Topic: What did you do to your non-SOHC4 motorcycle today?

[Trevor from Warragul]

I bet parts are hard to find.

Parts supply isn't too bad, prices, however, are another story! The new seat cover cost me $184 AUD delivered. Four carburetor intake rubbers (I decided I'd like two spare) cost $340.00 AUD delivered. Two plastic "clamp rings" (designed to stop the carburetor clamps from tearing up the rubber) cost $88.00 AUD delivered.

Luckily the 3 1/2's were popular in the UK, Germany and Australia, so there's still a demand for parts, so suppliers are still willing to remanufacture bits.

The 3 1/2 is a cool bike

It sure is! I went for another ride today, and it ran really well. The only problem with a Morini is everyone wants to chat about it...

[grcamna2]

Pulled my hotrod Kawasaki Z1-B out and gave it a wash, and fired it up for the first time in months. Need to unstick the clutch again, so didn't take it for a ride. Put it back under cover and put a bike cover over it to keep it clean.

The Z1-B is looking wonderful Terry;that's a perfect paint job,nice work. 

[Terry in Australia]

Pulled my hotrod Kawasaki Z1-B out and gave it a wash, and fired it up for the first time in months. Need to unstick the clutch again, so didn't take it for a ride. Put it back under cover and put a bike cover over it to keep it clean.

The Z1-B is looking wonderful Terry;that's a perfect paint job,nice work. 

Thanks Bill, I was hoping to sort out a couple of niggling issues with it over summer, but it can wait another few months, too many bikes, too little time. The tank and ducktail are reproduction items from Japan, and the paintwork is superb, but I have an original set that were repainted black, that I’ll keep for if I ever sell the bike, as most collectors prefer the original parts.

[seanbarney41]

Sounds real nasty Terry!   ...wish we lived closer so I could chase ya around on my kz1000 hot rod.

[RAFster122s]

She's a beauty Terry, she needs a good long ride to get the moisture and any deposits out of the system and give the motor, transmission, and clutch a good work out. The cooler weather will start the moisture problem every cooling warming cycle as moisture in the air starts condensing the moisture onto all metal surfaces to contaminate everything in storage. So time to drop fresh oil after some good rides to bring a smile to your face and put her away to bring out your bikes that keep you warm while riding...you know the ones that you hate riding in slow traffic as all that heat just makes you ringing wet in your riding gear.
The CX500 and GL gold wings a d full fairing bikes put out a lot of heat and it washes over you. The CX is good for warming your hands on the heads at traffic stops or while riding if you can lean down, just pay attention as any dodgy coil wires it will light you up if you press the coil wire against the head or you make a nice alternative ground path for the spark to travel. You know you need to change the cil wires or coils and wires if it is lighting you up if you touch them. A new wire shouldn't have any leakage and when they start leaking they really should be replaced.  If the plug lead isn't connected that may be a different animal all together as moisture and wire age and dirt play a factor in that surface charge or leakage.
I think wire degration and spark performance led to the COP Coil On Plug designs of many of not most modern cars.
But preaching to the choir, you know these things...
Gorgeous bike, she is drool worthy and a nice investment grade bike if you decide to sell her it will likely be like printing money.
Too bad you cannot swing a couple months visit to the US and arrange a shipping container to be filled with bikes to import and flip, that might be a fun way to extend your stay and get it paid for if you can find some deals. Problem is market has gone high due to inflation and the deals are getting harder to find in many areas. Timing your trip to still be riding season and not too much rain as well as late year lower prices is ideal timing. Unfortunately, that fall rains are frequent in some parts of the country. So best to buy a good quality one piece rain suit to ward off the rain chances and enough bike luggage to handle the tools, clothes, and gear you need for the ride. You can always ship clothes ahead to an address for pickup later or get a member or two give you laundry day stops along the way in your journey across the US on famous RT 66.

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks guys, it’s a lovely thing, the looks of a classic Z1 with the power of a modern bike. When I lost 130 pounds I gave away all of my old riding gear (size 8XL) and rather than buying new gear bought several sets of riding gear off FB Marketplace etc for a fraction of new prices. I have several jackets (from a new perforated leather “Joe Rocket” summer jacket to a Rivet brand winter wet weather jacket) a full rain suit, leather and textile pants etc. I’m waiting on some new boots that look like dress shoes but a actually waterproof bike boots that I can wear to work and just bought a cheap pair of new winter gloves from Amazon that were toasty warm on my rides last weekend.

My dad always said it’s easier to make yourself warm than cool, and I agree. I’m picking up another BMW this morning with hard cases and a top box, so I’ll have plenty of space to store my cold/wet weather gear for my rides to work, and further afield. Hopefully I’ll be riding to work shortly, no tolls ($32 per day) and another 30 for parking, as I can park in the barracks for free. Hopefully it’ll just get cold, with minimal rain.

[Kelly E]

Thanks guys, it’s a lovely thing, the looks of a classic Z1 with the power of a modern bike. When I lost 130 pounds I gave away all of my old riding gear (size 8XL) and rather than buying new gear bought several sets of riding gear off FB Marketplace etc for a fraction of new prices. I have several jackets (from a new perforated leather “Joe Rocket” summer jacket to a Rivet brand winter wet weather jacket) a full rain suit, leather and textile pants etc. I’m waiting on some new boots that look like dress shoes but a actually waterproof bike boots that I can wear to work and just bought a cheap pair of new winter gloves from Amazon that were toasty warm on my rides last weekend.

My dad always said it’s easier to make yourself warm than cool, and I agree. I’m picking up another BMW this morning with hard cases and a top box, so I’ll have plenty of space to store my cold/wet weather gear for my rides to work, and further afield. Hopefully I’ll be riding to work shortly, no tolls ($32 per day) and another 30 for parking, as I can park in the barracks for free. Hopefully it’ll just get cold, with minimal rain.

My 77' KZ 1000 is quickly becoming my favourite bike. As Paul said "all the controls are right where they should be".  Even today it is still a fast bike, and sounds awesome. It's as fun to ride as the 80' Suzuki GS 1100E.

[grcamna2]

Good looking bike Kelly.

[Terry in Australia]

They are a gorgeous looking bike, as much as I love my CB750’s, Kawasaki knocked it out of the park with the big “Z”s.

[Terry in Australia]

Yesterday Spotty and I hooked my trailer up to my little truck, and drove an hour up the road to pick up a 1984 BMW K100RS.

Terry’s replacement K100RS 22 April 2024 2 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I bought it from a nice old 71 year old who had a bit of a scare when it caught fire. Apparently the fuel hose from the pump to the injector rail had split. I think I'll replace all of the fuel hoses, just to make sure I don't BBQ my balls on it's first ride.

K100RS Thursday 25 April 2024 1 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

K100RS Thursday 25 April 2024 2 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

The fire had also burned a patch of paint off the frame under the fuel tank. The fire only lasted a few minutes so didn't do that much damage, but the frame looked a bit crappy.

K100RS Thursday 25 April 2024 3 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

So a bit of scrubbing, and a squirt of rust epoxy enamel made it look a lot more presentable. It didn't have to be perfect, as most of it wouldn't be seen.

K100RS Thursday 25 April 2024 4 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

The cam cover looked pretty crappy too, so I wire brushed the cam cover and squirted some paint on it too.

K100RS Thursday 25 April 2024 5 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Sadly the used injector harness I bought was for a later model, with some different connectors and one less wire than mine, so I'll take it back to the BMW wreckers tomorrow and see if I can swap it for the correct one. If not, I'll have to make one out of the two. The bike is otherwise in good condition with excellent OEM hard cases and top box (which I want for my "ride to work bike" for stowing cold/wet weather gear) and as a bonus, heated grips! The Corbin seat is very comfy, but I'll need to get it repaired, as it got scorched in one spot nearest the injectors.

K100RS Thursday 25 April 2024 6 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr.

Anyway, I'll replace the burnt bits and get it going, and take it for a ride. Then I'll decide whether to use it for a parts bike, or just ride it.

[grcamna2]

Terry,your K100RS 'barbeque bike' heated up all the plastic parts around the top of the motor.. 

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks Bill, I should call it the "Hindenburg". Yep, some of the plastic parts got a little scorched. The left switchblock, some internal fairing pieces and the cover for the speedo/tach got scorched. Surprisingly, apart from paint damage, the aluminium tank is undamaged. The PO bought some replacement parts, and I picked up a couple more from the BMW wreckers.

K100RS Friday 26 April 2024 6 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Yesterday I drove over to the BMW wreckers to swap the incorrect injector harness for an earlier one for my '84 K100RS. Paul had two, both had the air/fuel sensor cable and connector chopped off. I'm not sure why, but I decided to take both, and lucky I did, as I'd just cut the one of my scorched harness and joined it to the better looking one, only to realise that it wasn't a K100 harness, but a K75 (three cylinder) harness, so I had to undo my work and join it onto the correct harness. I like using those "Heat gun" joiners, but it was a good thing that I did, as it turned out that my little Dewalt cordless heat gun didn't have enough heat to melt the little bands of solder, so when I pulled them apart they just seperated with no issues.

K100RS Friday 26 April 2024 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I re-joined them using my old 240V Bosch heat gun and got a much more permanent result. The wires for the air flow meter were so thin that my regular wire strippers were too big, then I found this lovely old German "Gedore" wire stripper that worked perfectly.

K100RS Friday 26 April 2024 7 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I had to go buy some new hose, to replace the 40 year old OEM hoses, which were all pretty much buggared.

K100RS Friday 26 April 2024 3 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I didn't bother trying to clean up the old injectors, I had a new set of Ebay cheapies for my other BMW, so installed them. I've kept the old ones, just in case the new ones are trash.

K100RS Friday 26 April 2024 1 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

While I was looking at all the damaged rubber parts, I realised that the vacuum plugs on each throttle body was cracked. This is common, and if it wasn't caused by the fire, it must have run poorly, as it would have had vacuum leaks across 3 of the 4 throttle bodies.

K100RS Friday 26 April 2024 2 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

The only ones I could buy locally were at a Napa store, not sure how long they'll last, so will order new OEM ones from "Motobins" in England, where I buy most of my parts.

K100RS Friday 26 April 2024 4 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr   

Anyhoo, that took up my day, it was bloody cold out in my driveway and I was sore and tired, so by the time I'd made up 5 new hoses, patched the harness, installed the new injectors along with the re-painted rail and fairing bracket, I was happy that I'd gotten a good days work done. I packed up and put the bike cover over it, and shortly I'll go out and do some more. Hopefully I'll have it running today, and I'll keep my fire extinguisher close, just in case. It is slowly looking better. I'm toying with the idea of stripping all the paint off the tank and just polishing it, it's aluminium, so as it has no dents in it, might look nice "Au naturel" at least until I can get all of the other pieces repainted, although I'd really like to paint it black, like the "John Player" paint scheme.

K100RS Friday 26 April 2024 8 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr 

[grcamna2]

You may just have a good 2nd RS 'Runner' in that one Terry.

[Terry in Australia]

You may just have a good 2nd RS 'Runner' in that one Terry.

Thanks Bill, I'm hoping to have it running today, and if so, will have to take it for a ride.

[Terry in Australia]

I've just come in from another day's work on the "Hindenburg". The only damage to the main harness was this little piece that powers up the fuel pump and gauge. Paul couldn't supply one so I had to do the best I could with what I had.

K100 Saturday 27 April 2024 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I reinstalled the air box, mass air flow meter, connected it up and called it good after doing the "cut and shut" yesterday grafting the new (to me) injector harness to the MAF cable from my scorched harness. Talking about scorched, I had a few items to replace. The speedo/tach housing was well scorched, but Paul had a good-ish one on the shelf, so I spent an hour or so swapping the guts out of one, into the other.

K100 Saturday 27 April 2024 1 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

K100 Saturday 27 April 2024 2 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

The knob for the trip meter was scorched too, but Paul didn't have one, so I used a silicon plug to plug the hole and keep the moisture out until I can get a new one.

K100 Saturday 27 April 2024 3 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

The pile of scorched items was piling up.

K100 Saturday 27 April 2024 4 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

So I spent the rest of the day removing everything and replacing them. The windscreen (which you look over, not through) was scorched and discoloured, so I just painted it black. Not fantastic, but will do for the time being.

K100 Saturday 27 April 2024 7 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

The left switch block was melted, but the PO had bought another one.

K100 Saturday 27 April 2024 5 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Sadly the connector blocks were different, so I'll take it to the BMW Wreckers and see if they have the correct one, if not, I'll see if I can make one out of the two.

K100 Saturday 27 April 2024 6 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Anyway, it's looking a bit better after removing the scorched panels and fitting the better ones.

K100 Saturday 27 April 2024 8 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Tomorrow, I'm going for a ride. Probably not on the BMW, but I don't care, as much as I like tinkering on bikes, I need to get the rubber on the road and do some miles. Plenty of time to get the Hindenburg fixed, and importantly, not catching fire again.

[Kelly E]

I am still working on removing the fibreglass resin from the 78' Kawasaki KL 250 gas tank.
This might be the wrong place for this since it's an SOHC.

[Terry in Australia]

No it’s the right place Kelly, it was pointed out to me that the SOHC thread was only for Honda SOHC4’s.

[Kelly E]

No it’s the right place Kelly, it was pointed out to me that the SOHC thread was only for Honda SOHC4’s.

Thanks buddy but I'm just messing with the uptight people.

[RAFster122s]

I have had my VStrom outside working on it so I took the time to cable it to a few objects they will have to make a lot of noise to remove it from or the cable from the bike. Yeah I know a theif will get it if he wants it, just looking to make it harder to take...

[CBJoe]

Washed and polished the Guzzi and Triumph for the first time in way too long



Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

[Terry in Australia]

Man, I’ve been busting my arse at work this morning, trawling through the whole “Motobins” online catalog for BMW parts for both the Hindenburg, and the Stuka. Boy I feel mentally drained, but at least I didn’t fall asleep with a puddle of drool arcing my keyboard like last time…..

[RAFster122s]

Thought you had a military remember-ance day or memorial... NZ and AU holiday. ANZAC day, guess that was last week...
April 25th

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn."

Thanks for your service Terry, fighting tyranny and evil and helping defend your country.

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks David, ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) Day commemorates our involvement in all wars, but dates back to the 25th of April 1915, when my Grandfather and thousands of other Australians (and Kiwis) attacked the Turkish Army (lead by the Germans) in Gallipoli.

Pop,Great Uncle Keith (15 years old, put his age up to join) and Great Grandfather James (who first fought in the Second Boer War in Africa) served in WW1, and Dad (who was too young to join up in WW2) worked as a telegraph boy on an airforce base for the duration and was in uniform as an “Honorary Sergeant”.

A lot of guys I work/worked with are war veterans and I feel a bit disappointed that I busted myself up to the point where I was medically “Non deployable”, but I’ve enjoyed the work and camaraderie over the last 47 years in June. I don’t deserve the same respect as my mates who’ve put their lives on the line in combat, but I appreciate the thought, nonetheless. Thanks mate.

[hoodellyhoo]

Yesterday I finished modifying some pluming parts to try pressure testing the crank seals on the R5. The good news is that I think my setup will work. The bad news is the intake flange leaks so bad I can't even diagnose the crank seals yet. Fixing that will have to wait for another day.

[simon#42]

i think your gauge is too high a pressure to get accurate results . you only want to be pressuring the engine to 4 or 5 psi . i use a 10psi maximum gauge and inflate it with a rubber ball that was originally used to inflate the lumbar suport in a car seat . it gives very good results and has been used to check hundreds of race engines .