1983 BMW R80ST Install-Align Front Forks & Toaster Tan Top Brace

This summarizes how install and align the front forks and how I install a Toaster Tan top brace. You can read all the details about how I do this work here: brook.reams.me...

[@Zmayski-z-Brega]

Brook, I am amazed not only by your expertise and systematic work but also by your speech. Your ability to smoothly enunciate a complex meaningful sentence is amazing! People often get confused in the middle of a sentence even when they know what they want to say, and you navigate us through your thoughts like a professional guide. I'm curious; What did you do in your life; What kind of work leads to such eloquence?

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

Thank you Kreso for the kind words. 😀 I was educated as a mechanical engineer. But my career included drilling oil wells, cryogenics, solar energy, software development, networking, systems integration, consulting, sales, finance, marketing, corporate strategy and teaching sales engineers about new products. So I learned how to translate ideas between sales, marketing finance and engineering. Doing that not only requires different vocabularies but calm, slow paced dialog. I guess that skill is still with me. 😀

[@Zmayski-z-Brega]

The force is strong with this one! 🙃 And I thought that I had been involved in many professions in my life... Thank you for the deeper perspective on the way of doing things and talking about them!

[@assessor1276]

Very nice work Brook and so clearly explained.

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

Thank you Assessor 12. :-)

[@WildlifeMoto]

Well I’m about to have a go at this. Shame the cycle works tool is no longer available. Thanks for making such a clear video.

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

You're welcome Wildlife Moto. You can use an 8 inch Vernier caliper to check how parallel they are in the X-axis as I show here. It takes a bit of practice to do it towards the bottom of the fork tubes so you don't deflect them, but it's doable. brook.reams.me/bmw-motorcycle-rebuilds/1973-bmw-r755-rebuild-project/31-bmw-r755-install-and-align-front-forks/

[@WildlifeMoto]

@@BrooksAirheadGarage Thank you so much for the tip. I have to say your videos and your website are becoming my go to reference material for my build. Thank you so much for putting this material together, I can only imagine the time you have invested.

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

@@WildlifeMoto Thank you. It typically takes me 3 to 5 times as long to document my work than to do it. But, as a retired old guy, I have time on my hands. 🙂

[@andymueller82]

Great information here! Thanks for making these great videos, Brook!

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

You're welcome Andy.

[@tommerson5121]

Brook - your videos are always so absolutely well done. Thank you. When/where is the auction for this beauty?

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

Tom, thank you for the kind words. I'll let everyone know when and where the auction is after I finish the project and put about 1,000 miles on the bike to be sure everything is correct. It will be sometime next year, which is the 40th anniversary of this model, and January 3, 2023 is the 40th birthday of this bike too. 🙂

[@dugdug007]

Im wondering how a torque value that gauges the stretch of a bolt changes with anti seize - the bolt size is the same and its ability hasn't changed or its required tension - can someone explain?

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

Anti-seize acts as a lubricant so it reduces friction between the threads of the bolt and hole. As you torque a bolt it increases shear stress in the threads. If the threads are lubricated, the same torque increases the shear stress as there is less friction so more stress is applied to the threads. This is why torque is lowered 15-30% when using anti-seize so you don't shear the threads.