At nearly ten years old, and with just over 150k miles on the clock, I reckoned it was time to give the Adv a bit of a refit. I am not someone who keeps their bike immaculately clean, but I try to keep up with the damage that time and miles can cause. What initially drove this project was Cheesy Mike on switching the rear subframe on his GS a couple of years ago. The Adv's subframe was looking pretty shabby, so I talked him into giving me the old subframe, with a promise that he could have mine once I'd done a refurb and swap.
Switching subframes is a fairly involved, but not difficult job - but it's not really one you want to do twice. I decided that, although I'd had no problems with the frame cracking, I might as well get the strengthening webs (well documented here and on ADVrider) welded in before doing anything else. The time between taking the decision to do this and the job being finished was about two years...
If I was going to change the subframe - was there anything else I need to do?
Well yes, actually.
My bike has had a number of guises during its life...
...from when it was (nearly) new...
...through various modifications...
...of seat and luggage...
...until it reached a version pretty much completely in tune with my requirements...
Unfortunately, in Sep 2006, Bambi put an end to all that in Idaho...
The Adv was rebuilt, but I had great difficulty finding a standard 30 litre Adv tank. Fixxit from ADVrider generously offered me a deal I couldn't refuse on a Touratech 41 litre tank, so the Adv emerged from its chrysalis in Missoula looking like this...
Now, the TT 41 litre tank is great bit of kit and gives you a realistic 400 mile range etc - but I never liked it aesthetically. It also added a number of constraints to the rebuild. Hepco & Becker crashbars (my ideal choice) would not fit, nor would my Boxer Design side panels.
I also found that my annual mileage has started to drop for one reason or another. I tend to ride locally or, if going some distance (France etc) I tend to ride with my mate Peter, who rides a 1200GS Lite. He fills up at 150 miles or so - and so do I. Which means I am carrying 20+ litres of fuel about for no real reason.
So I decided that this winter I'd try to revert the Adv to its pre-Bambi state.
I got a beautifully painted tank from Rockchunk
...
...as well as a rear mudguard painted to match...
(Adv's were fitted with black unpainted rear mudguards as standard).
I picked up a pair of new Boxer Design side panels at an eye-watering price...
...and had them and the beak and instrument covers sprayed to match the tank...
I bought Hepco & Becker crash bars.
I then started powder coating. I use a firm called Aerocoat in St Olaves near Great Yarmouth and cannot praise their work highly enough. They powder-coated the headlamp & oil cooler guard I have on the Adv over 100k miles ago and it was still as good as new. I had the Hepco & Beckers powder coated (they are powder coated from new, but it scratches off like chocolate), along with the rear subframe, Jesse pannier frames, side stand, centre stand, bash plate & extension and rear mudguard crap deflector. On reflection, I should have done the luggage rack too - but I'll maybe do that next year. The Stanton head guards came up particularly well...
Aerocoat invariably did a splendid job, were clear about what they could and could not do (they declined to powder coat a set of new rocker covers because they have had so many problems with magnesium in the past, for example) and were never late - worthy of note these days I think. They are also very interested in what the parts are for and have asked me to ride the bike round to them so they can see it sometime. Nice chaps...
At one stage the Adv looked like this...
...but eventually everything was back from the painters and from Aerocoat and I could turn the ratchet on the driver to 'tighten' and start reassembly. I made some changes whilst it was all apart - fitted a HID unit to the dipped beam and fitted a pair of 9w LED driving lamps...
...aligned to dipped, to replace the PIAAs I'd had previously. Regular readers of my journals will recall I have been suffering from light envy since Peter did a similar mod to his 1200 in 2010. I also sourced a set of 12w LED spots to augment main beam...
I do not anticipate ANY problems with the amount of light from now on...
I also reverted to putting the fuel filter back in the tank. I only removed it to avoid having the tank panel off every 24k miles - an issue of you are dong that many miles or more in a year, but my current annual mileage is about 5k - so it'll last 4+ years. I fitted a full set of chromed brass fuel line QDs from Beemer Boneyard in the USA, as well as buying BMW crimp on clamps (to minimise the profile of the joint)...
...finishing off with some heatshrink to cover the whole thing. On the right hand side, I used coloured heatshrink to identify the correct joints (although I have also anti-Murphyed them by transposing male and female connectors) - but I'd replaced the side panel before taking pics - so you'll just have to take my word for it...
The side stand...
...and centre stand...
...look quite unnatural in their newly powder coated state. That won't last long...
What else? Oh yes, one of the horns had failed...
So I went crazy and replaced them both for £7.50. While I was at it I bought a new beak cover, as the one I had was scratched and it seemed wrong to put it next to such nice new paint...
This pic shows part of the strengthening webs I had welded into the subframe...
I got a used MiGSel hinged speedo mount from UKGSer as I have dragged myself into the 21st Century and bought a zumo 660...
I just finished fitting the last of the heatshrink onto the fuel QDs today, so the job's finished. I'm pretty pleased with it - and it should give the Adv several more years of useful life...
Switching subframes is a fairly involved, but not difficult job - but it's not really one you want to do twice. I decided that, although I'd had no problems with the frame cracking, I might as well get the strengthening webs (well documented here and on ADVrider) welded in before doing anything else. The time between taking the decision to do this and the job being finished was about two years...
If I was going to change the subframe - was there anything else I need to do?
Well yes, actually.
My bike has had a number of guises during its life...
...from when it was (nearly) new...
...through various modifications...
...of seat and luggage...
...until it reached a version pretty much completely in tune with my requirements...
Unfortunately, in Sep 2006, Bambi put an end to all that in Idaho...
The Adv was rebuilt, but I had great difficulty finding a standard 30 litre Adv tank. Fixxit from ADVrider generously offered me a deal I couldn't refuse on a Touratech 41 litre tank, so the Adv emerged from its chrysalis in Missoula looking like this...
Now, the TT 41 litre tank is great bit of kit and gives you a realistic 400 mile range etc - but I never liked it aesthetically. It also added a number of constraints to the rebuild. Hepco & Becker crashbars (my ideal choice) would not fit, nor would my Boxer Design side panels.
I also found that my annual mileage has started to drop for one reason or another. I tend to ride locally or, if going some distance (France etc) I tend to ride with my mate Peter, who rides a 1200GS Lite. He fills up at 150 miles or so - and so do I. Which means I am carrying 20+ litres of fuel about for no real reason.
So I decided that this winter I'd try to revert the Adv to its pre-Bambi state.
I got a beautifully painted tank from Rockchunk
...
...as well as a rear mudguard painted to match...
(Adv's were fitted with black unpainted rear mudguards as standard).
I picked up a pair of new Boxer Design side panels at an eye-watering price...
...and had them and the beak and instrument covers sprayed to match the tank...
I bought Hepco & Becker crash bars.
I then started powder coating. I use a firm called Aerocoat in St Olaves near Great Yarmouth and cannot praise their work highly enough. They powder-coated the headlamp & oil cooler guard I have on the Adv over 100k miles ago and it was still as good as new. I had the Hepco & Beckers powder coated (they are powder coated from new, but it scratches off like chocolate), along with the rear subframe, Jesse pannier frames, side stand, centre stand, bash plate & extension and rear mudguard crap deflector. On reflection, I should have done the luggage rack too - but I'll maybe do that next year. The Stanton head guards came up particularly well...
Aerocoat invariably did a splendid job, were clear about what they could and could not do (they declined to powder coat a set of new rocker covers because they have had so many problems with magnesium in the past, for example) and were never late - worthy of note these days I think. They are also very interested in what the parts are for and have asked me to ride the bike round to them so they can see it sometime. Nice chaps...
At one stage the Adv looked like this...
...but eventually everything was back from the painters and from Aerocoat and I could turn the ratchet on the driver to 'tighten' and start reassembly. I made some changes whilst it was all apart - fitted a HID unit to the dipped beam and fitted a pair of 9w LED driving lamps...
...aligned to dipped, to replace the PIAAs I'd had previously. Regular readers of my journals will recall I have been suffering from light envy since Peter did a similar mod to his 1200 in 2010. I also sourced a set of 12w LED spots to augment main beam...
I do not anticipate ANY problems with the amount of light from now on...
I also reverted to putting the fuel filter back in the tank. I only removed it to avoid having the tank panel off every 24k miles - an issue of you are dong that many miles or more in a year, but my current annual mileage is about 5k - so it'll last 4+ years. I fitted a full set of chromed brass fuel line QDs from Beemer Boneyard in the USA, as well as buying BMW crimp on clamps (to minimise the profile of the joint)...
...finishing off with some heatshrink to cover the whole thing. On the right hand side, I used coloured heatshrink to identify the correct joints (although I have also anti-Murphyed them by transposing male and female connectors) - but I'd replaced the side panel before taking pics - so you'll just have to take my word for it...
The side stand...
...and centre stand...
...look quite unnatural in their newly powder coated state. That won't last long...
What else? Oh yes, one of the horns had failed...
So I went crazy and replaced them both for £7.50. While I was at it I bought a new beak cover, as the one I had was scratched and it seemed wrong to put it next to such nice new paint...
This pic shows part of the strengthening webs I had welded into the subframe...
I got a used MiGSel hinged speedo mount from UKGSer as I have dragged myself into the 21st Century and bought a zumo 660...
I just finished fitting the last of the heatshrink onto the fuel QDs today, so the job's finished. I'm pretty pleased with it - and it should give the Adv several more years of useful life...
