Greetings, first time posting here, my name is Marco and myself and two buddies hit the road 6 days ago on a mission to get to the west coast and back (we are blogging about it on 6onasphalt.com should anyone care to have a look). I'm on a '74 R90 which has, as of today, left me a bit stranded. Basically my front wheel bears blew and naturally my front wheel is dancing around on the front axle. To add to this, just before, along the highway we had to slow down a bit for traffic where I down shifted and have since lost pressure Omar the clutch lever. Once stopped, I noted that every time I hit the lever the transmission casing and motor push away from each other. Granted, this was all on the way to the BMW dealer. What are the chance any of you guys are in the area with a good front rim for sale? And some insight on how terrible of a situation the transmission/clutch scenario is?
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74 r90/6 stuck in Aurora CO
Welcome to the forum...sorry you're having troubles right now. Someone on this forum that is very good with rebuilding/repairs is a member by the forum name of brook.reams. His member profile is here:
http://forums.bmwmoa.org/member.php?18574-brook-reams
I don't see an email address but just a forum Private Message...he lives in Arvada, the other side of Denver. His blog is here:
http://brook.reams.me/
http://forums.bmwmoa.org/member.php?18574-brook-reams
I don't see an email address but just a forum Private Message...he lives in Arvada, the other side of Denver. His blog is here:
http://brook.reams.me/
pglaves
#13338
If the transmission is being pushed away from the engine case when the clutch is pulled the capscrews (bolts) holding the transmission to the engine need to be tightened. Use the 6mm allen wrench in the tool kit, or buy one at a hardware store.
Do this before riding the bike any more because if it moves with any angle relative to the engine it will be damaging the clutch hub and transmission input shaft.
For wheel repairs there are at least a couple of dealerships in the Denver metro area that should be able to provide parts and service.
And several members listed in the Anonymous book.
Do this before riding the bike any more because if it moves with any angle relative to the engine it will be damaging the clutch hub and transmission input shaft.
For wheel repairs there are at least a couple of dealerships in the Denver metro area that should be able to provide parts and service.
And several members listed in the Anonymous book.
Thanks for the information, i reached out to a few of the contacts some of you have suggested but haven't gotten a reply yet. At this point its not a big deal as I just returned from BMW in Aurora and an older gentleman named Clem who works there is going to straighten me out. He also confirmed that the transmission needs to just be tightened down. He is supplying me with a Lester front wheel that he has at home, all with the hopes of having this ready today. If so we can hit the road tomorrow morning right on schedule but with a bigger hole in my pocket than i would have liked.
On another note, I was averaging 20-25 MPG on this machine and although it's obvious that my front wheel bearing giving out was causing enough sway to cause the brakes to drag, I'm unsure if that would be significant enough to bring the gas mileage so low. I set the needles in the carbs to the lowest setting to no avail. We'll see what kind of improvements I experience once the front wheel is fixed but would anyone have any other suggestions? Possibly a leaky float valve? Float height off by that much (I can confirm that I did NOT look into the float height on this build)?
On another note, I was averaging 20-25 MPG on this machine and although it's obvious that my front wheel bearing giving out was causing enough sway to cause the brakes to drag, I'm unsure if that would be significant enough to bring the gas mileage so low. I set the needles in the carbs to the lowest setting to no avail. We'll see what kind of improvements I experience once the front wheel is fixed but would anyone have any other suggestions? Possibly a leaky float valve? Float height off by that much (I can confirm that I did NOT look into the float height on this build)?
Well, more bad news. The damage to the front was much worse than expected. Apparently the axle friction welded to the internals of the wheel and was spinning on the lowers making them useless now. What on God's green earth are the chances anyone around here has an extra set for an r90 or r90s?
What do your spark plugs look like? You might have to wait until you get these other things sort out before you can really assess the mileage question.
I just checked the MOA Flea Market and the IBMWR marketplace and don't see any sliders available. You should look at the link in my signature line and find the section on Used Parts. It's possibly that one of those suppliers will have something that you can use. Names that come to mind are Airheads Salvage and Stoners Stash. Nothing that I know of in your neck of the woods.
If you recall (or maybe you haven't seen your first edition of the Owners News), but Matt Parkhouse is the Airhead guru and writes for the Owners News. He lives in Colorado Springs. Also, don't forget about the Anonymous Book as Paul suggested. If you don't have a copy of it with you, you can access the online version by going to this link using your smartphone:
http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?74213-The-Anonymous-Book-Mobile-Edition
Click on the link at the top of the page.
I just checked the MOA Flea Market and the IBMWR marketplace and don't see any sliders available. You should look at the link in my signature line and find the section on Used Parts. It's possibly that one of those suppliers will have something that you can use. Names that come to mind are Airheads Salvage and Stoners Stash. Nothing that I know of in your neck of the woods.
If you recall (or maybe you haven't seen your first edition of the Owners News), but Matt Parkhouse is the Airhead guru and writes for the Owners News. He lives in Colorado Springs. Also, don't forget about the Anonymous Book as Paul suggested. If you don't have a copy of it with you, you can access the online version by going to this link using your smartphone:
http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?74213-The-Anonymous-Book-Mobile-Edition
Click on the link at the top of the page.
dennisdarrow
#4869 Earned Lifetime mem
You are getting excellent advice so far. Sounds like for once on here you have a really great mechanic at a dealership helping you.........Something is definately wrong with your mileage. At the worst you should be in the mid to high 30s. You were asked what your plugs are like. What is the end of your muffler like???? Have you run a simple timing check????
Right now though you are worried about your front end. Might be a good time to change out to a different front end from a later edition bike that has the master cylinder on the handlebar.............NO I AM NOT SPENDING YOUR MONEY FOR YOU......I realize what condition you are in and have been there with you sleeping on the tables at a park/rest stop......But am just suggesting that so if you come across something like that to realize that you can easily do it.........No telling what you will come up with......
Anyway, sounds like you are in good hands there and just have faith that, with your efforts, IT WILL COME OUT AS IT IS SUPPOSED TO....God bless......Dennis
Right now though you are worried about your front end. Might be a good time to change out to a different front end from a later edition bike that has the master cylinder on the handlebar.............NO I AM NOT SPENDING YOUR MONEY FOR YOU......I realize what condition you are in and have been there with you sleeping on the tables at a park/rest stop......But am just suggesting that so if you come across something like that to realize that you can easily do it.........No telling what you will come up with......
Anyway, sounds like you are in good hands there and just have faith that, with your efforts, IT WILL COME OUT AS IT IS SUPPOSED TO....God bless......Dennis
Thank you all for the information and assistance. The sliders ended up not being needed and for now it appears my rotors are still usable. Clem over at the BMW in Aurora straightened me out. I picked up the bike today with a Lester front wheel and so far so good. We are looking to push forward tomorrow morning where I will monitor my gas mileage to see how much could possibly have been from the front wheel incident.
ill report back with my findings. Thanks again!
ill report back with my findings. Thanks again!
brook.reams
B Reams
Marco,
Cool beans. I'm glad the damage was not as severe as first thought. All the best on the rest of your journey. I bet you now know why periodic greasing and adjusting the pre-load of the wheel bearings is an important part of the airhead maintenance ritual ;-)
Best.
Brook Reams.
