seit 1981 |
R100RT |
BK350 |
CJ750 |
R25/3 |
A580 |
KI120 |
R51/3 |
The BMW Singles from the 50's fascinated me for a long time. The clear streamlined bodies, the smooth engine and gearbox, shaft drive and of course the distinctive sound of the bike are always a feast for ears and eyes. |
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When I bought the BK 350 it was clear from the beginning, that it had to be a full restoration, for the R25 it was not so clear that I would end up doing the same.
The day I put the bike in my workshop, I intended only to brush up the paint where necessary, fix the cabling and get the engine running. For that reason I created a test setup to be able to start the engine before going on with the work.
The setup looked strange, but worked, I was able to start the engine. The foundation for what I wanted to do was there. But as usual, things develop different than you'd expect.
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In Indonesia the BMW experienced some repairs and changes that could not be called minor anymore. But everything was done in a good and professional way, even though they did not have original spare parts for some repairs.
First the bike got an anthracite paint job, then they put a modified R26/27 battery and air cleaner box on it as a battery case. Furthermore the complete generator was changed to a modern generator (maybe from a 80ies scooter). But they did a great job with it, you can't see the change from the outside. The ignition coil was placed under the tank, and the front fork was extended (8cm longer). I have no idea why they did this, but the bike handles very well as long as you ride it solo. With a passenger the bike gets tricky in the curves and no longer fun to ride.
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Looking at this, the question came up in which state of originality the bike should be brought back. The answers came step by step. When I could not find the same paint to repair the scratches, I made the decision to return to the original look of the bike. I had the sheet metal sand blasted and repainted. A problem was the relatively fresh undercoating they had put on the bottom side of both fenders. The removal resulted in severe damage of the before not so bad fenders. |
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I had the generator re-magnetized, changed the old rectifier to a modern BMW /5 rectifier and put an original ignition coil back to its former place underneath the generator cover. To make sure that the generator was working properly, I made a test setup with a drill as a motor to turn the crank, and used an oscilloscope to monitor the output of the rectifier. |
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When the bike was finished it ran quite well, but the maximum speed was already at 75 km/h. To gain a bit more power I 'adjusted' the pressure conditions in the muffler by drilling some more holes in it. The second problem was the carburetor. The slider was worn out, and no matter what jets I used it did not improve its performance. After a few months of unsuccessful trying, I sent the carb to Richard Sheckler in Wayne, Ohio and asked him to try it. After a testride Richard decided to send the carb to Bruce Chessel in Woodstock, Ontario Canada to have a new slide made. After getting it back he adjusted the jets and sent it back to me.
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