BMW R60/2 US Fender on a /5

After some Internet research I determined that a 1968 R60/2 US Fender might fit an R75/5. I looked at a US Model on eBay and it struck me that the steel fender and additional bracing could be a benefit to the front end stability if in fact it would fit an R75/5 fork. I put out a post on the /5 United message board to see if anyone had done this conversion. I received a reply from a guy who had done this years ago and had no problem as long as you use the standard size tire. The BMW R60 US model uses an 18" front tire and the R75/5 uses a 19" tire.

Made some inquiries and found this original paint / stripe fender without the lower brace for $500.00 via the IBMWR site....a bit more than I was willing to pay.......


This fender was offered to me for $75.00 via the IBMWR site.....now that is more like it! It cleaned up really good and all I had to do was touch up that spot in the center.....didn't do a repaint as it is pretty good.....

The main brace was cracked nearly in half (red arrow) ...didn't want to weld on that part so had Huckys BMW Parts come up with both heavy NOS braces....they were rather expensive.....

Fender got lost in shipping and took over three weeks to arrive.....it looked pretty ugly and had a bunch of silver over -spray on it but some clean up effort brought it back to a nice shine...

I was concerned that clearance would be a problem. I had ordered NOS upper and lower fender braces from an importer over in Florida. I also purchased all stainless steel fasteners for the installation. The fender was kind of a bugger to install as there is no access to the inside of the fender once it is in place. I had the fender on and off a couple of times before I got it right.
The rear lower mounting bolts are the tightest point. I had to remove the flat washers to gain enough clearance for the tire to clear. I took a road test on the winding road leading out of the Marina to the main highway. The increased stability was immediately evident on the first tight turn. The additional heavier bracing combined with the steel fender really helps out.

The whole assembly probably adds a few pounds to the front end but the increased weight is over shadowed by the better driving characteristics. The paint has a few bad spots but the fender is in near perfect shape with no dents or scratches. I had some matching touch up paint so covered up the "marred" areas on top of the fender.

I have a couple other rare bargain priced items heading my way right now. A "Telfco" heel - toe shifter which is a very rare optional accessory. I have no idea if I'll like it but I'll give it a try. Also an orphan left side Luftmiester aluminum saddle fuel tank. The saddle tanks sell in pairs and bring around $350.00 to $400.00 per pair. I thought that there was a slim chance that someone might have a single left side tank and sure enough someone answered my add with an orphaned single tank for $75.00. Couldn't pass it up for that price. I listed my retired R75/5 top end engine parts for $300.00 on the IBMWR site. That must have been too cheap as I had three buyers in a few hours! They headed for Pennsylvania today. Might be in Yuma this weekend so I'll look at the parts I have laying around down there for eBay fodder. Later

Salton Sea Serenity

Another view of the Salton Sea....
Back to Mother Earth from where it came.
Damn, they should have spent a few more bucks on treated lumber.
Nothing like a pool outside your door.

I never realized the amount of bird life around the Sea. There were huge white Pelicans by the 100's. One could watch them pulling fish out of the water.

They would skim right along the surface of the water.

Great Sunsets.

Salton Sea ,Continued

Darian looks pretty good on the Victory cycle. If bigger is better, than this oughta be pretty darn good. Looks like an old Auburn Boattail Speedster. A friend of B. Jans rode it in for a visit. Ended up he was a friend of the Victory Companies Media Director and he was just out to show the bike around. Pretty cool retro cruiser. ( I don't think anyone was going to run out and buy one any time soon)

B. Jan actually looked pretty good on the bike too. Gary Jackson ( the campout organiser) cooked up some fantastic Mexican food all weekend. He really had it together to feed that many folks so quickly. Gary is now my hero!

We had wonderful sunsets both nights. The sun dropped out by 5:00 PM. Firewwod was there so nice little fires were cranking after dark.

We really hope to get to this place again.

Salton Sea, California

Meet Gary Jackson, on the right. Gary has been sponsoring a little get together at the Salton Sea for a few years. This year we were given the chance to attend since we are in the Las Vegas area, 300 miles north of the rally site. We were ready to go early Friday morning and hit the road by 7:00 AM. We took the familiar route to Needles Ca., then to Vidal Junction. We took a breather at Vidal and ended up visiting with a couple on a Goldwing for nearly an hour. We took a back road over to Desert Center where we waited 1 1/2 hours for a breakfast that was crap. Horrible food, cold toast, mummified hash browns and bacon that was still quivering. We arrived at the Rally site at 3:30 or so.

We were surprised to find a whole bunch of familiar faces!!! YAY, Murry Olson (Above, originally from Casper Wyo.) Bill Snyder, Steve-O, Reed B., Noel T., Bert & Lisa, Jimmy Tank, Brian P. Alex, to name a few. Our old friend Scotty Bonnar, whom we hadn't seen for 8 years or so. We love Scotty. #1 B. Jan Hoffman showed up Saturday. We just had a great time visiting and sharing camaraderie with all the Airhead Family! Spent time visiting with other folks. It's great to get acquainted with familiar faces of folks you don't know well. I always learn lots of tips on BMW's, Electronic gadgets, camping gear, etc, etc.

I didn't really get a "head" count but there must have been over 40 people there. The Mecca Beach site is a serene, beautiful area. Nice sand beaches and huge numbers of birds. The temperatures were a miserable 85 in the afternoon and a fridged 60 degrees at night. Pretty tough to take!

The campsite had numerous tables and shower facilities 50 feet away. A great little Mexican Store was just up the road with all the staples one could need. The sun sets were awesome......(next post)......

Fuel System Mystery

Dug into the BMW fuel system after work the past two days. Drained the fuel tank, removed and cleaned the pet cock fuel screens, then replaced the in line fuel filters. Removed and replaced the carb diaphragms with new ones. The old ones seem good but decided to change them anyway. Bike cold started perfectly and idles perfectly. Still had the high RPM miss though. Talked with Bob Clement (Bobs Motorwerks) and we discussed the problem. He quizzed me about jetting etc. He asked me what the original R75 needle jet size was. I looked and by chance they are a larger jet. I swapped the needle jets out and lo and behold the problem was about 95% healed. The engine still seems a bit weak from 5000 to 6500 RPM so will change the main jets out to a slightly larger jet. Found them on line for about $5.00 each. I'm sure I'm on the right track now. With the modifications I've done it is taking some trial and error to get the engine up to its' full potential. Have had contact with an eBay seller who wants a Toaster Tank.

He has a large 6.2 gallon German Police tank up for sale and we may do a trade. The German Police tank has an upper tool box & lid on the top of the tank. The little tool box was for the Police Radio installation. These tanks are quite rare. My Toaster Tank is in a little better condition than the Police Tank but I think it is a fair trade. The Police Tank is definitely much rarer than the Toaster Tank.

This tank could be used with the sidecar as it has a 5-6 gallon capacity. The tool box takes away
from the normal 6.2 gallon capacity of this style tank. We'll see if we go through with this transaction in the next few days.
I've had conversations with the tank owner and we will go through with the tank swap this week. I completed 6 eBay sales this evening for a total of $140.00. That brings the total sales of parts from the "basket beemer" to over $950.00. Pretty good considering how much of the bike was missing. I still have the frame/wheels/hubs/final drive/engine block/etc. Will probably squeeze another $200.00 to $300.00 out of whats left. I removed the charging system components this evening and will keep for spare parts. Contemplating installing the 280 watt alternator from my R90 engine to replace the 180 watt R75 alternator. Not sure what other components need to be swapped so put a post on the /5 United site to see others opinions / experiences with this type of swap.

Sick Beemer

Worked under the lights last night and pulled off both BMW carbs. Took them apart early this A.M. and replaced all "o"-rings and gaskets. Also raised the main needle jets one notch to enrichen the fuel . Found one idle jet "o" ring out of place and one choke assembly gasket bad. I'm trying to chase down a high end problem which causes the engine to stumble at higher RPM (5000 to 6500). Pulled the front cover and replaced the points, then reset the timing. Bike runs and starts better but still has the high RPM problem(?) Appears not to be getting enough fuel. I'll drain the tank next and make sure the intake petcock screens are clear. Might be that some old tank debris could be clogging the screens(?) I'll just keep screwing with things until I figure it out. Want the bike running good before we head out to CA. weekend after next. I've had this problem to some degree all summer. It seems that right after I fill the fuel tank the problem is less. That might indicate that the increased static pressure from the volume of fuel in the tank over comes the resistance of the clogged fuel screens. ( I hope, sounds good in theory anyway).

Callville Bay Lake Mead NV.

Moved to Nevada last week. We are set up at Callville Bay which is about 30 miles from Henderson NV. Beautiful place here. Minimal traffic and quiet. Assembled the side car on Saturday and took a little tour around part of the lake. Weather is in the 60's & 70's.

The hack interior came out real nice. We like the off white. The off white bike seat was questionable but now that it's installed I think it looks good. I found a NOS "R75/5" seat emblem so replaced the R90/6 emblem with the proper badge. Also found a dip stick oil temperature guage so I can moniter oil temperature. I've seen vintage Luftmiester temperature gauges go on E-Bay for over $125.00. I found a new one from a parts dealer for $65.00.

Eventually I will line the sidecar flooring with an automotive indoor-outdoor type carpet. The make a gray colored type, kind of like a trunk lining. I'll have to snoop around to find something. We plan on a run to the Salton Sea weekend after next as long as my work schedule allows. About 600 miles round trip. We'll travel over on Friday, stay Saturday night, and return to L.V. on Sunday.

I've purchased the 1968 R60/ US fender and brace assembly so should have it here within a week or so. The main brace has a crack in it so I found another brace in L.A. to use. Erv Sever BMW has some fenders but want $250.00 - $400.00 for a nicely painted one. A little steep. The fender I have coming has some paint issues but it's hard to tell the condition looking at a photo. My work here hasn't kicked off yet as we are waiting on the govt. permitting process which can take a 7 to 10 days.

Lake Mead NV.

We moved to Lake Mead Nevada last weekend. We'll be working here for at least 5 weeks. It's nice to be in a warmer climate. Hope to get the sidecar put together this weekend. I need to re- torque the engine cylinder heads, and tinker with the carbs a bit. I found a 1968 R60/US Fender and brace to mount on the bike. The "US" Fender is steel and uses a more stable bracing system which will add support to the front forks. Haven't worked out the deal yet. The seller offered it to me for $75.00. I found another one on the internet but the seller wanted $450.00.

I have got the new sidecar interior installed, the recovered R90/6 seat installed, the "new" old mufflers installed, the new steering damper installed. I made a deal for a "Rev Pak" storage bag which fits over the seat or luggage rack. They are a bit pricey but I found a lightly used one for $80.00, with a rain cover included. For a bit of nostalgia I came up with a set of WW2 Navigators Wings & Pilot Cadet Wings which now live on the Heinrich Tank tool box cover. The So.Cal. Airheads have a Salton Sea campout coming up in late November. That's quite a few miles from here but we might try to get over for the event. It's around 600 miles round trip. been running quite a few ads on E-Bay and sales are currently at over $500.00. Still have a couple days on some items so $ should go higher. The basket case is down to the bare bones now. A guy contacted me today and wants the rear sub frame so I'll have to tear it down a bit further now.

The weather here is moderate, 60 -70 during the day so is pretty good riding weather. Lots of bikes on the road around here. hopefully we'll join them this weekend.

Beemer in a Box

Well my fantasies of a "Barn Find" treasure were somewhat dashed upon viewing my latest purchase. We had driven 120 miles to Darby Mt. to check out the 1971 R75/5 which was offered to me . A "Basket Case" was an understatement for this old girl. It featured a partially disassembled engine, a completely disassembled transmission and parts missing too numerous to list.

After driving so far I just couldn't leave empty handed so offered the owner a lower price than his asking price for all. The offer was accepted and we loaded it up. The fuel tank is complete except for tank pads. It has a couple of minor dings in it. The "BMW" roundels are in perfect shape so they'll go on my unused Toaster Tank. The tank will likely go on E-Bay. Wheels ,front turn signals, and many miscellaneous parts will sell easily on E-Bay. The cylinders and heads are removed and are present. The front and rear fenders are there and are in great shape with original paint so they are excellant sale items. The boxes included a few nice Japanese Bike parts so I'll likely list them. Also included was a brand new Harley Davidson Detachable backrest. I checked it out and new ones are over $200.00 so we'll see what that will bring.

The "bucket" seat is one of the ugliest things I've ever seen but it does have a stock BMW grab rail on it. Don't know what I'll do with the seat. The bike has a 32:10 final drive which is the same as my stock final drive (which is 50% worn) so maybe I'll keep it for a spare. There are many usable engine parts so we'll figure out what to sell and what not to sell. I'll keep the electrical diode board for a spare and maybe the rotor if it's good. Most of the engine metal has been polished so someone had a love affair with the bike in it's distant past. The engine parts removed appear to be in perfect shape so I have no idea why someone would have pulled it all apart. The seller said he is missing another big box of parts which held the rear signals, headlight shell, carbs and a lot of the missing parts. If he finds the missing box he'll contact me and send them to me. I'll keep my fingers crossed but won't hold my breath.

BMW Snow Machine

I didn't know BMW made a snow machine. By the looks of these photos taken in the 30's they made one anyway. Can't imagine how to steer it.

Craigslist BMW Fishing Trip

Decided to go "fishing" on Craigslist again looking for BMW parts bikes. Looks like I hooked another fish. Person over in Darby MT. contacted me and has a 1971 R75/5 for a reasonable price. Missing the speedometer/tachometer, front fender and carbs. The rest of the bike is there. They started a restoration , purchased some new parts and then lost interest in the project. It has been sitting in their garage for a few years. I committed to purchase it sight unseen. Definitely worth the asking price as the large 6.2 gallon tank is worth a couple hundred bucks alone. I don't know what new parts they have but am curious to see what I bought. We will run over tomorrow afternoon to pick it up if it all works out. I visited with the owner tonight and he said there is 4 boxes of parts with the bike. Ends up he inherited the bike when he purchased a storage unit years ago. He said there are quite a few new parts but he knows nothing about motorcycles and all he knows is that the seat and tank look real nice and there are lots of boxes. The bike has always been indoors and now I'm wondering more about what it is I've purchased. Kind of like an early Christmas. Maybe it's an older rare earles fork model, or maybe it's a rare old racing bike, more than likely it's an old beat up /5 junker. But it is always fun to dream...... you just never know........You know I just got to thinking.........I sold my first BMW, which was a worn out 1971 R75/5, to a guy in Missoula 12 years ago. What are the chances that I've purchased my old bike back? Karma could be coming back to bite me!

A Taste Of Winter

Winter payed us a visit this week. We had 20 degree tempuratures and 30-40 MPH winds most of the weekend. Due to the wind whatever snow fell here was likely in Idaho within an hour. This shot is from the pass going towards Bannack looking back towards the Beaverhead Valley. I've driven this 50 mile stretch of road round trip every day since May. Yellowstone Park is just over the horizon from there.

We had a nice big drift outside on Saturday morning. The storm really hit hard on Saturday night. The wind was really howling when this photo was taken. We will head for Billings this weekend for a week or so. I am flying out to Las Vegas next week to inspect our next project and then we will head for Lake Mead the following week. It will be nice to be down in good motorcycling weather again. We are planning a few trips for the winter months. The side car interior has been redone and I will pick up the pieces next week. I also received my new (old) mufflers and a back up steering damper assembly. I'll install the new parts next week when I have time. I need to retorque the cylinder heads on the bike before the side car is reinstalled. We'll be living at Lake Mead for all of November so we'll reattach the hack for the time we're there to get in a bit of riding time.

This is the Hotel Mead (brick building) at Bannack MT. Bannack was the Montana Territorial Capital back in the 1800's. The ghost town is now a State Park and is pretty neat to explore. The town was still occupied by a hardy few in the 50's and everyone left by 1970, I beleive. You can walk through all the buildings . Many parts of the town are pretty much gone now but there is still 50-60 buildings standing. Most of the buildings are in pretty good shape as the state maintains them. I imagine the roof maintenance and keeping them weather tight is a full time project. You can almost hear the pasts' traffic and hustle and bustle of the old main street of Bannack. Thousands of people once lived here. It was the largest city in Montana for many years.

This is the old Masonic Hall right across the street from the Mead Hotel. The town was established when gold mining was prosperous in the area. Virginia City took over as territorial capital when gold was discovered there. Then finally, Helena was capital until Mt. became a state. There are numerous ghost towns in the area from the 1800's mining days.

Famous Flat Tracker Dick McAfee

I stumbled across a literal time capsule of Flat Track history yesterday. I was checking out a Honda Twin listed in the local newspaper. Upon visiting the owner I walked into a life time collection of bikes, memories and artifacts. I wasn't ever knowledgeable about Motorcycle Flat Track Racing but the more I looked around the shop the more I realized I was in the presence of a motorcycling legend. Dick and his brother Hugh were legends in the Ca. Bay area in the early 50's. They held records for years. The reproduction above is a perfect example of Dicks'passion. He built this bike as a copy of the 51 Triumph that he raced in the 50's. the bike is beautiful. Dick said he just likes to look at it. Now 80 years old, Dick says he trie to stick with electric start bikes. He still rides but says he is getting a little slower and more careful.

another of the Triumphs he has built. I think this one was a 53 if I remember right.

Another back room held a Jawa Speedway and an old Triumph sportsman class Cub.

This is a 50 Triumph he is currantly working on. The wall in the background shows photos of a who's who of 50's Flat Track Racing. More about Dick McAfee on the next post.