Airhead Fishing in NE.

Whenever my work takes me to an area for a few weeks I always run some Craigslist Ads in search of old motorcycles.
Fishing for BMW's is a favorite pastime for me.
I have a couple of bites here in NE.
I found a guy who has a bunch of old bikes, one a nice old Norton Commando, a couple of years worth of dust on it but very straight. But that is over the top for me. I want old crap that is cheap.
The Norton owners Brother in Law has an old R100 that I want to take a look at. Sounds like it is partially apart so that is good for me.
I also just had an inquiry from a guy with a 600 BMW.....no more info than that so I'll be checking out both those potential catches.
update:
The 600 BMW seller gave me a call and it appears he has a "rat bike" that he built years ago based on a 1972 BMW R60/5 chassis. He had a rebuilt later model 600cc engine (dual plugged) and has a later model 5 speed behind it.
Basically he built 3 bikes into one. Not sure of the overall condition of it as it has sat for over 5 years in a garage about 35 miles from here. Unfortunately he left it with a tank of gas which is too bad.....Hopefully it will be a good score if I can get it cheap. I have made arrangements to take a look at it this Sunday morning.

Scottsbluff to Denver and back on the R100S Hack

We had a 3 1/2 day weekend so decided to get one final sidecar trip under our belts while we had the time. I have a Brother in Denver that I haven't seen for quite some time so Denver was our goal. Only 200 or so miles so this was an easy run. We left Friday afternoon with the intent to get at least a hundred miles or so.

We took all the back roads heading down and had very little traffic on the rural highways.



We saw a lot of old abandoned farm houses along the way. That reminded me of the Texas Panhandle country, with old abandoned buildings at every turn.

While still in Nebraska there are lots of sandstone formations along the way. Upon entering Colorado the country turns to open country with hills here and there amongst the farm land. Sunflowers appear to be a popular crop these days. We saw miles and miles of sunflower fields.

Getting close to Denver we finally got a view of the mountain ranges to the West. My Brother has a beautiful unobstructed view of the mountains from his patio. Don't got no mountains in Nebraska.

The ride was uneventful except for a "clutch slip" about 50 miles from Scottsbluff. Pulling a long uphill grade the engine gained revs, so I down shifted and again the engine revved up.

I pulled over, thinking I likely have oil getting into the clutch area and slicking up the clutch plate. I saw no major oil leaks, (other than the small one from the right cylinder base) so decided to proceed. The thought crossed my mind to head the 50 miles back home but what the hell....mechanical mishaps are part of the adventure so onward we go......

Never had any more clutch slippage so who knows....?

My rear tire was down to the end of its' life so I threw on my spare K-Block tire thats been sitting. Just bungied it to the rear rack, not very pretty but it didn't mind hanging off the hack.

We got home just fine on the bald rear tire. Tireswear quickly on my tug and I usually only get 3000 miles or so. I'll mount the square profile K-Block tire next to see how long it will last.

We rode back to Scottsbluff via Cheyenne Wyo. and took a "new to us" route home. Sunday was a great day for a ride with a little cross wind for part of the day and we arrived home by 4:00 PM.

Today I spent working on the R65. I ran it from Scottsbluff to Billings a couple of weeks ago and had a problem upon arriving in Billings.....like something was dragging in the rear.

I drained the final drive and transmission oil looking for metal debris. The oil drained clear and clean so no major failures there.

I removed the final drive to find the nut that holds the input gear loose. It had walked nearly off the pinion stud. I don't know how this could have made the friction I was feeling when I coasted but it was the only thing I could find wrong.

Then I found I had no spare gaskets for the final drive so went ahead and used some silicone gasket material when I reassembled the unit.

I gave the rear wheel bearings a shot of grease and put everything back together with fresh gear oil. I took the old girl for a few mile ride and things appear to be fine.

I also had a drip leak underneath, upon checking the oil pan bolts I found they were barely finger tight. Hopefully tightening them will solve the leak underneath.

I also had a small leak appear at the rear wheel at the final drive seal, which also can lube up the rear brake shoes...not a good deal...... I cleaned up everything and did find a small piece of debris in the seal area. I added some additive to the gear oil that is supposed to swell the seal a bit to help with minor seepage so we'll see if that will work. I took some sandpaper to the brake linings to remove the oil which had seeped onto them.

I have never taken the time to look this bike over, other than checking the fluid levels and tire pressures so this little R65 maintenance day was overdue.

I layed some clean cardboard under the bike so we'll see if any oil leaks reappear.

1953 Zundapp KS601 Sport

I've started a "Zundapp Blog" and here are a few photos of the KS601 with the proper fenders and parts in place. These rare bikes were designed as side car tugs and have the side car mounts in place from the factory.


Just back from her first bath in over 30 years. Still has around 10 years of grime left on it.
The center stand has a ratchet type device which does not require a high deployment. It is missing two springs so I'll find some that will work.

She has a lot of rust. I hope to get her in running condition as is....then I'll give her some paint here and there. No total restoration in the immediate future....unless I hit the lottery or something....but I don't buy lottery tickets....

There is just something about this old bike that grabs me...not sure why.

I have located a few missing parts and pulled the cylinder heads to see cylinder conditions. She's "stuck" at the present from sitting for the past + 30 years. The right side has a little rust. I cleaned it up as best I could. No cylinder pitting evident yet. The left side was clear. I completely reassembled the top end and filled both cylinders with Marvel Mystery Oil. Now she'll soak for a while to free things up. I've resurrected far rustier engines with this technique.

Update 11-13-11 - I decided to list the bike on EBay with a reserve which would make a few bucks and cover sellers fees. Low and behold the bike met the reserve, which I doubted it would. So the Zundapp has gone to a new owner with deeper pockets and the place / time to restore the machine.

BMW's going and coming

The old R75/5 was delivered to the new care taker in Phoenix yesterday. Was kind of sad to see it got but it was time. He'll have fun with it. I think it has good to someone who will appreciate it.
I rode a few miles on the R65 last night and everything checks out good. It has a minor (hopefully) electrical gremlin as it blew a fuse for the turn signals. All the turn signals are loose on the mounting stalks so I'll look into that. All electrical systems were working fine when I test rode the bike in Phoenix.

It is a nice looking bike. The bike is mostly clean and with a little detailing it will look even better. The paint is good other than a few spots on the front fender. I'll begin sorting things out on it as time allows. I'll change all fluids, check out the electrical systems, and give it a general cleaning up. The Metzler tires are in pretty fair shape so won't have to buy any tires ...for now anyway. It also has a brand new "Brown" sidestand installed but no center stand. I was glad to see the complete, original tool set was also present, a nice plus. The Krauser bags and mounts are in great shape and function properly. Won't need bungie straps to hold them on like the R75/5.

I'll go over the systems with minimal cash output and then decide if it will hang around for a while. Have never been a R65 fan but we'll see how things develope. It will eventually make a good entry level bike for a new BMW owner.

Zundapp KS601 Sport / R65 BMW

This KS 601 / Steib rig sold for $15000.00 at the las Vegas M.C. Auction in January. I'll venture the seller had a lot more than that invested.
This solo KS 601 recently sold for $17500.00

So a deal has been struck and my old R75/5 will be delivered tomorrow to its' new caretaker in Phoenix AZ. Below is the trade in BMW I'm taking in. The owner has sent me a list of maintenance and purchases he has done in the past year. He has quite a bit invested in the bike. I'll likely keep it around for a while and ride it. Who knows, my wife loves "blue" so maybe she'll take up riding again.(?)

The bike appears to have a few "bumps and bruises" but I think it is in over all good condition. Riding a little R65 might be fun.(?) Definitely different than all my past bikes. This is a 1982 model so will be the newest motorcycle I've ever owned.

I'm quite excited to pick up my "new" 1954 Zundapp. I've found that it is a "Sport" model which is a more desirable model. More horse power and compression. Not as many of these were built. I've been pouring over the Internet seeking information on these bikes and have found a sort of "Zundapp Underground" exists around the planet. Many parts are available and many reproduction parts are offered. The prices are somewhat extreme though. The cost to perform a full blown restoration on this bike would definitely eclipse its' actual resale value. I won't go into this project without keeping this thought in the forefront.

I love my hobby but one must keep the financial overview realistic.

There is no such thing as "one stop shopping" for Zundapp parts. I've dug up a number of sources but it took a lot of "Internet Digging" to bring them to the surface. I'm very surprised to see the prices these old bikes demand. The prices vary, but a pristine example I saw recently sold for $17.5k from one seller....another nice one with a Steib sidecar sold for $15k at the Las Vegas M.C. Auction in January. I've found another mostly complete unrestored non running one in Norway for around $14.5k. A Harley Dealer has a non running one in his personal "Museum" and he estimates the value at around $10k. Prices jump all over so it comes down to how bad the buyer wants one.

I'm thinking that original is good. These bikes are only original once so I'm going forward with that theory in mind. Unfortunately this bike has had the fenders replaced with some 60's era alloy English ones. A pair of originals are with the bike but are an ugly maroon....maybe some original paint is still living under the maroon?

I will spend my initial hours just cleaning up the bike in a careful manner to see what patina I can expose. Don't want to damage any original finish during that process, so it is a fine line. I may never get any further than just cleaning it....who knows. I just know that I want to possess it for a while....and maybe make a nice profit from selling it down the line. Someone with deeper pockets than mine may want to restore it completely.

I've found that these bikes utilize a center shock absorber between the fork tubes. My bike is missing that shock unit. I found a new one but the price is $300.00 and I'd have to bury it in the back yard for a year so it would match the bike. The same seller has an original used one for $50.00. I'll likely go that route.

I found a complete 1950's shop manual for the bike on line. The rebuild procedures are completely old school and quite interesting. Actually kind of scary....using "tin foil' for connecting rod shims.....filing down the connecting rod ends to "adjust" the connecting rods to fit the bearings. Quite interesting but spooky.

I think there is a nice original "patina" living under all the dust!

R75/5 sold?

I spent a few hours with a potential buyer yesterday....he had little riding experience and was completely intimidated by the R75/5. I took him for a ride on the pillion seat and he was somewhat shocked by the size of the bike. Way too big for him. I did not let him drive the bike as he would have likely crashed it. I dissuaded him from the deal and I told him he should buy a smaller bike and get his riding skills up to par before buying a vintage BMW.
I had another offer for the bike which included a BMW trade. The buyer has offered a fair amount of cash and a 1982 BMW R65. The R65 photo is a little poor but the bikes owner has said he has taken care of it. All repairs being performed at a BMW Dealer. Appears to be a nice little bike with a low seat height.

So this will work well for me. I will not have the total purchase price for the Zundapp but can handle the difference....and will still have a solo bike to ride. The R65 would actually be a good bike for my wife to ride if she wants to.


. We'll see if this deal comes together.....

1954 Zundapp KS 601

1953 Zundapp KS 601....this bike appears to have an after market fender light and tail light guard installed. Other than that it is the same model as the 1954 I will be bringing home.
Another fine specimen -1953 Zundapp KS 601 - Only 5000 of these bikes were manufactured in Germany between 1950 and 1957. They are a fairly rare motorcycle.

A few years ago I happened upon this old forlorn 1954 Zundapp sitting in an acquaintance's barn. He had purchased it from a relative years ago and just never got around to doing anything with it. The asking price was quite high so I never gave it any more thought.

A previous owner had swapped fenders and installed some smaller alloy fenders. Someone saw this photo and thought they were an after market English fender set. The currant owner hunted down a pair of original fenders, a toolbox and a pair of nice carb intake tubes. Not sure what other items he scrounged up.

My old BMW R75/5 has been just sitting and I fire it up now and then for a short ride. I did ride it around 1600 miles last summer, riding through Glacier Park and then down to the Spring Solstice Party in Roberts MT. The old /5 has always ran great but I came to the conclusion that I would like to take on a new project. The /5 BMW will need to be sold to finance and make room for the new project.

I contacted the owner of the 1954 Zundapp and by chance he had dropped his price by a substantial amount. I did a lot of Internet research and contacted a Zundapp Guru in Texas. He has restored numerous Zundapps and sells parts on the side. Parts are available but some are quite expensive and some parts are very tough to find. Luckily the 54 I am looking at is mostly complete. missing a few minor items like the original tail light. I found photos of the original tail lights and by chance they are exactly like the one I mounted on my sidecar. I have found others available on the Internet for less than $50.00. I also found a complete engine gasket set for $40.00 so have ordered that.

The bike engine is currently not free. Likely some moisture has formed in the cylinder and caused rust to form. Quite common on bikes that sit. My last project BMW had sat out for over 20 years in the snow, rain, etc and suffered a similar fate. With patience and care I was able to free the engine with no damage and repair it with no problems. I hope the Zundapp will be as simple a fix. At least it has never sat outside since it was taken off the road.

The cost to completely restore one of these bikes would likely cost more than the final product is worth. I hope to go through any mechanical issues found and get it in running order, leaving the patina as found...other than a careful, serious clean up that will need to be performed.

The Texas Zundapp "expert" Told me that my purchase price is reasonable and that I shouldn't get hurt on the deal. If my plans for getting the bike running do not work out I would hope to at least get my investment back on a resale.

I will miss my old 1973 R75/5 which I have proudly owned since the early 90's. It has been a great , reliable bike for us and has served us well. The bike has never let me down in nearly 50000 miles of riding. I have spent a lot of money on the bike over the years, but that comes with owning these old vintage motorcycles. I have a couple of potential buyers coming to look at the BMW. I ran it on EBay but the price never got near what I am asking. There are always others out there looking to get into an old Airhead so it will eventually sell, to a good owner I hope.

Hopefully the Zundapp Project will not bankrupt me! I am looking forward to getting possession of the bike and begin my "Archaeological" process.

Telegraph Pass B-17 Crash Site

Telegraph Pass, AZ Bomber Training Flight Crash, June 1944

FIVE KILLED AS B-17 HITS MOUNTAIN PEAK SOUTH OF TELEGRAPH PASS.
Gila Mountains, Ariz. -- Five men were killed early yesterday when a B-17 plane, returning to the Yuma army air field from a routine training flight, hit a peak in the Gila mountains 10 miles east of the field, it was announced at the field last night after a searching party returned with the bodies.Time of the accident was placed by officers at 1:52 a.m. The plane was blown to bits by an explosion which followed the crash, believed to have been caused by igniting of the plane's gasoline supply.A searching party from the field left soon after the accident was reported but required some hours to reach the scene in the rugged mountain terrain in which no vehicle could be operated. The crash occurred two miles south of Telegraph Pass.The Dead:2nd Lt. WILLIAM A. RICHELL, 22, pilot. Wife, Mrs. Nora A. Richell, Tonawanda, N.Y.2nd Lt. SHERIDAN B. MAREK, 20, co-pilot. Mother, Mrs. Martha M. Marek, Rt. 4, Temple, Texas.2nd Lt. ANGUS W. MacARTHUR, 21, co-pilot. Wife, Mrs.Patricia K. MacArthur, 106 S. Madison ave., Pasadena, Calif.Sgt. MANTEN P. JONES, 23, crew chief. Father, Charles P. Jones, 5069 Raphael, Los Angeles.Corp. MERLE G. ICE, 23, aerial engineer. Wife, Mrs. Louise F. Ice, 1013 N. Branson st., Marion, Indiana.
The Yuma Daily Sun Arizona 1944-06-29

I had heard about the B-17 Bomber crash site back in the 90's. After some searching and some inquiries I finally pin pointed the proper mountain valley where the plane crashed. I climbed solo all the way through the debris field to the top of the mountain where the impact occurred in the late 90's but had no camera with me. A recent acquaintance showed interest in seeing the site so we went off today in search of the site again.
John has a Russian built Ural sidecar rig which is suited for off road use. This was our conveyance to the base of the mountain to get into range of the climb.

Some of the approaches to the Gila Mountains are now posted as private property so the access in is limited. We found an open entrance to the land below the mountains and headed in. There are numerous roads in the area and finding the most direct route in was difficult. After a few miles of wandering we got into the general area where I remembered the site to be.

The trail below is where we parked the Ural and began the hike. The terrain is rough and trails come and go...it is easy to lose them in the boulder fields.

Looking up the canyon I thought we were in the right area but wasn't sure. It has been so many years since I was last here. As you approach the mountains the perspective changes and doubt loomed about the correct route...The highest peak in the center of the photo was the impact site. The B-17 came into the mountains from the left, hitting the rock face of the peak about 30 feet from the top.

The approach to the valley. The going was pretty rough and great care is needed to avoid a twisted ankle or worse.

As we were about to give up the quest, a reflection up the gorge caught our eyes. Sure enough it was a large piece of aluminum from the aircraft frame. Below the small piece of wreckage was a large white cross, white washed onto the rocks. I had read that someone had marked the locations of where the airman's bodies were found. This was the first of the five markers.

As we climbed a little further more aircraft parts were about. Most pieces are damaged beyond recognition....not surprising considering the violence of the crash and the distance the parts rolled down the mountain.

A fairly large section of aircraft aluminum skin.

An engine super charger. Three of them were in the general vicinity.

Remains of a Radial Engine. Some of the cylinders were missing, attesting to the violent trip down the mountain and the initial impact.

Another large section of aluminum skin:

More Aluminum:

And more:

One of the aircraft's landing gear assemblies.

The wheel assembly and cylinder was large...the wheel appeared to be made from very thick magnesium. A fuel bladder sits in the foreground.

Landing gear strut.

A piece of the wing, where the landing gear attaches.

We spent a 1/2 hour or so at the lower end of the debris field. There is a huge debris field scattered all the way up the gorge. The upper reaches are VERY steep and treacherous. At the top of the peak, where the impact site is, there is a steel plaque with the lost airman's names inscribed. We decided not to go up any further.

In the 90's I remember a lot of smaller parts and pieces down lower where we were. Scavengers have likely taken out some souvenir's over the years. We chose to leave things as is, in respect to the site. Coming down was sure a lot easier than going up.

Brass Monkey Sidecar Rally

We left Yuma on Thursday morning with all intentions of getting to Death Valley CA. for the annual Airheads Death Valley Rendezvous. We were then planning a trip over into AZ. to visit friends and tour around AZ. after leaving Death Valley. The weather forecasts were not looking too good though....I was just getting over a bought with the flu but felt well enough to make the trip...I thought...
We arrived in Quartzsite around 10:00 AM Thursday and while shaking off the chill a guy on a Ural sidecar pulled up and told us of the planned weekend sidecar rally.
After a discussion we decided to hang around Quartzsite for the rally. The weather forecast for this area was "rain" but the Death Valley forecast looked even worse...
Thursday night was beautiful and warm. Not a cloud to be seen. Friday night came a deluge of thunder, lightening and heavy rain....

A Ural from out in the desert...a young guy has been boon docking all winter out in the desert...I passed an "honorary airhead sticker" over to him...


This is "Johns" Ural...he was giving a ride to a motorcycle gal from Switzerland. John also has a Russian Machine Gun which is usually mounted on the nose.

Another Ural in German Military color scheme...our campsite in the back ground...

Saturday morning we awoke to a soaked tent and everything was wet. The rain poured down all night and the cheepo tent leaked like a sieve.......the tents' "lake" in the morning....Darian took all the soaked items to the campground laundry and I proceeded to reserve a motel room at the Super 8 for our final night. The campground folks let us leave our tent up to dry and we packed it up on Sunday AM.

This is a "Watsonian" side car. A wide body with seating for 4 small folks....has a front and rear seating area. All enclosed with removable roof covers. A very neat sidecar but it sure is big.

Another nice little rig with a BMW K bike tug. He came through a snow storm to get there...

This /2 Conversion was owned by one of the Rally organizers. A very well done rig with a /5 engine. It also had one of the rare "Hella spotlight / mirrors I have been searching for....very nice Steib chair attached. This rig sat low to the ground.

A BMW with a "Texas" sidecar. A nice rig...real nice couple on board...

A Big Blue Harley Rig;

Another Watsonian Double rig just like the white one....pretty odd to see 2 of these rare cars in the same place. This one was for sale for $9k or so. The owner insisted that I take it for a spin but I passed. The mountings were not very rigid on the front lower attachments but he said it drove just fine....

A Triumph Scrambler with a Velorex Rig....I loved the "Union Jack" paint.

A trick BMW with a Ural chair. This rig was set up very well with smaller / wider wheels.

Another Velorex chair.....these are different and narrow.

Not sure who makes this one:

I think this is another Velorex.(?)

Nice rig here:

A nice Honda with a giant air horn mounted on the chair:

The locals held a classic car / bike show Saturday night...another Harley Rig:

Ural

2 Wheel Drive Ural:

BMW Oilhead Cruiser with a Ural chair:

On the road home Sunday morning....the old Hag was running fine down the road but I was having an idle / cold starting problem. Had a hell of a time getting her going in the AM....luckily my battery held out and got her running.

We arrived home and I'll need to investigate the tuning of the bike....will likely need to adjust points / valves / timing again...maybe take a look a the carbs to see why she doesn't want to idle....

I really looked over the Ural 2 wheel drive rigs. The "off-road" option could be a lot of fun. Maybe some day....
We were pretty sad to miss the Death Vally Airhead gathering. When it rains there the entire area turns into muddy bog. We camped there one year and a 2 hour down pour turned the place into a gooie morass....The desert rain is on mostly sandy ground so mud is non-existant.

I ended up running a fever 2 nights while we camped so was glad to be close to home...