Author Topic: An idiot and his first bike  (Read 95870 times)

Offline Andrewck

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An idiot and his first bike
« on: September 25, 2014, 05:40:20 PM »
My name is Andrew and I am an idiot.  I have been good at tinkering my entire life, it's not only a hobby, but a passion of mine.  I need to understand how things work and always want to improve them.  Other than being an idiot, I'm a minimalist, love functionality and most frustrated by the ubiquitous items we find in the world today...furniture, cars, clothing, ect.  You could say that I love quality one-off items, something that show off people's personality and taste.  Much to the angst of my gf, I've built our desk from scrap barn wood, chandelier from tobacco sticks, bar and bookshelf from plumbing pipe and always take the DIY approach.

My tinkering has been confined to my apartment, but could only be contained for so long.  The next victim is a bike, something I've always wanted and only recently received my license for.  I wanted something reliable, and couldn't settle for stock, so I've decided to build a stripped down bike.  While not a true cafe racer, what I envision in my head best fits that term.  I purchased a 1990 BMW K75S with 38,xxx mi on the odometer for this project.  The bike will be ridden to work daily on the potholed streets of Chicago.  It will be well maintained, ridden hard, but never babied.  I expect it to be bumped, scratched, dropped and well loved for the tool that it is.

For all your K purists out there, turn away now, click the back button, save yourselves.  I know the strong opinions that run with these bikes.  I have a true appreciation for the bike, I really do!  But I need to make it different, make it mine.  This thread will chronicle my tinkering, my experiences and mostly my mistakes as I go into this with zero wrenching experience.   Aside from having a great form of transportation and vehicle that brings pure joy, my goal is to leave this forum a slightly better place than I found it by sharing my experiences with you.
1990 K75S

Offline Chaos

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Re: An idiot and his fist bike - cafe conversion
« Reply #1 on: September 25, 2014, 05:49:14 PM »
Go for it!  All the purists are over on BMWMOA.  Hard to do a good looking cafe bike out of a K, when you strip off all the plastic it looks like, well, a brick.
  • sw ohio
1987 K75S    VIN 0231
Original owner, Original litter
200,000 miles (plus or minus) and 5 paint jobs
sold 6/23
2023 Ural 2WD sidecar (BMW's bastard step child)

Offline Andrewck

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Re: An idiot and his fist bike - cafe conversion
« Reply #2 on: September 25, 2014, 06:49:48 PM »
So, first order of business was to make a second key since the original is 24 years old and I fear the worst should I break it or lose it.  After doing significant research, I purchased an Ilco SR61N from keys4urride.com and took it to my local locksmith (did not trust Ace or Home Depot) to cut it.  For $1 in labor they were able to cut the key and take the extra shoulder off of it, allowing you to completely insert it into the ignition.  Works perfectly!

The most important thing for me to do at this point is establish a maintenance baseline for my bike.  That includes:
Engine oil
Transmission oil
Final drive oil
Fork oil
Coolant
Spark plugs
Brake fluid
Fuel filter
Air filter

I've chosen poorly, since I'm a dummy, and decided to go ahead and do the air filter first, requiring the removal of the tank.  I discovered that there are nozzles with hoses under there that seemingly were unattached to anything.  Now it is my understanding that those hoses are excess fuel drainoff that are hooked to tubing that drains behind the rear footpeg.  Air filter box clips all popped off when detaching them, so work carefully to make sure they stay connected to their mounting point.

When replacing the oil, it appears I'm the first one to switch over from regular to synthetic.  I purchased Mobil 1 15w-50 and it was a relatively easy, yet messy, procedure to change the oil and oil filter.  I'm noticing that the bike guzzles oil and I'm topping off every few rides to make sure oil is not falling behind the low mark in the window.  No leaks from reassembly, so thinking it might be to do with switching to synthetic.  Bike is performing fine now and this was a good confidence booster for future jobs.

So at this point, it's like making a Christmas list of what I want to do to the bike and then looking for part suppliers and crossing things off the list.  I think this is going to be a three phase project.

Phase 1:
maintenance baseline
remove fairings & luggage racks
remove passenger foot pegs
headlight & brackets
front turn signals
clip on handlebars
grips
relocate ignition
Spiegler front end brake kit

Phase 2:
Spiegler rear brake kit
full spline lube (this one scares me)
fork boots
speedometer and odometer
new rear sets
mesh plating side covers
remove all metal pegs/brackets

Phase 3:
shorten frame
new rear
new brat-style seat with integrated taillight
rear turn signals
clutch and cable
brake kit
hoses all-around
remove and reroute electronics
powder coat
paint job
1990 K75S

Offline beachcomber

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Re: An idiot and his fist bike - cafe conversion
« Reply #3 on: September 26, 2014, 04:55:33 AM »
Go for it!  All the purists are over on BMWMOA.  Hard to do a good looking cafe bike out of a K, when you strip off all the plastic it looks like, well, a brick.

And here in the UK - "The OFFICIAL BMW Club UK" - anal freaks.

Decluttering the bike of it's plastic bits and other squitter you don't want will not only save about 80 lbs weight [ = additional speed ], but the sale of which will add to your stash to buy the bits you want !

Double check your fork stanchion size [ 41.4mm or 41.7mm ] as there are NO clip ons that size ! You go for 41mm or 42mm. I went for 42mm and eased the clamp gap out. Ditto check fit of handlebar controls - gnats cock interferance fit WILL break the alloy housing IF you try to force them on. I eased mine out [ controls ] with a round file - 10 minute job.

When doing your maintainance schedule - check the plug leads. Most overlooked part of maintainance.

In my experience - Synthetic oil is an expensive solution looking for a non existing problem - and bloody expensive.

While you're checking / re-routing the electrtics - give ALL connections a check over and a good cleaning with switch cleaner / similar.

Keep the pix coming.
"If at first you don't succeed - youve already been a failure once"

Offline Duc750

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Re: An idiot and his fist bike - cafe conversion
« Reply #4 on: September 27, 2014, 03:07:05 PM »
My k drinks oil in anything remotely synthetic. The lower tech the better (and cheaper)
2001 K1100LTIC not even run it at 52K
1994 Duc 907ie
1998 R850R
1987 Duc 750 Paso

Offline TimTyler

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Re: An idiot and his fist bike - cafe conversion
« Reply #5 on: September 27, 2014, 03:24:23 PM »
Andrew, You should reach out to Healthy.

Offline Andrewck

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Re: An idiot and his first bike - cafe conversion
« Reply #6 on: September 30, 2014, 11:47:51 AM »
Thanks for the suggestion.  Always nice to have a friend in the neighborhood.
1990 K75S

Offline Quiltzig

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Re: An idiot and his first bike - cafe conversion
« Reply #7 on: November 14, 2014, 08:58:25 PM »
What sort of seat is it that came off the bike?
  • Hamilton - New Zealand
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1987 K75S - cafe racer project
2016 R9T (wifes ride)
2004 K1200RS

Offline racinrich

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Re: An idiot and his first bike - cafe conversion
« Reply #8 on: November 17, 2014, 10:06:05 PM »
spline lube scares you but shorten the frame no problem ???
1993 k1100 lt silk blue
des plaines ill
USA

Offline beatfryer

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Re: An idiot and his first bike - cafe conversion
« Reply #9 on: February 12, 2015, 08:31:57 PM »
I feel like I want to copy and paste this whole post and just say "Ditto"!!

Please keep us updated with Pics!
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Offline Andrewck

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Re: An idiot and his first bike - cafe conversion
« Reply #10 on: March 01, 2015, 07:26:20 PM »
Sorry for the absence, winter in Chicago does a funny thing to people.  Going into winter, you have these grand ideas about all the free time you will have, alone to work on your bike, drink some beers and recharge your batteries before the flurry of spring arrives.  The reality is I spend 1/3 of my life on another continent for work and I'm too tired when I get home at night or from a trip to even think about my bike.  Weekends are spent running awful errands and free time really does evaporate away, just like the hope of nice weather.

I apologize for the delay between posts, trust me that nobody is more disappointed than I am in my lack of progress.  The idea of stripping down a bike seemed easy, but each project has become a daunting task.  Every time I set out to relocate an ignition, change the coolant or remove a seat, I'm greeted with stripped screws, rust or some other unforeseen issue.  But some progress has been made...

The first project was to remove the handlebars, mirrors, headlight, speedometer and remaining front upper fairing.  A couple of the screws were stripped on the handlesbars, but I had some replacements laying around fortunately.  I've decided to go with strap-ons handlebars and a 7 1/2" British style headlight.  I found both parts at DCC and ordered the 41mm strap-ons.  In order for the strap-ons to fit, I ended up using a little brute force and a pair of pliers to widen up the openings.  Once the upper fork mount was off, the handlebars were slid on and pounded down with a rubber mallet.  The mounting hardware that was included easily secured the handlebars.  The controls also needed a little finessing when mounting onto the new strap-ons.  It took some playing around with the alignment and height, but eventually I found a comfortable riding position that gave adequate tank clearance.

At that point, I finished off the handlebars with a new pair of grips, also from DCC.  Putting grips onto bars is AWFUL.  I read somewhere about using hairspray to slide them on.  This worked well on the left handlebar, but trying to slide the grip over the throttle control proved to be a huge struggle.  Even when I got it on, the throttle would stick when pulling it back.  I had to back the grip off slightly to prevent any throttle problems.  The same happened with the bar-end mirrors.  They attach with a little washer inside the bar and then screw in from the outside.  Left handlebar no problem...right handlebar was 2 hours of swearing and fishing parts out of the handlebar with a wire hanger.  Wish I could give great advice on how to do it smoothly.  I can't.  Just keep some beers nearby and have faith it will get done.

I thought the headlight was going to be my biggest challenge.  Called up my local shop and they told me it would take a couple hours and probably run $200-$400 to wire headlight and turn signals.  I called BS and ordered a $10 mounting bracket off Fleabay.  The bracket said it fit forks 38mm-42mm.  It did require a little bending, but the bracket mounted on easily and the light fits well inside.  I was looking for the correct screws for mounting when it dawned on me that I may be able to incorporate my turn signals into the unit.  Sure enough, the screws on the signals are the same diameter as the opening for the brackets and headlight.  The indicators are LED, but a couple of snipped wires, wire caps and electrical tape and the LED signals were hooked up to the OEM wiring harness.  The headlight also hooked up perfectly to the OEM harness, no surprises.  Whole installation took no more than 1 hour.  I still think the light is a little high, so next step is to lower the brackets an inch or so.  The all black front end ties in nicely to the overall look of the Brick.  Since lights are LED, I get hyperblink when I turn on indicators.  I know there is a fix for that, but I kinda like it the way it is.

Speedometer is still disconnected as I am selling it.  No idea what unit I will replace the OEM with, but I've got the ugly wiring harness hanging out from behind the headlight.  That's a worry for another day...

Since the dash pad and all electronics were ripped out during the handlebar project, I decided to relocate the ignition.  The wiring is a mile long so I've decided to put it behind the airbox on the right side.  No idea yet how to mount it, so it may be zipties for a while.

I figured that I should probably replace those 25 year old brake lines at this time, especially since the old brake line wasn't long enough to run through the upper fork mount after moving it's position on the strap-ons.  The new handlebar position moved the lines out about 1" so I called up Spiegler and explained exactly what I needed.  They were able to fabricate a new upper brake line for me with a special banjo bolt.  After playing with the rotation of the bolt, I was able to install the new upper and easily install the lowers.  Great system and I strongly suggest you buy a handvac bleeder if you do this job yourself.  I got some brake fluid in the guage (don't ask me how) during my first attempt at bleeding the brakes, but eventually go the job completed and new fluid installed.

I didn't care for the long front fenders, so with the help of a friend with an eye for design we put masking tape on the fenders, sketched out a more refined design and I went to work with a Dremel to cut them down.  They look like crap.  Not because he sketched them out poorly, but because I botched the job with Mr. Dremel.  I cut the front fender back way too far, exposing the black mount underneath.  I apparently also never learned to color within the lines either.  My cutting was all over the place.  It is absolutely more refined, but needs some TLC from somebody with a much sharper saw and steadier hand than my own.  For another day...

Battery is out for the winter.  Seat and tail section came off and are being sold.  Next step is to cut the frame and build a cafe seat, cut the rear fender and find some lighting for the rear.  Also want to lower the front end by 2", but one of the bolts on the lower triple clamp is frozen and I'm not sure how I'm going to get it loose.

Progress is slow, but still fun and I am finally able to see my cafe project taking shape.  I want to dive in and just keep tackling projects...I'll have plenty of time to circle back and fix my mistakes in the future. 
1990 K75S

Offline Andrewck

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Re: An idiot and his first bike - cafe conversion
« Reply #11 on: March 01, 2015, 07:34:30 PM »
This thread is nothing without photos...
1990 K75S

Offline Andrewck

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Re: An idiot and his first bike - cafe conversion
« Reply #12 on: March 01, 2015, 07:38:21 PM »
Clips-ons, headlight, grips, indicators, upper brake line
1990 K75S

Offline Andrewck

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Re: An idiot and his first bike - cafe conversion
« Reply #13 on: March 01, 2015, 07:40:49 PM »
Clips-ons, headlight, grips, indicators, upper brake line
1990 K75S

Offline Andrewck

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Re: An idiot and his first bike - cafe conversion
« Reply #14 on: March 01, 2015, 09:54:39 PM »
thoughts on the ignition
1990 K75S

Offline Andrewck

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Re: An idiot and his first bike - cafe conversion
« Reply #15 on: March 01, 2015, 10:15:06 PM »
one last shot of the front
1990 K75S

Offline TimTyler

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Re: An idiot and his first bike - cafe conversion
« Reply #16 on: March 01, 2015, 10:16:01 PM »
thoughts on the ignition

That's exactly where mine has been for 25k miles. Love it.

I used two worm-gear clamps, linked to each other; one on the frame and one on the switch housing. Paint them black first.

Offline Andrewck

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Re: An idiot and his first bike - cafe conversion
« Reply #17 on: March 01, 2015, 10:36:52 PM »
That's a great idea.  I had seen some machine milled solutions for triumph thruxtons and was looking for a clean solution, but love the simplicity of the worm-gear clamps.  Think I'll have to make my way to the hardware store for some soon.
1990 K75S

Offline beachcomber

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Re: An idiot and his first bike - cafe conversion
« Reply #18 on: March 02, 2015, 05:24:43 AM »
Nice job to date.

One point ..... as you went to all the trouble of having a new m/c top hose made, why not take it to a tee under the lower yoke to hide it a bit ?
"If at first you don't succeed - youve already been a failure once"

Offline The Mighty Gryphon

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Re: An idiot and his first bike - cafe conversion
« Reply #19 on: March 02, 2015, 10:49:19 AM »
I'm liking it so far.  Re the front fender.  A bit of time with a piece of 80 grit on a block followed by finer stuff will have things shipshape.

Something about that big engine package that makes K cafe bikes look so hazardous...  Like some kind of weapons system.  I like it!
  • In my garage in Marilla, NY
  • '91K100RS White/Blue
Current:
'91 K100RS16V "Moby Brick Too"

Past:
'94 K75RT "Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS"
'92 K100RS16V "Moby Brick" (RIP, deceased in a vehicular assault)
'94 K75S Special Edition Dakar Yellow "Cheetos"
'89 K100RS Special Edition "Special Ed"

Offline jenkinskg

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Re: An idiot and his first bike - cafe conversion
« Reply #20 on: March 02, 2015, 03:19:54 PM »
One of the strongest cafe bikes around.
Mine was cafe ish not bars not lowered, I am too tall for that.
Bike would ride anywhere with that motor, I added windsheild.


Offline xians421

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Re: An idiot and his first bike - cafe conversion
« Reply #21 on: March 02, 2015, 04:23:43 PM »
Awesome job! I was considering doing the same or similar, but the expense of a new motor made the mods cost prohibitive. So how much do you want for the plastic you removed? Because as you can see by my profile pic, I have the same color bike that could use a middle section and radiator cover with bottom, though I have no use for the fairing. :clap:
current: 92 K75 73000 mi purchased 5/15/14, Honda VFR 750 3154 mi (project)
Past: Honda CB500T, CB650 Nighthawk, CB750k, CB900f, GL1000, Suzuki GS650ex, 71 TS250


Rules for riding: I am invisible, no one can see me. If they could see me, they would aim for me.

Offline jenkinskg

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Re: An idiot and his first bike - cafe conversion
« Reply #22 on: March 02, 2015, 07:33:27 PM »
Well here is the story, bought bike for $900
no mirrors, no signals low bars

but motor and trans were flawless and had service history to present miles

Bought high bars and traded low bars for longer controls and new perches.
bought 2 new mirrors and grips
 Had front brake line made custom, $25

Rode bike for 2 + years, sold it last spring and miss it now

Ridding a k1200lt love it for long and short rides, just want a smaller lighter bike to have fun with

Offline jenkinskg

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Re: An idiot and his first bike - cafe conversion
« Reply #23 on: March 02, 2015, 07:39:42 PM »
The headlight had 50w and 100w bulb
was attached to a 4"  X 4" stainless angl iron, 1/4 inch thick

Also used sheet stainless to mount speedo
 windsheild was 1150 gs with gs bracket, adjustable

Offline billday

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