Seven years ago I dragged this 1978 BMW R80 out of a basement in Massachusetts. I immediately found out it had badly rusted cylinders and the pistons were frozen. I didn’t document what happened next, but the top end got completely rebuilt. The cylinders were sent out to be serviced and to accept R90 pistons,… Continue reading Rebuilding a BMW R80 Airhead Transmission
Category: Motorcycle Blog Posts
Triumph Bonneville T100 Thruxton Scrambler Wiring Diagram
My 2002 Honda XR650R – Ride & Upgrade
My current two wheeled love affair is a 2002 Honda XR650R. I know I know I know, it’s not a vintage street bike – but I’ve certainly had plenty of those! Adventure biking has really sucked me in lately and this is my do-it-all-everywhere machine. I picked it up in Denver sometime in October of… Continue reading My 2002 Honda XR650R – Ride & Upgrade
Just picked up a 1978 Yamaha XS1100 E Standard
I got a lift out to Arizona this weekend and picked up this Yamaha XS1100e. I managed to lose my camera on the trip so I only have these low res cell phone photos for now. It’s a 1978 model with 49,000 miles on it. Just had the valves refreshed and the cam chain replaced.… Continue reading Just picked up a 1978 Yamaha XS1100 E Standard
1982 Nighthawk 450 Tachometer question
Does anyone happen to know what the ratio is for the tachometer on an 82 Nighthawk 450? I need to replace mine and I found an aftermarket one on EBay that comes with a matching speedo that looks good. May need to replace speedo as well. I Just replaced the cable but the speedo is… Continue reading 1982 Nighthawk 450 Tachometer question
Joe Petrali and his Twin Downtube Flat Tracker
I was just reading an article in Classic American Iron from a year ago posing a question about one of Joe Petrali’s flat track race bikes. I’ve been on a bit of a flat track kick lately and was just posting a few cool photos over in the forums, so I thought I’d answer it for them… Continue reading Joe Petrali and his Twin Downtube Flat Tracker
Race Inspired Yamaha XS1100 With a Past
I know I know, another Yamaha XS1100 post. Thankfully many of my readers are into them just as much as I am. To the others, please bear with me. Anyone who knows me or reads this blog knows I have a predilection for Yamaha XS1100’s. I’m not sure how it developed, but that’s not what’s important. What’s important… Continue reading Race Inspired Yamaha XS1100 With a Past
1976 Kawasaki KH100
I haven’t had a Kawasaki KH100 before and never paid much attention to them. But I just stumbled across this example being sold by a gent in California who used it as a display piece in his dealership. It only has 17 miles on it! A lot of the road going 2 strokes of this… Continue reading 1976 Kawasaki KH100
1978 Yamaha XS1100
Since I’m already on the topic of late 70’s Yamaha bikes and mentioned my sorted history with XS1100’s yesterday, I figure I ought to dispense a little information about how to build one properly into a long distance touring bike. This is my 1978 Yamaha XS1100 that I picked up in Arizona. 1978 is the… Continue reading 1978 Yamaha XS1100
Get a Yamaha SR500
A reader recently wrote in a question addressing my apparent lack of interest in the Yamaha SR500 singles. Just stumbled upon your site, awesome. I just can’t understand with all of the great motorcycles that you’ve chosen, how you don’t own an SR500. The xs650 is fun, the XS1100 is fast, the XS400 is cute,… Continue reading Get a Yamaha SR500