Stainless steel & muriatic acid

Original axle is mild steel, not stainless. Some were chrome plated depending on the year. Dress the gouges out of the end with the cap with the holes in it, paint that end and grease the shaft and threads to prevent more rust. Don't forget a new cotter pin! Make sure the axle seal is OK or you'll be wearing a lot of oil on your jacket.

Big thing to watch out on the older Beemers is the two bolts that join the frame halves under the seat. If they get loose or break you are riding one flexi-flyer and it ain't pretty until you get it back under

I replaced mine with stainless Grade 8 bolts and deburred the holes to make sure it was all in good shape. It was a fun but a bit too slow of a ride here in the land of 75mph speed limits and 90 mph reality.

Bart D. Hull snipped-for-privacy@inficad.com Tempe, Arizona

I had a 1972 R60/5 @ a whopping 30 HP (Dynojet dyno and yes we were bored.) No it wasn't stock. Sold it and bought a 110hp 1995 Triumph Speed Triple. Yee Haw! Now I can pass most traffic!

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Ivan Vegvary wrote:

The concern would be hydrogen embrittlement. If you're worried about it, put the part in the oven at 400F for 2-3 hours, that will drive off the hydrogen.

GWE

Yes Grant, I am worried. Thanks for the advice. Will do as you say.

Ivan Vegvary

I use chemicals or electrolysis to remove rust from some antique vehicle parts, but anything that could kill you like suspension parts gets bead blasted or Scotchbrited. Get another axle. It's cheap compared to road rash.

By the way, if it had been stainless, hydrochloric would be a no-no. Most stainless steels are very susceptible to chloride stress cracking. Low carbon grades like 316L are less so, but still not suitable for high concentrations of chlorides. This is such an issue that stainless equipment for capital jobs on the Gulf Coast must be painted before delivery if stored outside, or stored in a warehouse until needed. This is just do to the small amount of entrained salt in the air from the ocean.

Duplex stainless steels like Alloy 20 work well in chloride service, but are very expensive.

Pete Keillor

I did exactly the same with my R90/6. Had a local guy go down when his original bolts busted and he was too inexperinced a rider and paniced.

Gunner

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A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.