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What should I ABSOLUTELY check for safe return to road?

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schrader7032
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Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 3:00 am
Location: San Antonio, TX
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What should I ABSOLUTELY check for safe return to road?

Post by schrader7032 »

You've gone through quite a few things...good progress. I'm thinking:

- lubricate the rear wheel splines
- regrease wheel bearings; possibly replace and check the preload...I suspect they're just like the twins of the era
- check for proper setup on the brakes

The leak at the engine-tranny might be troublesome. If it's engine oil, it'll probably be more of a mess over time. If it's tranny oil, then that could get on the clutch and ruin it. Engine oil - rear main seal - something of a pain to get to. Tranny oil - input shaft seal - not too bad to deal with once the tranny is removed. It could also be the clutch rod felt seal, migrating forward.

I assume this stuff is same as the twins...of course, Allan will know better since he has (or does) own one of these.

Kurt in S.A.
Kurt in S.A.
'78 R100/7 '69 R69S '52 R25/2
Fast. Neat. Average. Friendly. Good. Good.

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VBMWMO
Posts: 1322
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2009 7:49 pm

What should I ABSOLUTELY check for safe return to road?

Post by VBMWMO »

Well, my R26 sat from 1984 to 2004 in a harsh environment (Texas :wink: but at least indoors!) I moved it here in 2004. Changed the engine, transmission and rear end fluids, cleaned the diesel fuel out of the gas tank, cleaned the carburator, replaced the innertubes, battery, condenser, points, spark plug wire and spark plug.

The Hardy disc had dissolved or something, and was completely gone. I just about went crazy wondering about that weird clunking sound the bike made everytime I rolled it around, before I realized the disc was gone. :oops:

I ordered a new disc and puzzled over how to put the shiny chrome ring on the Hardy Disk. I accomplished this with the help of some posters on this forum, particularly Allen Atherton; thanks Allen, for the help with that, I really appreciate it.

To replace the Hardy Disk, I had to remove the swingarm, so on reassembly, it got new grease and adjustment. I started the bike and ran it up and down the street. I remembered how much fun riding a motorcycle was!

I talked my husband and a couple of friends into taking the MSF class to get a motorcycle license (I let mine lapse about 15 years ago). I told my husband that he should know how to ride a motorcycle "in case of an emergency." :twisted:

After the class, we had to buy motorcycles ["that run"] "to practice." Our Suzuki cruisers were nothing like the R26. They also were not good to tour on. We bought R12RT's. We've put 12K miles on them since late May, wonderful bikes, truly wonderful! (A lot like the R26, actually, but much more powerful 8) )

We finally sold the Suzuki's and garage space is now available. I've begun to work on getting the R26 back to street legal status. I've been working on the tank and have mounted new tires. Our local independent BMW shop Master Mechanic seems eager to do a little work on it, and I'm thinking about asking him to check the bike over to identify things that should be checked or replaced.

I know the cables need to be lubricated or replaced, and suspect the link on the Earl's fork should be inspected and lubed. Axles are lubed. I have an oil leak at the joint between the engine and transmission. Inspect and lube the steering head and damper. I figure I should change the fluids, and check for possible shorted wires. I checked the valve adjustment before I parked it a couple years ago.

What else should be inspected or replaced before I put this bike back on the road?

Thanks.

Sharon
Dedicated to the Preservation of Classic and Antique BMW Motorcycles.

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