Restoration: 1995 K1100RS for under a grand?

[Rcgreaves]

Laitch the great et al: 
So, if I understand why Brickmeisters succumb to "trajecto traborgs"  its a combination of the ( Pan....french word for bread box I prefer to the Deutsche though not allowed here...)  lifting AND then sliding back. My take is that Martin's ingenious block though functional only addresses half the wear problem. If it clamps to the rack in doesn't slide back.  So I score this a 5 of 10 on the Kluge index with 0 being- to buy two new components, $220 and 10 being a few wraps with baling twine. My fix is a fix at best and not something I'd want to explain to a concourse judge at Pebble Beach Anyway, this fix looks effective. So I devoted 90 minutes to plastic welding one of MrTenBrook's worn our components ( why experiment on mine, right?) and I the repair will work.

Plastic welder Amazone $130, is a hopped up soldering iron with a powerfully hot high setting and a spatula end for spruging (technical term) ABS plastic in the form of USA sourced zip ties from Summit Racing. Is all Chinese ABS on par? I ...ok perhaps...

So I spread the plastic like a welding bead. Where not molten it let go when worked. Rough shaping with a Dremel sanding drum. Flats  leveled with a fresh sharp rasp. 

Mom's calling me to dinner. One wheel repainted, center stand painted and ready to install. Lock tight?

[Martin]

Another part of my fix in order to stop movement which leads to wear was to glue a strip of 2.25 mm thick insertion rubber into the channel of the pannniers.
Regards Martin.

[Rcgreaves]

Another part of my fix in order to stop movement which leads to wear was to glue a strip of 2.25 mm thick insertion rubber into the channel of the pannniers.
Regards Martin.

Hey Martin! Great fix!  2.25mm thick. Check.

[Martin]

I used what I had in stock don't go too thick. There is now no movement, they are quite firm as compared to previously jiggling about. One of the K Kronies when following me on a rough track said that they had more moves than a Hula dancer.
Regards Martin.

[Rcgreaves]

Ive yet to try the hula dance....doubting those German engineers with slide rules had that in mind for what in my evolve thinking is an inferior design....And by the way my Goldwing bobbins are rock solid at 80k...though perhaps PO did a brake job but I digress.
Center stand is detailed and ready for install..then starter, alternator, ABS brain, battery.  Big snow on the way so here's a chance to really move this beasty forward...Cheers and always a pleasure to hear from Martin way off yonder.  Johnny you alive?

[Rcgreaves]

Tonight I disassembled the front suspension tubes.This is my first peek inside. "euwww sludge"...

Can you identify the non oem cartridge components I have here? Those look good, but from the sludge i removed from the right slider I wasn't too surprised to find the bushings show considerable wear.  If you look at my initual post I test rode it on date of purchase and fork oil was liberally flowing past the seal and all over the rotors.

Bushings and miscelaneous sealing o rings add $100 to the tab....no surprise though. And, yes the tab is well past a grand...

Painted the flip side of the front wheel so I'll soon be remounting the front rotors. Rustoleum makes a metal flake "Steel" wheel paint I used here. Really pops.  Center stand received another top coat, installing that next followed by the starter, alternator ABS brain and Battery.  Right or wrong I cut the leads to the ABS controller so I'll be soldering up some insulated spade connections or solder and sleeve them. Opinions?

[Rcgreaves]

Lots of progress on my project today.  Front rotors got installed completing the front wheel.  I mounted the center stand after topping up all the grease fittings and fitting rubber caps.  I tried out my new fabrication vice- gripping my calipers so I could split them, ultrasonic clean and extract four seized pistons.  While I wait for gold plated suspension parts I repainted the fork sliders. More tomorrow.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

Dang!  That's some purdy stuff you got there.

[Rcgreaves]

Gryph, that’s kind. 
So I learned a few things from restoring my bobbins so I’ll take a moment to describe some of my faux pas.  I drive school bus, and made a faux pas yesterday turning around on an icy rural intersection. I needed only a short tug to regain traction.  It was a lot like this job.  Don’t rush, be patient… Think the whole job through before you proceed if you wish to only do the install once: 

If both tips of the e -clip are NOT engaged in the bobbin slot and you force the clip you can over stretch it change its shape and ruin it… Don’t ask! 
The washer ID matches the bobbin’s.  If you slide the washer offset into the slot a wide gap, a smile where with just a bit o down pressure both sides of the clip can engage.  From there it’s a simple matter of firmly pressing the clips home.
 
After a few it goes quicker…after mounting the rotors backwards you can throw one together in minutes. 

I have two resistant caliper piston to extract after a morning in the ultrasonic bath.  Here goes.  Editing here at bed time after 24 hour ultrasonic pounding all 4 recalcitrant pistons released.  once they were proud I just gripped and twiste wiht a channel locks. 

Starter, alternator and ABS pump/battery mount next. 3-4 foot drift across my drive so Sunday is a shop day here.

[milq]

I hit that same snag installing bobbins on a pair of R bike rotors, very easy mistake to not have the washer installed properly.

Edit to add: You might look into filament for 3D printers for some good quality plastics for welding, there are some fiber reinforced spools available out there. 

[Rcgreaves]

fiber reinforced. Great idea.  Attached is an image of my Traborg mount where I plastic welded the high wear areas with ABS zip ties discussed previously.  Reinforced material would probably be excellent in this application.

[Rcgreaves]

Weather strip offer posted:

http://www.motobrick.com/index.php?topic=15082.0

Front strut parts arrived...very small box for $250! Could be jewels inside!

[Rcgreaves]

So back in January I started searching for replacement weather stripping to replace the unobtainium via Motorad water seal between the fuel tank and side fairing.  Gryph Googled this $5.80 a foot stuff that now 5 weeks later I received today in the mail.

The depth of the U channel that grips a moulded edge is roughly 2mm taller than OEM. Nevertheless, it pushes home and grips tightly. "Yayy". about 24 linear inches does the job.  There are kinks in the tube but my guess is that when pressed against the tank, stretche and warmed it will probably press evenly along the perimeter nicely.

Now I have two Purdue wheels…

Check!

[The Mighty Gryphon]

What did you use on those wheels?!  They look pretty darn nice. 

[Rcgreaves]

Shout out to Mrtenbrook on the paint recommendation. Sparkly.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

Be very careful when you do a brake job.  I got some CRC Brakleen on my painted wheels and it spotted the paint.  Wheel cleaner seems to be okay.

[Laitch]

I got some CRC Brakleen on my painted wheels and it spotted the paint.

On the up-side, I once used CRC green Brakleen and a barbeque lighter to seat a stubborn Brick tire bead successfully. The wheel wasn't sullied but a neighbor's dog started barking. I don't recommend the procedure to riders under 70 years of age who have something to live for. 

[The Mighty Gryphon]

We used to use (I ) the green(maybe it was red) Brakleen to kill yellow jackets when I had to cut up the abandoned cabin cruisers in the boat yard.  Those old wooden hulks were full of the damn things and they didn't like their homes cut up.  A quick shot with Brakleen knocked them right out of the air.  It was more lethal than the real killer.  I killed literally thousands of them.  Good stuff!

The solvents in Brakleen are pretty strong.  They're tough on aftermarket wheel paint, but the factory finish is more resistant to it.

[Martin]

I've recently had my wheels powder coated and coated with anti-graffiti clear coat. I've only cleaned my wheels twice since and the clear coat definitely works, road crap just washes off with the garden hose. However back when I just had  pressure pack painted wheels I found two products that helped keep them clean. I first used Amorall Wheel Protectant which when used on clean wheels stopped the road crap from sticking, the down side was that you had to recoat the wheels every 4-6 months for it to be effective. The second product was Surf Cities Code Red Active Wheel Cleaner which I have found to be the best wheel cleaner that I have used. Spray on and leave for the required amount of time and wash off with water stubborn deposits wiped off easily with a soft brush or wet cloth. Using the Code Red has negated the use of the Armorall.
Regards Martin.

Armor All Wheel Protectant.jpg (11.01 kB . 300x300 - viewed 97 times)
20230215_065221.jpg (43.76 kB . 768x432 - viewed 84 times)

[Rcgreaves]

since we are on this topic: What works well on the cast steel wheels on my R80 project? I may have to crank up the pressure washer in the snow. Simple Green?

[The Mighty Gryphon]

"Cast Steel"?  Does a magnet stick to them?

The only steel wheels I have ever seen are the chromed rims on laced wheels.  Everything else is aluminum alloy.

[Rcgreaves]

Hey Gryph et al:  Cast Iron and with the heft to boot!  See the attached.  No wonder some say Airheads roll like a train.

Gryph I have the valves of the R80 out today, lovely, other than trace surface rust. Lapping compound along with my ultrasonic cleaner will shine the shafts.Whats the right low buck way to dress the valve seat surface.  Too busy today for reasearch.  Cheers!

[Laitch]

Hey Gryph et al:  Cast Iron and with the heft to boot!  See the attached.

Hey, Rc et al.: Read this extract from Snowbum's site then BREAK OUT THE MAGNETS. 

SOME 19 inch front cast aluminum snowflake wheels were 'recalled'.  Not 18 inch front wheels.  Not 18 inch rear wheels.  Recall is only for certain Airheads 19 inch front wheels.   Note that any fiche that says any of these wheels was cast IRON is faulty.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

Stick a magnet to it. 

The parts list says the same thing about the aluminum wheels on all the bricks that have wandered through my garage, and yet, not one has a wheel a magnet will stick to.  These wheels are all die cast aluminum alloy.  Cast iron would weigh three times as much and can't be made in a die casting machine.

[Rcgreaves]

A tip of the fedora to my New York and Vermont asylum companions.

My magnet says "Nay, you are alloy!!  

And i'll carefully inspect for hairline cracks in the wheel hub of the front wheel. 

I have a hand lapping tool and Permatex lap compound on order.