Let me introduce myself . . . and my project - 1979 R100T (Otto)

That is an after market pan. Popular with some and hated by others. I like the idea of more oil and think the issue with decreased ground clearance should not be a problem but you might check this against the biggest speed bump around and see what the clearance is. The stock pans come in several depths depending on year. They got bigger as time wore on but not as big as that one. A new BMW gasket will work with out sealant I think. Some think they weep and use RTV. I do like to put Blue Locktight on the bolts. Be careful not to over tighten the bolts. The threads in the block strip easily. But if you get any stripped threads they are an easy fix.

Great project. Good introduction. Maybe I'll do an introduction some day myself.

I forget to check out these "build" threads sometimes. I didn't read past the second page but the lined up rings makes a good point of mine. Duane's end gap advise is wrong. When you install the pistons with the gaps lined up, you are trying to break in rings with greatly reduced compression and lots of oil blow by through the lined up gaps. Rings are designed to break in and run with cylinder pressure on the bottom two rings from staggered end gaps. As far as the rings rotating is concerned that photo proves that they do not in fact rotate fast enough! I have worked on race engines and the rings were always right were I left them. They don't spin like a lifter. What would make them rotate? Do they move without being pinned like a two stroke? Yes. Do they rotate fast enough to not cause problems with a start up and break in when they are installed lined up? No. This is a perfect example. They will often stay lined up for a great while just as they most often stay staggered as installed for a great while. The first minute of running in is crucial in breaking in the rings. Why line up the gaps thusly reducing compression and combustion pressure on the bottom two rings when the rings are dependent on high pressures to spread them into the cylinder wall?

By the way, I happened on a good way to diagnose lined up rings: real high leak down past the rings but still higher than expected with the high leak down compression readings. The problem is lined up rings. Do yourself a favor and buy a ring compressor (I like BMW's) and start your engine up for the first time without problems from the get go that could have been avoided. There are good reasons why every ring manufacturer that I have seen instructs staggering the end gaps!

I never heard of lining up ring gaps, I can't imagine the theory on that. I admittedly didn't know what I was doing when I installed mine (I can't even remember where I got them, maybe Luftmeister). I remember 3 piece oil rings, that's about it. I staggered them and compressed them one at a time by hand when sliding on the jugs. It's worked well for about 70k so far, oil consumption as good as it ever was.

IMO it's just another case of some very bad advise in another often recommended website. I feel for people that depend on those things!

Unless you're building a race engine and are very particular about the incremental details, it's probably not really going to make such a big difference. Never tried it, (and likely won't) but it sounds like it would certainly ease ring installation.

Before you go off the deep end, Billy, I know all about ring pressures, cylinder glazing and correct break-in procedures etc, But the difference is probably not going to amount to anything significant for a commuter bike.

Near as I can tell, Duane Asherman's a pretty knowledgeable guy with a lot of real world experience.

imho, fwiw, ymmv,
Lornce

That is a "3-Quart" oil pan, aftermarket. I've had one on my /5 since the late '70's. I don't use it for more oil capacity as much as more crankcase volume. It allows me to lower the oil level, giving more crankcase volume and less oil mist thru the breather. I have a longer "A" dipstick (R65, I think), which lowers the oil level a good inch or so with a midpoint reading. Never have had a problem with ground clearance with the sump.

The oil pan gasket has a heat-activated adhesive and is suggested to be used without sealant, but I apply a faint trace of RTV to the gasket for extra sealing, and to serve as a "release compound" next time the pan is removed. Otherwise, you have to heat & scrape the old factory sealant off, risking leak-producing scratches on the mating surfaces. Your call.

Bill - thanks for the input on the gasket. I will do just that. Now I just have to find some 6 x 1.0 Helicoil inserts to repair the stripped hole. No local HW stores have metric Helicoils. I did find them on Amazon.com though.

A great read with my morning coffee.

Thanks! Have a great and safe 4th of July!

You'll find other uses for those helicoils-- the M6x1 thread is used on other places on the engine that are strippable-- oil filter cover, front cover, speedo/battery ground bolt, etc.

Probably not going to make much difference? Go back and read what a difference it made to the bike in this thread. Lined up end gaps do make a big difference. It can be verified with a leak down, a compression test, and how the engine runs per the bike in this thread. That's all real world Lornce. It doesn't matter if its a race bike or a commuter. That is if you don't want either one of them to run like crap.

So, with a new oil pan gasket in hand, I got me one of these:



Then I checked the depth of the stripped oil pan bolt hole and marked my .250" drill bit like this:



Then I installed the 6.0mmx1 insert with the new-fangled tool that came with the kit:



I put in a new Mahle filter and some fresh Castrol 20w-50, and started it up. I watched it for a few minutes and no oil pan leaks!

But after a 20 mile ride, oil was dripping off the pan again . . . :eek1 WTF?

After looking a bit closer, it seems that the neutral switch in the transmission just above the pan is weeping.

Fuggit - I will keep checking the trans oil level and let it leak until the winter when I will pull the trans and reseal or replace the switch.

I have forks to rebuild in a week or so.

Sunday I was exhausted following a big graduation party/birthday party for my older son on Saturday. It was also hot, so I decided to tackle a low tech task on the bike. The aftermarket pipes were covered in rust and dried mouse urine from its long storage period. I got my bottle of old fashioned metal polish (Noxon 7), some old cotton rags, and gave it my best shot. Surprisingly, the pipes cleaned up pretty nice!

Before shot of the right side (left was about the same):




And after about a half hour (per pipe), they look like this:



I also cleaned up the chrome on the pannier mounts and the rear turn signal mounts.

It's a slippery slope, this cleaning stuff. Now the wheels look dingy.

I took it for a short ride after the cleaning effort up through the dirt road in the state gamelands near my house. I don't want Otto to think he is becoming a movie star or something . . .

Just read through the thread. Good read, I thoroughly enjoyed myself :).

Thanks for the kind words Ben. Honestly, I am surprised anyone is actually interested! I hope to have some updates on the fork rebuild next week. And perhaps pictures of my first passenger aboard :eek1.

beautiful bike! what does your wife think of motorcycles now? haha

Hope Cee Bailey's can be of service to you sometime in the future! Cant wait for more pictures

I have been meaning to start my R65 cafe restoration for months, but I just can't stop a) riding the damn bike and b) spending all my money on other cool stuff.

So, your thread lets me get excited about what I know I won't get around to doing for quite some time.

Glad to be of service . . .

She is grudgingly acknowledging that it might, possibly, just maybe, could be fun to ride. A little.

I will take some updated overall pics soon. Got some more cleaning to do. And more riding.

OK - I ordered the rebuild kit and some fork oil from Chris at Eurotech (BMWEuro here on ADV). Here is what comes in the kit. This is for one side. There are two of everything.



So, after some bolt twisting and cussing, I got Otto to part with the front spindly things that hold the wheel.



First interesting discovery was when I pulled the upper tube bungs. There were two home made PVC spring shims on top of the springs.



I drained the old oil out and cycled the fork tube to get as much of the old stuff out as I could. The old oil was dark and grungy looking. I only got about 4 oz. out of each side.

Before I got into changing parts, I inspected the tubes closely and found the cause of the leaking upper seal on the left side. It was the pits. Literally. There were about a half dozen defects in the chrome that were small but very sharp. The pits did not photograph well, and in fact were hardly visible, but were easily felt. None of them looked rusty, and I suspect they are due solely to flying stone/rock hits, as my bike only has the shorty boots, not the full gators. So, the RIGHT thing to do is replace the tubes. But, I decided to try a bit of restoration on the tubes. I LIGHTLY sanded the sharp spots first with plumbers sanding mesh, then with 400 W/D sand paper. This actually worked really well both visually and to touch. I could probably have completely removed the light scratching the 400 grit left by following up with some 600/1000/1500, but I am not too concerned with the aesthetics. Gators will be going over them eventually anyway. And if the "restoration" does not hold up well, I will replace the tubes. A few "after" pictures.






After the cleanup of the pits, I replaced the wiper rings, crush washer, and cleaned out the fork tube, piston rod/tube, and the check ball and spring. As I mentioned above the oil that came out was grungy, but the left fork did not have much crud or sludge in it. I also used the trick that Chris suggested to get the piston and new wiper rings installed in the fork tube. Make a couple of shims out of an aluminum soda/beer can that are about 1/2" (12mm) wide and about 2" (50mm) long. Slip them into the bore and then slide the piston into the bore. The shims will compress the rings as the piston slides past the threads and into the fork tube. I forgot to take a picture of this, of course.

I cleaned everything really well, and before reassembly, I cleaned the slider with Simple Green and a nylon brush, then after drying I hit it with a small stainless steel bristle brush. It came out really nice, I think. Here is a comparison shot of the forks with the before/after of the sliders.



After getting the left fork reassembled I attacked the right fork. After draining and disassembly, I found something different with the right piston and rod than I found with the left. There was a large rubber washer between the piston head and the spring loaded aluminum spacer which was hardened, warped, and broken. Here are a couple of shots of the washer.







There was also a brazed spot on the fixed step/collar on the piston rod. I don't know why, but it is apparent that this fork was apart once before.




The right fork was also much dirtier, with some thick, gooey muck in the bottom of the slider and in the check ball spring plug. I tried to get a shot but it was tough to see.




Those white strips are wipers that get installed inside the shorty fork boots. Here is a shot of where they go (I did not even know they were there until I called Chris and he explained what they were for) :huh.




It was getting late, so I did not finish reassembling the right fork. I hope to get to that tonight, and then a ride tomorrow. I still need to confirm the correct fork oil volume I need for each tube.

Stay tuned!

Was the brazing retaining that step? or plugging an oil port?

Looking good.

Did you soak the felts?

I think they are supposed to be oiled to catch dirt that gets past the wiper.

There is no oil port there, so it is apparently for locating/keeping the step ring there.

Thanks!

Nope - easy enough to do though.