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.

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.

Artistic License

Georgia Mountains Feb 25th

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.

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...

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.