The front fender and wheel

The power was back on in the office today, so that means I’m back behind the computer.  I certainly enjoyed the previous two days and being able to work outside.  That feeling was magnified by the fact that we had some cooler weather yesterday.  It was absolutely gorgeous.  But, because I’m behind the computer, I have the need to get back into the shed, which means more posts.

Monday was spent sailing. Gotta dry out the sails after the hurricane.

Yesterday I was having problems with my BSA.  At first, it was only firing on one cylinder and then, as I got onto the road, the second cylinder kicked in.  After asking questions, I figured out that rain from Monday had made its way into the float bowl.  However, once the water cleared, the bike ran almost normally.  Today, it really bogged down (as in running rich) coming back home and was misfiring.  I also noticed when I tickled the carburetor that the right float bowl filled faster than usual.  Been there, done that.  I pulled the right float bowl and jiggled the float.  Sure enough, the float was partially filled with gas.  That’s two float bowls in two months.  Half an hour later, I had a brand new float installed and leveled and the left float bowl pulled and drained, just to make sure there was no more water.  Everything’s back together and ready for my commute tomorrow.

Then I turned my attention back to my project bike.  The goal tonight was to get the front wheel off.  I started off small, removing the left fork nut from the dampening rod in preparation for removing the forks later on.  Then I removed the front fender.  What a change!  That thing was hideous.

The front of the bike with the fender removed.

Then it was the front axle.  I removed the locking bolt on the left side, removed the nut from the axle on the right side, and used a punch to pound the axle out.  Overall, it came off fairly easily and nothing was damaged.  A stud that keeps the brake plate from rotating by sitting in a groove was a bit tough to slip off, but lifting the bike off the ground and letting it fall several times (in addition to the obligatory PB Blaster) soon loosened it up.  The only thing left to remove from the frame before I can repair and repaint it are the fork stanchions and triple tree.  Getting close!

The front forks sans wheel.

Misplaced priorities?

While my left cylinder sits in its bath of PB Blaster, I’m looking through parts manuals and various distributors’ websites, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the cost of parts.  How is it that an almost 60 year old motorcycle’s parts cost so much when the company that produced them is still in existence?  I can understand vintage BSA, Triumph, or Norton parts being expensive; the original companies are no longer around.  But a BMW??  Am I paying for the brand name (insert Harley comment here)?

My first car in high school was a 1983 BMW 320i.  It was a great car for the first few years.  Nothing broke and it was super reliable.  One day, while driving from Austin to Houston for the weekend, the fuel pump went out.  Fortunately, my dad came to get me so my car sat at the repair shop for the weekend (what is it about break downs always being on Fridays??).  It was a pretty expensive little repair, and seemed to signal the beginning of the end between the car and me.  Next was some sort of electrical failure.  I can’t remember exactly what transpired, but the distributor cap was replaced.  I drove it home and it had absolutely no power.  I could barely make it up a hill.  I took it back to the mechanic the next day and they had placed the spark plug wires on the wrong spark plugs.  Ugh.  My bicycle became my primary means if transportation during that time.  Fourteen miles to work (uphill), fourteen miles back at three in the morning.  I was working as a projectionist at a movie theater.  There was another several hundred dollars out of my pocket for that debacle.

What ultimately got to me was an oil change in Austin.  Normally I changed the oil myself.  However, working full time and going to school full time, I just didn’t a moment to spare to change it myself.  So, I took it to the place on the corner near my apartment.  In addition to the oil change, they charged me a “luxury” fee on my 18 year old, POS car.  I asked them to look at the car and tell me if it looked luxurious.  The clear coat was coming off, the BMW logo on the hood had lost its blue paint, and there was a patch of who know what on the armrest (I think it was some sort of mold…it died with a good bleaching).  I’d had enough.  Time to look for a new car.  The timing was perfect! As I was driving to the dealership to trade in my car (I’d already picked out my Explorer and procured the proper funding), I heard a pop and the engine revved, but I didn’t go any faster.  That was the end of the clutch.  Thank God it’s no longer mine to deal with!

I knew (and still know) the cost of parts will be tremendous.  I’ve received estimates in various forums of anywhere between $6,000 (I wish!) and $20,000 or more to restore this thing.  My plan was, and still is, to restore this bike over many years, barring have to sell it to put food on the table.  And I don’t plan on going into debt doing so.

You may ask why put that much money and time into something that won’t be worth that much in the end.  Well, that’s easy.  Because it’s a learning experience and I enjoy doing it.  The most fun and rewarding hobby I’ve ever had was rebuilding the BSA.  I’m not in this to sell it, much less make a profit.  Ultimately, I think it would be neat to leave it to a future kid.

I do wrestle with the fact that I could sell it and pay off the recent medical bills.  Or that I could part it off and get another basket case that will be easier and less expensive to repair.  But have you seen the pictures of a restored R51/3?  It’s easily the most beautiful looking bike I think I have ever seen.  I hear stories from older gentlemen all the time about the bikes they regret letting go.  I suppose I’m also afraid of having those regrets.

But the main thing is that you never know what excitement the future holds!  If I can stumble upon this bike for this price, who’s to say I won’t find some generous parts donor?  Or find a cheap parts engine?  Or that I could win the lottery?  Or…

The only work that happened tonight was pounding at the piston with a piece of wood and a heavy hammer.  Still no budging, so I filled it up with PB Blaster again to let it sit for another day.  I removed the shift lever (this bike is a left-foot shift!  Oh my!) and got the brake pedal to move, but still can’t take it off.  More PB Blaster.  And at the advice of my step-dad Dale, maybe some Liquid Wrench tomorrow.  If that doesn’t work, I’ll contact BSA Jon to get his advice since his Goldstar had a stuck piston.  And two give you at least one photo from tonight…

The right-foot brake lever.