BMW R75/5 Valve Adjustment / Roswell Ride Prep.

Planning a ride over to Roswell NM next weekend. After years of riding the Airhead I know when a valve adjustment is due. Decided to perform a few maintenance items yesterday. I'd ordered some Spectro Motor Oil a few weeks ago from an Amarillo Dealer but they sent the semi-synthetic oil rather than what I ordered.....I learned the hard way not to use any synthetic oils in the older airheads. Had to re order the oil. I pulled the valve covers and found a couple of the valves a little out of adjustment. I've run around 3000 miles since the last adjustment so it was due. Pulled the front cover (always disconnect the battery ground when doing that!) and checked the point gap....was a little tight so adjusted the points. Since my oil didn't come in I changed the oil with some Castrol 20-50. Didn't change the filter this time. We'll probably run around 1000 miles next weekend. Charged the battery yesterday but the battery is not holding a charge.....I see a lot of crap in the cells...battery is only 1 1/2 years old.......I'll try to hunt down a replacement battery......probably won't have much luck around here.(?)

Received all the parts for reassembling the R100S engine....installed a top ring in a cylinder to check ring end gap and found that the gap was way out of spec....... .030 which is much to wide. The cylinder must be a .025 oversize.(?) sent the rings back and ordered an oversize set. After visiting with a fellow airhead I've decided to go ahead and change the rod bearings. That is an easy task when the engine has the top end removed...the rod bolts must also be replaced as they are a one-time-use item. So I'm waiting on the rod bearings for a while.

I received the repaired 1973 1/2 LWB subframe after a welding repair...weld looks good, hope it will work out. Also had a R75/5 friction damper rod lengthened as I will modify a /5 friction damper assembly for the "earles forks" rather than a hydraulic type damper. Straightened the slightly bent sidecar sub frame and fitted it to the R100S. It appears that it will work just fine......With the receipt of the rod bearings I think (?) I have everything to begin reassembly of the "new" tug.

Ran 21 EBay items for auction last week. Sold 19 small items for a total of $205.00. These were just small extra parts I had laying around....seat hinges, tank mounts, fuel t's, a set of rocker arms, etc.

BMW R100S Sidecar Tug Progress

I dis assembled the R100S engine top end a few months ago after soaking it in "Marvel Mystery Oil" for 6 weeks. The left side cylinder was rusted but freed up after sitting in an oil bath. After a long soak I would raise the rear tire off the ground, put the transmission in 5th gear and then rock the drive wheel forward / backward. After a few tries the rust lost its' hold and "free at last". I found that water had entered the left intake port and sat in the cylinder. I hauled everything to a competent engine shop and had the cylinders honed and the valve seats freshened up. The pistons looked good and a fresh set of standard rings should be good. They found that both the exhaust valve guides were sloppy so I ordered a complete set of new guides to be replaced. One cylinder shows minor "stains" after honing but hopefully will be OK. They looked just like the (earlier rebuilt ) R90 cylinder "stains" which have now run 14k miles with no issues.

This is the finished (was Blue) R90/6 tank that I had as a spare. It went in for body work and paint...then onto EBay ......now in the hands of a new owner.......I only profited a few dollars on this one but now a fellow BMW guy has a nice newly reconditioned tank.

I sealed the intake / exhaust ports with clamped caps to retain the oil during the "soak". The exhaust valve was open so it wouldn't hold the oil.

The QSL 1000 Mile Solo seat back from the upholstery shop. A whoppin $90.00 for a recover. Into the seat about $200.00 now. .....It's worth that much.....I installed it (and the tank below) on the "Black Hag" for a trip or two and it is very comfortable. I like the black QSL seat better than the old brown QSL as the foam is thicker & newer.....I swapped the mounts around and now have this seat permanently on the "Hag".

This old "German Cop Tank" worked good on the "Hag". Fuel capacity only at around 5.5 to 6.0 gallons so fuel stops were more often...I like the Heinrich Tank much better. This tool bin holds the stock tool kit just right, but no extra stuff.

I've received all the new engine parts needed to assemble the R100S engine so hope to get it together in the coming weeks. I got lucky and found a set of real nice vintage "Luftmiester" header & muffler shields via the IBMWR site for $45.00. What a find! I wanted another set for the "new" bike. I've seen just the header guards sell for over $100.00 on EBay.

Slow but sure the R100S stuff is stacking up......Had a /5 friction damper rod modified to fit the leading link forks on the R100S also.

I purchased a 1973.5 long wheel base rear sub frame to install . (EBay) upon receipt and inspection I found the frame had a crack in it......the seller said he would cover the cost of repair.....I had the machine shop repair the frame and hope the crack repair will hold. The 73.5 sub frame uses two pipe cross braces and will fit the stock QSL seat mounting frames. Slso the 1974- on cross braces are very prone to cracks at the welds. ( mine was cracked and has been re welded) It just dawned on me that the bigger battery will not squeeze into the holder with the different sub frame.....I'll likely use the smaller style battery......

Parts for R100S: reconditioned 40MM Bings with K & N Pod Filters

repaired the sidecar lower mount sub frame (minor bend from crash)

reconditioned /6 German Cop Touring Tank W/ tool box

reconditioned QSL 1000 Mile Solo Seat

Modified /5 Friction Steering Damper (rather than hydraulic)

"Luftmeister" muffler & header shields

32:10 Final Drive

5 speed kick start transmission

new top end / seals & gaskets

I surely hope the engine bottom end is good. The engine showed 45k miles but with the exhaust guide wear I'm not sure if that is correct....I have a pair of spare lower end engines in AZ. if needed. I'll go with the engine bottom end as is and we'll see........It was running good when wrecked....I sold the R100S 5 speed transmission to a guy in Ca. and it worked great with no seal leaks at all.....it sat for 12 years or more.......

BMW Sidecars.......BMW MOA Rally..2008

My old Black Hag

Radical

Low , Lean & Mean

Pretty Blue

Decal Fetish

Honda Silverwing

A new definition of "Sidecar"....hope they have A.C.

Cruiser with a hack....

Clothes line......

Pauls' rig.....he's a one legged rider.....

Velorex

Co. / New Mexico Road Trip Rainy Day 6 Continued.....

(My method of posting is somewhat "bass ackwords" so go down to each days first post and work your way back up! You'll figure it out....and if you don't......I don't care.......Click on any image to enlarge)



While at McDonald's I spotted a McCop on the street....they ride McBeemers....................Weather was looking socked in....but what do you do?.............Go for it!

A couple miles up the road we were in the mode below.....the bike/sidecar wind screens pretty much deflect all rain over & around us.....didn't bother with the rain gear...just kept rolling....eventually with a wet left arm............

Things lightened up after 30 miles or so...just an occasional rain.

We ended up on NM Highway 120 over to Wagon Mound. Below we are crossing the Canadian River Canyon......was going to Banzai back to Texas but decided to spend the night in Clayton NM and have a big steak dinner.............

Sheeesh.............I'm not contemplating suicide by digit.............I'm not greeting my navigator..........I'm not scratching my inner ear or brain..............I'm trying to push my right ear plug over to my left ear............

Co. Road Trip Day 6...New Mexico

I awoke early day 6 to the patter of rain on the tent and bees buzzing a couple inches from my ear...luckily on the other side of the tent fabric. One thing I don't like is packing up a camp site in the rain........awoke my better half (earlier than usual....) and goaded her into getting rolling before we had any rain. We headed towards Taos New Mexico under very threatening skies.
A few miles out of Taos we could see a literal wall of water in the valley and were getting some rain when we came across a protected rest area right next to the Rio Grande Canyon.

We took a break under the enclosure while it rained for 30 minutes or so.

Headed over the bridge towards Taos......

Navigators view of the gorge....pretty awesome canyon.

Hit Taos before the 10:30 AM Breakfast witching hour.....I always think of the Michael Douglas movie"Falling Down" when I eat breakfast at McDonalds...............if you know what I mean....

Colorado Road trip by BMW/Sidecar Day 5 cont.....

The back road into Los Alamos took us through a high security check point with a really young looking lad who just waved us by.

Atomic City TransportWe wandered into Los Alamos and immediately ended up in a dead end residential area. Finally found our way out of town as there were no campgrounds anywhere in the area, according to a couple different folks we talked to........on the road again.

Los Alamos sits atop a mesa and it was down. down, down after leaving there.

We rode for a couple more hours and were running out of daylight...no campgrounds anywhere....in fact no towns anywhere......finally came to Ojo Caliente, which was a somewhat high end mineral spa. $30.00 for a tent or R.V. site. We didn't have many options and besides a nice soak in a hot springs was just what the Doc. ordered! The tent site sucked....crawling with huge black ants....swarming with hungry mosquito's and lots of aggressive bees......not exactly what my wife had in mind...............but after a nice hot swim it didn't really matter!

Colorado Road Trip by BMW/Sidecar Day 5 Cont.....

Along N.M. Highway 550. (Click on Images to enlarge)

Wonderful country here in New Mexico.

This was a "Soda Dam" outside Jemez Springs....looked like a nice swimming hole.
A water fall comes through the rocks into a pool. A little crowded.

This was called "Battleship Rock". Heading towards Los Alamos now.

N.M. Highway 4

Los Alamos coming up....Highway 4 was a windy narrow little road which dropped us just outside town.

Colorado Road Trip by BMW/Sidecar Day 5

Pulled out of Cortez Co. and headed for Durango Co. Passing through Mancos Co. I was suprised to see a BMW shop along the road. Stopped for a few minutes to visit with the folks there. Bought an oil filter I needed and tried on some new boots, but none of them felt right.....Durango was a very busy sight with a lot of traffic. We made a quick fuel stop and headed south on highway 511.

Passed by Navajo Lake which was populated by a lot of houseboats.

Worked our way down to N.M Highway 64 to Chama then South on

This is near "Ghost Ranch" ...called the Echo Amphitheater. There was a camp ground there. I don't know what the "Ghost Ranch" was all about. The road following the sign was a rough gravel road so we passed .

This is the Abiquiu Reservoir.

We stopped in Cuba N.M. as I was planning on crossing the mountains on N.M. 126 to Los Alamos. One map showed that it was paved and another showed gravel. I stopped and talked to a few locals and was told that it was a nasty, rough gravel path for quite a few miles so decided to take a much further route south then back north. While in Cuba I noticed quite a few young folks wandering around. Some with guitars, some bare foot, some with backpacks. Finally I saw a tent along the road welcoming the "Rainbow Family". Their yearly gathering was 20 miles outside Cuba in the National Forest. I would have loved to go out and camp a night with the "family" but found out that it was a three mile hike from the parking area to the camping area.....we were not set up for back packing so that was that.

Colorado Road Trip by BMW/Sidecar Day 4 cont.....ending at Mesa Verde Nat. Park.

We got a motel room in Cortez Co. and headed over to Mesa Verde Nat. Park. We were here years ago but didn't have the time to hike around or look the place over.....This sidecar rig was at nearly every place we stopped but never did cross paths with the owner.

We hiked down to a couple of the ruins as they allow self guided tours....under the watchful eye of the Park Rangers.

Amazing construction, some a 1000 years old

We signed up in advance for a longer hike and tour with the Park Ranger....

It was a nice climb in and out and was very interesting to get more of the history of the place.

The camera we were using today was having some sort of issue and showed a lot of glare......I had three cameras with us but only used one of them today.......