Looking at a R80/7

Man, I'd put some new rubber on it, do what it takes to get it running right- and ride it this summer before the teardown! Sounds like you really want to have a nicely restored old R80 but for my money, it's only "original" once.... and this is a pretty sweet, original bike... some would say a survivor. Well the term may be overused but it has definitely survived now that you rescued it!
Ride that sucker.
Just my opinion.
Cheers, and enjoy!

For two grand that was a gimme. As you ride it and go through it there's plenty room to dump some cash into it. They're not investments to flip. They're investments in yer pursuit of happiness.

R80/7 may be the most underrated BMW ever. Love mine!

Bought an R80/7 with a Vetter fairing like this in 1998. Mine has solid spoke -- not snowflake wheels. They guy I bought it from was an old hotrod guy and had screwed up the wiring a bit, but I bought it mostly for the purpose of taking it apart just to admire the fine German engineering. Getting rid of the fairing was a hassle, but parts were cheaply available on the 'net. I bought it rather cheap -- $1,500 -- and was amazed that the thing ran, and kept running... and running and running. Twenty years -- and untold abuse later -- such as running it with the valves so far out the exhaust pipes glowed like blue neon tubes, I cannot say enough good about this machine. Mine has almost 50k now, and still runs strong, starts easy and hasn't been that tough to maintain. Valves have to be adjusted -- they don't like lead-free petrol; petcocks had to be replaced -- the rubber diaphrams gave out, and I had to replace the floats in the flattop bings, but overall it's been an incredibly reliable machine. I also have a 2000 model R1200 C, which is all fuel injected and computer controlled, but I much prefer the old R80/7. I also have a 2004 Electra Glide. the R80/7 will flat smoke it through the 1/8 mile... Simple, solid and superb engineering and quality throughout.

Alright...

It took a while but I finally have time to get started on this thing for real. The bike is disassembled down to the frame. I'm looking for tips before I dive into the Clymer and have a go at restoring this old thing back to its former glory.


Here is what I'm thinking


Electrical upgrades?
Wasn't there some doohickey in the transmission that often fails? Replace now?
Wet blast all rough cast aluminum. Can you wetblast an assembled engine/transmission?
What maintenance items or upgrades should I perform on the engine/transmission while its out?


Any advice is appreciated

Nice bike

You may want a naked bike but get it running well ride it in wind, rain and cold weather you will find the old Luftmeister gives you more protection than you think it would, I have a 1978 R100/7 with a Luftmeister and when on the bike going down the road I like it a lot.

179212 said:

You may want a naked bike but get it running well ride it in wind, rain and cold weather you will find the old Luftmeister gives you more protection than you think it would, I have a 1978 R100/7 with a Luftmeister and when on the bike going down the road I like it a lot.

Click to expand...

That is a good point but I have a Moto Guzzi Sport tourer with a fairing. The naked bike would be my local runabout and warm weather bike.

brio said:

Alright...

It took a while but I finally have time to get started on this thing for real. The bike is disassembled down to the frame. I'm looking for tips before I dive into the Clymer and have a go at restoring this old thing back to its former glory.


Here is what I'm thinking


Electrical upgrades?
Wasn't there some doohickey in the transmission that often fails? Replace now?
Wet blast all rough cast aluminum. Can you wetblast an assembled engine/transmission?
What maintenance items or upgrades should I perform on the engine/transmission while its out?


Any advice is appreciated

Click to expand...

You may want to put your questions to the Airhead BMW Club, where you'll find a critical mass of expertise--or maybe just more folks with opinions. I'm just a long-time airhead owner, not a mechanical expert, but osmosis may be worth something, so here are my responses to your questions:

1. Apart from clean wiring contacts and a fresh battery, I wouldn't be in any hurry to "upgrade" your bike's charging system until you have some accessory in mind that requires more electrical output than your airhead's modest 280W alternator can manage. Unless you're running high-draw (or multiple less-demanding) electrical accessories (heated jackets, pants, etc.), your bike's OE system is adequate to run the bike's various functions. It doesn't charge well until the bike is running a 2500+ rpm, so a lot of idling in stop-and-go traffic will put some strain on the system, but that circumstance can usually be dealt with by a smart charger on the battery when the bike is parked. There are electronic ignition upgrades available for that bike, but purists often argue for the relative simplicity of the points ignition system.

2. Airhead transmission disassembly is probably not for the uninitiated; reshimming of the shaft bearings is something of an arcane art. Removal of the transmission to lubricate the input shaft splines (key to smooth clutch operation, and a long transmission input shaft life, and frequently neglected by owners and dealership techs who don't know much about airheads anymore), and some fresh gear oil, are about all that I'd suggest until/unless the transmission starts making weird noises, or the drain plug magnet is covered with anything more substantial than a fine gray pasty deposit, or the shifting pawl that you're probably thinking of actually fails (you'll know this when the shift lever suddenly doesn't do anything)---which could be a lot of years and miles down the road for a bike with that low mileage.

3. I wouldn't media blast the intact engine. If you completely disassemble the engine down to the cases, then you can safely blast external components without running the risk of blasting media getting into the nooks and crannies. A lot can be done to improve the external appearance of the engine/trans with a bit (well, maybe a lot) of elbow grease and commonly available cleaners. There may also be limits on how "uniform" a look one can achieve even with blasting, given the slightly different materials that portions of the engine/transmission assembly were made from. You aren't the first guy who's wanted to spiff up his airhead's engine's appearance, and there's plenty of advice on how to go about optimally doing so. If you haven't been there yet, google "Robert Fleischer Snowbum BMW Tech Pages" and scroll/wade through the wealth of info that Bob has put out for the benefit of the airhead community, and you'll find something/plenty on cleaning techniques for your cases.

4. At 16K miles, your engine's internals may not need much, assuming that it hasn't suffered any internal corrosion from its long slumber. If it's got reasonable compression numbers, and you don't thrash it, it could go another 40K before a top end job on the valves, guides, and valve seats (the last to accommodate unleaded fuels that didn't exist when it was built) might be needed. It will undoubtedly start springing leaks from various seals (pushrod tubes, rear main, transmission input, timing cover, final drive, etc.) from disuse. Your carbs will need to be rebuilt to get it to run well. I don't know what the compression ratio was on the 80/7s, but it could need base gaskets on the jugs to reduce the compression ratio to accommodate current lower-octane fuels, or perhaps dual-plugging to do the same thing. If you notice any pinging, run the highest octane fuel that you can to see if that addresses it before you launch into surgery. Veteran 80/7 owners will know better than I what that vintage's engine needs are vis-a-vis fuel, ignition upgrades, or compression ratio reductions. Some might argue for reducing the flywheel's mass for easier shifting and faster revving, but there are opposing arguments supporting doing nothing in that regard.

You got a nice barn find. Welcome to the airhead community; you'll find there's considerable nuance to the vaunted "simplicity" of these machines. It'll need plenty of TLC and cash over time to get it and keep it operating well.

A little late jumping in here but giving what my pegs looked like at 50,000 on my /6 I would say mileage is accurate.
You can probably get a few dollars for that fairing and you won't believe the difference in weight on the front end when you remove it.

You may want to put your questions to the Airhead BMW Club, where you'll find a critical mass of expertise--or maybe just more folks with opinions. I'm just a long-time airhead owner, not a mechanical expert, but osmosis may be worth something, so here are my responses to your questions:

1. Apart from clean wiring contacts and a fresh battery, I wouldn't be in any hurry to "upgrade" your bike's charging system until you have some accessory in mind that requires more electrical output than your airhead's modest 280W alternator can manage. Unless you're running high-draw (or multiple less-demanding) electrical accessories (heated jackets, pants, etc.), your bike's OE system is adequate to run the bike's various functions. It doesn't charge well until the bike is running a 2500+ rpm, so a lot of idling in stop-and-go traffic will put some strain on the system, but that circumstance can usually be dealt with by a smart charger on the battery when the bike is parked. There are electronic ignition upgrades available for that bike, but purists often argue for the relative simplicity of the points ignition system.

Sounds Good!

2. Airhead transmission disassembly is probably not for the uninitiated; reshimming of the shaft bearings is something of an arcane art. Removal of the transmission to lubricate the input shaft splines (key to smooth clutch operation, and a long transmission input shaft life, and frequently neglected by owners and dealership techs who don't know much about airheads anymore), and some fresh gear oil, are about all that I'd suggest until/unless the transmission starts making weird noises, or the drain plug magnet is covered with anything more substantial than a fine gray pasty deposit, or the shifting pawl that you're probably thinking of actually fails (you'll know this when the shift lever suddenly doesn't do anything)---which could be a lot of years and miles down the road for a bike with that low mileage.

I think the shifting was decent so ill take your advice and simply grease the splines.

3. I wouldn't media blast the intact engine. If you completely disassemble the engine down to the cases, then you can safely blast external components without running the risk of blasting media getting into the nooks and crannies. A lot can be done to improve the external appearance of the engine/trans with a bit (well, maybe a lot) of elbow grease and commonly available cleaners. There may also be limits on how "uniform" a look one can achieve even with blasting, given the slightly different materials that portions of the engine/transmission assembly were made from. You aren't the first guy who's wanted to spiff up his airhead's engine's appearance, and there's plenty of advice on how to go about optimally doing so. If you haven't been there yet, google "Robert Fleischer Snowbum BMW Tech Pages" and scroll/wade through the wealth of info that Bob has put out for the benefit of the airhead community, and you'll find something/plenty on cleaning techniques for your cases.

I don't know exactly what has happened to the surface of my engine but the corrosion seems hard to remove. I think its a shame to disassemble a so called survivor engine for prettiness sake. I'll try some more techniques and see if I can be happy with that.

4. At 16K miles, your engine's internals may not need much, assuming that it hasn't suffered any internal corrosion from its long slumber. If it's got reasonable compression numbers, and you don't thrash it, it could go another 40K before a top end job on the valves, guides, and valve seats (the last to accommodate unleaded fuels that didn't exist when it was built) might be needed. It will undoubtedly start springing leaks from various seals (pushrod tubes, rear main, transmission input, timing cover, final drive, etc.) from disuse. Your carbs will need to be rebuilt to get it to run well. I don't know what the compression ratio was on the 80/7s, but it could need base gaskets on the jugs to reduce the compression ratio to accommodate current lower-octane fuels, or perhaps dual-plugging to do the same thing. If you notice any pinging, run the highest octane fuel that you can to see if that addresses it before you launch into surgery. Veteran 80/7 owners will know better than I what that vintage's engine needs are vis-a-vis fuel, ignition upgrades, or compression ratio reductions. Some might argue for reducing the flywheel's mass for easier shifting and faster revving, but there are opposing arguments supporting doing nothing in that regard.

The carburators are already disassembled and ready for new rubber. I'm going to see if I can find a engine fiche to identify all internal to external seals. I'd really like to have potential leaks sorted before reinstalling into the frame. As far as octane and lead is concerned, I was hoping to go the local airfield and fill a couple of jerry cans up with 100LL and mix in a gallon with ethanol free wawa gas.


You got a nice barn find. Welcome to the airhead community; you'll find there's considerable nuance to the vaunted "simplicity" of these machines. It'll need plenty of TLC and cash over time to get it and keep it operating well.

Thank you!

How about front forks? do they typically need rebuilt?

fmdualexhaust said:

A little late jumping in here but giving what my pegs looked like at 50,000 on my /6 I would say mileage is accurate.
You can probably get a few dollars for that fairing and you won't believe the difference in weight on the front end when you remove it.

Click to expand...

I'm keeping the fairing in storage. I may want to take it long distance some day. Thanks for the info.

brio said:

How about front forks? do they typically need rebuilt?

Click to expand...

At that age, yes, a rebuild of the fork legs, and at least replacing the old lube in the steering head bearings, would be in order. Undoubtedly, the front brake hydraulics will need attention, too.

What besides pushrod tubes, rear main, transmission input, timing cover, and final drive seals should I replace to ensure a leak free bike long term? I'm thinking Front main seal, shift pedal, and transmission output. Anything else?


What about valve seals? If left on the sidestand I would notice a slight puff of blue smoke on startup from the low cylinder.

If left on the sidestand, some brief oil smoke is pretty standard from the left cylinder of an airhead engine. There are no stem seals in the valve train.

I saw that on the fiche. I was surprised as I thought all engines had stem seals.

I had a look at my electrical system behind the front cover and removed the stator. The alternator looks a bit corroded but it was functioning ok. Any typical problem areas here to nip in the bud? I’ve never done points. Should I replace them?

Thanks!

She cleaned up ok I think. I started her for the first time today. The carburetors are not adjusted and I think that I adjusted the valves correctly when I put the engine back together. I’m a little worried about the metallic sound let me know what you guys think.

Seems a bit noisy and could be the valve lash is too large. Could also be that the rocker arm floats too much up and down. Can you describe your process of setting valve clearances?

Also, you should confirm that oil is being pushed up to the rocker arms. When you remove the valve covers to check the clearances, a small amount of oil will dribble out...maybe a teaspoon or tablespoon. If not, then the valves are not being lubricated enough.

Noise

AAAK! Find out where that noise is coming from. Valve adjustment and rocker arm end play first.

I had completely miss adjusted the valves on the right hand side. I probably didn’t have the crank in the right position. She sounds a whole lot better now. I’m surprised how smooth it is even with the carbs not being adjusted.

Ah, the sweet sound! That's mucho betterer!!

20774 said:

Ah, the sweet sound! That's mucho betterer!!

Click to expand...

Love it!