Common faults/improvement on Airhead GS's

Kenny said:
OK...a recent posting about replacing exhaust valves at a certain mileage/age got me thinking about putting up this post as a sticky so we ( and future ) owners can refer to it when applicable. We read lots (mostly American - and OTT in many cases) about the common problems on these bikes but in this forum have a large amount of the UK airhead/GS owners, so lets pool our knowledge collectively :)

So, for example, could forum members ( and no theories/web links please, just facts that have happened to you ) who have actually had paralever shafts fail...where did you get the repair/cost/mileage/who etc etc

Same for valves or head re-builds; diode boards; gearboxes; alternator/rotors; wiring harnesses etc etc..you get the drift:thumb2

I put this up as I've never had a gearbox fail or even a rotor, yet many have !!

This will be an excellant record of UK gs's for members new and old to refer to in the future:thumb2
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My rear shock recently sprung a leak - this was a replacement Hagon...it did four years of daily riding with heavy deliveries. Have got a new Hagon and it's functioning perfectly well (despite dire warnings on here to the contrary).
Hub end mount for the Hagon stripped its threads - replaced with a s/hand stud - no worries.
The heated grips gave up - due to corroded connectors beneath the tank and a corroded and antiquated handlebar switch. Rubbed em down with an emery board - they're fine again now.
Fork brace Allen bolts fused into the aluminium forks.. drilled 'em out and replaced with nuts and bolts.
General corrosion all round, but the old tank was left outside every night...so no surprise.
Petrol tank starting to wear near the seat and loads of red crap coming out of the insides.
 
Lost the screw?

I've never seen the accessory socket on a G/S.... we had nothing to plug in back then!

My hot tip for the day.....

When balancing the carbs and you have to remove the pesky little screw underneath the carbs.... slide a short piece of petrol pipe over the screw and leave it in place.

You will still be able to get access to the screw and after cracking the screw easily undo it by hand, once undone you can leave the screw in the pipe and you'll never lose it again!

Glynn
 
maverick said:
My previous R100GS - Little Gringo

Drive shaft started failing at 46k miles, replaced with new at some dodgy garage in Neasden before I knew better. Cost -- think was around £380 :eek:

Gearbox output shaft seal started leaking at 50k odd miles, stripped the gearbox in a basement and did the repairs myself - £170

Some info from way back then :augie



Front fork seals replaced also around 50k miles - cost was minimal but couple of hours work.


Rear bevel drive seal went also between 50k and 55k miles, had that replaced by Bracken at £70 me supplying the spares and bevel drive.

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Current R100GS standing in my garage

43000 miles - shaft failure - £280 from motoworks for reconditioned unit.

43500 miles - Right hand side front cam follower started cracking - they are £25 each and worth while replacing all four while you at it :mmmm

43 700 miles - gear lever tore off hanging on a small piece of metal. Think it was just a bad welding and now sorted properly by "The Chad" :D
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My wife now owns this piece of shite bought from Maverick 2009 ish, 2012 hardley recognisable!Little Gringo my arse, more like Bloody Big Dingo!
 

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Gear lever return spring broke - apparently this happens a lot - had to buy a flange puller to get the gearbox all apart... easy fix after that. About 56,000
 
Crank went at 75K. Frequent oil changes and an easy life, good job my brother was riding it at the time, been able to blame him for the last 20yrs!
 
Earth strap battery disconnect a simple mod that has saved me untold flat battery problems where the battery earth strap attaches to the gearbox I have fitted a little bracket with a bolt and wing nut so I can disconnect the battery I don't ride the bike as often these days with the earth strap disconnect the battery stays good for months before the mod if I forgot to put a charger on once a month the battery went flat and if left a little longer became unrecoverable
 
About the little nuts and washers that locate the rocker covers which are a bastard to fit if you, like me, have big old arthritiky fingers. My technique is to stick the washer on to the nut, then stick the nut on to the end of a hacksaw blade with grease. Then you can hold the washer and nut flat on the end of the stud and start it off by twiddling it with a pick or thin screwdriver. Saves a lot of cursing!
 
Replaced headlamp relay

Relay was playing up. Thought it was the key/switch at first... headlamp occasionally stayed on. Battery draining even after I'd turned off the switch and checked the headlamp was off. Have replaced the headlamp relay now and touch wood all is cured...
 
Valeo woes and charging

Thought I'd blow some dust off this thread.

Had the Valeo magnets fall off a replacement (2004) motor off my 1991 R100GS a couple of weeks ago. Pain as it happened in Wales, camping. Also the bike was not charging (a new VR sorted that).

A previous R100GS I had wouldn't start - turned out the connector that dangles below the main loom under the tank had got damp/corroded and needed a good clean.
 

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^ This is now fitted to one of my airheads and still working fine. The other airhead has a Bosch starter which cranks very slowly (needs a service) but the bike stills starts easily.
 
Fork Oil Leak - Top End

Had a small oil leak/weep from the top of the right hand fork .. very simple fix, unscrewed top bolt (35mm) and added 2 wraps of plumber's PTFE tape to the top half of the threads, avoids any PTFE tape getting into the fork gubbings .. re-tighted and all seems fine, now.

Did notice that the top bolt was not really cinched down .. suspect that the 8mm 'inner' allen bolt had been used to tighten the assembly down rather than the outer, and much larger, Hex.
 
(r80 G/S) Improved riding position - footpegs and risers:
- The Touratech Works Long Distance footpegs 'low' are a direct fitment ... they are a bit tight but I found they dropped the foot position down about 20mm and provide a really nice platform for sitting and standing, no adjustment to gear change required
- Voight 25mm bar risers ... these fit into the existing lower 'cups', albeit not a perfect 'line-up' and you will need longer bolts than those provided in the kit, I also found that the cabling did not require any extending, there was plenty of slack to accommodate this change.
Massive improvement for me, although I am only 5' 8", but the standing position is now day and night different.
 
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Fitted Hepco and Becker rack to R80 G/S : H&B Luggage Rack for Paris Daker

This rack is specific to the Paris Daker with the single seat .. I have converted my bike to single seat and wanted the panniers shifted forward as per the PD bike .. the rack sits nicely beneath the extended rear rack where the pillion would normally sit.

Three points to mention:

1. They are a bugger to get hold of but Overland Adventure in the Netherlands was able to supply and were really helpful
2. The fitting instructions are hilariously poor .. I would recommend loosely fitting the frame together off the bike to get a feeling for the parts and placement .. all you get is a grainey picture of one side, a list of parts and some crap instructions in German .. my wife is fluent but gave up as she got 'bored'
3. I did take a gamble on fitting a PD specific rack to an early (1981) G/S but it has gone together fairly well but I did have to drill out two new mounting holes to mount the rear section .. could be many reasons but it's on, straight and solid

Time will tell as to how good this rack is but I am pleased at the fit and finish
 
APHezzer said:
Fitted Hepco and Becker rack to R80 G/S : H&B Luggage Rack for Paris Daker

This rack is specific to the Paris Daker with the single seat .. I have converted my bike to single seat and wanted the panniers shifted forward as per the PD bike .. the rack sits nicely beneath the extended rear rack where the pillion would normally sit. ...
Time will tell as to how good this rack is but I am pleased at the fit and finish
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Good info. and well done on taking the plunge - especially at that price (ouch). Any chance of a pic or two?
 
APHezzer said:
Happy to .. will try and get these posted in the next couple of days
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Pictures as requested .. you can see on one of the rear end shots (second picture) the additional holes I decided to drill, I tried various combinations but I ended up going down this route out of choice .. not concerned about corrosion as the tubing etc is stainless and the original holes don't really show up
The kit also comes with two 'extenders' for the rear indicators, I found that there was enough scope in the cabling which was a blessed relief as I did not need to cut into the loom, just re-routed the cables and cable-tied them to the rear bar
The whole thing is very sturdy and rigid and I would be confident of fitting hard cases or panniers but will be fitting (most likely) a pair of Kriega's panniers with straps over the top to save weight .. I'll pop some pictures up when I have these sorted so you can get a sense of the whole set up.
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I've had most of the usual problems, except the shaft. Replaced once as a precaution. I had the '93 box without circlip, failed. Replaced with a late model version under warranty, and that has now done 90k miles.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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