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Ha thanks guys, I'm just messing. I'm not too fussed about the lack of followers because I know where I'm going with the build but it's good to know people are following along. Hopefully I'll have some better pics up in a week or two!
Brakes are giving me headaches ever since the hubs were blasted, might drop them down to our local BMW specialist and see what he reckons. I'd like to keep the drums because everyone seems to throw discs on builds nowadays...however at the moment I'm toast if any cars pull out in front of me! Spent 3 hours fiddling with the various adjustments following 4 different tutorial's from the various airhead forums and still no improvement.
Yes - there's a fine line between "keeping the looks" - and keeping your life !
I had the same dilemma with my TR1 Cafe Racer Vindicator, and initially opted for twin discs ......... then along came a 4LS Grimeca front hub / brake ass'y. In reality probably only as good as a good single disc - but I have the look !
IMO Airheads don't look out of era too much with discs, I've built 3 over the years with discs front, but always steered clear of the ATE calipers discs. Not only are they are a nightmare to set up correctly, but again IMO - fuggly.
Here's one with the Grimeca - cost more than the bike
Yes I had looked at those and even found a hub on ebay for a good price, however I figured that if I'm having trouble setting up a 2LS system, a 4LS drum setup would be double the nightmare!
I think it would be double-discs or just sticking to what I have, I think any brake mods will have to wait until next winter though so I'll just take it easy this season. I've already spent more than $5k this year rectifying mechanical issues and the light modifications, need to give the bank balance time to recover!
In reality that front drum is probably better than anything I had in the 50's and 60's !
OK, top speeds were only around the 100 - 125 [ Ex. Bob Mac Connie ], but where I lived and rode - there was as much traffic as nowadays and I survived the day, and not a disc in sight !
My pal Micky Carpenter had the same model Beemer with a Watsonian Monaco chair - and that stopped very well, even without using the chair brake [ mostly for steering ].
Maybe make sure the drum brake surface isn't oval - you can get it checked and skimmed without too much trouble. I always used to fit a thicker gauge brake cable to help eliminate any possible stretching.
I think cable stretch is my biggest enemy at the moment (I did just fit brand new cables) I'm finding the same with the clutch too. Hopefully they'll settle down a bit.
I don't think the issue is the hardware, I think it's the idiot that's operating them!
Awesome looking bike! I agree with Beachcomber - the front drum looks perfect. But, have you had the drum turned and the shoes skimmed for correct contact? This is something that should be done after the wheel is laced to the hub. It can make a big difference in braking effectiveness.
Thanks gents, the drums will definitely be staying!
Need to work on the jetting too, it seems to be running progressively richer each time I ride, especially on the pilot circuit. Also it's become very clear that the rear shocks are pretty stuffed, and sadly they aren't rebuildable either so I'll need to get the credit card out soon.
Having a play with some tank designs at work on MS Paint....I think of this as a blue bike so currently I'm thinking a deep metallic blue. Started looking for some classic inspirations and came across this old car (no idea what it is, don't know American cars at all). Really like the deep metallic blue paired with the pastel baby blue look and I think it complements the rest of the bike's colour scheme well. And perhaps most important of all, it's different from every other BMW build I've seen! ;D
Here's what I've come up with so far:
1. Split horizontal line with silver pinstripe between colour blocks, matching subframe at the rear and tank badge at the front.
2.Horizontal line along subframe level
3.Racing stripe!! Probably suits a dirtbike/tracker style more though...
4. Side panel similar to the /5 toaster tank and being routinely used by several Custom BMW shops (Down and Out, FD Werks etc)
4a. (with pinstripe) Similar side panel idea but with the traditional BMW pinstripe. This is one of my favourites.
B e a utiful man, I saw a r65 parked at my local shopping center and managed to catch the guy leaving. I was so jealous! He had let it go but from that day promised myself I would get one oneday. Seeing your build has reminded me.
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