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Classic Bavarian Bagger

I'm going with a Teutonic 1000 mile style solo springer seat. a lot of the old timers ran them back in the day and still do. I didn't like the hose clamp style mounting system, so a buddy of mine fabbed up a little better set up. The 2 seats I have are, I believe, Teutonic knockoffs. Anyway a lot of the oldtimers liked them.


Looking forward to pics of the finished project !! :thumb

Rode a few HD solo & Servi-Cars with that kind of seat...when padding is new/good condition...they are comfortable..
 
2 Thumbs Up

Thx 71243, this bike has undergone a lot of changes over the years. I'ts had the small tank , now the large tank. It's had the Windjammer, No windshild, 3 or 4 aftermarket windshields all sizes, BMW windshield, no bags, several different sets of Krausers, soft luggage, no luggage, Wixoms, 3 or 4 different seats. Several different rear racks, several different tankbags. Several side stands. Several times it approached rat bike status, but I didn't like that and I really didn't see it that way. . It 's been a naked bike, bobber, dresser. Probably the only thing it hasn't been is a cafe racer. It's been to 5 or 6 MOA nationals, several RA nationals. Probably 7 or 8 times down to Daytona Bike week. Once down to Key West, Another trip to Flamingo Point down to the southern end of mainland Fl. 4 or 5 trips when rode to Daytona, Fl. where I rode it straight thru 800 miles stopping only to gas up. No telling how many local rallies, runs, rides, benefits I've rode this bike. Generally I've gotten more favorable comments from non BMW riders than BMW riders. It really didn't matter much either way, it was my bike. I've trail rode it where a lot of GS riders wouldn't even think of ridin ther bikes and I'm no off road rider. Any way it'll always get 2 thumbs up from me. :thumb:thumb It's all good.
 
Rebuild

I ride and hang out with a lot of motorcycle riders, who ride the complete gamut of bikes. To the off brand riders I try to explain that I just really like BMW's. BMW riders ask which bike is best and I usually answer all of them. I usually get a vacant look. Any given year, I generally think they are the best bike available. New models come out every year and their good bikes to. It doesn't diminish last years great model. I own and ride other brands of bikes, I pretty much like everything. German's build their bikes to have a long service life, but they also build them to be rebuilt. That's what's happening here.
 
Now that the seat mount is pretty much decided, I hope to get started on stripping down the rolling chassis to individual components. I've decided that the frame/subframe will be stripped and painted a black enamel. I've also been giving a lot of attention to the wheels, so that will be coming up pretty quick. This bike will be slightly to moderately customized. That said, when this bike is finished any one who likes /6's will recognize it as a /6. The /6 has good bones and has a natural good look. A lot of that has to do with it's almost perfect proportions. I know it sounds silly, but it just does. When you start addin stuff , the proportions get out of whack pretty quick.
 
Front wheel and new twin disc set starting to shape up. Cleaning, polishing, detailing. Rebuild the internals next, then over to a buddy to check wheel spoke trueness.
 
definitions of "bagger"

Wikipedia says a bagger is one who puts groceries in a bag. Rodney Dangerfield used to say his wife was a two bagger. She was so ugly he put one bag over her head and one over his in case hers broke. In the motorcycle world most commonly understood to be any motorcycle with saddlebags. There are bagger websites and organizations and contests, So I guess my GS and my /6 both could be called "baggers".

I like that you are not going to change the basic looks of the /6. I agree there is a classic look to our bikes, much like Triumph's, Nortons, Guzzi's and Electra Glides.

Have fun with your build and keep the pictures coming. I would like to see a before and after shot.
 
OL Yaller

Bagger, Bag Lady, Ol Yaller are all names that would have fit my bike back in the day. The front rim is the original Weinmann with SS spokes. The front hub and one rotor are original pieces and the other rotor was sourced off the BMW used parts in the ON's. The solid disc rotors are unique to the '74 model year.
 
4 Bagger

Using the Rodney Daingerfield graph, I've seen a few 2 bagger BMW's and a couple of 3 baggers. Back in the nineties at the Bulow BMW campground during Daytona bike Week I ran across a 3, no make that a 4 bagger. I took the night off from partying in Daytona and stayed in the Bulow campground all night, just hung around. Two dudes rode up, one got off his bike and walked off. The other just stood there straddling his loaded down bike. After a good while I couldn't stand it. Hey man, why don't you get off your bike and take a break. He sheepishly replied I can't. What? I can't, my sidestand and center stand are both broke. Good Lord! Got a few sticks of firewood and put under his cylinder. He got off and he couldn't stop thankin me.
 
4 Bagger continued

I got called away, but I wanted to finish the story on the 4 Bagger. I got up the next day and met the two brothers from Missouri. I could now see the 4 Bagger in all it's glory. Gory would have been a better word. Nightmare on Elm St. was a fitten name. That poor bike was bent, broken, battered, rusted, every bad adjective you can name. I really ragged the poor guy about his dilapadated bike. I told him he was a danger on the hiway and and he was giving BMW a blackeye. He apologized profusely. I went back to my tent and just laughted. They left a few days latter and he left a note on my tent. Explaining he was going to fix the bike or get a better one and more thx for the help. That poor bike, so sad.
 
So I'm trying to understand the 4 bags. Did the guy have two saddlebags, a top box, and a bag over his head because he was the "unknown" biker? ;)
 
Yep, sure do. My R90 kinda resembled that bike. That mght be a 1 bagger. On the Field of Dreams a 4 bagger is a Homerun. That's closer to what I'm aiming for.
 
Here's the rear hub. Stripped it down and bead blasted it. Looked pretty good, then ran it thru a clean cycle in the dishwasher. Came out bead free, but a wrong shade of grey. It occured to me that this same thing happened a few years ago on another build. Oldtimers is starting to set in. Any way I got a buddy with a supersonic parts cleaner, thank goodness. Got a Akront rim source and on the way. hope to get the wheels done in a couple of weeks. Time to move onto the rollin chassis and start the strip down.
 
I forgot to mention those are SS spokes for the reassembly. Also in the pic is is the old and the new final drive ring. The old drive spline is at least 70% gone. Years ago I sent the final drive out to Hansen's in Medford, Oregon so that work has already been done. Good to have some stuff done and completed. The little package is the brads/rivets to fasten the drive to the hub. Onward and upward.
 
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