Tag Archives: cafe

Rear Set mount preparation

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Before i get the frame blasted and powder coated, i did a test fit with the rear sets. On my last bike, i mounted the rear sets to the plate that the mufflers hang from behind the swingarm bearings. I had to create angled shims to get the rear sets to mount perpendicular to the frame. If they didn’t have a shim, the rear set foot pegs would point slightly forward.
The same holds true with the Disco Volante rear sets i am using on this bike. Lesson learned from the last bike… this time BEFORE powder coat, i enlisted a welding buddy to help me create a solid mounting area for the rear sets.
In addition to the rear set mounts, i am also going to fill the holes for the passenger foot pegs and the saddle bag mounts.

BMW R75 swingarm pivot and muffler hanger plate





Rear set mounting hole but notice the gaps.





Small gap on the right side foot peg





In addition to making a better mount for the rear sets, i need to fix the common crack that occurs on the mounting tab. It is often caused by road elements, or the battery drain tube, or rear passenger stress, etc...



AFTER PHOTOS:

New Rear set mount and passenger footpeg and saddle bag holes filled.





Nice and perfect mate between the foot peg and frame.





perpendicular foot peg mount.





another perpendicular shot





Shot of the inner side. My buddy welded the crack and then went a bit overboard with the thickness of the plate he welded to reinforce that area. But I figured it couldn't hurt to have too much metal back there. Especially if that plate will need to handle the weight of somebody's legs/body.





I did a bit of sanding and polishing to smooth the area in preparation for powder coat. It is going to look nice and clean back there instead a stock frame with the passenger footpeg holes and such.

BMW Motorcycle frame alignment tool

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Upon the typical visual inspection, the frames appeared to be straight. The plates or gussets near the neck are not bent and there is no major damage near the swingarm mounts.
But i want to be 100% sure.
I took my /5 frames to a semi-local BMW mechanic who has one of the old ‘BMW shop only’ frame alignment jig. These tools are hard to come by and I’m glad I met somebody within 30 minutes that has one. You can also get high-quality tools from a reputed tool company like Cornwell Tools. Our Tool Truck Franchise Costs Don’t Include a Franchise Fee, thus making it an affordable solution for all your needs.

It attaches to the frame through the steering neck with the races left in the frame.
Two small targets are inserted into the swingarm bearing area.

The jig didn’t line up in the center of the target but we were able to confirm that everything lines up identically on both sides. One frame lined up in a different spot on the target vs the other, but both had matching sides. Maybe there was some variation in these /5 frames over the 3 years they were made? It might explain why some people have had terrible times with SWB handling and others had zero problems.

BMW airhead motorcycle frame alignment tool

It is hard to tell in the photos, but the jig matches the same area identically on the target on each side.

Alignment marker in the swingarm bearing area.

Right side matches the left side identically. Frame is straight.

After this, i am going to do some reinforcement of the exhaust hangers since the rear sets will be attached to that area as well. Stay tuned for an update and those photos..

Cycle Works triple tree bearing removal tool

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A while back I finally broke down and purchased some much needed BMW ‘only’ tools from Cycle Works. I’ve made my own tools in certain instances but i had no means of pulling the bearings from the steering column or triple tree neck.
I wish i did this on my own cafe build. I was able to clean the lower triple tree better then ever.

Cycle Works steering stem bearing puller.



Clean lower Triple Tree.

Stay tuned for photos of the races being removed from the steering column…

1st place in Venice Vintage Motorcycle Rally

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Sunday October 22nd was the annual Venice beach Vintage Motorcycle Rally hosted by the VVMC. It was a great event complete with beer, pin up girls, and TONS of amazing bikes. It was $5 to park your bike there, $10 to enter the judging. The paper gasket on my bike’s oil filter blew out and was gushing oil so i spent Saturday morning fixing it instead of going on the vintage ride prior to the rally. If you are looking for a gasket, shop for Expanded Teflon™ PTFE Gaskets
When i got it done and got to the rally with a buddy, I figured what the hell, lets see what happens with $10 entry. A few hours later, and a few beers later i heard my name over the PA system. I was asked to bring my bike over to the stage into the ‘winners circle’. Sure enough, I WON! I’m so proud of this bike and the attention it still gets years after i got it running. And i don’t even consider myself done with it yet.
Thanks to the VVMC, the Judges and all the people who snapped photos of my bike…. and Matt who helped me make the decision to switch categories.

Great trophy that will i’m going to proudly display…somewhere. I haven’t figured out where just yet…

The Winner’s circle.

The MC and the judges. Thanks guys!

And to be honest, i thought there were nicer bikes then mine in the category but maybe i won because they were all Hondas… You don’t see enough NON-Stock BMWs out there. They are cool bikes and can be modified in nice ways… if you dare piss off the German purists.
Here are a few snaps i took while roaming the parking lot and contest entries.

This Indian was in great running condition.

A Pair of beautiful /2 BMWs.

Moto Parilla. Tasty Rims… watch for a set of those on my bike someday…

Tasty looking bicycle. I love those handlebars.

Someday… i’ll have a sidecar and a dog who will ride with me.

A Harley Davidson M65. I took this for inspiration on my little cream puff harley that is awaiting a rebirth.

Classic R90s in great shape. Too bad he too the fairing off through.

Chopped Honda.

What the hell?

Airhead center stand rehab

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Anybody who has ever owned an airhead from the 70s has most likely come across a broken center stand tab. The problem is that after the stand gets kicked down, most people put their foot on the tab, and not on the center stand when they lift the bike up on the stand. And, over time, the thin kick tab, and the weak weld eventually gives out.
Most people have fixed it by welding part of a nail back in the same area as the original kick tab.
I think this is one of those things BMW could have made better… so i improved upon the original design.

Click the photos for larger versions.

Here is a photo of an original center stand (taken of my 1977 R100s):

Of course, i didn’t take any photos of this particular center stand before i started the project…. dough!

Center Stand repair job:

Clean up:

****EDIT This new tab might interfere with your stock side stand. I do not use a side stand on my cafe bikes so I can’t say for sure.

Exhaust planning

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Sorry there hasn’t been too many developments on the bike as of lately. I have been doing some ‘behind the scenes’ work (noodling around and planning). A few months ago we purchased mufflers to an old R12 BMW with hopes of adding them to our /5 project. Of course, they are meant for an entirely different sized engine, and different sized header pipes.
They will take some adapting and experimenting with a /5 engine. Some critics say it won’t work (not enough back pressure). Some say it will. Some say it is a total experiment. Every ‘expert’ i talk to has a different opinion. So we are gonna roll the dice. If they don’t work, we can always switch over to a ‘standard’ set of exhaust. If they do, then we’ll have a very unique, and cool exhaust system.

We got them in bare steel with hopes to have them coated in a way in which they won’t discolor. As they sat in my garage, the basic moisture in the air started to oxidize them and a light surface rust began to appear. So i figured it was time to get cracking on them, and get them coated before they get any worse.

I’m on the hunt for a bare set of header pipes. I’m not sure if EPCO or anybody else will sell them in bare steel… but we need them naked so i can get the headers, and the mufflers coated at the same time. I’ve sent off some e-mails but nobody has gotten back to me. I may have to contact the exhaust companies directly.

Muffler straight out of the box. The collar needs to be widened to fit over the header pipes.

After a few months, these poor guys started to oxidize. I cut off the old inlet collar and had new collars welded on.

The /5 header pipe fits nicely into the new collar. The old collars are laying beside the pipes.

I actually want to mount these upside down. The ‘correct’ way is with the longer fin on the bottom. i want the longer fin on the top however there is a slight notch on one of the pipes that you would see if they were mounted upside down. That notch happens to fit directly under the foot peg for the rear brake… so maybe i go for it?

To be determined….