One of the things I have learned in life is that if you don't know the answer there is usually someone who does. This has been reinforced during this process. I mentioned in an earlier post that the forums would be invaluable during this project. That was the best decision I made. Humble yourself and ask, be respectful of others, and grateful for good advice. I have discovered that in this age there is probably a forum for anything you want to do. This build has given me the confidence to tackle an even more daunting project. Namely replacing the clutch in my BMW R1100RT.
Through the forums I found videos of the process and manuals for the same. Check list that outlined the process step by step. These items were offered to me for free. All I had to do was ask and I received. Armed with this knowledge and a friend to help I jumped in. There are 105 photos of the procedure but I'll just show you the Readers Digest Condensed book Version.
Strapping the patient to the operating table.
Carefully piece by piece.
Finally the clutch.
8 hours later it was pretty scary.
Reassembly.
Lubed gear box input shaft.
The gear box back in place. What a nightmare.
Not as bad as I thought.
16 hours later good as new!
I would also like to thank my friend Bob. His help was invaluable.
Here we are back on the road in the North Georgia Mountains.
It was smoother than silk.
It has also lead me to undertake a few other more menial task. I had a 1980's Snapper mower that had served me well over the years. Last winter it started hemorrhaging fuel. ETHANOL! This spring I went to a local small engine shop and purchased a $4.50 carburetor kit for the 8 hp Tecumseh motor. Then I purchased a $12 starter solenoid from the local hardware and it was good as new. A couple of weeks on Craigs List and I had $350 in my pocket and space in the garage.
My regular mower, a 18.5 hp Craftsman lawn tractor had always been hard to start. I had to move it to work on the bikes one day and I noticed an oil leak on to the muffler in the front, not to mention the motor would not turn over and start. This oil leak just happened to be under the valve cover on the engine. I removed the valve cover and cleaned it and checked the gasket. I also noticed the valves seemed loose. I took the time to check a few sources on the net and watch a few YouTube videos of the process. The valves were out of tolerance, especially the exhaust valve. Once they were properly adjusted and everything buttoned back up the engine cranked easily. Apparently the exhaust valve was not opening properly and this made the engine to tight for the starter to turn over. Once adjusted the engine started easier and ran more smoothly. I even mowed the lawn for the first time this year to check it out.
Obviously I was quite pleased with myself. I recycled a non running piece of equipment into cash and saved what could have been a $200 repair on the other lawn mower. So I figure I am about $550 to the good there. I performed a clutch replacement on the BMW and a front wheel bearing replacement as well. The estimates on the clutch replacement ran from $900 to $2300, and the front wheel bearing replacement about $400. That averages out to around $2000. The parts ran $250 for the clutch and $86 for the front wheel, so $1664 to the good!
There are resources out there to help you figure out most basic repairs, even some that are not so basic. A key element is having the proper tools. I needed a few tools to repair the clutch that I didn't have. A 30 mm socket , a 14 mm hex key, and a torque wrench that would do 150 NM, about $75 total. The front wheel required a bearing puller that I found at Harbour Freight for $18. I look at each of these as investments, even $300 for the motorcycle lift was an investment. So $400 to save $2200, that's pretty good economics.
I also have the knowledge of knowing the condition of the piece of equipment I was working on. Every time I repair something I have a better understanding of that item. I understand how it does what I ask it to do. I have worked on industrial sewing equipment over the years in my business. Early on I was told how important it was to keep the machines properly oiled. The phrase "that's the life of the machine", was repeated to me over and over through the years by my father. That makes more sense all the time. Proper maintenance is directly related to the life of any piece of equipment, be it a sewing machine, lawn mower, or motorcycle.
The title of this blog was a reference to the transformation of a motorcycle. A transformation from a mild mannered cruiser, that had out lived it's useful life, into a beast that sent chills down the spine of all that saw it. The motorcycle turned out far better than I ever dreamed. I smile every time I walk by it in my garage. It's a real point of pride to ride it somewhere and come out to see 3 or 4 people standing around it, or have complete strangers feel compelled to ask questions. The smiles of people I meet or the thumbs up I get from time to time are still gratifying. It's not the beast I had hoped for but that is due to the limitations of the 1986 technology sitting at its heart. It looks pretty damn good though.
What I had not really counted on was the transformation of myself during this process. Sure I hoped to learn more about motorcycles and how they worked but it's more than that. At fifty I have found I can still learn new skills. I can change the way I look at things and how I interact with my surroundings. I can expand my horizons and change my world. The transformation is only over when we stop challenging ourselves. There is a quote that I put on all my emails that has come to have new meaning for me.
"Only
those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can
go." -- T.S. Eliot
So challenge yourself today and go just a little farther outside your comfort zone than yesterday. I'm going to.
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