Vintage BMW Motorcycle Owners

There shouldn't be a spacer. Did you replace the bearings with tapered?
Brian

When you say the “nut will not tighten down the top plate”, what do you mean exactly? That spacer, or washer which is all it is, shouldn’t be there, but if it was there it shouldn’t have any effect on tightening down the top plate or not. Maybe a couple photos of your specific parts would help.
I’m assuming BMW added that washer on the /2 bikes because theoretically any washer makes torquing the corresponding nut a more specific and precise affair.

Brian, your thoughts forced me to do more research and I learned much more because of it! And that is all good!!!

Interestingly enough With all that info they didn’t have the original color in the books!

After I did more research I found that the adjustment lock nut and spacer are not correct for the R51/3. The nut and spacer is from the /2 series. They must have put this on when they did the tapered bearings a couple years ago. The nut looks newer than the other parts which makes sense.

I did find that Salis has a special nut for the tapered bearings that has a longer shoulder to go deeper into the tapered bearing. It also has the right height shoulder for the r51/3 top plate. It is here.

The one that was on it was this one which has a higher shoulder on the plate side.

I could have simply put the nut on the lathe and machined the top down but I liked the one from Salis as it gives more support to the bearing. The correct one is on the way to the US now.

Thanks!!!

This is why I like Salis web site
Pics are the copy of standard mico film but when you go into their details much more info is noted

Tommy