Cleaning of rubber parts
Some rubber parts are still provided with a (wax) layer when shipped: a mold release agent. A cleaning solution with hot dish soap and water is enough to remove this layer. Use rubbing alcohol for stubborn stickiness. Although alcohol is an effective cleaner for most kinds of stickiness, you should only use this cleaning agent on rubber occasionally. Dampen a clean rag with alcohol and wipe at sticky areas until they are removed. Rinse the rubber with water afterwards. Exposing rubber too often or too long to alcohol may cause it to break down more quickly than normal.
BMW motorcycle wheel bearings, 1956 through 1969 by Duane Ausherman
Very informative and comprehensive treatise on the tapered wheel bearings. Click on the photo to go to the relevant webpage:
Seal material property comparison
A “strenght & weakness” overview of the different seal materials available in the market.
Diagnosing clicking sounds as a worn carburetor slide – by Scottie’s Workshop
Very informative video! https://fb.watch/gQycYmmz_h/
Oil slinger screw
The oil slinger screws are not available from BMW anymore. Most suppliers now offer a general purpose DIN 963 M6 x 10 screw. However, the head of this screw is higher than that of the original screw: the head of the screw protrudes above the oil slinger surface. This may be undesirable in some cases. We now supply oil slinger screws with the same dimensions as the original screw.
Spherical and cylindrical rollers for connecting rods
The BMW specification for the radial clearance of the conrod big end & crankpin is based on the use of slightly spherical rollers in some of the crankshafts. The use of spherical rollers prevents the rollers from “biting” when the crankshaft flexes at high RPM. Today the new FAG Dürkopp conrod sets are equipped with cylindrical rollers. This requires a slightly larger radial clearance to prevent the rollers from getting stuck when the crankshaft flexes at high RPM. Spherical rollers (used) are identified by the wear track in the center of the roller:
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Ignition keys
These photos show the difference between the Noris keys and the replica keys. This can help to identify the cause of malfunctioning ignition switch.
Valve adjustment problems – cylinder head sleeve height
If the valve adjusting screws have reached their end and there is still insufficient valve clearance, the cause may be (a combination of): the valves sit too deep in the valve seats the cylinder head sleeves have sunk deeper into the cylinder head over time. In our experience, the sleeves at the exhaust side sit usually deeper than at the intake side. Below an example of 2 R27 cylinder heads. The RHS sleeve at the intake side of cylinder head 1 has a height of 88.47 mm The LHS sleeve at the exhaust side of cylinder head 2 has a
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Tools for R50 – R69 gearbox rebuild
We are regularly asked for a list of tools that are needed for a complete overhaul of the gearbox. Below an overview of the special Matra tools and some of the standard tools that are required / recommended for a succesful gearbox rebuild: Most important “tool” is a good manual: Barrington manual: https://bmwclassicmotorcycles.com/index.php/tools-products/bmw-r50-r69s-motorcycle-restoration-and-service-manual.html BMW Factory manual – can be downloaded here: https://www.bmwclassicmotorcycles.com/parts/bmw-service-sheets/1760 NB0017 – Gearbox holder for vise M494/2 – socket wrench M14 for nut on output shaft (R50, R60) M494/2/1 – socket wrench M16 for nut on output shaft (R50/2
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New cylinder heads R51/3 – R60/2
Our price of these cylinder heads is higher than the price of other suppliers, for the following good reasons: 1. The valve guides are checked and reamed if needed. Some guides require upto 0.02 mm reaming. Without these adjustments, the valves would get stuck quickly. 2. We replace the supplied non-rotating valves with rotating valves. 3. The cylinder head mating surfaces are flattened in case of visible/palpable edges in the mating plane or “curved” surfaces. The depth of the mating surface is measured, to make sure that the height of the collar on the cylinder does not exceed the depth
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2 cylinder crankshaft identification
Flow chart to identify a 2 cylinder crankshaft. Click on the flow chart and table for larger images, click <- arrow in your browser to return to this page.
Parts list – conversion from 6V to 12V for R51/3 – R68, R50 – R69S
This list shows the part numbers for all parts that need to be changed in case of a conversion to 12V