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Complete Restoration of BMW R75/5 into Cafe Racer

Thanks

b25bsaboy said:
Love the helmet picture, as it started to make me laugh, as it reminded me so much of Snoopy on the Peanuts cartoon character when he would sit on his top of his doug house and in his imagination would be flying to avenge the terror of the Red Baron.

Thanks Shane, needed the grin!
Click to expand...


Dear Rick,
That is funny, not really the nostalgic look I was going for, what comes to mind is the below photograph and I think we all have to agree he is the man when it came to any sort of motorized vehicle, whatever it was, nobody was cooler. So Snoopy and Red Barron not so much, Steve McQueen any day of the week!

I am glad that I could put a grin on your face, same grin my wife gets all the time I suppose when she thinks "what is my idiot husband up to this time."

Thanks,
Shane
 

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Final Drive and Transmission

Looks a little like my Porsche back in the day, my car was kept in cardboard boxes for nearly 25 years. Here is my final drive and transmission as Josh is transporting it to the mechanic to put it back together and go through it entirely. The last picture is rather cool, how Josh transported the pieces to the mechanic, in the saddle bags of his R100S, how poignant.

Thanks again guys for all the help.

Sincerely,
Shane
 

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Heads and Cylinders

We have a dilemma, the new Siebenrock cylinders that we bought look brand new while our heads look like they came from a bike from 1971! :brad We were thinking about polishing them, but it has become way to expensive and Josh is worried that maybe the polished product will not dissipate heat like it is suppose to. So Josh has been researching and has found a Vapor Blasting process that we are going to use on the heads and more than likely the carbs to give them that new look. It is relatively inexpensive and we think we have found our solution, you can read about the process at:

http://www.vaporblasting.biz/index.html

Any comments would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Shane

Below is a picture of our new cylinders side by side with the heads.
 

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It'll be interesting to see the results of the 'vaporblasting' compared to the new cylinders!

Really enjoying the thread Shane, Thanks!

Mike Horne, RN
76 R90/6
93 R100R Legend
 
I looked over what Shane has done. Before doing my R60/5, I have a little Honda CL175 to get running. I had the motor glass bead blasted...never again. That dusty crap is in every nook and cranny in the whole motor. Took me hours and hours to be sure that it's out of the bolt holes and oil passages. I still came across pockets of glass dust when re-assembling.

But...back to the paint. I masked the parts and then sprayed first with Duplicolor Engine Primer. Then used Duplicolor Engine paint #1615 Aluminum and #1611 Ford Gray. I did try rubbing the 1615 on, and it really did not turn out nice.

Anyhoo...

photo2.jpg

photo1-1.jpg


The Aluminum color is really nice! It is thin enough to really let the metal texture show through, but nice and bright. The Ford Gray looks more like paint, but I wanted that contrast on the cylinders and covers. Didn't want the covers overly bright.

Anyway...I'll probably use the 1615 paint on the R60/5 motor, and the 1611 on the cylinders and covers for some contrast.
 
Wow!

BimmerCrab said:
I looked over what Shane has done. Before doing my R60/5, I have a little Honda CL175 to get running. I had the motor glass bead blasted...never again. That dusty crap is in every nook and cranny in the whole motor. Took me hours and hours to be sure that it's out of the bolt holes and oil passages. I still came across pockets of glass dust when re-assembling.

But...back to the paint. I masked the parts and then sprayed first with Duplicolor Engine Primer. Then used Duplicolor Engine paint #1615 Aluminum and #1611 Ford Gray. I did try rubbing the 1615 on, and it really did not turn out nice.

Anyhoo...

photo2.jpg

photo1-1.jpg


The Aluminum color is really nice! It is thin enough to really let the metal texture show through, but nice and bright. The Ford Gray looks more like paint, but I wanted that contrast on the cylinders and covers. Didn't want the covers overly bright.

Anyway...I'll probably use the 1615 paint on the R60/5 motor, and the 1611 on the cylinders and covers for some contrast.
Click to expand...

I have to say, splendid JOB, it looks perfect in every way, thanks for sharing. I like the contrast with the gray. We should not have the issue as you did with Glass Beads, we will see, many people swear by it. Thanks again for following and the best of your with the rest of the restoration, love seing other guys bikes.

Sincerely,
Shane
 
balkowitsch said:
We should not have the issue as you did with Glass Beads, we will see, many people swear by it.
Click to expand...

You're doing the right thing with the vapor blast. Some extra cost for shipping, but I'd easily trade $75 round-trip shipping for not having to do all the stupid cleaning I did. I'll send them everything from my /5 but the main motor case (which is easy to prep for paint without blasting).
 
Cleaning Out Tank

Josh did some work on not only my tank but some other tanks he needed to clean out. The orange tank is the tank we will be using for the build, the older toaster.

Thanks,
Shane
 

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Clean as a new Dime

This is the gunk that came out from the inside of my tank. Josh threw an old dimie in the mix and it looks freshly minted.

Thanks,
Shane
 

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Heat Gun

From the pictures he sent it appears a heat gun is part of the process, he will use a tank sealant when the cleaning is finally done.

Thanks,
Shane
 

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Thanks to all for the tip on the Duplicolor Aluminum. After having my front cover blasted, it looked much better after after a hit with the Duplicolor --- bringing it to almost exactly the same color as the new valve covers....
Mac
 
Perfect

PeoriaMac said:
Thanks to all for the tip on the Duplicolor Aluminum. After having my front cover blasted, it looked much better after after a hit with the Duplicolor --- bringing it to almost exactly the same color as the new valve covers....
Mac
Click to expand...

Mac, that is great, that is what this is all about. Being a total imbecile when it comes to the BMW bikes and motorcycles in general, I am trying to learn as much as I can from Josh and you guys as I go. I may never be a mechanic, just don't have that talent, but I hope to be able to care for the old girl once she is complete. Last week the ignition had an issue in the Porsche and I got on the 356 Registry and got some help and had it back up and running within the week. Even had to do some soldering. I appreciate this human element the most with these projects.

Thanks,
Shane
 
Poignant Video

Josh posted a video on the Beemers and Bits site and wanted to share:

http://beemersandbits.com/2012/04/g...paign=Feed:+BeemersAndBits+(Beemers+and+Bits)

I have always said that it is not about the metal, leather and rubber, it is about the people that surround that metal, leather and rubber that is most important. I found a dear friend in Bill Hamilton who did my Porsche and now Josh and I share a unique relationship taking on this project together. We both have our role, me the checkbook and the ideas about what I want, him the expertise and the blood sweat and tears of doing a restoration to this level, and together we are a team, even though we have never met, we share moments in each others lives and our friendship will last long after the bike is restored and that is what made me take the bike project up so quickly after the car, I missed that element in my life.

Thanks for letting me share, like you have a choice! :D

Thanks,
Shane
 
Video

Absolutely beautiful 5-min video, filled with REAL people, speaking with open hearts about a passion we all share. I'm sending this along to several fellow lunatics - it deserves to go viral for many reasons.

I'll probably never restore a /2, but I'm ordering the book, just in case -- but the artwork, alone, would make it worth the price, and I'm just guessing that the prose is likely world-class, too.

Shane, THANKS (again) for sharing something special. You and Josh and your project are perfectly illustrating (or illuminating) the golden maxim of restoration: You cannot push the river! The natural pace and progression is a joy to watch - you're making a huge contribution to the cause via your aesthetics, and through your ability and willingness to document this wonderful renewal. There is NO doubt that you guys have inspired more than one of us to undertake a moto-project perhaps not quite this grand, yet no less soul-satisfying. One of those "the sum is greater than the parts (literally!)" truths that must be experienced before being fully grasped.

You are going to have one big smile on your face when that thing roars to life. Can't wait for the movie with soundtrack.

"He started innocently enough with an old Porsche; soon it was old Airheads, and then -- it was too, too late to turn back. . ."

Walking Eagle
 
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