Early Fall weather in Texas usually means the heat has broken and lunch rides are done with the lightest riding gear in your inventory. Yet we still sweat.
So it was as Mike "Bengt Phorqs" Crenshaw and I headed northwest of the DFW MetroMess towards our favorite Greenwood Grocery; just a hearty tobacco plug spit from the old Chisholm Trail through Wise County.
Between big bites of bacon cheeseburgers, Mike says, "You're smoking a little bit'. OK. My hair's not on fire and I don't do tobacco so he must be talking about my '81 R65 aka, Blackie. Well, the bike has been running a bit soft of late but does still pass The Ton when the lash is laid on. Better order some parts and wait for cooler temps in the shop.
Five-plus years ago, I had grabbed a pair of 83 or 84 -I forget which- R65 heads with valves, from a motor scooter shop in Chicago. Must've been a slow eBay day as my bid got the pair for $57.35. Opened the USPS 2-day box, yep, that's them, and put the box into shop storage. Bob's BMW supplied the iron rings for the nikasil bores along with the necessary gaskets and o-rings.
With other bikes to ride, the ring job was pushed back until early November when the top ends were pulled. Removing the rings, I noticed that one oil ring was cracked halfway through but not broken off. Could be part of the problem.
Thanksgiving holiday obligations again put the brakes on motorcycle chores. Finally, I started cleaning parts. A peak at the '81 heads led me to pull out my stash and drop them off at a local one-man motorcycle shop run by an older gentleman who is a graduate of the Butler & Smith west coast service school. Elmer, at Northside MC, dismantled the heads, cleaned, inspected and needed to take a light dressing cut from three of the four valve seats. Guides were to spec. Reassembled and returned to me in five days for a very reasonable $185.00.
Christmas in now on a short final. Shopping, social events and a planned trip to family in Austin halted work on the engine. Then things took a turn south...
Earlier in October, at the annual Luckenbach Harvest Festival for vintage motorcycles, I had purchased an original serigraph depicting a 1920's board track racer. The plan was to create a 'steam punk' plexiglas and metal frame for the work and present it to my youngest son who shares his old man's motocycle addictions. Time was now really almost gone.
It took but a nano second for me to realize I had lost a MMA contest between the forefinger of my left hand and a spinning, 80-tooth carbide tablesaw blade. This is going to require more than my usual squirt of super glue, thinks I. More like five hours in the ER, a bit of stitching and three separate visits over a six-week period with an orthopedic surgeon that looked to be about nineteen years old. Really.
On Thursday, 05 February, Blackie finally fired off with just a quick touch on the go button. No smoke. Rings just about seated. Finger still looks gnarly and as the surgeon said, "Your days as a fashion photographer's hand model are over".
Lessons learned:
It could be more economical to source decent used cylinder heads and do a light service on them rather than spending excess money replacing parts that may well be in good nick.
Per Der Snowbum, a 'green' Scotchbrite pad used with hot, soapy Dawn dish detergent, will de-glaze Nikasil bores and actually reveal OEM hone marks that may be nearly invisible to old Mk.1 eyeballs. This chore will assist in seating the new iron rings.
Oak Okleshen's "Boxer Top End Manual" is highly recommended as a guide to a smooth and successful job. Oak is one of only a select few BMW Mottorad-recognized Friend of the Marque. The manual is $25.00. PM me for ordering info, if interested.
After the last round of cylinder stud torquing, let the engine 'rest' for 24 hours and then re-torque to the last value. Re-check valve lash and adjust if necessary.
Lastly, use caution around sharp, pointy things that can bite you.
One more thing... Blackie feels very stout. Again, The Ton awaits.
