MKL's 1973 R75/5 LWB Toaster
A Work In Progress - The R75/5 on 8-6-03
Removal of Headlight Shell, Instrument Cluster, Handlebars and Controls, and Rear Wheel: I started off innocently enough, taking the headlight shell apart per the Clymer manual. My goal was to get the instrument cluster out so I could ship it off for a rebuild. Having only seen the inside of my Sportster's shell (with wires only for its H4 bulb,) I was in for quite a shock. Here's what I found inside the R's shell--
German Spaghetti! My First Look Inside The R's Headlight Shell 8-6-03
Horror movie buffs may remember the ear-piercing scream Jamie Lee Curtis became famous for in "Halloween." That was NOTHING compared to my own scream when I saw this mess. You see, I fear three things in life: Heights, math, and electrical wiring. This son of an electrical engineer can barely remember Ohm's Law, and there is just no way I'm going to make heads or tales out of this. Things went from bad to worse as I removed the speedo / tach cluster, and several of the attached wires and lights pulled out accidentally before I could mark where they went. There is simply no way I'm going to be able to solve this mess myself, given my electrical abilities....
The bottom of the shell is rusty and needs reconditioning. Once done removing the speedometer / tach, I proceeded to loosen the shell, and removed the handlebars and related controls. I could not figure out how to remove the speedo cable from the engine side (no mention I could find in Clymer,) and I left the tach cable connected to the engine too. The handlebars are almost ape-hangers, and are definite throw-aways. The controls are original and very old looking. I need to figure out how to recondition them. All wiring from the controls to the headlight shell is still intact. The clamps which hold the handlebars are beautiful! I can't wait to polish them up!
The rear wheel was next. I put my stand under the oil pan with a piece of wood for support, per the Clymer. Everything went smoothly until it was time to actually pull the wheel from between the left of the swingarm and the final drive / brake unit on the right. The Dunlop tire has a big lip around the outside and just wouldn't slide through, even after I deflated it. I got frustrated, tied the bike's frame to the stand, and began furiously pulling on the tire while raising the swingarm up, and eventually got it out. Sometimes brute force is the answer, I guess. I was happy to see that the brake assembly and drive splines look very clean. Here are some pics:
The Rear Drive, Drum Brake, and Wheel Hub 8-6-03
The axle is slightly pitted, and I will polish that out before reassembly. I have the wheel into work today, so I can take it to the local dealer for inspection. It needs to be re-spoked and polished, of course, but I need professional advice as to the splines and condition.
Other minor things: I polished the footpeg brackets with a wire wheel, so they're nice and clean again. Today, I'm going to do the same for the rear brake lever assembly, which is filthy. We're down to the motor and the front end! I'm going to do my best to keep the whole wiring harness intact and well marked.
