New Airhead

kmkahuna · May 16, 2010

Greetings Airhead Forum! Going to pick up a 1978 slash-7 in San Juan Capistrano tommorrow. With my m/c nut neighbor Marc, looking forward to getting her home, cleaning her up a bit, and riding her this summer! Right float is leaking a bit, needs a new gas cap, and some light rust here and there...beautiful bike! Now the garage has a dirtbike (CRF-230F), an oilhead(R850R) and now, this beauty....think I'm hooked!

SFAULKNER68 · May 16, 2010

Good year, good looking bike, good color! Have fun!

kmkahuna · May 17, 2010

Black exhausts on 78 R100/7?

Does anyone know what the story is on black exhaust pipes? Did they come from a particular model?

20774 · May 17, 2010

kmkahuna said:
Does anyone know what the story is on black exhaust pipes? Did they come from a particular model?

The R65 or R65LS?

mneblett · May 17, 2010

kmkahuna said:
Does anyone know what the story is on black exhaust pipes? Did they come from a particular model?

AFAIK, no '78 came with anything but chrome pipes. The R65LS ('79, IIRC) came from the factory with matte black exhaust (headers and mufflers), but that's the only '70's era bike that did.

kmkahuna · May 18, 2010

PHP:

Looks like the exhausts were painted over: there's chrome underneath.
Well, VIN 6147992, so it's a /7 manufactured in March 78.. it's got the Flat top Bings.
Got my Clymer...got a space in the garage picked out...and got the original pink slip daddy! (well, from 85 at least!)... I hear these flat tops can be a problem?

jforgo · May 18, 2010

kmkahuna said:
I hear these flat tops can be a problem?

Apparently they were for sombody - someone was in there and did something bizarre with the intake -to-carb connection.

Nonetheless, that is a nice machine! I could use something llike that, if you get bored with it...

tpbyrum · May 18, 2010

Those flat top carbs will work just fine if you take care of them. I put 40k miles on my 78 with the flat tops and they were reliable and smooth and responsive the whole way. NEVER put me on the side of the road and never gave me concern. Try cranking on them while healed over, chasing the east branch of the Delaware River and you'll have a smile that'll make your ears hurt.

Learn about carbs - how they work and how to maintain them. The 32mm flat tops with the 78 R100/7 drive train will give you a wonderful ride year after year. Do you want to race the thing and drag hard parts all the time? Then go get something else. Do you want to spend day after day touring country roads and climbing mountains and chasing rivers upstream? This bike will do just fine.

Don't believe everything you hear. There are many opinions out here on the internet and some of them are valid.

kmkahuna · May 18, 2010

Thanks for the replies, everyone, and thanks for the feedback, tpbyrum; it's always a lot of fun starting up a new project. Think I got a good deal, and she should be a lot of fun. I'm really enjoying geisterfahrer's thread as well, now that I have a similar project in my garage!
http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=41334
But...I am hoping to keep my mitts off this bike for awhile, and avoid my tendency to tear everything down to the molecular level and attempt the perfection process...I think she just needs some TLC here and there for now.
More pics to follow.

EMSimon · May 18, 2010

I revived a 1978 R100S that had been parked for 13 years. It was a very rewarding job. The bike runs like a scalded dog (cat?). The paint is original!

lmo1131 · May 18, 2010

someone was in there and did something bizarre with the intake -to-carb connection.

So, what is up with that air-tube connection from the air-box?!?! Is it a) the tube is on the wrong side? b) it's upside down c) the carb-to-head connector has been shortened for some perceived "performance" reason? d) it's just partially disconnected? e) other.

What's the other side look like? Getting those air tubes on can be quite a wrangle the first time someone does it; a combination of having all the clamps loose enough to allow everything to slip together. And with the two tubes being different in length and angle it can be a bit confusing.

I'm not a statistician so what is the number of different combinations; 2 tubes, 2 lengths, 2 angles, each tube has an "up" and a "down"?

radar41 · May 18, 2010

R100/7

tpbyrum said:
Learn about carbs - how they work and how to maintain them. The 32mm flat tops with the 78 R100/7 drive train will give you a wonderful ride year after year. Do you want to race the thing and drag hard parts all the time? Then go get something else. Do you want to spend day after day touring country roads and climbing mountains and chasing rivers upstream? This bike will do just fine.

Don't believe everything you hear. There are many opinions out here on the internet and some of them are valid.

What Todd said!!

Clean it up, pamper it, and it will give back many happy miles!!

In my not so humble opinion, there is NOTHING like an Airhead twin at full "song" on the open road. Good luck, you will love it!! :clap

kmkahuna · May 18, 2010

All good questions, Lew...ones that will have to wait until those carbs are sitting on my workbench...after I install my workbench...after I finish remodeling the garage..after I finish the landscaping...after I finish prepping my boat for sale..after I finish....
You guys know how that goes!

20774 · May 18, 2010

Lmo1131 said:
So, what is up with that air-tube connection from the air-box?!?! Is it a) the tube is on the wrong side? b) it's upside down c) the carb-to-head connector has been shortened for some perceived "performance" reason? d) it's just partially disconnected? e) other.

On my /7, the big rubber collar is up at the airbox. It is quite the rubic's cube to get these things on correctly. They will only fit one way. If you put it on and it looks wonky, it probably is wrong. Since the cylinders are offset on the crank, that means the sides will be different. Get the shorter one on the side it needs to be then try it in the two different positions...you'll find out which one works.

535IS · May 18, 2010

Lmo1131 said:
So, what is up with that air-tube connection from the air-box?!?! Is it a) the tube is on the wrong side? b) it's upside down c) the carb-to-head connector has been shortened for some perceived "performance" reason? d) it's just partially disconnected? e) other.

I'm not a statistician so what is the number of different combinations; 2 tubes, 2 lengths, 2 angles, each tube has an "up" and a "down"?

I'm going with a), Alex! Probably b), too.

The answer to the number of combinations is 8 - and only one of those is right. :deal

lmo1131 · May 18, 2010

after I install my workbench...after I finish remodeling the garage..after I finish the landscaping...after I finish prepping my boat for sale..after I finish....

WHAT?!?!?!? <img src="http://mail.yimg.com/a/i/mesg/tsmileys2/11.gif"> Are you freakin' nuts km ?!?!?

Pull up. Straighten out! Your priorities are obviously improperly sequenced. You LIVE IN SAN DIEGO fer cryin' out loud!!! It's what, 70-75F down there this afternoon?! You don' need no stinking garage! C'mon! Rip those cans loose, and sort this out !!! It's the middle of MAY Brother!!! It's time to be burnin' gas and hauling a**!!!

Running it like it is may be subjecting the engine to ingesting dirt, and/or small rodents and such ... not good. Looks like a relatively easy fix, and is not molecular in scope. <img src="http://mail.yimg.com/a/i/mesg/tsmileys2/03.gif"> And if you can avoid completely removing the carburetors from the head-side you can probably sneak by without having to learn to sync them.

Is the air tube situation on the other side wonky too? We're betting it is... swap them side-for-side, and if that doesn't do the trick, swap them end-for-end.

kmkahuna · May 20, 2010

Lmo1131 said:
WHAT?!?!?!? <img src="http://mail.yimg.com/a/i/mesg/tsmileys2/11.gif"> Are you freakin' nuts km ?!?!?
Pull up. Straighten out! Your priorities are obviously improperly sequenced. You LIVE IN SAN DIEGO fer cryin' out loud!!! It's what, 70-75F down there this afternoon?! You don' need no stinking garage! C'mon! Rip those cans loose, and sort this out !!! It's the middle of MAY Brother!!! It's time to be burnin' gas and hauling a**!!!

Ha ha!! Well, you know, right next to my "new old" gal, is a 96 R850R that has been serving me quite well in the twisties of San Diego...Think I'll ride that bad boy a little longer while the man cave takes shape around the slash-7... a cave worthy of her restoration!

lbrackr756 · May 20, 2010

Hey, paint those rocker box covers! Adds about $100 to the value of the machine for 50 cents in paint. Remove, clean,paint, let dry. Then take coarse sand paper and sand the paint off the 4 raised ribs for a factory fresh look.

Little Egypt Airheads
'51 R51/3 undergoing restoration
'66 R50/2
'80 R100RT

James.A · May 20, 2010

It's difficult to describe, but the way a person fits the intakes is that you start out with everything loose. Then you kind of mock up the fitment only the curve of the carb/ tubes are accentuated to the outboard of the installed curve. (Y'know, The visual curve of the intakes from the airbox to the head) Then, you push the whole assembly inboard and it all kind of folds together. If I could demonstrate it one time, it would make perfect sense. Like I said, it's difficult to describe.

James.A · May 20, 2010

By the way, I think that the narrow rubber sleeve goes down by the carburetor, but I've seen 'em fitted both ways.

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