Hey, Congrats !!

Awesome, Congrats!

Thanks, I just told my wife this world might be going to hell in a hand basket - but there's still a lot of good people out there. I haven't seen any politics or other divisive subjects on this board just good people trying to make their bikes run better - and my sure does and I'm a happy man.

Your very own "Make Airheads Great Again" hat is in the mail. 😆

Thanks, I can put it on my Hillary Doll 🙂

Question- when my bike is cold and I let it idle on center-stand water comes dripping out from where exhaust connects to header pipe - I've cinched down clamp as tight as possible but still does it. Is this okay? Seems to do it more with new carbs?

You must have been asleep in 7th Grade science class !! 😛

One of the by-products of burning any type of fossil fuel is water. The more efficient the combustion, then the more water that is created.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combustion

Question- when my bike is cold and I let it idle on center-stand water comes dripping out from where exhaust connects to header pipe - I've cinched down clamp as tight as possible but still does it. Is this okay?

1. Don't allow the bike to idle on the center stand. It's an air-cooled engine, and it wants to be ridden.
2. You have a small exhaust leak which you can seal with more anti-seize compound, or common silver silicone sealant.

Seems to do it more with new carbs?

Your new carbs are simply promoting a more efficient "burn" than the old ones.

Hope this helps.

That did help - thank you. We're having to home school our kids right now so maybe that baffling science question will come up:) I've been adjusting the carbs that's why it's been spending some time cold on center stand - I've got them running well when warm but having trouble with cold starting.

I've got them running well when warm but having trouble with cold starting.

The typical Airhead requires full choke to start, even on a warm day. Don't be afraid to choke the bike as part of your regular Startup Routine. On warm days you can turn them OFF after 30 seconds. Colder days will take longer. Chokes shouldn't be needed once the engine is already warm.

So you are either not using enough "choke", or your choke cables are not connected correctly.

Hope this helps.

I'm having trouble finding the right choke cables - the ones with the proper fitting on the end for the newer carbs are all too short from where they connect to the carb to reach choke connection point. I have the right side jerry rigged so I can pull it up with my hand. The right side cable didn't have any screw in fitting to connect to top of carb so it's not secured to carb which enables me to pull the cable with my hand to use the choke. Left side no-go has the proper fitting to carb but cable is approx, 2 inches too short to reach attachment point? I have about 4 of the newer cables I've ordered hoping they would be different but they're all the same. I talked to parts guy at Bob's BMW to no avail. What's the definition of Insanity again?

I'm not sure but what you are not looking at a mis-match of parts and cables. Your original, 1971 choke lever would have been on the left side of the air filter housing. The cables would be mono-filament inners inside wound spring steel outers. That describes the "choke" cables on my 1973 R75/5. Your original 64/32/3&4 would be the same. The choke lever ends of these early cables have a fitting that is almost like a part from an automotive, rack and pinion steering assembly. It is a series of teeth that intersect with a gear like wheel that pulls the cable to actuate the enricher lever to enrich and also defeat the enricher. It is a pull for "on, and push for "off" action.

When you describe the cables as being of incorrect lengths I wounder if what you have been supplied are the braided cables that work on the enrichers for later type carburetors from bikes where the choke (enricher) lever is on the handle bar on the left side. These cables terminate under the fuel tank in a fitting called a Bowden connector. This is a sleeve with a disc inside. The braided cables from the carburetor's enricher levers are fitted in to the disc inside the Bowden connector. The lever action from the handle bar has another braided cable that pulls the disc inside the sleeve to then, in turn, pull the cables from the carburetors. Since braided cables are only able to pull in one direction, there would be return springs on the carburetors to pull the enrichers closed. This is how the enrichment function works on my 1985 R80RT. I do not know, off the top of my head, what the carburetor numbers are on my RT, but I suspect the carburetors that Bing sent to you are more like the later carbs on my RT.

Again, I would invite you to call me or e-mail me directly. My contact information is published in every edition of Airmail.

Thanks - I hooked the cables up correctly to the choke lever (watched ytube about ten times) it's the other ends that are giving me problems. (Quick Side bar= Is there a trick to getting the air filter hosing off without taking off the tank. I've done it three times now without removing the tank and it's like freaken wrestling an alligator?) Can I have your email address please and I'll send you a couple photos of my situation (I'm new and have never seen Airmail before)- but your comments that the cables I have been trying to fit are from models with choke levers on handle bars = I'm sure is right on. I tell the parts dudes it for lower installation - not on handle bars but I keep getting sent same GD cables. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm feeling like I might have to the cables custom made? I appreciate your input.

Greg

My understanding is that the early type choke cables are No Longer Available. (NLA) The braided cables from later style assemblies will not work with the choke lever on the left side of the aluminum air filter housing. woodnsteel1@gmail.com

So may I please be so blunt to say = What the hell do I do now ? Custom fabrication? The Bing people should have further warned me. They just said I'd need new cables to call Bob's BMW they know the drill- which I did & now I have surplus cables if anyone needs any. I'm an anal SOB and want everything as perfect as possible - not some Jerry Rigged machine where I pull the chokes up with my hand to start.

It's a steep learning curve here in the antique motorcycle world. Bing agency sucks. No, really, they suck,... hard. I hope you didn't put your original carbs in the trash because you may have to scavenge some small parts from them to modify the replacement carbs to work on your bike. I have also had an unsatisfactory experience with Bob's BMW when I allowed one of their parts guys talk me in to using Black Diamond valves in my R75/5 when I had to have the heads rebuilt. I saved $160 up front, but that mistake cost me a thousand dollars.