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Intergenerational Restoration

S

sumran

Guest
My son is going to be 14 in June. He has attended some tech days with me and helped host one. At the last one, he was very involved in reviving a R90 that had been a non-runner for more than 5 years. He cleaned the heads and the valves while we worked on carbs etc. It was a highlight of the tech day when the bike came to life. It was running fairly well by the end of the weekend.

We had such a good time, I went looking for a project bike for us. I wanted something we could go through over the next few years; something he could ride when the time was right. We found it sooner than expected. Someone saw my "bike wanted" ad that had done the same thing with his son at about the same age. He gave me great deal on a '73 60/5 LWB toaster.

So here are some pics. I am having some trouble getting smugmug to work right (operator error, I'm sure). I'll add a post with multiple pics when I get that worked out. I will try to keep the progress updated as we go along.
 

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It is missing carbs, lights, instruments and controls. Everything else is there and in fairly good order.
 

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Thought the cafe crowd would enjoy the unique application of clubman bars.:brow
 

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I'm not sure about the mileage on the bike. Any estimates based on the brake pedal?
 

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Finding a good /5 headlight can be challenging. You might consider a /6 type. It's a better light, and it'll add to the fun, both in the doing and in shocking the rivet counters.

I helped my stepson put a /5 on the road over ten years ago, telling him, "If you can ride a /5, you can ride anything!".
 
lostboy said:
Finding a good /5 headlight can be challenging. You might consider a /6 type. It's a better light, and it'll add to the fun, both in the doing and in shocking the rivet counters.
Click to expand...

You are clearly a radical. Next you will be suggesting custom gauges and an upgraded electrical system.:D
 
I envy you Randy. You and your son are in for quite an adventure. You know he'll be driving age when you guys get it all finished. Have fun, don't rush it.

Ride Safe
MB
 
Awright! Planning to do this myself with my daughter, but the project is already picked out. Her mom has a Honda Rebel that hasn't moved in nearly a decade. We have all the parts ... ;)
 
That brake pedal ain't got a mile over 35K on her. What a find!
 
Crazy uncles just get you in trouble... when I was 10 years old, one of my uncles called me up. "Hey, catch a ride to the airport. I'm in Maryland and I bought you a plane ticket. I figured you'd want to ride back to Chicago with me on the back of my bike." I was hooked on the concept of a motorcycle, but also the idea of a BMW. Now its 10 years later and I'm finding myself in this for the long haul.
 
Carb questions

The beast has no carbs. What are your thoughts on the best carbs to use for this model? I don't mind changing spigots if there is a benefit. I am expecting to have some head work done anyway. We will be dual plugging to correct the pinging that is common to this motor.

We expect to keep things reasonably close to stock, but we are very willing to deviate from stock where there are clear advantages. For example (as noted earlier by lostboy), the headlight is missing. We will be mounting a later model unit, since it has superior performance and is much cheaper. Even though it is not the original, any airhead parts source could identify it and provide replacements as needed.

The considerations for the project are, in order of importance: Safety, reliability, serviceability, smoothness, efficiency, appearance, and performance.

Thanks. I'm sure I will ask many similar questions along the way.
 
sumran said:
We do have an opening for a crazy uncle.
Click to expand...

Heck yes. I actually already have experience.

I told my niece that my motorcycle boots are my "dancing boots" so whenever I put them on, I start dancing and talking "crazy."

Now that she's in like... 5th grade, she's old enough to appreciate how ridiculous I am. Sometimes. I hope.
 
The intake threads in the R50 and R60 are much smaller than on the bigger bikes. Still, people have installed 32mm Bings on them with adapters. I think if I were going to change carbs I would weld an adapter to the R60 stub. It would be tempting to install Mikunis, but there are tons of used Bings out there to be had, and if you're patient, you can find a set for little money.
 
lostboy said:
The intake threads in the R50 and R60 are much smaller than on the bigger bikes. Still, people have installed 32mm Bings on them with adapters. I think if I were going to change carbs I would weld an adapter to the R60 stub. It would be tempting to install Mikunis, but there are tons of used Bings out there to be had, and if you're patient, you can find a set for little money.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. Some of the locals have offered excess Bings for the project. I spoke with the technical department at Bing and they are sending some research on various carb options and jetting for this motor. I am eager to see what is in the report. It was only available via fax or snail mail and I don't have a fax available.

I don't know if it will include information ot photos of adaptors, but if anyone has pics that would be great.
 
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