[Ep 03] 1986 BMW K100 Cafe Racer Project - Extreme Cleaning

For episode 3, I slather myself in brake cleaner and get to work. I'm doing a big clean of the running gear so I know what i'm looking at and can actually work on this thing without my hands turning black...well more black. This will also contribute to painting it later.
And I was planning to take the cylinder head off...but maybe that's not needed...
__
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[@Theillestrator1050]

For the record, yes I am replacing the clutch later on in the build but it's not important right now. Thanks for the input. Shock linkage: cafe4racer.eu/en/rear-suspention-for-bmw-k1-k100-k75-k100/1773-bmw-k75-100-1100-1-suspension-platform-retrorides-cnc.html

[@AnthonyP2A]

I was gonna suggest, since you already had the clutch apart, just go for the gold and replace it. You're doing a FANTASTIC job bro!!!

[@syedhassaanmujtababokhari6199]

Use honey extension on chrome to buy stuff it'll save you a solid penny

[@unclejoeoakland]

its never gonna be easier to replace it...

[@Theillestrator1050]

@Anthony P I'd rather buy much more interesting parts for the sake of the video series. I have no problem taking it apart again

[@Theillestrator1050]

@Syed Yeah I use honey already too. It helps sometimes

[@HunMadav]

That bike got more love in 3 days than in 30 years :D

[@Theillestrator1050]

I wonder how much the value went up just from losing all that grime 😂

[@thefirstbushman]

@@googlecontrolled That is a fucking uneducated statement

[@HeyCoolStoryBabe]

Just wanna say I’m a huge fan man. The wait between videos is killer but your content and personality bring it all together. Watching these videos makes me feel like I could do it too and that failure shouldn’t be looked at as a negative but as an opportunity to learn and grow. Thank you man. Stay positive.

[@Theillestrator1050]

Thanks for the support, I'm trying to get better with the upload times lol. Absolutely, Pass or fail, there is still a takeaway from any experience. Glad I could bring positive vibes your way!

[@liamcameron5268]

hell ye

[@dachlatte]

Who knew I would watch 10 minutes of someone cleaning a block with a toothbrush?! Awesome video man! I'm really enjoying your content!

[@Theillestrator1050]

Lmao, thats the magic of editing innit!

[@syedhassaanmujtababokhari6199]

I am still surprised that this channel isn't hitting a million subs

[@ItsBeenDanBefore]

Genuinely my favourite build series on KZbin, closely followed by Jake The Garden Snake's MT07 series. I have absolutely fallen in love with the bike and your cinematic and gorgeous method of telling the story of the build, pretty much WHILST it's happening. You have definitely become my inspiration for me and how I produce content, both on KZbin and Instagram. Please, please, please don't stop with your videos, they genuinely bring me a smile when I'm having a really bad chronic depression/anxiety episode. Much love (no homo, though) for you and the channel from across the pond, and I'll definitely be picking up a sticker at some point soon

[@Theillestrator1050]

Wow I blush! That's Some high honors... Lets make a deal, I'll keep making the content if you keep watching! Thanks for the support and thanks for considering the sticker, it definitely helps out

[@csboi]

The polka socks aged well, my guy. Making my way through the series and will undoubtedly watch every single episode muuuuultiple times as I make my way through my build. Thanks again for the top tier content!

[@johnnypuetz]

Thumbs up for the socks! Wrenching with style!

[@Theillestrator1050]

Lol

[@johnclark1925]

Wow you did a great job with very little space or equipment. You show how with will and determination anything can be done. Inspired me. 😎🤘

[@sjreidkiwi]

I know I’m late to the party... but this series is super enjoyable to watch. Love how thorough your step by step build is. Plus, your narration cracks me up... you have such a great sense of humor 👌

[@coreymeisenheimer1724]

Man, I've been sitting on an 85 K100 that I've been too intimidated to begin restoring. This video has me hyped to get it done.

[@56cote]

Brings back to many memories of to many bikes I have dragged home! I had a K75S, great bikes.

[@caliaquatics3076]

You need to become a director or something man, I honestly know you have a gift for this. Your story telling is amazing!!! I will support you all the way till you get your millions of subs that you deserve!!!

[@vazfx16]

Been looking through the videos on this build, this build is awesome. The design, creativity and thought are great!!!!

[@scottevens6274]

Great job on the cleaning / paint prep. Some late advice tho, ez-off oven cleaner works great for this type of work. Sprayed a few cans on a truck engine and bay that had been sitting for six years, grease, gunk, dirt, etc. Let it sit overnight, next morning it was very much improved. Even took the paint off the air cleaner and valve covers! The lemon scent was a bonus! Can't wait to see the end result of your vision for this bike... good luck!

[@Theillestrator1050]

Thanks, i'll keep this in mind when I go to paint it

[@zacharywilliams1122]

Man you are super thorough. I love your build series!! Just stumbled across it, but I am going to use this as a guide to build my own! SO SICK!

[@williamwintemberg]

What a difference a cleaning makes! This is going to be a Great Series!

[@seomil8622]

Thank god for KZbin recommended... just stalked your channel, it's dope bro!

[@Theillestrator1050]

Thanks for checking me out!

[@elarr8733]

The content on this channel just keeps getting stronger and stronger. People have complemented your editing before, but along with the narration I think it's what sets you apart. You're probably not the first guy in Brooklyn to take a K-bike apart to walk it through a house, but you're the first natural artist to do it. :)

[@Theillestrator1050]

I am blushing hella hard lmao. thanks

[@ajsmotolife5641]

Oh hey its silver! 🤣 Coming along nicely! I agree on the clutch if it's not slipping, just keep running it.

[@Theillestrator1050]

Lmao, right? Like all that work to just get it to look "normal"

[@ajsmotolife5641]

@@Theillestrator1050 Yes, but hey it's hard to beat a cleaning job you can take pride in, I recently spent the day sanding and buffing my beat up KLX plastics then just spent awhile admiring how good it looked lol

[@ssplintergirl]

fr you gotta build a big nice bench to work on. It is going to make this entire thing so much easier and more organized. Working on the floor is going to make your build tough. I speak from the experience of having to work in my dad’s cluttered garage. One day I had enough and straight up cleaned out like half of his garage and bagged everything and put it in the basement.

[@t-townmini4939]

Love the build so far...that suspension design is wicked. Racer TV had the designers featured in some of their videos. Awesome work. For cleaning all that grease and gunk off of parts use Dawn dish washing liquid, some nylon brushes and a bucket of water to get the bulk of it. Then, use the expensive chemicals for cleaning metal, etc. to decrease prior to painting. Cheaper that way.

[@Theillestrator1050]

For some of the indoor cleaning I was actually using Dawn. Noted.

[@deathwish8339]

Let me just click your patreon to help get this bike built... I can't seem to find the link. You forgot to post your patreon link!

[@Theillestrator1050]

😅 but..... its.... U N E T H I C A L

[@deathwish8339]

@@Theillestrator1050 SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!! Seriously though, you dont have to advertise, but you could put a link if anyone is so willing to throw you a few bones.

[@why4786]

- The illestrator - is there a Patreon? I wanna send some...

[@Grizzlybeard]

The worst thing about a channel with such a good content, is the wait between episodes, but it's worth it, good work, keep sharing...

[@atomicdmt8763]

thank you for your 'service'! well done - inspiring

[@_zzpza]

Love this series. It's motivating me to get my '86 K75C done, but I have a '70 CB350K that's first in line.

[@Theillestrator1050]

Well get started on something!

[@neil2wheels876]

Love the DIY and easy going commentary. Much love from Hampshire, England!

[@Theillestrator1050]

Thanks for watching

[@barrygoodson4952]

Kudos to you because this is no small undertaking . I want to do the same to my Bandit 1200 but I haven't got started yet . I need to clear a place to work on it . I'll be keeping up with your cafe build.

[@Hupfinger]

thanks for the inspiration! i just sold my 500cc chopper and im going to pick up a k100 next week. even though it´s a bit more expensive here in austria (3500€) Cheers brother!

[@DirceuCorsetti]

I was going to add the link for the Retrorides IG rear linkage and then I saw it. Damn, that's gonna be a nice build!! Cheers from Brazil!!

[@why4786]

Can’t wait to see you around the hood on this thing.

[@EvanDrinkwater]

Bro just discovered your channel yesterday. Loving it, love your humour and good content. I’m working my way through the K100 playlist. Looking forward to more in the future. Cheers from Australia mate 🇦🇺

[@reallyoldfart6540]

You are definitely talented in all respects, you even make cleaning sound cool.

[@YourGayUnclePhil]

Great marathon, keep'em coming.

[@pablononpicasso1977]

Have you seen soda blasters for alloy? You use cheap baking soda, you can buy at your supermarket, and a very simple compressed air system. It is so easy and brings up aluminium parts out of gunksville. Great job so far!

[@Fuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

Yeeeeeeee boi! less gooo! I was surprised you went with that monoshock linkage for the build. Ive been looking at the k and the r series bikes tryin to plan out my cafe racer for a long time and I fell in love with that suspension set up since I first saw it. I'm excited to see it come together.

[@AddyAdderson]

Yes. You got your decimal places right. Machinists talk about "6 to 8 thousandths" as normal speech. You're learning alot.

[@Rippers-TV]

I love Brakleen too, but for projects like this you might have better luck with Simple Green (and possibly a pressure washer on areas where it's safe to use).

[@oneness_one]

i laughed out loud at 6:00 love your channel man! you are the definition of determined!

[@TheRealSkeetman]

Heard the music and immediately thought of “Bully” by rockstar 😂 awesome series so far dude, I’m looking to try my hand at a K100 for my first project bike too within the next year or so. This’ll come in stupid handy 💯

[@TeamNoAffiliation]

You're K100 build is moving faster than my ZX7R build... and I've had my bike for 2 years, now. lol.

[@Theillestrator1050]

Shame lmao

[@Thunderous117]

Difference is night and day! I'm going to be doing a gs450 this summer (staying classic and not making it a cafe, just personal preference) and this is making me dread it slightly less! Keep up the awesome work!

[@Theillestrator1050]

The good thing is that it won't be as super complex as this thing when you do it

[@opens11]

Dude you are the only person I can find making recent project build videos!

[@MickPsyphon]

With all the work and sweat equity that you're pouring into that bike, you're never going to want to part with it. I know that I'd be the same way.

[@Theillestrator1050]

Yeah definitely. People were saying things like "you could make a ton of money when you sell it" and i'm just like "sellll??" XD

[@MickPsyphon]

@@Theillestrator1050 One day you'll probably sell it, when you get a fire in your belly to do something else; however, I seriously doubt that will happen anytime soon after you've completed the project. You're going to want to get to know that bike for a while... experience it... 'test' it out.

[@jamesmills9158]

Lookin good dude. I cant wait to see what you come up with. Keep the vids coming. Thx J.

[@rocketrollsvlogs7625]

Now I feel ashamed I haven't changed this tire I plugged or installed this bash plate I bought last fall. I'm motivated now. Can't wait to see this Beamer Transformation.

[@Theillestrator1050]

Get 'er done, gotta start somewhere

[@drew657]

1. I like that you're keeping a tally on the costs. I do that for all my projects, I've got a big Excel spreadsheet and each project has it's own tab. Shit adds up quick! 2. Swap the clutch. You've got it apart and it's good insurance. After you build your bike, you want to take it apart again in 6 months or a year because the clutch is slipping?

[@Theillestrator1050]

Yes it definitely adds ups, Its actually not too hard to get too. Its just that I was cleaning along with the tear down. I'm gonna replace it towards the end of the build because if I replace it now I still wont actually be riding it

[@Halofan4001]

Looks like you're getting some sweet progress. You have lots of great knowledge too. Hope to see more!

[@mruniverse5704]

Well about clutch already said, but I would clean combustion chamber. For sure... Who knows what`s inside? No matter how looks valves, because they are in airtight. Great job bro, great narrative.

[@anderslolle2147]

New clutch! Seriously it’s money well spent! You might even get a better one! I mean if you are planning to add more juice to this thing, get a fresh clutch!

[@stefanostokman]

Mad respect, it was fun and educational watching you teaking the block apart. Keep up the good work!

[@simontucci8170]

Awesome work dude, looking forward to the next instalments! Also, in Australia that many cans of brake cleaner would cost over $200!

[@sr.salmanr.r.6809]

Them gearbox joke really gets me, lol. And props to you wearing white outfit while cleaning the nastyness out of the engine.

[@Theillestrator1050]

I didn't Care enough about the clothes to not use them just because they're white lol

[@ethanpalamountain11]

Just got home from work and having a bit of a play with a work mates and my own bike to a new video. Tis a good day.

[@NicoMoto]

Hi, I just found this video and it's a really good job. I'm working on the same project actually and it's funny to say I did the same crapy cleaning myself yesterday on my K100 :D

[@jafinjohn7367]

I finished cleaning and degreasing the engine for the cbr954RR last week. Just got the frame and the swing arm powder coated. Awesome work bro keep it up. That’s one big engine you got there.

[@Theillestrator1050]

Nice, and yeah it really gives off the vibes of a car engine

[@FernandoMarcheselli]

great k100 video series, illestrator! from all my work on old bikes i’ve learned clean the oily junk off with wd-40, brake cleaner i use after to get it completely striped of oil. also if you have seen search “chris harris k100” on youtube he has lots of great video on working on these bikes. and yeah i would leave the bottom and top end intact unless there is an issue. but do change all your oil seals with oem ones.

[@EnagizahBunneh]

Awesome series man! Easily the best I’ve seen on KZbin! The editing, your personality, and the cinematic charisma combine to make the perfect videos!!

[@JamesManukonga]

When you mention the GSXR750 front end as a replacement it made moist. Bro I can't wait for this, love the K100's, just so clean as builds

[@elvisfnhendrix]

Whoop whoop. Thats the sound of da police! Gotta love that feel good clean. Carb cleaner and engine cleaner work well too but i dont know the price difference.

[@Theillestrator1050]

I be hearing all manner of emergency vehicles back there like shhhhh i'm making a video

[@krassergamerLP]

Even if it's for one time in my life I need to meet you, you seem like the chillest dude ever edit:PS still my favorite bike channel there is

[@Theillestrator1050]

Woooo! 🙌🏾 OG over here

[@AndrettiGA]

Appreciate the decal delivery! You cleaned tf out that block bro.. can’t wait for the finished product And shout out to this spring time weather!!

[@Theillestrator1050]

Thanks for buying one and thanks for watching!

[@barrygoodson4952]

The best way to determine wear on the clutch plates is by measuring. Get the tolerance and measure yours. I will say if I was doing what you are doing I would definitely replace the clutch plates both friction and steel. I feel sure you will notice a difference !

[@SoLSamuraibloodblade]

Looking good. Kerosene and a oil drain pan or a large storage bin to help with cleaning parts, keep it outside and covered when not in use. Brake clean if great but also expensive. Also be careful vacuuming up kerosene or brake cleaner, one spark in the vacuum and you could have a explosion on your hands. Warm water and gentle brushing for your rubber parts, break cleaner can take a pliable rubber part and make it as hard as a rock. When it comes to the clutch there’s going to be two choices leave it alone and if it craps to bed at taking it back down to fix, or just do it while you have a part now do you have that peace of mind. That’s the Reoccurring theme with any project, it’ll either nickel and dime or you for all those parts while you’re in there or you can skip them and hope that you don’t have to come back to them later. But the hardest part of any project is to have the motivation to work on the project and having an idea of what you want it to look like when you’re done.Good luck with the rest your build.

[@Theillestrator1050]

I was definitely thinking about that while vacuuming the brake cleaner but I was like "don't be so negative" 😂 I will change the clutch at a later date during the build since this isn't the last time the bike will be apart then.

[@R0BL0W]

Great update 👌 looks like it's coming along nicely

[@returnofthemilk]

Cleaning grease? Wearing white? Man that’s hardcore!!!! 💪🏻

[@johntheleprechaun178]

This is a gold mine

[@avx7]

Can't wait to see this build. You make it look easy.

[@shredder_mang3211]

Dude your killing it! I see 100k+ in the future

[@Monshies]

Dude i celebrated when the inside of that engine was clean! Awesome work, awesome project! Keep it up man!

[@seth_iwant_toride]

Dude very much enjoying this build! I agree w other commenters in that if you are already there do the clutch. Thanks for sharing and ride safe

[@Theillestrator1050]

I won't do it right now, but I'll do it at another point during the build because this isn't the last time it'll be apart

[@074nathan]

This stuff is so enjoyable to watch. I'm excited to see the end result.

[@Theillestrator1050]

Glad to hear that!

[@andrewsmith-zi7db]

Hi great videos lots of work will get there really interesting to watch great content keep the videos coming

[@Theillestrator1050]

Thank you

[@IxBBxI]

I'm rebuilding my own 87' k100RS right now, you got me inspired bro, keep at it 👌

[@JoakimGulbrandsen]

9:11 - two seconds that made me want to watch the whole series

[@clarkmiller287]

"despite being a millennial I actually somewhat enjoy living" Bruhhhhhhhh 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Theillestrator1050]

You know how it be XD

[@RavenValkyrie]

The Bully Soundtracks really fit into the video! Eeeggghh the good old days of bully.

[@kevinhekers2380]

Great video as always if you have any questions about the painting proces feel free to hit me up i am a spray painter by trade. and a very good call you made wearing a respirator degreasers and paint are definetly not healthy. but those filters mostly last only 40 hours when they are opend so you will have to buy new ones or keep the filters in a air tight compartment i keep mine in a lunch box😉

[@Theillestrator1050]

Noted, thanks for the heads up

[@blu3vilable]

To get that new new shine,try a wire wheel on a die grinder,the whole set up will cost you like 25 dollars maybe even cheaper if you find a harbor freight coupon,also use aircraft paint remover for cleaning metal you leave it on for a bit and makes it easy to scrape

[@juan-pierreleroux8323]

Bruh! Seriously fantastic content, keep it up! What you are doing gives me the courage to strip down my own project bike, I have not done this yet as i need them Dallaz$$...and I don't have a back up bike to ride yet. All the best man, this is golden!

[@Theillestrator1050]

Thank you

[@79ped]

Would change the clutch .. it's easier just to change it now rather than later .. and it's cheap

[@Theillestrator1050]

i'll be replacing it at a later date during the build because I won't even be riding it to do it now and it won't make for interesting video

[@CanzZz]

You should consider buying engine room cleaner. Its meant to lose up all the gunk you face on an old engine. Just spray it, wait 10mins and spray it off with a garden hose. Saves you a lot of time. The Mannol cleaner costs only like 3 bucks on ebay and you pay less the more you buy. Bought 12 cans for 25 bucks. Works pretty good. I have a similar project going on at the moment but i do it the other way around because there is a lot of stuff broken inside my engine. I take everything apart to see what else is broken and clean it afterwards. The top end is broken completely so i just replace it as a whole. Actually i need to replace almost every screw and bolt on that 97' DR125 engine because these are so rusty and made of soft metal that they break when losing. Its a pain in the arse to take this bike apart i can tell you. In addition of that the previous owner was really stupid. He wanted to paint the frame purple so he just took some graffiti spray paint and didnt care about colleteral damage. Some parts of the engine are purple too now but in a really ugly unprofessional way. Other stuff like the header pipe got sprayed really bad with graffiti chrome color.... and rust. Good luck with your build and have fun dude PS: sorry if some of my english is incorrect. Greetings from germany :) Oh and just a tip from my experience: use high quality tools. That will prevent you from stripping bolts and nuts and you get them lose with far less force

[@iddqd221]

Just wanted to point out that the buy-one-get-one-free brake clean was probably non-chlorinated brake clean while the red CRC cans are chlorinated brake clean. Generally, the chlorinated stuff will dissolve better and wont evaporate as quickly as the non-chlorinated stuff. But the non-chlorinated stuff wont produce a deadly gas if exposed to heat. Again, but the non-chlorinated stuff is highly flammable.

[@upsidedowndog1256]

You are doing a very nice job. Change the clutch, use molybdenum disulfate grease on all of the splines, including the input shaft that the clutch rides on. If it was my bike I would be planning a turbo. The eighties BMW F1 cars made 1500hp from a 1.5 liter sourced from their road cars! That is looking nice. That amount of brake cleaner will make your brain go "wowowowow" for days! WD40 is a good cleaner with less harmful effects.

[@Theillestrator1050]

Thanks, I saw the turbo kits they made but my issue is that they are very prominent visually which is to be expected. I'm going for something super minimal looking. Luckily I used the brake cleaner throughout 5 days and not at once... I couldn't help but laugh when I saw it adding up

[@dublardemesrie]

as a mechanic i would advice you to change that clutch because even if it looks in decent shape now what if 6 months from when you start ridding the bike the clutch is goona go then you have to take the whole thing apart just to change it so its better to bite the bullet and just change it now and by the looks of it that clutch is kind of old and bad even if the friction material is ok the rust will get that pressure plate and the bearing will go for sure after sitting for so long and as always great video

[@biscuits336]

Fully agree! I'm no mechanic but I was going to say the same exact thing.

[@Lilphilli0520]

Goddamn. This is like the first rebuild I’ve seen where you actually sound like you know what your doing

[@Theillestrator1050]

Lmao, I have a good idea of what I'm doing. This bike is totally strange though, in mostly a good way!

[@spetersonmusic]

Killer series man. Really enjoying it.

[@likethehotels]

Just found your channel, and I'm loving this build! Giving me a lot of inspiration!

[@timjrvine]

This series is amazing my friend. Much respect to you and your editing and filming skills.

[@burgersquid]

You went full grandpa for this project! I predict in a year you're gonna be riding around in a hi-viz aerostitch jumpsuit, riding 3 states away to get pancakes

[@COOLCABMAN]

Amazing.. Brother.. Enjoyed every bit of ur videos.. Thank u

[@ducatinyc]

Love the series and especially this vid. Makes me want to go outside and detail my bike.

[@Theillestrator1050]

Yo, today would have definitely been the day for it!

[@atheistonavmax7873]

You have WAY more patience than me man!

[@FunWithAJ]

Change the clutch plates. Will be worth it to do it now.

[@Theillestrator1050]

i'll be replacing it at a later date during the build because I won't even be riding it to do it now and it won't make for interesting video

[@tonyk7899]

Love it, great job cleaning it up. Looking good brother.

[@Theillestrator1050]

Thank you

[@Seraptin]

You should replace all of the intake rubbers. They are usually leaky on such old machines and cause air to be sucked into the intake which leans out the bike. It is a quite well known problem on k bikes. Also replace the output shaft oil seal NOW. Otherwise you will have to break down the whole bike again at a later point when it gets leaky. Greetings from a long time k driver back in germany ;)

[@blackbird8632]

Seraptin listen to this man!

[@skandix]

Change the clutch while you still can. Kerosene works just as good as Brake cleaner, half the cost and not as toxic.

[@Theillestrator1050]

i'll be replacing it at a later date during the build because I won't even be riding it to do it now and it won't make for interesting video. And yes, alot of people were recommending Kerosene lol...next time.

[@CoolKillkennyCat]

Hey man, great content as usual. Love seeing the progress and great to hear the enthusiasm you have for even the jobs we would normally give to the apprentice. With regards to the clutch, I didn't get a good look at the meat of it so can't tell how worn it was but there seemed to be a few hot spots on there that may indicate it's time for a change anyway and you're in there all ready so you know would suck if you did all this work and put it together fall in love with it, just to have the clutch go a couple months later.

[@Theillestrator1050]

Thanks for watching. I measured the thickness and it was in spec but Its all glazed and scored, So after some convincing, i'll be replacing it at a later date during the build because I won't even be riding it to do it now

[@CoolKillkennyCat]

Aha all good man my pleasure. And yeah because most bikes have a wet clutch a lot of riders are taught to ride them which is what probably caused that. Anyway good luck with the build and hope the weather's getting better.

[@terryzak1742]

Great job! With everything apart, it would be a good idea to change the rear main seal on the engine and possibly the input and output seals on the transmission. It would be a bitch to get everything back together and have a rear seal leak contaminating your clutch plate. Sometimes the hardest part of these projects is deciding where to draw the line and how far to go or not to go.

[@KapoSBR]

Just watched this high by accident. It was amazing! haha! Keep doing what you do, I'm hooked!