Ran a short run up the freeway yesterday to road test the hack. The K-Block tires definately change the handling characteristics of the bike. There's now a lot more contact with the pavement. The ride is better with a passenger and / or load in the hack.
After a 25 mile run at freeway speed I stopped to look things over and see oil seepage from the transmission area. So either the rear main seal is still leaking or the oil pump seal is leaking. I'm leaning towards the rear main seal......I've read that new rear main seals can weep a bit initially when replaced so we'll see. I'll change the oil next week and add some seal conditioner and hopefully the seepage will stop. I don't cherish the thought of pulling the whole damn bike apart again....
I was going to start tearing down the R75/5 to part it out on EBay. Decided to list it as a running project bike to see what might happen. I'll be damned but my $1k. reserve was met and the bike will sell as is. I hated to tear apart a running bike anyway. Someone will have a good foundation to build a Cafe bike or ride it as a Rat bike. The bike is fun to ride as is.
I have a few other misc. used BMW parts listed too. Appears that the "after Christmas" BMW parts market is alive and well.
3 comments:
That sidecar rig is looking good! when you wrote it rides better with ballast, was it because it tended to come up without it?
dom
Redleg's Rides
Colorado Motorcycle Travel Examiner
Yes, The side car typically always feels "light" without a passenger or load on board. When travelling solo, I always pack all my gear in the sidecar to gain some ballast. I never load up ballast for short rides as I'm used to the characteristics of the light chair. I have the sidecar mounted very close to the bike which also adds to the "light" feeling.
I have a friend with the same sidecar mounted to his R90 BMW. He has his mounted out nearly 12" further than mine. The downside to the wide mounting is that there is more leverage on the mounting points. Of course I've never ridden any sidecar other than mine so am not familiar with other set ups.
Thanks for the response, its what I figured. My Ural sideccar was set up really close to the tug but never felt "light". My present rig, the V-Strom/Dauntless combo is much farther out from the tug....adds to the stability I think but I've failed to do donuts in snow! :)
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