Hello, I have just purchased the bike. The drip on the floor turned out to be fork oil. Bought the seals and brake pads. What weight fork oil woul be what came in the bike when new? What weight would people recommend?
This is my second airhead for me. The first was a 79 R65 not running. It took me 3 months to get it running right. After getting it inspected I took it for a ride and about an hour later a connecting rod broke! Sold it. I had put in 20-50 Mobil 1 v twin oil. Is that okay? Let me know what you are using.
On other question. The key that works the faring pockets is on its last legs and I want a spare. Any ideas on where to get a blank or a finished key? Thank Y'all.
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Hello, I have just purchased the bike. The drip on the floor turned out to be fork oil. Bought the seals and brake pads. What weight fork oil would be what came in the bike when new? What weight would people recommend?
Typically the forks use 250cc of an oil between 7 and 10W, depending upon local weather conditions and riding styles. If you suspect dirt or water in the forks and want to flush them several times, then ATF is equivalent to ~7W and will do OK. If you want to change it once, then get a good quality, name brand fork oil in that range. BelRay is considered one of the better brands and is available off Amazon. Their 1 Liter bottle is good for 2 oil changes.
This is my second airhead for me. The first was a '79 R65 not running. It took me 3 months to get it running right. After getting it inspected I took it for a ride and about an hour later a connecting rod broke! Sold it. I had put in 20-50 Mobil 1 v twin oil. Is that okay? Let me know what you are using.
The oil spec calls for SAE 20/50 with an API rating SF or SG. Mobil-1 motorcycle oils are OK, but very expensive. I prefer to go down to my local auto parts store and buy Valvoline VR-1 20/50 "racing oil" in the 4 or 5 quart jug.
In my humble opinion, the gear box and final drive do better with synthetic oils, but not the engine. The reason to spend $30 on oil is so you can leave it and not need to change it. On an air cooled m/c you must change the oil sooner than 7000 miles, so mineral oils simply provide the same 3500 mile protection at a much lower cost.
On other question. The key that works the faring pockets is on its last legs and I want a spare. Any ideas on where to get a blank or a finished key? Thank Y'all.
Max BMW has their parts fiches on-line, and you can look up the key blank. The blanks are expensive but buy 2 or 3. Then you need to find a local lock and key professional (not a local hardware store that cuts keys). He can cut the new key(s) before the old one gives up.
http://shop.maxbmw.com/fiche/PartsFiche.aspx
Hope this helps.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
I have the Mobil 1 left over from a Harley I had. Aside from price is there any problem with synthetic in the motor? Thanks
What do the specs on the side of the can say ??? API class SF, SG or SF/SG ???
Typically, when people put synthetic in motors, gearboxes, and other equipment made 20 years before synthetic was even commonly available, the biggest issue is with leaking oil seals and not the protection from wear.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
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