10 years later........

[Arado Ar234]

Off on a tangent, but one of my storage boxes contained all my riding gear, which I had no idea I still had. To the point though, I have a Rivet Rainlock jacket that is in great condition but just needs a good clean up. Any bright thoughts on what I should use?. Simply can't remember if I use to use a weatherproofing product on it....cheers..

[Arado Ar234]

For all the Australian members, any suggestions on who to go to for head work, in particular reconditioning cylinder heads etc?

[Rob Frankham]

On the bearing subject...

Many years ago, I had the same problem on a 'snowflake rear'. I found a local machine shop that was able to machine out the recess in the wheel and fit a steel insert. Worked perfectly till the bike (a R45) dropped an exhaust valve... (but it had done a couple of hundred miles since I got it so I wasn't complaining). Given the time elapsed since the job was done, the cost isn't relevant apart from to say it was far less expensive than I expected...

[Arado Ar234]

Had a steel insert made up myself for another rear spoked wheel, and it worked well for years, but the engineering works went out of business, so now it is getting harder and a lot more expensive to find machinists to do stuff on old bikes. We live in a disposable age, where " replace", has totally outstripped repair. Considering buying a lathe and milling machine and doing all this by myself...

[SteveD]

For all the Australian members, any suggestions on who to go to for head work, in particular reconditioning cylinder heads etc?

Ray Peake in Canungra maybe able to help, or point you in the right local direction.

[JuanMcFarland]

After 10 years of not riding my 1978 R100 outfit, I've finally decided to get it running again. I'll figure out how to post photo's I guess, as it is a bit different. Lots of mods, 99% home made, ( had to take some bits to a qualified machinist ), totally wore the instruments out after 7 times around. Bought it for $1000 AUD in 1990 from the wreckers, as it was an insurance write off from an international tourist. Basically rode it every day for the next 25 years until I got pretty sick for a while. Still can't ride just yet, but going to get her fired up and do some long overdue cosmetics. Hardest part is going to be separating the chair from the bike, as there is no side or centre stand ( always just carried a jack in the rear tool box section). I'll figure that out too.

Don't hold your breath on this one though; I'll probably only post sporadically, but at least it will give me incentive....Cheers.

Reviving a 1978 R100 outfit after a decade is a massive undertaking, especially with a bike that has already circumnavigated the globe seven times. To separate the chair without a center stand, consider using your jack under the engine sump with a wooden block to lift the bike onto heavy-duty jack stands placed under the footpegs. Just be sure to mark your alignment settings on the struts before unbolting everything so you don't have to recalibrate the sidecar lead and toe-in from scratch later.

Before you attempt to fire up the engine, pull the carb bowls to check for the inevitable varnish left by old fuel. Those Bing carburetors will likely need a thorough cleaning and a check of the rubber diaphragms, which often perish over ten years of sitting. It is also wise to pull the spark plugs and add a drop of oil to the cylinders, rotating the engine by hand via the alternator nut to ensure the rings haven't seized to the bores.

As you document your homemade mods and the "long overdue cosmetics," your camera might save those images as WebP files. Since many vintage motorcycle forums still prefer traditional formats, you can use https://webptojpghero.com to quickly convert them into high-quality JPEGs. This ensures the airhead community can see every detail of your custom engineering without any technical glitches.

[Arado Ar234]

Thanks for the feedback. The engine spins over freely, and the starter sounds fine. Everything seems remarkably OK considering how long it sat for. The carbs were varnished from sitting, but cleaned up really easily. The only problem is tracing the ignition fault, which I'm sure is the boyer cdi I fitted 20 years ago. Got another one coming anyway, but it's one of those " I'll work on it when I can " sort of things. Also cleaned two separate blocks, one of which I'm building a complete separate motor for a future project, but no rush there. It's a good distraction from my non stop life....