Tool Kit for the K

When I got the K it didn't come with a toolkit. I don't really know what came in the kit, but from the tools I've used so far I have an idea of what I want to carry. The key is to keep it small and light but as useful as possible. And, the fact remains that no matter what you carry, there will always be something else that you need. I don't know if it's Murphy' law, but I do know that when I'm deep in the bilge of a boat I usually don't have the next tool I need within reach.

Some Specialized Tools

I always like to have my little GearWrench Micro-Driver Set. This little set has driver, hexhead, and some odd bit's as well as SAE and Metric sockets. One very nice function is that both sides are reversible and has a thumb wheel for tight spaces. I've been toying with the thought of switching out the SAE sockets and hex bits for Metric only. However, I'm not sure that the substitutes would fit into the box. The hex bits are a real problem. I can't find hex head driver bits. I find it interesting, when I go to buy tools on sale, the metrics sell out first. I think the buyers think this country is stuck in the engineering of twenty years ago. I wonder if new "American" cars are SAE? What I would love to find is metric hex head bits that fit into a driver (1/4"?).

I consider the 18mm spark plug socket specialized. I don't find them sitting on the shelf everywhere. Along with the plug socket I need to have an extension. If I can find a driver bit adapter to 3/8" drive I can use the Micro Driver to remove the plugs.

A ratchet drive? The Micro Driver can do most everything. However, it's small and probably couldn't break something that hasn't been moved recently. I found an articulating 1/4" ratchet drive at Lowe's that was pretty cool, and fairly inexpensive at $11. This is one of their Task Force line, not as expensive as the Kobalt line. The other nice thing about this drive is that the head can articulate back behind the handle making it a smaller unit. The other function that might come in handy is that you can release the handle and use it in a pumping motion from the side; this might be good when trying to do something in a blind space.

Dual Quad Box Wrench Set

Metric Reversible Gearwrench set includes: 8mm x 10mm and 12mm x 13mm wrench, 16mm x 17mm and 18mm x 19mm wrench

 The Tool Kit

1. 5 or 6 inch long nose pliers
2. 5 inch adjustable wrench (opens to 7/8", 18mm)
3. Ratcheting Multi head screwdriver with bits in handle
4. Flashlight (9 LED 3AAA aluminum HFT)
5. GearWrench Micro Driver Kit
6. 1/4" to 3/8" adapter
7. Driver to 3/8" adapter
8. Wobble U joint 1/4" adapter
9. 6" extension
10. 18mm spark plug socket 
11. Metric Reversible Quad Box set
12. Knife
13. Spark plugs

Much Adoo about a 17mm Stubby Wrench!

Some times it the small things that can be a real pain. I bought the Sabre VT1100 (the running bike)  in February 2012 and took it to Florida on the Autotrain. The ride from the station to Juno Beach is about 180 miles. I road it to Okeechobee and around Jupiter a few times. I brought it home to Annapolis in May.


While in Florida I noticed that the oil seemed a little low. I bought some oil and ended up over filling it a little; which of course meant I had to drain some oil. The bolt is a 17mm bolt, no problem, I have 17mm wrenches and sockets. However, because the bike only sits on a side stand there is very little clearance for a full size wrench and a socket is blocked by a radiator hose.

The bolt had been bunged up by previous owners, I didn't help it any in Florida. When I got home in May I ordered a new bolt, but had never gotten around to changing the oil. I drained the oil yesterday and when I put the new bolt in I had the same problem, no clearance under the bike for a standard size wrench.

I won't go into great detail about the bad website and customer service at home depot. Suffice it to say that Homedespot shows one price on line and charges another in the store. The Manager Brian woudn't modify the price so I returned my $35 wrench purchases and went to my favorite tool store, Harbor Freight tools.

Unfortunately, their pack of stubby wrenches only went up to 16mm. I ended up buying as set of S shaped obstruction wrenches and a set of Offset wrenches each for $15. I picked up a couple of other items for a total bill of $40. You lose HomeDespot!

On my way home I decided to stop at Walmart, I thought I'd seen a stubby set there. They didn't have a stubby set but they did have a short set of wrenches for $7.88 which did include a 17mm wrench just slightly over 6" long. That one was the one that did it. They may be as cheap as you can get, but in this case they were the the ones that work. I may even grind the one end off the 17mm to put it in the Sabre tool kit (Which reminds me the Honda uses the same 18mm spark plug socket as the K. I need to get another one to carry on the Sabre.)

 Ultra Steel 9pc Metric Wrench Combo Set:

I tried the S wrenches since they had packaging that could be easily opened and closed, it didn't work, not enough swing. I didn't open the other pack to try because I want to return these.

While I do enjoy nice tools I don't find these to be in the keeper catagory. HFT did have their stubby ratchet set on sale for $27. They were out of the metric pack but I got a raincheck, they will be in on Thursday. I have many Gearwrench sets, having gone on a buying spree at Sears (another dirty word) a few years ago during their annual tool sale. These are fine wrenches. I think Gearwrench either bought or filed the original patent for the ratcheting wrench which seems to have either lapsed or has been sold to every major tool maker. I've since bought wrenches by Husky and now HFT as well as Craftsman. They all look to be high quality and work well. The HFT brand now carries a lifetime warranty like the rest. I see no sense in buying and paying for a name when the quality is the same or better for less money. Besides the little work I do with these wrenches shouldn't tax their strength.

I said I have many Gearwrench sets. I have a set of both metric and SAE for the boat. The engines are Detroit's, SAE. The generator is Northern Lights which is metric. I carry a set of double end Quad Box in both SAE and metric in my tool bag. This gives me 16 sizes in four wrenches, and they are reversible, the wrench never leaves the nut. I usually find that I go to the metrics more than the SAE, but for a little extra weight they are worth carrying.

GearWrench 2 pc. Standard Reversible Quad Box Set

The one tool kit that I find indespensible is a little Gearwrench Driver set. I carry one in my bag, and one for each of the motorcycles and boat. I've given these as thank you gifts. Until I started work on the beemer most jobs could be accomplished with this little kit. They used to go on sale at sears for $20 I think the price is now up to $29 and on sale for $25 which I think is still a deal. Buy a set, the only bad thing is the box, it's plastic and tends to break. I usually put my kit in a little bag of some sort.

GearWrench Micro-Driver Set 35 Pieces

Product Description

A Gearwrench Wrench Set that Packs Fast and Travels Light
A solid companion for car or truck, the Gearwrench Microdriver set delivers a powerful grip that torques nuts, bolts, screws and more. Featuring a fine toothed ratcheting design and the ability to quickly swap between attachments, this set tightens and loosens 35 different fasteners, while fitting easily under the driver’s seat or in the glove box of any car or seat of any motorcycle.
Built with a reinforced ratchet mechanism, this set is tough enough to lean on and bust loose tough bolts, while being nimble enough to complete turns in spaces as tight as 6 degrees. So whether you’re swapping you bike’s oil at a roadside auto shop, or draining a water tank under your RV, this Gearwrench Wrench Set holds fasteners tight and makes every turn count. Toss one of these in your vehicle before you hit the road, and be ready.

• Full Gearwrench Wrench Set Set includes: Square end 1/4 in. adapter, 5 piece inch socket set, 5 piece metric socket set, 18 ¼ in. driver bit set and 5 piece 5/16 in. driver bit set
• Made from tough alloyed steel, this set is ready for tough torquing
• Features chrome dipped tools for longer life and corrosion resistance
• Driver bits are designed to hold fasteners tight, reducing slip and stripping
• Blow molded carry case features slots for each tool delivering safe storage and easy access

The nice thing about this tool is that it's double ended, it can drive 1/4 inch sockets on one side and driver bits on the other. Each end is reversible. I've bought driver sockets for it and other add-ons, like a small extension and wobble U joint that fit in the little bin underneath making it more useful in more situations.

Athough you can buy it from Sears, you'll pay more and I don't like giving money to bad companies unless there's no other alternative. It's available from Amazon For $18.23 here:


http://www.amazon.com/GearWrench-85035-35-MicroDriver-Set/dp/B0062FSAVI


If you find another item to hit $25 bucks you can get free shipping.

In Florida for a week, No Bike!

I was in Florida for a week. I'm back and will begin working on the K again.

First start attempt after rebuild...Bust!

Well, the good thing is that it turns over and acts like it wants to start, but it just won't fire. Everything went together well. Except for the new run of the forward return hose. I mounted out behind the idle switch and a long the left body strut. The tank doesn't fit around it. I expected that, when I mounted it I just zip tied it up there very loosely.

I smell gas. I got one of those mechanics stethoscopes. Early on when I was having trouble IngridK from the forum suggested I use a long screw driver and listen for the clicking sound of the injectors, I got the scope on sale at Harbor Freight for $5 on sale. I believe that I heard the injectors clicking.

When I first tried to start it I put the choke on; which I read really doesn't do anything but up the idle speed. After all, it's a computer controlled ignition. The brain creates the mixture. With the choke on I thought it would feed gas into the rail and hoses quicker. At first I didn't smell gas. When I did smell gas I turned the choke off and tried again. This time it sounded different so much so that I turned it off because I thought I heard someone thumping a drum in the distance. It turned out to be the bike, it sounds like there is compression and it's popping air out the muffler. I have not tested the plugs since the new coils went in. I tested the coils before mounting them. They seem to have tested a little on the low side. the 1.4 coil tested 11.8, the 2,3 coil tested 12.2 at the positive and negative poles. Testing at the cups they all tested 2.6.

A possible new purchase... A 1985 K100 parts bike $200

1985 K100 parts bike $200

I keep an eye on the local craigslist listing for BMW's. Sometimes that's a bad thing as I often see bikes just a little more expensive than mine, up and running. 

I came across a listing from just over a week ago (I don't know how I missed it earlier). It's all in pieces. From what I can see in the pictures the tank, wheels, engine and transmission are still on the bike. The fairing, seat and body parts seem to be off the bike. It wasn't listed as an 85 but I saw the rear seat/body cowl and it didn't have the hand hold which I'm told began in 86. From what I could see the coils are still on the engine. Sadly, I might not have needed to buy my coils. 

I can't afford to buy the bike for $200. But if I could give the guy a few dollars to haul it away it might be a great buy for me. I might be able to get an original fuel pump, computer, hall sensor, Mass air sensor and so forth. 

The other thing that might be good is that because I want to do my own painting I could experiment on the parts bike pieces. If I like the results I can just switch out the parts to my bike. The other thing I would really like to take off the bike is the BMW badges. I don't know how the come off, or even if they do come off. Maybe that will be my next post on the forum.

Some delays in assembly, but moving along. Choke and Throttle cable installed

We had an event in DC Saturday evening and had to leave fairly early to make it through the traffic, I didn't get as much done as I would have liked.

It' funny how I/we tend to get fixated on some things. I became fixated on the screws that hold the idle switch and fuel pressure sensor. I fixated because they are easy to get to and replace, if I could find replacements. I put up a post on the forums for info. And as often happens I don't think I explaned my dilemma properly. I would like to replace them with stainless. Would stainless be OK due to the dissimilar metals? I can only find slightly shorter screws would they be OK? I don't know if they attach anything on the inside of the bracket? I fixated. Finally I polished the screws as best I could and put them back it. I also polished the bracket as I moved along. I removed the screws one at a time, just in case they were holding something I didn't know about. I got lot's of input from the forum and I thank them.

I've been taking the assembly slowly because I've been cleaning and degreasing by hand as I go along. I also go slow

Choke Cable Installation

I installed the new choke cable first thinking it was the easier of the two. It was fairly straight forward. Of course I don't know if I've got it correct until I have it started. The throttle cable was a little more problematic.

Throttle Cable Installation

First, when I took the cable off I didn't know what was in the assembly so the cable became detached before I got a chance to photograph and noted it's position. I installed the cable and was very pleased until I went over to the left side of the bike and saw that the little throttle stop was positioned almost and inch up off its stop. I checked the cable to see if it was binding, nope. I started taking the handlebar assembly off. I started with the top cap, hoping to not remove the brake resevoir. That didn't work. I loosened the BR and still couldn't free up enough cable to release the throttle stop. It turns out the little adjuster that is actually separate from the cable, I had it turned the wrong way! I turned the adjuster around and put everything back together. I took a look at the throttle stop and it was still about 1/4" off the rest position. I figured that I had the position set wrong with the little chain in the assembly. I was able to just take the cap off and make some adjustments. That released the stop to its rest position. However, the throttle grip had some play in it. Off came the cap and I reset the little channel that is on the grip  and defines the amount of rotation of the throttle grip. Finally it seemed correct.

Fuel Rail Installation

I had already put the injectors into the rail with the new O rings. I had a holdup because when I went to cut the new fuel line I noticed that they were for a NON-FUEL INJECTED systems. I had to go back up to Napa and exchange the fuel line hose. I got an extra foot because I'd read that some people had issues with fuel heating up in the tank and routed the return fuel line to the outside of the engine. I couldn't find any pictures showing this but it sounds like a good idea to do now instead of later.

Clear Coat Parts, Replacing screws with Stainless, Painting

I posted these questions on the K100 forum. I haven't heard anything back (it's only been a few minutes) but I thought there might be other readers that could comment.

Although the cosmetics aren't my primary concern at this point, getting the bike running is, I'll be tackling the finish later on. But while taking the bike apart to get to suspect parts I'm removing some components.

The battery tray. I've removed it, one of the grommets won't come out and I've done some polishing. It's aluminum. Should I put a clear coat on it to keep it from staining?

One of the things I'm wondering about is the screws that hold a bracket/rail on the sides of the throttle body. This is the bracket that holds the throttle stop on the outside of the bike, on the interior side of the bike it holds the fuel pressure regulator and what looks like a pressure switch (i can send photos). Many of the screws are a bit rusty, some have corrosion. I've removed them singly, because I don't know if they hold anything on the inside of the rail/bracket, and polished them to get the rust off. Can these be treated with anything to keep them from rusting again, wax, clear coat, although I don't want to fill the phillips heads. I tried to find new screws (non BMW). I found some M4/10 SS screws, they are shorter than the bmw screws probably 1-2 mm's shorter. Has anyone replaced these with Stainless screws? In boating we worry about the corrosion on dissimilar metals, stainless into aluminum. We used to use Boshield T4 (I think, it's been a long time) this was said to prevent gulling, the electrical corrosion between the metals.

The question of different metals is one that I'm wondering about. I wouldn't mind replacing most anything that is rusting with SS screws. It seems to me so far that where screws are used they are typically on non bearing or load applications. SS Replacement shouldn't cause a problem, should it?

I removed the fuel rail to to test and clean the injectors. I cleaned the rust from some spots on the rail. I bought some black Rustoleum engine paint. I also got some primer. Unfortunately, I didn't notice that this was not engine paint do you think I'll have a problem? I used the primer 3 coats sanding. Black paint 2 coats, sand, third coat.

I'm going to try to post pics here, I haven't figured out how to post them in the K100 site.

Purchased "New" used 88 coil set on ebay $85 Total $446

Purchased "New" used 88 coil set on ebay $85 Total $446

I Consulted the K100 Forum for broken post solutions

To anyone doing a repair or restoration on K bikes (actually any BMW) I highly suggest looking into and joining the forums. These people are the unsung heroes of home bike repair. Thanks to all the folks at K100 Forum. The link is here: http://k100rt.aforumfree.com/forum.

After posting my issue on the broken coil post, and qualifying a solution that didn't include new coils due to the high cost, $239.

I got varieations on two answers, buy used from ebay and fix with epoxy.

The folks went so far as to actually search and find me the coil(s). That's nice. I usually have no patience for people who don't do searches. I am a firm believer in the internet and google searches, not so much on ebay.

I've never been stung on ebay. I used to confine my purchases to esoteric large format cameras and lenses. After searching the used parts outlets, beemer bone yard and k bike parts, I had to consider ebay.

The first link was for a set of 88' coils for $65 and $20 in shipping. The shipping is kind of a rip off. Ebay sellers don't pay ebay for shipping charges, so many of them mark up the price on shipping. The second link I was sent was for a set of 85' coils these looked as bad as mine. The price was $40 plus $13 in shipping, a better deal and a truer value for shipping. I decided to order the 88's.

The other solution was really the answer I was hoping for "Charlie99" told me the design of the coil and how it might be repaired. I couldn't see how the post was connected to the interior of the coil. He told me there was a thin copper wire that was soldered to the post. He said if I could drill away the plastic/epoxy shroud I might be able to solder a new wire to it and the post and then use an epoxy putty to rebuild the shroud.

I did find the copper wire, and was able to drill around it. I didn't feel that I could free up enough wire for a good solder connection. I think I may invest a few dollars in some JB Weld (I think this is the product that is a metal epoxy putty for fixing engines) to try and do a chemical/mechanical fix. My thought is to put a dab of the metal putty around the piece of freed wire, place the broken post in it's old position and let it cure.  The next step would be to use a standard plastic type epoxy putty to form the shroud and insulate the system.

As Charlie99 suggested, you want good insulation because these are high voltage charges flowing though the coils. I'm not a mechanic or electrician but my understanding is that the 12V charge is sent to the coils which "amps it up" to send it out to the plugs/injectors. The charge coming off the coil is much more dangerous than the standard 12V charge. No matter, you don't want stray charges jumping around all over the bike, it might blow out the brain or other electrical systems.

Someone might ask, "why fix it at all if you're getting new ones?". It's really just an exercise in homegrown repair. If you travel the world you will see people in less affluent places making all kinds of repairs and products that would be considered "medieval" and highly improbable.

In my days of living on my boat in the keys I met people who had been down to Cuba. They commented on how the Cubans were able to keep the 50's era US cars running all these years. In China I saw people repairing leather shoes and belts on hand turned heavy duty sewing machines. In the US we would hardly ever consider repairing some of the items other people around the world fix. I figure if there is some guy in Tibet can get an old motorcycle working so can I.

Of course there is a problem. As we get highly industrialized and products become more and more electronic and computerized our ability to repair becomes an impossible solution. Impossible because very few of us have the ability to chip level diagnostics and then de-solder and re-solder a new chip, ic, or relay.

It would be interesting to see a Kbike with a fried computer converted into a carburated working bike!

Lessons Learned... Work over a proper work surface

Don't do stupid things, like me. I was hooking up electrics and decided to clean and check wiring. I took the coils off. There was some wear and roughness on the wiring that connected up to the coil. I cleaned the wiring and wrapped it with the color tape of the wires. I next went on to check, clean and wipe the coils. I was working on a chair 8" off the floor and I dropped the rear coil. At first I thought just a little piece of plastic had broken off. When I checked the post to the negative lead it had broken off just below the plastic.

A new coil as listed on the BMW of Chattanooga website is $239. Actually, I thought it would be alot more given the price of some other items.

The post is laying in from of the hole which it vacated

For the fix, the only thing I can think of is to drill just a little bit into the bottom of the post. I don't want to go too deeply. Although I'm not sure I think that this is probably like a distributor cap it needs to be air tight. Or, it could contain some cancer causing PCB stuff inside. after drilling as little as possible, I'm going to try and tap the hole. I may then try to tap the post that broke off. This would let me use the two holes to create a stud like arrangement.

Reassemblng the Phoenix K2B.... Task outline

I had wanted to do some cleaning, polishing and brightening while the bike was partially apart. The one problem I'm having is that with all the aluminum on the bike I don't know what is dirt, stain, or pitting. I have no experience with this kind of aluminum. I looked at some engine degreasers, they are spray on applications and then wash down. With the bike apart and unsealed I felt this would be a bad thing to do. I'm just going to go ahead and put the bike back together and tear it back down for a good cleaning.

I'm doing this as an outline because I find that if I make a list things will come to mind that I might otherwise forget. Also, by spending time between entries I'm able to add things I've missed. With any luck, some folks may read this and add information I might have forgotten.

Re-assembly Task Outline

1. Choke cable installation
1. Use messenger line to run from top to bottom (pointy end flows better)
2. Attach lower connection to throttle body
3. Attach upper connection to chock lever at handlebar
4. Test prior to attaching cap
1. Grease if needed
2. WHAT GREASE?
5. Attach cap
2. Throttle cable installation
1. Use messenger line to run from top to bottom
1. Attach lower connection to throttle body
2. Attach upper connection to handlebar
1. Test
2. Adjust with adjuster if neccesary
3. Attach cap
3. Re-Attach Brake Resevoir
4. Adjust and tighten handlebar
1. Adjust to sharpie marks on handlebar
5. Attach fuel pressure regulator
1. Attach and clamp aft section of new hose
2. Attach and clamp fwd section of new hose
3. Attach and clamp new vacuum hose to bottom of regulator
6. Attach newly painted fuel rail
1. Flush painted rail with alcohol
2. Check injector cups for paint
1. Sand or brush as needed
2. Blow out cups and rail
3. Install new O rings on injectors
1. Test for fit in cups
4. Install electrical connectors to injectors
1. Check bike side connectors for insulator
2. Wire tie electrical leads to rail
3. Bolt rail to bike
4. Connect and clamp new Fuel hoses forward and aft
7. Connect and clamp new crankcase breather tube
8. Connect and clamp forward vacuum tube from fuel pressure regulator
9. Connect and clamp aft vacuum tube from fuel pressure regulator
10. Connect under tank electrical connections
1. Check schematic against the electrical connections
2. Count schematic
3. Count under tank connections
11. Check and confirm all undertank electrical connections
1. Watch videos of electrical disconnects
12. Check and confirm all uner tank electrical connections again
13. Install Relay box cover
1. Check for loose conections
2. Check for tools and towels
14. CONNECT BRAIN
15. Install charged battery
1. Confirm Positive and negative leads
2. Ensure negative lead detached from bike body
3. Attach positive lead to battery
4. Attach negative lead to battery
5. Check all electricals again
6. ATTACH NEGATIVE LEAD TO BATTERY
16. Install Fuel Tank
1. Install and zip tie under tank overflow cup
2. Attach and clamp fuel delivery hose
3. Attach and clamp fuel overflow/return line
4. Connect electrical connection to tank
1. Confirm electrical connection to tank
5. ?

Blog Work... Even I didn't like looking at the blog!

I had been looking at other blogs and site pages, in comparison, mine wasn't very attractive. I had not spent alot of time looking at blogger and what could be done. But, I'd noticed that I've had some page views which I didn't expect. So I decided to find out what I could do.

The first thing was the background. I'm using an image I took of the sunrise in Juno Beach FL. I'm fairly sure I took the photo with my little S100 which isn't too large a file. However, Blogger wanted a photo only 300k. I had to slim it down by saving it as a really lousy jpeg with high compression and a low level; the file came out to 264k. I don't like the way the page tiles but without the tiling half the page is blank.

My header was a lackluster. I really didn't have a good picture of my bike (My bike can't take a good picture) so I looked around the net and found a couple fairly decent photos. I think one is a BMW stock photo. The black beemer will probably be what my bike looks like. I had to join and retouch the photos in Photoshop. My bike photo occupies the location at the top right, this is a "Before" shot.

I next put a couple of slide show boxes to the right. Sadly, Blogger doesn't search on a master folder so it's only looking at one folder at a time. I'll get around to moving all the shots into one folder, but I've already spent a day on this project, that's enough.

I may add a video box so that I can upload all my video but it won't take a lot of time for the blog to load. That's a project for another day.

I'm going to put the bike back together and go for a start and run

A word about my Photos and Videos...Sorry

I own and use some of the best semi pro equipment you can buy. Although, some may argue that point for my cameras, my lenses are arguably the best you can buy for their purpose including the Canon 100mm Macro f2.8 L IS lens. This would be the absolute best lens to shoot these pictures. They would be sharp contrasty and the color would be second to none.

However, that lens mounted on either the Canon 50D or T2i would create huge files. I would then have to run them through Photoshop to shrink them down to web acceptable size which un-does all the good things that the lens and camera bring to the show. It's senseless.

Instead I've settled on my iPhone for photos. I can take the picture send it to myself in an email with the subject line containing the caption. I then pick it up in email on the computer and save it as a download. I then pick it up in blogger and post the post. It's fairly simple and straight forward

For video I've decided to use a Flip Video HD (They don't make these anymore. Cisco bought flip and added something to them to make them more suitable to what Cisco wanted to do. Apparently, the board found out that some of the proprietary software/hardware was out in the public being sold for $100 a pop and put an end to it). It's a decent little camera. The video doesn't take up much space, It's easy to download the video and it uploads decently to blogger.

Blogger...It's owned by google. It has some eccentricities. They don't seem to be documented or perhaps they were in a "tour" that I didn't watch.

It seems that there is a 24 hour limit on the amount of video you can upload. I spent hours trying to  get some video up on another blog. I finally put it to rest and went to bed. I tried again in the morning and it went up with no problem. I uploaded a second video but the third wouldn't go until the next day.

Still pictures have to be uploaded most of the time. I have had some luck just cutting and pasting into the blogs. This doesn't work all the time.

So I'm sorry the photos and videos aren't better. I already spend a fair amount of time on the blog. I don't think using better equipment would greatly improve the functionality.

July 3, 2012 A Trip to Mecca... Bob's BMW Choke and Throttle Cable Purchased $60 total $361

I've been over to Bob's only a few times. I'm in Annapolis and Bob's isn't close to where I usually ever go. I think I may have stopped in about 5 years ago when I sold my truck to CarMax. Then I stopped in a couple of years ago and saw an old friend Maddigan M. Maddigan and I met through sailing and he was a regular fixture at my weekly Thursday Night RUM parties onboard my boat. His family lived on the water and he would bring his inflatable or jet ski down and hang out with the rest of the sailing ne'er-do-wells I hung out with. I had the parties on Thursday evening because it was the only night we didn't race. I only had RUM drinks because I like rum (I rarely drink beer except when Pilsner Urquell is available). I'm pleased to say that most have moved on to become responsible members of society, some not.

As I mentioned earlier, my first stop was to my local Kawasaki store, Pete's. They didn't have any cables, as I suspected. So It was Bob's or nothing.

Maddigan was free, with a few quick keystrokes he said yup we got them. Although, he was showing two part numbers for the throttle cable. I went out to the car to get the cables and he went into the back to get his. The cables looked very similar but his throttle cables were missing the adjuster that my cable had. Maddigan needed to help another customer so I started playing with and comparing the cables. Lo and behold, the adjuster popped of my cable and fit nicely over the new one.

Suffice it to say, be carefull when removing parts; it always seem that there is a small part that's willing to jump out of the mix and lose itself. this happened to me when I was removing the electrical caps from the fuel injectors. There is a small square insulator inside the cap that I thought was attached, until one jumped out. I taped the ends to ensure that they all stayed put.

I think I forgot to put my Battery purchase in $90 Total $301

I think I bought it on July 19 from Battery warehouse. I took measurements and decided that the Deka AGM ETX 30L would fit, and it does. What I forgot about is that there is a bracket/band that came with my bike but was never installed, that will not fit. I think I'm just going to have to strap it in

June 29, 2012 Another trip to Napa for fuel and Vaccum Hose $12 Total $211

Sorry for the date difference in the postings. Somehow I only saved this as a draft and so it got posted in July.


When I got into the right side of the bike with the air box out I was able to see where the fuel return line goes. It goes into a little bell shaped thing with a vacuum hose attached, I believe it's the fuel pressure regulator. I removed the Fuel Line from both sides and the vacuum tube from the bottom. I also removed the crankcase breather tube.

I went to my local Napa store and got replacement hoses. The outside diameter of these hoses is different from the BMW parts. However, I paid $12 for the two hoses and was given a piece of hose to use as a breather tube. The BMW parts would have been $22 dollars for each hose and $15 for the crankcase breather hose. That's $59 bucks!

July 2, 2012 Removed Choke and Throttle Cable

I started with the choke cable, thinking it would be the easiest...kind of. The handlebar connection came out easily. I did forget to attach a messenger line to run the new cable. When I got down to the "throttle body" connection it looked like the throttle sensing switch was part of the connection. This is the switch that is connected to the aft end of the throttle body assembly.

I couldn't find a better diagram, number 18 is the switch which is on the back of this assembly




One of my major problems when I "fix" things is removing too much or things that don't need to be removed. I started loosening the screws to remove the switch and noticed that there was a large tube/pipe running for and aft down the center of this assembly terminating in/at the switch. I took a second look at the choke connection and sure enough there was a gate for the removal of the barrel connector and wire to slip though. As I always say, for those who have done this the removal the procedure seems obvious. But, I have absolutely no background with this type of work, give me a computer any day.

The throttle position sensing switch

You can see one of the two screws I loosened to the left of the square black body

I tightened the screws back up and started to work on the choke wire inside the cable. After working on the cable for a bit I was able to get some of the cable free enough to allow the barrel to come free. I was then able to get some free wire though the gate and get the cable out. The cable was annealed to the wire.

The choke cable attachement point with the throttle sensor to right

You can't see the cable gate and barrel cachement below

Next was the throttle. I checked the forums and their seemed to be a couple of part choices for my bike but there were no specific directions for removing the throttle from the handlebars. The throttle cable comes into the handle bar assembly just under the brake reservoir. There were two 4mm cap screws on either side of the lower reservoir. I didn't want to make the same mistake I made when I was working on my Honda Sabre. I was installing highway bars and they didn't seem to fit. The instructions said the brake pedal might need to be adjusted, I even called Cobra for confirmation. Well, I started to unscrew the wrong screw and brake fluid started leaking out. This did in fact change the position of the brake pedal! But it did nothing for the inferior fit of the Cobra bars; they were returned and I bought the bars from MC Enterprises. In the case of the Honda the brake fluid simply leaked down on the floor of the garage. As this is the forward brake the fluid would end up leaking all down the bike. This bike has enough issues it doesn't need to be streaked with brake fluid.

However, sometimes you just have to jump in to find out if you can swim. I first unscrewed the "throttle grip cap" This revealed a rotating chain assembly. One note that once the throttle assembly cap is off, the handlebar throttle grip will rotate and slide off. On the inside of the handle there is a channel that I suppose restricts the amount of turn the grip will make. Unfortunately, I didn't take note of this or it's position until the grip had come loose and rotated. I'm hoping it's rest position will be self evident when I put this back together.

  The Handlebar throttle assembly

To the bottom of the box you can see the channel in the throttle grip

The two pieces of string in the lower right are messenger lines to run the new cables

Next, I slowly unscrewed the upper screw and waited for brake fluid to flow, it didn't. I then unscrewed the lower screw. The brake reservoir came loose but not enough to let me get to the throttle cable connection; it would hit the instrument nacelle. I started unbolting stuff under the nacelle in hopes of loosening it enough so that I could get brake system to move enough and get to the throttle cable connection. Once again people don't do what I sometimes do, jumping in before looking. After removing and replacing the same two bolts a couple of times it finally occurred to me to simply loosen the handle bar and rotate it. Which is what I did. The brake system then moved enough to allow the cable to come loose.


This connection wasn't the simple barrel bolt connection of the choke cable, it had a pressed on rectangular nubbin on the end. I researched the possability of getting off brand cables. I think it would have been possible, especially for the choke cable. I went to my local Kawasaki dealer and asked if the carried cables in stock, they didn't. I'd found that neither did my Honda dealer carry parts, I'd waited up to 10 days for fairly simple parts.

On the other end where the cable attached to the throttle assembly after being released from the handlebar the throttle eased into it's at rest position. Once again I was able to wrangle the barrel bolt free. There were a couple of "meat hooks" (what we call the fraying cables on sailboats) on the end of the cable. The throttle cable was bound inside the casing. With both the choke and throttle cable I tried shooting some WD40 inside and left them overnight to no avail.

The lower throttle cable attachment point

The screwdriver tip is pointing to the barrel enclosure

The bolt to the right is the "at rest" position of the throttle assembly

I would imagine that you can vary the idle by screwing this bolt in and out. However, it looks as though there is locktite on it, meaning it shouldn't be changed. I've read in many posts that there are things on the bike that shouldn't be changed. One post talked about throttle tuning on each of the cylinders and turning the brass screws to make this adjustment. I believe that the screw just above the screwdriver is one of those screws. I just hope that neither the previous or original owner did any tuning or turning of the brass screws!