From: asphaug@lpl.arizona.edu (Erik Asphaug x2773)
Subject: Two Beemer Questions (R80GS)
Organization: Lunar & Planetary Laboratory, Tucson AZ.
Lines: 44

Hello Folks,

I'm very happy with my "new" R80GS.  My range is 238 miles on 4.8 gallons...
that's 50 mpg!!  Surprisingly, the bike is a real cruiser.  I was expecting
something rough.   She's a sweet backroad honey.  And I can go pretty much
anyplace I'd take my mountain bike.  As far as shaft effect, it's more a 
torque effect from the crankshaft in my opinion.  Rev it sitting still
(when the driveshaft is not moving) and the bike twists a bit.  Maybe
I don't ride her fast enough to get a shaft effect, but in my opinion
a little buffeting by wind is of far greater consequence.  Okay, here are 
my questions:

1) Any recommendations for a home-made fairing?  I'd like to keep the
wind off my chest, and perhaps my helmet, for comfort at highway speeds
(70 mph), yet don't want to (a) screw up the stability or (b) block my
vision too much for trail riding.  Anybody have luck with two-piece 
detachible fairings?  I'd like to make it myself out of plexiglas.

2) I run two lights, the standard headlamp plus a sidelamp mounted on the
crash bar.  The illumination's excellent that way, with a full beam coming
out from the level of the motor (left side); the lamp beam is linear so
that you get a bright streak of illumination from left to right, and it 
really picks up the periphery (deer lurking, etc.)  Combined with the 
headlamp on high you can see like day.  But I've heard that BMW alternators
don't crank out too much.  Do I need to shut down the sidelamp when I'm
puttering around in the dirt at low RPM?  

3) This is embarassing: I'm having trouble starting the bike first thing
in the morning.  I invariably flood the carbs, then go in and read a section
of the paper, and then she starts right up.  Is this a Zen thing? 

4) The Hayne's manual says do not under any circumstances use gasoline
with alcohol additives... Yeah, right.  What do you folks due to keep
the engine and carbs from being eaten by ethanol and methanol?  Any 
particular brands of gas that are best?  Additives?

Thanks,

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|     DoD# 88888           asphaug@hindmost.lpl.arizona.edu      |
| '90 Kawi 550 Zephyr               (Erik Asphaug)               |
|  '86 BMW R80GS                                                 |
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