94 k75 RT ABS Service invoice advice

[tweather]

Just had my 94 K75 RT ABS inspected by a local shop. I am a recklessly willing amateur mechanic and have all winter to work on it… anything it’s better to let a tech do? Anything it’s better NOT to do? I’ve already replaced the brakes and tires myself. So I know I can do those.

I think the rear brake is a concern. What else?

I’ve attached a snip from the invoice. I would be grateful for any advice!

[frankenduck]

You can deal with all of that yourself with time and determination. You can get plenty of help here.

Unless they removed the transmission then they're just guessing on the main seal leak. If motor oil (not gear oil) is coming out of the weep hole at the front bottom center of the transmission then it could be either the main seal or the clutch nut O-ring that's leaking.

Rear master:
http://www.kbikeparts.com/classickbikes.com/ckb.tech/0.ckb.tech.files/master.leak/master.leak.htm

If that doesn't work then there's info here to replace it with a Chicom master cylinder.

How many miles on the K75RT?

Most K75 side stands are a little loosey goosey so unless it's REALLY bad then I wouldn't worry too much about that.

If the bike took a nap (fell over) then that might be the cause of oil on the final drive breather cap.

I'd pull the air filter and inspect it myself before deciding to replace it.

You can find how to get to the air filter and replace the intake boots here:
http://www.kbikeparts.com/classickbikes.com/ckb.tech/0.ckb.tech.files/k75pa.rehab/k75parehab.htm#fuelair

[The Mighty Gryphon]

Bike sounds neglected.  Has it been idle for a long time?  Outside of the water pump and the oil seal the stuff on the list is fairly easy, just time consuming.  You did say you had all winter.  Following are my first impressions:

Intake boots are not impossible to change, just time consuming.  Lots of discussions on that job here and on the net. 

Air filter, How many miles on your bike?  They are good for 50-60,000 miles or more unless a mouse has been living in there.

Water pump, lots of experience here by the inmates.  Lots of advice available.

Oil leaks.  Get some gasket in a tube. 

Valves and cam chain guides.  Look at guides when you go after the oil leaks.  Valves, easy to check, lots of experience here.

How old is final drive oil?  Change it.

Main seal leak may just be the clutch o-ring.  You need to pull the transmission and take apart a lot of the rear of the bike.  Not a bad job, just time consuming.  Gives you a chance to check the clutch friction disc for oil contamination and lube the splines. 

Front brake pads are easy to change.  I use generic kevlar/organic pads I get on eBay.

Cables.  Probably time to replace the clutch cable anyway. 

Brake bleed is an easy job and should be done every two years.  Then see what codes the ABS has.

Replace the rear master cylinder with a Chicom unit from eBay.  Not a big job and the master cylinder is under 20 bucks.  There is a good thread here that covers the job.

Side stand bushing is another easy job that doesn't cost a lot for parts.  I did mine and it didn't change anything.

Seat latch probably isn't a very big job. depends on what is loose.  Does it open and latch easily?

[tweather]

Neglected is right. I sold the bike to my dad in August 2018 when I moved out of state and needed the cash. He intended to trade it in as money down on a bike more appropriately sized.

This plan never came to fruition. The bike sat, occasionally run but not ridden, until I returned this May. My dad gave up on his fantasy of returning to riding and gifted the bike back to me. I got it back first week of October and about died of happiness riding it over to the mechanic.

So much great advice here! Thanks y'all.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

riding it over to the mechanic.

So it's running well enough to get it to be inspected...

Does it start easily?

How is the idle?  Throttle response?  Does it accelerate without breaking up and/or stumbling?

Is the clutch engaging/disengaging properly?  Does it slip?  Is the transmission easy to shift?

How many miles on this bike?

Your list of jobs could get a bit shorter.

[tweather]

Starts and runs great. Idle is steady. Acceleration is not sluggish or inconsistent. Clutch is in good working order and I haven’t noticed it slipping. Transmission shifts easily.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

I'd say you could forget about the intake boots.  Depending on miles, you can probably pass on the air filter as well.  Save a bunch of work and over $100 in parts. 

If the clutch isn't slipping, you can probably put that off, too.  You might still want to get in there and replace the o-ring.  It's close to being on it's last legs and doesn't cost much.  Just takes a day or two to get in there and back out again.  On the other hand, it is a good opportunity to lube the clutch splines and touch everything in the tail end of the drive train.

[frankenduck]

I would not ignore the intake boots. If one or more of them is leaking air then you won't be able to get the fuel-air mix balanced across all three cylinders and it won't run very smoothly. If one or more is leaking then you'll never be able to sync the throttle bodies.

However, before replacing them I'd do the propane test to confirm what's reported on the inspection feedback.

[stokester]

In addition to all the other advice I would add:

- clean the area of the weep hole to confirm it leaks - not a difficult repair with good info on the forum
- are your fork seals leaking?  New pads may get ruined if this is not taken care of
- clean and lube the lever end of your clutch cable, these will fatigue and break if there is binding - been stopped on the road by a couple of broken cables but like most here I always carry a spare
- check the Z vent tube
- check to ensure the fan works
- needs a complete fluid change; engine oil, transmission, final drive and coolant along with the brake flush

[frankenduck]

I'll take it off of your hands for $100 if you pay shipping.

[Laitch]

Any recklessly willing amateur wrencher can handle the stuff on that list if patient, able to follow directions, is resourceful, is an orderly thinker, has functional reading comprehension and is willing to obtain the necessary tools for the job. It's all been covered ad nauseam here at the world famous MOTOBRICK.COM. A BMW service manual is available to download on this site. Other resources are at large on the Web.

[tweather]

What about the forks though... I've replaced the brake lines on this machine and have been pretty drop into most parts of it, but after reading about how much of a pain in the dick the forks can be... I mean is it just being meticulous in recording order of operation, Or is there true nuance?

[frankenduck]

You can replace the fork seals at home. It's not a big deal.
 
Since your K75 is a 94 it has Showa forks. Here's a write-up on IBMWR:
https://ibmwr.org/index.php/1999/05/01/showa-fork-rebuild/

The bolt in the bottom of the forks is pretty tight so use a good Allen wrench on that. If your bike came with the factory toolkit  then use those Allen wrenches as they are high quality.

I use a gear puller with the fork still in the upper fork tree to depress the fork cap in order to get the snap-ring out.

[Laitch]

but after reading about how much of a pain in the dick the forks can be... . . . .Or is there true nuance?

The true nuance is to not place your, or others', genitals near fork parts under spring tension. That rule alone will preclude painful events in nether regions while motorcycle wrenching.