There was a thread on here a couple of months ago about DIY soda blasting - seemed to work well enough. Some rebuilders have used a chemical cleaner to good effect.
Project Katmandu: GS rebuild
- Thread starter pete.keys
- Start date
There was a thread on here a couple of months ago about DIY soda blasting - seemed to work well enough. Some rebuilders have used a chemical cleaner to good effect.
Have you used a vapour blaster Johnny? It's glass bead suspended in water. Makes a hell of a mess and would need the engine breaking down into it's components and then thoroughly cleaning afterwards.
RichC made a nice job of soda blasting his R90 http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=224583&highlight=soda+blasting
Thanks everyone for the advice on engine blasting.
hmm - after reading some of the posts on blasting I'm now thinking the ally cleaner and elbow grease might be the low risk option as I don't know how far down I want to strip the engine.
The Soda blasting seamed a good idea but if as one post says the crankcases are too hard then maybe not worth it.
RAL colour codes for
My local shotblast/powder coating company has asked for the RAL codes for the frame.
I have trawled the net and have the BMW codes for the BMW Basic but I am after the RAL colour codes. Anyone know?
Name BMW Code
Alphine White 146
Santorini Blue 318
Shot blasting and powder coating the frame is surprisingly cheap - unless he doesn't have the colour in stock in which case i may have to pay for him to get the stock in.
Thanks
-Pete
My local shotblast/powder coating company has asked for the RAL codes for the frame.
I have trawled the net and have the BMW codes for the BMW Basic but I am after the RAL colour codes. Anyone know?
Name BMW Code
Alphine White 146
Santorini Blue 318
Shot blasting and powder coating the frame is surprisingly cheap - unless he doesn't have the colour in stock in which case i may have to pay for him to get the stock in.
Thanks
-Pete
bustupbiker
Registered user
RAL is the new world wide paint code system, MBW should be able to tell you,
or i could ask the lad if he ever comes home tonight
or i could ask the lad if he ever comes home tonight
bustupbiker
Registered user
second look to me they look like the codes, but i aint no painter man will ask Tony when he gets home.
bustupbiker
Registered user
Doesn't look like you have many option In the RAL codes
There's only 4 to choose from
Skyblue 5015
Light blue 5012
Capri blue 5019
Traffic blue 5017
http://www.colourcode.net/ral.htm
There's only 4 to choose from
Skyblue 5015
Light blue 5012
Capri blue 5019
Traffic blue 5017
http://www.colourcode.net/ral.htm
AliBaba
Registered user
Santorini Blue and Alphine White are not RAL-colours.
I use RAL5005, it's a bit darker but pretty close, haven't found a good equivalent to Alphine White.
I use RAL5005, it's a bit darker but pretty close, haven't found a good equivalent to Alphine White.
RAL and frame mods
Thanks to Rob, Bustupbiker and Alibaba again on the RAL codes. I thought there would be an "exact" code to use for restoration but Alibaba's 5005 looks ok.
Interesting bike Alibaba - got any more snaps of it? Looks like the fittings for an HPN tanks and other frame mods?
I have been thinking if I should get my frame strengthened. Its expensive : Richard Moorespeed charges "from £750".
Now I'm not going to be doing any jumps a la Paris Dakar riders. Mostly road and on the Katmandu trip I reckon I'm going to be going pretty slow falling off every few miles
so I'm thinking I'm not going to be putting the bike under much stress!
Santorini Blue and Alphine White are not RAL-colours.
I use RAL5005, it's a bit darker but pretty close, haven't found a good equivalent to Alphine White.
Thanks to Rob, Bustupbiker and Alibaba again on the RAL codes. I thought there would be an "exact" code to use for restoration but Alibaba's 5005 looks ok.
Interesting bike Alibaba - got any more snaps of it? Looks like the fittings for an HPN tanks and other frame mods?
I have been thinking if I should get my frame strengthened. Its expensive : Richard Moorespeed charges "from £750".
Now I'm not going to be doing any jumps a la Paris Dakar riders. Mostly road and on the Katmandu trip I reckon I'm going to be going pretty slow falling off every few miles
so I'm thinking I'm not going to be putting the bike under much stress!Frame strip stage 1: big advice needed on renovation
OK so its down to business stripping down the frame. Couldn't believe how quickly it strips down.
Unfortunately the instrument binnacle is broken at the back. All four screws turn but don't extract so I guess I'll have to drill them out. Depending on how I mount the binnacle in the future I could rivet an ally plate over the broken bit.
The rear wheel hub is a real mess. The steel seams to have worn away a bit an left a rim around the edge - advice definitely need here - how on earth do I clean this up?
Also bits like foot rests - what's the best way to renovate these?
The exhaust collector has been welded up in the past. I couldn't believe how heavy it was! I'll be on the lookout for a "y" piece to replace it.
OK so its down to business stripping down the frame. Couldn't believe how quickly it strips down.
Unfortunately the instrument binnacle is broken at the back. All four screws turn but don't extract so I guess I'll have to drill them out. Depending on how I mount the binnacle in the future I could rivet an ally plate over the broken bit.
The rear wheel hub is a real mess. The steel seams to have worn away a bit an left a rim around the edge - advice definitely need here - how on earth do I clean this up?
Also bits like foot rests - what's the best way to renovate these?
The exhaust collector has been welded up in the past. I couldn't believe how heavy it was! I'll be on the lookout for a "y" piece to replace it.
I have been thinking if I should get my frame strengthened. Its expensive : Richard Moorespeed charges "from £750".
Now I'm not going to be doing any jumps a la Paris Dakar riders. Mostly road and on the Katmandu trip I reckon I'm going to be going pretty slow falling off every few miles
Nobby rode to katmandu and back on his bog standard R100Gs without any problems. Oh, and he despatches on it inbetween trips
What other owners have done is cut a thick piece of steel ( just over the length of top and bottom shock mounts ) and drill a hole each end the same distance apart at the shock locating bolts...then if it should fail, simply bolt on the length of metal and you have a hardtail to at least get you somewhere for repair etc
I've seen more lower shock mounting studs break than i have seen shocks fail making the bike unrideable. And having a solid mount attached to the lower stud is a good start.
And another thing. Have you ever tried to get out a broken shock mounting stud out of a paralever ???
Have you even seen a lower shock stud ?. Look at one and you'll see what i mean. AliBaba
Registered user
The bike is a HPN, based on the Rallysport-model.
Before:
After:
Yes my bike is pretty modified, but do you need a modified bike to drive to Katmandu?
IMHO a healthy GS is almost ready to go and most modifications does not meet the robustness an original GS has.
On the other hand it's fun to modify a bike and the result can be a dream to ride, just remember that most problems on the road is because of poorly designed modifications.
At the end of the day it's not about what you need but what you like
The bike is a HPN, based on the Rallysport-model.
After:
Yes my bike is pretty modified, but do you need a modified bike to drive to Katmandu?
IMHO a healthy GS is almost ready to go and most modifications does not meet the robustness an original GS has.
On the other hand it's fun to modify a bike and the result can be a dream to ride, just remember that most problems on the road is because of poorly designed modifications.
At the end of the day it's not about what you need but what you like
OK - so I get from everyone that a standard GS is fine even better for a trip to Katmandu. But not only that, I want a bike that I use everyday for the next ten years after that as well! And I have sort of set my heart on an HPN alike.
BTW where did your rear shock go!! Certainly not having one makes it much less likely that I'll break the lower shock bolt
Now I will have to admit here that I have not done much in the way of long distance touring on my bmw, just UK and over to germany and back, but I have done more than a bit on my Harley and while it is great to modify stuff the bits to modify the least are the ones you most need to replace.
By that I mean its great to up date the brakes but use a caliper that you can get pads for not some little known or used make. Dont use modified cables or when one snaps your stuck trying to find somone to make one up for you.
I use both of those as examples from personal experience when touring with someone who had non stock handlebars and and cables and aftermarket brake calipers (some fancy yank make) and was stuck for want of a set of pads and a clutch cable !!
By that I mean its great to up date the brakes but use a caliper that you can get pads for not some little known or used make. Dont use modified cables or when one snaps your stuck trying to find somone to make one up for you.
I use both of those as examples from personal experience when touring with someone who had non stock handlebars and and cables and aftermarket brake calipers (some fancy yank make) and was stuck for want of a set of pads and a clutch cable !!
I went on the basis that you aint going to get much in the way of BM bits outside of western Europe, (heading east). Whatever you weren't carrying as spares could be a problem, so you would be getting something chipped out of the solid or getting it shipped to you in the middle of Whateverstan anyway. (We could not find anyone to send stuff to Russia though. They said it NEVER arrives
. )We had a replacement Spiegler caliper shipped to China without any probs.
John
The rear wheel hub is a real mess. The steel seams to have worn away a bit an left a rim around the edge - advice definitely need here - how on earth do I clean this up?
Also bits like foot rests - what's the best way to renovate these?
Sandblasting. You will be amazed at the outcome.
Cheers
Sandblasting. You will be amazed at the outcome.
Yup!
Just take the pin out and split the footpeg down into it's component parts.
To have the footbeg bracket blasted and powder coated shouldn't cost more than £2. Failing that a new bracket is £7 from Motorworks but I'd go directly to the BMW dealer and get a price. I ought a pair for a K100 a few years ago and they came in around £2 something each.
Progress
The monolever from a mono arrived today as well as a 33/11 ratio - both from motorworks
Spent a while trying to get the tyres off the rims with big screw drivers as my tyre levers haven't arrived. The tyres are years old. macadams. They are like stone! Destroyed two of my had for ages unbreakable screw drivers! So its off to micheldever tyres this morning to get them to do it!
The monolever from a mono arrived today as well as a 33/11 ratio - both from motorworks
Spent a while trying to get the tyres off the rims with big screw drivers as my tyre levers haven't arrived. The tyres are years old. macadams. They are like stone! Destroyed two of my had for ages unbreakable screw drivers! So its off to micheldever tyres this morning to get them to do it!
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