With the Airheads..
I have long been an Airhead, meaning a devotee of air cooled BMW motorcycles, a design last manufactured in 1995 but dating from 1923. Derived from an aircraft engine, air cooling was a natural and the longevity of the design is reflected in the unusually long life expectancy of the motor. Indeed, the BMW blue and white quadrant logo is an abstract representation of an aircraft propeller turning against an azure sky.
I have owned mine since 1990, the second owner, and you can read more of that experience here.
Most major US cities have at least one expert mechanic devoted to airheads and in Phoenix that man is named Dave Alquist. (The factory, criminally, wants nothing to do with its heritage. How many of the pigs cutting you off in traffic in their BMW cars even know of that heritage?). After getting his contact information from the Airheads club I dropped by with my carburetors, sorely in need of an overhaul after 60,000 miles untouched. Dave, who has been working on airheads some three decades, immediately puts one at ease with his gentle charm and boyish enthusiasm for the marque. It did not take much time to know that that this was the right man to entrust with my work.
As luck would have it Dave was holding a tech day this past weekend, a free session during which machines are brought in by their owners for free surgery and advice, overseen by Dave and others like minded. Use of the several motorcycle lifts is free, tools are generally provided by the owners as the kit which came with the machine is sufficient for almost any task, and the abundant coffee and snacks on hand are happily paid for by an unsolicited donation in the adjacent jar. The day started at 8am but much exchange of war stories was called for first, so much so that the first wrench was not wielded with intent until mid-morning! Here are some snaps from the day, one of quite extraordinary friendship and satisfaction from watching experts at work:
A small part of Dave’s very large shop.
Alloy wheel on the truing stand. Welding gear below. Extensive use of alloys keeps these machines delightfully light and easy handling.
A 1951 R25 single. Pretty as a picture, but the modest 12 horsepower won’t take you anywhere fast.
Crankshafts galore.
Earles forks on a 1960s R60/2, an early anti-dive technology.
Dave Alquist checks the owner’s work on replacing the cam chain in this R100GS off-road machine.
Inserting the linking circlip for the cam chain is a tricky job, owing to the narrow clearances.
Rick (at right) contemplates gas tank removal on his 1968 R69US. The top end valve job will be the first since this machine left the factory almost a half-century ago. The number of computer components in these machines is precisely zero.
Chet Gandy, a former aircraft technician, rebuilt this R100RT from a basket case.
Chet (right) checks on the rear drive shaft boot. He has restyled the bike as a café racer.
Roy helps Rick get that gas tank off. A two minute procedure on later machines, this took 30 minutes ….
A beater to your eyes, but this R80/7 has been a reliable daily companion for 325,000 miles.
All snaps on the Panny GX7 with the kit zoom, mostly at ISO1600.