I am going to replace the timing chain, crankshaft sprocket, crankshaft nose bearing, and the front main seal. I’m also going to pull the crankshaft to inspect the main bearings.
But first, I have to remove the electrical components and wiring inside the front engine cover that includes the diode board, alternator and ignition sensor, aka, the “bean can”, aka, the “electronic points”. I plan to upgrade the alternator and diode board to a 400 watt system. I also plan on opening the bean can to lube the advance mechanism and replace the Hall effect sensors.
Here is the before and after pictures.
Diode Board, Alternator, Ignition Sensor Are Inside Front Engine Cover
And, I shot a video of this work which is a bit long at 20 mins.
VIDEO: 1983 BMW R100RS Remove Diode Board, Alternator and Ignition Sensor
My goal in the video is to explain more about what the wiring under the front engine cover does and how it’s routed, as well as show how to remove all the components, so that added to the length. I’ll try to keep future videos shorter.
I previously removed the clutch, flywheel and rear main seal so I can replace the crankshaft rear main seal, the flywheel o-ring and the oil pump cover o-ring. You can see how I did that work here:
The inside of the bell housing as well as the shelf under the transmission showed oil leaks, so one, or all, of these are the likely culprits.
Grunge Inside the Bell Housing Suggests O-rings and/or Rear Main Seal Leaks
Oil & Grudge On The Shelf Under The Transmission
When I opened up the oil pump to take measurements and do a visual inspection, I decided that I had to replace the oil pump due to a lot of wear and tear to the rotors inside the pump. You can see how I removed and measured the oil pump here:
When I first got the bike, in debugging a low oil pressure light that came on, I discovered that the oil filter high pressure bypass valve was hanging by a thread. So, unfiltered oil was circulating, but I didn’t know for how long. Based on the condition of the oil pump and the scores I found in the rod bearings, I think unfiltered oil circulated for while. Not what I wanted, but I’m glad I took a look at the pump.
And, you can see a short video that summarizes the work here:
Due to what I found with the oil pump, I’m making a detour on the project. I’m going to pull the crankshaft to inspect the main bearings. I suspect I won’t like what I find there either, but it makes sense to take a look.
I have been delinquent working on this project for a few months. I got distracted with preparations for riding out to the 40th anniversary rally for the R65LS-R80G/S and then, I was lazy when I got back.
Below is my documentation of this work in write-ups and short videos.
NOTE: I edited the Remove Clutch video and reposted it on YouTube. If you use the older version of this blog, the link will fail. I edited the link below so it points to the new video.
This is the last OTRA blog I plan to post. Tomorrow I should be back home again.
This morning it looked like I would get to test out how well the waterproofing of my nearly 15 year old Aerostitch riding suit is holding up. The parking lot at the hotel in Jefferson, MO, was wet as it had rained and the sky was full of low grey clouds. But the upside was cleaning bug goo off Gonzo was quickly done. I added a 1/4 Qt of oil to the motor and let a bit of air out of the front tire to compensate for the higher elevation.
After I finished breakfast and headed out to load the last pannier, the sun came out and the low clouds had moved off to the west, but they were still in front of me. Thankfully the clouds kept dissipating as I rode west so I didn’t get to test how well the stitch did in the rain after all.
US-50’s personality was very much the lumbering superslab all morning. After about a half hour I was feeling sore and not really enjoying the ride. I was getting into a “hurry up and let’s get this day over with” frame of mind. And then I looked at the Garmin GPS, and my wish was fulfilled. 🙂
Wow-I’m Really Making Time 🙂
The Garmin projected I would cover 385 miles in a bit less than four hours for an average speed of about 96 MPH. 🙂 Gonzo could go that fast, that long, but we were being legal, so this was not realistic.
This kind of mistake happens when the Garmin misses some of the satellite signals when it computes the average speed. It thinks it covered a number of miles in zero time. On another Garmin I owned, this same issue would shown my maximum speed of 135 MPH. I reloaded today’s route and it recomputed my arrival time to a more realistic 3:35 pm.
And, yes, the Garmin is working again. It turns out if I just briefly touch the ON/OFF button on the back, it goes into sleep mode, but it’s not turned off. I assumed it was off since the screen was blank. If I leave it in this state over night, it drains the battery. Then when I plug it into the cradle on the bike in the morning, or to the USB port on my laptop, it doesn’t run until the battery gets some power stored in it. The sleep state with a drained battery looks exactly like it took a permanent dirt nap.
And the annoying messages about not being in the cradle or it going to turn off in 15 seconds are no more. I finally traced that to the power plug in the cradle. I pushed down on the rubber socket as hard as I could and the terminals of the socket now stay seated on the two tiny copper terminals on the back of the GPS. Ain’t modern technology neat? 🙂
I chuckled when I saw this whimsical decoration applied to a town water tower in Missouri.
Whimsical Water Tower in Missouri
When I was about 20 miles east of Kansas City, I pulled off the US-50 superslab and picked some state highways 291, 2, 68Â to the south and west of the city that intersected US-58 to get to my gas stop in Lawrence, KS. I ended up adding about 60 miles to the route by taking this loop around the metropolitan area, but it was a good trade-off as the roads were mostly two-lane, lightly trafficked and conformed to the texture of the land instead of forcing the land to conform to a flat, straight road. Making that 60 mile change reversed the degradation of my body and mind and after about 15 minutes riding the new route, my butt and shoulder stopped complaining and I was flowing with the road as it moved gracefully over the contour of the Kansas countryside. Sometimes, extending your mileage with the right kind of miles shortens the day.
I crossed into Kansas on state road 2. It rated one of the smaller “Welcome to [insert state name here]” signs I have seen.
Back Roads Get Smaller Welcome Signs
After I got gas in Lawrence, KS, I picked up US-24 and took it almost all the way to Ft. Riley before getting on I-70. On the west side of Ft. Riley, I saw a sign for a Buffalo Soldier monument and got of I-70 to see if I could find it. Along the way, I came across this house with “we’re not in Kansas anymore Toto” decorations. Those are alligators on the roof and a palm tree metal sculpture in front with various nautical paraphernalia scattered around the front yard.
Ah … I Think He Wishes He Was in Louisiana
I found the monument which was made into a city park.
Buffalo Solider Memorial Park
Gonzo Resting Near The Buffalo Soldier Statue
Buffalo Solider with Horse
Buffalo Solider with Horse
Brief History of Fort Riley
9th Cavalry Had Buffalo Soldiers
10th Cavalry Had Buffalo Soldiers
On the second day of the ride to the rally, I came across General John “Black Jack” Pershing’s home town in Laclede, MO. Now I learned where the nickname “Black Jack” came from. He was a First Lieutenant with the 10th Cavalry regiment and because of his stated respect for the black officers and troops when he taught at West Point, cadets derogatorily called him “Nigger Jack”. This got changed to “Black Jack” by the press when reporting on his exploits in the Spanish-American war when he fought with the Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry at San Juan Hill.
The rest of the day was spent on I-70 heading west to Hays, KS. Fortunately the traffic was light, only a handful of trucks were on the road and the posted speed limit was 75 MPH; or, 80-85 MPH if you didn’t want to get run over from behind. Gonzo gets his second wind at about 4500-5000 RPM. That translates to 85-90 MPH. In this speed range, the engine gets turbine smooth, the frame settles down on the suspension, and he just wants to go faster. At this RPM in 5th gear, a slight twist of the wrist adds 5 MPH in a second. I found it hard to keep him reined in to “more or less” legal speeds.
The stock 1977 RS peak torque is at 5,500 RPM. Since Gonzo has a CFO engine, his torque peak is about 500-700 RPM lower. That means a slight twist of the wrist in this RPM range accelerates the bike quickly. This couple of hours of I-70 riding demonstrates what Hans Muth had in mind when he designed the R100RS, an Autobahn burner. 🙂
Tomorrow I return home and the trip will be over. There is clothes washing, grocery shopping and bill sorting awaiting me. But I don’t have to think about that until the day after tomorrow. 🙂
Well, once again, I woke to cool air and dew on everything. It made short work of cleaning the bugs off Gonzo this morning. Since I cross into Illinois today, I gain an hour so I slept in to catch up on the sleep I lost last week when I was going the other way. 🙂
US-50 has a personality disorder. It goes between being a lumbering four-lane limited access super-slab clone and then suddenly, changes into a svelte, dancing nymph tripping gaily around sweeping curves up the hills and then plunging back down to the valleys.
This morning I got the lumbering four-lane personality as I started out, but about 10 miles later, I got the dancing nymph that burrowed through the middle of hard wood forests with trees so tall they formed the arch of a cathedral roof over my head. The sun was poking though the branches pasting dazzling patches of golden light on road as if I was walking down the aisle of a medieval church with the kaleidoscope of colors from the stained glass embroidered on the pews and the floor.
US-50 Just East of Bedford, IN, Was Showing It’s “Dancing Nymph”Personality
Yes, I enjoyed the delights the dancing nymph had to offer this morning. And once again, about 80 miles from Jefferson City, she came back out to play with me.
As I crossed into Illinois I came upon my first surprise of the day, the Red Skelton bridge.
Entering Illinois-Land of Lincoln, Although He Was Born in Indiana
He Must Have Lived Nearby
I wondered what the connection to the famous vaudeville, radio, movie and television comedian, Red Skelton, could be. Just a few miles further, in Lawrence, IL, US-50 was closed and I detoured through the town where I saw this.
He Was Born in Vincennes, IN
It turns out Red Skelton was born in Vincennes, IN, just on the other side of the Wabash river. And ironically, this radio station was next door to the trailer advertising his museum.
Radio Station Next to Red Skelton Museum-Coincidence?
A coincidence? I think not. 🙂
And, in keeping with the theme of Red Skelton comedy, I crossed this river a few miles later.
I Wonder What The River Did To be Embarassed?
It was an neat bit of serendipity.
For today’s “speedometer palindrome” I got a double, or triple, depending on how you parse the numbers.
Today’s Double (or Triple) Speedometer Palindrome
I promise, that’s the last speedometer palindrome I’ll burden you with.
At a stop light, I noticed this cogent, succinct and concise political commentary on our President.
A Succinct Political Sentiment in Illinois
And then, it’s time to cross over the Mississippi river south of St. Louis and enter Missouri.
Crossing the Mississippi River Into Missouri
As I rode around the outer perimeter of St. Louis following US-50, I stumbled across “Grant’s Farm“, as in President Ulysses S. Grant who lead the North to victory in the Civil War. Echoes of Gettysburg were in my mind as I detoured to find the farm. I got turned around, but eventually found a sign that shows the Busch’s (as in Beer, not Bush’s, as in Presidents) now own the farm and maintain it.
The Busch Family Owns the Grant Farm Property Now
Original Entrance To Grant’s Farm
They keep various wildlife and the Clydesdales here. I met one of the residents and we chatted about this and that for a few minutes. When I told him about the Trump sticker I saw he almost feel down laughing.
Deer at Grant’s Farm
Deer at Grant’s Farm
Deer at Grant’s Farm
As I was heading back toward US-50 I saw this house on a side street. It looks like Christmas is year round, but upcoming holiday motifs are added when called for.
Interesting House Near Grant’s Farm-Christmas All Year with Pumpkins 🙂
I ended the day in Jefferson City about 4:15 pm. Tomorrow I go to Hays, Kansas and I’m hoping cooler weather is the order of the day as it was today.
