The GT is presently offline while I complete an annual maintenance ritual. I find my RT to be the best bike for winter riding due to the superior wind protection. There's really no "off season" in Atlanta, unless we get a rare winter snowstorm which usually clears up in a few days, maybe a week at most. So when it is time to change fluids and filters on the GT I just ride the RT more.
As much as I love the aerodynamic styling of the BMW bikes, it can be a pain in the butt to complete some routine tasks that require the removal of the so called "tupperware". That refers to the plastic body panels that wrap both the GT and RT. Beautiful to look at but it seems like 40 or more screws to remove and it's easy to miss one or two that may be hidden behind a mirror or under a belly pan.
The first task I tackled was a potentially serious problem. The GT has fuel disconnects that were a known to be sub-par from the factory. When I bought the bike, the mileage was pretty low and everything worked fine so I figured I would just replace the disconnects at the next service interval. Bad call. I should have just jumped in and replaced them day one. I was returning from a long ride and I stopped for gas and after filling up I smelled gas fumes. My first thought was that I overfilled the tank or got careless with the nozzle. When I got home and put the bike in the garage I noticed that my leather pants smelled of gasoline as well. Hmm...did I leak that much gasoline that it spilled on my pants? I wasn't thinking of the possibility of the fuel disconnects leaking.
The next morning when I started up the bike I noticed a fog of white smoke on the right side. Holy crap! It wasn't smoke it was finely vaporized gas from the fuel disconnects. I shut the bike off and thanked my lucky stars that I was not a smoker or parked near any open flames. It's possible that I had been riding that way ever since my last fill-up. Cruising along at 70 mph trailing a fine mist of gas vapors.
Replacing the fuel disconnects requires removal of all the body panels. Some guy posted that he was able to replace the disconnects through the opening on the side of the engine. Very hard to believe. There isn't enough slack and even someone with superhuman hand strength would have a hard time removing the old disconnects and properly attaching the new ones. It's not easy and would be a total knucklebuster to try via his claimed method.
I picked up the replacements at Beemer Boneyard. The entire kit was not that expensive and everything works great now. Since I already had the skins off, I decided to do some other needed work. I'll walk through that in a future post. Oil and gas filters, drive lubrication and ABS system bleed will be next.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Waffle House Breakfast RIde
We'll be heading up to the mountains this Saturday, August 11th. 9:30 AM departure. We will meet at the Waffle House off 400 on Holcombe Bridge Road at Old Alabama and ride up to the mountains. Since there is a waffle house on virtually every street corner in Georgia, here's a a map of the specific one you'll be looking for. It's circled in RED below.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
August on the Blue Ridge
BMW Motorcycle Owners of Georgia organized a ride and camping expedition to the Blue Ridge Motorcycle Campground in Cruso, NC. This was my first organized event with the BMW MOGA and it ended up being an excellent time for everyone.
The ride was organized by Randy Miller, and we all met at the Rabbittown Cafe in Gainesville. The Rabbittown cafe offers good old Georgia country cooking with cafeteria style service. Great way to fuel up for the ride. The riders who started at the cafe included myself, Bill, Frank, David, Randy (ride leader) and first timers Alejandro and Monique. Naturally, everyone was riding a Beemer. The riders and rides were:
Me- R1150RT (Sienna Red)
David- R1150RT (Silver)
Alejandro & Monique -R1150RT (Black)
Randy-R1200RT (Silver)
Frank- K75
Bill-R65
We then rode to Toccoa where we met Paul on his R1150R in the same Sienna Red as my R1150RT.
En route, the weather was crappy. Grey skies, drizzling rain and fog suggested that we'd end up putting up our tents in a downpour. We stopped at the Sapphire Mountain Brewing Company for lunch. Nice restaurant overlooking the golf course. Several of us tried the fish and chips, but Alejandro was feeling ambitious and ordered the pizza. He felt that the 7" personal pizza was too small so he opted for the 24" truck tire sized pizza with 8 lbs of cheese and 4 lbs of tomatoes. He'll be featured on a future episode of Man vs Food. For a slim guy he's got quite the appetite!
We left the restaurant and headed for the BRP. As usual, the BRP was socked in with fog and for most of the route you could barely see past your visor. Along the way we stopped to try to get in one last phone call or text message before entering the area of poor cell phone reception.
Here's a picture of Bill taking a picture of me and my bike (foreground) while Alejandro and Monique try to get a few text messages off from a spot near the summit. Unfortunately, nobody had much luck getting a signal. Below is a picture of Randy also trying to send a text.
We rode on through the drizzly, overcast fog and as we entered the campground the sun started to poke through and we were lucky to be able to setup our camp sites without a torrential downpour.
After setting up camp, we met the others who had travelled separately to the site and proceeded to get the grill heated up and cook a few burgers and dogs. We had an excellent dinner and then downed a few beers. While getting set up a woman came around and asked our names for a door prize drawing. It turned out that the Moto Guzzi guys were holding their own event and they decided to open the drawing to anyone that showed up at the camp site. That was a nice gesture, but it turned out that the BMW riders kept getting their names pulled. In fact, one of the guys from BMW MOGA was the first name drawn and therefore had the pick of the best prices on the table -including a new modular helmet. Wisely, he chose a crappy lawn chair since he needed a lawn chair, and also because it is well know that Guzzi riders travel with guns and hunting dogs. Had he picked the grand prize, I'm pretty sure there would have been a R1200 GS laying on its side in the morning!
Anyway, it seemed like at least half of the BMW MOGA contingent won a prize ( I took home a Givi baseball cap) and the Guzzisti had the pleasure of our company until the prizes were all handed out.
The Guzzisti had hired a live band to play at the campground. The band did a great job of playing a number of completely unrecognizable tunes. As one person noted, the band actually sounded better as you walked further away from them . I was about 3 miles down the road when I thought they actually might win a grammy.
Fortunately, they stopped playing at 10:30 PM. Since most Beemer owners are grouchy old men, it was not so bad to have to stay up past the normal 9:15 bedtime.
The next morning we packed up camp and grabbed a quick breakfast before hitting the road. The campground was fairly packed -mostly with Guzzis but there were some of the other usual suspects as well. Everyone drooled over a perfectly restored BMW Toaster /5. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me when we saw it.
At breakfast, Alejandro ordered another gut-buster. The pancakes at the campground are huge. Roughly the size of a hub cab from a 65 Chrysler, and about as thick. The poor boy barely made a dent in the 6 lbs of pancake batter used to make the whopping cakes. After the prior days lunch and this breakfast, Alejandro had to reset his suspension and pump up his rear tire to 44 PSI.
On the way back we tried again to reestablish communications from the highest point on the BRP. The reason I point this out is to provide documentary evidence of numerous attempts to call for my wife who thinks I spent Saturday night at a strip club or something since I wasn't able to call.
At various points along the way riders peeled off to set their own course home. I rode with Bill through some really insane roads, including the "Goat Path", a road that was barely 6 feet wide and cut right past a goat farm. After about a mile or two on this road, which would barely have allowed a motorcycle and car to go in opposite directions, we see a sign that says "Narrow Road Ahead". You're kidding me, I think- The road actually gets MORE narrow? During this section of the ride I'm thinking -man, this looks like it's going to turn into a motorcycle version of Deliverance. At the first sound of banjo music I was gonna just ride across any open field I could find.
Eventually, we caught up with highway 400 and made our way back to Atlanta. Great riding and a fun trip.
The ride was organized by Randy Miller, and we all met at the Rabbittown Cafe in Gainesville. The Rabbittown cafe offers good old Georgia country cooking with cafeteria style service. Great way to fuel up for the ride. The riders who started at the cafe included myself, Bill, Frank, David, Randy (ride leader) and first timers Alejandro and Monique. Naturally, everyone was riding a Beemer. The riders and rides were:
Me- R1150RT (Sienna Red)
David- R1150RT (Silver)
Alejandro & Monique -R1150RT (Black)
Randy-R1200RT (Silver)
Frank- K75
Bill-R65
We then rode to Toccoa where we met Paul on his R1150R in the same Sienna Red as my R1150RT.
En route, the weather was crappy. Grey skies, drizzling rain and fog suggested that we'd end up putting up our tents in a downpour. We stopped at the Sapphire Mountain Brewing Company for lunch. Nice restaurant overlooking the golf course. Several of us tried the fish and chips, but Alejandro was feeling ambitious and ordered the pizza. He felt that the 7" personal pizza was too small so he opted for the 24" truck tire sized pizza with 8 lbs of cheese and 4 lbs of tomatoes. He'll be featured on a future episode of Man vs Food. For a slim guy he's got quite the appetite!
We left the restaurant and headed for the BRP. As usual, the BRP was socked in with fog and for most of the route you could barely see past your visor. Along the way we stopped to try to get in one last phone call or text message before entering the area of poor cell phone reception.
Here's a picture of Bill taking a picture of me and my bike (foreground) while Alejandro and Monique try to get a few text messages off from a spot near the summit. Unfortunately, nobody had much luck getting a signal. Below is a picture of Randy also trying to send a text.
We rode on through the drizzly, overcast fog and as we entered the campground the sun started to poke through and we were lucky to be able to setup our camp sites without a torrential downpour.
After setting up camp, we met the others who had travelled separately to the site and proceeded to get the grill heated up and cook a few burgers and dogs. We had an excellent dinner and then downed a few beers. While getting set up a woman came around and asked our names for a door prize drawing. It turned out that the Moto Guzzi guys were holding their own event and they decided to open the drawing to anyone that showed up at the camp site. That was a nice gesture, but it turned out that the BMW riders kept getting their names pulled. In fact, one of the guys from BMW MOGA was the first name drawn and therefore had the pick of the best prices on the table -including a new modular helmet. Wisely, he chose a crappy lawn chair since he needed a lawn chair, and also because it is well know that Guzzi riders travel with guns and hunting dogs. Had he picked the grand prize, I'm pretty sure there would have been a R1200 GS laying on its side in the morning!
Anyway, it seemed like at least half of the BMW MOGA contingent won a prize ( I took home a Givi baseball cap) and the Guzzisti had the pleasure of our company until the prizes were all handed out.
The Guzzisti had hired a live band to play at the campground. The band did a great job of playing a number of completely unrecognizable tunes. As one person noted, the band actually sounded better as you walked further away from them . I was about 3 miles down the road when I thought they actually might win a grammy.
Fortunately, they stopped playing at 10:30 PM. Since most Beemer owners are grouchy old men, it was not so bad to have to stay up past the normal 9:15 bedtime.
The next morning we packed up camp and grabbed a quick breakfast before hitting the road. The campground was fairly packed -mostly with Guzzis but there were some of the other usual suspects as well. Everyone drooled over a perfectly restored BMW Toaster /5. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me when we saw it.
At breakfast, Alejandro ordered another gut-buster. The pancakes at the campground are huge. Roughly the size of a hub cab from a 65 Chrysler, and about as thick. The poor boy barely made a dent in the 6 lbs of pancake batter used to make the whopping cakes. After the prior days lunch and this breakfast, Alejandro had to reset his suspension and pump up his rear tire to 44 PSI.
At various points along the way riders peeled off to set their own course home. I rode with Bill through some really insane roads, including the "Goat Path", a road that was barely 6 feet wide and cut right past a goat farm. After about a mile or two on this road, which would barely have allowed a motorcycle and car to go in opposite directions, we see a sign that says "Narrow Road Ahead". You're kidding me, I think- The road actually gets MORE narrow? During this section of the ride I'm thinking -man, this looks like it's going to turn into a motorcycle version of Deliverance. At the first sound of banjo music I was gonna just ride across any open field I could find.
Eventually, we caught up with highway 400 and made our way back to Atlanta. Great riding and a fun trip.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Talking Rock GA Loop
Just thought I'd document several of the interesting motorcycle roads in North Georgia for riders living in Atlanta. I did a early Sunday morning loop from my home in Sandy Springs through Talking Rock and east to 400 and then south back to Sandy Springs.
First off, this is a pretty easy route, and usually trouble free ride if you start early in the morning. In July and August I try to get my rides started before 8AM so I can wrap up before noon. It's just not all that comfortable riding with ATGATT in Atlanta at 2 PM.
I get on 285 and head west to I-75 North and then I get off onto I-575 towards Canton. I suspect most riders like to avoid the slab altogether but often if I am riding for just a few hours I will take the highway to get out of Atlanta faster. 575 is an easy ride with limited access points between Canton and Jasper.
North of Jasper I turn at the little sign to Talking Rock. It's easy to miss so be attentive. The road makes a very turns as you head inot the busling metropolis of Talking Rock. This is a small little town with a country store and a train as the focal points of a little downtown with maybe 20 buildings. Follow 136 thru town all the way to 400. Take 400 south back to ATL. If you'd like less slab riding you can also take highway 9 south, and it becomes Roswell road. As you get closer to Atlanta you'll hit numerous traffic lights if you pick the latter route.
First off, this is a pretty easy route, and usually trouble free ride if you start early in the morning. In July and August I try to get my rides started before 8AM so I can wrap up before noon. It's just not all that comfortable riding with ATGATT in Atlanta at 2 PM.
I get on 285 and head west to I-75 North and then I get off onto I-575 towards Canton. I suspect most riders like to avoid the slab altogether but often if I am riding for just a few hours I will take the highway to get out of Atlanta faster. 575 is an easy ride with limited access points between Canton and Jasper.
North of Jasper I turn at the little sign to Talking Rock. It's easy to miss so be attentive. The road makes a very turns as you head inot the busling metropolis of Talking Rock. This is a small little town with a country store and a train as the focal points of a little downtown with maybe 20 buildings. Follow 136 thru town all the way to 400. Take 400 south back to ATL. If you'd like less slab riding you can also take highway 9 south, and it becomes Roswell road. As you get closer to Atlanta you'll hit numerous traffic lights if you pick the latter route.
 |
| Sandy Springs to Talking Rock to 400S back to Sandy Springs |
Riding Blood Mountain
Friday, July 6, 2012
New Brick in the Stable
Well, I guess I'll have to change the title of the blog. I have a new to me 2004 K1200GT. Love it. Here it is with my RT.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Cleaning the Rear Brake Master Cylinder
It started out as one of those simple little projects that should only take 45 minutes or an hour and it morphed into a series of trips to hardware stores and auto parts retailers. The great thing about the BMW K100rs is the ease of maintenance work. Most tasks are a simple DIY chore that goes as expected. But this just wasn't going to be my day.
I pulled out my new hex pro allen key set and removed the two bolts that attach the system case support rails to the the casting that supports the rear brake lever and master cylinder. I tied the support rails to the shock absorber. Then I drained the master cylinder reservoir and removed it. Everything was going smooth until I removed the 3 bolts that secure the casting to the frame. First bolt popped out with a little elbow grease. Second bolt wouldn't break loose and I ended up stripping it. The bolt is a socket cap screw with a 6mm hex socket. The problem is that it is recessed into the casting. So there is no way to get at the bolt head. So I tried to cut a slot in the head to remove it with a large screwdriver. No dice.
So I rode the bike over to Home Depot and bought a different brand of EZ Out. Trip wasted. The other type did not work any better.
Now I am getting frustrated so i thought I would just go to an auto service center and see if a mechanic had a quick solution. Bubba took one look nd said he had no idea how to get it out. Note to self : Never take a car to Bubba.
So I rode over to Pep Boys to see if they had a tool or someone who could fix it. While looking around the store I spotted a large set of torx bits in the 40-55 range. I figured I could pound the torx bit into the rounded out socket cap and get enough torque on it to break the bolt loose. It worked!
After I had the bolt removed the rest went smoothly. I took the master cylinder apart and cleaned the piston and cylinder bore with 000 steel wool and then cleaned it all with fresh brake fluid. Reassembly was quick and I then used my mity vac to bleed the air out of the system. A few pumps of the brake pedal and I had a lot more brake power.
Next time I can probably clean up the whole thing and bleed the system in under an hour. Still cost less than what a shop would have charged me, but unfortunately I ended up losing 3 hours of perfect riding weather.
Lessons learned. In my excitement to use my new tools I ended up being a bit too aggressive on the removal. But I did learn that a torx bit is a pretty good way to salvage a reamed out socket cap screw. That may be a lifesaver if I find myself onthe roadside some day in a similar jam.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Daytona Bike Week Ramp Up
During the 7 years we lived in Florida I never went to Daytona Bike Week. Now that I'm living in Atlanta, I find myself planning to ride to an event that was virtually in my back yard not that long ago. Maybe the reason I never went to Bike week is because, to a Floridian, Bike Week is a major hassle and disruption of the normal lifestyle. Every year, hordes of riders converge on the city causing lots of noise, traffic jams and public drunkeness.
Somehow, when the event is now an 8 hour ride away it becomes and adventure. We still have friends that live down there and so it really means an opportunity to visit with them again, enjoy some Florida sunshine, and take in some noise, bad traffic and watch the drunks from a distance.
I've been to Biketoberfest, but it's really a different event. Perhaps because October is the end of the riding season for some the turnout is lower and the groups are somewhat better behaved. For bikers that is.
So now I find myself trying to decide which bike I'll ride, and preparing the basic little maintenance chores to complete before a longer ride. I've bled and replaced the brake fluid, and I'll do an oil and filter change. Tires are nearly new on both bikes and the decision will probably come down to whether I want to ride in maximum comfort or to arrive with a nearly antique bike with old school style.
The K100RS is classic, reliable and somewhat buzzy at around 3500 rpm. So I tend to get fatigued a little earlier than riding my RT. The RS has less wind protection in the event of rain, and the system cases leak a little. One thing Florida is known for is pop up showers that turn into real gullywashers. Generally spring is not too bad but you never know.
The RT is a pretty smooth bike at highways speeds and has a longer range than the RS. Although I find that I usually want to stop before I need gas in the RT anyway. Usually 3-4 hours non-stop is enough to make me want to strecth a little and have a soft drink or something.
So I'll keep contemplating which ride I will take. The route will probably be the same regardless of ride. See you there.
Somehow, when the event is now an 8 hour ride away it becomes and adventure. We still have friends that live down there and so it really means an opportunity to visit with them again, enjoy some Florida sunshine, and take in some noise, bad traffic and watch the drunks from a distance.
I've been to Biketoberfest, but it's really a different event. Perhaps because October is the end of the riding season for some the turnout is lower and the groups are somewhat better behaved. For bikers that is.
So now I find myself trying to decide which bike I'll ride, and preparing the basic little maintenance chores to complete before a longer ride. I've bled and replaced the brake fluid, and I'll do an oil and filter change. Tires are nearly new on both bikes and the decision will probably come down to whether I want to ride in maximum comfort or to arrive with a nearly antique bike with old school style.
The K100RS is classic, reliable and somewhat buzzy at around 3500 rpm. So I tend to get fatigued a little earlier than riding my RT. The RS has less wind protection in the event of rain, and the system cases leak a little. One thing Florida is known for is pop up showers that turn into real gullywashers. Generally spring is not too bad but you never know.
The RT is a pretty smooth bike at highways speeds and has a longer range than the RS. Although I find that I usually want to stop before I need gas in the RT anyway. Usually 3-4 hours non-stop is enough to make me want to strecth a little and have a soft drink or something.
So I'll keep contemplating which ride I will take. The route will probably be the same regardless of ride. See you there.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
CorTech Sport Tail Bag
I picked up a CorTech Sport tailbag for the brick. Although I have a big Givi 55 monokey bag, frankly it often feels like I'm riding a station wagon when the bag is loaded on it. So I thought a textile tail bag would do the trick. I needed something that would be able to carry my laptop since I often commute on my bike. I did a little research and found that the Cortech had expandable sides that can be zipped out for a laptop.
The bag is really well made, easily accommodates a laptop , gloves, rain pants and even a small lunch bag or a few books. It attaches with bungee shock cords that have hooks on the ends. So I can easily use it on my K bike or my RT. The bag also comes with a simple shoulder strap that I keep in the side pocket and it also had a rain cover. When I get to work I just take off the bag, slap on the shoulder strap and I carry everything with me. If I'm making a quick trip to the store I also unclip it and take the bag along. Very handy.
I think I paid around $70. It's not cheap but pretty good quality for the money. I'd recommend it.
The bag is really well made, easily accommodates a laptop , gloves, rain pants and even a small lunch bag or a few books. It attaches with bungee shock cords that have hooks on the ends. So I can easily use it on my K bike or my RT. The bag also comes with a simple shoulder strap that I keep in the side pocket and it also had a rain cover. When I get to work I just take off the bag, slap on the shoulder strap and I carry everything with me. If I'm making a quick trip to the store I also unclip it and take the bag along. Very handy.
I think I paid around $70. It's not cheap but pretty good quality for the money. I'd recommend it.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Dunlop D404's
The K100RS was feeling a little neglected since I had ridden my RT the entire week. The temperatures had dropped into the high 20's in the early morning and frankly I decided I wanted the full fairing and heated grips of the R1150RT. So when the following Saturday rolled around and morning temps were in the balmy 40's I decided to roll out the RS and take it for a spin. As a creature of habit, I pulled out my Joe's Racing Garage tire pressure gage and checked the front and rear tires. The front was fine but the rear was showing only 25 psi. I filled the tire up to 40 PSI and checked it again. 40 PSI. I waited a few minutes and checked it again. It still showed 40 PSI.
If I had a leak it was a slow one. So I inspected the tire and found a small nail in the tread. It was pretty well embedded and did not seem to be a major threat. No hissing sounds or anything. Regardless, the tread was close enough to the wear bars that it was time to pony up for a new rear. I called around and the only tire I could find in my size was a Dunlop D404. I wanted to get a Bridgestone Battleax BT45 but nobody had one in stock. I have a pretty new Battleax on the front and also run them on my RT.
I took my bike to Ken's Motorcycle Tires in Woodstock, GA. Nice little shop, very friendly owner and the tire was swapped out in minutes. It was a short 20 mile ride back home and the new tire seemed to handle a lot better than the crappy old Michelin Macadam that had been on it. The Macadam had been on there for over 8000 miles so the life was good, but the handling in the twisties was pretty average. We'll see if the Dunlop outperforms it when I get back to the mountains again.
After returning from the tire shop I decided I needed to pickup a vacuum bleeder for my brakes. The brakes seem to be getting a little spongy so I'll change the fluid and if that doesn't help then I'll see if my master cylinder needs a rebuild. To be continued...
If I had a leak it was a slow one. So I inspected the tire and found a small nail in the tread. It was pretty well embedded and did not seem to be a major threat. No hissing sounds or anything. Regardless, the tread was close enough to the wear bars that it was time to pony up for a new rear. I called around and the only tire I could find in my size was a Dunlop D404. I wanted to get a Bridgestone Battleax BT45 but nobody had one in stock. I have a pretty new Battleax on the front and also run them on my RT.
I took my bike to Ken's Motorcycle Tires in Woodstock, GA. Nice little shop, very friendly owner and the tire was swapped out in minutes. It was a short 20 mile ride back home and the new tire seemed to handle a lot better than the crappy old Michelin Macadam that had been on it. The Macadam had been on there for over 8000 miles so the life was good, but the handling in the twisties was pretty average. We'll see if the Dunlop outperforms it when I get back to the mountains again.
After returning from the tire shop I decided I needed to pickup a vacuum bleeder for my brakes. The brakes seem to be getting a little spongy so I'll change the fluid and if that doesn't help then I'll see if my master cylinder needs a rebuild. To be continued...
Monday, November 28, 2011
Wing and Brick Logo
Here's a logo that I pulled together for a BMW K-Bike Site. They were looking for combinations of a German Winged Eagle and Brick Engine. I think it came out OK.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Cold Weather Riding
Fired up the K at a frosty 31 degrees. After a little rough idling it quickly warmed up and shrugged off the cold. During the peak summer months the heat coming off the engine feels like a blow dryer pointed at mid-calf. But when the temperature drops it sure is nice to feel the heat.
I took it for a relatively short ride and couldn't find a thing to complain about. Maybe I will be posting on how it handles in snow in a few month. Yuk.
I took it for a relatively short ride and couldn't find a thing to complain about. Maybe I will be posting on how it handles in snow in a few month. Yuk.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Possible Explanation?
The photo in my prior post was taken shortly after a 1 mile ride on a cold day. The oil sight glass window looked like there was white smoke and some fluid or particulate in the oil. I wondered if I had some coolant leaking into the oil or worse. Oddly enough, when I looked at the bike the next morning it seemed fine. The striations in the fluid were gone. I went for a 200 mile ride and when I parked the bike it looked just like normal.
My theory at this point is that there may have been some crankcase smoke that was trapped inside by the breather tube. As this smoke started to condense it looked more like a foreign material. Best guess I can come up with. The smokiness above the oil level disappeard quickly whereas some of the particulate of the smoke may have precipated into the oil. Good news is that everything is looking fine at this point.
Best of all it is November and I've had good sunshiny days every weekend and have been able to ride without even needing heated apparel. Meanwhile people in Michigan and throughout Canada are tucking their bikes in for the winter.
My theory at this point is that there may have been some crankcase smoke that was trapped inside by the breather tube. As this smoke started to condense it looked more like a foreign material. Best guess I can come up with. The smokiness above the oil level disappeard quickly whereas some of the particulate of the smoke may have precipated into the oil. Good news is that everything is looking fine at this point.
Best of all it is November and I've had good sunshiny days every weekend and have been able to ride without even needing heated apparel. Meanwhile people in Michigan and throughout Canada are tucking their bikes in for the winter.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Milky fluid in oil sight glass
Sunday, October 30, 2011
To Hel-en and Back
It was a cool 33 degrees in the mountains this morning when I started planning my ride. I decided to go a little further east this trip and check out the little town of Helen, GA. I'd heard that Helen was set up as a sort of "Bavarian Alpine Village" in the North Georgia Mountains. I thought maybe the Beemer would like to experience a return to the fatherland.
Fortunately I had picked up a thermal neck protector at Cycle Gear and decided to put that baby on under my helmet to help stay warm. 40 degree air shooting down my neck is not a good thing. It worked great.
So I suffered through the awful ride from Sandy Springs on Highway 400 until the end of 400 where it intersects Highway 60 to Dahlonega. I kept going straight thru Cleveland and then up to Helen. So as I'm rolling into Helen I start to see some really cheesy tudor style buildings on the outskirts. I think I even saw a Wendy's fast food restaurant with a Tudor exterior. Wow -I hope it gets better than this. People were telling me things like "It's so beautiful -as if someone dropped an old German city from the Alps right into Georgia!" Of course, these folks are the same ones who think that going to Disney's Epcot is a cheap way to experience all of the cultures of the world while getting a Florida suntan. Trust me -it's not the same thing.
I rolled into downtown Helen and frankly thought "Ok, it's quaint, it's Octoberfest and maybe the 3 blocks of downtown do look like a Hollywood stage for the Sound of Music or something." Lots of people walking around the streets and enjoying themselves. I just rode on through town and headed North to Hiawassee. Since I don't drink and ride I wasn't going to stop and have a German beer or walk around some souvenir shops.
The ride from Helen to Hiawassee was actually the best part of the entire ride. Some spectacular scenery, a few nice curvy, climbing sections of road and thetraffic was not too bad. Peak Fall color is behind us but it is still nice. The skies were clear blue and despite the lower temperatures in the mountains it felt comfortable. And this is the time of the year when the heat blowing off the K Engine is a blessing!
Click the link below to see the Google maps of the route
To HEL-en and Back Route
Stopped in Hiawassee, GA for lunch and then had a smooth and uneventful ride thru Blairsville, past Morganton and then through Ellijay on the way back top Atlanta. The total trip was about 225 miles, and the roads are generally straight with some curvy sections. This would be a good choice for someone riding a big cruiser or Wing. I would not consider this a very challenging ride -just some easy scenic miles.
Fortunately I had picked up a thermal neck protector at Cycle Gear and decided to put that baby on under my helmet to help stay warm. 40 degree air shooting down my neck is not a good thing. It worked great.
So I suffered through the awful ride from Sandy Springs on Highway 400 until the end of 400 where it intersects Highway 60 to Dahlonega. I kept going straight thru Cleveland and then up to Helen. So as I'm rolling into Helen I start to see some really cheesy tudor style buildings on the outskirts. I think I even saw a Wendy's fast food restaurant with a Tudor exterior. Wow -I hope it gets better than this. People were telling me things like "It's so beautiful -as if someone dropped an old German city from the Alps right into Georgia!" Of course, these folks are the same ones who think that going to Disney's Epcot is a cheap way to experience all of the cultures of the world while getting a Florida suntan. Trust me -it's not the same thing.
I rolled into downtown Helen and frankly thought "Ok, it's quaint, it's Octoberfest and maybe the 3 blocks of downtown do look like a Hollywood stage for the Sound of Music or something." Lots of people walking around the streets and enjoying themselves. I just rode on through town and headed North to Hiawassee. Since I don't drink and ride I wasn't going to stop and have a German beer or walk around some souvenir shops.
The ride from Helen to Hiawassee was actually the best part of the entire ride. Some spectacular scenery, a few nice curvy, climbing sections of road and thetraffic was not too bad. Peak Fall color is behind us but it is still nice. The skies were clear blue and despite the lower temperatures in the mountains it felt comfortable. And this is the time of the year when the heat blowing off the K Engine is a blessing!
Click the link below to see the Google maps of the route
To HEL-en and Back Route
Stopped in Hiawassee, GA for lunch and then had a smooth and uneventful ride thru Blairsville, past Morganton and then through Ellijay on the way back top Atlanta. The total trip was about 225 miles, and the roads are generally straight with some curvy sections. This would be a good choice for someone riding a big cruiser or Wing. I would not consider this a very challenging ride -just some easy scenic miles.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Greetings From The Georgia State Patrol
So I've been riding motorcycles for over 35 years and in that entire time I do not recall being stopped by police a single time. So today, the Georgia State patrol stopped me not once, not twice, but three times in the North Georgia Mountains on the same day. All for being on a motorcycle and riding safely I guess.
I was on the road at 8:30AM and it was barely 45 degrees outside so the roads were pretty empty. I had just filled up at a gas station and came around a sweeping turn when I looked ahead and all of the cars were being slowed down while a line of maybe 10 GSP Troopers looked in every car and asked the drivers for their ID. My first thought was that there was an escaped convict or one of those Amber Alerts or something. So I flipped up the visor on my helmet and as I rode up the line one of the troopers told me to pull to the side and show my license. No problem. I turned off the bike, flashed my license to him and he says something like "Just need to see your cee-yam". I said "Huh? You want my license and what else?" fishing for my insurance card, registration and I even pulled out my BMW MOA membership card. He says "You got your cee-yam, you good to go". So I said "My what? I'm sorry. What do you need?" Then he points to my motorcycle endorsement, the letters CM printed on my license. Got it...CM. Buh-bye.
So I rode another 15 or 20 miles and was planning to head north on Highway 60 to Morganton when I ran into yet another GSP road block. This time they asked me to pull over (on an inclined road nonetheless) near an intersection and asked me to show them my insurance card. I explained that it was my lucky day since I had just presented my credentials to another pack of troopers. After flashing my insurance card I was off in another direction than I had planned since the troopers were basically blocking my planned route and I did not think it was a good idea to tell them all to get the heck out of my way.
At this point I headed east and took highway 19 up to Blairsville and then Murphy, NC. I stopped in Murphy, had a quick lunch and then rode back to Blairsville alongside another rider on a BMW GS 1100. At Blairsville I headed west to Morganton, caught Highway 60 South and then ended up behind a bunch of pokey Harley riders and some trucks for most of the way. As I neared the elementary school in Suches, I met yet another GSP patrol. This time they asked all the bikers to pull off into the elementary school parking lot so they could check to see if we were wearing DOT approved helmets. I removed my Shoei and let the trooper inspect it. It was kinda funny when the H-D riders that were moving so slowly had trouble finding the DOT sticker on their helmets. I think one of them even swapped out their carnival brain bucket for a real DOT helmet while the trooper was inspecting someone else.
After my third stop of the day I decided to ride back and stopped at Rider's Hill and had a chili dog at the Six Gap Cafe in the dealership. I looked at the Aprilias and Moto Guzzi's on the showroom floor and tried on a few jackets but didn't buy anything. I did end up talking to some guy and I asked him if he ran into any of the road blocks. All the sudden he seems shocked and asked where they were located since he was actually just heading up in to the mountains. I explained that they were all over and that I had been stopped three separate times.
So I had been thinking, why in the heck are State Troopers wasting taxpayer money running these roadblocks and guess what? The guy I am talking to tells me that he is not wearing a DOT helmet, and that his son is riding his brand new motorcycle and he doesn't have an endorsement. The guy asks me what will happen if they get caught. I said "I'd imagine anything from being fined, having the bike impounded, being forced to take a basic riders course...who knows..but they're not pinning medals on people".
I rode back south to Atlanta, fully decked out in ATGATT and watched the various riders heading north. It was now about 65 degrees out and sunny, the fair weather bikers were out for their late afternoon ride and many were in for a big surprise !
I was on the road at 8:30AM and it was barely 45 degrees outside so the roads were pretty empty. I had just filled up at a gas station and came around a sweeping turn when I looked ahead and all of the cars were being slowed down while a line of maybe 10 GSP Troopers looked in every car and asked the drivers for their ID. My first thought was that there was an escaped convict or one of those Amber Alerts or something. So I flipped up the visor on my helmet and as I rode up the line one of the troopers told me to pull to the side and show my license. No problem. I turned off the bike, flashed my license to him and he says something like "Just need to see your cee-yam". I said "Huh? You want my license and what else?" fishing for my insurance card, registration and I even pulled out my BMW MOA membership card. He says "You got your cee-yam, you good to go". So I said "My what? I'm sorry. What do you need?" Then he points to my motorcycle endorsement, the letters CM printed on my license. Got it...CM. Buh-bye.
So I rode another 15 or 20 miles and was planning to head north on Highway 60 to Morganton when I ran into yet another GSP road block. This time they asked me to pull over (on an inclined road nonetheless) near an intersection and asked me to show them my insurance card. I explained that it was my lucky day since I had just presented my credentials to another pack of troopers. After flashing my insurance card I was off in another direction than I had planned since the troopers were basically blocking my planned route and I did not think it was a good idea to tell them all to get the heck out of my way.
At this point I headed east and took highway 19 up to Blairsville and then Murphy, NC. I stopped in Murphy, had a quick lunch and then rode back to Blairsville alongside another rider on a BMW GS 1100. At Blairsville I headed west to Morganton, caught Highway 60 South and then ended up behind a bunch of pokey Harley riders and some trucks for most of the way. As I neared the elementary school in Suches, I met yet another GSP patrol. This time they asked all the bikers to pull off into the elementary school parking lot so they could check to see if we were wearing DOT approved helmets. I removed my Shoei and let the trooper inspect it. It was kinda funny when the H-D riders that were moving so slowly had trouble finding the DOT sticker on their helmets. I think one of them even swapped out their carnival brain bucket for a real DOT helmet while the trooper was inspecting someone else.
After my third stop of the day I decided to ride back and stopped at Rider's Hill and had a chili dog at the Six Gap Cafe in the dealership. I looked at the Aprilias and Moto Guzzi's on the showroom floor and tried on a few jackets but didn't buy anything. I did end up talking to some guy and I asked him if he ran into any of the road blocks. All the sudden he seems shocked and asked where they were located since he was actually just heading up in to the mountains. I explained that they were all over and that I had been stopped three separate times.
So I had been thinking, why in the heck are State Troopers wasting taxpayer money running these roadblocks and guess what? The guy I am talking to tells me that he is not wearing a DOT helmet, and that his son is riding his brand new motorcycle and he doesn't have an endorsement. The guy asks me what will happen if they get caught. I said "I'd imagine anything from being fined, having the bike impounded, being forced to take a basic riders course...who knows..but they're not pinning medals on people".
I rode back south to Atlanta, fully decked out in ATGATT and watched the various riders heading north. It was now about 65 degrees out and sunny, the fair weather bikers were out for their late afternoon ride and many were in for a big surprise !
Monday, October 10, 2011
85 K100RS Mirror Replacement Photos
Replaced the Right Hand mirror on my 85 K100RS and these pictures show how the job is done.
First, this is what my mirror assembly looks like. It has a parting line around the edge. The turn signal indicator is held in place by a single screw.
I removed the turn signal lens and then was able to part the two halves by popping the parting line.
Then I put the new mirror in from the opposite side and installed the c-clip onto the groove in the replacement mirror ball as seen in the photo below.
Then I just snapped the two halves of the mirror assembly back together, screwed the turn signal indicator back into the housing and put the mirror back onto the 3 posts on the fairing. Simple as that
First, this is what my mirror assembly looks like. It has a parting line around the edge. The turn signal indicator is held in place by a single screw.
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