1989 BMW R100GS-Paris Dakar Restoration

Paul Rochdale

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For a while now I've been adding bits and bobs onto Dogbyte's thread but as things are changing as I speak, I think it's about time I started my own one. Let me tell you about my bike. She's a 1989 R100GS-Paris Dakar that spent the first four years of her life in Germany and was registered here in the UK in August 1993. I bought her in December 2004 as a running bike for a mere £1000 from a previous owner in Bury St.Edmunds.

At the time I was riding a Pan European and could foresee the day when the Pan would be too heavy for me. I'd also been riding my R100/7 for about ten years. I was particularly pleased to get the PD as I had dreams of a possible RTW bike and this would be ideal. Enough performance for me, good load carrying, soft suspension and cheap! I soon sold the plastic BMW panniers and bought some Touratech 'Zegas' in eBay as well as some stiffer Touratech panniers frames. The engine went well but did leak a fair bit of oil so I decided to take her off the road and when time and money permitted, restore her. I wanted a strong, leakproof and reliable bike.

Whizz forward to 2013 and I decided that sadly the Pan had to go as her bulk had become too much for me. I have found a buyer and she will be collected in a few weeks. This mean't no bike so should I rebuild the R100/7 or the PD? Well it was the PD.

The Plan. Well I pretty like like the bike as she was so I had no intentions of making any drastic changes. The frame was rusty, oily and grotty so I read with interest Pete Key's and Dogbyte's threads and made copies of their HPN-style frame stiffening fillets. These are now welded in place - I wanted them to be bronze welded but could I find anyone local to me prepared to do that? - anyway £60 later and the frame is a little stronger.

2-pack or powder coating? Well after a bit of research it would be powder coating but few powder coaters local to me (Kent) would zince primer the frame between blasting and coating, and then I discovered Cray Metal Finishers in Dartford. Not only could I hav a light silver, a colour I preferred, but I could choose from dozens of shades. They did it in Omega Silver 22 and for £85 I got the frame, rear subframe, centre stand, rack and forward fairing strut done in a fortnight. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

Slowly the bike is coming together and I am presently working on the standard Marzocchi forks. I painted the sliders this morning in etch primer, primer, Silver Wheels and lacquer, and very neat they look. More to follow.

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Extra stuffening with 1" square section tube welded under the headstock. This won't interfere with the fitting of the tank.

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I made these fillets from 1.6mm, 4mm and 1" square section tube.

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I bought this 'Alpos' alloy topbox on eBay for £45. Cheap compared to Touratech but not so well made and the alloy is pretty thin. In fact all of the mounting holes across the base had large splits. I've since strengthened the base by using Sikaflex adhesive to glue on a shaped piece of 2.5mm aircraft quality alloy sheet.
 
The engine is over at Jim Cray's workshop near Faversham. From memory these are some of the things he's doing or has found needed doing. Twin plugging (an excellent mod as my R100/7 ran like a dream after Jim did that 18yrs ago), new valves, honed bores and new piston rings, stainless steel pushrod tubes, new updated camchain tensioner, new diode board, new crankcase oil seal and new clutch (the old one was an after market affair on it's last legs, reground crank and new main bearings, bead blasted crankcases and cylinder heads. Cost? Please don't ask as I weep easily, but it'll be the strong, oiltight, reliable engine I want.

I've soon(ish) got to give some consideration about the handlebars and handlebar risers. I'll have a go at making my own risers but what choice of handlebars are there? I guess 22mm, which is the standard R100GS bar diameter limits things unless I machine a larger hole in the risers? Is any one make or style better than others? Renthals appear to be the market leader.
 
Moorespeed pistons are a better bet than twin plugging,that is the "old" way of getting a bit more oomph and doesn't work as well.Looking good so far.
 
Looking good Paul ,as a matter of interest when youi removed the Steering lock did you drill out the rivet holding the plastic cover on ,if so what size drill .:beerjug:
 
BJ, I managed to extract the tiny aluminium rivet using tiny Mole grips then (it's sad, I know) cleaned up the domed head in the lathe with emery and SolvoAutosol. I think the lock is for appearance only as the small sliding whatsit which goes into the slot in the steering stem looks too tiny and a sharp twist of the handlebars would shear it off. I have however replaced it for appearances sake.

Shurv, I like 'Old School'. Jim twin plugged my R100/7 many years ago and it transformed the bike. It was smoother, much smoother, the acceleration was better and the fuel consumption was much better. I could have gone for more performance, higher compression ratio, and all that but I'll be pretty happy with the result. I was surprised when I first rode the GS-PD when I first bought her as she had quite a bit more poke than the R100/7 which I put down to the 40mm Bing carbs. And with the long travel suspension, she's comfortable as well as quick.:thumb2
 
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Fork sliders back on today. The fork sliders were painted with Silver Wheels plus a couple of coats of lacquer. It's going to be interesting screwing the fork tops back on whilst pressing down on the coil springs.

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I don't know what has happened here as the holes in the low mudguard I bought from Motorworks don't line up with the studs on the fork slider tops.
 
When i did mine, standard wiring looms were still available from BMW not dirt cheap but nice to fit for the peace of mind, they won't be available for ever;)
 
I went over to Jim Cray's place in Oare (near Faversham) today and can confirm that a Boxer engine will sit comfortably in the spare wheel well of my 2CV. That plus an old motorcycle tyre around the sump and it didn't budge at all. Mind you all of that weight over the back axle caused one or two sharp intakes of breath in the windy conditions on the way back. Jim has done his usual stunning job with a three page itemised list of the work he's carried out. He told me I now have a strong, reliable and oiltight engine. The crankcases, heads, barrels and rocker covers are immaculate having been bead blasted. New mains and bigend bearings and reground crank. Twin plugging too. New clutch. Too many new parts to name.

My neighbour helped me lift the engine into the frame this evening with the frame covered in circular insulating foam to protect the powder coating. I was a bit concerned with this but it was easy peasy, and was in resting on the foam with engine studs sliding through easily.

The GS exhaust pipes are dire and the heat paint I applied when I first got the bike was useless. Also the pipes are magnetic so I guess I have mild steel pipes rather than stainless?

I even managed this afternoon to get the alloy top fork caps screwed in even thought the forks have extra plastic spacers on top of the standard spacers and Progressive springs.

Jim didn't recognise the low front mudguard I took over as although it appears to be a R100GS-PD one, the four mounting holes didn't line up with the studs on the slider tops. Old holes filled, new holes drilled and almost ready to try painting the mudguards in aerosol 2-pack in BMW Marakesh Red (Paint Code 222) rather than the existing Alpine White (Paint Code 146).

This is where the fun starts as I replace the gearbox, transmission and final drive, all nicely cleaned up.:thumby:
 
:clap:clap:clap
sounds great Paul , some pics would be great :thumb
what a great feeling having your motor had all that work done by someone who really knows what his doing .

even your car is an air cooled boxer :D top man !:thumb2
 
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Fork sliders back on today. The fork sliders were painted with Silver Wheels plus a couple of coats of lacquer. It's going to be interesting screwing the fork tops back on whilst pressing down on the coil springs.

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I don't know what has happened here as the holes in the low mudguard I bought from Motorworks don't line up with the studs on the fork slider tops.

See my thread Money pit and you,ll get some info on your mudgaurd,If anyone needs one Ive got one with 2 brake pipe holes .:thumb
 
Support the front end under the lower triple clamp and take all the weight off the forks the tops will go in very easy then
 
Doh! Of course. Why didn't I think of that? As the bike is propped up on a small wooden stand, there's not a lot of weight at the front but as you say, every bit helps. I did manage it though. I'll know next time. I wonder what the purpose of the notched locking rings at the top of the fork legs as the caps are firmly tightened up anyway? Somewhere to stick the matt black plastic caps perhaps?

Grandchildren Day today (so no working on the bike) and as the sun is shining for the first time in weeks, we're off to take them to see the spring flowers in nearby Leeds Castle.
 
Last time I had to push down on the fork top nut I just used an extension bar on end of a socket = Just be very careful not to cross the threads.
 
The engine rests in the frame at last.
 

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That's looking great - and rapid progress too (compared to me anyway:D). I'll be looking on with great interest.
 
That's looking great - and rapid progress too (compared to me anyway:D). I'll be looking on with great interest.

One of the pleasures and advantages of being retired and having a pretty well equipped workshop. A set of Renthal alloy handlebars turned up today from eBay.

I have to say that replacing the engine was a synch. I had expected it to be a fiddle but after lagging the frame with round foam bought from Homebase, my neighbour and I followed Jim Cray's advice by resting the lefthand barrel on the right hand frame whilst I held onto the right hand barrel. He then nipped around the opposite side and lifted the barrel through the frame tipping his side upwards. The engine was then lowered so the sump slipped between the bottom 'tubes' then pulled the engine forwards and the engine studs soon slipped through. I have to fit the small spacers in the correct order though, the two thin ones at the back, the thick one on the front lefthand side and the remaining thin one on the front righthand side.

Incidentally I was examining an R65 in Jim's workshop and found diagonal tubes across the frame. Then I saw the scarfed joints identical to your mods.
 


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