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Barn find R27, new member

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Beemer100
Posts: 148
Joined: Tue May 15, 2018 5:32 pm

Hi Patrick, you have a fine

Post by Beemer100 »

Hi Patrick,

you have a fine original bike there. I think I still would hesitate to cosmetically restore it. It only get once like this with all its history. Freshly painted R27 ... there are thousands of them. There are tons of chemicals and oils etc out there to refurbish paint and aluminium while keeping the patina. I once had a 1957 Panhead with original paint ... looked way worse than your Beemer. Regularly sprayed it with WD40 and it was a head turner with lots of stories to tell for decades. But it's your bike and you need to be happy with it.

Replacing the Hardy disk is not a big issue. It usually comes as a complete part (Rubber disk inside steel-ring). However, get yourself proper documentation. There is a good website in Germany where you can find all of it for free download. Some even in English. For the others you might need a refresher in your german language skills.

https://www.bmw-einzylinder.de/Start/ti ... HB_R27.pdf
https://cms.bmw-einzylinder.de/images/P ... 960-11.pdf
https://www.bmw-einzylinder.de/Start/ti ... aratur.pdf

Spraying/Soaking in WD40 or similar stuff will help with stuck fasteners (sometimes, when possible also some heat).

These Torpedo gas valves are a bit tricky to restore but I think there is plenty of advice here on the forum (search for Everbest repair).
The tricky area of these tanks is underneath the side rubber pads … problem is, you will only find out once you take them off for painting. Clean them properly inside and install a new mesh filter for the petcock and you will be good to go. One filter will do, don'T put one before the petcock and another one after ... that will restrain gas flow.

Black oil is good. Definitely take off the oil pan and give it a good clean.

Do yourself a favour and replace the battery. E.G. a Panasonic AGM BAtterie (I think a LC-R064R5R or similar would do the job). Buy yourself an empty case and put it inside.

With regards to a new coil. I personally would not go for a chance here. Old coils tend to fail particularly when hot. Although it might be good to push home the bike after a stop at the gelato bar for health reasons... but as far as i am concerned I would rather not push it. However, this is my opinion.
Definitely do yourself a favor and buy an electric regulator for the generator. Put the old mechanical in a vitrine.

And try to find a reliable source for all the rubber parts. Nowadays the quality of rubber parts is questionable (at best) and you might end up replacing them on a regular base. There are some dealers who sell good quality, though. Someone here on the forum might be able to direct you accordingly.

so far for now. Keep us posted
Klaus



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schrader7032
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You can do better than WD40

Post by schrader7032 »

You can do better than WD40 to loosen things. That is only a water dispersant. AeroKroil or PB Blaster are much better penetrants. The best is a 50-50 mix of ATF and acetone. And time is your friend as well as a little heat now and then.
Kurt in S.A.
'78 R100/7 '69 R69S '52 R25/2
Fast. Neat. Average. Friendly. Good. Good.

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wa1nca
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R27 barn find

Post by wa1nca »

Nice bike
The mount on the right handlebar is for mounting a switch for the blinkers which you dont have in the photos
You can remove it and save it for later if you decide to add blinkers at some point
Have fun take your time and the r27 is a fun bike to drive
Pic of my 1st BMW R27 about 35 years ago

Tommy
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Tommy Byrnes
54 R51/3, 55 R50/Velorex 560 sidecar, 64 R27, 68 R69US, 75 R75/6
Ashfield, Ma
USA

ahistand
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon Oct 16, 2006 10:04 pm

Patina

Post by ahistand »

That’s a really cool bike!
I agree with what’s said above definitely replace the coil. While yours may work indefinitely they are a crapshoot. I’m not really crazy about the available aftermarket coils for the R27, as far as I know the Bosch isn’t available. The aftermarket ones are a slightly different size, different connectors and the spark plug lead fits into it differently and not very well I think. As far as the petcock, yes the Everbest is rebuildable, but to do it right is fiddly and not long term reliable to prevent leaks. If you insist on originality then sure go for it, but most people simply swap them out for the later and far better designed Karcoma petcock. They’re available brand new and not terribly expensive, and very easily rebuildable.
Just my personal opinion, but I wouldn’t swap out those handlebars for Euro bars. For a couple reasons. If you end up keeping the patina of the bike as-is, fitting new Euro bars will stick out like a sore thumb, unless you happen to find an old rusty bar. Also, due to the slow and lumbering nature by which the R27 gets ridden, compared to the twins, the higher US bar is very comfortable and offers good leverage and is more fitting with the overall character of the bike and the ride. Don’t get me wrong I do like the feel and look of the low Euro bars, just not for the singles.

Captonzap
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Chrome cleaner

Post by Captonzap »

You might want to get on U-tube and search "chrome cleaner", and find something to use on the exhaust pipes.
Oxalic acid is available in hardware and paint stores, and works on chrome surfaces, removing rust without damaging the remaining chrome.
Again, U-tube is your friend.
Jasco Metal Prep, (phosphoric acid), available at Home Despot and other big box stores, will clean aluminum. It leaves a slight discoloration, so try it on an unobtrusive area to see if you mind the discoloration.

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pmtremblay
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Update Feb. 21

Post by pmtremblay »

I've only been working on the bike for a few minutes each night, mostly just getting the discoloration off the engine cases. I've tried a bunch of stuff, including the recommendations here. So far rubbing with crumpled aluminum foil has worked the best to get the crud off.

Mostly I'm waiting on parts and larger chunks of free time. I'm approaching this in three stages 1) running 2) rideable 3) reliable.

The first parts order includes a battery, petcock, fuel line, carb rebuild kit, air filter, spark plug, points/condenser, etc. With these and a little work I'll try to start it. This is old-hat for a lot of you, but new territory for me!

Stage two will be tires, hardy disk, cables, grips and the other things needed to go legally and safely.

I'm guessing at some point I'll need some professional help - any recommendations in central Virginia?

In the meantime, I've learned two things ...

First, Julia from the BMW classic email (info.grouparchiv@bmwgroup.com) was nice enough to tell me "The BMW R 27 VIN 381135 was manufactured on October 21st, 1964 and delivered on February 18th, 1965 to the BMW importer Butler & Smith in New York City. The bike was equipped with a bench seat." So it's titled as a 1966, but is actually a '64, which I've read is pretty common.

I know from the previous owner and a very faded logo on the fender that it was sold new out of New Jersey, and was bought used from NJ in 1974 by the previous owner. He brought it to Pennsylvania, then N.C. I contacted the Central NJ chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of American and they're asking around if anyone can identify the logo (photo below). It appears to say:
--cky's Bike Shop
Glen---- N.J.

Second, I went to the Virginia DMV today to get the title in my name and order an Antique plate. They were great about it, but couldn't finish the transaction because the system doesn't recognize six digit VINs. They gave me a temporary plate, and a one-month temp title letter. The file has to be sent to the DMV headquarters for them to research and confirm the VIN, and they'll send me the final title. It was a neat reminder that this is not just an old bike, but a truly old machine.

I don't expect to get much work done over the weekend outside of a lot of scrubbing.
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Patrick in Virginia
'66 R27
'22 G310R

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schrader7032
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Do you suppose the top line

Post by schrader7032 »

Do you suppose the top line is "yada yada Cycle Shop"?
Kurt in S.A.
'78 R100/7 '69 R69S '52 R25/2
Fast. Neat. Average. Friendly. Good. Good.

Captonzap
Posts: 87
Joined: Thu Aug 21, 2014 10:24 pm

I'm guessing

Post by Captonzap »

Rocky's Cycle Shop.


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pmtremblay
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Update Feb. 29

Post by pmtremblay »

These last few days I've refreshed the carb, set the valves and cleaned out the oil pan. This is old hat to most of you, but all a big deal to me! I'm definitely no mechanic, but in the past week I've 1) had a long talk with Vech at Bench Mark Works, 2) waited for parts to come from Europe and 3) been told by my wife that the house smells like gas, so I'm on my way to being an honest vintage BMW owner.

Details:
I was really nervous about messing with the carb, but it came off and apart easily, and I was really happy that it was almost spotless inside. I gave it a nice long soak in cleaner, wiped it all down, made sure all the passageways were clear, then reassembled everything with new gaskets. It went really well.

Setting the valves could not be easier. A little reading and a YouTube tutorial and I jumped in. I torqued the bolts, then did the valve clearances a few times to get used to everything. I was pleased to see everything in there looked great. The valves were really tight when I started, it took several turns of the nuts to get any clearance at all, but I'm confident they're good now. Finished off with a fresh gasket, and soaked the rust off the top nut and yoke with Evapo Rust - which is terrific stuff!

The oil pan was no problem, except getting the old gasket off. I had to basically shave the last of it with a razor. Vech suggested using a ball peen hammer to flatten the mating surfaces, I'll try that very gently before putting it back on. I'll also add a magnet at Vech's suggestion.

So far the only real issues have been external, minus the inch or so of old gas in the tank. Everything out of the elements, from the tool kit to the valves, looks great. The electrics may give me some problems, since the wire insulation is sketchy at best, and I have a long road ahead replacing all the rubber stuff. But, only a couple more items on my list before I attempt to start it.

Not much to show, so here are a few before/after of the carb. More soon.
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Patrick in Virginia
'66 R27
'22 G310R

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Beemer100
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sounds like you're becoming

Post by Beemer100 »

sounds like you're becoming one of us ... ;-)
And don't worry about the smell, your wife will get used to it!

The thing which worries me is your description of the valve adjustment. Are you sure you had the flywheel mark OT in the window when you made the valve adjustments? It sounds weird to me that you had to turn the adjustment bolt several turns in order to get some clearance at all ...

I would be rigorously replacing any part within the electric circuit which looks fishy. Cable insulations get brittle over the years and cause problems. There is not much electric anyways ... so, my recommendation: Replace it all. Check the manual and replace all cables, contact, condenser, coil, electronic regulator. Check the generator and replace the conductors and/or springs.

It is rarely a mechanical issue which leaves you stranded at the side of the road ... it's often electrics.

my 2 cents

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