Can you recommend mechanic in Detroit?

Hi all,

I have a 1966 R50/2, and it was more or less a basket case when I got it. I put it together, used it for a few years, then put it away for a few years. The electrical was always dodgy, and it may have something to do with this, but this winter I did a full tear down, cleaned the slingers, etc.

Tried starting it, I'm getting spark, carbs are leaking (I think I fixed that), but long story short, I think I'd be better off having someone give it the once over to fix what I boogered (I'll admit it!).

Is there anyone in the Detroit area who can work on these vintage bikes?

Thanks!

Jon Green

Jon -

Provided the engine is back together correctly (timing gears, etc.), it should be pretty easy to start. Admittedly, things have to be set right. I suspect the problem is that the magneto is not timed correctly. Since the kicking speed of the engine is pretty slow, the magneto needs to be spot on in order to have the hottest spark. Here's a link to Vech's website where the magneto timing is discussed:

http://www.benchmarkworks.com/articles/tech/hardstart.html

Maybe Vech will read your post and provide some additional insight.

After that, there's the spark or ignition timing. The key thing to remember is that the magneto timing and ignition timing are separate adjustments. But setting the point gap can be difficult. Actually, a wide range of point gap will likely let the bike get started. For efficient running, though, it needs to be close to correct.

As for vintage mechanics in your area, I'm not aware of any. I checked this webpage:

http://micapeak.com/bmw/Airhead-Shops.html

for something in Detroit, but only find a couple of shops in Michigan. But the ones that are in Michigan don't indicate any experience with pre 1970 bikes. You might call the dealer in Grand Rapids and see if they have any suggestions.

Let us know if you have any other questions. If we can help you from here, we'll try.

I was lucky enough to be at vintage bike days a few years ago, and vech was there, one of his guys confirmed my advance was bad, helped me set a basic timing. I have to 2x check the timing, gap, and magneto. I have about ten copies of vech's article, maybe it will sink in one day!

Just an update- I sat down with vech's article, the ohm meter, and a bit of patience and a rainy day, and I think I did it! Tickled the carbs and started on second kick! I need to get a fresh battery to check on the electrics, but for now, between Ed korn's tools and videos and vechorics tech tips, this appears to be a success!

Jon -

A battery is not needed to run the bike...it's just a resevoir to keep the lights running when the bike is at idle. Still, I like to have a good battery regardless.

That is one of the nice things about the bike! As it stands now, none of the electrics work; not even the charging light or neutral light - I'm assuming it's because the battery is stone dead. I hooked up the battery because I figured that there has to be a battery to complete the circuit so that the bike will run. Do you actually need the battery to run the bike? Could you unhook the battery and still run the bike, knowing that you'd have no lights? What do you do with the wires that lead to the battery?

166926 said:

Do you actually need the battery to run the bike? Could you unhook the battery and still run the bike, knowing that you'd have no lights? What do you do with the wires that lead to the battery?

Click to expand...

No, you don't need a battery. The charging circuit which charges the battery is independent of the ignition circuit, which is the magneto. The charging system must work in order to get lights, but the battery doesn't have to even be in the circuit. As for the wires to the battery, don't connect them! Either just leave them hanging, maybe put some tape or heat shrink around the positive side. Might be best just to put the dead battery or something in there.

I'm guessing the generator is not working...have you had a chance to measure across the battery leads with the engine running? If there's no output, it could be a number of things, including the brushes or the regulator.

That will be the next step. Thanks for your help on this - I really appreciate it!

A great resource for troubleshooting the electrics on these vintage machines is a book by Doug Rinckes. There's a Ver 1.0 that's free floating around the web. But Vech sells a much improved color bound version that I consider a must for owning something this old.

Book 001--BMW Electrics by Doug Rinckes 1955-1969 R50 R50S R60 R60 US R69S R50/2 R50US R60/2 R69 R69US R26 R27

http://www.benchmarkworks.com/