Song Writer Kostas Lazarides

Kostas at his Montana Antique Store .....I can see a lot of wonderful treasures peering through the window.........

(Taken from Kostas My Space Page)

About Kostas
Kostas and his family immigrated to Montana from Greece when he was seven years old. He now has homes in Montana and Nashville, and aside from songwriting and performing, he enjoys hunting, fishing and raising vintage guitars on his "guitar ranch." Kostas received his first No. 1 Country hit with his first single release. The single entitled, "Timber I'm Falling In Love," was recorded by Patty Loveless. He also penned the songs "The Lonely Side Of Love," and "On Down The Line" for her follow-up albums which also reached Top 10. Kostas went on to write many more Top 10 singles including: "Heart Full Of Love," by Holly Dunn, "Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose," and "Nothing's Changed Here," by Dwight Yoakam, "Lord Have Mercy On The Working Man," by Travis Tritt, "Going Out Of My Mind" and "Love On The Loose, Heart On The Run,” by McBride and The Ride and "Life ..9" by Martina McBride. He also scored two more No. 1 country hits with Dwight Yoakam's "Ain't That Lonely Yet" and Patty Loveless' first Epic release, "Blame It On Your Heart," which was BMI's most performed country song of 1994. His songs have been recorded by Wynonna, Trisha Yearwood, Allison Krauss, Brooks and Dunn, Etta James, Vince Gill, George Strait, The Dixie Chicks, Jo Dee Messina, Marty Stuart, Conway Twitty, Emmylou Harris, The Bellamy Brothers, Sammy Kershaw, Tracy Byrd, The Mavericks, John Berry, Neal McCoy, Rick Trevino, Freddy Fender, Marie Osmond, Kelly Willis, Joy White, Buck Owens, Great Plains and Prairie Oyster


An odd series of coincidences brought forth my acquaintance with Kostas.....One of my Brothers was a musician and had known Kostas for many years. I believe my older Brother also knew him.
Back in the late 70's I was dating a gal who was associated with Kostas through her musician ex-husband. Kostas invited us over to Jackson Hole Wyoming where he was playing a gig at the "Mangy Moose Saloon". We spent some time with him and his (then) girl friend. After visiting with him I found that his step Dad was a co-worker of mine in Billings MT. We both worked for the same construction company. His Step Dad, "Max" was very proud of him. Max was a great guy , him and I were always friends.....

In 1981 I met my wife-to-be and during one of my first visits to her house she just had to have me listen to a new album she had purchased and just loved.....Hearing the first cut on the record I immediately recognized that it was Kostas. I asked my wife if she wanted to meet this guy and she was amazed that I could know a recording artist......"Thanks Kostas , you really helped me impress my soon to be wife" We made sure and went to all his gigs around Billings and on one New Years Eve Gig he allowed me to set up some recording equipment and record the nights' music...I still have the reel to reel tape we did that night but the back ground noise from all (us) the drunks was atrocious and drowned out a lot of the music...bummer....I really enjoyed the nights we were entranced by his wonderful guitar playing and singing.....Of course all these things happened before Kostas became a world known recording artist and song writer.
I have not seen Kostas since the mid to late 80's but I don't imagine he has changed much....other than a bit more gray hair, like me.....
Kostas was ,and I am sure, still is, a very down to earth guy who never let the "fame" thing affect who he is. I hope to run into him one of these days just to say hello and thank him for his (unknown to him) role in impressing my now wife of 28 years......

BMW R75/5 "Cigar" Mufflers

A beautiful 80 degrees here today so I pulled out the BMW "Hag" minus the sidecar and installed to "New to me" stock /5 cigar style mufflers. These are an original pair from a 1972 BMW R75/5. The 1970 thru 1973 BMW "R" bikes used this style of muffler. They were very prone to rust so there aren't too many original survivors left in the world. The BMW replacements were the later style mufflers. There are a couple of manufacturers selling this style muffler in stainless steel but the are quite expensive and tend to turn to a gold color from the heat since they are stainless steel.

The mufflers have some chrome loss where the attach to the header pipe but the muffler shields I installed hides that problem...the left side muffler has a ding but it is down low and not very visible....I took the bike for a 30 mile run and the mufflers are very quiet. As I age I now appreciate quieter exhaust systems. I should get a lot of years out of these....they have a couple of surface rust spots underneath at the seams but it doesn't appear to be very deep.
I hadn't run the bike without the sidecar for quite a while and was surprised at the amount of power with the 900cc engine running solo. With the 37:11 final drive it winds up quickly off the line and actually hauls ass. I found that the engine oil temperature was running the same with or without the side car attached.


Uncovered the R100S / R90/6 to wipe it down as it has been covered up for 3 weeks and has weathered a few rainstorms.....below is a photo of the 1973 R75/5 Long Wheel Base sub frame after installation.
I temporarily mounted the Bates Bags...they will go on some different mounts and eventually go to the R75/5...the stock BMW suitcase style bags & mounts will go to the R100S.

The QSL Solo seat is just sitting on the bike. It will sit higher on the frame when the mounting assembly is in place.....I loaned the stock QSL seat mount to a friend so he could have one fabricated for a QSL solo seat he has....he bought one with no mounting frame...mine is being used as a template.....

EBay BMW Parts....buyers beware

Found a few decent EBay purchases recently...I needed foot peg rubbers for the R100S and these square ones are $20.00 each new...found an EBay pair, new, for $10.50........pretty good deal.


This left side BMW Toaster Side Cover came on EBay as a "Buy it Now" for $19.00...that is a steal. A new reproduction one will run over $100.00. I happened to be on EBay when this came up so bought it immediately......it looks find of "gold" in the photo but came to me as chrome and in excellent shape.


This Right side Toaster cover came up with no "Buy it Now" but I picked it up for $34.00......a nice pair for a total of $53.00 + $12.00 total shipping ...not too bad. It showed up yesterday and is in great shape.......I sold my original Toaster Covers from my 1973 R75/5 for $136.00 on EBay and they weren't in as good of condition as this "new" pair......

From a "Buyer Beware" standpoint this pair of Toaster Covers (below) are now on EBay and the bid is over $100.00 for the pair with 5 days remaining on the auction...the bidders are not looking at the photo or don't know what they are looking at, as the right side one has a big chunk cut out of it and the seller is not disclosing that fact. He describes them as in "very nice condition". I emailed him to ask if one was cut up one or was it just an illusion on the photo? He replied : "That's how it came off the bike", and didn't add anything to his auction description........The new owner / winner is going to be pissed when he receives them....the buyer better brace himself for some "negative feedback" unless he discloses that one of them is "junk".....someone likely cut the piece out for a sidecar mount......I had to cut the same area to mount my sidecar but I cut up one of the later style plastic covers....no way would I butcher a Toaster cover...the plastic one ares much cheaper and easy to find.....

I bought these Bates Saddle Bag mounting frames a while back and got them for $9.99....upon receipt I see that a piece is broken on one of them......For the $9.99 purchase price I felt that it was not worth the effort to complain to the seller...he likely did not realize they were damaged....besides he sold me a nice pair of Bates Saddle Bags for $75.00 a few weeks ago....
These old Bates Bags will hook up to the Bates frames with a little modification......they are in fair shape......a bargain for $75.00........

Received this pair of original /5 "cigar" style mufflers yesterday...$71.00 for the pair....they don't look too bad and have one ding in them....new reproduction pairs cost $525.00 + shipping.....

Construction 101

Well I've stooped to a new low....I have seldom spoke of work in this Blog and never planned on it.........but for lack of anything better to report I will show you all what I've been doing for the past 8 months..........


The area to the lower right has sunk 15 feet or so in the past 12 years.....our mission....(if we choose to accept it...which we unfortunately did)......build something there that won't slide into the lake.....and fill it back up to where it used to be.......

This project had challenges due to the confined, small work area and the 12% to 16% grade slopes in the work area......safety is always a top priority in our world.......

Also we installed 800 feet of HDPE Weld Joint 1 1/2" & 2" pressurized sewer line, 800 feet of 2" HDPE welded water line, 800 feet of Power Cable, new Water manhole and new sewer manhole..... (CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE)

The first of 100 holes is started...................

First off we drilled 100 24" diameter holes 36 feet into the ground , place a huge amount of rebar in the hole...then place concrete to fill it back up.......the holes had to be filled with concrete daily so they do not collapse...... 6 to 8 holes were drilled / placed daily.....
After completion of the caissons we began the "great wall" build..... the walls' foundation is the 100 piers we just drilled & placed......rebar from the piers extends into the wall.......
A number of weeks, a lot of concrete and steel and a lot of sweat (not mine) later.......
Once the wall was built and the concrete gained its' design strength we proceeded to bury it...............

This zoom view is from a mile away from atop the Sanford Dam......before the back fill began.....
the lower section of wall is still being formed.......


Approximately 10000 cubic yards of fill material later..........

The lot was filled and the paving was completed yesterday....I'll post photos of the finished product later.......... Gee , it didn't take very long to build here on this post.....?

Bored in Texas.........

Bike projects on hold for now........Removed the sidecar from the R75/5 last week and put her to bed in the cargo trailer for the time being...hope to get over to Arizona around Thanksgiving for an Airhead gathering at the Salton Sea but work will likely interfere with that plan......We'll definately attend the 3 day Rally at Agua Caliente for New Years....I'll crawl there if necessary!

The R100S is sitting idle for now...I mounted a set of Bates saddle bags on it but don't like the mounting setup ....I have some original Bates brackets which need some welding done on them so I'll repair them and put them to work eventually.At least it is looking like a Motorcycle now....not much left to do to get her running.

Found a used pair of /5 "cigar" mufflers on EBay for $70.00....they are originals with some "patina"...re: dings etc....but I wasn't gonna spend $600.00 for a repro. set....they'll go on the /5.

R100S Sidecar Progress

Dug the Sputnik sidecar wheel / axle assembly and took a closer look at what is needed to adapt it to the Jupiter sidecar. Received some opinions from a machinist who is building his own sidecar from scratch. now just need to remove the axle in use and get them both to a machine shop for fabrication of a new axle.
The Jupiter hack fender sits on a pivot for easy access to the assembly....the old shock absorber in place should be changed too.

The 1973 1/2 long wheel base sub frame ....I've installed this on the bike in the past week. It is a lot stronger than the stock "single cross member" sub frame.

The "new' sub frame after priming / painting.

Rear view......

Spent a couple of hours and mounted the Bates saddle bags....not a good mounting yet...need one more bracket made to stabilize them. See a set of better mounting frames on eBay so might bid on them.

Pulled the top / front of engine apart.....pulled starter relay cover off and sorted through the wiring...got the wiring squared away..(I hope) replaced the R100S engine wiring harness with the R90/6 wiring harness. Wired in the tail lights and turn signals....cleaned a lot of electrical connections. Removed the starter and checked flywheel teeth / starter teeth...starter appears to be in good condition.

Removed diode board and replaced the rubber mounting parts...two of them were broken. Need to pull the points and mechanical advance unit to check them.

Still need to sort out the gauge wiring......need new cable for clutch, the one I have is way too long.

Swapped out the final drive with a fresh one I had on hand. Replaced the drive shaft bolts with new ones.

Getting closer to life....

R100S Sidecar Tug Progress

Came up with an old set of Bates Saddle Bags for $75.00 the other day....I was looking for a set of Wixom Bags but these are larger and a lot heavier built...they came with mounting brackets but might need some modifications before fitting the /5 or /6 frame.....They were locked and came with no key but one key I had fit them perfectly.....


The R100S engine went together last week after a couple of hours work.....was able to fit each ring to the cylinder right within spec. as they were oversize .025mm...had to file each ring separately to for fitment.

heat painted the lower cylinder jugs...I wanted the machine shop to media blast all the old black paint off but they did not.....so repainted.

Decided to install pod style air filters. The engine should breath a little better.

The lower sidecar mounting sub frame. The sub frame has a foot peg welded as it requires removal of the existing foot peg.

Looks like a motorcycle again but there is still a lot of work to be done......

Wixom Ranger Top Case / Bates Saddleags

Finally have all the R100S Engine parts coming to me....My buddy Bert told me I was crazy if I didn't pull the rod bearings and check them when I had the engine top end pulled off....he was right as when I removed the bearings they did show evidence of wear. No bad scoring but showed wear non the less. The crankshaft journals look just fine. So I ordered a new set of std. rod bearings along with new rod bolts....BMW rod bolts are a one time use item and must be renewed each time. Only $3.30 each & BMW rod bearings were $14.20 each. Ordered the over size rings which I hope are correct......Should have all parts in hand in a few days so will begin reassembly of the engine.

This seat will go onto the R100S...am EBay find for around a $100.00 + $100.00 to have it recovered......

I gave this German Police tank a dry run on the "Hag" for a few trips and it works fine.....It was traded for my old Toaster Tank and I had a $75.00 Mexico paint job done.....new BMW "Roundels", new tank pads and a restored aluminum fuel cap. This will go on the R100S....

I've been wanting some older style saddle bags for the BMW /5 "Hag" when the sidecar goes over to the R100S. The R100S will get the BMW stock bags currently on the "Hag". Wanted to purchase a set of "Wixom" saddle bags but their costs have been pretty high....The ones I've been tracking on EBay have been well over $300.00 w/shipping. Decided to settle for a cheaper set of "Bates" saddle bags & mounts I found on the IBMWR classified site for a total of $90.00 and that included shipping...a pretty good deal! They have an older "retro" look and are actually better made with heavier material than the "Wixoms". The Bates bags are also larger and will likely hold the "Krauser" inner - liner luggage I use. Most of the Wixom Bags crack at the mounting pin areas...

Wasn't sure I wanted this "Wixom Ranger" Top Case but I won it on EBay for a total of $10.19 plus $38.00 shipping. Can't believe that I was the only bidder........Not sure which bike it will go on but the price was definitely right!

Also bought a set of "Luftmiester" Header Guards and Muffler guards for a total of $45.00 plus shipping.....I've seen the header guards go for over $100.00 alone....so all in all I came up with some pretty good bargains lately....all financed by selling misc. BMW parts on EBay.....The R100S bike's cost is coming up with all the parts I've been accumulating...I figure I'm into the bike around $1500.00 now. Not too bad.....Still need to replace the tires at some point too......

I have the R75/5 Long Wheel Base sub frame repaired as it had a small crack...it will be sanded primed and painted.

Also had a BMW R75/5 Steering Friction Damper modified / lengthened ,to fit the Leading Link Front end. I'll need to do a few more minor modifications to the lower friction plates & mounting
tabs....

Sidehack Trip.....Roswell / Ruidoso, New Mexico

Finally a three day weekend and a little time for a sidehack trip! Spent part of last Sunday preparing the BMW. Reset all valves, reset points, changed oil, and replaced the 2 year old battery. The battery hasn't been taking a proper charge for quite some time and the plates looked funky. Nice to have a functioning, charged battery again!
Saturday morning dawned a wee bit foggy and overcast. We headed out around 9:30 AM and the fog burned off within the first 1 1/2 hours.

We headed south on highway 207 through Panhandle Texas, crossing I-40 going south. Kind of an eerie looking morning with the fog......

An old decrepit barn, ready to fold up.....in another hundred years or so.....

Texans' have a thing about burying cars...hence the "Cadillac Ranch", which is simply ten or so old Caddies with their noses buried.....here we have the "Bug Ranch", I guess.... On a previous trip we saw a row of old combines with their asses pointing skyward.......

Heading south on 207 we passed through the eastern side of Palo Duro Canyon...very pretty area with a lot of red rock and dirt......

South of Palo Duro we turned east on highway 145 which took us towards New Mexico....It was over a hundred of mostly straight miles through cotton fields, corn fields and cows......
I thought I was lost for a while but then this sign straightened me out.....Earth...that a way!

We had a motel reservation a few weeks in advance...luckily so as there was a big AKC Dog Show going on in town. Looked like everything but the roach motels were filled. The "Aliens" are ever present all over Roswell.

Sunday morning we headed out on a seldom traveled back road highway 246 which heads west out of Roswell towards the Capitan Mountains. This was a great route and we saw maybe 5 cars in 100 miles. Ran into a little rain squall by noon or so.....The mountains aren't too impressive when approaching, but actually they are quite a large range of mountains.

We crossed down towards Ruidoso N.M. and it was like riding into a Metropolitan area. Traffic was thick and people everywhere. Looks like the area is a huge tourist area.

A lot of thunderstorms everywhere around us.....a beautiful area and it is built up with a lot of homes.......

This hillside place was on stilts.

We ran over to Lincoln N.M. which is where "Billy the Kid" was jailed and waiting to be hanged when he escaped the jail and slipped out of town. Somewhat of a tourist trap type town, but it does have a lot of old 1800's buildings which have been preserved......Above, we are racing ahead of a pile of storms, headed back towards Roswell.....some of the storms were very heavy, but we only got caught in a few squalls......

"Ruidoso Downs" is on the map......ended up that there was a huge horse racing track and a massive Indian Casino.....It looked like a zoo and so many people were trying to get in that the Police were directing traffic in after a car accident occurred while someone was trying to turn in.

I'm always looking close for road debris while traveling so I always spot the tarantulas as they wander across the road. This was a fairly big fellow...saw one today that was quite a bit larger....

Had about 100 miles of back roads today.....lots of cows and ranches.....saw about 10 cars in a hundred miles.

Stopped in Fort Sumner and went and checked out "Billy the Kids" final resting place....seems that people keep stealing his headstone...once it was found in Texas and another time it was found in California......they have it pretty well caged in now. We ran straight back to Fritch and arrived at 5:30PM. Just missed another huge system of storms heading home. Didn't get a drop of rain today, but must have killed hundreds of grasshoppers....I had bunches of them cooking on the engine cylinders when we got home.........