Dakar Project Bike

[JAmBer]

In July 2008 I had an accident and my baby looked like this...

[JAmBer]

The bike's a total writeoff, but I can't afford another one (no insurance). Besides, I like challenges! One afternoon, I started stripping with the intention of rebuilding it...

[JAmBer]

and went on working into the night...

[JAmBer]

...But then I had to stop. LESSON 1: Don't buy cheap tools. The swingarm axle was really tight!

[edgy]

Wow! Cool thread,i am going to watch with interest!

[Pistonpete]

How did you write the Dak off?

[JAmBer]

How did you write the Dak off?

A lady pulled out of a sidestreet in front of me at the bottom of a blind rise.  I nearly missed her by trying to swerve in front of her car, just T-boning the front right fender.

The bike's front suspension snapped in two and then flung me over the top to land ~10m down the road with the bike itself swinging around and smashing the front of her car to bits. Ruining her car in the process was bittersweet revenge for her not following the rules of the road and almost killing me in the process.

Fortunately, I wasn't speeding, the bike had ABS and I was wearing my ATGATT. Else my broken arm would've turned into a broken everything. To top it off, there was an ambulance driving right behind me and the accident happened one block from a hospital!

[JAmBer]

I have been working on this little project during weekends for over a month now, gluing plastics together, sourcing replacement parts and figuring out how to make WP suspension fit the Dakar (see this thread for details of this conversion: http://www.wilddog.za.net/forum/index.php?topic=27759). Looking back at the pictures from the accident scene, I'm amazed at how little non-repairable damage was actually done (both to myself and the bike!). The biggest issue, though, is the bent steering column on the main frame. I will need to replace the frame.

Repairs to date:

• Got the WP suspension to fit (see thread: http://www.wilddog.za.net/forum/index.php?topic=27759) (big thanks to Rufus115 for pulling the forks and triples from his donor KTM).
• Fixed the plastics as best as I could: faux tank, mudguard, indicators etc with Qbond.
• Repaired the seat (jury's still out on whether it'll hold together - it's made from a flexi-plastic that'll probably crack the glue first time I sit on it).
• Gavin kindly donated a replacement radiator.
• Repaired the radiator expansion tank's mountings.
• Sourced a replacement windscreen (thanks to PowerflowJustin for the donation!)
• Sourced a replacement front disc (Alan Lewis, PE).
• Sourced a replacement dashboard/headlamp frame (Alan Lewis, PE) from an earlier model which had to be modded (windscreen and dashboard mounts are different pre/post twinspark).
• Replaced little plastic grommets for the headlamp mounting (Continental Cars, PE, R82 for three).
• Straightened right footpeg bracket using a vice, 4lbs hammer and lots of sweat.
• Straightened rear brake lever.
• Hammered bashplate into something that will fit.
• Repaired accelerator cable (R120 Cable Man, PE). It got pinched in the accident and ruined the outer sheath and BMW want R800 for a new one.
• Repaired dashboard cluster's plastic mountings with Qbond.
• Repaired airbox mountings (BMW have the most awesome metal/rubber rivet scheme which turns into a grommet once fitted for mounting the plastic airbox to a metal baseplate).
• Bought a new faux-tank support brace / front seat mounting bracket (R443, Continental Cars, PE). The old one was twisted beyond recognition.
• Bought new rear swingarm axle (old one bent and thread finished). It's just a big bolt, but BMW hit me for R223 from Continental Cars, PE. Turns out this is a special size. Take care to keep yours well lubed and use copperslip to prevent corrosion! Else getting it out is a PITA.
• New top engine mounting bolts (replaced with S/steel since old ones were rusted) (R30 Chapman Bros, PE).
• New steering bearings (NSK 320/28) (R320 Bearing Man, PE).
• Sourced a second-hand front wheel
• New swingarm bearings (Bearing man NSK FJ-2216? 22x28x16mm open needle bearing,R48+vat each. Auto Atlantic, Continental Cars and JHB all out of stock at R78ea)

Also looks like the handlebars are slightly bent. Doesn't seem too bad though... will probably just live with it.

[JAmBer]

Yesterday I decided to lay out all the bits 'n pieces on the garage floor to get a better idea of what's left to be done.

Most of the hard work is complete now, with just a few items outstanding...

I still need:

• A replacement frame.
• Battery acid (must've poured out through the breather during the time that the bike on its side).
• Mirror mountings (I still have all the bits, but the thread part has snapped off).

[JAmBer]

Having stripped the entire bike down to nut-and-bolt level (apart from the engine itself, which seems fine), I've learnt a number of valuable tips.

Lessons learnt so far:

• Don't buy cheap tools. They drop you at the most inconvenient time. And then finding the one you really want can be time consuming (2hrs driving around Cape Town on a Saturday morning looking for a Gedore T-bar...).
• Keep all your bolts coated in copperslip. BMW only use stainless steel screws on the bits that show. Underneath, it's all galvanised steel. This WILL rust, and then removing them is a PITA. Better yet, replace 'em all with stainless-steel ones. I plan to do this progressively: as a bolt starts showing rust, I'll replace it with a s/steel one.
• Keep all the bits that fall-off when you're in an accident. At the time, it might look hopeless and you figure you'll have to buy a new part so you may as well leave it behind. But often you can fix it. I must say a big thanks to the guys who picked up all the little fragments of my fairings that allowed me to glue it all back together: I can't afford BMW's ridiculous prices for painted plastics.
• Regular maintenance pays-off. It's well-known that the Dakar's steering bearings fail early since the lower one doesn't have a seal. I used to wash and repack mine regularly and they still looked like new (apart from the fact that the accident distorted them). These bearings are quite expensive and are not in the preffered size series, so you can't get 'em at any old Midas store, you have to go to a bearing shop. It's worth protecting them.
• For the F650GS guys: Lube the rear swingarm bearings regularly. My bike's a 2005 model and up until last year was supposedly serviced regularly by the dealer. They must've missed this one. Now they're seized solid and the axle bent. There's no seal there, only a felt washer and a plastic spacer. Your only protection is waterproof grease. Use lots!
• F650GS: Fit some form of protector to the rear shock to prevent early failure. The rear wheel sprays all sorts of crud directly onto the shock. I plan to cut up an old tube and cable-tie it to the spring to form a flexible cover.
• KTM guys: The oil seals on your WP shocks are very pricey. Apparently they're a custom-size high-pressure gas seal that you have to buy from a WP agent. R480 for the two main oil seals. The dust seals aren't any cheaper. Keep your fork oil and stanchions clean. Water can also enter the shocks through the top and seize the rebound needle at the bottom of the shock. Fortunately I managed to free mine, but stripping the shock down to fix this is a PITA. Preventative maintenance is definitely warranted here. More details coming on my other thread: http://www.wilddog.za.net/forum/index.php?topic=27759
• Get a real centerstand. A garage stand is even better for rebuilding a bike in the garage. Boxes and wooden supports are awkward and make work frustrating.
  

[Rufus115]

aahhh, I have been wondering whats happened to your build. Bugger about the WP bits not fitting off the cuff but seems u have that sorted. Its great to have access to a sympathetic turner, makes life so much more simple.

Judging from your fix list, we are pea's in a pod..if it cant be fixed, I will just keep trying thats all!. BTW, I have not had much success with using Q bond to repair plastics, amd I doing this wrong???

Now that frame, what is wrong with it exactly and cant that be fixed? I bent a ali framed sports bike, realy bad, so bad that the front wheel was stuck in the exhaust headers and the forks were still striaght!, anyway, I saw the bike some time later after insurance had sold off the wreck and the guy had had it straightened. Ok, with that kinda damage, I would not have repaired it but from your pics, yours does not seem that bad at all.

There is another (or at least should be) GS fork conversion happening out there and we have heard nowt......come on Upsurper, show us your baby with an 08 WR front end!!

[JAmBer]

...I have not had much success with using Q bond to repair plastics, amd I doing this wrong???

Qbond works wonders for me. What exactly were your problems? If it starts getting too pricey to use Qbond and you don't need the strength, use bicarb-of-soda along with ordinary super glue. The problem is just that normal super glue is usually quite viscous and doesn't absorb nicely into the bicarb like Qbond does, so you have to do it in thin layers.

Now that frame, what is wrong with it exactly and cant that be fixed?

Basically, the steering stem bent back, kinking the lower member and bending the main alu boxes (see picture below showing the bent bits marked with Xs). Davies in PE does straightening and my dad went to chat with him on my behalf. Davies reckons rather get a new frame 

I'd be less concerned about straightening a road bike's frame, but I have visions of landing after a nice big dropoff and my front end crumpling under the bike. If you know of someone who is knowledgeable about these things, I'd be keen for a second/third/fourth/fifth opinion!

[the_BOBNOB]

awesome thread 

keep it coming i'm very interested in the rebuild and the shock conversion looks awesome.

do you want to refit the abs? or would it not be easier to fit the brakes and wheel from a ktm with the axle that goes with the forks ?

would it not be a great time to build your own fairing - ditch the bmw plastics and build a rally type fairing 

good luck you have lots of work to do 

[Rufus115]

mm, that frame is pretty poked...but let me scratch around and see if I can get u another opinion. I am like a politician, if the first servey/report doent paint the picture I want, I will keep asking others for them untill I get one that supports my point of view

[Rufus115]

ok first hit:
DOT ENGINEERING

MOTORCYCLE FRAME STRAIGHTENING

All makes - All models

Phone Arthur, Dot  or  Clive: 011 493 5556  or  082 292 4460.

28 Long street, Booysens, Johannesburg

There is a guy in Kempton Park Gauteng, but I am farked if I can remember the name, I went there once to enquire about getting my 640's frame sorted (turned out it didnt need it)

[JAmBer]

ok first hit:
DOT ENGINEERING
MOTORCYCLE FRAME STRAIGHTENING

I just spoke to Arthur. I would need to ship the bike with complete running gear and engine up to JHB. They don't have jigs for the F650, but rather bend the frame until the wheels are straight and the engine mountings align with the holes. Not really my idea of precision engineering... but maybe I'm just too fussy.

They charge ~R2k to straighten a frame, plus it'd cost another R2k to ship 150kgs up and down to JHB... then I'm halfway towards a new secondhand frame (I found one for R7500).

Maybe I should dig around in CPT a bit more to see if I can find someone here who can do straightening.

[GRIM]

Why use Q-bond at all... I've found it to be messy stuff that sometimes doesn't stick, and cracks aswell. rather play around with the various plastc welding techniques - you can match the plastic, and the join is much stronger, more durable, and neater.

[JAmBer]

...rather play around with the various plastc welding techniques...

How exactly does this work? presumably there's heat involved and some sort of raw plastic that you melt into the two parts you want to join?

I've only used Qbond on the rear side of the fairings, so the outside still looks semi-presentable. I can appreciate that it'd look pretty shite otherwise. Does this not hold together?

[BiG DoM]

Cool to see how this is progressing ... before they brought out the X-Challenge I often though of getting a totalled F650GS and stripping down to bare essentials as a plasticky bike ... now I would like to get a tatty X-Challenge as a project bike...

[JAmBer]

do you want to refit the abs? or would it not be easier to fit the brakes and wheel from a ktm with the axle that goes with the forks ?

Yes, I definitely want to keep the ABS... I think it played a large role in saving my life in the accident!

would it not be a great time to build your own fairing - ditch the bmw plastics and build a rally type fairing 

I had actually considered doing this. But then it turned out repairing the existing fairings was much easier.