BMW Sidehack - "Going to the Sun"

I was able to pull an extra day last weekend so what better thing to do than take a sidehack trip! Finished the left piston/valve spring / valve replacement last week so the bike was ready to give it another try...We pulled out on Thursday noon and headed up over the Little Belt Mountains towards White Sulphur Springs. Stopped at an interpretive site I built years ago...met some Canadian bike riders and they took our photo....


Beautiful day and a long straight stretch of road.

Nice old rural church.

We crossed the little Belts...stopped at white Sulphur Springs and said hi to an old school buddy, then off over the Big Belt Mountains to Canyon Ferry Reservoir.

Ran into a few miles of new road construction outside of Helena MT....of course I get right behind the water truck. We planned on camping. Stopped at a campground we stayed at years back and found it to be in a state of disrepair...bad enough that I would not set up a tent and leave anything unattended. A lot of questionable folks about. Since there were no other camping options nearby we ended up in an old 1930's "Motor Hotel", which had great old renovated cabins. $60.00 / night which is a deal these days. The place was nice and I'd stay there again. At about 8:00 pm a huge thunderstorm blew in so we were glad not to be tenting it...

We hit the road Friday AM and stopped at the top of McDonald Pass for this photo.

Cut upwards towards Lincoln MT. turning over towards Seely Lake...big cows around there...

A lake south of Seely Lake

We made it to Kalispell MT...again huge thunderstorms around so decided to Motel it again...glad we did as the Columbia Falls area which we were going to camp in had golf ball sized hail and massive winds...We headed towards Glacier Park at 8:00 AM..

River outside Columbia Falls

Entered Glacier Park in a big waiting line...took a few minutes to get through the gate...$12.00 per person for MC riders....

A nice view of lake McDonald...kind of hazy

Darian working her camera...

The ride into the park was great...many miles of brand new pavement as smooth as glass...

The smooth road came to an abrupt end and we were bouncing through terrible sections for quite a few miles. Some bumps were so bad I had the front end wobble a couple times, even with the hydraulic steering damper.

Up towards Logan Pass we go...

Traffic up the mountain wasn't too bad...some road construction had things down to one lane.

A wonderful place.

The "Triple Arch Bridge"

Road work.

Logan Pass looking back down the grade.

A few nice views

Some more miles of gravel...would not like to be here in the rain...

Heading out towards the plains...old fire area.

Stopped in Browning for a lunch break...bike started up rough and back fired a few times...decided to just hit the road and head home for the final 150 miles...bike got us home just fine but will need some valve adjustment attention before another ride...

BMW R100S back in action

Finally got all parts & pieces together and re-assembled the left top end, spent about 2 hours to put everything together......replaced left piston, exhaust valve and required gaskets....Took it for a quick 5 mile ride...all seems well.....



This weeks fun & games at work.....


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BMW Repairs...Yamaha DT250 Enduro

Finally have acquired all the parts needed to repair the R100S engine. I pulled the engine top end apart and found a bent exhaust valve and beat up piston. A new piston runs about $400.00 with shipping from Germany. Decided not to go that route....ran a couple of Internet ads and received offers from $250.00 down to $75.00. The $75.00 offer was the exact match and arrived in good order. Purchased valve springs, keepers, gaskets and a few other spares from BMW Huckys Spare Parts. The cylinder head went in to a machine shop to have the new valve mated up and new parts installed. Hope to have it back to running order some time next week when time allows...

Watching Craigslist, as usual, and ran across a great deal on a 1978 Yamaha DT250E dual sport bike. Drove out to look at the bike and found it to be in very good condition. Only has 2400 miles and has never been abused. The original tool set appears to never have been removed from its' storage space. Only flaw is some paint loss on the rear fender / sidecover. The fuel tank has a real small ding in it which I never saw until I got it home.

I spent a few dollars washing the 30 + years of grime from it. Bike was owned by a rancher who never rode it or washed it apparently. The bike cleaned up well but still needs some detail cleaning. She runs like new....didn't really need a dirt bike but since it is also streetable I'll definitely get some use from it out here in the boondocks of Montana...

Isle Of Man Sidecar Racing

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BMW R75/5 ....Glacier National Park

Since the R100s sidecar rig was out of commission I pulled the BMW "Hag" out of the trailer. I hadn't ridden her since last November, although I had started her and warmed the engine up on occasion. My wife was running to Billings to see the grand kids so I decided to plan a little road trip. Glacier National Park is fairly close so decided on that route. Checked over the bike and besides airing the tires nothing was really needed. I packed pretty light with camping gear but no cooking gear this time. Ran up MT. Highway 89 and stopped in Choteau MT. for a roll and a cup of coffee.

Next stop was Browning MT. I arrived there just in time for the "Indian Days" parade. Fueled and sat at the gas station for 1/2 hour or so. The tiny little town was jammed to the gills with people. Took me another 1/2 hour to get out of town.

Highway 89 leads to St. Mary and the East entrance to Glacier Park. I made another fuel stop there before heading into the park. Below is one of the many views seen approaching St. Mary.

Burned section of pines made for an interesting view.

View of St. Mary Lake.

Photo ops are at every bend. I stopped at one pull out and a young So. Cal. couple pulled in. I offered to take their photo and in return they took mine....

Further up the "Going To The Sun" highway the road turns to Gravel due to road construction. I laughed to myself as I met a lot of guys on custom Harleys who were likely in tears riding their high dollar shiny machines in the dust & gravel. A couple sections were running water making for a nice slimy "stew" to ride through. I'll bet a lot of toothbrushes were busy the next day...

Below: Approaching Logan Pass and the visitor center. I was into making some time so passed on pulling into the parking lot which was seething with Harley Davidsons.

Over Logan Pass and you can see the switchback highway descending to the west.

Had to showcase Rex's "BMW DOG" Sticker.

Water Falls everywhere this time of year.

Made it to Missoula Mt. by 7:00 pm. Decided to hit the local KOA and got the last tent site. Met three guys from New Jersey who were returning from Alaska. The Harley / Trailer Rig also made the trip. We sat up til way too late drinking & talking...

Another camping neighbor on a 650 single BMW....hauling this trailer load of gear and his Grand son...

Had a quick breakfast at the KOA...saw one of the New Jersey guys at breakfast...he was green around the gills and sort of Zombie like.....thanks to Jim Beam? I packed up and hit the road by 8:00. Left Missoula and headed to Lincoln MT. Rogers Pass sports the sign below...BRRRRRRR.

Leaving Lincoln I was on the home stretch. Still was pretty early so decided to cut over on Highway 287 to Wolf Creek and follow the Missouri River back to Great Falls. The scenery was great and the old BMW never missed a beat so far.

Staying off of the Interstate brings you along the "River Road" and a lot more scenic views.

Made it to Belt MT. only 25 miles from home but was really tired. Pulled into a small city park in Belt and took a quick nap before running the final few miles....a great uneventful trip.

I've now pulled the R100S engine top end apart and found a damaged piston and bent valve. Am working on finding all the parts needed. A new piston is nearly $400.00! Found a (hopefully) good used one for $75.00. I'll get to work on parts acquisition and hopefully have the sidecar back on the road in a couple of weeks.

BMW R100S/6 Maiden Voyage ?

We had planned a sidecar / camping trip for the 4th of July weekend. Saturday came in with rain and winds so decided to pull out on Sunday, ride over the Little Belt Mountains and end up over near Helena MT. to camp for the night. Changed out the rear tire Saturday night and changed all the gear lubes. Sunday morning we packed our gear and I re-torqued the heads and adjusted all valves. Finally good to go around 9:00 AM.

PACKED AND READY FOR THE ROAD

The morning was beautiful and the ride was nice. Very green with all the rain we've been having lately.

Neihart Montana was a mining area for many years. Lots of old derelict mine sites.

We stopped in Neihart to visit the local tavern for a burger. We worked here 7 or 8 years ago so went to visit the local tavern / motel / grill owner.

Dropping down the mountain towards White Sulpher Springs.

About 30 miles from Neihart the bike was running great and all of a sudden the left cylinder stopped firing...thought I ran out a fuel but that wasn't possible...maybe an ignition problem?

Pulled the left spark plug and saw the exhaust valve looking a little too far open through the spark plug hole...pulled the valve cover and ....shit! Exhaust valve in two pieces.

Immediately a car stopped to check on us and they gave Darian a ride back to Neihart and the nearest land line phone...no cell service up here. She called on AAA for rescue and waited at the bar...I made myself at home for the long wait.

I always carry a few old Airmails so at least had something to read. Good thing about a sidecar was that I had a comfortable seat to recline in. So here I sat for three hours and change...

Pretty place to be stranded. Must have been at least 50 motorcycle drive by...and at least four times that many vehicles....not one person stopped.....

My neighbor.....maybe he was the last guy to break down here....

Started getting bored and took a lot of photos of nothing....

Finally after 3 1/2 hours my wife returns with our rescue vehicle...so much for the camping trip...Over 30 years of riding and this was the first time I was stuck and unable to repair a bike on the road shoulder....

Looks like the hack tug will be down for a while...I'm planning a solo trip next weekend so I'll get the old /5 out and ready to go....

Spring Solstice BMW Style - 2010

I attended the annual "Bobs' Motorwerks Solstice Gathering" last weekend. I have attended a few years and camped last time I was there. Had to drive to Great Falls MT. the following day so did not camp this year.


Bob had quite a line up of vintage airheads in the shop.
Quite a few older bikes rode in as the day progressed.

Rex, the "BMW Dog" rode his sidecar rig up. The sidecar used to belong to my brother.

This old Vincent came rolling in off the gravel rode. A very nice original bike.

I installed my Heinrich tank on the Rat Rig. Also installed the /2 rear rack. The Lester wheel I purchased showed up missing some parts so I'll have to order some spacers and seals for it before installation.

The Yellowstone River is nearly out of its' banks.

We are currently in Great Falls MT. and will be in the area for the summer. We attended a "Concert in the Park" tonight with my Mother in Law and her brother this evening. I met a young man at the concert who is interested in motorcycles and has only ridden on one once when he was younger. He expressed interest in taking a sidecar ride so we'll see what we can do....

BMW Accessories

Purchased an after market /2 luggage rack from a fellow over in Turkey. My parts supplier has some similar racks but his were over two times the cost of this one. I think this "Turkish" rack will likely be a poor quality but we'll see....The one I ordered is actually black. I did not want a chrome one. The rack arrived in Montana a couple of days ago. I'll pick it next time through town.
Have wanted to find a pair of "Lester" wheels for the sidecar rig but they normally run over $200.00 apiece + shipping. This one showed up on EBay this morning for $120.00 with a near new tire and free shipping. I bought it as I don't think it would be there for very long at that price. The Lester alloy wheels are a lot better fitted for sidecar usage. I'll hopefully find a matching front one eventually.