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nicholsonj2252

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1990 R80RT with only 18000 genuine miles , collect it tomorrow

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That looks very tidy.........but I'm sure that you will make it even more so (y) !
 
Wanted one of these for ages. What work do you think will be involved John?
 
Hopefully just a light recommission , it’s stood unused since 2017 so usual seals and rubber parts will likely need sorting as well as carburettors . I’ll know better by the weekend once I’ve got it stripped and checked it over




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Collected the bike this morning , overall very pleased with it

It comes with both panniers and the top box . Original toolkit , first aid kit and puncture kit under the seat

It has two sets of keys , all the original books and the original factory build sheet . All old MOT’s are present backing up the low 18K mileage as well as service history

Bike came from the factory with the Clarion radio cassette so will have to go shopping at the charity shops for some early 90’s cassettes

On first inspection the fork seals are leaking oil , the pushrod tubes have an oil leak and there is a weep of oil from the final drive (not sure where from until I take a proper look at it)

Other than that every else appears ok and seems in working order

Plan is to spend the next few weeks sorting it out 100% mechanically as cosmetically it’s in very good condition

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Managed a few hours in the garage this afternoon - got the air box , and carburettors removed as well as the rear tail piece and mudguard . Carburettors are very clean inside and will get a full clean and rebuild . Removed the final drive , looks like the oil leak was due to a missing gasket between the final drive and the swinging arm . Inside the rear wheel drum is clean and oil free and there are no signs of oil coming from the final drive main seal . Had to split the exhaust manifold nuts as they were seized solid , once spilled they came off by hand - they had zero lube on them and bits of corrosion .

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FYI,
Later mono bikes didn’t have the gasket between FD and swingarm,
I’m led to believe that degradation of the gasket led to the final drive coming loose.( not good on a mono)
Around the same time the gasket between the two halves of the final drive housing was also deleted.
My rule of thumb,no final drive gasket,no swing arm gasket.
But ,feel free to fit one on reassembly if you choose👍
 
FYI,
Later mono bikes didn’t have the gasket between FD and swingarm,
I’m led to believe that degradation of the gasket led to the final drive coming loose.( not good on a mono)
Around the same time the gasket between the two halves of the final drive housing was also deleted.
My rule of thumb,no final drive gasket,no swing arm gasket.
But ,feel free to fit one on reassembly if you choose

I’ll take your guidance and not fit one , this however leaves the issue of the slight oil weep as it appeared to be coming from that area , that said the drain plug crush washer wasn’t the best so it could have been coming from there ?


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Carburettors all stripped ready for cleaning then fitting the overhaul kit

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Inside of carburettors was surprisingly clean

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I’ll take your guidance and not fit one , this however leaves the issue of the slight oil weep as it appeared to be coming from that area , that said the drain plug crush washer wasn’t the best so it could have been coming from there ?


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A good corrosion free mating surface and a good quality RTV will seal it.
But as I said previously,fit a gasket if you want.
I’ve NEVER seen or experienced the nuts loosening.
It might just as easily been down to the accountant wanting to save a cent or two.😆
 
All that said.
Looks like you’ve struck lucky on this one,certainly looks good so far

I’m really pleased with it Mike . No hidden gremlins so far . Final drive oil was clear and no particles on the magnet . Engine oil must have been changed just before it was stored as it’s like new . Carburettors were drained when the bike was stored and are clean and the inside of the petrol tank is as good as new . Once I got the manifold nuts off the rest of the exhaust came off no problems with no corrosion on it . I turned it over a few times by hand to get the oil pumping and then I’ve done a compression test which gave a reading of 130psi which for a cold engine which had sat for so long I think is pretty good . I’ll get the heads and barrels off tomorrow and fingers crossed it’s just push rod tubes , seals and a gasket set I need . Gearbox goes through all the gears , I’ll drain the oil and remove the gearbox to check the oil pump and clutch and replace the various seals whilst I’m in there


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As it was -4 degrees and still snow on the side roads I decided to give my Sunday ride out a miss and spend the day in the garage on the RT

Started by doing a leak down test and all was good with no issues highlighted

Removed the swinging arm and the bearings are all good with plenty of grease so will just need cleaning and re-packing with new grease

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Next out was the gearbox and clutch

Clutch has little signs of wear and the friction plate measured just under 6mm

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Removed the flywheel and the rear main seal was oil tight but will get replaced as a precautionary measure

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Oil pump clearances were all within specification and no signs of scoring

Next was the cylinder heads and barrels

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Bores of the barrels are spot on with just light honing marks , ring gap was 0.35mm so well within service limit

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Cam followers are in excellent condition

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Dropped the sump and no nasties in the oil pan so just gave it a good clean

Removed the side stand to clean it and grease the pivot

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Just need to decide if I am going to remove the engine so I can clean the block or try and just do it in situ

Also need to decide if its worth vapour blasting the barrels and heads or just give them a good clean

I'll need to clean the barrels anyway ready for removing the old push rod tubes and fitting new stainless ones

Thus far no unforeseen issues with the bike , it does seem it has been mechanically well looked after and that the dirt and grime are due to its age, the oil leaks from the pushrod seals and the fact that as it an RT the fairing had never been off so made cleaning of the front of the engine difficult

Once I get the engine and gearbox finished and back in the bike I'll remove the forks , change the fork oil and seals and check the steering head bearings . I'll also check the front wheel bearings and seals

It's then just a cleaning/re-assembly job . I need to pace myself as this was supposed to be my winter project with an aim of having it finished and on the road for April . At this rate I'll be done by the end of the month ;-)
 


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