Technical Summary (Red)

Much of this build log has been notable thoughts along the way. I did include a few technical notes here and there, but it was never intended to be a technical reference. Now that the project is done (except for some smaller add ons to come) I thought I would provide a more comprehensive technical review of what was done.

Donor Bike: 1985 R80 RT with 163,000 advertised miles and 263,000 actual miles.

The bike was fully disassembled. Every part was examined, refreshed, replaced, or upgraded during the conversion.

Motor:

• New cam followers
• New timing chain and all related parts
• New oil pump and cover
• Installed Siebenrock 1000cc PowerKit
• New bearing shells
• Rebuilt heads
  • New valves, springs, seats, guides
  • thread repairs as needed
• New retro valve covers
• New EME charging system + Thunderchild diode board
• New optical ignition system
• Thread repairs on timing cover due to failed heli coils
• New starter
• New breather hose
• New Dynatek coil
• New oil pressure sensor
• Replaced starter cover and airbox base with old version (no pulse air plumbing)
• New clutch

Gearbox:

• New bearings throughout
• Added the famously missing circlip
• Replaced 5th gear with the “taller” Siebenrock version
• Replaced all springs and clips on the shifter mechanism and added the bearing instead of the plastic ring
• Brand new gearbox housing
• New boot on clutch throwout rod
• New neutral switch

Swing Arm / Drive Shaft / Final Drive:

• New bearings
• New bolts
• New boot & clamps
• New thrust adapter
• New clutch bell housing
• Rebuilt final drive

Wheels / Suspension:

• New bearings
• Replaced front axle
• New Fork Tubes
• New Fork Stanchions
• New rear shock
• New Tires
• Vapor honed wheels
• Added gators

Steering:

• Added ToasterTan top brace
• New bearings
• New split nut and top nut
• New headlight ears
• Added K75S handlebars, dash pad, ignition switch
• Custom bar clamps
• New combination switches
• New grips
• Reconditioned throttle sleeve and choke control

Fuel / Air System:

• Rebuilt carburetors (twice 😉 )
  • New jets, floats, etc
• Removed pulse air system
• New pet cocks, fuel hoses
• Cleaned tank, no reseal needed
• Completely new Exhaust from nuts to silencers

Frame / Body:

• Added Siebenrock S Fairing kit
• Custom smoke red paint
• Powder coated frame
• Added black paint to select motor parts
• New OEM dual bench seat
• New OEM signal housings
• New OEM center stand
• New Surefoot side stand
• New front foot rubbers
• New shift lever rubber
• New OEM rear foot pegs
• New FlatRacer Europa fuel cap
• New choke, throttle, clutch cables

Brakes:

• Rebuilt and painted calipers
• Converted to pure dual line setup with double banjo bolt
• New master cylinder
• Custom Spiegler brake lines
• New brackets / grommets
• Inspected, cleaned rotors (they were nearly new at the start)
• New front pads and rear shoes

Electrical:

• Installed EME/NWT R21 system
• Made custom wiring harnesses with Deutsch DTM connectors throughout
• LED lighting throughout, including KatDash cluster
• New instrument housing and front cover
• Fabricated a replacement clock adjustment knob (seriously surprised that I could not find one of these)
• New MotoBatt Battery
• New brake switches

Miscellaneous and notes:

• Every other wearable part was replaced
• All grommets, clips, brackets replaced
• All filters, crush washers, o-rings, etc. replaced
• Most visible hardware replaced with stainless steel, using copper anti-seize, and torques adjusted accordingly
• Reused speedometer cable as it was in good order
• Reused rear wheel even though the brake hub is at maximum diameter. (The price for a serviceable replacement was not worth expense, but I will grab the first one I find for a reasonable price)

In all, this was about two years of spare time. Much of that was due to this being my first project like this. I also had a six-month side quest designing, acquiring parts, then abandoning an effort to build my own lift before buying the Handy Lift I have now. That’s something like 600-800 hours in all. As for budget, you now how that goes. I’ll share that I overshot my original budget by about 60% and this bike will never sell for what it has cost. That’s alright, since I don’t think I could ever bring myself to let it go. Red is now a part of the family and I could not be happier with the result. I may still add engine bars and driving lights and am also undecided on the luggage which I still have as well. There is also a possibility of adding the oil pan extension from Siebenrock to help a little with cooling, but that is something I am monitoring. Otherwise, it is a complete project.

I am presently about 250 miles into the new break-in period and have not run into any major issues other than needing to revisit the carb rebuild.

9/3/2024 Edit: Here is a bit of a walk around video:

And a POV ride: