"New" 1977 R75/7 initial thoughts? New owner.

[smt321]

Hi all,

I am new to the forum and a new airhead owner, that is, I have never owned a BMW airhead before. This is my introduction from the "Intro Thread" on this site:

I recently purchased a 1977 R75/7. I think she's a beautiful bike. My first BMW. Rides really nicely. A great balance of power and excellent handling. The bike came with a Bates fairing (I removed), the Bates bags in the picture and the Wixom Trunk (I will likely remove, but keep for long trips)

She's not perfect, of course, right now both carbs are weeping a small amount of gas (enough on the left side to spot my boot when I am riding.) I have never worked on Bing Carbs, so hope to learn through research (Clymers, ownwers manual, shop manual, airheads groups, etc) and hopefully with some assistance from airhead folks on this site. At a minimum the carbs need cleaning, possible rebuild? Thoughts? Also oil pan has a slight drip, collect right at bottom of pan and drips from there. Probably needs new gasket? Thoughts on this? I have spent the last week reading the boards here and have already found lots of great information to learn from. Thanks to the active members here for building out such a useful resource of information!

I am open to any other advice, guidance from classic airhead owners here. Like I said, I am just starting out as the owner of this bike. I want to treat her right. So am looking for any and all thoughts--to do's, don'ts and any other advice you might have.

Tonight I went for a sunset ride. Here's a picture of the bike.



Over time, as I learn, I hope to contribute back to these boards, as well.

Thanks in advance, Terry

 

[davelegg@att.net]

Nice bike, welcome to the forum.

 

[20774]

Welcome, also!!

As for the gas drip, could be as simple as the gasket between the bowl and the body is pinched. When putting the bowl on, care needs to be taken putting it on and slipping the wire clamp back on. You probably do need to consider a rebuild so you know where you stand. The Bing carburetor people have kits available. If you're near Max BMW, they can help out with that as well.

With the oil leak, first you should be sure that all of the pan bolts are tight. Get a nut driver that accepts a 10mm socket. Then start on one side and using a criss cross pattern, snug each bolt down. The nut driver helps prevent you from stripping the threads. Be sure to look around or above the pan gasket line...maybe the oil is coming from somewhere higher and just running down to the lowest point.

 

[22600]

Nice looking bike

Terry, Welcome to the Forum and BMW's. I'm partial, but you made the best first step; you bought an airhead.
An airhead is the best bike to learn on as it's the easiest to work on. The second best step you took was joining the forum. There are a number of very knowledgeable members that will be happy to answer your questions. I am not one as I have not had many problems with my bikes. I can give you this one piece of advice that is inherent to all machines. Don't abuse it; stick to a rigid schedule on maintenance and use the bike often. Your bike can last you a lifetime.
Again, Welcome

 

[52184]

That looks like a really nice bike, congratulations! If you're new to Airheads one recommendation I'd make is to buy the necessary shop manuals. Start with the Clymer manual for Airheads, but understand that it has some known errors or omissions. Pick up a copy of the Bing carburetor manual from the Bing Agency. Get a copy of the OEM owner's manual if you don't have one--they might even be available online with some searching. And finally, bookmark some of the useful airhead information sites-- like Airheads.org, the website for the Airheads Beemer Club--and by all means join if you're not already a member. Also visit bmwmotorcycletech.info, "Snowbum's" website. The site is an assault on one's visual senses and sense of organization, but contains a wealth of information on your series of BMW and is well worth the time and effort it takes to dig it up.

So in a nutshell, I guess my advice is to research and learn first, before picking up a wrench. I usually find that to be faster, safer, less expensive, and more productive when tackling a project on my airheads or other bikes.

Good luck and enjoy that airhead, it looks like a keeper!
Best,

DG

 

[m_stock10506]

Beautiful R75/7. You will enjoy it.

In my experience, E10 gas is hard on the gas lines and the floats. Check for stations selling non-ethanol gasoline.
https://www.pure-gas.org/

Put your bike on the centerstand - that thin wire on the stand is just to move it down, don't press on that to raise the bike up. Once on the stand, turn off the gas at the petcocks and drop the float bowls. Check the level of gas in the bowls. The level should be equal on both sides and approximately 3/8" below the top of the bowls. Somebody will provide an exact measure of fuel height in the bowl. All I'm saying is the gas shouldn't be right up near the top and not very low. There should be no water at the bottom of the bowls and no debris either. Get a container to capture some gas. Put the container under a carb with no bowl and turn on the petcock. Work the floats with your finger (screwdriver?), check to see when the gas gets shut off by the float. It should shut off when the float is just parallel with the carb body. Flush some more gas out to make sure there is no debris caught by the float needle. The gas that flushed into the container should be clean with no debris. If you don't know when those floats were last changed, buy a new set of floats and change them out. I haven't checked lately, but last time I did, BMW prices for Bing carb bits were less $ than direct from Bing. They're not cheap, but if you use E0 gas the new floats should last a long time.

Oil pan? Yeah, be real careful about stripping the bolts if you try to snug them up. Clean up the entire area first - all over the lower part of the motor. Then buy a can of aerosol foot powder. Spray powder all over the nice clean motor so you have a powder coating. Go for a ride and then check the powder. It should reveal where the oil leak is originating. The oil you see could be migrating with the air stream from someplace else. This will give you a pointer to where the oil might be coming from.

 

[smt321]

Nice bike, welcome to the forum.

Thanks much!

 

[smt321]

Terry, Welcome to the Forum and BMW's. I'm partial, but you made the best first step; you bought an airhead.
An airhead is the best bike to learn on as it's the easiest to work on. The second best step you took was joining the forum. There are a number of very knowledgeable members that will be happy to answer your questions. I am not one as I have not had many problems with my bikes. I can give you this one piece of advice that is inherent to all machines. Don't abuse it; stick to a rigid schedule on maintenance and use the bike often. Your bike can last you a lifetime.
Again, Welcome

Thanks for the welcome and thoughts. This bike was owned for and cared for by one owner for 38 years. Given its condition, both cosmetic and the way it runs well, I 'm sure he took good care of the bike. I bought it from a person who bought it from original owner and had it for about a year. I intend to keep it running for many years, so will be diligent about maintenance and upkeep. My first step is setting up a workspace/shop. That's in the work and should be completed in about a month.

 

[smt321]

That looks like a really nice bike, congratulations! If you're new to Airheads one recommendation I'd make is to buy the necessary shop manuals. Start with the Clymer manual for Airheads, but understand that it has some known errors or omissions. Pick up a copy of the Bing carburetor manual from the Bing Agency. Get a copy of the OEM owner's manual if you don't have one--they might even be available online with some searching. And finally, bookmark some of the useful airhead information sites-- like Airheads.org, the website for the Airheads Beemer Club--and by all means join if you're not already a member. Also visit bmwmotorcycletech.info, "Snowbum's" website. The site is an assault on one's visual senses and sense of organization, but contains a wealth of information on your series of BMW and is well worth the time and effort it takes to dig it up.

So in a nutshell, I guess my advice is to research and learn first, before picking up a wrench. I usually find that to be faster, safer, less expensive, and more productive when tackling a project on my airheads or other bikes.

Good luck and enjoy that airhead, it looks like a keeper!
Best,

DG

Great advice. I am working on setting up a workspace/shop. Obtaining proper tools, etc. I bought the Clymer manual first thing, downloaded owners manual from a free site online, stumbled across "Snowbum's" excellent site and have made contact with Airheads. I did not know about the Bing Carborator Manual, so I will now track that down. Once I dig into a initial project (carbs probably), I'll definitely look for suggestions here as well. But I don't see doing anything before I get set up and grounded in a basic understanding of these engines. Thanks for your initial thoughts, very helpful.

 

[smt321]

Beautiful R75/7. You will enjoy it.

In my experience, E10 gas is hard on the gas lines and the floats. Check for stations selling non-ethanol gasoline.
https://www.pure-gas.org/

Put your bike on the centerstand - that thin wire on the stand is just to move it down, don't press on that to raise the bike up. Once on the stand, turn off the gas at the petcocks and drop the float bowls. Check the level of gas in the bowls. The level should be equal on both sides and approximately 3/8" below the top of the bowls. Somebody will provide an exact measure of fuel height in the bowl. All I'm saying is the gas shouldn't be right up near the top and not very low. There should be no water at the bottom of the bowls and no debris either. Get a container to capture some gas. Put the container under a carb with no bowl and turn on the petcock. Work the floats with your finger (screwdriver?), check to see when the gas gets shut off by the float. It should shut off when the float is just parallel with the carb body. Flush some more gas out to make sure there is no debris caught by the float needle. The gas that flushed into the container should be clean with no debris. If you don't know when those floats were last changed, buy a new set of floats and change them out. I haven't checked lately, but last time I did, BMW prices for Bing carb bits were less $ than direct from Bing. They're not cheap, but if you use E0 gas the new floats should last a long time.

Oil pan? Yeah, be real careful about stripping the bolts if you try to snug them up. Clean up the entire area first - all over the lower part of the motor. Then buy a can of aerosol foot powder. Spray powder all over the nice clean motor so you have a powder coating. Go for a ride and then check the powder. It should reveal where the oil leak is originating. The oil you see could be migrating with the air stream from someplace else. This will give you a pointer to where the oil might be coming from.

Thanks Michael. I agree, she's a beauty. Thanks for the information above, I was not aware of the issue with ethanol in gas on these carbs/floats. Thanks for the link for "clean" fuel. Also thanks for tip on finding origin of oil leak. I've put it in my notes. My initial thought is to clean and rebuild carbs to establish a basis for maintenance going forward, but as a said above, I have plenty of research and learning to do, before I dig into that. The oil leak is slight and will probably come after the carbs. My goal is to get both done by end of winter.

 

[copbike]

Piece of junk

Looks like a complete piece of junk to me. Who in the hell would want such an old worn out bike? I would be happy to save you the embarrassment and take it off your hands. Call me... I won't tell. Lee Davis

 

[stevenrankin]

Congratulations

My first BMW was a 77 R75/7. I loved it! I just wish then that the factory RT fairing had been available. I traded it in for a 83 R80RT, another nice bike.
The only fault I had with the 77 was keeping points adjusted. Other than that, I would love to find another one to add to my collection of two. St.

 

[smt321]

Cleaning Bike

Thanks for all of your helpful comments.

I want to clean the grime and dirt off of the bike this weekend. What is best way to remove old dirt, oils/grease and rust (especially on chrome handle bars and pipes)? I want to make sure I don't do anything that effects the metals or the performance by mistake. What cleaning solutions do you like, do you hose down your airhead when cleaning, what are your recommendations?

Thanks for any suggestions you may have.

Terry

 

[beemerphile]

What cleaning solutions do you like, do you hose down your airhead when cleaning, what are your recommendations?

S100 followed by copious amounts of water and blow-drying.

On the oil pan... "snug" is 72 INCH-pounds or less; and, if it is only the bolt under the oil filter cover, there is one pan bolt there that is drilled through to oil, so that bolt only needs a touch of thread sealer. Often what looks like a pan leak is not, so cleaning and powdering her up as mentioned is important.

On the carbs... You may be learning why "Bing boots" are boots that smell like gasoline. Needle & seat and the floats are proper things to check. These animals are very sensitive to fuel contamination and lots of owners add inline filters to keep it out of the carbs.

Otherwise... Read up on oil filter o-ring compression



...and understand what parts from the oil filter "kit" you use and don't use (shim(s), gaskets, etc.) for your particular model. There are two different filter lengths and the one you use depends on whether you have an oil cooler. Also, the three 6mm bolts on the oil filter cover are as sensitive as the ones on the oil pan.

 

[smt321]

S100 followed by copious amounts of water and blow-drying.

On the oil pan... "snug" is 72 INCH-pounds or less; and, if it is only the bolt under the oil filter cover, there is one pan bolt there that is drilled through to oil, so that bolt only needs a touch of thread sealer. Often what looks like a pan leak is not, so cleaning and powdering her up as mentioned is important.

On the carbs... You may be learning why "Bing boots" are boots that smell like gasoline. Needle & seat and the floats are proper things to check. These animals are very sensitive to fuel contamination and lots of owners add inline filters to keep it out of the carbs.

Otherwise... Read up on oil filter o-ring compression

View attachment 64460

...and understand what parts from the oil filter "kit" you use and don't use (shim(s), gaskets, etc.) for your particular model. There are two different filter lengths and the one you use depends on whether you have an oil cooler. Also, the three 6mm bolts on the oil filter cover are as sensitive as the ones on the oil pan.

Thanks Lee, all of that information is very helpful.

 

[dennisdarrow]

Really nice bike and to some, it's the high point era of the TYPE.......Oh well time goes on. For me, before you go to tearing into things: clean it up, change the fluids, and ride it. There is a really valid old saying: If it ain't broke....don't fix it. It seems that when one goes to just moving what doesn't need to be moved, on tends to tear, bend, strip, and destroy what has no business being touched in the first place.........So, what I am saying is, just ride that thing. When it needs maintenance and such do it. There is a regular schedule for the maintenance. Find that out and stick to it..........RIDE..........