www.motoelekt.com
replaced that one with a BMW item. Additionally, for once, NO
FLAT TIRES (but you never know)! As I was taking care of the
Examples of park lamp bulbs. Typically a four-watt bulb, you can drop in a similar-sized halogen lamp. I use the five and ten watt bulbs. If you have an RS or RT, you do not want to substitute these lamps for the park light. These models of airheads have the park lamp beneath a plastic lens or "eyebrow" and higher heat of the halogen lamps can melt the plastic cover.
1. The tachometer blew up 11 miles from
home in the frigid temperature; the speedo had died several trips earlier, so I just rode with the flow of traffic. A rebuilt speedo/ tach unit has been installed. 2. Leaking right-hand carb: Replaced the
float in a curbside repair in Tultepec (the town above Mexico City where I will attend the fireworks festival), solving the problem. 3. The bag mounts fractured and were
repaired by a welder along a Mexican road- side. They held up for the rest of the trip. A good, used set will go on the now longer LWB bike for this trip. 4. The voltmeter became intermittent,
working only when positioned “just so.” I replaced it with a new “Harley takeoff” from eBay ($18). 5. The gas cap fell apart on the road. I
purchased a new bolt and washer in a fer- retería (hardware store) and rebuilt it. 6. Broken right-hand mirror: While in
the parking lot of the ferreteria, the bike was knocked over, causing replacement with a pink-trimmed makeup mirror and some duct tape. The mirror has now been replaced with one from a Slash 5. 7. The front wheel axle nut fell off, caus-
ing extremely dodgy handling. A replace- ment was found after searching through several piles in a scrap yard. Once home, I
above little problems and going through the systems as I grafted on the longer rear parts, I received a nice email from a Mr Parker. He’s part of a “five pre-1978 airhead fam- ily” in British Columbia, Can- ada. He described how he commutes on a ’72 Slash Five and how he and his wife travel on 1970s-era BMWs. Over the years, I’ve heard from many such individuals and families who ride airheads pretty
much exclusively. At the national rally, Air- head Central is a celebration of this ethic. As long as the mechanics are kept up and someone has a good mechanical aptitude, there’s absolutely no reason not to use these old bikes for daily and touring riding. Parts remain available from BMW channels, aftermarket suppliers and the eBay/second- hand market. The way I have bolted on a stronger 1974 charging system, along with the LWB parts from the ‘70s and ‘80s illus- trates the interchangeability of airhead parts. Years ago, I replaced the now $149 (egad!) Slash Five starter relay with a generic, under-$10 relay. Folks who take to these bikes seem to have an ability to under- stand “how things work” and a willingness to fix the problems that crop up in many of the devices in our lives. We appreciate the simplicity of these vehicles, along with the design and quality that went into them. For example, this last summer, I replaced
the front suspension on our 1990 Volvo; having a Volvo specialist friend nearby is real handy, I admit. A couple of years ago, I redid the entire exhaust/muffler system, again under Doug’s guidance. I was at a British bike
club meeting recently and
someone was selling old motorcycle adver- tisements, including a number of BMW ads. Those print ads sure stress different qualities than what is promoted today!
April 2016 BMW OWNERS NEWS 53
www.gotournz.com
www.advdepot.com
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