Ok so after much demand... my 81 R65 build.
I found her on Craigslist for practically nothing... Completely rooted with cut wires, weird pieces of metal welded to it, parts from other bikes..etc... AND THAT HEADLIGHT......
To start out, I wanted to get used to riding the bike, so I did a sort of "Phase 1" where I'd make her a bit more presentable. Come winter I would enter Phase 2 for the real buildup.
I pulled some of the dents from the tank with a cheapo Ding King from VatoZone. I didn't pull them all, as the tank was in very poor condition, and I knew I would be taking a hammer to the side anyway.
I then went about stripping the tank down with Aircraft Remover.
Then I set about creating a seat pan. I basically used that aluminum AC tape and taped over where the fiberglass would go, and then put a few coats of turtle wax on it. Then laid down my fiberglass matte and resin.
Now, I wasn't sure what the industry standard was, as far as attaching upholstery, but I knew staples weren't going into the resin (after a test) so I decided to make little anchor points, should they be needed. I did this with paint stirrers from Wal-Mart. I just measured and cut them so they wouldn't touch the frame, then taped them down for fit. Then I attached them with some thin bolts.
Next I acquired some foam from an upholstery shop and cut it out using an electric turkey knife from Wal-Mart. I attached it with some spray adhesive.
Then I used the trusty angle grinder to smooth out the shape.
Then I wrapped it all up (very poorly I might add). I figured this would be a good test run. And I'm glad I did it, because I learned that I didn't really like the shape of the seat very much when it was done. The finished product will be professionally done.
Next, I took a hammer to the sides of the tank, and did the best I could to even out the dents (it is NOT easy). I then added a few touches of bondo to smooth it out and sanded.
After numerous iterations of painting and wet sanding, I was left with a nice OD Green.
Next I got at the wiring. I found a complete harness on eBay and went to town on the bike.
This would have never been possible without the wiring diagram I found here.
http://bmwmotorcycletech.info/R65Schematic.htm
I also managed to find a nice original headlight on eBay.
So that got me to this point. I should also mention that this is my first bike. I'd never ridden before. So my goal at first was to get a decent looking bike that I could learn on. And later transform into a beautiful machine. But I think I did a pretty good job with phase one.
For the most part the bike was in great condition except for an oil leak and a poor charging system (read: nonexistent). So I started looking into upgrading the charging system. There are a few options out there for us Airhead owners, the Omega and the EnDuraLast. Based on the design, I went with the EnDuraLast (and you should too). You can pick one up from here.
http://www.euromotoelectrics.com/
Old charging system.
....aaaaaand the new.
It came with a super-detailed, step-by-step manual. AND John at Euro MotoElectrics is SUPER helpful and quick to answer any questions you might have. I can't recommend this thing enough. It's pricey, but worth it.
All put back together..
And the bike has been running flawlessly ever since! I rode the bike for about 4 months pretty much every single day.... and loving every second of it.
***THIS CONCLUDES PHASE 1***
More pics can be seen at my blog: http://www.cafematty.com
I found her on Craigslist for practically nothing... Completely rooted with cut wires, weird pieces of metal welded to it, parts from other bikes..etc... AND THAT HEADLIGHT......
To start out, I wanted to get used to riding the bike, so I did a sort of "Phase 1" where I'd make her a bit more presentable. Come winter I would enter Phase 2 for the real buildup.
I pulled some of the dents from the tank with a cheapo Ding King from VatoZone. I didn't pull them all, as the tank was in very poor condition, and I knew I would be taking a hammer to the side anyway.
I then went about stripping the tank down with Aircraft Remover.
Then I set about creating a seat pan. I basically used that aluminum AC tape and taped over where the fiberglass would go, and then put a few coats of turtle wax on it. Then laid down my fiberglass matte and resin.
Now, I wasn't sure what the industry standard was, as far as attaching upholstery, but I knew staples weren't going into the resin (after a test) so I decided to make little anchor points, should they be needed. I did this with paint stirrers from Wal-Mart. I just measured and cut them so they wouldn't touch the frame, then taped them down for fit. Then I attached them with some thin bolts.
Next I acquired some foam from an upholstery shop and cut it out using an electric turkey knife from Wal-Mart. I attached it with some spray adhesive.
Then I used the trusty angle grinder to smooth out the shape.
Then I wrapped it all up (very poorly I might add). I figured this would be a good test run. And I'm glad I did it, because I learned that I didn't really like the shape of the seat very much when it was done. The finished product will be professionally done.
Next, I took a hammer to the sides of the tank, and did the best I could to even out the dents (it is NOT easy). I then added a few touches of bondo to smooth it out and sanded.
After numerous iterations of painting and wet sanding, I was left with a nice OD Green.
Next I got at the wiring. I found a complete harness on eBay and went to town on the bike.
This would have never been possible without the wiring diagram I found here.
http://bmwmotorcycletech.info/R65Schematic.htm
I also managed to find a nice original headlight on eBay.
So that got me to this point. I should also mention that this is my first bike. I'd never ridden before. So my goal at first was to get a decent looking bike that I could learn on. And later transform into a beautiful machine. But I think I did a pretty good job with phase one.
For the most part the bike was in great condition except for an oil leak and a poor charging system (read: nonexistent). So I started looking into upgrading the charging system. There are a few options out there for us Airhead owners, the Omega and the EnDuraLast. Based on the design, I went with the EnDuraLast (and you should too). You can pick one up from here.
http://www.euromotoelectrics.com/
Old charging system.
....aaaaaand the new.
It came with a super-detailed, step-by-step manual. AND John at Euro MotoElectrics is SUPER helpful and quick to answer any questions you might have. I can't recommend this thing enough. It's pricey, but worth it.
All put back together..
And the bike has been running flawlessly ever since! I rode the bike for about 4 months pretty much every single day.... and loving every second of it.
***THIS CONCLUDES PHASE 1***
More pics can be seen at my blog: http://www.cafematty.com