Picked up a Heidenau K44 from Lowbrow to replace the Metzeler Lasertec on the R90. Ever since I rebuilt the front end of the bike + got the new bearings/shims the Metz was totally out of balance at high speed (80-100mph). As it was nearing the end of its life anyway, I figured I'd just change it out instead of getting it rebalanced and then having to replace it again months down the line (and I'm going to use it on my R60 rolling chassis so it's not totally going to waste). Never ordered anything from Lowbrow before, but their price was right on the K44 and the shipping was free, so I figured why not. As I was taking the empty box out to the garage I noticed some stuff in the packing slip, and it wound up being a comb, coaster, and sticker. Nice touch, now Lowbrow Customs earned a sticker spot on my coveted tool box.
The K44 definitely looks vintage. The tread pattern is completely different that the K36 I have on the rear of the bike, but then again the Lasertecs were completely different patterns too. I'm really into this tire, excellent grip, great tracking, and hopefully just as durable as the other Heidenaus I'm using on the Aermacchi.
Also came to the conclusion that I won't be putting Earles forks on the R60 project. Yes, I know now the bike is going to become a "bitsa," but telescopic forks will allow me to use more stuff off my shelves, and since the bike isn't ever going to be a hack, the Earles forks would be overkill anyway.
These /5 ones will need modification, and I'll need to get the special adaptors to convert the ball bearing races in the steering head to tapered bearing races (31 42 2 000 001) and the corresponding bearings (/5+ ones won't work). These will also need a total rebuild as I found some water in the fork oil after buying them. So yes, it's a bitsa, but now I'll be able to use the /5 alloys and 19" wheels, the left over steering stuff from my R90 before I put on clip-ons, and once I figure out what I'm going to do with the rear, I'll finally have a rolling chassis. A pretty empty crankcase, but a rolling chassis.
Now oil. The most debated topic on the BMWMOA. A guy posted this video about new Porsche 20w50 designed for the older cars, 356s, early 911s, etc. I still think any SG rated motorcycle 20w50 is adequate for old VWs/Porsches AND the motorcycles it's engineered for, but this is kinda neat. I'd be curious to see if someone buys a liter and sends it off to Blackstone labs for analysis. Nowhere on the internet can I find if it's SG/SH rated or not and that kinda scares me off from even trying it out on my bike, but we'll see.
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