K75s Two into One Project

[Scud]

Ha - she bought herself a Triumph T-shirt recently and has been hinting that we need something "cute" to ride together. We've been married for 20 years. I registered for wedding gifts at the local BMW motorcycle dealer. She put her list up at some department store (fancy plates and stuff). I'm trying to win her over to the brick after it looks pretty. I did let her choose between the stock and Corbin seats. After I got them both recovered I put each one on the bike - so she's had a bit of input (she liked the Corbin).

[Martin]

Have you considered Brain Washing, place a speaker under her pillow at night. Place messages on how her life will only be fulfilled by buying more Bricks.
Regards Martin.

[TrueAce]

Best thing I ever did to win my wife over to riding was to take her to the dealer to get her own boots, her own helmet that fits like she wants, and a decent jacket & gloves so she stayed warm. All the complaining went away on our rides after that.

[Scud]

OK boys, we interrupt this lovely group marriage counseling session for a side- and center-stand rebuild.



What's up with the little holes where I put the yellow zip ties? These holes face up when the stand is up, they would accumulate moisture and dirt. It seems like they are supposed to take grease fittings. But my other stand also just has holes. Has anybody put grease fittings in there? Or just grease, assemble, and forget about it?

[K1300S]

Grease fittings.  Mine has them.

[Scud]

Thanks, I'll find some and install after paint. Just curious: Did you put them in, or did they come on the bike?

[K1300S]

Mine were there.

[Laitch]

The zerks weren't on earlier bikes. The stands were greased through the hole using a conical fitting on the grease gun.

[Martin]

When I first got my bike it had small hex head plugs, which I replaced with grease nipples. When I did my last spline lube I also drilled and taped the clutch pivot arm to take a grease nipple.
Regards Martin.

[Scud]

Thanks guys - I didn't know about conical grease gun fittings. I just watched the balance of Chris Harris' spline lube videos on YouTube, and he used one of those fittings, rather than install a pair of zerks.  ...some lubrication and assembly required.

[Scud]

We have a rolling chassis again and my wife will get to park in the garage next week. Chris Harris' videos helped. I used plenty of anti-seize, I used a f-ing torque wrench, the tables in the Clymer Manual are great. I'm not sure if I swore enough though.

Lubed:
- Clutch splines with Staburags
- Driveshaft splines with Staburags
- Final drive oil - Red Line Heavy Shockproof
- Center and Side-stands - BTW - I didn't get any zerks for it yet, just lubed it really well on assembly. I have to say - this was worth the extra effort and I had not planned on doing this. The stands move very freely and quietly now (plus I knocked all the rust off and it looks better).
- Anything else that moves

Painted:
- clutch housing
- transmission
- swingarm
- final drive
- rear brake caliper (VHT Caliper Paint)
- centerstand (and sidestand and all little bits - even the springs)

New:
- Spiegler stainless brake line
- brake line to rear reservoir
- Unused Z-racks (came with parts bike)
- Swapped out lots of fasteners and little bits from parts bike. My toolbox/ECU carrier was only riding on one rubber bushing - fortunately I had three spares in my mini parts-store.

Gone:
- ABS pumps and bracket
- ABS hard brake lines
- ABS wiring (but left connections on main harness)
- ABS-compatible peg plates - I had the non-ABS plates from the 1990 bike powdercoated so I would have the guards for passenger's feet.



Up next: Front brakes.  I wanted to get the new fork springs in this weekend and do some more work up front, but I think I will have to take that in stages. Still haven't put on my powdercoated crank and valve covers...

[K1300S]

Looking good!

[TrueAce]

You have done a very thorough job. That bike will be as good as new.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

I have an RT I would like to loan you for a month or so! 

Nice work!!!

[Martin]

You must be happy to have the end in sight, you should be proud.
Regards Martin. :clap:

[Scud]

I am getting pretty excited about finishing the mechanical bits and then seeing about some paint (at least the tank, but a there are few other scratches). The engine is still a mess (especially the left side) - so a good tune/clean is still in order.

I hit a snag though - it seems the PO of the 1990 forced SAE brake lines into the tube that goes through the steering head - so now I can't connect my new braided lines to get fluid from the reservoir to the freshly rebuilt calipers and new rotors. I'm pleased with the look of these rotors and they saved a fair bit of weight.

EBC rotor weighs 3 lbs, 11.2 oz (postage scale) and is 0.19" thick
Stock LH rotor weights 3 lbs 11.5 oz but is worn to 0.17"
Stock RH rotor with ABS ring weighs 5 lbs 2.6 oz (also at 0.17")

Along with the weight I saved by swapping to older wheels, and assuming a few more ounces for the ABS sensor and bracket - I've probably cut front wheel unsprung weight by more than 3 pounds - that translates into smoother ride and better tire contact.

    :2thumbup:



Also tinted the front turn signals.

I only park it on flower pedals.

[Scud]

Actually, I have a bigger snag than I thought....... so here's my puzzle:

The metal down-tube for the front brakes - as used in the 1990 non-ABS with the Sport forks - does not fit in the same space in the 1992 with the Showa forks. I had assumed all along that it would fit, but when I saw that mine was damaged and thought about buying another, I decided to test-fit it first. Wish I had test fit that earlier...

Here's what I have to work with:
 - 1992 forks with pitted fork tubes - PO said he had seals replaced recently, but I just noticed today that they are starting to leak again.
 - 1990 forks with smooth tubes - but leaking a bit
 - New in box All-Balls steering head bearings for 1992 - but I think these are not compatible with 1990.
 - New in box Spiegler front brake lines for 1990 non-ABS bike
 - New in box Progressive fork springs for 1992 - not sure if these are compatible with 1990.

I think my options are:
 1 - keep existing forks, but would need to buy a custom brake line and either buy new fork tubes or try resurfacing these.
 2 - swap to the 1990 forks - would need steering bearings and a new brake down-tube.

Both options involve rebuilding the forks (seals and oil) so I am ignoring that for decision-making purposes.

It seems that swapping to the 1990s might be less expensive and easier - and based on earlier conversation there does not appear to be a clearly superior fork between these two options.

Is there any difference between frames that would make swapping forks difficult? What am I missing?

[Martin]

There are products out there to repair pitting in forks I believe you can also use Super Glue. Any products used require sanding down with fine emery, filling the pits and either scaping down or sanding down. I have tried to contact an old mate who successfully did this with an US product on his Honda CB 900. Phone number no longer active. If I find out I will post.
Regards Martin. :2thumbup:

[Martin]

Found the product it's called Cronabraze 92C it's a type of solder. You can see it on Utube. Mate ran for at least 5 years with that repair until he sold it. There are quite a few posts on fork pitting repairs Gel Super glue, JB Weld, two part epoxy.
Regards Martin.

[Scud]

I used some oil and a razor blade to scrape off the rims around the divots on the forks. This worked well and seems to have stopped the leak.

But on my recent trip to Phoenix, my fairing started to loosen up (bouncing headlight). I discovered one missing bolt and several loose bolts - and a fiberglass repair inside one of the fairing panels. (fortunately, I have another panel in good condition).

I am also not happy with my custom front brake lines (after deleting the ABS). They were rubbing a bit and I had to zip tie them.

And the more I look at the 1990 forks, the better they look... so...

Swapped out the triple clamps and forks today. The brake lines have been a real puzzle for this project - but I think I finally managed to get all the bits I need and be able to use the Speigler lines I ordered a while ago. I should be able to put it together tomorrow and see how the BMW Sport forks feel.



No time for painting or other cosmetic work this weekend. Just gonna try to get it assembled in better working order.

[Laitch]

I only park it on flower pedals.

Aren't those Hong Kong orchid tree flowers you're using to carpet the garage, Scud? I think that's a classic ritual use by subtropical bike mechanics.

Getting back to the bike, my bike has a Showa fork that has one line from the master cylinder to the right brake then from there is a steel line bridging the fender to the left brake. Is that how your Showa was set up?

[Scud]

Yes, that's a Hong Kong Orchid tree in the background.  Well-spotted.

The Showas with ABS went like this:
- Rubber hose from Master to frame junction
- Hard lines to and from ABS unit
- Rubber hose to RH caliper (secured by bracket on upper grille)
- Hard line under fender connecting two calipers (no bleeder on RH caliper)

By deleting the ABS, I eliminated the need for a connection at the frame - and I just didn't get the routing or hose length correct.

Anyway - I just bled the brakes with the BMW Sport forks and Spiegler brake line kit. This setup uses the downpipe in the steering head and it splits off to two braided lines (in photo above) which connect to two hard lines (one on each caliper).

FYI - my downpipe did have an SAE fitting forced into it. But I was able to remove it and clean up the threads by working a banjo bolt in and out with some thread lube - sort of like re-tapping the threads.

[Scud]

I got the BMW Sport forks filled with the correct amount of oil - after a cleaning out with ATF (thanks Johnny for describing that process, I had not heard of that before.) I kind of like the idea of the Sport forks too - as I understand it, these are the most rare type of fork, manufactured by BMW for only a few years before they went with the Showas.

The handling is far superior - much more stable and predictable. The PO of the 1990 said the sport forks had stiffer springs - and to be fair in my comparison to the Showas, I don't know whether they had the correct amount or type of oil in them, but the PO of the 1990 said the forks were recently serviced. The Sport forks do still leak a tiny bit of oil, so I'll get some seals in before long - but good to know that they are working well before I rip into it again for further "refreshing" and cosmetics.

Went for a 50-mile night-ride. The little brick is getting better and better... Getting the fairing on securely and putting some split fuel line between the bracket cover and gauge to prevent bouncing made it a real joy. Got rained on, even though I was riding under a fairly clear sky and could see stars. Flushed out two huge owls who crossed the road overhead. A worthy little romp - and I think this was the first time I've taken the brick out with no saddlebags and no particular place to go.

[Scud]

Finally making some more progress. While I've been pleased with the improvements in handling, the front-end still wasn't quite right. There was some chatter in the front end on braking, and I found the stiffer springs to be too stiff for rough roads.

Here's what I've got going on now:

Replaced steering bearing and races with All Balls brand
 This thread, and the fuch!ng Chris Harris video, were very helpful. I had never done this task before. http://www.motobrick.com/index.php/topic,6906.0.html  The old races had clear signs of wear, including a spot that got pitted (perhaps from sitting outside in the weather). I suspect now that the pitting contributed to the front-end chatter. FWIW - I used the dust seals that came with the All Balls bearings, despite the common-wisdom recommendation to discard those and use the BMW type. I have put the forks back on and the steering head moves smoothly and effortlessly. More discussion (and pictures) about the dust seals at the above link.

Removed Fluidbloc steering damper
I suspected that the damper might have gone to the dark side and started working against me. It can only be removed when the steering bearing races are out (FYI - a bit of clothes-hanger dowel is the perfect driver to remove the damper). It was a bit mangled - I don't think I have ever seen a picture of one, so here is the one I removed, for the record.



Had the 1990 Sport forks rebuilt
I was planning to do this task on my own, and had secured all the parts, but decided to let a pro do it. Glad I did - he said it was very difficult to disassemble the old ones, becuase the springs were so strong and there was some corrosion up top, probably due to failed O-rings. Progressive springs are in (hopefully will match ride quality with the Progressive shock), along with seals, o-rings, and all new crush washers.

Bits of paint and polish... more pics when it's rolling again.

[Laitch]

Thanks for updating the thread, Scud.