Well, part of the poor running at wide open mystery has been revealed. One carb was certainly running much richer than the other. After another round with the carb balancer, I decided to swith the floats just to see what would happen. While pulling out the float from the richer carb, I noticed that it had managed to develop fluid inside. Shaking it produced the unmistakable sound of fluid sloshing around. Not a lot, but apparently enough. I had seen small leaks develop before that let gas in, but there was no apparent leak, and even leaving it out for days while I waited on a new float produced no discernible change !! Not the slightest scent of gasoline, no difference in the amount of fluid. Even the weight was about the same. It is obviously condensation, but this was a first. Next I will apply some heat......Meanwhile, a brand new shiny float showed up and was installed. I opted to stay with the more expensive brass float rather than the plastic alternative.
Gauging Progress
One of the more cosmetic areas on the bike that I am not opposed to tackling is the only gauge it has. Typically, the position on top of the headlight nacelle exposes it to the ravages of the sun. Since paper is involved, the speedometer can quickly look much older and in much poorer condition than the rest of the bike. Fortunately, places like Hucky's sell repair/restoration kits for the speedometer. After removing the speedometer, I noted that it was correctly stamped 1958. The one in my 65 R50/2 is actually stamped 1964. In my typical fashion, I did not want to do a complete restoration of the speedometer, I just wanted it to look presentable. This means that I left the original face of the speedometer intact. I cleaned up the needle, replaced the battered bezel, and of course replaced the rubber seals. Back in the bike, it looked much improved, but not too good. Just the way I like it.
Jetlag
Some new jets arrived from Bing, and I spent a few hours installing them and rebalancing the carbs. Voila ! The big lag seems to be gone. We now have smooth acceleration, and the bike is fine under load. A few finer adjustments may still remain, but things are much better and I took the bike for a 45 minute ride to test things out. It seemed to run even better as I went along, but that may just be in my head. I got back and stuck the carb balancer on the bings again, and they seem to be pretty even. I am much happier for now, and can concentrate on getting a few more hours on the engine before I change the oil, check the valves, and re-torque the head. The bike is also lower than the R50/2 and the Euro bars make it feel much sportier. So far, so good.
Making Fire
Somehow, the relatively new plugs in the R60 are fouled. It of course has something to do with the carburettor troubles that prevent it from running well. Rich on one side, choke problems, etc. So a first step was some adjustments, and a new set of fire makers from NGK. With replacement, it started first kick, but the fueling problems continue, and some jetting experiments are next on the list. It did make it around the block a few times though and showed its potential once I sort things out. Stay tuned...
Back Home Again
Well, the outsourcing deal did not last long !! The R60 is back in the garage but now in assembled form. There are a few things to fiddle with, but Jeff did a great job and I would never have made such progress in such a short period of time. I particularly like the Euro low bars. I am glad that it is back in the house and plan to get it ready for the Norton Gathering in April. First up is some carburettor fiddling.....
Outsourcing Progress
An impending move forces me to confront the lack of progress on the R60. Jeff intervenes at the right time, and the bike is off to a new home with the prospect of me perhaps getting it back at some future point...
Swinging Away
In another small fit of progress, some more of the wiring is disconnected, and the headlight shell is now ready for removal. At the rear of the bike, I finally get around to removing the swingarm using the dual nut method since I do not have the BMW pin tool. Pretty easy work, and the bike looks like some progress has taken place despite just an hour of work while watching the F1 finale in Brazil. Quite the irony really, watching the pinnacle of technology applied to motorsport while wrenching on a design largely unchanged since 1923 !!
