New GS, new project, where to start?

tiktok

tiktok

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Hi everybody!

This is the start of what will be a fairly long thread detailing the various bits and bobs that I intend to do to my first BMW motorcycle.

This week I bought a 2000 W reg R1150GS with 75k miles on the clock (from a member of this forum). She is very tired cosmetically, but seems to be OK mechanically. I will put several hundred miles in her next week and see what shakes out.

The bike has 12 months MOT, a recent service, a new clutch a couple of thousand miles ago and two decent tyres. So far, so good.

The bike needs a damn good clean before I can make a proper assessment of what does need doing, but I will be putting the crash bars, rear frame, rear seat support and some other bits in for powder coating over the winter.

I have put about 20 miles (through rush hour London) on the bike so far, all OK. The Paralever suspension took some getting used to. A run up north to Cheshire should clear the cobwebs.

Whilst tinkering this morning, I removed the rear rack, ground the corroded aluminium and plastic covering off and gave it a couple of costs of radiator paint, just to stop it looking crap.

Today was a bit of a bugger, the current battery is knackered. This morning I had ABS faults, the clock resetting itself and of course, failure to start. I had the battery load tested and it is definitely on the way out. Hopefully, I can get enough juice into it so I can turn the bike over tomorrow. An Odyssey battery is now on order and should arrive at my destination next week.

Here is a picture of her:
237c50f1698aee4cc1a5e7ad8b1c407a_zpsf0d64519.jpg
 
Hi, I saw the bike advert. You say in your thread title, 'where to start'. Maybe a better one would be 'where to stop'. If it was me, given the provenance of the bike, and the fact that the big bit - the clutch - has been done, I'd bung in a new battery, give it a light cosmetic cleaning up and just ride the damned thing. A lot.

You got a lot of bike for not much money, should turn out to be a bargain.
 
The bike looks like a winner for the money!
If you fancy a fresh coat of paint then feel free to look me up :thumby:
 
"It always started for me"

Good luck, gotta love it when somebody sells you a bike with a knackered battery :blast

Have fun with your project:thumb
 
Baby steps

Well, the bike and I did 200 miles today, not much, but it was in one hit and the bike did not miss a beat. Happy days.

I'll clean the crap off the bike this week and then hopefully take it greenlaning in Derbyshire.

1150GS-2_zpsb38dc979.jpg
 
Stills said:
"It always started for me"

Good luck, gotta love it when somebody sells you a bike with a knackered battery :blast

Have fun with your project:thumb
Click to expand...

The same battery has been on the bike since i took it in end of last year. Always fired the bike up without any problem while i've had the bike. If it hadn't why would, or even how would i have been able to start it to sell it ?

Another thing, when i sell a bike, i make a point of always starting them up from cold in front of the buyer. Not warmed up and easier to start and covering up any suspect engine noises. :thumb
 
TikTok You got a Helluva bike for the money!

The sellers reputation proceeds him So ask questions by all means but mind your manners

With the I am going to powder coat A, B, C and every other thing through to Z it sounds like you'd have been better saving your pennies and buying a fresher bike!

AS to the flashing ABS lamps there's an easy fix (which I'd be happy to go find the link and forward to you if you wish?) requiring a relay a few bits of wire and a Dod of common sense
 
DrFarkoff said:
TikTok You got a Helluva bike for the money!

The sellers reputation proceeds him So ask questions by all means but mind your manners

With the I am going to powder coat A, B, C and every other thing through to Z it sounds like you'd have been better saving your pennies and buying a fresher bike!

AS to the flashing ABS lamps there's an easy fix (which I'd be happy to go find the link and forward to you if you wish?) requiring a relay a few bits of wire and a Dod of common sense
Click to expand...

Please don't tell me to mind my manners. I don't know who you are or why you think you have the right to tell me that. Maybe you should mind your manners. :p

I appreciate the offer of help with the ABS, but it due to the battery.

Re powder coating etc: It's all about customising the bike, that's half the fun! :tarka

///

To Steptoe: I'm happy with the bike and i'm not bothered about replacing the battery. It's neither here nor there in the grand scheme of things.
 
My guess is you will not get much advice from here with that attitude, saying that you should expect that sort of comment then shrug it off like bird shit, the bike was worth every penny you paid, weather it needed a battery or not, if your plan is as you say to revamp then check my thread out on the 1150 gs when I did mine, it doesn't Finnish there it's on going, if you use the gs the way I do, green laning off road then take it 5000 miles then do a 36 hour enduro, when I get back in September there will be more work to do,
It's never ending,,,,,,but I tell you a secret I would not consider doing this on anything other than my w reg BMW 1150 gs,,,,
 
tiktok said:
I appreciate the offer of help with the ABS, but it due to the battery.
Click to expand...

Actually Fella its due to the system drawing too much current and dropping the volts below the ABS systems acceptable tolerance!

So it could well a combination of a weakened battery and the starter too!

Using this schematic as a basis I do not use the alternator wire I use the Load shedding relay

So when you switch on the ignition you get the proper lamps [[ unless there is a stored fault code for example a damaged sensor, Low voltage code is not stored but an immediate error which disables the ABS system]]

I take a positive off the load shedding relay to earth through the 86 87 terminals (relay switching) and wire the split wire 15 off the abs system through terminal 30 and 87

When the starter button is pressed the relay disconnects a power circuit on the ABS system and only one light remains on,

once the start button is released the engine should be running and the system restarts itself and does its checks Since the engine is running and you don't need to rob energy from the system to turn the starter it sees plenty of volts and initialises

The lights should go out once you have forward motion on both wheels for 5 metres "ish"

N.B. If any ABS lamp is lit or the lights flash alternately The ABS system is DISABLED be warned
 
My Yamaha 900 was 9 years old when I bought it.
No reflection on the seller in any way but the bike benefitted a lot from powder coating various parts (rear brake & bracket, fork yoke, engine covers etc).
The cost was hardly more than DIY clean & paint but stopped corrosion creeping back again.
My 08 1200 front and rear subframes are due to get the same treatment.


Sent from a widget that can't spell.
 
Batteries get tired with age and should be considered a consumable item. You can pick up a Motobatt for £40 and get five years plus of riding from it.

Enjoy the bike!
 
I'd be buying a portion of 'krust' and treating the rust with it. It makes surface rust inert. Then I'd ride the tyres off it and go from there... Do you wat to look at it or ride it?
 
Bimble around Derbyshire

A precious day of leave this week was spent cleaning and degreasing the accumulated layers of 'patina' from the GS.

Using Gunk green, the engine and metal bits have come up a treat. I also took off the bash plate and crash bars in order to get the worst of the corrosion off them and Hammerite them. Whilst I was on a roll I spray painted the oil cooler guard matching satin black.

All of that, plus the new battery and a pair of pannier bags is the extent of what I am going to do to the bike for the time being.

This afternoon I took the bike along some (open to motor vehicles) byways in Derbyshire in order to get a feel of riding the bike over loose rocks, mud and through water. It's so much fun!

I also managed to hit the bash plate going over a rock and will have to order some new bash plate bolts.

9abb7ee1-4213-4edd-90ba-fc9afc2c67e1_zpsf25dba71.jpg


I was very impressed with the handling riding upto the Cat & Fiddle (very different to my Harley), it's a really neat piece of kit this GS!
 
I took the bike out and about round Cornwall yesterday evening, a thousand miles on and I am really impressed with the GS.

The tyres aren't any good in the mud (Tourance) but I have no complaints with them on the Tarmac.

I picked up a set of GSA panniers from Colban last weekend and they performed admirably, despite giving me some massive bruises on my left leg as I dismounted.

423E9964-8BCC-4B74-88F1-DE0F3D1472EB_zpslu4qwzko.jpg


The last bit was fun, but I start to wonder where I would end up..
930FCDD9-6AE6-4E9E-97FF-D3B90DDF6FB0_zpsknl2ypbm.jpg
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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