new member - work in progress BMW Fighter

Thanx or that when all else fails RTFM eh !!!!!!!!!

Finally got the new Beemer 5 Spoke Wobbly wheel I was after.
That really IS it now, n more indecision and mind changing.What I've got is what I'm going wih.

I fitted the rear up today to check clearances etc. Of course all those anoraks in the BMW club said "Can't be done" - Futtox.
Just got to swap in some 4 pot caliper forks om a spare K1100RS and make a spindle up and we're GTG.

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Hi Ian,

yes WELL pleased. Good old E-Bay [ UK ]. $50 AND the guy delivered it to me ! The tyre { Micky Mac ] was already on - only 500 miles on it. ;D
The 5" is the max. I can get on with driveshaft clearance - although I could take the grinder to the housing and get the 5.5" on ! The 5.5" fits the Race Rep conversion I'm doing [ 9 months away] as it uses the wider Paralever rear swing arm.

The matching front is a bit more of a problem as the spindle will require some small machining. The only problem is that now I'm retired I no longer have my workshop to back up my mods ! :'(

However, the wheels dramatically change the image of the "pipe and slippers" Kay series Beemer.

The upswept exhaust is also home brewed, but I've now had a mk3 version made up by professionals - Keihan. What a fantastic job they made.

Life's not easy when you start playing with the "unloved" - but I've never been one to join the "let's all be different together" club. ::)

Unloved also translates to VERY cheap [ here in the UK ]
 
Good day today - GS450 off the lift and the Fighter is now back on and ready for the final push.
 
I know it doesn't look like much ..................... But if you'de seen the mess I made of the aperture for my new "Batlight".

My good pal at Realm Engineering came to the rescue and it looks like it grew there !

nearly there now, scored a front wheel spindle on E-Bay yesterday that I'm hoping will allow a straight swap of the matching 5 spoke Wobbly wheel.

What happened to "I'll have it on the road for the Spring" - the year's half gone already, ah well

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Another frustrating year has passed - and the Fighter is still not completed.

However, ready for the last push now. I've finally got the new front spindle being made so I can fit the larger matching 5 spoke wheel to the K1100RS front forks. When that's done [ before Christmas ] I'll then pull the whole lot down for painting and detailing.
 
Thanx for the kind words Bronze.

It's been a shitty year for progress - or rather - lack of it!

However, I finally got a guy who will machine the new front spindle [ Stainless steel ] that I need to mate the K1200 5 spoke wheel to the K1100 forks [ 4 pot Brembos ]. That wasted 3 months !!! Still not finished , but he has promised me it will be done before Christmas - we'll see.

I've also had the footrest hangers trimmed down [ pass pegs cut off ] and painted in a new wrinkle finish paint we just discovered.

It really is getting down to the last knockings now and I hope to have the mock up completed by Feb 2011 - then stripped down for paint / detailing.
 
Just collected the cut down footrest hangers - doesn't look like much, but with the lack of progress this year I'm, really chuffed.

They're painted in the new wrinkle finish paint we came across - this latest batch they sent is a glossy finish, unlike the first lot we had which was satin. I'll give these a blast in satin black just to tone them down a tad. However, the paint is awesome - easy to use and really chip proof. I'll do all the horrible black plastic in this finish - makes it look almost like painted alumimium casting!

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Been a bit quiet on the Fighter front - had some health issues [ now resolved ] and I have been let down yet again by a machine shop that said they would make my new front spindle "in a couple of days". Even though I supplied them with the Stainless bar stock, 2 months later and still no sign of it.

Ah well. I've now found a guy that makes replica spindles in Stainless for a living ! Quoted me 2 weeks and $65 for a complete spindle, nut and a spacer and sleeve - that'll do me.

In reality once I get the front spindle, the new K1200 wheel assembly and K1100 forks can be switched over and that's all the mechanicals completed - just a strip down and paint / detail.
 
Jeez ...is it really 2 years since I said - "It'll be on the road this Summer" ....................... balderdollox.

Oh well busy / not busy 2 years - health issues [ twice ], and now lost a garage so some of my projects have had to be culled.

That does leave me free to concentrate on The Kay Fighter and the Yamaha TR1 60's style Cafe Racer. In between finishing off the prototype BMW Oilhead reverse Trike.

On the plus side - the FOURTH attempt at getting someone to make the front spindle now seems to be happening and I've now got 2 excellent wheels with as new tyres. Engine is up and running again now - courtesy of a new ECU - fargin electrics - I shit 'em.
So that just leaves permanently attaching all the panels, seat etc. a few simple electrical connections to the new headlamp fairing - and it's rideable.

Then it's strip down over the Winter for painting and detailing.

Not really interesting I know, but seeing this in print will give me a kick up the ass to complete ................ ;)
 
Yippppeeeee - after 3 false starts the new Stainless steel front wheel spindle [ axle ] and spacer arrived today.

It is a superb bit of machining as you'd expect from a guy who supplies the Japanese bike restorers with stainless steel parts - well stoked.

I'll be trialling it out over the weekend with both the 5 spoke alloy wheel and the spoked alloy rimmed R1150GS version. I won't be using the spoked / alloy rimmed wheel now as I've had to sell the Cafe Racer K1100 project - but it will be nice to know if the same spindle will work - for future referrence !!
 
Like a well oiled machine ......................OK well oiled spindle !

Everything fitted as expected and what's more the measuremnts were spot on ! [my measurements ].

The shoulder on the left hand side [ looking at pic. ] doubles up as the L/H spacer, just need to turn the OEM R/H spacer down to suit the spacing and Robert's your Pater's sibling. The OEM spacer is alloy, and has worn quite badly [ 25 K miles ] - so that will also get made in stainless.

Just need to refurb the 4 pot Brembos and I'll swap the new fork / wheel assembly over. Also scored a brand new [ 55 miles old ] set of Pilot 2's - 170 rear and 120 front.

I've also decided on the colourways - Matt Black with Acid Green Wheels and accents, Acid Green bars.

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That looks like a decent bit of lathe work! Why did you have it made, looks like there's a decent OE piece right there, or are there unseen issues with it? Regardless the new bit looks the business!

Oh! And I'll say 'Halloo' to Uncle Bob for you.....haha
 
Swagger said:
That looks like a decent bit of lathe work! Why did you have it made, looks like there's a decent OE piece right there, or are there unseen issues with it? Regardless the new bit looks the business!

Oh! And I'll say 'Halloo' to Uncle Bob for you.....haha

The K1200S wheel - to match the new 6" rear - has a smaller bearing ID [ ?? ] and the axle is actually shorter and spaced differently - so it was down to a one off, no choice.
Today I've fitted the 4 pot Brembos and lined everything up - just need to measure for the r/h side spacer and it's all done.

The same spindle / fork set up will also take the R1150GS wire spoked alloy BMW OEM wheels - they WERE going on my K1100 Cafe Racer - now sadly gorn.
 
Ah, I missed that detail.

I haven't forgotten the interview questions either good sir, just up to my neck in work these days. If you're still game I'll do my best to get something coherent to you asap.

This is part of what's been keeping me busy:
 

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Lee Mate - any time you're ready !!

I've recently been dredging up memories of a 4 wheeled kind ........................

The colour [ main ] finally came to me when I saw a modern KTM twin with a mixture of Matt Black and FO Orange highlights / accents.

The LAST time I used Matt Black [ 30 years ?] it was a horrible chalky finish, that would stain as soon as look at it.
I went on to use Satin Black in the intervening years because of that, and hadn't really considered the Matt version.
 
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