R1100RSL Fix

[Argus 21]

Hello to all. I am new to BMW's and can't believe it took me this long to discover these great bikes. I am the third owner of a 96 R1100RSL and it has 17K on it. I just put some of the new Metzlers on it and they are worth the money. Stick like glue and then some!
If any of you have an RSL and it has blistered the paint on the lower fairing near the exhaust header, I have an easy fix that I did today:
1.Loosen the fairings and remove the small vertical pieces that have the blistering.
2.Using and exacto knife trim the blistered paint away. Take it down to the black plastic material of the fairing. Trim it out to match the flow of the silver paint insert on the fairing behind the cylinders. It's like making a strip horizontally across the piece.
3. Sand the area you have trimmed to a smooth finish.
4. Mask off the trimmed and sanded area with masking tape.
5. Using automotive header or engine paint that matches the silver insert behind the cylinder and on the lower fairing, apply 3-4 coats per can directions. I used Duplicolor DE1615 Aluminum.
6. Remove tape and reinstall after drying.
It looks factory and I feel sure it won't blister like the factory paint did from heat exposure. Sure beats the blistered paint look.
I will post another fix for noisy cam chains later.
Cheers to all.

[arsprod]

Hello to all. I am new to BMW's and can't believe it took me this long to discover these great bikes. I am the third owner of a 96 R1100RSL and it has 17K on it. I just put some of the new Metzlers on it and they are worth the money. Stick like glue and then some!
If any of you have an RSL and it has blistered the paint on the lower fairing near the exhaust header, I have an easy fix that I did today:
1.Loosen the fairings and remove the small vertical pieces that have the blistering.
2.Using and exacto knife trim the blistered paint away. Take it down to the black plastic material of the fairing. Trim it out to match the flow of the silver paint insert on the fairing behind the cylinders. It's like making a strip horizontally across the piece.
3. Sand the area you have trimmed to a smooth finish.
4. Mask off the trimmed and sanded area with masking tape.
5. Using automotive header or engine paint that matches the silver insert behind the cylinder and on the lower fairing, apply 3-4 coats per can directions. I used Duplicolor DE1615 Aluminum.
6. Remove tape and reinstall after drying.
It looks factory and I feel sure it won't blister like the factory paint did from heat exposure. Sure beats the blistered paint look.
I will post another fix for noisy cam chains later.
Cheers to all.

Great idea Argus... wish I'd done it before this happened
29847

[ANDYVH]

Makes me wonder why exactly the paint blistered. I'm guessing excessive heat from the headers when the bike is stationary. Aside from idling in traffic, or stuck somewhere waiting for traffic to move while the bike is idling. In motion these bikes get plenty enough airflow to avoid excessive header heat. If a home tech is balancing the throttle bodies two box fans at minimum should be used for airflow.

I wonder if the blistering may be caused by riders who think the bike has to "warm up" for extended mintues before the bike is ridden. I have been riding my 94 RS since Oct 94 and I never wait for the bike to warm up in any weather I ride in here in Wisconsin (any time of the year including Dec and Jan). When I roll the bike out of the garage I don't even start it until I am sitting on the bike with all my gear on, ready to ride. Full choke, start the bike, as soon as the oil light is out I am riding, which is usually within 30 seconds of starting the bike. Been doing this for over 162,00 miles of riding with no engine issues as all. I mention this as a precautionary measure to avoid a future "meltdown".

[JimMoore]

Argus,

Read what AndyVH said very carefully. Do not start the bike and let it sit. Several people have destroyed bikes doing that. One guy burned down his garage. Start it and ride away. Take it easy for a few minutes, then let 'er rip.

[Bobmws]

Argus,

Read what AndyVH said very carefully. Do not start the bike and let it sit. Several people have destroyed bikes doing that. One guy burned down his garage. Start it and ride away. Take it easy for a few minutes, then let 'er rip.

Which I believe is why the lowers were no longer offered..................

[MCMXCIVRS]

Which I believe is why the lowers were no longer offered..................

But only in the US. The rest of the world kept getting both options. I guess nobody outside the US ever sued BMW for their bike melting.

The high heat paint may help a bit, but the real issue is that the part is just plastic and will melt and blister with enough heat no matter what paint is on the surface. The key is as Andy noted, don't idle the bike to warm it up, avoid prolonged idling in traffic too. As long as air is moving over the headers, the heat is carried away sufficiently to avoid paint damage.

Good job on your repair and enjoy your bike.

[arsprod]

I guess I should explain my debacle, which actually was not caused by extended idling. It's correct that the lowers option was only available for a couple years in the US (94 and 95) and by 95 (my bike) they came with a sticker right on the dash that says extended idling will cause a fire.

My melting (and by the way, the other side got it too just not as bad) was caused by a piece of soaker hose wrapped in duct tape that I ran over in my driveway. Apparently, I ran over the end, the tape stuck to the tire and was pulled up resting ever so unluckily on the right side exhaust where it began to melt. When I started the bike the week after the melting continued, eventually making the exhaust so hot it melted the bodywork AND heated the left side to the point where it melted AND caused engine overheating ala burnt oil and discolored heads.

The right side connector is toast... literally http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6059/6276870432_fbae30be31_m.jpg
I have a new one on the way.

The left side is salvagable and I'm taking Argus' advice and painting them both with high heat paint.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6227/6276871210_d587b33062_m.jpg

By the way, this all happend because my wife is a landscaper and always leaving stuff laying around our house. I haven't told her. The moral of the story - stay single.

Aaron

[Picinisco]

Just as an additional step you might want to repair any imperfections on the piece before painting with a high temp epoxy filler. I used this on my RSL. I believe it was good to 300F. Since mine was all black, I used barbeque paint. Worked well but I was attentive to the overheating issue afterwards.