1990 BMW R100GS Dakar

All-Weather Steed

2012-04-30T04:10:10Z

The weather for the annual Gathering of the Nortons did not look good. It was raining and cold in the very early AM, and the forecast called for rain all morning. When the weather is lousy, there is no match for the BMW community when it comes to getting on with it anyway. However, on this occasion, the gang was planning to ride some pretty old stuff that did not see rain if avoidable. Todd was bringing a side car, and I was planning to take the R60 on its maiden voyage with the carbs still not fully sorted. We decided that more modern equipment was the wise choice, and the R100GS was a natural choice.

Once on the road, the weather forecast turned out to be wrong (surprise !!). The sun peeked out, and the morning steadily improved. We followed a circuitous route to the event, and the GS zoomed along with some much more modern and sporting equipment (K1200S, Guzzi Nero Corsa, etc). A nice ride that ended at a great event (see Norton Gathering 2012). I am looking forward to some more miles coming up.

Dakar During Dakar

2012-01-07T22:59:35Z

The truth is, I was inspired by watching the first stages of the Dakar on TV. It is true that the machines there bear no resemblance, now that they are 450 cc rockets, and it is true that there is no terrain like the Fiambala or the Atacama desert anywhere within a several thousand miles of here (I did find a little gravel ;-), but no matter. Once upon a time, the GS PD won that event more than once, and inspired the production version that I have. It says Paris Dakar right on the bike! So my ride for a series of errands around suburban America on this day was the R100GS PD. The contrast could not be more striking, but I had a good time anyway. Much as I love this bike, I am hard pressed to imagine how anything like it could have blazed across northern Africa even 20 years ago. I imagine that the bikes are so much better today, and that it took supreme riding skills and stamina to make it through that race back then. Much respect.

First Frost

2011-10-27T19:21:42Z

Fall is beautiful in the northeast US. Cooler temperatures seem to suit air/oil cooled engines well and following the sweltering record-breaking heat of the summer, it is a welcome relief. Vibrant fall foliage creates Van Goghs and Cezannes everywhere. Just look in any direction, and add a frame. However, the beauty of fall is also the coming of much colder weather. You must enjoy fall because, as the name implies, things can go downhill from here for the riding enthusiast.

On this particular day, the weatherman said sunny with highs in the low 60s. I was headed out with a friend and neighbor for a few hours of riding starting early. In this case, early meant 40 degrees. And 40 degrees meant 30 degrees on the bike at speed. Standing outside it did not feel that bad; just a crisp morning with a little frost here and there. I had already committed to take the PD, and I refused to wear full winter gear as it felt ok, and it was still October after all. We of the limited riding season cannot admit defeat so early.

A week or two earlier, I had made a couple of adjustments to the rear shock aimed at improving rebound damping, and I had synched the carbs. The bike responded by increasing horsepower by 10 bhp and torque by 10 ft lbs. Or so it felt. What a difference, it was now more stable in the sweepers (relatively), and pulled stronger in the higher rev ranges. This made it a much better street bike. I am sure the cool air helped, but that would not be as exciting as unlocking double digit gains with cable adjustments!

Once we hit the highway for a brief stint, everything felt fine, except for my hands. The hand guards on the PD are positioned to do a fair job against light brush off road, but they left fingertips freezing in this case. Cold hands are a weakness of mine, and I had just recently suffered the consequences of mis-judging the weather (see squandering the attention budget), so you would think i would be better prepared in the glove department. Well you would be wrong. What's that you say, turn on the heated grips? Well the switch had been rather finicky. The low position did not work at all, and on this occasion, the high position failed as well. End result, no heated grips. Note to self, always bring the heated gloves along.

The riding was glorious, and the roads were relatively empty. Sunlight filtered through the state forests as we rode, the roads were dry and lightly sprinkled with falling leaves, the riding gods were pleased this day. We stopped at a Diner in White Haven, and I adjusted the hand guards a little, and used fine sandpaper on the heated grip switch connections. Low remained non-functional, but high was now working. As we left, the temperature climbed into the sixties, negating the need for either repair. C'est la vie. We had a glorious return trip with the PD performing brilliantly, and being every bit the match for a Honda about 15 years younger. Fortunately, frosty ground and frosty fingers cannot detract from a great motorcycle.

The Pelican Transfer Pt2

2011-09-26T00:04:16Z

As previously chronicled, the Pelican case has moved between a few bikes now, and when I put it on the Dakar, I used existing holes to mount it behind the solo seat. Since it is bolted on, I avoided making any new holes in the case, but it pretty much eliminates any pillion possibilities. I needed to take it off for some rack and wiring work, so I decided to investigate moving it back so that a pillion was possible. It turns out that this is non-trivial due to the "lip" on the rear of the Dakar rack. My first thought was just to cut off the lip and weld it back on horizontal to creat a flat surface. It is a structural piece of the rear and would make the bike non-stock, so I decided against it.

There are many solutions out there in cyberspace and in mailorder space as well. They range from a host of home-brew solutions to commercial solutions from Boxerworks and Hepco Becker. After choking on the commercial prices for solving a pretty basic problem, I decided to visit the hardware store. The other motivation was that in my case, the Fox shock control lives beneath the rear rack, so I could not just clamp things on in one of the most logical locations.

The home-brew solutions all involved creating a platform to make the case level with the rear "lip". I found my solution in some 1.5" boxed channel. It is already full of holes. I then selected a couple of different U-clamps and headed home. $11.67 all told. Once back in the garage, I cut the channel to the needed width, drilled a couple more holes in the bottom of the Pelican, and test fit the assembly. With everything worked out, I took things apart and rattle-canned everything black. Looked ok, and is very sturdy. At some point I will affix a thin sheet of aluminum to the bottom to cover the couple of exposed holes in the case that now exist.

Braking Bad

2011-09-11T12:43:26Z

The stopping power of the R100GS single disc is legendary in how poorly it works. Even in 1990, the single pot Brembo, single disc, and forearm building lever feel, combine to make for less than desirable stopping power up front. The remedies range from easy/marginal improvement to extensive/dramatic improvement. Offroad, I found the brakes ok, but not great. Onroad, they were downright lousy and performed more like the drums on my /2.

I spent some time researching the various options for making things better. The cheapest and easiest is to get better pads. Descriptions of results mostly indicated a little improvement. Other improvements involved the always popular stainless steel brake line, replacing the master cylinder with a 13mm version, changing the rotor, and then complete caliper conversions and replacements. The most popular of this latter solution was the conversion to dual pot brembos from a later K-bike.

After lots of reading and thought, I decided to replace the rotor and pads. The reports are significant improvement, and the change is very easy. I did not like the idea of sourcing/rebuilding another caliper, using adapter brakets, and/or shaving caliper mounting bosses.

I went with the EBC rotor and pads. They are a bit lighter and semi-floating. After the 15 minute change, I took the bike for a ride to bed the pads in and assess the results. I can report that the difference is significant. The stopping power is increased such that front end dive is more of a problem. It is also much smoother, but that is probalbly down to new rotors. What is not improved, is the feel of the brakes. It still takes physical hand power to get the bike stopped. I suspect that only different calipers will change this. Meanwhile, I am pleased with the results and feel much better about stopping the bike on the road.

Approaching Alpacas

2011-08-14T21:23:27Z

The quest for dirt has intensified after the MOA Rally a few weeks ago. On this day, the search leads to central PA and a couple of large state parks which border each other. Running through them are a few roads which are sometimes chipseal, sometimes gravel, sometimes rocks, and sometimes dirt. Leading off from the main trail are a number of secondary dirt roads which are sometimes jeep trails, sometimes grassy rootsy singletrack, and sometimes dead ends !! One of them lead to a beatiful Alpaca farm where the animals were as curious about me and my steed as I was about them.

I spent the day finding all sorts of great views and secluded treasures. I passed very few vehicles throughout the park. The GSPD was great offroad though a little too softly sprung up front at times. Back on the roads, I dialed down the rear fox shock and cornering improved substantially. It is clear though, that the brakes need some improvement. I will be looking into pads as a start.

MOA Wrenching and Riding

2011-07-31T13:22:15Z

I had set a goal of using the Dakar to attend the 2011 BMWMOA Rally. A number of things had to come together prior to that. Dave Cushing and Brian Curry sorted out the one pulled head stud that was discovered when the perfect valve clearances still resulted in a loud valve train. And then there was the clutch problem. On a shakedown ride, the bike suddenly had no clutch after stopping at an intersection. The lever and cable were fine, but there was no clutch resistance and I suspected the rod, or something worse. I towed it home, and upon unloading the bike, the clutch was back to normal ! It turns out that it was the actuator at the back of the transmission. It is a known problem that with age, the original piston expands when it heats up and gets stuck. The solution was a replacement with a smaller diameter and the problem was solved.

Then there was the headlight. One of the plastic retainer clips had broken, and the headlight was rattling around. I stuffed some foam in there initially just to prevent more damage, and then attacked the lighting issue one weekend. Lots of folks upgrade the alternator on the bike, and then add a mega lighting package of some kind. I wanted to add some LED lighting to avoid the whole upgrade process. After looking at some effective but expensive solutions from Clearwater and Twisted Throttle, I decided to invoke my frugal BMW clan member side, and picked up some LED auxillary lights from an automotive store. They installed easily once I got a pait of clamps for the frame, and I am pleasantly surprised at the results. They are very effective, and draw no current. The combination with the headlight has dramatically improved night vision, and the cost was a fraction of the other solutions. However, I am under no illusions about durability on these lights, as one good rock would likely mean game over.

The stock side cases were in good shape, but lost their retainer straps, so I transferred a pair from my other system cases. The Pelican case sat on the tail rack, and the tank compartment had a new lock, so all was right with the luggage world. I purchased one of those LED bulb replacements for the tail light. I don't notice very much difference in brightness during the day, but I am sure it is more effective at night. Lastly, an oil change, and new plugs. You would think that I was going cross country, but this was all planned anyway and just got concentrated into the pre-rally burst of activity.

I took a circuitous route to the rally making it 360 miles to get there. I did about 60 miles offroad, and the rest on tarmac. The bike performed flawlessly despite blistering temperatures in the 90s the whole way. I can say that the heat off the cylinders does not help ! With the softly sprung front end, it does tend to wallow in the corners a bit. I camped at the rally, and saw several other nice examples of Dakars among many other things mentioned in the main blog and elsewhere. I did some day rides including more dirt where the front suspension was much better suited. Some great riding. I took a different route home and added about 200 miles. All in all, I can now declare the bike ready for major duty. I have my eye on a few trips this fall.....

The Pelican Transfer

2011-07-10T22:15:43Z

My trusty Pelican case has been on 3 bikes, and I was hoping that somehow the holes already present line up for the Dakar as well. But of course, that was not to be. One more hole was needed, and I reluctantly got out the drill and did the deed. Once on the bike, it did look like it always belonged there, so I was pleased with the results. This makes the bike ready for solo trips, but the mounting interferes with the passenger seat, so no two-up with the case on board. I will look at a more rearward mounting platform later tis summer.....

U-Break U-Joint U-Fix

2011-05-31T00:48:24Z

Note: A longer version of this post can be found in the main blog as Getting the Shaft and other Blessings

The shaft drive of the BMW is a brilliant evolution of a 1920s design. It is sturdy, reliable, and has great benefits over a chain drive. However, the R100GS has gathered a reputation for being hard on u-joints. Some say it is the more acute angles of the shaft required for the GS, some say aftermarket shocks, some say sun spots. Regardless, they have a high failure rate on these bikes, and examination of the shaft every rear tire change is recommended. The front driveshaft u-joint on my bike looked fine only days before, so either I missed seeing a crack, or it went from good to no good during the ride.

With the driveshaft out of the swingarm, the level of his good fortune was obvious. This was the original shaft, and while the rear u-joint was fine, the front had two damaged pivots. The housing was broken, and needle bearings had escaped in every direction like some disturbed ants nest. The amount of play in the joint was excessive. I realized that he could not have been more than a few miles (or a few ft/lbs of torque) away from complete disintegration, or lockup, or some other less than desirable outcome. This was close. Really close. Inside the swingarm were the pieces of the housing and needle bearings. Without cleaning it out thoroughly, I would have been putting a new shaft in with lovely new grease and lots of little pieces of metal ! I grabbed a beverage, sat down, considered the bits of motorcycle all around me, and gave thanks.

A week later, I had a new shaft with circlip equipped u-joints so they are now replaceable. It also has grease nipples, so it is serviceable. Thanks to Bruno's in Canada for the new shaft. The installation was almost a breeze, just pay attention to a few caveats, and reverse the process. Torquing the front driveshaft bolts is a pain without the proper tool. Taking inspiration from online forums, I used a ring spanner with a socket stuffed in the other end and a torque wrench. A bit imprecise, and sure the BMW tool is perfect for the job, but I was determined not to buy another costly use-it-once-every-five-years BMW tool.

While the bike was laid up, I dropped the pan, and removed both petcocks to find both of the reserve tubes clogged ! That would have been a surprise discovered at the worst possible time and place. Igave thanks for that as well. In fact, this whole philosophy of being thankful for the discovery of problems and narrowly avoided disasters, seems well-suited to classic vehicles......

The Unwanted Discovery

2011-04-18T01:26:00Z

I was just damn lucky. Fortunate. Blessed even. With everything looking ok, I took the Dakar out for a ride to the Norton Gathering (see season opener). It is about a 60 mile roundtrip, and the day was a beauty if a little chilly in the morning. I had cleaned out the float bowls and synced the carbs and it seemed to be running very well. On the way back I noticed a vibration between 60 and 65 MPH. It went away above or below, and I suspected that I lost some weights and the rear wheel needed balancing. I rode the remaining 10 miles home staying below 60 MPH (you have no idea how hard this is on beautiful back roads).

Once I got home, I decided to check out the rear end, and noticed a slight delay between turning the wheel and the tranny engaging. Hhhmmm. Then I gave it the spin test known to owners of the R100GS, and heard the sound that you don't want to hear. When the wheel was spun in reverse, there was a distinct clicking sound. The good news is that this usually means that your gearbox is ok. The bad news is that it means you have a bad u-joint. I pulled the rear apart and once I had it out of the swingarm, the forward u-joint was indeed shot. Not just shot, but probably a few miles from coming apart and doing major damage to the swingarm, before locking up the rear wheel !!

All this when everything felt fine 70 miles before. I had done the spin test at the seller's house, and again when I got home. Like I said, blessed. Now it is off to spend the money I thought I scored negotiating this deal, on a new driveshaft.