Quick hello from John in beautiful Pilot Mt, NC
- Joined ABC upon suggestion from wonderful folks over at ADV Rider airheads forum
- Retired engineer, I'm a lifelong motorcyclist, but new to airheads (currently have '70 Guzzi, '03 Ducati, '14 C14)
- Picked up a rough, non-running '82 RT as a winter project. Goal - get it running, and go from there...
- Invite contact with other airhead folks in my neck of the woods
J
Welcome, and great to hear of your purchase.
Loved my Ducati ST2, but got too "experienced" to lean over like that anymore!
You'll love the airhead. There's something really appealing in their simplicity.
Welcome Aboard !
If we can help in any way, please let us know.
Many people consider the ~1982 to ~1986 models to be the very best ever made. You'll enjoy.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
Thanks Richard and John for your kind greetings!
(RT: Given date on the battery, etc, I'm guessing the 'ol gal hasn't run for 10+ years. So, little bit of mechanical archeology involved at this point. Enjoying reading past forum threads...airhead chronicles...great deal of tribal knowledge...
Richard - you've particularly contributed a lot of tech content; compliments
I've gotten excellent service from the Odyssey PC680 sealed AGM battery, and it has the correct post alignment. But when you fit a modern battery you'll need to change out your voltage regulator for a modern unit designed for use with AGM.
This is not all bad since most OEM mechanical voltage regulators need replacement anyway ! A modern solid state version will serve you so much better no matter which battery type you buy.
DO NOT neglect to fully inspect BOTH battery cables. They have BOTH been the source of many lost hours for previous Airhead owners.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
Like a lot of Airheads, your bike probably sat for a long while. The following article contains a list of the top 80% of the trouble spots that repeatedly develop during storage and then subsequent renewal. If you have any questions, we're always here to help...
Hope this helps.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
Richard,
This "Airhead Refurbishment" article is superb!
I read it straight through, and will follow each step with the old RT
(Interestingly, I had been trolling through googled airhead info trying to assemble just such a punch list. Your writing is clear and concise; recommendations specific. Can't thank you enough)
While I've had a lifetime's experience tinkering with bikes, cars, boats, etc of every stripe, the info contained in your article is typically only known to me AFTER I've finished with a project. Also, your sage advice about getting things running and then putting some miles on BEFORE embarking on leak fixes and component overhauls, etc is also my hard won opinion - having too often done it quite the other way around...
Huge compliments!
Thank you. Welcome to the community !!
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
"Loved my Ducati ST2, but got too "experienced" to lean over like that anymore!"
I resemble that remark!
(Still love the crotch rocket tuck, but my hands go to sleep in about 10 minutes, followed by other varous aches...half hour and I'm done. Good news is that my latest Old Ducati is one liter aircooled, 2 valve EFI Multistrada - a fairly upright bike - lightweight, torquey and fun to ride...though no sort of touring bike. For that I have a fairly new Concours14 rocketship, which is too dammit heavy for anything else. I'll be selling it and settling into old crocdom with 50 yr old loopframe Guzzi and - hopefully - a 40 year old airhead BMW - both of which I would have disdained in my youth - ironically)
@john-griffin Yes, loved the ST2, but it was hot-blooded around town (don't try riding with Hogly-Fergusons; they are so slow it really gets hot) and was only happy above 80.
Rode an older friends' R50 at about 18, and found it weird. Now, it only seems quaint!
Yeah, and the Ducati sportbikes (eg, 1098) need to be in fourth gear (two cogs down) on the freeway to run cleanly, which gets old in a hurry. Phenomenal acceleration and handling, but sort of a one trick pony...
I've ridden an ST-3, which I really liked (though my wrists demurred).
Yup, bet I'll be complaining that the old RT is underpowered, assuming I can get it running ?
(Yet, riding an old, slow bike fast is way more entertaining than legally poking along on a new, fast bike...)
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