Joined
·
1,411 Posts
Yesterday I woke up with plans to go look at a relatively clean 2001 BMW R1150RT. While waiting for the time to leave, I got to watching some vids about common maintenance problems. They gave me the heeby jeebies to say the least. It wasn't helped by the fact that someone else came to look at it and left "still interested" but without the bike.
While cruising the internet between scary videos, I found a 2001 FJR 1300 (I'm in the UK) for well under the typical prices. It's listed as a Salvage title with some damage from a rear end collision, but I was immediately interested. So my friend and I drove over the the shop to take a look.
I forgot to take pictures of my own so I stole the ones from the ad.
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
I've sat on the stock seats before, they are rubbish. So this was a huge selling point for me. It's absolutely sublime.
![]()
The only real damage mentioned in the for sale ad referred to a bent exhaust hanger. Really the hanger is fine, but the muffler tube is bent and pushed in at that point. So the Right muffler tip is higher than the left.
After further inspection this is what I found.
- The brakes are shot, front and back. The back is bad enough that it's dragging really bad. I need to do a full rebuild of the calipers and master cylinders, and get new pads all round. The disks are also worn but I don't know how close to the limit they are yet.
- The clutch slave/release cylinder is leaking, but i'm not sure if it's internal to the unit or if it's the crush washers at the banjo connection.
- The center stand is twisted. I need to take it apart and see if its the stand it's self or the brackets that are mangled.
- The right side muffler has the previously mentioned twist to it, but I also found that there is a leak in the joint from the link pipe to the mid pipe. So Ebay special and new gasket is in order.
- The Throttle action is stiff so I'll be giving the cables some attention.
- The fork seals are weeping. After cleaning the tubes and taking a test ride there was fresh oil on them. Not much but enough to leave a shine on your fingers.
- The rear BT023 has a trapezoid profile that you can probably see in the picture. While I was waiting on the dragging rear brake to cool off I also noticed there was a plug in it that was badly eaten away. I was able to get a new BT023GT on sale for $133 with free shipping to my APO box.
I don't have it home yet because of the brakes, so right now I'm just shopping for parts. Here's the OEM list that I'll be trying to undercut.
Clutch Release Cylinder -- £ 119.78
Clutch Hose -- £ 140.17
Clutch Master cylinder rebuild kit -- £ 26.87
Front Brake Master cylinder kit -- £ 37.58
Front Caliper piston seals, Small -- £ 29.66 ea.
Front Caliper piston seals, Large -- £ 31.81 ea.
Front pads -- £ 37.00 ea.
Front disk Assy -- £ 227.54
(min thick 4.5mm)
Rear Master Cylinder kit -- £ 54.56
Rear brake hose -- £ 47.27
Rear disk -- £ 153.47
(min thick 5.5mm)
Rear Caliper Piston seals -- £ 5.89
Rear pads -- £ 37.00
Main stand Bracket 1 -- £ 79.93
Main stand Bracket 2 -- £ 59.65
Main Stand -- £ 185.64
Right side muffler -- £ 632.26
Muffler Gasket -- £ 13.28
Throttle Cable Assy -- £ 65.74
Fork oil Seal -- £ 9.94 ea.
Fork oil 10w 700cc/79mm airgap
Rear tyre -- £ 130
Things I'll likely need help with;
- Identifying the correct parts/kits (number and quantity)
- Caliper rebuilds (I'll probably steal some tips from the threads here)
- Forks Rebuild (Do I need more parts than just the oil seals?)
On the plus side of all this, It has the awesome seat and upgraded suspension that makes for a wonderful ride. I've always wanted a project bike and a Sports Tourer to boot.
Costs so far:
Bike £2250
Shop Manual (pdf) £3
Rear tyre £83.90
===========
Total £2336.90
While cruising the internet between scary videos, I found a 2001 FJR 1300 (I'm in the UK) for well under the typical prices. It's listed as a Salvage title with some damage from a rear end collision, but I was immediately interested. So my friend and I drove over the the shop to take a look.
I forgot to take pictures of my own so I stole the ones from the ad.
I've sat on the stock seats before, they are rubbish. So this was a huge selling point for me. It's absolutely sublime.
The only real damage mentioned in the for sale ad referred to a bent exhaust hanger. Really the hanger is fine, but the muffler tube is bent and pushed in at that point. So the Right muffler tip is higher than the left.
After further inspection this is what I found.
- The brakes are shot, front and back. The back is bad enough that it's dragging really bad. I need to do a full rebuild of the calipers and master cylinders, and get new pads all round. The disks are also worn but I don't know how close to the limit they are yet.
- The clutch slave/release cylinder is leaking, but i'm not sure if it's internal to the unit or if it's the crush washers at the banjo connection.
- The center stand is twisted. I need to take it apart and see if its the stand it's self or the brackets that are mangled.
- The right side muffler has the previously mentioned twist to it, but I also found that there is a leak in the joint from the link pipe to the mid pipe. So Ebay special and new gasket is in order.
- The Throttle action is stiff so I'll be giving the cables some attention.
- The fork seals are weeping. After cleaning the tubes and taking a test ride there was fresh oil on them. Not much but enough to leave a shine on your fingers.
- The rear BT023 has a trapezoid profile that you can probably see in the picture. While I was waiting on the dragging rear brake to cool off I also noticed there was a plug in it that was badly eaten away. I was able to get a new BT023GT on sale for $133 with free shipping to my APO box.
I don't have it home yet because of the brakes, so right now I'm just shopping for parts. Here's the OEM list that I'll be trying to undercut.
Clutch Release Cylinder -- £ 119.78
Clutch Hose -- £ 140.17
Clutch Master cylinder rebuild kit -- £ 26.87
Front Brake Master cylinder kit -- £ 37.58
Front Caliper piston seals, Small -- £ 29.66 ea.
Front Caliper piston seals, Large -- £ 31.81 ea.
Front pads -- £ 37.00 ea.
Front disk Assy -- £ 227.54
(min thick 4.5mm)
Rear Master Cylinder kit -- £ 54.56
Rear brake hose -- £ 47.27
Rear disk -- £ 153.47
(min thick 5.5mm)
Rear Caliper Piston seals -- £ 5.89
Rear pads -- £ 37.00
Main stand Bracket 1 -- £ 79.93
Main stand Bracket 2 -- £ 59.65
Main Stand -- £ 185.64
Right side muffler -- £ 632.26
Muffler Gasket -- £ 13.28
Throttle Cable Assy -- £ 65.74
Fork oil Seal -- £ 9.94 ea.
Fork oil 10w 700cc/79mm airgap
Rear tyre -- £ 130
Things I'll likely need help with;
- Identifying the correct parts/kits (number and quantity)
- Caliper rebuilds (I'll probably steal some tips from the threads here)
- Forks Rebuild (Do I need more parts than just the oil seals?)
On the plus side of all this, It has the awesome seat and upgraded suspension that makes for a wonderful ride. I've always wanted a project bike and a Sports Tourer to boot.
Costs so far:
Bike £2250
Shop Manual (pdf) £3
Rear tyre £83.90
===========
Total £2336.90
