I have thought of a couple of questions more specifically.
1. what fuel will it be happiest with? 92, 95, or 98 octane unleaded are my choices.
2. What oil?
3. Where do I buy parts and accessories?
please and thank you
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Owned a R75/5 for almost 15 minutes now!
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Darryl.Richman
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 3:00 am
- Has thanked: 1 time
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Owned a R75/5 for almost 15 minutes now!
Congrats on your purchase! With your history, I think you're going to really like the /5.
Use the lowest grade fuel that doesn't ping. With most BMWs, however, that's going to be premium.
You should try to find an owners manual for your bike, which will answer a lot of questions. There are Clymer and Haynes manuals available for these bikes and it sounds like that would be a good investment for you.
You should be able to buy most parts from a BMW dealer, as BMW maintains stocks for these bikes and even older models. The dealer might have to order parts from the distributor, however.
I run 20W50 dino juice in my '75 R90S, but you'll get lots of opinions on oil.
However, one thing to definitely be aware of is the oil filter configuration. BMW sells a single oil filter kit intended to fit all of the "Airhead" models, from your bike through 1995. This kit comes with a variety of parts, not all of which you will need. If you get the configuration wrong, the filter can bleed oil back into the sump and have low pressure, especially at idle, which can be bad for the bottom end. The Airheads club (www.airheads.org) has a nickname for this condition: the $2000 O-ring. However, I don't think you can fix a bottom end for $2000 any more... so beware.
Other than that, the biggest foibles for these bikes is the charging system. Eventually -- and I do mean that -- the diode board and/or the rotor may go out on you. There are aftermarket suppliers for these items as well as the stock items from BMW.
You may be further handicapped in that the early /5 bikes have the weaker, 180W system. after 1972, BMW went to a bigger battery and a 240W system. 180W is more than adequate for the stock electrical items, but you won't be able to add lights or use an electric jacket. (You may well not care about this, but... when these bikes were new, they had the biggest and best charging systems available, but times change.)
So, good luck and have fun!
Use the lowest grade fuel that doesn't ping. With most BMWs, however, that's going to be premium.
You should try to find an owners manual for your bike, which will answer a lot of questions. There are Clymer and Haynes manuals available for these bikes and it sounds like that would be a good investment for you.
You should be able to buy most parts from a BMW dealer, as BMW maintains stocks for these bikes and even older models. The dealer might have to order parts from the distributor, however.
I run 20W50 dino juice in my '75 R90S, but you'll get lots of opinions on oil.
However, one thing to definitely be aware of is the oil filter configuration. BMW sells a single oil filter kit intended to fit all of the "Airhead" models, from your bike through 1995. This kit comes with a variety of parts, not all of which you will need. If you get the configuration wrong, the filter can bleed oil back into the sump and have low pressure, especially at idle, which can be bad for the bottom end. The Airheads club (www.airheads.org) has a nickname for this condition: the $2000 O-ring. However, I don't think you can fix a bottom end for $2000 any more... so beware.
Other than that, the biggest foibles for these bikes is the charging system. Eventually -- and I do mean that -- the diode board and/or the rotor may go out on you. There are aftermarket suppliers for these items as well as the stock items from BMW.
You may be further handicapped in that the early /5 bikes have the weaker, 180W system. after 1972, BMW went to a bigger battery and a 240W system. 180W is more than adequate for the stock electrical items, but you won't be able to add lights or use an electric jacket. (You may well not care about this, but... when these bikes were new, they had the biggest and best charging systems available, but times change.)
So, good luck and have fun!
--Darryl Richman
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schrader7032
- Posts: 9065
- Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 3:00 am
- Location: San Antonio, TX
- Has thanked: 3 times
- Been thanked: 36 times
Owned a R75/5 for almost 15 minutes now!
You should have fun with your short wheel based R75/5...I own 1969 R69S which is the previous year short wheel base BMW...I have fun with it.
RE oil: I also prefer "regular" 20w50 oil...I hear mixed things about going full synthetic as it might prompt leaks around seals. Possibly a blend of dino-synthetic, such as the Spectro products. I personnally use BMW oils. As Darryl said, lots of opinions... Mine is regarding the API rating of the oil. I would recommend to use no higher than the SG/SH rating as it contains good quantities of antiwear and anticorrosion compounds. Higher API rating oils had these additives removed in order to accommodate the car market with their catalytic convertors...those additives tend to plug the convertors up. Buy the best oil you can find...it's what will keep you engine alive the longest.
Oil filters: If I'm not mistaken, your bike should have the original filter setup which has an internal cap/hex nut once you remove the outside cavity cover. I believe your cover should be completely flat. If that's the case, your filter arrangement is somewhat bullet proof...make sure you get the proper filter. I'm a BMW person, so I get my stuff from the dealer or official suppliers. Personnally, I'd avoid aftermarket substitutions...there have been some instances of them collapsing. For Darryl - does your '75 /6 have the $2000 o-ring? I thought the /6 still have the first style filter system. Maybe that started mid /6 models.
Electrics: Get into the habit of disconnecting all of the negative battery connections before you remove the front cover. If there's only one connector on the negative side, you can follow that cable to the back of the tranny and remove that bolt. (As an aside, I've cut a portion of the ring terminal out so I can just loosen the bolt and then slide the ground cable out without having to remove the entire bolt, which is a PITA.) When retigthening this bolt be careful not to overtorque...it's easy to strip. (Another aside...that bolt should have a hole down the middle to let the tranny breather. The first time you take it off, run a fine wire down the middle to ensure it's clear.) The reason for disconnecting ground is to avoid the possibility of shorting out the diode board. You'll find you have to maneuver the cover a bit to get it off and it comes dangerously close to the diode board. As Darryl mentioned, the electrics are a bit fragile, so do this to protect it.
Valves: The clearances are something you'll need to monitor as the engine was built for leaded gas. The settings should be 0.15mm intake and 0.20mm exhaust. If you find that the clearances are closing up on you within a 1000 miles or so, you may be in need of a top end replacement. If the clearances are closing up, it is most likely due to the lack of lead and the protection it provided to the valves and seats. The closing of the gap means bits of the materials are wearing away. The replacements will be unleaded seats and valves along with valve guides. This replacement is not a big deal (probably should be done by a competent BMW mechanic IMO) but just something to watch out for. Treated correctly, the bike should go for many, many miles without a problem.
Other Clubs/Forums: There is a /5 club, /5 United, with their own forum. There is another forum called Boxerworks that deals with a variety of BMW models just like this forum. They tend to me a bit more social oriented but there is good technical discussions as well...hopefully before the thread degrades...ARRGGHHH, I hate that! The reason I mention Boxerworks is because there are quite a few contributors from Australia. It's possible you could hook with some of them and have your own mini-tech day to square things away on the bike. There are also a few contributors from Down Under on this forum as well...
Check out this page of links to the VBMWMO site...there's a lot of good information here...
http://vintagebmw.org/version6/index.php?q=node/24
Another website that I always refer to is Snowbum's, aka Robert Fleischer. Some don't like his verboseness but the information is there if you read enough...it can be invaluable...or maybe it will just raise more questions!!! His tech article index is here:
http://bmwmotorcycletech.info/techindex.htm
Just some thoughts...we'll be glad to help where and when we can...
Kurt in S.A. (San Antonio, Texas, not South Adelaide!!)
RE oil: I also prefer "regular" 20w50 oil...I hear mixed things about going full synthetic as it might prompt leaks around seals. Possibly a blend of dino-synthetic, such as the Spectro products. I personnally use BMW oils. As Darryl said, lots of opinions... Mine is regarding the API rating of the oil. I would recommend to use no higher than the SG/SH rating as it contains good quantities of antiwear and anticorrosion compounds. Higher API rating oils had these additives removed in order to accommodate the car market with their catalytic convertors...those additives tend to plug the convertors up. Buy the best oil you can find...it's what will keep you engine alive the longest.
Oil filters: If I'm not mistaken, your bike should have the original filter setup which has an internal cap/hex nut once you remove the outside cavity cover. I believe your cover should be completely flat. If that's the case, your filter arrangement is somewhat bullet proof...make sure you get the proper filter. I'm a BMW person, so I get my stuff from the dealer or official suppliers. Personnally, I'd avoid aftermarket substitutions...there have been some instances of them collapsing. For Darryl - does your '75 /6 have the $2000 o-ring? I thought the /6 still have the first style filter system. Maybe that started mid /6 models.
Electrics: Get into the habit of disconnecting all of the negative battery connections before you remove the front cover. If there's only one connector on the negative side, you can follow that cable to the back of the tranny and remove that bolt. (As an aside, I've cut a portion of the ring terminal out so I can just loosen the bolt and then slide the ground cable out without having to remove the entire bolt, which is a PITA.) When retigthening this bolt be careful not to overtorque...it's easy to strip. (Another aside...that bolt should have a hole down the middle to let the tranny breather. The first time you take it off, run a fine wire down the middle to ensure it's clear.) The reason for disconnecting ground is to avoid the possibility of shorting out the diode board. You'll find you have to maneuver the cover a bit to get it off and it comes dangerously close to the diode board. As Darryl mentioned, the electrics are a bit fragile, so do this to protect it.
Valves: The clearances are something you'll need to monitor as the engine was built for leaded gas. The settings should be 0.15mm intake and 0.20mm exhaust. If you find that the clearances are closing up on you within a 1000 miles or so, you may be in need of a top end replacement. If the clearances are closing up, it is most likely due to the lack of lead and the protection it provided to the valves and seats. The closing of the gap means bits of the materials are wearing away. The replacements will be unleaded seats and valves along with valve guides. This replacement is not a big deal (probably should be done by a competent BMW mechanic IMO) but just something to watch out for. Treated correctly, the bike should go for many, many miles without a problem.
Other Clubs/Forums: There is a /5 club, /5 United, with their own forum. There is another forum called Boxerworks that deals with a variety of BMW models just like this forum. They tend to me a bit more social oriented but there is good technical discussions as well...hopefully before the thread degrades...ARRGGHHH, I hate that! The reason I mention Boxerworks is because there are quite a few contributors from Australia. It's possible you could hook with some of them and have your own mini-tech day to square things away on the bike. There are also a few contributors from Down Under on this forum as well...
Check out this page of links to the VBMWMO site...there's a lot of good information here...
http://vintagebmw.org/version6/index.php?q=node/24
Another website that I always refer to is Snowbum's, aka Robert Fleischer. Some don't like his verboseness but the information is there if you read enough...it can be invaluable...or maybe it will just raise more questions!!! His tech article index is here:
http://bmwmotorcycletech.info/techindex.htm
Just some thoughts...we'll be glad to help where and when we can...
Kurt in S.A. (San Antonio, Texas, not South Adelaide!!)
Kurt in S.A.
'78 R100/7 '69 R69S '52 R25/2
Fast. Neat. Average. Friendly. Good. Good.
'78 R100/7 '69 R69S '52 R25/2
Fast. Neat. Average. Friendly. Good. Good.
Oil Filter
Wow! Thanks for taking the time to write all that info. All very informative.
Re: the warning of getting the wrong oil filter, which one is the right one and where do I get it?
I found this:
http://www.flugelnus.com/oil-filter-str ... rhead.html
and some others on this page
http://www.flugelnus.com/r-bike.html
where else do I find these things? I can't find a one-stop-shop online for this sort of thing. That ships to Australia at least.
I was told that BMW dealers still can get or carry parts for these old bikes.
Could that possibly be true?
Re: the warning of getting the wrong oil filter, which one is the right one and where do I get it?
I found this:
http://www.flugelnus.com/oil-filter-str ... rhead.html
and some others on this page
http://www.flugelnus.com/r-bike.html
where else do I find these things? I can't find a one-stop-shop online for this sort of thing. That ships to Australia at least.
I was told that BMW dealers still can get or carry parts for these old bikes.
Could that possibly be true?
1970 BMW R75/5
-
schrader7032
- Posts: 9065
- Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 3:00 am
- Location: San Antonio, TX
- Has thanked: 3 times
- Been thanked: 36 times
Re: Oil Filter
I was told that BMW dealers still can get or carry parts for these old bikes. Could that possibly be true?
Yes, it's true! You can probably still get 95% of what you need from the dealer. There are also independent guys, former BMW mechanics, other on-line places in the US that can virtually cover everything you need. For the gaps, there's always ebay, etc. Getting maintenance done is a different story. Here in the US, few dealers can really work on the older machines. However, there are a number of Airhead mechanics that have gone into business for themselves and are active participants in various forums. This allows people to get questions answered and tackle jobs that they probably wouldn't consider without someone on the other end of the line.
That first filter you linked to seems to be the right one. You want either part no. 11-42-1-337-572, the straight filter (note that this number is very similar to the number you linked to above), or 11 42 1 337 570 which is the hinged filter. The hinged one is probably more common and was designed to be used with non-cooler bikes like the RS/RT where the fairing and header pipes make access difficult. These filters are around 119 to 120 mm long. Verify this with the filter you pull out of the bike.
As for other sources, check out http://www.munichmotorcycles.com.au/ . I found this link from one of the posters on the Boxerworks forum who was helping the company get their on-line store organized. I can't quite tell where their located...might be worth a look see.
Kurt in S.A.
Yes, it's true! You can probably still get 95% of what you need from the dealer. There are also independent guys, former BMW mechanics, other on-line places in the US that can virtually cover everything you need. For the gaps, there's always ebay, etc. Getting maintenance done is a different story. Here in the US, few dealers can really work on the older machines. However, there are a number of Airhead mechanics that have gone into business for themselves and are active participants in various forums. This allows people to get questions answered and tackle jobs that they probably wouldn't consider without someone on the other end of the line.
That first filter you linked to seems to be the right one. You want either part no. 11-42-1-337-572, the straight filter (note that this number is very similar to the number you linked to above), or 11 42 1 337 570 which is the hinged filter. The hinged one is probably more common and was designed to be used with non-cooler bikes like the RS/RT where the fairing and header pipes make access difficult. These filters are around 119 to 120 mm long. Verify this with the filter you pull out of the bike.
As for other sources, check out http://www.munichmotorcycles.com.au/ . I found this link from one of the posters on the Boxerworks forum who was helping the company get their on-line store organized. I can't quite tell where their located...might be worth a look see.
Kurt in S.A.
Kurt in S.A.
'78 R100/7 '69 R69S '52 R25/2
Fast. Neat. Average. Friendly. Good. Good.
'78 R100/7 '69 R69S '52 R25/2
Fast. Neat. Average. Friendly. Good. Good.
Owned a R75/5 for almost 15 minutes now!
Hi there,
I just bought myself a 1970 R75/5 about 15 minutes ago.
I love it already.
Love like an old friend not like a Yamaha R1 excitement kind of love... You know what I mean.
It's a bit crappy, a lot of work to do ....
I don't even know how to work it yet! I shoved the key downward and pressed the button. Battery dead.
I kicked it over and it started about the 4th time. On the whole though, I think it needs a new everything.
Won't have time to ride until next week but at least it runs.
Can anyone give me some general tips on these things for an absolute beginner?
It's my first BMW.
Now I've owned almost every brand of bike.
Last bike was a Triumph Bonneville.
Had a Royal Enfield, Honda 400/4, KLR650, Husky 610, 3 ZZRs, R1, Z750, actually I can't even remember all the bikes I've had. All of them I think, but this one seems like a real keeper. Yes, even after a quarter an hour!
I just bought myself a 1970 R75/5 about 15 minutes ago.
I love it already.
Love like an old friend not like a Yamaha R1 excitement kind of love... You know what I mean.
It's a bit crappy, a lot of work to do ....
I don't even know how to work it yet! I shoved the key downward and pressed the button. Battery dead.
I kicked it over and it started about the 4th time. On the whole though, I think it needs a new everything.
Won't have time to ride until next week but at least it runs.
Can anyone give me some general tips on these things for an absolute beginner?
It's my first BMW.
Now I've owned almost every brand of bike.
Last bike was a Triumph Bonneville.
Had a Royal Enfield, Honda 400/4, KLR650, Husky 610, 3 ZZRs, R1, Z750, actually I can't even remember all the bikes I've had. All of them I think, but this one seems like a real keeper. Yes, even after a quarter an hour!
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