Hello everyone, I'm from Boulder Co. Early Porsche guy here who ended up with a widow friend's husband's 1976 R75/6 that was a victim of varmits and flooding. Bike was stuck solid when I got it. Patience, heat and Kroil prevailed and I got it unstuck a few days ago. Flooding did damage to the cylinders and exhaust, so I am on the hunt for some 1978 R80/7 hi comp pistons, and tailpipes, and hope to bore my cylinders out to match. Varmit urine destroyed my alternator and created a mess in the airbox. Plan is to get it running and see if it talks to me. Then a path to restoration. I posted a WTB in the classifieds for what I am needing, so if you have parts, please send me an email.
Welcome Aboard !
First thing you'll want to do is contact your local Airhead Club director, what we call an "Air Marshal". Get on his contact list so your can go to the next Tech Day. At the Tech Day you'll make some new local Airhead friends and they'll be working on some bikes. You can get a good taste of what's involved and all the local inside knowledge about who keeps the tools, which store has the best parts availability in your locale, etc.
Like a lot of Airheads, your bike sat for a long while. The following article contains a list of the top 80% of the trouble spots that repeatedly develop during storage. If you have any questions, we're always here to help...
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
"Varmit urine destroyed my alternator..."
Hey Lars - Welcome!
(Now, I've heard of "Dog ate my homework", but this tops things by a country mile...love it!
I live in the country - NC Blue Ridge - and have similar issues with mice, squirrels, etc. Mice particularly seem to love portaging acorns into exhaust pipes, dining on wire insulation, nesting in airboxes, etc. Garage and basement permanently smell like Christmas candy, as the latest Peppermint Oil Experiment winds down.
Believe you'll find kindred solace with your new old airhead. Initial tinkering with my RT crock brings a strong '72 911S deja vu, right down to the faint whiff of burned dino oil. And, anointing all with Kroil - that magic elixir - creates a sensory time machine, particularly with a dash of barrel-aged 90wt skillfully blended in.
Gradually, as we fettle away - Joni Mitchell on the basement hifi, mice rollicking in the shadows - we're gently wafted back to youth...)
Moderators, if this is in the wrong forum, please move it or tell me to start a new post. I am beginning to assemble parts that (I think) I will need to get this beast running again. And as a newbie, I am very suceptible to scammers that "see me coming"...so I only want to make original mistakes. I have a couple new friends locally that have made some suggestions on parts, and I thought I would clear these ideas with you guys. My cylinders have deep pitting from the water...too deep to hone but ok to bore. Obviously cylinders are alu with steel liners. Suggestion was to look for a pair of R80/7 1978 high comp pistons and bore my cylinders to match the pistons... thoughts? My heads cleaned up very well with my dremel and several fine wire brushes. I will remove the valves springs and assess the valves, guides and seats. Timing housing is pristine, no water in the sump, inside the case looks clean, I have cleaned/scrubbed the mouse colonies from inside the front cover, the airbox, and the starter cover. Will clean and assess the starter and solenoid next. On that note antbody dealt with Motorworks in the UK? I have had a couple domestic responses to my WTB looking for replacement alt stuff, side covers, headlight and front turns, and tailpipes. The goal is to get running, make it safe and go from there...keeping the "accetable" patina. My skin is thick. Please feel free to criticize, make suggetions or referrals for parts.
Much better...carb cleaner and scotchbrite to clean the varmit outhouse.
Yah, now if 'yer rub in a bit if peppermint oil...
Nice work, by the way. And, crank snout looks v clean (thank goodness)
(I had a 911 Carrera years ago with an even more than usually lousy Porsche AC system. Came from VT, and had spent its winters in a nice barn there. Turned out to be a real sweatbox...I was living in hot, humid Wilmington, NC at the time. Finally, disassembled the front end right down to the evaporator box - which looked about like your mouse condo; solid acorns and the rest. Mouse pee cleaned the aluminum finning right off the evap core, etc...an expensive PITA to fix...)
► That's what BMW stands for..... Bivouac Mice all Winter !
► As to the special parts, I'd get a used piston-cylinder set from the Buy & Sell forum (here) or off Ebay. There are hundreds of them and repair parts are cheap this time of year. The reason to go stock is because the R75 is one of the better performing bikes. Putting high compression in it is only going to mean more maintenance and a shorter life span. And to what end? You'll never out race any other 750cc bike. The stock 750 top end (or possibly the 800) is the way to go in my book.
► While in the starter motor cavity, you'll want to install the newer style breather valve. They replaced the disc with a reed valve about 1980 and it fits right into the old space.
Hope this helps.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
Moderators, if this is in the wrong forum, please move it or tell me to start a new post.
Actually I think it helps everyone to have all your posts within one thread. Proceed.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
Lars,
Actually, you have a great resource locally for airhead parts: EME, right in Denver.
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