A Nice Spring Ride

Today I went out on my Moto Guzzi on a nice spring ride out east here in Long Island. The sky was blue and is was in the mid 60's F out.Hit all my favorite back roads  and just had a great few hours .

I love riding the T so after this first short break I blasted around on back roads then stopped here at this boat launch ramp and took these photos of early spring.

Rode around some more and explored some.I saw some other bikes out doing the same thing.It was just an incredibly nice day to ride.As I was heading back towards where I pick up the highway I stopped to check out the rivers water level where I put in with my kayak to see if it has returned to normal.It had and that made me happy.Last year we were in a drought and the water was too low to even try to put in here.So now I'm thinking I may get out next week and paddle around some for the first time this year.

After a short break here I hit the slab and headed west 30 miles towards home. As I was riding on the highway it happened,almost like a lightning strike.I NEED TO GO ON ANOTHER LONG TRIP OUT WEST !It's as if I just awoke.Here I am going on about building this 1988 BMW K100RS with 12000 fucking miles on it to sell when it dawned on me what an idiot I'd be to do that.I'm going to be 70 years old in 2019 and if I put aside my social security money from now until my 70th birthday I will have enough money to go on another of those "once in a lifetime trips" The BMW is the perfect bike to do this with and I have two years to sort it and learn it .So,the man has a new plan ! Not only is there a new plan but a new bike to help put that plan into action. So from this point forward this bike is being built for me .

The Flying Brick !!!!

BMW K100 (A cross post)

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Work On The BMW K100

As I wait for the seven days required for the paint on the engine cases for Yamaha YM1 to cure so I can second coat them I decided to get going on the third bike that I want to sell this spring.I finally decided to sell the 1988 BMW K100 that my good friend Tony gave me a couple years ago.The more I get into working on this bike the more I realize it's just not my kinda bike even though it's in mint condition with only 12000 miles on it.There are just too many electronics on it for me to feel comfortable taking it out into the middle of nowhere so I'm going thru it and getting it in tip top condition as a seller for the down payment fund. As you can see I started by taking everything off to get access to the fuel injection system and giving the bike it's initial cleaning so when I start to put it back together it goes together clean.

I started fixing this up last year as a keeper and began with the gas tank.The bike sat from 2004 until it came to me in 2014 with old gas in the tank.When I opened up the tank all I saw was this murky liquid that was rust colored .I knew right then that I had a job on my hands. I pulled the tank,drained it and disposed of the old fuel then washed out the tank with soap and water so I could see what I had.It was a mess but the tank itself was fine because it's made from aluminum .The rust turned out to be the fuel gauge sending unit that rusted away in this old gas. I also saw that the fuel pump was shot and the outer case of the metal fuel filter was all rusted away.This was good news ! So , I continued the cleaning and got it all set for new parts to be installed.

After the cleaning job I found a new sender unit on Ebay for cheap and ordered all new fuel system components . I bought everything from the fuel pump right down to the injectors. The injectors were still good so I just cleaned them and ordered new o rings for them. I got a new battery from my friend Juan.He bought the wrong battery for his R80 and it couldn't be returned because we already filled it with acid so he gave it to me. Once I had a battery I was able to check out the rest of the bike and found everything in good working order , it even has spark ! So,once the fuel system is all fixed she should be a runner .Today I think I'm going to start putting the pump ,filter,and sending unit in the tank.It's a rainy day and kind of raw out and I can do this work in my nice warm basement.This stuff wasn't cheap but I got it from this great place called Euro Moto Electrics http://www.euromotoelectrics.com/EnDuraLast-BMW-K-52mm-Fuel-Pump-16-12-1-461-576-p/fp-576edl.htm  . I've used these people before and they are good.All the electrical in my Moto Guzzi 850-T comes from them same for all the work Juan and I did on his two BMW's .

The other day after doing the cleaning operation on this beast I also soaked and cleaned & tested the injectors .So once the new o rings get here I'm ready to begin putting this bike back together.

Yesterday I rode,today I work on this,tomorrow I ride again when the sun returns from behind the clouds.My friend Juan has returned from his 3 months in Mexico so perhaps I'll have a riding partner tomorrow .Who knows,but what I do know is that all of a sudden these three bikes will all come together and I'll be listing them all over the internet for sale and I'll be well on my way towards getting the down payment for a house out in Sierra Vista , Arizona where I'll be setting up shop and building bikes and riding bikes until I leave this Earth.

Update 2019 :
Now the K100 has been in service for 2 full years .I have taken her on some long trips  and wouldn't you know it , I Fell In Love ! She's a keeper .Once I got past the learning about the new tech stuff and understood it I embraced it and now I am into this machine 100% . I still love my Moto Guzzi and my Yamaha Two Strokes  and ride them all. I have just added a new area of motorcycling to my life . Thanks Tony