1973 BMW R75/5 Rebuild: Project Index

Introduction

I’ve started on a build of my wife’s 1973 BMW R75/5 which is a two owner, 97,500 mile, 40-year-old bike.  It’s been stored in a barn for the past six years waiting for me to get time to work on the build.

Out of the Barn

Out of the Barn At Last

DISCLAIMER

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Please be advised that there is no representation of the accuracy of any of the information presented on these web pages relative to BMW motorcycle maintenance or modification and that the material is presented for information purposes only. In no case will I be held liable for injury or damage (consequential or otherwise) resulting from or arising out of alterations you make to your motorcycle. The reader should recognize that motorcycling is a dangerous activity that can result in injury or death, and that the alterations portrayed on these web pages can and will change the behavior and performance of your motorcycle, possibly with fatal results. You are encouraged to seek qualified assistance before undertaking any of the procedures outlined here, and are here by notified that, should you decide to proceed, you do so at your own risk.

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Project Completion

I finished the build 18 months later. The bike, named “Grover”, went for it’s first ride around the block on July 4th 2015.  Happy Independence Day !!!  Here is a short video of the first ride and some pictures of the final build.

I organized the project documentation chronologically via blog posts and by main component as defined in the BMW parts fiche. You can also find all the pictures in my flickr account organized into sets.

Feel free to post comments and questions at the bottom of any documents and I’ll respond.

Chronological Blogs

You can find the chronologic blog postings here:

Project Pictures

You can find the extensive pictures (over 1,300) I took here :

Rebuild Procedures Index

These are links to pages that document how I did the work organized by the main sections used in the BMW parts fiche. In each I list the parts used and resources I found helpful.

00-General

11-Engine

12-Engine Electrics

13-Fuel Preparation

18-Exhaust

21-Clutch

23-Transmission

31-Front Suspension

32-Steering

33-Rear Axle and Suspension

34-Brakes

36-Wheels

46-Frame, Fairing, Cases

51-Vehicle Trim

61-Electrical System

On the Road to Restoration

Here’s a couple of pictures of moving the bike from the barn to the shop that I built earlier in the year. It is a one-car garage, 14×21 foot, heated with 100 amp sub-panel for all the power I should ever need 🙂

Out of the Barn

Out of the Barn At Last

Moving Out

Heading To the Shop

Arrival in the Shop

In the Shop

Me and the new project

Getting The Project Under Way

Start of Project Pictures

Here are some pictures of what the bike looked like when I started the project.

Faring & fender off

Front Fender and Fairing Removed

 

Parts

Seat, Tank, Front Fender and Exhaust System Removed

Carburetor in Decent Shape
Left Carburetor
.Carb & shaft drive gunge
Right Carburetor and Drive Shaft Gunge
Petcock leaks
Petcock Leaks
.Points cover grunge
Possible Points Seal Leak
.Barn straw and leaks
Push rod seal leaks
..40 yr old foot peg rubber
40 Year Old Foot Peg Rubber Shot
.40 yr old foot peg rubber
Shot Foot Peg Rubber and Brake Pedal Rust

 

.Steering head gunge
Fork leaks and Top Clamp Gunge
.Brake hub grunge
Front Hub and Fork Gunge
.Front rim gunge
Front Rim Grunge
.Windjammer II dings
Windjammer II Painted to Match with Chips
.Rebuilt Vetter fairing bracket
Faring Bracket and Frame Rust
.Tank scratches
Tank Scratches and Dings
.Faring & fender off
Wrong Fork Boots & Frame Chips
.Fender dings
Front Fender Damage
.Pin stripe closeup
Front Fender Pin Stripe Detail
.Faring braket rust
Frame Tube Rust and Paint Dings
.Paint and rust
Frame Rust, Dings and Clutch Cable

Battery Box Corrosion

Battery Box Corrosion
Battery Box Corrosion

 

Finished Project Pictures

Here are some pictures of the finished bike.

Front Profile

Front Profile

Gas Tank

Gas Tank

Instruments and Steering Damper

Instruments and Steering Damper

Front Wheel Hub Cab

Front Wheel Hub Cab

Left Carburetor

Left Carburetor

Right Carburetor

Right Carburetor

Push Rod Tubes

Push Rod Tubes

Engine Badge

Engine Badge

Sito Mufflers

Sito Mufflers

Sito Mufflers

Sito Mufflers

Rear

Rear

Tool Box, Tools and Tire Pump Installed

Tool Box, Tools and Tire Pump Installed

Reflections in Fairing

Reflections in Fairing

Final Project Cost

The total “out the door” cost came to $7,006.67 USD.  Here is the breakdown by major categories I used to estimate and track actual cost.

Category Subtotal
Rubber Parts  $          570.68
Control Cables  $          251.40
Fuel, Carburetor  $          340.57
Frame, Wheels, Forks, Exhaust  $      1,955.29
Engine, Drive Shaft, Rear Drive  $      1,155.87
Clutch, Transmission  $          516.91
Electrical, Wiring, Bulbs  $          165.46
Fairing, Luggage, Accessories  $          418.00
Paint, Polish, Wax, Consumables  $      1,574.22
Blast & Powder Coat Subtotal = $325.75
Paint Subtotal = $788.73
Paint Prep & Supplies Subtotal = $405.19
Misc. Materials Subtotal = $54.55
Miscellaneous Hardware  $            75.62
Ship, Tax, Discounts  $          (17.35)
PROJECT TOTAL COST ==>  $      7,006.67

Itemized Costs

Here is a the itemized cost including part numbers and suppliers I used.  I included parts I didn’t need and parts I bought twice due to my mistakes and these are noted in the comments column.

Project Work Plan

This is the work plan I followed for the project. I create this at the start and update as I go along.

1973 R75/5 Rebuild Work Plan
Front Wheel
√ Remove fairing
√ Repair fairing
√ Stip fairing
√ Paint faring
√ Remove front fender
√ Strip fender
√ Paint fender
√ Remove brake cable
√ Remove front wheel
√ Remove tire and tube
√ Remove spokes
√ Clean & polish wheel and rim
√ Install new spokes OR clean old and install
√ Inspect brakes
√ Replace brake shoes
√ Inspect wheel bearings
√ Inspect, Replace wheel bearings if needed
√ Grease wheel bearings
√ Replace tire and tube
√ Balance
√ Mount
√ Replace brake cable
√ Adjust front brake
Rear Wheel
√ Remove rear fender
√ Strip rear fender
√ Paint rear fender
√ Remove rear wheel
√ Remove tire and tube
√ Remove spokes
√ Clean & polish wheel and rim
√ Install new spokes OR clean old and install
√ Remove Rear Drive
√ Clean & Polish
√ Inspect rear brake shoes
√ Replace brake shoes
√ Inspect wheel bearings
√ Inspect, Replace wheel bearings if needed
√ Repair Spun Bearing
√ Grease wheel bearings
√ Replace tire and tube
√ Balance
√ Mount
√ Install rear wheel
√ Lube rear drive splines
√ Adjust brakes
Front Fork
√ Remove handlebars
√ Remove headlight
√ Clean and repair paint
√ Install headlight
√ Remove triple clamp
√ Inspect steering head bearings
√ Replace steering head bearings
√ Install new bearings/races
√ Reassemble steering head
√ Install and align forks
√ Drain and Remove forks
√ Disassemble forks
√ Replace all rubber o-rings, bushings, etc.
√ Reassemble forks
Controls
√ Remove rider foot pads
√ Remove brake cable
√ Remove clutch cable
√ Remove throttle cables
√ Remove choke cables
√ Remove handlebar grips
√ Remove handlebar controls
√ Powder coat handle bar perches
√ Strip switch brackets
√ Paint switch brackets
√ Remove handle bars
√ Replace handlebars
√ Polish mirrors
√ Polish control  levers
√ Install handle bars
√ Install handlebar controls
√ Install brake cable
√ Install clutch cable
√ Install throttle cable
√ Install handlebar grips
Engine, Clutch
√ Remove Carbs
√ Rebuild carbs
√ Clean & polish air tubes
√ Clean & polish hose clamps
√ Remove air box halfs
√ Clean and polish air box halfs
√ Remove starter cover
√ Clean and polish starter cover
√ Remove valve cover
√ Remove head
√ Remove cylinder
√ Rebuild head
√ Remove piston
√ Remove rings
√ Remove engine
√ Clean piston
√ Measure cylinder bore
√ Gap new rings
√ Install new rings
√ Remove clutch
√ Inspect clutch for wear and condition
√ Replace clutch
√ Remove flywheel
√ Refresh paint on timing marks
√ Replace Rear Main Seal
√ Repair Oil Leak in Flywheel Bolt Hole
√ Replace Oil Pump Seal
√ Install flywheel
√ Assemble & Install clutch
√ Remove oil pan
√ Clean & polish oil pan
√ Inspect screen
√ Install new pan gasket
√ Replace cam shaft seal
√ Clean and polish engine case
√ Clean top cover
√ Clean, Polish front cover
√ Mount engine in frame
√ Mount side stand
√ Assemble oil filter and cover
√ Install cylinder base gasket
√ Install push rod tube bushings
√ Install cylinders
√ Install pistons
√ Install head gasket
√ Install heads
√ Set valves
√ Install valve cover gasket
√ Install valve covers
√ Install carbs
√ Balance carbs
√ Set timing
Transmission
√ Remove transmission
√ Clean and inspect
√ Mount transmission to engine
√ Replace clutch throw-out felt, gaskets, seals
√ Lube splines
√ Install new speedometer cable
√ Install new clutch cable
√ Adjust clutch cable
Tank
√ Remove tank
√ Strip tank
√ Paint tank
√ Remove petcocks
√ Rebuild petcocks
√ Install petcocks
√ Install tank
√ install new fuel lines
√ Install new air cleaner
√ Install air box and starter cover
Frame
√ Remove Fairing
√ Repair Faring
√ Strip Paint
√ Paint
√ Install Fairing
√ Remove seat
√ Remove side panes
√ Strip
√ Paint Blue Stripes
√ Remove front foot pegs
√ Polish pegs
√ Install footpeg rubbers
√ Remove rear foot pegs
√ Polish pegs
√ Install footpeg rubbers
√ Remove side stand
√ Clean, polish side stand
√ Remove center stand
√ Remove shocks
√ Clean and polish shocks
√ Clean and polish shock covers
√ Powder coat shock springs
√ Remove battery box
√ Powder coat battery box
√ Remove battery
√ Replace battery
√ Replace (+) and (-) cables
√ Remove rear frame
√ Powder coat rear frame
√ Remove Rear Turn Signals & Tail light
√ Clean and polish turn signals
√ Strip tail light
√ Paint tail light
√ Replace turn signal stalk
√ Remove swing arm
√ Powder coat swing arm
√ Replace swing arm bearings
√ Remove electrics
√ Remove wiring harness
√ Remove headlight shell
√ Powder coat frame
√ Powder coat sub-frame
√ Powder coat battery box
√ Powder coat license plate braket
√ Powder coat center stand
√ Powder coat swing arm
√ Install Rear Brake Pedal and Linkage
√ Adjust rear brake
√ Install rear brake light switch
√ Install Battery Box
√ Install Side Stand
√ Assemble center stand
√ Assemble electrics
√ Mount wiring harness
√ Mount swing arm
√ Install new boots and steel straps
√ Install new drive shaft bolts
√ Mount rear drive
√ Assemble rear frame
√ Assemble shocks
√ Install Turn Signals & Brake Light
√ Mount Seat