My BMW has arrived – let’s see what it’s like!
Missed Part 1? I switch from Honda to BMW for vintage racing purposes.
My new-to-me race bike came in running on one cylinder – after a quick check of fuel/air/spark I figured the carbs should get a clean.
Thanks, Euro MotoElectrics!
That’s right – Dell’Orto parts. Though you’d normally see Bings on a stock R75/5, this bike is equipped with Dell’Orto PHF36As.
I also couldn’t help but notice the period Luftmeister dipstick/thermometer. They’re rare and a fun period accessory but like many Luftmeister products, there are mixed opinions about its effectiveness.
While I was going through the carbs, there was some stuff I was expecting to see:
There was also some stuff I wasn’t expecting to see…like a small twig in one of the slides!
I put the carbs back together and got the bike running on two cylinders! That was the day that the fires broke out in Los Angeles, so the BMW got put on the back burner. When I finally got back to it a few weeks later, it was having running problems again. My attempts to fix it by not changing anything and just trying to start it more somehow didn’t work, but it did lead to wet spark plugs and a bit of flooding with some gas in the crankcase…so that gave me the perfect excuse to flush all of the fluids, which I was going to do anyway.
I took the carbs apart again and realized the float levels were wrong.
Around 9:30pm on March 2nd, I could finally comfortably state that this bike was running alright for me:
That night I took it for a quick test ride. It’s quicker than I expected and is definitely peppier than my R100CS…but maybe that’s because the latter was being weighed down by Waffles, the pug that Vy was dogsitting.
Aw.
I was pleasantly surprised by the “go” but the “whoa” was horrible. I wasn’t sure if that was because the BMW disc brake was horrible from the factory or because there’s something wrong with it (I hadn’t done the brake fluid yet). More to come on that, but I want to wrap things up with some of the modifications on this bike. Per the for sale listing, this bike has several period upgrades:
– five-speed transmission
– shaved crankshaft
– Carrillo rods
– lightened flywheel
– braced frame down tubes
– R80 front end with disc brake
– airbox delete
– rear sets
– 36 mm Dell’Orto carbs
– Dyna coils/electronic ignition
Hearing the bike while on the lift is one thing, but I figure you should hear it on the move a little bit!
Time to see how it goes – my first race is this weekend!