Craig and Kim Thompson on
their well travelled R100GS-PD
bikes are but within the context of a clonky
old air-cooled bum-basic twin-cylinder fourstroke
you’re looking for smooth operation
in most aspects.
You’re looking for a bike that will be running
nicely, not creating odd vibrations or noises. The
gearbox, while far from slick, should engage
gears cleanly and there should be no untoward
noises. The driveshaft as well shouldn’t be noisy
or sending out unwanted vibrations. The
gearbox and driveshafts are about the most
serious aspects you need to check, the motors
are typically pretty robust.
The Paralever, for all its smooth running and
improved handling, doesn’t quite have the
longevity that the former Monolever system
had. Where the driveshaft formerly ran in oil,
the Paralever, given the UJs (universal joints)
and rubber gaiters, runs dry. As in bone. Which
gives them a typical life of 80,000km. So do
check the shaft drive as best you can. Any oil in
the rubber gaiter means the output shaft seal
is leaking, which is a swingarm out job to fix.
The electrics are generally good, but being so
old now will probably still appreciate some TLC
and this will help prevent breakages, most
commonly it’s the alternator which will pack up.
Another thing to look out for is the motor sitting
at a high tickover when hot, which is often the
‘bean can’ timing advance/retard unit sticking.
They can be serviced by those in the know, but
it’s ‘technically’ not serviceable, so a new digital
replacement will remedy the issue.
64 KIWI RIDER