The last BMW bike I rode was a relative's BMW R 100. It had a weird paint job related to some Paris-Drakar race? In like the mid-1990s. Up and down the highway 101 around Brookings, OR.

Quite an exhilarating change from the 1979 Volvo 242 GT, M46, moon roof (and SRO GT?) I had then.

I'd hoped to own a vintage BMW air-cooled boxer-engine bike. I read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert Pirsig several times. I'd hope to tour the mountainous Montana roads like that.

Yep, prior owners that over-torque spark plugs in the light aluminum alloy of the four cylinder overhead cam engine. Like Art B., I won't torque them to spec, yet use the nickel anti seize. Yet such huge bother to deal with repairing the threads with some manner of insert from the helicoil to the time sert and so forth. Or, then you have to repair the repair, and can only do so half way.

I do keep an eye-bulb on them. So long as the plug does not leak compression, it's okay. Maybe some ooze comes through the thread a bit.

From a prior owner, or a then current owner of an overhead valve redblock B30 in a neglected 164, the spark plugs were way overtorqued. With some PB Blaster or Kroil, I was able to get five out, yet one broke off. An easy-out like thing got it out. At least the cast iron alloy head spark plug thread checked out.

Still uses the nickel anti-sieze.

Would like a BMW air-cooled bike, yet don't have such nerve, confidence, or hubris anymore.
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