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Long trip ahead, what to check?

Fellow members,

I will be going on my first LONG trip on my 86R80 since I purchased last year, been running about 230KM every other Sunday but no comparison to the upcoming trip. I will be riding to Edelweiss to ride the ALPS(YAAAYYY) in June. It is a 5-6 hour ride to get to Edelweiss just to get to the star point. My bike has 102500kilometers. I have changed oil in engine, tranny and hub after replacing shaft boot and swingarm bearings. still getting a click though upon take off, might have to take to dealer. I know airheads are built to run but is their any areas that I need to watch or check so I don't have a breakdown because of my fault? I have 2 manuals but I am asking for experienced long distance riders' input from past experiences. Many thanks

Phil
 
Track down the "click". Without knowing where it seems to be coming from, a click is usually a bad universal joint in a driveshaft. There are other possibilities but that certainly comes to mind.

If not done within the past year or two I'd change the brake fluid.

Take a look at any electrical connections you can find - I'd pull the tank - and make sure they look clean and solid. If not clean them up.

How old are the carb diaphrams? Spark plugs?

I could probably think of more but these are the basics.
 
Riding the Alps with all the passes eats on the front brake pads. Check that you have enough material left.

If you know you have good compression, valve clearance checked and spark plugs have the right coloring you should have no problem with the motor.

Put the motorcycle on the center stand and grap each wheel by the spokes and shake it to see if there is a slack in the bearing.

If the drive shaft is an upcoming problem you typicall feel a vibration from the footpegs. Usually it takes a while from that on before the u-joint comes apart.

You could take the tank off and visibly check that no wire is crooked or its insulation damaged. I assume you do have a roll of electrical tape in you onboard tool bag.

I would take Paul's advice seriously and find the cause of that clicking sound. Otherise it always causes a 'thread' of thought while riding.

Have fun and say hello to the Grossklockner from me!

/Guenther
 
Good advice

Thanks for the good advice. I have added the 2nd caliper and rotor with new pads this past winter, they are good. Needed the extra stopping power with my wife as a passenger. Yesterday I had a BMW Boxer master check the bike at the dealer here in Germany. He has no clue what is the clicking, he felt it but checked everything and found no early signs of bad news. He said to ride it until it worsens because it does not click all the time. I plan to carry extra tools and quick fix things on the ride. clothes are the secondary packing list. I am going to get new tires as well, the German laws are more strict on tires. the dealer, because they do perform inspections have the right to remove your bike from the road until it meets all the laws, he looked at me after looking at the tires and shook his head, no and said sshhhhh. get new tires. They would pass in the states though. the plus is he did say the R80 was in great condition mechanically and aesthetically. I love the airheads.
 
Thanks for the good advice. I have added the 2nd caliper and rotor with new pads this past winter, they are good. Needed the extra stopping power with my wife as a passenger. Yesterday I had a BMW Boxer master check the bike at the dealer here in Germany. He has no clue what is the clicking, he felt it but checked everything and found no early signs of bad news. He said to ride it until it worsens because it does not click all the time. I plan to carry extra tools and quick fix things on the ride. clothes are the secondary packing list. I am going to get new tires as well, the German laws are more strict on tires. the dealer, because they do perform inspections have the right to remove your bike from the road until it meets all the laws, he looked at me after looking at the tires and shook his head, no and said sshhhhh. get new tires. They would pass in the states though. the plus is he did say the R80 was in great condition mechanically and aesthetically. I love the airheads.

Phil, enjoy your trip and be safe. I miss riding in Germany AHhhhhhhh....so beautiful
 
Something I have been burned on during a long trip....

...mounting hardware for the luggage panniers. Make sure all the nuts and bolts that hold the
chrome luggage racks to the bike are secure and snug. ditto the nuts on the shift linkage.

It could be well said to check every fastener on the bike, sure... but these are the ones
that I have had problems with over the years.
 
Thanks for that advice, I have seen ratchet straps over the krauser hard bags in the ON magazine, I already planned to atleast do that, I have 1 bag that likes to have 1 clasp come unhooked.
 
review the torque settings on fasteners

One thing I do at the beginning of each season is grab the manual and a torque wrench and start at the front of the bike. Even through I "think" I properly tightened all the fasteners during various jobs during the winter months I figure it is a good idea to spend about 10 minutes and simply check each fastener. Too many times I get interrupted during a repair job. Plus, a review of the fasteners might lead you to notice some developing problem, like the luggage nuts and bolts, ugh, loosing a bag on the hwy!
Good luck!
Kurt
 
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