It seems June is airhead repair month for me - or comedy of errors:
R100/7 decided to have its undertank master cylinder leak out all of its contents onto the frame and engine this spring. I took the R65LS down to MAX BMW to pickup the parts I needed and a new Spiegler brake line for the R100/7. On the way to Max's, I noted that it was time for new tires on the R65LS to pass annual safety inspection (this month). I support my local independent bike shop by buying my tires from him, so I stopped by and ordered a set of tires. On the way to Max's the R65's left front fork seal starting squirting oil. Great!
At MAx's I get new fork seals, 7.5W fork oil, and drain washers for the R65LS, as well as the brake parts for the R100/7.
I get home and decide to tackle the R65LS first. I take the wheels off, and decide the peeling paint on them really has to be addressed. I get out my tire irons and bead breaker tool to remove the tires so I can strip the wheels and sand them & paint them. Bead breaker breaks. Literally. Tires are still on the wheels. I decide to tape off the tires, use chemical stripper (tires and tubes being replaced anyway) and have at it. I take the forks apart to replace the fork seals and discover the dreaded dark plastic shrapnel and sludge at the bottom of the fork tubes -> damper assembly topping out bumpers have disintegrated. Great.
Get on Kawasaki and go back to Max's to pick up washers and damper assembly parts to rebuild the damper assemblies, so I can then replace the fork seals and put the forks back on. I bought clamps to attach fork gaiters and put them on the forks instead of the dust caps that the LS model normally uses - hoping to extend the life of this set of fork seals.
Finally, all back together, with new rubber, newly painted wheels, fork oil, etc. in place and time for a test ride. Battery is dead, dead, dead and will not take a charge. Hmmmm. Order new battery. Wait 5 days.
New battery arrives and I install it. Bikes starts right up and I decide to verify that the battery is being charged. Hmmmmm. Revving the engine to 6K RPM and the battery voltage isn't rising above 12.5V. Not good. I verify that the GEN light is working properly, all connectors under the tank seem OK. On a hunch, I eye the original factory voltage regulator. I remember buying a new solid state voltage regulator from Motorrad Elektrik a year or two ago and never installing it. I Search through my growing pile of airhead-related bits and find it. Install the new voltage regulator and Voila! Charging voltage on battery now goes up to 13.8V @ 4000 RPM. Whew!
Brief test ride (in between continuous thunderstorms today) indicates things are working well, though the fork springs are noisier than they used to be. I'm just going to live with it for a bit until after I get my inspection sticker. At least now I know why the previous battery gave up the ghost.
Now, on to the R100/7... (which is also becoming a long story)
Somedays, it seems you just move from one problem to another. But at least the R65LS should be a reliable ride for the summer now!
