r100rs fairing

[larstorders]

i thought of converting my original headlamp/ instrument mount into something like the police mounting. But sadly not possible with low RS bars. Speedometer drive cable was also a routing problem with the RS fairing cradle. Essentially, I lost access to the
original headlamp/ instrument bracket mounting holes on the top yoke  

[trolle]

Comparing the "police"-version and the original I found that the mounting point for the brake hose distributor is situated differently - how did you tackle that?

Oh, while I have your attention: In the dashboard of my RS-fairing there are two fuse boxes, are they stock?

greetings from a foggy and freezing north - very dangerous driving conditions

[larstorders]

Hi Trolle, Hopefully I'll get those measurements for you by the weekend.
No fuse boxes fitted as standard on any RS fairing I've ever seen. They might be handily placed up there, though.
Brake hoses, Hmmmm, I moved the brake hose distributor down onto the horn mounting lug as in picture (please excuse rust, all was cleaned and repainted before final fitting, of course  ) In this position I found the length of the lower hoses were exactly the same as the original R65 lower brake hoses  , the top hose is longer. I fitted new anyway, because on close examination cracks were found in the originals. The horn is now mounted, temporarily on a bracket from the second fairing mounting bar which is positioned 'amidships'. The fairing does not allow enough room for the horn to stay in it's original position, anyway.



I used stainless, single sided, RS fork leg brackets, from Moto-Bins, to get the correct angle for the hoses as they reach from fairing to fork leg, bending the original caliper brake pipes to meet them was no problem.


Ensuring safe routing of the hose through the fairing was an excuse to make cute little 5083 aluminium brackets.
Looks like the front grill came off a red BMW   . More painting still needed,

[Justin B.]

Very "sanitary" brake plumbing!  You know, on the older bikes (pre-'85) relocating the fuses out of the bucket to the fairing would be a slick way to make them accessible.  Fortunately, R65 owners have never had to contend with having to dig into the headlight to check/replace a fuse.

[larstorders]

 Hi Trolle. I've put a diagram with measurements for the instrument mounting bracket on the photo site
http://www.flickr.com/photos/larstorders/sets/  .
it's not to scale. I've added 2 more pics that should better demonstrate the set up.
I'm using this as a temporary bracket, though, for reasons  mentioned on the captions.
I find making cardboard templates is a great help when doing jobs like this, as no doubt Fred did too  
I must now rush off up north to wish bon-voyage to a mate who is off to Antarctica for a few months, again!!! Like it's not cold enough here?
Good luck

[trolle]

Thanks again, Lars.

I've just completed cleaning up one of the forks - having done appr. 15.000 miles since last check I am using this opportunity to make a total check of all components. Things that need changing are being changed and to improve handling I've installed progressive springs. No doubt that it will do something to the handling as the compression of the progressive spring is 1.5 inches less than that of the stock spring at a load of 80 kgs. One thing that has been annoying me is the tendency of the front to dive when braking, I hope that this will remove this tendency.

Now I will make a proper drawing and find someone who can cut the forms for me.

greetings from a sunny and cold (38 F) north

[trolle]

I would have modified the posting above if possible.

A student/college of mine has cut the three fittings for me in  2 mm aluminum. Now I will butcher the stock instrument mounting bracket and rivet the items together to form a new mounting bracket.

Recieved new keihan silencers yesterday, unfortunately there was a dent in the left, so now I am negotiating a switch with Moto-Bins.



greetings from a north with slippery and wet roads and low temps (38F)

[Semper Gumby]

Really beautiful!

<snip>

I am thinking of putting progressive springs in the front fork to make up for the added weight of the fairing, any comments on that?

greetings from a rainy and dark north

Hi trolle,

Make sure you get the 1" PVC spacer otherwise your forks will lose some of their travel.  Then 190cc of fluid.  When a BMW shop did mine the front forks came out rock hard.  On a hunch I drained one of the forks and pulled out 350cc!!!  I have no idea where they got that quantity from.  

(can't teach old trick to new dogs)

TTFN,

[larstorders]

Hi Trolle.
My bracket was made from 1.5mm mild steel. I really don't know if  the 'design'   will be good with aluminiium plate. It kinda depends, what grade you use, as different grades have hugely different qualities,  http://www.ez.org/aluminum.htm.  I'm guessing you have 5083 grade there. You may find it a little weak for this job. But, I like over-engineering my stuff as it happens, so, you won't know until you try it   . Whatever, good luck and I'm sure you're enjoying your conversion. It's really good riding a bike that's got a lot of your own work in it   .

[larstorders]

I didn't keep the 1 inch spacer. Tried it at first and wow, way too hard. Then I read the instructions that came with the springs suggesting that fork spring should be level with fork tops. So, spacer not required on my model. Now they're good with the RS fairing fitted.  I'm wondering if the 'progressive' fork springs changed in strengh/ length at some time, so the spacer is no longer appropriatte for R65s.

[trolle]

Hasty and uninformed decisions - the story of my life: Moto-Bins delivered the two ss brakehoses I ordered and they do not fit the distributor as they have "female" connectors at both ends. The problem may be solved by reusing my old R65 brakelines to connect the hoses to the distributor as in the attached photo.

Apart from the esthetical aspect are there any safety issues involved in this solution?

greetings from a grey and freezing north (23F this morning)

[trolle]

I didn't keep the 1 inch spacer. Tried it at first and wow, way too hard. Then I read the instructions that came with the springs suggesting that fork spring should be level with fork tops. So, spacer not required on my model. Now they're good with the RS fairing fitted.  I'm wondering if the 'progressive' fork springs changed in strengh/ length at some time, so the spacer is no longer appropriatte for R65s.

The springs (Wirth) fitted exactly with the spacers in the fork as they were exactly level with top of the fork, so I have kept the stock spacers and the recommended amount of oil using a 7.5w mixture. When trying out the forks by pressing down on them with appr. 50 kgs on each they feel OK with an appropriate travel distance.

The forks are fitted with 50 mm steel spacer, a 5 mm PVC spacer and a 2 mm spacer with holes on which the spring rests as seen from the bottom of the sliding tube.

I like my bike hard with a max. 20 mm downward travel when I mount it, measured over the saddle.

greetings from a grey and freezing north (23F this morning)

[Justin B.]

Trolle, other then the "ugly factor" I don't see that you should have a problem with that as long as there won't be any strain/flexing on the metal tubes.  The RT (and probably RS) had lengths of metal tubing from the splitter to the fairing.  This plumbing is hidden by the fairing and the ends are captured by a rubber grommet in the fairing so no strain is put on the rigid piping.

[Bonzo]

On a slighty different topic (but related ), I took the headlamp out of my RS fairing today as it looked a tad 'murky' in there. I cant believe the crap that I cleaned out from both behind the fairing glass, and the inside glass of the light itself. Makes you wonder how it gets in there! The difference is truly staggering on the road at night.

I was thinking of coughing up for an HID conversion, but I dont think Ill bother just yet.

Had a right old game getting the chrome rim to clip back on to the light afterwards though , but worth the trouble in the end.

[larstorders]

You could always return the hoses for a refund. Brakes are crucial. If you think they're not quite right,
then they are NOT right.
As we're dealing with R65 conversions,  components from R100RS etc, often do not fit, especially brakes. Which I found quite dissapointing   .
Metal brake pipes must be supported properly at BOTH ends otherwise vibration will cause them to whip about with, possibly, bad results.
Did I mention that the original R65 lower brake hoses are still the correct length for the RS fairing when the 'distributor' is mounted under the headstock where the horn used to be (You will need a slightly longer upper hose though).
I see your upper brake hose does not connect to the 'distributor' with a banjo fitting, this may complicate siting of the 'distributor' where are you planning to mount it?
As you know, I'm happy to share my experience of RS conversion, (including hose fittings, types and sources) just ask.
Generally, I over-engineer, working, I hope, at least, to the same quality BMW did when they built the bike. This means that time, costs and difficulty are always of secondary importance to safety.
So I take my time and progress slowly.
And occaisionally spend money on the wrong equipment  which I can't use
Keep up the good work