New user r45

[Bug]

Hi! Just got my first bike, r45 1980 (98000 km).
Any tips for beginner?

[wilcom]

Congrats, you have come up with a fine example!

[Bob_Roller]

Hi Bug !!
Great looking bike !!!

[Tony Smith]

Here's am amusing thought for any R45 owner. If you ever get tired of the "performance" you can go from 450cc to 860cc, nearly double the original capacity, using bolt-on bits. I suspect that even with the asthmatic R45 valve gear the capacity increase would give a stunning increase in power.

[Adrian]

Hi there & welcome - lovely example of the model. Tony is right about the modification. It's a Seibonrock (?) conversion.
.
I have/had an R65 & recently had the motor completely overhauled by my local mechanic. My barrels & heads were in a bad way so on the mechanics advice - because he had fitted a conversion to his bike - I had him rebuild the motor using the 860 kit.
.
The heads had to be completely overhauled as well.
.
I am still in the final stages or re - assembly of the bike as a whole as it's a complete rebuild so I can't give any feedback on how it feels. It is however a popular conversion here in Oz.
.
The only change to the running of the bike is to fit a main jet 2 sizes larger - nothing else changes. The head Gasket has to be one to fit an R100 he tells me. No other  Gasket changes.
.
Here is South Australia I live near very hilly countryside so the extra power will be useful - especially as I ride two up a lot. She always felt a bit underpowered as an R65 when 2 up - it was sometimes difficult if not impossible to overtake in the Hills - we have very large trucks here.
.
So that's my 2 bobs worth - enjoy the new toy [ch128521][ch128522]

[tunnelrider]

Hi Bug yep that's a clean bike you've got, pretty mint condition, bet hasn't done many km's?  Don't know about those bags though
After learning to ride on my R65 I'm seriously considering the 860cc upgrade as mentioned by Tony and Adrian.  Hope to find a taller rear drive off an R80/R100 as Tony has also.

[tunnelrider]

Ok so 98000 km's, still not much compared to some of the inmates' bikes in this fantastically helpful asylum. Looks like it's been well looked after with a new paint job to boot. Apart from ride it and see how she goes my only tip would be to buy a Clymer repair manual for the regular maintenance schedule and the inevitable investigation into something that doesn't seem quite right.  These bikes are reliable and have good quality components that last well but you will have things that need attention now and then as yours, and most airheads are 30+ years old now.  This is part of learning how to ride as you'll be eventually riding the bike to see what it's limits are too 

[Barry]

Welcome Bug,

I've owned a 79 model R45 for 12 years.

There are many detail differences between the 78-80 model bikes and the 81 to 84  so take care when ordering spares or taking advice that people know it's the earlier model. There were some mix and match models registered in 1980 which have some features of the early model and some from the later. From your picture the bike looks to have only the earlier model features.  The kick start is unusual and a rare extra. They can be fragile so I only would use it in an emergency or for for turning the engine over during maintenance.

Do you know if it's a 27 HP model or 35 HP model.

[Bug]

I have now made my first trip with bike (330km). It is fun to drive and 27HP is enough for beginner to learn the basics of driving.

Problems that I noticed:

- Front brake vibrates a lot when braking.
- Side stand is loose, does not hold bike up. Maybe needs a replace.
- No light in speedometer/tachometer.
- There is a dead lcd display in the center of panel, three wires coming from it are not connected to anywhere, so I have no clue what it is for.
- The switch below motometer does nothing. What it supposed to do?

[BPT]

The switch is for an "accessory", usual driving lights or something like that.  And maybe the same one was used for heated grips?  Can you see if it's connected to anything? The OEM ones have about 1 foot of wire ending in a white, three connector plug.
That LCD thing that someone added - clock, thermometer, voltmeter?  Is that a solar cell at the top?  Seems strange to have that and wires??

[Barry]

I have now made my first trip with bike (330km). It is fun to drive and 27HP is enough for beginner to learn the basics of driving.

Problems that I noticed:

- Front brake vibrates a lot when braking.
- Side stand is loose, does not hold bike up. Maybe needs a replace.
- No light in speedometer/tachometer.
- There is a dead lcd display in the center of panel, three wires coming from it are not connected to anywhere, so I have no clue what it is for.
- The switch below motometer does nothing. What it supposed to do?

That's a very healthy distance for a first ride.

Problems:

Front brake disk could be warped although mine hasn't given any trouble. You will need to inspect it.

The side stands are not great. I had to shim mine to remove the side play.

The instrument bulbs are easy enough to get at. You will need to remove the crash pad lower section. Unplug the electrical connection to the tacho then 3 small screws to remove cover. Speedo bulb holder is a simple push fit in the back of the instrument

The LCD display has been added by a previous owner as has the switch in the crash pad. 

If you remove the top half of the crash pad, unscrew the threaded ring on the ignition switch and remove the plastic surround. Look underneath for two spring clips to release by pushing up with a screwdriver. The pad is likely to stick around the instrument bezels, take care prising it off as the pad often splits and good replacements are rare.