How to spot a Twin Cam?

[Boner]

Guys, I'm in the throws of shopping for a GS - and it's all rather confusing!

Visually how do I tell a Twin Cam from the previous model?

And Is this the same for a TC GSA too?

Thanks - Boner.

 

[Schtum]

The easy and quick way is that the black plastic spark plug lead cover on the cylinder head is a vertical line (actually slightly hockey stick shaped) whereas pre twin cam is a horizontal one. GSA engines are the same. HTH

 

[Boner]

Yup - that works.
Thanks Schtum.

 

[Bendy toy]

The single cam was used to 2009. So 2010 onwards will be a twin cam. The SC has four bolts on the rocker covers and horizontal plug cover.

The 08-09 SCs were not as well finished so you can get some bargains. A strip down and (quality**) powder coat will be better than new.

** Use zinc passivate primer under the coating.

 

[Neil W]

If original twin cam will have the exhaust flapper valve

 

[younger06]

The single cam was used to 2009. So 2010 onwards will be a twin cam. The SC has four bolts on the rocker covers and horizontal plug cover.

The 08-09 SCs were not as well finished so you can get some bargains. A strip down and (quality**) powder coat will be better than new.

** Use zinc passivate primer under the coating.

Does that explain why my 90,000kms 2007 GSA is holding up "reasonably" well??

Sent using hocus pocus........... boo!

 

[Bendy toy]

The solvent paint used up to 2007 was tough and durable. The 2008 and 2009 bikes had a water based paint process. The stuff is total shite and many of those bikes have rusted frames. They got it sorted for the TC but the early bikes were better.

I had my 2008 frame powder coated with a high zinc undercoat. Ask me in 2020 if its been any good.

When i had my bike parts stripped for coating, the engine cover was in the stripping tank for three days. The frame parts were down to bare metal in a few hours.

 

[Zx9man]

oil filler cap is on the right very quick look will tell you

 

[Beemerman59]

The solvent paint used up to 2007 was tough and durable. The 2008 and 2009 bikes had a water based paint process. The stuff is total shite and many of those bikes have rusted frames. They got it sorted for the TC but the early bikes were better.

I had my 2008 frame powder coated with a high zinc undercoat. Ask me in 2020 if its been any good.

When i had my bike parts stripped for coating, the engine cover was in the stripping tank for three days. The frame parts were down to bare metal in a few hours.

This is your bike Bendy, the same doesn't apply to all 2008-9 bikes.

 

[TLSgazza]

oil filler cap is on the right very quick look will tell you

What he said, in their wisdom they decided to put it on the opposite side to the sight glass on the twin cam, very handy.






Cue, bendy, re: dipstick or sight glass,

 

[Mistacat]

I have found the problem to be only with black frames and even on TC`s.
A couple of weeks ago I stripped and had powder coated a customers black 2011 GSA frame as the paint was falling of it..

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

This is your bike Bendy, the same doesn't apply to all 2008-9 bikes.

Indeed, saw my old 2008 one, the other day and it was mint

 

[Bendy toy]

This is your bike Bendy, the same doesn't apply to all 2008-9 bikes.

I don't see why not.

The front sub frame was protected by the petrol tank and would not get stone chipped. Mine was damaged on a rear support leg by spilled brake fluid so had to be stripped and grit blasted for refinishing but otherwise the paint looked fine.

However, the OEM paint was ripped away by the stripping tank in a couple of hours. (As said the engine cover took days). The seemingly good paint does not address the all over peppering of rust on the stripped metal. The paint looked superficially ok but was already failing. The back subframe would have been no different so no surprise that salt and stone chips messed it up.

This was the upper front frame before dipping. Looks fine doesn't it?

This was how the bare metal looked after it came out of the stripping tank. Developing rust waiting to appear and really not acceptable on a premium product.

 

[Beemerman59]

I don't see why not.

Simply because not all '08 and '09 bikes are like yours - mine for one, which is used all year round. If you spill brake fluid over it, its not surprising is it? Maybe there's another reason yours is so bad?

 

[Mistacat]

My reference was to Black rear frames as opposed to Silver. Most silver frames seem OK.
All the front sub frames seem to have very little paint, but can`t be seen so mist them over with ACF50. I use a touch up gun 150 psi gives a lovely fine mist.

 

[Bendy toy]

Some people seem to have a religious faith in BMW. The area in the above pictures was clearly undamaged before the paint was stripped. But it was a different story underneath the paint.

This is what the brake fluid did to it. Clearly no way it can be BMWs fault but the damage was limited to just the end of the support leg.

 

[Bendy toy]

My bike hasn't been molly coddled but ACF 50 gets used regularly. Some areas are hard to gat at which I suspect is why the steering bearing area was starting to rust.

Powder coat is not a panacea for all rust issues. The bare metal frames were conductive zinc undercoated then powder coated so should be good for a long time. Other parts I had done purely for cosmetics have started to fail at the edges. Its a mistake to not use zinc undercoat.

Edit: Strangely the side and centre stands were in fine condition. OK, the centre stand was pebble dashed down its centreline but the sides were as new.

 

[Rocketman]

As bendy says the 08 /09 paint is absolute rubbish ,here's a pic of mine with 35k on
As you can see corroded to fuck it is
<a href="http://s1372.photobucket.com/user/Gavjones1974/media/image.jpg4_zpsf2aj4ahd.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag343/Gavjones1974/image.jpg4_zpsf2aj4ahd.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo image.jpg4_zpsf2aj4ahd.jpg"/></a>

 

[Beemerman59]

As bendy says the 08 /09 paint is absolute rubbish ,here's a pic of mine with 35k on
As you can see corroded to fuck it is
<a href="http://s1372.photobucket.com/user/Gavjones1974/media/image.jpg4_zpsf2aj4ahd.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag343/Gavjones1974/image.jpg4_zpsf2aj4ahd.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo image.jpg4_zpsf2aj4ahd.jpg"/></a>

My '08 frame is just as shit as yours with 38K on it. And it's black too!

 

[Bendy toy]

As bendy says the 08 /09 paint is absolute rubbish ,here's a pic of mine with 35k on
As you can see corroded to fuck it is
<a href="http://s1372.photobucket.com/user/Gavjones1974/media/image.jpg4_zpsf2aj4ahd.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag343/Gavjones1974/image.jpg4_zpsf2aj4ahd.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo image.jpg4_zpsf2aj4ahd.jpg"/></a>

Clearly a very black frame just like mine. (not) And by the end of 2012, mine had done 35K of commutes into London.