So last Tuesday I finally pulled the trigger on this crusty 1982 BMW R100CS sitting in Old Man Johnson’s barn. Paid him cash, shook hands, and promptly got stranded two miles down the road when the damn thing coughed and died. Should’ve known better.
First Move: Carburetor Rehab
Dragged it home and tore into those Bing carbs immediately. Found jelly-like fuel in the bowls – nasty. Pulled every jet with needle-nose pliers, soaked ‘em overnight in Berryman Chem-Dip. Used compressed air to blow out passages. Rebuilt kits ordered online? Absolute trash. Ended up polishing original brass with toothpaste and a toothbrush. Improvised new gaskets from cereal box cardboard. Don’t judge – it worked.
Electrical Nightmares Unlocked
Got it running but headlight flickered like a disco ball. Grabbed my multimeter and chased wires under tank. Found three “creative” splices wrapped in duct tape. Fixed the mess with solder and heat shrink. Pro tip: Test stator output cold AND hot. Mine dropped to 3 volts when engine roasted – classic fried rotor.
- Replaced rotor brushes ($12)
- Rewound alternator wires (YouTube tutorial)
- Ditched stock bullet connectors for waterproof plugs
Final Boss: Transmission Spline Lubrication
Heard horror clicks shifting into third. Had to yank entire rear end apart. Critical: You MUST grease input shaft splines every 10k miles. Mine were bone-dry, metal dust everywhere. Slathered Honda Moly 60 paste thick as peanut butter. Reassembled with new rear seals – leaks fixed bonus round.
Runs like a top now. Moral? These airheads aren’t complicated, just needy. Treat ‘em like moody old professors: respect their quirks, maintain meticulously, and always carry tools.
