OMG, I am so hooped, R80RT or R80/7 basket case, bearing!!!!!

One of my favorite wheels ever was an R80RT with Snowflakes that ran forever at a perfect 68 mph two up. My son and I put 300,000 kms on it. Damn, she was a fine girl..............and then I sold it................'nuff said there, thank you.

So I got a barn find, been to bed poorly for 17 years. I popped a chubby! Ok,that might be a Canadian term but I think you get my meaning.

In it's life of solitude, being alone, cold in a barn, winter after winter, wanting to be loved again and ridden only like you can with a lady like this, I got her. My loving hands caress every inch of her thinking of the fond, wonderful and the most satisfying times I ever had with a lady.Wouldn't you know, you see, a couple harsh winters alone and the battery froze. And the bastard, leaked. Back corner of the frame at the swing arm. Damn.

So the R80RT is the best bike BMW ever made. I need to make this girl understand I love her but there will be some hurt. You know the saying, "this will hurt me more than you." I need to strip her bare. The kind of bare you seen in porn videos. I gotta give my babydoll a bath in some sandblasting at the corner of her most gorgeous rear frame. If the battery acid leak was real bad and the frame is thin, the right thing might be to do the right thing and let her go knowing I love her.

So far, all has been pretty good. Taking pieces off her like we are about to have our first date. Slow and gentle. I will go hard and fast after she is all mine. Like all fine ladies, she has been a little stubborn to undress. However, my problem is like taking a chastity belt off without a key and..............I've never seen one.....

To add more to the story, I have been a pro wrench for 35 years or more. I am the go-to guy to remove broken bolts, bearings from whatever and, if I don't mind saying, and I don't, I am damn good at rear crankshaft seals. But, I need my babe naked and I gotta get her naked so I gotta pull the steering head.

I can't! Top bearing won't budge. I put three rounds of heat, cherry kinda heat, shocked with cold-shot, lots of seafoam, lots of patience, big, then bigger hammer. Damn!!!



I'm might have to go old school and use a puller from the bottom with a blind plate but maybe someone has an idea?

Top bearing is a LOOSE fit on the steering stem to bearing interface. Big rubber mallet is the proper prescription. Corrosion may be an issue - big rubber mallet.

PGlaves said:

Top bearing is a LOOSE fit on the steering stem to bearing interface. Big rubber mallet is the proper prescription. Corrosion may be an issue - big rubber mallet.

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Broke my 5 lb dead blow..................The Snap-on dudelet won't replace because it was worn out.

12 pounder???

I know, eh? Loose fit, eh? Little warmth, a touch of shock, tap with the dead blow and it should come out and land on my non-steel toed sandles.

I thought I was on Penthouse.com for a minute

Try a few heat cycles with a better penetrating substance like PB Blaster or Kroil. If you pull form down under you might just pull the lower triple tree piece off the shaft and then it starts to get expensive to shine up the old girl.

The bearing components are all hardened steel and thicker than the steering shaft so the shaft will expand quicker than the bearing and cause it to stay stuck.

Heat cycles and some good, real good penetrating stuff and let everything cool down before you use the twelve pounder on it

Tom Cutter swears by a mix of acetone and ATF. Worked for me.

ccolwell said:

Tom Cutter swears by a mix of acetone and ATF. Worked for me.

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That's what I use to pull outboard motor lower units apart after they corroded up in salt water... Works like magic, just don't have any open fire in the 'hood....

Heat, cold shot, heat, cold shot, heat, cold shot................damn

Little acetone with 1/2 atf, let it sit most of the day, touched with the torch and before I could put the fire out, triple tree laying on the floor.

I know somebody mentioned that acetone was flammable, really all flames and fury like so I think if that suggestion for stubborn stuff like this goes forward, I will be mentioning the 'xplodee part with some authority.

Good suggestion though, could see where the acetone etched the corrosion and where the calcium sulfanate creeped in.

Glad it worked. Do you still have eyebrows?

bogthebasher said:

Glad it worked. Do you still have eyebrows?

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Of course I still have my eyebrows. And, I still have most of pants and shirt, enough not to scare my neighbours.

I'm a Blue Bomber and Jets fan so I am pretty smarterer than the average. I know when to be patient and let things go their natural course, un-like say, the last Grey Cup or perhaps the Junior club pretending to be the Flames...............................

dieselyoda said:

Of course I still have my eyebrows. And, I still have most of pants and shirt, enough not to scare my neighbours.

I'm a Blue Bomber and Jets fan so I am pretty smarterer than the average. I know when to be patient and let things go their natural course, un-like say, the last Grey Cup or perhaps the Junior club pretending to be the Flames...............................

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Ha ha! I am also a Jets fan as my son works for them and lives in Winnipeg. Little known fact is I moved to Calgary at the time to get totally away from professional sports. Quite obviously it worked.

Really think the acetone and ATF mix helped? I know some here on the forum swear by it
OM

Omega Man said:

Really think the acetone and ATF mix helped? I know some here on the forum swear by it
OM

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Skeptical, I was, you see.

I am not sure I got the mixture right but 2 oz. of Acetone and enough ATF to turn the mixture red and brushed it in.

When everything fell apart, the triple tree shaft was very black and etched while the bearing ID was brilliant. I did let it sit for the better part of four hours and gave it a smack with what is left of my dead blow hammers and nothing. Didn't budge. Touch some good heat and got my POOF and when I was thinking that I should have been more careful mixing the acetone and decided that putting the flames out would be a good idea, I have good ideas at times, the triple tree literally, fell out.

This won't be a procedure I will bring into my work. A little too dangerous, the acetone is too dangerous, just too much risk.

But, it worked.

Omega Man said:

Really think the acetone and ATF mix helped? I know some here on the forum swear by it
OM

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OM -

I'd swear by it! I had a steel bolt through an aluminum timing cover into a steel block. I tried a lot of things. Finally, I did the AFT/acetone mix and used various heat cycles to help draw the mixture in. I'd heat the parts, then dab on the mixture...it got sucked in as far as it could. I was eventually able to remove the bolt. Could have been everything that led up to that, but that's what finally put me over the edge.

dieselyoda said:

Skeptical, I was, you see.

I am not sure I got the mixture right but 2 oz. of Acetone and enough ATF to turn the mixture red and brushed it in.

When everything fell apart, the triple tree shaft was very black and etched while the bearing ID was brilliant. I did let it sit for the better part of four hours and gave it a smack with what is left of my dead blow hammers and nothing. Didn't budge. Touch some good heat and got my POOF and when I was thinking that I should have been more careful mixing the acetone and decided that putting the flames out would be a good idea, I have good ideas at times, the triple tree literally, fell out.

This won't be a procedure I will bring into my work. A little too dangerous, the acetone is too dangerous, just too much risk.

But, it worked.

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I know the POOF....cutting shock bolts and slack-adjusters off. I like to have a fire watch.......gives me a head start on knowing when I’m on fire
I kinda thought it was a 50/50 kinda deal on the mix. Whatever works.

20774 said:

OM -

I'd swear by it! I had a steel bolt through an aluminum timing cover into a steel block. I tried a lot of things. Finally, I did the AFT/acetone mix and used various heat cycles to help draw the mixture in. I'd heat the parts, then dab on the mixture...it got sucked in as far as it could. I was eventually able to remove the bolt. Could have been everything that led up to that, but that's what finally put me over the edge.

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I’m always a bit cautious when I heat aluminum as it seems to go from warm to puddle in a blink. Nice to hear it works out.
OM