K75S budget project

[pdg]

Well, had a little ride out the other day, went past Woodhenge (yes, Woodhenge - it's an actual place) and got some extremely silly looking hair in the wind... Then we went out into Salisbury Plain for a bit of a bimble round.



It was the longest 'single' trip I've done on the bike so far, I'm now certain I need to replace the handlebars with something a little higher, a little further back and a little wider (just under an inch or so minimum for each direction).

Anyway, went into town today and just before getting there I noticed the battery/charge light was lit. I carried on into the car park and went to the appointment I was heading for. I had a look when I came back out so I could decide whether to call a breakdown service (and wait a couple of hours to be told they couldn't fix it, then wait another couple of hours for something to tow the bike) or whether I could get home as it was. Here's what I found:



See all those little black lumpy bits? That'll be my alternator cush drive rubbers not doing what they should :nono

I'd started the engine to move it from undercover (dark), then started it again to determine that the alternator wasn't turning with the engine. So I decided the best course of action was to live with no lights in the rain and just get home on the battery if I could...

Those redtop batteries seem good anyway, running with no alternator with lights for maybe 10 minutes, 4 starts and then an 8 mile ride and the engine cut just as I was parking at home.

Looks like another job for the list.... I'll balance the cost of any new parts I need when I get it apart against just going for an alternator upgrade now.

So, updated to-do:

1. Replace perished coolant expansion/overflow pipe. -- done
2. Remove non-functioning aftermarket alarm system and split charge controller (latter to be replaced sometime) -- done
3. Investigate and rectify mild smell of fuel present after running. -- done, problem found by mistake!
4. Re-cover the seat. -- done
5. Do 'something' about the screen which had been broken. -- done
6. Figure out why there was always water pooling under/around the fuel filler. -- done
7. Heated grips aren't working.
8. Fit fog/spot/running lights to the front.
9. Refit split charge and second battery to run accessories.
10. Fit CB/ham radio - I'd like to run CB and 2m on this if I can.
11. Cupholder! I like to carry water with me and would like it in reach but don't like it in a pocket.
12. Adjust rear brake lever travel.
13. Crankcase breather hose. -- done
14. Squeaky brakes.
15. Mirrors. I want mirrors.
16. Make rear light less dim.
17. tragkorb latches and fittings.
18. Inspect induction system internals.
19. Repair or replace alternator.
20. Replace handlebars with some more suited to my position.

[Bassv]

Hmm, that sucks! Luckily you were able to get home. Looking forward to learn from your alternator swap/repair anyway  :2thumbup:

[pdg]

Just a swap of parts to repair it or change it to a 50A unit from a later/bigger K is easy - I have a feeling I'm going to complicate matters though...

I found another 'to-do' as well. The rubber mount for the battery tray aren't screwed into the top of the transmission housing like they should be, looks like the threads are stripped out - the battery has to come out to get to the alternator so I'll look at that while I'm in there.

21. Fix battery tray mounts.

The list might be fairly long, but that's what you get for buying a 25 year old, 80,000 mile bike with no history for a third of the 'usual' price.

[Bassv]

My bike is the same... No history and also on the cheap side. As you can read in my topic, I found some suspicious things in the oil today...

[pdg]

Hmm, this is a slight discomfort in the posterior then.

The alternator cush drive is a little worn, both rubber and metal:





I'm pretty sure they shouldn't look like that :laugh

Now I have a decision to make - obviously the rubbers will be new, but do I get used parts (dog and cup) or new from BMW? Used (from motorworks) are half the price of new and have a 6 month warranty, but the new ones come with a 2 year warranty... (I'm talking to myself, it's a rhetorical question)

But, see my question in the workshop...

[Niemand]

Wow.  That looks to be a rather extreme case there.  I've read of the cup part getting damaged often enough that I have a spare on hand "just in case" whenever I get to changing the rubbers on mine.  The cup is inexpensive and due to the frequency I've read of them going when the rubber goes, I would recommend a new part there.  I'd never read about or seen the male bit getting chewed up, but it makes sense if the rubber was ground away completely like that it would have to give eventually.  Too bad that male part is pricier.  Imagine all the spare electrons you'll have access to once this is back together.   :2thumbup:

[pdg]

Right then, got the driving dog retaining bolt out (as detailed in the workshop thread) and it brought most of the threads from the shaft with it...

So, either bigger bolt or helicoil - still not a big challenge by itself. To fit all the tools in to do that (and remove the dog due to my puller issues) it looks like I'll be dropping the engine and splitting the cases.

Before all this I thought I'd give the bike a bit of a wash again (it was filthy when I got it, trying to get it all clean in one go wasn't going to happen) and I found out why the brakes are binding occasionally. On the front brakes 3 of the 4 pads have a little problem - the friction material is coming away from the backplate. Looks to me (I can confirm when I get them out) that some moisture got in somehow and the backplate has rusted and then pushed the linings away. It feels like the rear has done the same.

That'll be new brake pads needed too then.





Anyone want to wager on whether the caliper pistons/seals are going to be up to being retracted to fit new pads?





Plus all the rubber brake hoses are dated 1986 so are original and I just know if I disturb anything they'll split just to taunt me.





So......





I give in.





This bloody thing is coming apart and getting the shock of it's life. I was going to do a little bit here and there as I got time but it seems that every time I touch it to fix one thing I find something else (or 3 something elses). Might as well just tear into it.

Watch this space.

(Not too closely, time is sparse at the moment)

[Qdude]

Hooray. makeover makeover !!

I feel for you and have been watching,...

Please know that there are others who are digging in to their bikes as well, you are not alone !!

It will all be worth it, Always has been for me.

[pdg]

So, been a while.....

I've done lots and not much.

Alternator is back in and being all spinny - it's even making eleckertrickery which is usually a good thing for an alternator to do.

New brake pads are in and so much better than the old ones - mega cheap too.

Fitted some mirrors - used some Yamaha ones I found.

Rear shock replaced with a shorter unit I got off ebay, dropped the front a little to balance out the geometry slightly.

Got a new MOT on it, one advisory for the little ding in the front wheel - other than that it flew through.

Probably a couple of other little bits I can't remember right now...

Pics and more details later on.

[pdg]

Not really any more interesting bits done - did an oil service and spline lube though.

Made a 'ghetto' centre stand from some blocks, a jack and a big wrecking bar  :2thumbup:



Rear splines:







Don't look all that bad to me.

I'll probably change the mirrors soon. Maybe fit something fairing mounted as I want to use some handlebar muffs over winter.


I also took it on a trip to Wales, couple of hundred miles or so and it performed flawlessly, as expected. Only one photo (that I stole off someone else) though as it was absolutely torrential rain / thunder / lightning all the way there, during, and all the way back. The trusty old cheng shin tyres didn't let me down either :hehehe And, it returned just over 60mpg too.

Just see the K peeking out at the back from the selection of wet bikes.



Nearly forgot - while in Wales one of the people I met up with was the previous owner, he very kindly transported the belly pan for me on the back of his bike (still getting bits after 9 months) and we got that professionally fitted with some zip ties. Stayed on all the way back down the motorway though.

[Grim]

Had me chucking with a few of your comments.

With the neglect you bike seems to have suffered over the years I'd think you might what to put high on your list to lube the clutch splines especially if you get some dodgy shifts and hard down shifts.

[pdg]

The previous owner replaced the clutch before I got the bike. By all accounts there wasn't much wrong with it when he got it apart but he'd already bought the parts so put the new one in anyway...

Don't really get any dodgy shifts to be honest - it's not exactly silky smooth but downshifts are done without any hassle or undue pressure. There's not much in the way of backlash either, certainly no worse than a properly adjusted chain drive.

At some point in the near future I'm planning on blasting and repainting the frame so while it's off the engine I was going to pull the gearbox and just have a check/lube in there too.

[pdg]

So, my wheels............

Front one has a ding in (which I knew about) and the rear, well, ~ springs to mind (found out just how bad during recent service activities - no wonder people have been pulling up to me at the lights and telling me about my rear wheel :yes)... According to the PO, the rear brake caliper made a bid for freedom by losing a bolt. I bet that was fun.

I've been keeping an eye out for a while for some reasonably priced wheels to make an appearance and a rear turned up on ebay - got it for £21 delivered. It's not a K75 wheel though. It's not a K anything wheel......



It's from an R 1100 RS. Fits straight on, lines up as well as the original wheel. It's a little wider - going up from a 2.75" to a 4.5". Got a little bit of clearance to play with.



Only thing is it's an 18" instead of a 17" - no real hardship but means tyres are a little harder to find.





Watch this space to see how much the tyre rubs the swingarm....

[pdg]

Ok, so that rubbing tyre issue.

Guess what?

It doesn't!



A 150/70r18 MT90 mounted on an R1100RS wheel goes straight in with plenty of clearance.

A 110/80r18 BT on the front means I'm now rolling on radials which has made an astounding difference to the handling. Very little tracking of road repairs etc. - it goes where I point it. The rear tyre does completely outgrip the front though, so when another cheap part-worn front in the right size turns up I'll be trying that. I don't want to splash out on a new tyre for a couple of reasons -- I'd rather trial tyres for a couple of pounds rather than spend nearly 100 and not like it at all - and - the front wheel still has that dent (no, it hasn't fixed itself yet) so I don't know what is going to replace it. I'd like a 19" but it depends what turns up.

On a slightly less 'happy bunny' note - the rear shock decided oil damping was for wimps and it would like to try air damping for a change - so it puked all it's oil out, bloody everywhere. Honestly, very little if any difference to the handling..... It must've been more knackered than I thought!

[pdg]

Well I've had the bike for a year now, some stuff has broken (not surprising considering the age) but it's all been relatively easy to fix. Even so, it's not actually let me down or failed to get me home.

Now I've had a decent chance to see what I like and what I don't like about it, I'm playing with ideas of what direction to take. With that in mind, I think it's time to end the updates to this thread seeing as it's not going to be very relevant any more.

It's been....... emotional  :riding:  See you in the next thread.

[enb54]

Hi pdg... Did you ever get your 2m rig to work on your K75? I am thinking of placing a half wave dipole (no ground plane needed) on mine but wondering what your experience was (if you are still around!)... 

[pdg]

Yes I'm still a round (well, getting rounder.....)

I haven't actually found a suitable rig yet, so haven't got anything fitted.

But, I've had radios on bikes before, mainly CB but the theory is the same.

Things I found out:

Put a springy mount on it - I snapped a rear mounted fibreglass whip by forgetting it was there and kicking it across a car park getting off the bike!

Use the frame as the ground plane for an end fed 1/4wave (or maybe 3/4 on 2m for a little extra gain). If there's enough mass to balance a 1/4~ 11m whip on a 50cc bike, I'm sure a K would have no issues on 2m.

Make sure your wiring (and especially earthing) is good. I think the FI unit would be fine, but there's no point testing it with a shedload of spurious RF.

Treat it as a local use thing so run low power (see above, under 50W would be more than enough) - you don't want to be trying to catch a flaky DX while avoiding sunday driving granny looking the other way ;)

Be interesting to know how you get on.

[enb54]

Hi pdg... I've got a couple of options for transceivers, but we have distracted driving laws here, so not a good idea to be transmitting while driving (even VOX). I have discarded the 1/2 wave dipole idea in favour of testing a 1/4, 1/2 or 5/8 end fed vertical. The grounding will be direct to the frame and output power of my rigs are not more than 20W anyway, no DX on 2M for me. When I get some time off from fence building and other "honey do" tasks I'll test out some of these options and let you know what the results are.

A close friend has a Honda Goldwing and is coming to visit from British Columbia within 2 months, so I'll be testing out his CB stuff also (do have some decent test equipment). Thanks for getting back, when I have results, will post, but don't hold your breath for too long... 73...

Eric...