The saga of the broken back box continues.

The back box or "trunk" of the Road Show Beemer has been the subject of this column before, but the fun continues. The "trunk" box and bracket that it mounts to is actually made by Honda and is superior to anything manufactured specifically by/for BMW in its sheer capacity and its value as a safety mechanism/backrest for my faithful pillion. The previous owner had a custom rack welded together and mounted for the box which, after some adjustment and lots of loktite, works out really well.

So well in fact that we have just used it to death and it has become considerably worse for the wear. As we all know though things are tough all over these days and a new trunk/backrest is currently out of the question. So we thought we would apply a little expertise we had gained on some previous projects. My wife Patti worked in the special effects industry in Hollywood for a time and has a good working knowledge of bonding plasitcs. I have developed some exprimental techniques of my own rebuilding crashed motorcycles and fashioning non-available parts.

In part I of this series we explored some of Patti's techniques for using light industrial plastics at a strenthing component.

In this part of the series we take a look at a technique involving fiberglass cloth and J B Weld. This actually works very well believe it or not.



Here Patti fashions a piece of fiberglass cloth to shape and size for the repair.



The surface is prepared by roughing it up slightly and then putting on a layer or JB Weld....next the cloth is laid into the prepped area and additionally impregnated with more JB.




Here both cracks have been mended and reinforced.



And then reinfored again at the stress point where the new hinge attachment will be



And a little judicious metal shaping gets things ready for the next step which is bending the new hinge material to the proper angle

Clutch Cable Maitenance

Along with the 360 degree workaround, it is a good idea to inspect cables regularly. Two clutch cables of my recent acquittance have brought this point home to me rather bluntly.

The first belonged to a '99 Suzuki SV650 which I was working on to sell. The bike had been sitting for a while and the clutch required significant renewing. That particular bike requires the cable to be adjusted in two steps involving a screw and locknut adjustment at the hub and an angle measurement at the linkage. Even though I knew the clutch pack was fully functional I could never get the bike running up to my standards of rideablity. It was finally suggest to me that the clutch cable could be the culprit, being ten years old and having endured 33,000 miles moderately hard riding. I shopped around for a good deal on an OEM cable and purchased it. Before I could install it however, I sold the bike to another local wrench and gave him the parts. He reports the cable replacement solved the problem.

The second cable was on my '99 BMW R1100R and it failed in a similarly subtle way. Now matter how many times I adjusted it, or tweezed on it. the clutch would just not sound or behave quite like I know an oilhead clutch should. This went on for weeks until finally on the way home from MMI a few days ago the lever just went to mush as I exited the freeway for home.



Broken Clutch Cable, something every rider should be prepared for.

Careful examination of the mechanism at the handlebar revealed that due to wear or improper instillation the cable had failed one or two strands at a time over a period of weeks, and when it finally got bad enough to collapse it was hanging on by a mere two strands. Fortunately there was a suitable replacement on hand. I would like to use some of the details of the installation process to pass along a couple of general tips about cable replacement.





Handlebar clutch assembly covered with 30k+ miles of coastal and desert mucky muck.

First, do not just replace the cable, but take the opportunity to service the entire assembly. Clean and degrease all the parts on both ends of the system and apply fresh lubricant on the cable and everywhere metal, meets metal-particularly where cables bend. You will be surprised at the increase in rideability if you take this step.



Make sure to leave the old cable in place as a guide for correctly installing and routing the new one

Secondly, do not remove the old cable until you have the new one ready to install. Use the old cable as a guide for correct routing, placement and tie-down. Cable routing is extremely important for the proper operation of the machine and the longevity of parts. Not to mention the safety of the rider.

Follow these tips and you will have a much happier and safer machine plus a more satisfying ride.

Repairing Plastic

All motorcyclist know that horrifying sound of expensive plastic breaking. Replacements for fairings, painted body parts, boxes, etc. are extremely high. Thanks to my partners brief career working in a Hollywood special effects model shop, she knows a lot about bonding plastics, and this is our second successful experiment using non-standard techniques to repair plastic motorcycle parts.

This project came out of the need to replace the hinges in a Honda Trunk box that was still serviceable, but pretty battered. We had experimented before with bonding plastic using fiberglass repair fabric and Cold Weld with excellent results. Unfortunately, none of those materials was at hand so our special effects expert suggested just a piece of stout plastic and Gorilla Glue.

We obtained the needed bonding/re-enforcement piece from a common laundry soap bottle.



After some further sizing and cutting, the bonding surfaces of both the box under repair and the re-enforcement piece of bottle were roughed up using a medium grit Dremel sander. Then carefully wetted, glue applied, and clamped.



We probably could have used another clamp or two but were able to make due with some household tape. Once dried the bond was strong and has survived a week of normal, commuter, in and out service with no signs of weakening.



The hinges are proving to be a different story. Keep your eyes open for the rest of the story.

MMI (Motorcycle Mechanics Institute)

End of the day in clinic 7


Of the many residential groups who are temporary transplants to Phoenix, some of the most interesting are the MMI students. I happen to be currently be a student, so it is also the group that I know best. Since there are only two places in the U.S. where one can get basic factory training, Phoenix, AZ and Orlando, FL, there are people of all ages from all over the country and a few foreign students at the Phoenix campus.

It is a much tougher thing to get one's motorcycle mechanics,(technicians) certification than I thought. One of the main difficulties is the draconian attendance policy. A minimum of 90% is required for graduation and, if you want to get a job somewhere when you are done, you had better do much better than that. The reason attendance is so closely monitored is because shops and factories value that factor highly as an indicator of employability.

There are no excuses to be absent or tardy, none. If you are late or absent it comes off your overall score, no excuses. Life sometimes does things that force you to have to be somewhere else though, and it can be frustrating to lose your perfect attendance over a one time medical emergency or something of that nature. Why is it hard to be somewhere five hours a day? Most people go to work everyday, right? Fair enough, but most students are here on full financial aid and many get little or no help from home so they are forced to work unusual, long hours at low paying jobs as well as go to school. So if one can manage just to get to MMI everyday it can be a huge deal.



Good work guys! Now can you put it back on?

The classes, or clinics, as they are called are a mixed bag. It all depends on what instructor you get for any given clinic. They are as diverse in background and personality as the students. All of them are excellent mechanics however their skill as teachers is all over the map. Although, once one gets beyond clinic six the teaching philosophy changes from a hand-holding approach to, "If it is broken when you get it, fix it. If you don't understand it or don't know how to do it, look it up." So the instructors teaching style does not really matter all that much.

One of the main things that drive a lot of people to finish it out of sheer will to shake off the stigma of being a "Blue Shirt." Even though the school would not exist without students, it is still a pretty lowly thing to be one in that environment. For example, overheard instructor to instructor joke - Q. When is it OK to drop a V-Rod off a lift? A. Whenever there are a couple of blue shirts under it, ha ha. So, beyond endurance it takes a little sense of humor to keep motoring along in the program.



Clinic 4, Basic Electrical



What happens afterward? Although the hard data is somewhat conflicting, it appears that the service industry will continue to be stable and even grow in this economy.
MMI has a highly touted life-long job placement program which has already helped people I know personally. So the prospects for employment in the power sports industry are optimistic. Ultimately it is whatever you make it.

MMI is a place where real learning goes on and the discipline of the craft, if taken seriously, can be life changing. In spite of the hardships and just general weirdness of the whole place, I think it is working out as a good stop on many peoples' journeys through life. Will keep you posted as the ride continues.

360 Walkaround Part 2

Last week we talked about the two most important parts of a motorcycle brakes and tires which are two of the checks performed during a 360 degree walk around. This week we will finish the process. A 360 walk around is not the same as a full safety inspection but it will make your ride safer and possibly avoid damage to your machine.

1) Tire Pressure

Not only does incorrect tire pressure affect handling (a serious safety issue)
it also drastically reduces tire life. According to Terry Waibel, tire
engineer for Goodyear Commercial Tire under inflation of tires can reduce their
usable life by 16%.

2) Chain/Belt Tension (Not Applicable if your machine is shaft drive.

The proper chain or belt tension is critical. Rule of thumb: too loose is better
than too tight. However, always check the specs for your bike. There is an
excellent tutorial here on the basics of adjusting chain slack. However, some bikes have much more radical adjustments than stated in the tutorial. Again, check your manual.

Belt tension is a little trickier because it typically requires and tension gauge. There is an excellent explanation here.


3) Fluid Levels (Engine Oil, Primary, Trans, etc.)

This one seems obvious but it is often overlooked. I have seen several bikes with major damage lately because components were starved for oil. A 10 second check could have prevented that.

4) Exhaust Inspection.

Pipes and headers vibrate A LOT! Check for loose nuts.

5) Cables.

Anything loose or sloppy? Particularly check for clutch freeplay...could save you a ton on a clutch re-build.

6) Operation of lights.

'Nuff Said...

7) Operation of horn.

There is an arguable expression that "loud pipes save lives," I still want to make sure my horn works!

Brake Pads and Tires

What are the two most important parts of a motorcycle? I am quite sure that question would elicit a lot of different responses from different people. I can tell you though as a technician in training who has been drilled in these matter extensively, the correct answer is BRAKES and TIRES. These are the two things that, if they fail, can take you down and hurt you or kill you!

Brake pad thickness is easy to check visually, although it sometimes requires a small flashlight which should be part of your tool kit anyway. It is pretty obvious when a brake pad is getting thin, but even so most have wear indicators. Shown below are pads off the same bike. One new showing the wear indicators and the other worn almost all the way down to the metal.



Here is a typical brake caliper mounted on a bike for reference.



There are minor variances on how to check the pads on different bikes with different calipers, but the basic procedure is the same.

You can get a good general idea of the condition by just looking down the end of the caliper as illustrated.

This is obviously a new set of pads...if they were worn they would be riding much farther from the rotor.



If you want to take a look at the actual wear marks you can look down the top. They are kind of hard to see on these Brembo calipers, but most imports have the pin on the side so it is much easier.