Grease 2

The other grease that comes recommended by many people is Honda Moly 60 Paste. I have bought it from Rubber Chicken Racing Garage, but you can probably get it elsewhere, as well. You could use this grease in place of a normal Moly and just use this and your NLG1-2 grease for everything. But, it is slightly thicker than a normal Moly grease.

I use it (by itself) primarily for clutch spline lubes. Mixing it 30% Moly 60 with 70% NLG1-2 also is recommended for the rear wheel splines.

Grease 1

For a rather lengthy rundown of all the chemicals, waxes, oils, greases, sealants, etc. that you could ever possibly use on your motorcycle, read Snowbum's article. Focusing just on greases at the moment...you really only need 2 or 3 types. The first is an NLG1-2 grease, a high pressure lithium grease. One brand of this red grease is Chevron NLG2 EP Ultra Duty. I personally bought my local CarQuest brand Extreme Pressure Premium Grease, which states on the back that it is an NLG1-2 grease. This grease is used alone primarily on bearings (steering column, wheel bearings, swing arm bearings). It is also recommended for the clutch throwout bearing parts.

I also use a regular Moly grease for most other applications that do not call for a high pressure grease.

Hardware Kit

Early on in the process, I knew that I had to get a basic stainless steel hardware kit for the restoration. These kits usually consist of all new stainless steel screws, washers and connectors for any visible components of your bike. It'll really make a difference when you're looking at the details of your finished restoration.

I bought my basic hardware kit (432 pieces!) from Hucky's, though similar kits are available from other online vendors. Everything was well marked and in individual sealed bags for convenience.

About This Blog

I have to confess that I'm creating this blog already well into my restoration. During this process, I have been indebted to the many individuals, websites, mailing lists and other blogs already out there. There are a lot of people who know much more about these motorcycles than I ever will, and there are some great resources to tap into.

The goal of this blog is to provide a very structured source of information to anyone else going through the process of restoring one of these classic BMW motorcycles. I will do the best I can to provide useful tidbits and photos as I go, and make references and direct links to products, parts, services or other resources that have helped me along the way. At the same time, I will probably exclude a lot of information that I deem common sense or just plain unnecessary.

Feel free to comment on anything you read here based on your own experience. And, by all means, let me know if I've set the wrong torque on a crucial nut and have destined myself to certain death.

Restoring a 1973 BMW R75/5 Toaster

In April of 2008 I bought my first BMW airhead bike, a 1973 R75/5 short wheel base toaster. I decided to do a full restoration of the motorcycle, hopefully not having to do too much with the engine. With the odometer at about 59,000 miles, it ran a little rough, but alright. My goal was to disassemble, refinish, replace or repair, put it back together and go from there...

Here it is in the garage, with the seat and carbs already removed. As you can see, a previous owner had done a fine hack job on the headlamp bucket, probably to install a fairing. The headlamp and front turn signals were missing.

On that note, let the restoration begin...