What Did You Did To Your Motobrick Today ?

[Vespa no more]

Thanks for the replies.

Printer now working and will print out Bert's excellent diagrams.

Hairdryer located. Time poor at the moment but will no doubt find myself in the garage soon enough.

Will keep you posted.

Just in case, when I try to restart the bike, the whole starting action is very weak - just like the battery is low on charge. As a result the bike doesn't ignite and idle. Is this consistent with a poor starter relay (I would have thought that I would get nothing - no response at the starter motor) or a failing Hall Effect Sensor? I tried to pull the starter motor out to clean the brushes but it resisted my advances and wasn't removed. I would roll the bike down the driveway and follow Johnny's suggestion for clearing the brushes but the driveway is steepish and dirty brushes wouldn't account for cutting out...

The bike does have a starting problem. It is reluctant to start unless full then partial choke is used. In this regard, I am thinking the mix is lean and have order a replacement crankcase ventilation hose. Once idling, it needs to be warmed up before it will rev freely. Is the fuel charge (through the injectors) not adjustable? I am assuming that any leaning of the mix is the result of air leaks in old / failed rubber hoses. Screw adjusters around the throttle body seem to adjust idle speed and choke leverage not the mixture.

Enough.

Will be sniffing around it and following all your much appreciated advice.

Thanks again

Guy

[TrueAce]

Test your battery to be sure it's fully charged, a low battery will fuse the starter relay.. sounds like you have a week battery.

[TrueAce]

Test your battery to be sure it's fully charged, a low battery will fuse the starter relay.. sounds like you have a week battery.

[Scott_]

Last weekend I finally determined that my radiator hose fitting isn't broken after all, just the coating that was applied to the external plastic was cracked, and a loose hose clamp was causing my coolant leak... ye ha... been riding all week, and no leaks.

[Vespa no more]

That's what I keep thinking
The battery is a 21AH Motobatt. New in Nov 2015. I have taken it back twice.
First time my fault - not using the car setting on the CTEK charger to charge it. 14.4Ah plus = car setting in the manual.
The second time (last week) and it was tested against a new battery - both gave the same setting (resistance test??).
Shop owner told me that the battery is fine and is not getting drained - ie no demands on the battery pointing to the starter motor brushes or the relay (haven't had time to get back to the shed / garage).
However, when I got home and put it onto the CTEK (after my dog had chewed the leads off), it registered the 3rd LED of 8 (ie undercharged).
My suggestion to others is to get a big battery. The original BMW was something like 32AH. Motobatt and others do do a similar 30-32 Ah battery (in Aust approx $253).
Will get back down the shed and will jump start from the car battery to eliminate this doubt. Will also go through the connections and the relay and the brushes... for now!
Have not followed Johnny's suggestions to reverse the bike in 3rd and release the clutch to clean the brushes. Yet.

Regards

Guy

[Scott_]

That's what I keep thinking
The battery is a 21AH Motobatt. New in Nov 2015. I have taken it back twice.
............. The original BMW was something like 32AH. Motobatt and others do do a similar 30-32 Ah battery (in Aust approx $253)........

I did some looking and noticed that many older bmw bikes(R's and early K's) used a 25Ah lead acid battery.
More of the later models(R's and newer K's) came with a 19Ah sealed battery.
Some list both. So I'd say you are probably good with the battery you have as far as Ah rating.

[johnny]

greetings...

my 2 recent battery buys...

1) 16ah odyssey in the brick of the corn...

2) 20ah westco in the bug2...

my previous 680 lasted 5 years... my previous westco lasted 5 years... im 5 and out... no need to f with a hundert dollar no go on down the road...

j o

[Chaos]

I had 6+ years with a Westco but I've heard they might not do as well with newer bikes, something about voltage, electronic brain and or antilock brakes.  4 years on Odyssey 680 doing good. 

[bizzaro]

So I did the infamous Clutch Lube over the last two weekends and a couple o nights on my 94 K1100LT. I am really slow. My brother was on holiday, so I had use of his garage. Mine is open air.   Cut a couple bolts to slide the tranny off and on.  I used a sawhorse and jacks to move, and stabilize things as needed etc.  I also lubed the intermediary splines while I was in there.  I am not sure I have the u-joints in phase perfectly.  I marked everything and used zip ties through the disk brake and tied to the brake mounting bolt holes to try and keep them lined up correctly. But the rear end has a good bit of play so I may be a few splines off.  Did it all completely solo. Well except for help from the forum. This site is fuck-n awesome!!! :yes :clap: Thanks Scott and Inge.

 All went pretty well. I did bugger up the left side swing arm bolt a bit.(aluminum) but finally got it in, threaded, torqued properly etc. It is all back together and it shifts fine.  A strange thing, everybody says downshifting deteriorates with lube failure. On my K, it likes to clunk from 1st to 2nd? And up-shifting overall is trickier?  Whats up with that. It did this before the lube, and does it still.  If I preload the shifter, (more foot, less clutch) it shifts smoothly) any insight here greatly appreciated.  But all in all, I am happy that the Guard Dog is on the splines, and it is done! It should be good for 20K or so.

I also installed a New Ram Shox!   :2thumbup: Freaken sweet!!.  :2thumbup: Just Wow!  If you need a shock now is the time to buy, with the U S dollar Strong! :riding: It cost me like $320 American shipped to my door.  Great guys to deal with, and what a difference in ride. Of course I am pretty sure I had the OEM piece o shit that was on the bike before I switched it out.  I haven't even had a chance to fine tune it and it is amazing the difference in handling and ride.
See Ya in the Twisties,
Bizz

[tsnap]

bizarro, in the Superman comic books, there was no way to describe "Bizarro"....it was just his image that brought forth an understanding of his world.  Perhaps a pix of your bike would do the same here? :idea2:

tom

[tsnap]

bizzaro

[bizzaro]

 Hows this. Shitty pix. But this is what I got. 

[johnny]

greetings...
 
you know the 1100's donts need that infamous clutch lube like the 75's and 100's... its all different in there with hardened components...

when the clutch goes out is when you do that infamous clutch lube on the 1100's...

the bug splines looked brand new at 100,000 miles and it was never apart...

the u joints fail on the 1100's butts not the splines...

j o   

[The Mighty Gryphon]

Bizzaro, regarding shifting, my experience with three bricks is that up from 2nd to 3rd is the hardest to make consistantly, especially when the transmission is cold.  Downshifting is clunky particularly from 2nd to 1st, and it seems to get better when the clutch splines are lubed. 

I agree that less clutch makes shifting smoother.  Just flicking the clutch lever when shifting makes thing happen really nice and smooth.

Last, I have gotten an ounce of 1.5 micron molybdenum disulfide powder.  I put two heaping teaspoons in the transmission and one teaspoon in the final drive.  After about a hundred miles the shifting has become noticeably smoother with virtually no missed shifts.  The powder coats the metal of the transmission parts and even under very high pressure provides a low coefficient of friction.  This powder is used in helicopter gearboxes and in the transmissions by Nascar teams who report that it lowers temperatures noticeably. 

[johnny]

i also use  1.5 micron molybdenum disulfide powder mixed with lard... better than ky...

[tsnap]

Johnny, thanks for that tidbit of info!!  Since mine has 48k mi on it, I was thinking it was overdue.

Where can I read about that engineering improvement?

tom

[tsnap]

Bizzaro, that is a favorite color, ever since GM painted a very similar color  on a Camaro years ago.

tom

[bizzaro]

greetings...
 
you know the 1100's donts need that infamous clutch lube like the 75's and 100's... its all different in there with hardened components...

when the clutch goes out is when you do that infamous clutch lube on the 1100's...

the bug splines looked brand new at 100,000 miles and it was never apart...

the u joints fail on the 1100's butts not the splines...



j o

 :yow  NOW YA TELL ME!! :dunno  . That is the first I have ever heard of it. I have been around the block a few times on this forum, and it has never cropped up.   :dunno2:  It was not mentioned in Ducks tech write up about spline lube on the K1100's.  Damn! I sure wish I would o known.  It would have saved me a bunch of work and time.  That would explain why my splines looked so good!  And I thought it was from my "Supernatural throttle control and shifting ability".............................. :hehehe

So where do you get the powdered moly guys? And is it really pricey I guess? Thanks Gryph and Johnny for the info.

I did not take the clutch pack apart. It looked fine. Also not a hint of oil at the rear engine seal, or the tranny seals, so I left those alone as well. I do believe in P M, but also with my limited skills, knowledge, and facilities, (both in tools and space), I am also a proponent of "if, it ain't broke, don't fix it"! :2thumbup:  I want to ride the bike, not just work on it.  Especially at my snail pace of work progress.  So what is the life expectancy of the K1100 clutch? 

Tsnap.  Glad you like the color, It is pretty sweet , though not that visible on the road. I can't decide if it is green or blue.  I think is says green on the original sales receipt, but I wrote blue on the registration.  Sadly it is buggered up a bit.  I wish you would change your avatar..................makes me sad every time I see it! :musicboohoo:

[tsnap]

as a consolation, it is a Honda, not a BMW.  Driving around KC one spring afternoon, I passed a bunch of kids, in a driveway where I had seen their crotch rocket gathering previously.  I drove by , and made a left turn, and drove about a mile down a long sweeping section of Parvin Road, towards Worlds of Fun.  Stopped at a red light just before passing under I435.  Looked in my center rear view mirror, and saw a fast approaching motorcycle, who seemed intent on blowing thru the light on my right. 

I glanced to my right outside mirror, just as he slid in the dust and gravel, and hit the pole just behind and to the right of me,  full speed, maybe 50-60 mph, climbing it about 10 feet, then falling back to the ground.  The fairing disintegrated in a blur of plastic shrapnel, and the pole wagged and threw the bike a few feet backwards.  He also hit the ground.

Having some medical training, I made a u turn and blocked oncoming traffic, and tried to help the guy, who was out like a light,  Waitresses from the waffle house came running, as did customers of area businesses.  I was checking the guy over, when I heard the buzz of the engines of his buddies coming up the hill.  He was waaayyy ahead of them. 

They pulled up and got off their bikes, and I asked if one of them could give me a leather coat, of which they all had very flashy ones, to treat for shock.  Nobody would give me their coat because they didn't want to get blood on it.  The waitresses gave me their aprons and someone gave me a blanket from their baby.  Fire rescue arrived , and I left him in their care.

I looked the bike over, it was nearly new with about 350 miles IIRC.  Square on front impact. You can't see the damage in the pix avatar.  His buddies said he just bought it, LOL.  Not sure of the size, but someone may know from the spiderweb graphics on the front.  Took a few pix of the bike and the pole.

Stopped by the house again months later, his friends said he no longer rides bikes, and is in a wheelchair.

I am a pretty careful rider, and I always wear my orange vest.

tom

[bizzaro]

I broke my femur and ripped out my clavicle on my 1976 Yamaha 650 (not very) Special.  I was pushing  hard around a corner at about 85 mph and got in trouble on the right shoulder of the road.  Over The right shoulder of the road lay a 15 or 20 foot drop with large trees and boulders. Deader than shit that way.  I leaned a bit harder and goosed the throttle a bit to try and put me back in the road.  It worked but the forks started to wobble uncontrollably.  I was on the road again, forks still oscillating, and out of control. A car was coming my way so I laid it down. The bike and I parted ways and I was sliding down the road on my back head first, waiting to be run over.  It seemed to take forever?  I should be crushed by now.  So I sat up and immediately slammed into the passenger side front fender of the car.  I hit with enough force to push/dent the fender up against the wheel with my shoulder (tore my clavicle out). I am not sure if I broke my femur when I laid the bike over, or on impact with the car?

 As soon as I could, I was back on the bike riding, with my crutches strapped to the back. Some people (me) just ain't too bright I guess.  :yes  The bike fared much better than I. I think it was $35 for a clutch lever, and shifting lever. The Hospital bill was over 100K. That was in 1980.

I don't think this is the correct place for this on the forum but it seemed appropriate to your avatar response, and no. I don't have any photos!  :hehehe  I was a bit busy to take any pix!

See Ya in the Twisties,
Bizz

[johnny]

greetings tsnap...

not gonna look for links on my phone... butts if i had my laptop i would search it...

many references on moa forum and other tech sites like antons...

it was 1990 or 1991... different steel and different process....

yeeeehaaaaa...

j o

[The Mighty Gryphon]

Bizzaro,  Here;s where I got mine: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Molybdenum-Disulfide-1-5-Micron-Powder-1-Ounce-99-Pure-SHIPS-FAST-/391420143138?hash=item5b22756622:g:eD8AAOSwg3FUn48p

[bizzaro]

Thanks Gryph.  Much appreciated.  It should be on its way tomorrow.

[TimTyler]

Replaced recently installed ebay-acquired front and rear brake pads with EBC pads.

Since installing the ebay pads I feel pulsing when the brakes are hot. Might be the used front rotors I installed over the winter, but it might not be.

[johnny]

you will get that with double h sintered race bike pads on street bike rotors...

those are professional superbike motogp pads... not amateur rt ratbike pads...

anyway... i filled it up with no corn ethyl and 3 bottles of techron...



and guard dog moly for engine fuels...



and some guard dog moly for gear boxes and final drives...







busted this out in a couple hours...

j o