New Member - Older Bike - So may Questions!

[Ed Kolber]

I live in Dubai and recently bought a 2005 Bike with only 5,000k on the clock. Neat! There is a darkened brownish (stained) area around the sump. Also the exhaust pipes coming out of the cylinders aren't chromed but a matt/silk finish and gray in colour. Is this anything to do with the heat out here? Could it be that the spec didn't call for chrome in the first place? I note that the fuel tank has to be removed to change or charge the battery and so presume the tank needs to be emptied. If botched during this procedure could spilled fuel on the bike parts mentioned cause this staining in this way? Can it be cleaned?

The bike is brill. Runs like a treat. Happy happy happy. Want it to look great too though.

Thanks,

Ed

[slowtorque]

Some pictures would be helpful to understand what you are concerned about. If you want to email them to me I will post them in case you don't want to fool with learning the posting process yourself. Fuel tank has quick disconnect fittings and will not allow contents of tank to drain when released (unless you break one of the stock plastic connectors which is common: replace with metal ones).

[bookman]

Hi ED, on my 1100r the battery can be charged via the accessory socket. have a search for chargers & with bmw plug and life becomes much simpler.

[Sunbeemer]

Welcome Ed, you have come to the right place for answers...there's a lot of wisdom and experience collected on this forum.

I'll try to help as well as I can...

There is a darkened brownish (stained) area around the sump.

If this is a stain that runs down the right-hand side of the engine case, it sounds like gasoline has leaked from either the in-line fuel quick-connects or the fuel lines themselves. As mentioned previously, this is unfortunately common with the plastic connectors, which should be removed and replaced with metal ones or tubes.

exhaust pipes coming out of the cylinders aren't chromed but a matt/silk finish and gray in colour. Is this anything to do with the heat out here? Could it be that the spec didn't call for chrome in the first place?

Correct! These pipes are made from stainless steel and are single-walled so they tarnish. They can be cleaned but will soon turn dull again. Actually, there is no chrome other than the forks sliders on the bike and this reduces the environmental impact of maufacturing it.

Yes, the tank has to come off to service the battery and it's easier to service the air filter too. I have not been able to do that without removing the tank, although I've heard it is possible. I siphon the gas out of the tank prior to removing it to make it easier to handle.

[omg1010]

Hi Ed,

a brownish stain on the engine block indicates a fuel spill on a warm engine. Such stains are unfortunately resistant to removal using whatever known cleaner. The only way is to use paint ...

The mufflers, as already said, are single-wall stainless steel hence what you see is normal. There are only 3 ways to get these look nice again:

a) use a polish-kit for your drilling machine (discs made of cloth and application of polish-wax)
b) use acid commonly used in the welding industry
c) handpolish using nevrdull or other stuff (will take you a decade)

Good luck in Dubai (I will be in Muscat in 2 weeks time for some vacation).

Brgds
Oliver

[gregor]

My exhaust pipes (headers in USA parlance?) were a little bit rusty around the welds this year. Just used a hand powered wire brush to clean them up.

The pipes are not chromed and are made from 'stain less' steel. I'm not fussy about a shine- just do not want to see any rust.

The silencer (muffler?) is surely double walled- as mine is as shiny as new (2002 model)- well maybe some tar spots around the mounting bracket.


I have replaced the air cleaner several times by lifting the tank up at the rear (see the owners handbook). It's awkward getting the top cover back on as the tabs do not want to re-engage in the slots.