Ran out of bikes to service at work today so was reduced to THIS!!!
Not enjoying it
Not enjoying it
Who Rode Today?
- Thread starter SSGT_B
- Start date
Well the tables have turned somewhat since yesterday and I got to ride and checkover this beautiful old ‘78 RD400E!
The owner bought it a year ago as a basket case for $2K and spent $16K on restoring the old girl... that’s a lot of cash.
What a blast from the past...
Also rode this BMW 1250 and checking valve clearances as we speak.
These Beemers ride so nicely, the handling is impeccable, power and brakes are very very good also.
The owner bought it a year ago as a basket case for $2K and spent $16K on restoring the old girl... that’s a lot of cash.
What a blast from the past...
Also rode this BMW 1250 and checking valve clearances as we speak.
These Beemers ride so nicely, the handling is impeccable, power and brakes are very very good also.
c10
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Greg how was the shift cams on the BMW in person ? miles ridden , and was it in spec ? FYI not today , but got on the books today October 2nd through the 10th a trip planned to Big Bend in West Texas . Routing discussion started tonight , and looking like 2200 to maybe 3000 miles for me .
bigoltool
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What are the valve intervals on the 1250? The new Ducati Multistrada V4 has sort of set the bar in that respect. Rumors of a new 1300GS now makes me wonder if they improved this aspect?
The bike has 25000kms on it and the shift cams were in very good shape.
The reason it's having the clearances checked is because the starter motor is giving trouble and the theory coming from our BMW trained tech. . . (I'm just a lowly Suzook mechanic lol, but I'm doing the job on it for him, he's snowed under with a few other jobs at the mo). . . . is the cause of the starter problem (slow cranking, noisey operation, battery is good) . . . .may be the exhaust valve on the decomp side has excessive clearance and hence the decomp cam not lifting the valve on the initial cranking and in turn not decompressing the cylinder.
The thinking being that this high compression on start-up has loaded the starter excessively and possibly damaged the starter due to high current draw.. . .
the clearance on both exhaust valves on LH side, 15 thou", and the clearance on the RH side 14 thou" and 15 thou". The spec is maximum 15 thou" so only just within spec. Interestingly, the inlet valve clearances were all 4 thou" both sides, both valves. Also within spec.
So the next logical step is to test the starter for any electrical faults and/or mechanical issues. Probably will replace with a new unit.
I thought you would appreciate a technical briefing on this Bryan.
I'm sorry but have no clue of the interval for valve clearance check on this R1250GS, I was merely checking them due to the starter fault theory from our BMW tech, all explained in the above post.
Ain't it funny how if you put another zero on the end of the figure you just quoted it's exactly what the bike cost to buy in today's money lol.
She's a beauty...always one of my all time favorite bikes...
They are getting pretty rare, I saw a Daytona advertised for $6000 Cdn not too long ago....not sure if it sold at that price though...
600, 6,000, 12,000 then every 12,000 miles.
At least the valves are easy to get to on those boxers...
My brothers' older RT (96 model) with 200,000miles on it needed only one valve adjustment.
One time he thought the valves need adjusting as he heard a ticking noise turned out to be worn out throttle body blade shafts....they were fluttering slightly on idle...
The old BMWs were tanks.
Variable valves are going to make the BMW a bit more of an attention hog. But it's a small price to pay IMHO. On the other hand, I could see the long adventure guys going with the old bike.
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Dai.
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I purchased it 6 years ago in one of the worst examples of bike ownership I’ve ever seen. Took $14k and a complete rebuild to get it where it is. A lot of the labour done myself to keep the cost within reason.
Slowstang305
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Cut like 15 minutes from my work commute today, love this bike!
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