Part 3 BMW R100 project

I should be working on other things. The Norton, the Hondas, my other BMW; the house, for heaven’s sake. But the ‘new’ R100S fills my head with thoughts of long journeys, fulfilling its original brief; to take its pilot, passenger and luggage far and away, in style, speed and safety.

FAIL

As I said last month, the plan was always to hear it run first, to see if there was anything glaringly wrong. But the carbs were seized solid and the electrics, which largely live under the tunnel of the fuel tank, seem to have attracted moisture (the tank still had petrol in after 27 years standing) and are riddled with rust. Needless to say, regardless of fiddling and even with rebuilt carbs, nothing was alive. Disappointed in my failure, I decided to strip the bike without getting it started, as I need to paint the frame and I’ve always wanted to rebuild a boxer engine. Which may, indeed, be a decision I regret.

RESTORATION PROCEDURE

Many times before the