The brick makes it home

This forum houses topics related to other BMW bikes that dont have their own forum (s1000r, r9t, K1200R, F800, r1250r, GS, HP2, HP4, F, K bikes, etc), or upcoming machines

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Steve in VT
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Joined: Sun Apr 17, 2011 11:48 am

The brick makes it home

Post by Steve in VT »

I described in another post purchasing an 85 K100 to tour the Canadian Maritimes with my brother. First off, let me say we had a great trip and made it home on time and safely. It wasn't without drama, however. Just as we crossed the border into Canada, the bike overheated. Waiting in the customs line was just too much for the cooling system. Turns out the fan was binding up. We sprayed it with WD40, and it freed up some, but the damage had already been done. The motor brushholders had melted, a failure well known on these bikes, but a surprise to me. Unaware of the damage, we decided to go for it, and as long as we kept moving it was fine. With little or no traffic and temperatures in the 70's, the bike never faltered for the next 12 days. It wasn't until we hit a solid wall of traffic on I-395 (a minor accident backed things up for miles) that the temp light came on again, and we had to wait by the side of the road while the bike cooled enough to finally get us through the jam and home to Vermont.

Another panic hit three days into the trip. That morning, my brother noticed a lot of oil running down and dripping off the rear drive. It looked like the worst had happened, and the drive had s**t the Bed (an old maintenance term connoting massive failure). Closer inspection revealed that, indeed, a bed had been shat, but it was the shock, and not the drive that had failed. The seal had blown, and most of the oil had run out. We borrowed a pipe-wrench from the guy next door, cranked the preload up to max, and rode on. Other than a bit of a bouncy ride, it handled every road we encountered with no undue wobbles, shakes, or unexpected lurches.

And I will say this for the old brick: I'd replace the fan and the shock and ride it anywhere tomorrow. It's not my cup of tea, but it was a good horse and a tribute to BMW durability. And tomorrow it goes up for sale.
Peugeot PX-10, '07 R1200R, Canon 780is.
No, kid, I won't do a wheelie. I'd fall on my ass.
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