K100RS parked for four months outside in all weathers

[Filmcamera]

Finally got a chance to work more on the bike this morning.  I jumped the side stand connection and it started right up! After cleaning the connections with deox it still starts with the side stand switch connected and even cuts out when I lower the side stand.


Thanks TMG - good call

[Laitch]

I jumped the side stand connection and it started right up!

:clap:

[The Mighty Gryphon]

You're very welcome!   :clap: :2thumbup:

Now get out there and get some yee-hah.

[Filmcamera]

Yesterday afternoon the clutch cable adjuster arrived to today I was able to put everything back together and go out on a test drive.


The new clutch works great! The shifts up and down are noticeably smoother and less clunky.  I can also feel a big increase in acceleration now the clutch isn't semi slipping.


So that is a spline lube and clutch change done and dusted, thank you everyone for your help.


Next step I have to work on is the brakes.  Thed sics are pretty worn but even so I have basically no front brake.  I did get some new cheapy chinese pads so I will install those and hope it helps.  Now I have the power to go fast but still stop very slowly - not a good combination  :riding: :falldown: :mbird

[Laitch]

Next step I have to work on is the brakes.  Thed sics are pretty worn but even so I have basically no front brake. 

That reminds me. I haven't looked at my thed sics in ages.

[Chaos]

is there a link to checking thed sics?  I'm not sure early K's even had them.

[Filmcamera]

You can be a real as shole at times... :hehehe


Seriously though, the discs are kinda worn - both are less than minimum but the pads are no more than half life.  I have totally stripped and cleaned all the brake parts and bled the system to death.  There are no brake fluid leaks anywhere and yet basically the brake lever goes to the hand grip every time.  It is like it is impossible to build up any pressure in the system.  Any idea why brakes would always act that way?


Nut sure what to do next except change the pads but that is more in hope than expectation.

[Laitch]

  Any idea why brakes would always act that way?

Have you followed this procedure for bleeding them?

[Filmcamera]

Yes, exactly as stated. ABS modulator first then the caliper furthest from the master cylinder then the one closest.  I did it again today.  Straight brake fluid, not a single micro bubble of air.  :dunno


As stated much earlier in this thread the brakes came back from the powder coating totally coated, the inside of the calipers as well.  I very carefully cleaned those sides as well as using a tap on all the threads to clean them and a pick on the holes that allow fluid to pass from one side to the other.  I also removed the seals and pistons and cleaned those and lastly replaced the o-rings.  Everything seemed to go back together great and there are no leaks so why no pressure?  I haven't touched the master cylinder as yet, I guess it could be there.

[Laitch]

Yes, exactly as stated. ABS modulator first then the caliper furthest from the master cylinder then the one closest.  I did it again today. 

Here's a fun thread to read while you wait for Gryph.

[Filmcamera]

Nice thanks, I have tried the holding the brake lever back over night method before and it did help a little - now I will turning bars left and right as well.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

I finally got some lever feel doing the partial-lever-pull-over-night thing.  It seems that the more I ride the bike the better the brakes work.  I like to think I have the last of the air out.

Bought a rebuild kit for the leaky piston seal, but haven't installed it yet.  The leak isn't that bad, in fact, it may have stopped.  I have just been pulling the boot and soaking up the little bit of fluid that is in there. I am not sure I want to bleed a rebuilt master cylinder again.

My K100 no longer has ABS so the bleeding is straightforward(yeah, right).  I am so disgusted with the bleeding process after working on the system, especially with my RT, that I recently purchased a Gunson pressure bleeder and am waiting on delivery from the U.K.   Am hoping it helps make that job a little less annoying.   

I was using a vacuum pump to bleed, but it seemed that it was pulling air into the system past the seals in the master cylinder.   When I was done with the vacuum bleeder I still had to go back and bleed the air out conventionally.  The only good thing about the vacuum was that it got the old fluid out quick. 

[Martin]

This might or might not help. I had problems with bleeding my K75 when I first got it no amount of pressure vacuum  or manual bleeding would work. Blocking the line from the master cylinder gave me instant pressure. With a bit of detective work it turned out to be a leak in the front brake line. It appears that a small hole had developed but it was covered internally by a flap of rubber making a one way valve. The hose was sucking air in but not leaking any fluid. I think I still have the hose I kept it on the wall as a curiosity.
Regards Martin.

[Filmcamera]

I changed all my hoses to stainless ones just recently so I really hope that isn't the issue. 


I do somewhat suspect air creeping into the system somewhere though.  When I took the bike off the road to do the clutch two weeks ago the front brakes weren't great but they worked for sure.  When I took it for a ride today - or was about to - I had zero front brake and at no point in the clutch changing process did I in any way touch the front brake system.

[Filmcamera]

I have been bleeding and testing my brakes and also tying them up overnight as suggested.  That had been working fine, I bled them yesterday, did the left and right with the handle bars and bled them again.  After that I had a pretty good level of feel in the brake lever.  Jost to be sure I tied the handle back about half way overnight to get an remaining air to the top.  This morning I took the tie down off and tested the lever.  Straight to the bar with zero pressure at all.  Overnight the brakes have gone to worse than ever.  There is no leak anywhere so I am thinking maybe the master cylinder needs a rebuild?  I bled the brakes and got some feel back but not much.  Any suggestions?

[Filmcamera]

Nah they were out at my rinky dink Costa Rican car parts store so I am using old fashioned Dot 4...

[Filmcamera]

I ordered a master cylinder rebuild kit from Motobins - $55 inc shipping as compared to $93 before shipping with MaxBMW, I figured at that price it would be crazy not to get it. 


At least Brexit is good for one thing!

[Filmcamera]

I got the first of my two new mirrors yesterday and have been trying to install it today.  I know there is a trick to getting the mirror out but is there one to getting it in? I have pushed and heaved and done everything I can but the mirror is still maybe 1 or 2 mm short of being in enough ti be able to slip the mirror clamp on at the other side. I think that is how I lost the old one so really want to try and get the clamp installed properly

[Laitch]

Any suggestions?

While you're waiting for your rebuild kit, loosen then retighten snuggly all your hose connections then bleed the system again.

[Martin]

You might want to fit leashes on your mirrors, would stop them wandering too far.. Fishing line tracer would do the trick.
Regards Martin

[Filmcamera]

I have leashes on the whole mirror housing but can't work see how I could also add them to the glass on its own.  Last time the housing stayed on the bike but the glass came off by.  That is whyI thinkmaybe I didn't have the clamp on right, but despite my best efforts I cannot get the clamp on now either.

[Laitch]

That is whyI thinkmaybe I didn't have the clamp on right, but despite my best efforts I cannot get the clamp on now either.

I'm uncertain what kind of gyrations and incantations you're involved in with this process because my bike is less complex; however, try this post on for size and read the others surrounding it. Maybe there will be something useful.

[Filmcamera]

Thanks, I have worked out a method of tethering just the glass separately to the rest of the pod so I am going to try that and not worry about it too much

[The Mighty Gryphon]

Laitch, the RS mirrors have a different attachment for the glass from the RT/LT mirrors.

I just went through my inventory of spare RS mirror pods and made a startling(to me) discovery.  It seems that there is two ways to attach the mirror glass.  On the new style pods, there is that nasty wire thingy you have to stick through the pod behind the reflector to clamp the mirror glass into the pod.

On my older(?) pods there is a built in spring wire that does the same job as that friggin' wire thingy.  If you look down in the hole carefully you will see two wires that will clamp the glass in place.  In order to get the glass into the clamp, you will need to push pretty hard on the center of the glass right where the post is.  If you don't push there you will be cruising eBay for a new mirror.  (No need to ask how I found that out.) 

It seems those sneaky guys at Motorad changed the pod where the glass connects when they went to the 4 valve models.  It is possible that you are trying to use that wire thingy with the old style pod.

[Filmcamera]

You could well be right.  I tried installing the new mirror in the other pod and had no problem.  Both the pods I have on the bike are new to me, one came with the fairing and the other from ebay.  So it could be they are different and the one I am having trouble with simply doesn't need the mirror glass clamp thingy (that is a technical term).  Either way I am going to tether the mirror glass itself with fishing line since the glass is becoming hard to find and I don't want to keep losing them!