Honda Goldwing Stock Exhaust / 1957 BSA Bantam

I've been looking for an original GL1000 Exhaust system for my 1977 GL to replace the  Jardine headers / mufflers. Ones found on E-Bay are either priced off the charts or are rusty hulks with astronomical shipping costs.
I found a very nice specimen at a bike salvage yard last month but they wanted $400.00 for theirs....pretty proud of it.
Got lucky today.
Went to a junk dealers yard to look at some derelict motorcycles he had for sale. The bikes were junk but lo and behold, there laying on the ground was a complete early GL1000 exhaust system. No side shields on the muffler, but snooping around I found them on a shelf. Everything was in pretty decent shape. One side shield had a small scrape. The chrome muffler tips were perfect, minus the baffles. The header chrome covers have some dents but will "tap" out with a little effort. "How much I asked?".... $45.00 he says...... I'll give ya $50.00 I told him...ya!


Also checked with a bike shop Sat. to see what they might have to offer. The owner has a 1957 BSA Bantam which is a little 2 stroke 150cc bike. These were based on the German DKW 125cc design from the 30's. As a part of "War Reparations" the designs for these bikes were given out to England, USA, Russia. They were the basis for the Harley Hummer design and other manufacturers similar designs.
The BSA appears complete, other than the seat cover / foam missing, but the pan is there.
It has had a repaint years ago, but looks to be a pretty complete bike. Has compression & spark. Was last licensed in 1974. Has a little registration "disk" mounted on the side of the headlight. Owner said he'd take a "grand" for it. Been doing some research to see what they are bringing. The asking price is likely fair....down side is "no paperwork" with the bike. I took a few photos with my phone but can't send them to myself for some reason. I'll post the photos if I can ever retrieve them.

Trevor Ware Recovery Fund

Trevor Ware is a young fellow rider who was seriously injured in a MC VS drunk driver incident a year ago. He needs help from his many friends in the motorcycle world. Please check out his story on the ADV web site.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=831775&page=7

Trevor suffered serious brain trauma and has a long road of recovery ahead of him.
He is constantly improving and working hard towards his goals.
The family has huge financial obstacles and any help is appreciated.
No amount is too small so open your hearts and give a little...or a lot if you can.

Please spread the word.
(Click to enlarge)

1988 R100RT

R100RT "Mono" Project?

Never paid any attention to the plate "verbage" til this morning....Hopefully the license plate is not a sign of things to come:


My wife & I wrestled it out of the pickup this AM.


I was able to give it a good looking over. The fairing mount / headlight bucket were in a saddle bag. ....some missing bolts here there. Pulled the float bowls and they were very clean, as is the tank. Looks like everything was properly drained. Throttle / choke / clutch all seem to function. The front brakes applied / released as they should. The right side of the tank is dented in, but doesn't have any sort of creases....might be able to "pop" it out with a suction cup.(?) A few loose wires here and there. Over all I think it has great possibilities. Exhaust system looks sound, just some acid stains in one area. Luggage is pretty well worn, but should be functional. The bike has a "Brown" side stand which is a good thing, plus the OEM center stand. The seat is tattered but I can have it redone in Yuma pretty cheap if I decide to go that way....I found a real nice "Corbin" seat for $20.00 at a local Flea Market last weekend, just had to take it home. Might be able to adapt it to the BMW...I think it is for a mid 90's Yamaha.



My BMW experience ends with the 1982 model years. Never had any experience with a 1988 "Mono" model.
62k miles on the odometer. The owner had it a couple of years....sold it to a neighbor, then it was stolen. 3 + years later the original owner got a call (still titled in his name) and the bike had been recovered. He got it home and it fired right up, drove it into his car port and there it sat for the past couple years. It was out of direct weather / rain anyway. The owner said he needed a new acetylene bottle so sold it cheap to gather some quick cash. Luckily he still had a clear title in his name...nothing worse than screwing around trying to obtain new Titles....been there...done that and it's a PITA!








I think I'll pull it down to the frame this Winter. Definitely will pull the top end apart to look things over. I imagine the air box might have some former "residents" as it was out in the country. The fairing was removed by the thieves so no fairing. Not sure what to do with the thing, but I'll turn it into some sort of "Rat" machine.
I don't think it should be "parted" out as it is mostly there and should run.

 This photo of an R100 "Mono" came off the internet....gives me some ideas of what is possible.

"Fish'in" for Beemers again

I always run "Wanted: Dead or Alive" Ads on Craigslist as we travel around the country.
Had a promising reply tonight from one such ad. Fellow nearby contacted me about a BMW R100 that has been "resting" in his car port for the past couple years.
 Story goes that he sold it to a neighbor who had it stolen from him. After quite a bit of time the cops called and had recovered the bike....the neighbor buyer did not want it back so the original owner took it. He said it fired up when returned and he drove it into the car port. There it has sat for the past couple years. He has a clear Title and only wants $350.00 bucks so I'm likely going to haul it home tomorrow. He said it was a "1986 R100/7"....problem is that they never made a "R100/7" in 1986. BMW did make a R100RS / R100RT "Mono" in 1986....he said it was a rear "Mono" shock model so it must be the RS or the RT Model. We'll see....photos will follow manana.

Picked the bike up today. It is actually a 1988 Model R100RT...minus the fairing.

She is pretty rough cosmetically...dented tank on right side, lots of grime from sitting. 62K miles on the odometer so I hope that the drive train will be servicable.

I also located a 1966 BMW R60/2 in Wyoming earlier this Summer. It has been sitting in a shed since the mid 70's. He said the exhaust was shot and a previous owner installed some "non OEM" handlebars. Since the bike has sat in an unheated shed for 40 odd years the internal engine condition would be very questionable. I was hoping for a cheap asking price but when he said "$3700.00" my heart sunk a bit...no bargain price there....too many unknowns to put out that much for the bike. I never had a chance to go look at that one. Maybe worth taking a look at it...if it was an R69S it would be a great buy.


Recently I was contemplating a "swap" for my old 1977 Gold Wing....local guy has a 1976 R60/6 he wants to trade straight across. I've been wanting another R60/6 since I sold my R60/6 Rat bike a couple years ago. ...I almost had myself talked into it but this R60/6 has some aesthetic issues......numerous dents in the gas tank, torn up seat, but the guy says it runs great. I haven't seen the bike in person yet, only photos....I'm going to think about that trade for a while. The old Gold Wing is in much better condtion than the R60/6 but old Gold Wings are nearly a "dime a dozen" these days and do not bring very high resale values.....but it is such a joy to ride.....plus I'm still contemplating turning it into a sidecar tug some day.
But.......I really would like to have an R60/6...decisions, decisions....

                                     BMW R60/6

Another guy contacted me and had a large amount of BMW Airhead parts. I met him a couple weeks ago. He mostly had engine / mechanical parts. Also had a couple tanks, frame, other assorted stuff. He assessed his parts at $2200.00 so wanted $1200.00 for everything. I think the parts were worth the price, but the time involved in sorting and selling off things to break even would be extreme, plus he didn't really have anything rare in the collection. I was prepared to go $600.00 on the items but no way $1200.00.

I do know of an early 80's R65LS BMW sitting out in AZ. I've been attempting to buy the bike for a few years, but the owner doesn't yet want to part with it, thinking he'll "get it going" someday. 10 years have passed and it still sits in the same spot, deteriorating under a tarp in the desert oven - like heat, I went to see him last Winter, to show him the sidecar rig....I bought a 1974 BMW R90/6 from him which was the basis for my sidecar build....maybe this Winter I'll be able to cut a deal on the R65LS....I've never seen the entire bike as it is covered with  old tarps. It looks as if as one tarp rots away, he throws another one on top, so there are multiple tarps covering the thing. He bought the bike new and the mileage is low, but the desert enviroment is tough on all rubber items. The R90 I bought from him had desert sand in the cylinders, the LS probably does too. It would require a nearly complete "tear down" to get running again.