R100RT to RS fairing swap

[srankin]

It is coming along nicely. St.

[NMBeemer]

It is coming along nicely. St.

Thank you, Sir. Got the wheels cleaned up--temporarily, as they really need refinishing, but that'll have to wait until I have time and motivation to repaint the fairing, side covers, and fenders... for a daily commute-mobile, no great rush to get it pristine. Maybe for the interim just some new roundels, as these are badly yellowed (2nd pic). Euro Motoelectric has them in stock, though they're a little proud of them...

Only thing I haven't been able to find is that little rectangular raised badge that says 100RS, and which goes beneath the roundel on the cowl behind the seat. Seems like maybe they aren't available anymore.

The new windshield now isn't getting here until next week (MAX BMW is s-l-o-w getting stuff out the door), but the Cycle Works bearing race removal tool gets here mañana. So, at least I'll have her back on the tires this weekend.

[NMBeemer]

The bearing race removal tool works very well indeed. What a nice service for Dan to make those tools for us vintage bike enthusiasts.

However, for driving in the new races (my arbor press is bolted to the wall, so wouldn't work for that ordinary application), I found a 30mm socket far better than using the aluminum block which comes in the race removal tool kit. A little anti-seize, and in they went with just a few gentle taps from a brass hammer.

Yes: careful observers will note that I ditched the nut-locking tab thingies for wave washers and loctite. I have never had a rotor come loose in ~50 years of wrenching, so not worried about it--and it's much nicer than banging and prying those silly locking tabs.

I'll get her down on the rubber again today, bleed the newly refurbished rear hydraulics, and she'll be roadworthy but for the windshield, which gets here Wednesday (gawd willin' and the crick don't rise).

[NMBeemer]

Found Snowbum's method of installing copper rivets to work great. Didn't have to R&R the clock or headlight though, just tip the latter down a smidge, hold your mouth just right, and voila.

New roundels go on tomorrow (I hope), and will sort out weird brake light gremlin (stays lit no matter what). Could rear brake switch do this...?. Front switch lead is disconnected. I'm assuming rear switch is somehow frozen in position...?

OEM windshield gets here mañana, so hoping to test RS fairing against last month's 1,300-mile jaunt behind RT version soon. Will post pics or video of LED headlight bulb on highway when opportunity arises. Here is how it looks at 16.5' in garage aiming session...

[NMBeemer]

New windshield finally came in... but those black plastic rivets BMW uses are a really poor design. I think I'll go with black screws or perhaps anodized aluminum rivets... anybody found something neat for the RS windshield attachment?

Anyway, the bike is much lighter feeling up front, the brakes are now a truly two-finger affair, wheel bearings feel smooth and wobble free... just have a leisurely morning R&Ring the oil pan gasket, and she'll be leak-free.

Oh: the brake light issue was indeed the rear switch. For now, I just disconnected it and the front switch actuates the brake light perfectly. Looks like no fun getting the old rear switch out, so I'll probably put that off for a while.

I sanded off the damaged paint on the L/H side cover (looked like maybe battery acid or brake fluid) and hit it with primer. I may do the same with the R/H side, just so it looks aesthetically balanced. Kind of expensive to have a pint custom mixed just for side covers...

For now, I think I'll just polish the mufflers, replace the roundels, find an RS rear rack (trade for an RT rack with backrest, anyone...?), and I'll be satisfied to be done working on her for quite a spell--aside from routine maintenance.

[srankin]

I used nylon screws and nuts on my windscreen, problem is I don't remember where I got them from. St.

[NMBeemer]

I used nylon screws and nuts on my windscreen, problem is I don't remember where I got them from. St.

Ah, okay--thanks very much. I have a local fastener store that's been here since the '50s which I like to support. So, I'll take some measurements and head down there tomorrow if they're open. Maybe some black, round-headed Phillips nylon screws might look nice?

There is also this outfit that I just found: https://nyfast.com/180-nylon-snap-rivet ... -fasteners. So, I may check out their offerings to see if there is something that wouldn't require me to cram my fingers up behind the gauge panel yet again--and which might yield a nice-looking result.

[NMBeemer]

Carb needles or...?

I have noticed that the needles Euro Motoelectric sells--and which I installed together with new needle jets, as they apparently wear together (my bike has 64K miles)--produce a hesitation or stumble between say, 2,000ish and 3,000 rpms, until the engine is fully warm. (This is in the garage, as I don't yet have the windshield secured.)

I adjusted the needles to the nearest notch I could get to the spec Brook has in his carb rebuild video for 40mm Bings, but am now wondering if I need to go one notch richer to eliminate this hesitation. It seems weird for 6,000 ft. elevation, but I may experiment and see if this eliminates that issue.

I guess the second possibility is that it isn't the carbs at all but rather the R/H exhaust leak where the header joins the exhaust port. I've discussed this in another thread briefly. My speculation is that perhaps as the engine heats up, things expand and the gap produced by wear in the metal sealing rings closes up. But I guess I can eliminate that possibility by shifting the needles one notch and seeing what happens.

Unless someone weighs in with a possibility I haven't anticipated, I'll try adjusting the needles and see what happens.

[srankin]

A tricky issue, that could be as simple as the carbs not pulling off of idle at the same time. LOL, in the day when I had hearing in two ears, I could balance or synchronize carburetors by ear alone. Now I use a Twinmax sync unit.

Try adjusting cable pull off from idle and see if you spot anything. Changing the clip position on the needles to richer can really mess up fuel economy, with I have experienced no discernible increase in performance. The factory settings may be a tad towards the lean side but to be honest, I have been setting my carbs for 39 out of the 40 years I have had this bike. On my RS, the same. Of course the 84 R80RT and 78 R100RS euro bike are kind of like apples and oranges in performance. Both get along very well with fair milage. Or I should say the RS did til I totaled it. St.

[srankin]

Oh, there has been threads I think in the MOA forum regarding diaphragm material being different now in some aftermarket units coming from EME versus BMW. Snowbum may have an article regarding the issue, not sure as I have used EME and BMW diagrams and have never noticed the difference in performance. St.