Category Archives: Motorcycles

Bmw Pivot Bearing Replacement

I bought a 2004 BMW R1150RSL with 18K miles on the odometer.

Upon inspection at the time of sale, I noticed a certain amount of play in the rear wheel. This could be worn or mis-torqued Pivot Bearings or the dreaded Final Dive Bearing Failure. The test is the following. Put the bike on the center stand, wiggle the rear wheel at 9-3 o’clock and at 12-6 o’clock. If there is movement you need to determine whether it is Pivot Bearings (PB) or Final Drive Bearing (FDB). Have someone hold down the rear brake, do the wiggle test again. If there is still movement, it is the PB. If the movement stops, then it is the FDB. PB is a relatively easy fix. The FDB is a bit more involved. Fortunatly for me, my new bike had PB issues.

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2004 Bmw R1150rsl

What is it with me and the BMW R11XXRS? When I first “discovered” BMW motorcycles I immediately fell in love with the R-RS model. This model has been the redheaded step child of the BMW line. Many years they are left out of the USA catalog entirely. Back in 2000 I was in the market for my first brand new BMW. The R1100RS was the bike I wanted.

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Shinko F009 Raven Tires…..a Review

I bought a 2004 BMW R1150RSL last week for a VERY good price. It needed a bit of love and the top of the list was tires. The rear Metzler Z6 was severely cupped and the front tire was on its last legs. This bike exhibited extremely poor handling. It simply would not stay down in a left hand turn. And following a line around a corner was nearly impossible. I was convinced it has major suspension or frame issues. But before I could deal with that, I needed new tires.

Not wanting to spend a fortune on tires, I did some research and found a company called “Shinko”. A bit more research found that this is the former Yokohama motorcycle tire company. I’ve used Yokahama tires on my Porsche and my pick-up trucks for years. The Price of the Shinko tires was almost unbelievable.

A search led me to the new Raven F009 Sport Radial tires.

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Motorcycles In The Barn

One of my most ardent hobbies is motorcycle collecting. I buy and sell three or four bikes a year. Cruising the various classified sections on the motorcycle internet forums can reveal some amazing deals. If you buy them right, usually in the fall, you can ride a bike for a year or two and sell it for what you paid. Not a bad hobby.

This is the current collection.

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Motorcycle Mobile Office

My job allows me to work on the road as long as I have access to the internet and E-Mails. For years I’ve been carrying around my IBM LapTop in a Pelican case in one of my painers. But every time I wanted to access the computer, it was a chore to get it out, hook it up to the battery or find a 117V outlet.

I mostly camp when motorcycle touring so having the ability to recharge the laptops batteries while on the road was also something needed.

I started with a Pelican case. I attached it to the motorcycle with a very heavy duty Touratech mount that locks the Pelican case to the motorcycle, but allows very easy removal.

Suzuki Dl650 V Strom

If you like “Farkles”….This motorcycle has farkles! See all the pictures here: http://public.fotki.com/Rbertalotto/motorcycle/motorcycle-projects/2007-dl650-v-strom-/ ADVERTISEMENT: This web site is part of my income stream. If this article was helpful to you, you might want to throw a few bucks at me via paypal rvb100@comcast.net Not necessary, but certainly appreciated! If you have any questions, I can

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2006 Alaska Motorcycle Trip

You can read my BLOG on an Alaskan motorcyle trip that I took July and August 2006.  www.motoalaska.blogspot.com ADVERTISEMENT: This web site is part of my income stream. If this article was helpful to you, you might want to throw a few bucks at me via paypal     rvb100@comcast.net Not necessary, but certainly appreciated! If

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Motorcycle Electronic Cruise Control

So, You want to add REAL Cruise Control to your motorcycle? Two years ago I bought a BMW K1200RS motorcycle. For model year 2002 this bike came from the factory with cruise control. We all know that the BMW K1200LT (light truck) and the Honda Gold Wing (couch) have factory cruise control, and it is

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