An experiment with silicone oil pan gaskets from a supplier, intending for their reusability. Installation was difficult due to their thinness, and incorrect torque values led to potential loosening. After 900 miles, the gaskets failed to perform and showed signs of movement, leading to a switch back to standard gaskets.
Of course, I can't simply rebuild a bike "as is". I am not one of the many folks who seem to take on the role of voluntary BMW docent, and I don't think "original" or "as built" holds much appeal on its own. Don't get me wrong, sometimes an all original survivor or restoration is... Continue Reading →
Having successfully completed a full rebuild of another monolever BMW, I occasionally get slapped upside the head with what I think I know, vs what I know. I have watched videos, read articles, studied technical manuals and more for all the work I do on these bikes. In all, I've done well into the hundreds... Continue Reading →
Project Blue is my second airhead. I enjoyed Red a ton and Blue is shaping up into a very different and interesting project. I already have another airhead waiting in the wings, and have realized that one aspect of this work that is tedious is manipulating the motor and gearbox while servicing and rebuilding. This... Continue Reading →
Just a short update between some work travel. The project is coming along slowly, but without issue. I've given up on finding a way to do what I want without a complete teardown. There were portions of the bike I was hoping to leave intact, but that was becoming more of an effort than simply... Continue Reading →
Sometimes, events conspire to guide us in ways we did not expect. This happened this month in a few ways. I had been pondering what to do about auxiliary lighting on this project. I want Blue to be a capable road tourer and definitely want to add to the visibility. I've looked pretty far and... Continue Reading →
I have been focusing more on video content so far, so this is a bit of a catch up post. I started Project Blue in earnest in November. The teardown has been pretty straightforward so far. I will say that removing the fairing was tricky. When I was working on Project Red, I knew that... Continue Reading →
When I completed Red, it was very tempting to just jump on and head for a long weekend trip. I had even considered riding to a rally in PA on it. I have gone through this bike from front to back and gosh darn it, I know everything is right. Right? Well no. Keeping Red... Continue Reading →
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... Continue Reading →
Now that I am basically done with Red, I have begun considering what to do with Blue. Blue is a 1991 R100 RT. It has only around 15,000 miles and spent the better part of two decades in a basement. I found Blue while hunting for a potential parts bike so I would have something... Continue Reading →
