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1997 R1200C Refurbishment.

jimvonbaden

jimvonbaden

Kool Aid Dispenser!
My friend Mike purchased a nice, but rough R1200C over the weekend. We picked it up in NJ from a guy who was riding it, but had the clutch stop working. He replaced the slave, but no help.

Here is the pick-up:



Some baseline photos of the general condition:
























Nice bike, runs OK on 8 month old gas.

This is the plan:
The right side of the tank has some small dents, but the paint got the brake fluid treatment and it would be seriously difficult to fix. Besides, Mike likes what he likes! :)

This is the scheme, change blue to green:


Overall in decent shape. The swingarm will need to be repainted after surface rust removal. A little polish, some small chrome rust removal, and it would look pretty decent as is.

Of course all the usual stuff will be done, SS brake lines, spline lube, fluids and filters, plugs, tires (from 2002), brakes, etc.

Jim :brow
 
Got the clutch working last night. Turns out it was rusted frozen to the flywheel. We pulled the starter, removed the cover bolts and pried the pressure plate back, then freed up the clutch plate. I took it around the driveway and it works normally. Here is a video of Mike starting and moving it.
https://youtu.be/LRw1a4bTx0A

Then we tore it down.





Mike says Hi!


Someone on ADVRider said they saw an R1200C painted just like this in the MOA Mag a while back. Anyone remember this, and have a link?

Stay tuned.

Jim :brow
 
That bike never spoke to me, but over time they seem to be getting a cult status, so a nice restro like you are doing is going to be very cool. Plus, it's always noble work to save yet one more motorcycle. :clap
 
A local has a Daytona Orange '98 R1200C. It's in really nice shape, though. Dewey Keeton (was a tech at Morton's) thought it was one that he disassembled brand-new and sent to be painted in Richmond, although apparently more than one such bike was made. The local one has spoked wheels; I think your wheels were from a later bike. You should be able to determine the dealer who retailed it.
 
AntonLargiader said:
A local has a Daytona Orange '98 R1200C. It's in really nice shape, though. Dewey Keeton (was a tech at Morton's) thought it was one that he disassembled brand-new and sent to be painted in Richmond, although apparently more than one such bike was made. The local one has spoked wheels; I think your wheels were from a later bike. You should be able to determine the dealer who retailed it.
Click to expand...

I told Mike I thought it looked like a Morton's new custom. Similar to the R1200R they did from brand new.



Jim :brow
 
The main problem with refurbishing those cruisers is that the chrome is total crap and when the bike is left exposed to the elements it will get pitted and corrode. The few chrome parts that are still available are very expensive. Some may just have to be stripped and painted.
 
AntonLargiader said:
The main problem with refurbishing those cruisers is that the chrome is total crap and when the bike is left exposed to the elements it will get pitted and corrode. The few chrome parts that are still available are very expensive. Some may just have to be stripped and painted.
Click to expand...

That is a fact. My R1200CL was a mess. FL bike.




Most of the chrome was trashed.

Jim :brow
 
From ADVRider:



Very close, and a Morton's bike like I suspected, but not the same paint.

This is Mike's bike:

See the paint difference?

Jim :brow
 
Last edited:
My customer's bike is the one in the ON. There are a few tiny differences now; like the reservoir lids being chrome rather than matte silver as the cover shot indicates. He inherited his share of bad chrome when he bought the bike and we replaced at least one of the wheels, the muffler, and both shocks. He has an aftermarket centerstand on it; I think some guy in Europe makes it. There's a brake fluid stain on the left side of the Telelever that I have tried and tried to polish out and no luck. I'll find a pic and post it here.

Jim, if your friend can't find a good metal guy to take the dents out of the tank, we have one here. Chris Jewell, Metal Art.

5BB2EBC8-B77A-4A37-917C-12DF3A9ED628.jpeg
 
Last edited:
AntonLargiader said:
My customer's bike is the one in the ON. There are a few tiny differences now; like the reservoir lids being chrome rather than matte silver as the cover shot indicates. He inherited his share of bad chrome when he bought the bike and we replaced at least one of the wheels, the muffler, and both shocks. He has an aftermarket centerstand on it; I think some guy in Europe makes it. There's a brake fluid stain on the left side of the Telelever that I have tried and tried to polish out and no luck. I'll find a pic and post it here.

Jim, if your friend can't find a good metal guy to take the dents out of the tank, we have one here. Chris Jewell, Metal Art.

View attachment 80889
Click to expand...

Nice bike. That paint looks like it is in great shape. Definitely same style, but a different overall job.

I will let Mike know about your guy. He is in Richmond.

Jim :brow
 
Bunch of stuff on Mike's R1200C.
Valves, SS brake lines, clean and lube calipers, clean wheels, remove Swingarm, sand and paint it, spline lube and install. Clean and lube the clutch slave. Touch up rusty frame parts, polish the frame and Telelever. Tons of cleaning and degreasing!



















The oil looks like it had some water in it when we did the valves. The gaskets were firmly stuck too.


We spent a solid 9 hours on it.

Jim :brow
 
LONG day of work on Mike's R1200C. Wiring all wrapped, brakes connected and flusched, tires changed, all fluids changed (with a serious oil filter issue, fenders attached, fuel quick disconnects added, intake boots replaced, bar risers added, new grips, backrest added, and a bunch of misc. Just waiting on the HES to get to running.














 
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