price was pretty good. and will allow a pretty good budget for a restoration.
Post by: Rcgreaves on August 03, 2019, 10:09:07 PM
Post by: Martin on August 03, 2019, 11:01:28 PM
Regards Martin.
Post by: Laitch on August 04, 2019, 12:18:56 AM
☑Needed service.
☑Abandoned for 11 years.
☑Left outside for a couple of years.
☑Sun-baked rubber components.
☑Filth
☑Tank varnish.
SOLD! All is anicca.
Post by: billday on August 04, 2019, 07:34:31 AM
Post by: Chaos on August 04, 2019, 07:57:12 AM
Post by: ScooterNSticks on August 04, 2019, 08:16:17 AM
My friend Paul brings similar rescue vehicles home to restore. I've never understood why but had the sense he found satisfaction in the challenge. Must be why he continues to work the NYT Sunday crossword puzzle. Since I got my first K bike last month I can feel the desire to tinker gurgling somewhere inside. Never happens with my Vespa. While I hope I can become proficient with some of the routine maintenance I will have to follow along on your restoration to see if something happens.
Does K-pox require direct, intimate contact with a machine or is it communicable via the internet? Never sure about viruses anymore.
Post by: stokester on August 04, 2019, 08:21:35 AM
Extra garage space? Not for me, there is always room for one more motorcycle.
Post by: The Mighty Gryphon on August 04, 2019, 11:13:44 AM
Post by: caveman on August 05, 2019, 05:11:40 AM
Good to see it find it's way to a good home, you will have it squared away soon.
Post by: natalena on August 05, 2019, 09:07:36 AM
Post by: daveson on August 05, 2019, 09:20:08 AM
Post by: Barry in IN on August 05, 2019, 10:44:57 AM
Post by: The Mighty Gryphon on August 07, 2019, 10:22:15 AM
I hate having dirty parts laying around, so over the weekend I took some of the panels to the laundry tubs with my trusty bottle of S-100 cleaner. Spray, rub with a sponge, rinse, repeat. I am surprised at how good the paint looks. There are a few minor dings, but nothing that really needs repair. Mostly just signs of use.
DSCN3573.JPG (34.2 kB . 662x576 - viewed 1671 times) DSCN3574.JPG (29.96 kB . 668x576 - viewed 1617 times)The spatter on the tank really bothered me along with the mess inside. I decided to to do a soak with Dawn dish detergent of the interior to prep for Martin's vinegar soak. With the tank sitting in the laundry tub full of soapy water over night the spatter came off with a gentle rub.
DSCN3572.JPG (33.63 kB . 768x549 - viewed 1670 times)Cleaning the outside of the tank revealed that there is a minor dent in the side, no big deal, and that side of the tank has been repainted. Not a bad job, but whoever did it did not use the pearl silver the rest of the bike is painted with, but used what looks like refrigerator white. Fortunately, I have enough paint left over from another bike to repaint that side of the tank.
Most of the interior's varnish pretty much came off with a Scotchbrite pad after soaking overnight with the Dawn detergent. There is still a lot of black goo from the damper around the inside and especially caked up on the fuel level sender. I hope I can clean it off without damaging the windings.
Yesterday evening it was really slow at work because of 4 hours of steady rain(I work as a launch skipper at a Yacht club) so I took the opportunity to make a key for the bike. The previous owner had misplaced the original key, but had several blanks that he gave me with the bike. I removed the lock cylinder from the fuel tank cap, and with a couple of files and an hour or so of fiddling around got the key cut so it works in all the bike's locks. Not the prettiest looking key, but it works.
DSCN3565.JPG (47.62 kB . 634x576 - viewed 1639 times)With the ability to turn on the ignition, I connected my jump box to the battery wires and set the clock in the instrument cluster. Holding my breath and watching closely for smoke, I turned the key and to my amazement the headlight and tail light came on! The gear shift indicator works and the idiot lights work in the cluster( a few of the illuminating bulbs are out). Brake light works, high and low beams, and the parking lights. Turn signals, horn and hazard flashers don't work, but looking at the relay box it appears some relays and the bulb monitor unit may be missing. I hit the starter button briefly, and the engine turns over! The harness looks to be in pretty good shape, better than I've seen on a previous bike, so I don't think it will need much to work properly.
DSCN3568.JPG (53.67 kB . 768x576 - viewed 1664 times) DSCN3567.JPG (44.1 kB . 768x576 - viewed 1629 times) DSCN3569.JPG (44.46 kB . 636x576 - viewed 1630 times)Popped the cover on the front brake master cylinder and the fluid looks like maple syrup. I'm gonna do a flush and bleed before I strip the bike down to get that crap out of the parts.
DSCN3570.JPG (47.8 kB . 768x576 - viewed 1675 times) Parts are on order to get the engine running before the tear down, I want to know if there are any engine issues before I take the frame off. New injectors, pump, filter and lines. Cleaning tank and rail right now and hope to have them clean by next week.
All in all, the bike looks to be in better shape than I thought. Should come back to service for under $1200 total if there are no engine surprises.
Post by: volador on August 09, 2019, 12:21:14 AM
Post by: The Mighty Gryphon on August 09, 2019, 09:14:52 AM
Great find! That's cleaning up nice. IMO the SE paint scheme is one of the nicest they made
I've wanted one ever since I saw them. For the price I couldn't pass this one up.
The clean up is coming along well. Mainly, I'm just trying to get the fuel tank and the running components working right now so I can fire it up and be sure all the mechanical running gear doesn't need any work. Plan is for it to be a winter project, but I'm having a hard time keeping my hands off it.
Post by: billday on August 09, 2019, 09:18:47 AM
Post by: SpecialK on August 09, 2019, 07:14:22 PM
The bike is filthy, has a lot of sun damage to the paint and rubber bits. The tank has a good coating of varnish and Vegemite inside it, and the pump is toast. There are several missing parts, including the injectors, which judging from the tank probably weren't worth trying to save. The bike is spattered with overspray of unknown chemical composition that, so far, can be removed with denatured alcohol without damaging the factory paint which can probably be saved.
The plan is to do a frame up restoration this winter. I hope to leave a lot of the original paint, and get the electrical system and mechanicals up to par. First job will be to get a set of injectors and get the engine running and electrical system sorted before stripping the bike for the project.
The price was pretty good. and will allow a pretty good budget for a restoration.
I admire your ambition and willingness to take on such an involved project. The one I found that I have been posting about was not in need of that kind of attention and it has been taking up a lot of my time!
Good luck with it. I'm sure you will be posting about the project as it progresses.
Post by: The Mighty Gryphon on August 17, 2019, 10:49:43 PM
Started working on the tank interior. First stage was a good rinse with Dawn dish detergent and hot water which removed a bunch of loose stuff. This was followed by a four day soak with two gallons of white vinegar and a scrub with a red Scotchbrite pad before dumping the vinegar. This was followed by an overnite soak and Scotchbrite scrub with Goo Gone to get more of the melted vibration damper out. What remained came out pretty well with paper towels and Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol. Looks pretty good to me now.
Unfortunately, the damper goo seemed to have a real affinity for the fuel level sender, and in the course of cleaning it I destroyed the element and the wipers. Fortunately, the wiring for the fuel pump is still good, so I can run the bike using the tripmeter to judge when I need fuel until I can find a reasonably priced replacement.
The battery arrived and I wasted no time connecting it to troubleshoot the undefined electrical problems the previous owner said it had. Turn signals and horns didn't work. Cleaning the contacts on the bulb monitor and the combination switch connectors cured that problem. The horns still didn't work, and I found a dead horn relay. Replacing it didn't help, so I pulled the horns and found there was no continuity between the terminals on one of them. Turning the adjusting screw with 12V applied got the first horn working. The second one came to life with a gentle tap. About 15 seconds of continuous operation with a rag stuck in the throats indicates that they are in good working order again.
While I was at it, I pulled the fan relay and jumpered the terminals for the relay contacts on the socket. The fan works, which didn't really surprise me since the P.O. mentioned that it had been replaced at some point. To my great pleasure the electrical system all works now.
Since the bike was so dirty, I thought it would be a good idea to clean the ignition switch while I had things apart. Turned out to be a good idea as there was a bunch of waxy looking crap all over the place around the contacts.
Next was to bleed the brakes to clear out the brown D.O.T. 4 that was in the system. Pretty straightforward, and now the brakes have clean fluid and actually feel better than on any of my other bikes, even the rear master cylinder has a firm feel!!!
With all those jobs done, I was waiting for parts from MaxBMW so I could continue. I was shocked to learn that BMW has the lowest price I could find anywhere for submersible fuel line. I took the opportunity to remove some more of the body parts, specifically the rear tail cowl. I was expecting to find the rear loop to be rusty like every other brick I've owned, but surprisingly, it was in perfect condition without a single spot of rust or paint damage. I'm learning that this bike is in much better shape than I thought.
While waiting for parts I decided to check valve clearances, compression, and change the oil and filter. When I drained the oil I found it was brand new and clean, along with a clean oil filter. Must have been serviced at the dealer before it's long hibernation.
Valves were all in spec, but two of the exhaust and one intake were at the tight end of the spec so I changed the shims to get them to match the others. All valve clearances are now at the top of the spec.
Compression was good on cylinders 3 and 4, but really low on the other two. A shot of oil in those and they are all withing 10 psi of each other and reading nice and high.
Installed new NGK D7EA plugs and cleaned the plug wires and sockets followed by a bit of dielectric grease to make them easier to remove. The plugs I removed were brand new Bosch, made in Germany, not India, so I guess they were installed by the dealer those many years ago. I put them in my spares stash.
The crank breather Z-tube looked good except for some minor external cracking. I had a spare, so I replaced it.
I installed the injectors, and with their ports in the head filled I was able to do a good wash of the bike. Cleaning the bike with S-100 removed a LOT of dirt, leaves, and who knows what. What remained was in stunningly good shape. This bike doesn't need hardly any cosmetic work on the frame beyond a bit of compound on the chalky paint, and even that isn't really critical. The engine is in pretty good cosmetic shape as well. I am seriously reconsidering the frame up rebuild.
I did find some chafed wires in the taillight wiring harness, but I had a spare and replaced it. The wiring is now in perfect shape, as far as I can see. Even the connectors look clean, but I'm still shooting them all with Deoxit and coating them with a film of dielectric grease and putting Vaseline on the connector shells to make them easier to separate
The parts for the tank and fuel lines arrived on Thursday. An hour or so of putting things together in the tank and it was ready to see if the engine was going to start. Four or five quick stabs at the starter to prime the system and holding my breath I hit the starter and after a second or so of cranking the engine coughed and settled into a rough idle, spewing large clouds of oil smoke from the oil I injected when I did the compression test.
After a couple 15 minute sessions of idling the smoke cleared enough to do a throttle body balance. I found and replaced two of the vacuum caps that had bad cracks in them. The engine now idles fairly smoothly, but two of the adjusting screws are erratic, so I shot some carb cleaner in their holes in the throttle bodies. It helped, but they could still be better. Will be addressing this again when I get a new can of carb cleaner.
With the fairing removed I did a good cleaning with S-100 and replaced the broken headlight with a spare I had. Outside of a few stone chips and some crazing around a mirror mount the paint is in pretty good shape. Wow! The more I work on this bike the more it looks like it doesn't need much work.
With the engine running it was time to check the ABS system. Here's where I have found a bit of a mysterious problem. The ABS light doesn't go out when it should, even though there are no faults when I check for them. I've done several attempts to clear/reset the system, but the flashing continues and no faults are indicated. Puzzling...
Stay tuned. Photos are still in the camera, I'll be posting them tomorrow.
Post by: SpecialK on August 18, 2019, 07:44:44 AM
As far as my bike goes, I have 0000 steel wooled the interior of the rear brake cylinder and it came out looking very smooth. The old plunger went in smooth so I am going to get the rebuild kit. while that was off I took the rear caliper off and disassemble. The pistons are moving in and out so I will leave it alone for now. Since the caliper is off I am half way to checking the splines so will do that. What type of spline lube is recommended?
Thanks.
Post by: volador on August 18, 2019, 11:46:05 AM
What type of spline lube is recommended?
Thanks.
Staburags NBU 30 PTM 30grams (https://www.ebay.com/itm/30g-BMW-K100-K75-K-100-75-R-80-Staburags-NBU-30-PTM-spline-lube-assembly-grease/273957182344?hash=item3fc91edb88:g:JrUAAMXQVs1Rl4q8)
Staburags NBU 30 PTM 60grams (https://www.ebay.com/itm/60g-BMW-K100-K75-K-100-75-R-80-Staburags-NBU-30-PTM-spline-lube-assembly-grease/273967810145?hash=item3fc9c10661:g:JrUAAMXQVs1Rl4q8)
A little goes a long way
Post by: SpecialK on September 02, 2019, 02:00:45 PM
How is it going?
Post by: The Mighty Gryphon on September 02, 2019, 05:00:55 PM
Anyway, I've changed the tires and mounted the wheels, painted the forks and added boots, fixed some minor electrical issues with the lights, replaced the gooey fuel pump damper, put LED's in the cluster, wired a fan switch, cleaned and repotted the gear position switch, cleaned the clutch, lubed all the splines and replaced the clutch o-ring, cleaned and regreased the steering head, installed a "new" rear shock, and painted the handlebars, battery tray and seat hinges.
Mostly, I've just been cleaning and detailing stuff, the bike is in much better shape than I thought when I bought it. The bike is pretty much assembled and ready to run, it just needs some of the body parts painted. The next couple weeks will be spent prepping and repairing the paint. Should be ready for the road by the end of September
Post by: ScooterNSticks on September 02, 2019, 08:41:50 PM
As of last weekend, all the mechanical and electrical stuff has been sorted. Sorry about the lack of photos, but when I'm working I don't remember to grab the camera often enough, and when I do, I'm reluctant because my hands are too greasy.
Anyway, I've changed the tires and mounted the wheels, painted the forks and added boots, fixed some minor electrical issues with the lights, replaced the gooey fuel pump damper, put LED's in the cluster, wired a fan switch, cleaned and repotted the gear position switch, cleaned the clutch, lubed all the splines and replaced the clutch o-ring, cleaned and regreased the steering head, installed a "new" rear shock, and painted the handlebars, battery tray and seat hinges.
Mostly, I've just been cleaning and detailing stuff, the bike is in much better shape than I thought when I bought it. The bike is pretty much assembled and ready to run, it just needs some of the body parts painted. The next couple weeks will be spent prepping and repairing the paint. Should be ready for the road by the end of September
Your progress is impressive. I hope I can someday learn to do just a fraction of what you can do.
Post by: The Mighty Gryphon on September 10, 2019, 02:17:27 PM
Am holding my breath that I didn't feck up the gold effect too much. Last thing left is pinstriping the front mudguard before I buff them out.
Post by: Rcgreaves on September 10, 2019, 04:48:08 PM
Post by: The Mighty Gryphon on September 12, 2019, 01:26:10 PM
The parts buffed out pretty nice, and I have put them on the bike.
The main fairing won't go until I get a replacement battery from the guys I bought it from. I'm also needing to install headlight relays that haven't arrived yet from Eastern Beaver, and LED driving lights. Bike is pretty close to going on the road once those remaining bits arrive.
Post by: bocutter Ed on September 12, 2019, 01:35:17 PM
And ... so, what are you going to do for a winter project.
Post by: The Mighty Gryphon on September 12, 2019, 04:43:58 PM
As far as winter projects, I have some ship's clocks that need work, and my wife is sure to have some things to do along with my daughter in North Carolina who is rehabbing an old farmhouse. No problem finding more either.
Post by: natalena on September 12, 2019, 05:05:21 PM
Post by: DJEwen on September 13, 2019, 05:55:16 AM
Post by: Martin on September 13, 2019, 06:33:23 AM
Post by: Laitch on September 13, 2019, 08:21:12 AM
Ahab isn't bad, or maybe Ishmael.You could call it Starbuck because of its righteousness, or Lazarus because of your divine touch.
Post by: The Mighty Gryphon on September 13, 2019, 01:11:11 PM
I'm not sure about a name. So far, nothing comes to mind. Will probably have to ride it for a while to see what she inspires. The first Moby Brick inspired it's name by being white and feeling rather large with the kinda bulbous K11RS fairing. Moby Brick Too was the result of being the son of Moby Brick.
Post by: Laitch on September 13, 2019, 01:39:57 PM
I'm seriously nervous about maintaining those lovely white four spoke wheels. Black brake dust on those horribly hard to clean wheels is not going to look pretty after a couple thousand miles.What would be the point in riding it after you've done that fine restoration? Leave it in its pristine condition like Norma Bates. :-)
Post by: The Mighty Gryphon on September 13, 2019, 02:15:58 PM
What would be the point in riding it after you've done that fine restoration? Leave it in its pristine condition like Norma Bates. :-)
There is a very good chance that this bike will become my new horizon chaser.
Post by: stokester on September 13, 2019, 06:34:26 PM
That's a fine looking ride!
Post by: Rcgreaves on September 24, 2019, 11:05:10 PM
Great work sir!
Post by: Laitch on September 25, 2019, 03:04:33 PM
Post by: volador on September 25, 2019, 06:27:58 PM
Minnie Pearl.A hanging price tag required
Post by: daveson on October 16, 2019, 09:05:28 PM
Post by: Martin on October 16, 2019, 09:36:50 PM
Regards Martin.
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Post by: The Mighty Gryphon on October 16, 2019, 10:59:27 PM
Pearlmutt is the worst color I've ever painted. It's almost impossible to tell if you have the right amount of the midcoat. As luck would have it, it was not heavy enough to get the right amount of gold tint when the clear was applied. it looks like I have some more painting next year. I'm hoping that I can just put more over the clear without having to strip it all down and start over.
Al in all, the bike doesn't look too bad. Everything works now, including the ABS, and the engine runs nice and smooth. Looking forward to a maiden ride to run it through the gears and see how the suspension works. Maybe Friday when the rain stops.
Post by: Rcgreaves on October 16, 2019, 11:56:32 PM
Post by: volador on October 18, 2019, 01:58:23 AM
Post by: The Mighty Gryphon on October 18, 2019, 08:12:13 AM
Looks great! Keep that one as your Sunday ride.
It may replace Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS, as my horizon chaser. Ilsa is getting to be a bit to hard to keep upright.
Post by: Laitch on October 18, 2019, 01:18:03 PM
It may replace Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS, as my horizon chaser. Ilsa is getting to be a bit to hard to keep upright.Which other moto would be easier, or are you looking out into the wider world like at a Royal Enfield? :-)
Post by: The Mighty Gryphon on October 18, 2019, 02:18:13 PM
Which other moto would be easier, or are you looking out into the wider world like at a Royal Enfield? :-)
I'm thinking of my new K100 to replace Ilsa. I'm comfortable working on bricks, and I find the reliability of these old war horses rather inspiring.
Someone up the road has an Enfield Continental and I occasionally see it go by. While I wouldn't consider taking one more than a couple hundred miles from home an Enfield would be a lot of fun for going into town to collect the mail and other errands.
Post by: Laitch on October 18, 2019, 02:34:17 PM
I'm thinking of my new K100 to replace Ilsa.What makes Ilsa more challenging—higher center of gravity in a shorter package or more weight?
Post by: The Mighty Gryphon on October 18, 2019, 04:11:26 PM
I have a lot of miles on both models and the RS just feels more user friendly in most situations.
Post by: Laitch on October 18, 2019, 08:41:05 PM
I have a lot of miles on both models and the RS just feels more user friendly in most situations.Well, you've made you new one look mighty fine, Gryph. I hope you and it have a long and successful partnership.
Post by: The Mighty Gryphon on October 18, 2019, 09:07:45 PM
Well, you've made you new one look mighty fine, Gryph. I hope you and it have a long and successful partnership.
Thank you! I certainly hope so. Am looking forward taking it out for the first time.
Post by: The Mighty Gryphon on September 20, 2025, 10:29:02 PM
Storage for another winter and the following Spring I decided that I really needed to get back down to two bikes. Since I had hopes to go to Alaska, Ilsa had to stay, and Moby Brick Too just worked a little better with bigger tires, the K11 fairing, and what felt like more torque. So it fell to Special Ed to take the bullet for the group and she went up on Craig's List and sold fairly quickly for a nice profit. The gentleman I sold it to kept it for a year, putting several thousand miles on it, but some financial problems forced him to sell her in 2023. Last I heard, someone came up and rode her down to South Carolina.
Attached are the photos I took for the Craig's List.
Post by: Bmwsquirl on October 11, 2025, 04:21:14 PM
nice find nice job
be safe
squirrel