1
Hi Guys, From Norfolk, England Mon Sep 26, 2016 8:40 pm
Skorpi660
active member
A few weeks ago I purchased a K75s with 67k miles on the clock and have covered about 1300miles on her now, Surprisingly very smooth running, much more like a Norton rotary than an inline Triple even the power delivery is quite similar, I had a mate with a Norton Interpol, the early air cooled one back in the early 1980's (Lucky Beggar)and when we went out on runs to rallies and such like we used to swap over bikes a lot in those days so I got to ride it quite a lot. I used to have a 1961 Norton Domi racer & then a Commando and he would like to give them a Damned good thrashing on the twistiez like the ones from Buxton up the Cat'n'Fiddle to Macclesfield down to Leek then back up to Buxton, or Matlock Bath to Bakewell, Buxton, down Winnats Pass, up to Snake Pass to Glossop, then back to Through Buxton to Matlock or if we were heading to the West Country we would always go off to ZIG ZAG hill on the B3081 near Shaftesbury and then on to Cheddar, this was one of our Fav routes....
I were also known for swapping me bikes quite abit and he would often like to try them out.. I had a few triples back then a T160 Trident, Laverda, Yam XS, also had a Le Mans 850, Duke Darmah, GPZ9 and an early VFR for awhile in the '80s too.....
One time at a Norton Owners Club camping weekend at Tetbury, Gloucs I got to ride Trevor Nations old JPS prepped bike, I believe it was set up ready for the season as a spare then never got raced or something because they had totally redesigned the next seasons bikes to comply to the new regs that were forced upon the Norton race team.
The bike was three seasons old by then and was road registered for daylight use only...I had a real blast that day..
However back to the K75....... I'm not new to BMW's having have had an early model K75 back in the '90s an imported 1984 K75 naked Brick with rear drum, It had been extensively used as a Dispatch bike & I really don't remember it running as smooth as this one and it certainly was not as firm in the handling, I seem to remember it being very unbalanced and top heavy, hence I had fallen off the thing all to often and offed it out to a guy that was looking for an engine to put in this fibreglass outfit he were building..
I have also owned a 1972 R50/5 for a while back in the mid '80s and had a R65ls or Something, the R50 had a MZ style about it and were really underpowered, the R65 were Fugly in a mid '80s kind of way, it did have a sporty little nose fairing and seat cowl, handy storage cubby... It was really a very good bike, but like most of my bikes at the time (and still are) had not been well cared for and needed a good deal of money thrown at them to sort them out properly..
I have owned and ridden all sorts of bikes since then, mostly old and knackered hacks. I had quite a lot of storage then, but had to downsize as I moved to a more affordable 2bed terrace with small rear garden which has an exhaust and mirror scrappingly tight red brick lined walkway down to it....
I had to have a thinning out of the stable and came here just with a toolbox and a box containing a XBR400 minus the lump, spent the next four years rebuilding with XL650 engine, a Powerbronze Yam 350LC style fairing and a mahoosive oil cooler fitted to it; I called it a XBR650oiLc, it was great fun but crimpling, I Getting to OLD for 'Clipons'.. I ran a MZ ETz251 whilst building that and swapped them out for a Yam Divi, I were given a ZZR6 in terrible cond, rebuilt it and sold it to a friends girlfriend, then sold the Divi to purchase a MuZ Skorpion Traveller I had spotted in a local Bike Shop, A real novel experience buying from a dealer, it came with a guarantee that meant ought, These Skorpions are awesome bikes to ride and this one had hard cases with a good fairing, but the Yam 660 lump was unreliable, it was expensive to repair and replace due to them being in great demand by competition bike & quad riders. I just could not keep the thing from catastrophic engine failure, the rest of the bike, the German MuZ bits were Superb.... I really miss the Thumper, but needs must I suppose....
I ran a 1983 Suzi GS550MZ Katana around whilst the Muzza kept me busy re-building her over and over again over the next few years I also got to know the recovery guy really quite well and that was embarrassing...
I then swapped them with a bike collector friend who had been after a Skorpion for years for a tidy '98 CBR6, I were really happy with the CBR as it allowed me to reliably get out and about at the push of the starter button for a change, but with no fiddling or fettling to be done, I were soon onto a freebie project to get stuck into, a Honda H100a, then I were offered an untidy VMAX to play with, but it meant selling the CBR to finance it, boo hoo hoo, but needs must, I'd been wanting to get my hands on one of these for nearly 30years and I weren't going to miss the opportunity, spent A couple of weeks cleaning and fettling without much financial outlay and had several trips out on her when earlier this year the gear box jumped out of second gear and jammed up in third gear, I am in the process of building a shed/workshop in the garden to enable the complete strip down of the VMAX as it will be an engine out job to fix the gearbox ,,YUK...
In The meantime I have been running around on a VX250 Virago for the last few months but boy after riding the VMAX it's like being on a bloody Step-Thro'... The little Yam has a seized swinging arm spindle, the bushes are shot and has dubious rear wheel steering. Front Piston or cam chain is slapping & is smoking and running bad, well I didn't expect much as it was given to me and had been used as a winter mule & spare bike for the last few years.. with 48k miles on the clock it ain't done bad...
So not wanting to spend on the Jalopy as it would be better spent on the shed building or VMAX, I were once again left without 2wheels and with the tail end of summer Bike Rallies & Shows commencing I sure did not want to be missing out on going since my VMAX jammed in 3rd gear.. Where could I borrow a bike from with my track record, I wonder ???
Well I went along to have a looksee at a bike for someone when as I were there, just looking you see ..... An opportunity arose where I could purchase this K75s for very small cash funds and that it just needed my kind of tinkering to sort a few things out on it that would not require the need to fork out much needed shed/VMAX cash, mmmmmm
A slippery slope I am a plummeting me thinks, then well "WHY THE HELL NOT".... One well used and abused K75s came home, but after a good wash, stripping down, lubing up and fluid changes, the old brick has come up a real treat.. After cleaning the fuel lines, replacing the filter, vac'ing out and washing the k&N She fires up on button and RUNS AS SMOOTH AS SILK, I were given, well almost given this bike as I were told that they are JUST NOT VERY COMMOM AND HENCE ARE NOT POPULAR AT ALL AND DON'T COMMAND A VERY HIGH PRICE and that if I chose I would most certainly get my money back in parts if I decided to Strip it..
Well I'm bloody Glad I decided to take her home and have a play, she jolly well goes like a Jetson's Space Rocket.. :-).. Now to enjoy the last of the Sun & have some, Fun, Fun, Fun...
I would like to thank all you guys for your impeccable and incredible knowledge on this great Forum.. I have indeed gleaned a great deal of useful info from this site and if anybody is ever up in the Norfolk/Suffolk area of the uk then my shed (when I finally stop riding the Brick about and get it finished ) will always be open for a hot cuppa & a natter........
Oh and if you happen to have Gear cogs or selector forks for a VMX1200 or VXS1300 bring them along, I'll certainly make them feel quite at home here too..... Cheers... Nick..
I were also known for swapping me bikes quite abit and he would often like to try them out.. I had a few triples back then a T160 Trident, Laverda, Yam XS, also had a Le Mans 850, Duke Darmah, GPZ9 and an early VFR for awhile in the '80s too.....
One time at a Norton Owners Club camping weekend at Tetbury, Gloucs I got to ride Trevor Nations old JPS prepped bike, I believe it was set up ready for the season as a spare then never got raced or something because they had totally redesigned the next seasons bikes to comply to the new regs that were forced upon the Norton race team.
The bike was three seasons old by then and was road registered for daylight use only...I had a real blast that day..
However back to the K75....... I'm not new to BMW's having have had an early model K75 back in the '90s an imported 1984 K75 naked Brick with rear drum, It had been extensively used as a Dispatch bike & I really don't remember it running as smooth as this one and it certainly was not as firm in the handling, I seem to remember it being very unbalanced and top heavy, hence I had fallen off the thing all to often and offed it out to a guy that was looking for an engine to put in this fibreglass outfit he were building..
I have also owned a 1972 R50/5 for a while back in the mid '80s and had a R65ls or Something, the R50 had a MZ style about it and were really underpowered, the R65 were Fugly in a mid '80s kind of way, it did have a sporty little nose fairing and seat cowl, handy storage cubby... It was really a very good bike, but like most of my bikes at the time (and still are) had not been well cared for and needed a good deal of money thrown at them to sort them out properly..
I have owned and ridden all sorts of bikes since then, mostly old and knackered hacks. I had quite a lot of storage then, but had to downsize as I moved to a more affordable 2bed terrace with small rear garden which has an exhaust and mirror scrappingly tight red brick lined walkway down to it....
I had to have a thinning out of the stable and came here just with a toolbox and a box containing a XBR400 minus the lump, spent the next four years rebuilding with XL650 engine, a Powerbronze Yam 350LC style fairing and a mahoosive oil cooler fitted to it; I called it a XBR650oiLc, it was great fun but crimpling, I Getting to OLD for 'Clipons'.. I ran a MZ ETz251 whilst building that and swapped them out for a Yam Divi, I were given a ZZR6 in terrible cond, rebuilt it and sold it to a friends girlfriend, then sold the Divi to purchase a MuZ Skorpion Traveller I had spotted in a local Bike Shop, A real novel experience buying from a dealer, it came with a guarantee that meant ought, These Skorpions are awesome bikes to ride and this one had hard cases with a good fairing, but the Yam 660 lump was unreliable, it was expensive to repair and replace due to them being in great demand by competition bike & quad riders. I just could not keep the thing from catastrophic engine failure, the rest of the bike, the German MuZ bits were Superb.... I really miss the Thumper, but needs must I suppose....
I ran a 1983 Suzi GS550MZ Katana around whilst the Muzza kept me busy re-building her over and over again over the next few years I also got to know the recovery guy really quite well and that was embarrassing...
I then swapped them with a bike collector friend who had been after a Skorpion for years for a tidy '98 CBR6, I were really happy with the CBR as it allowed me to reliably get out and about at the push of the starter button for a change, but with no fiddling or fettling to be done, I were soon onto a freebie project to get stuck into, a Honda H100a, then I were offered an untidy VMAX to play with, but it meant selling the CBR to finance it, boo hoo hoo, but needs must, I'd been wanting to get my hands on one of these for nearly 30years and I weren't going to miss the opportunity, spent A couple of weeks cleaning and fettling without much financial outlay and had several trips out on her when earlier this year the gear box jumped out of second gear and jammed up in third gear, I am in the process of building a shed/workshop in the garden to enable the complete strip down of the VMAX as it will be an engine out job to fix the gearbox ,,YUK...
In The meantime I have been running around on a VX250 Virago for the last few months but boy after riding the VMAX it's like being on a bloody Step-Thro'... The little Yam has a seized swinging arm spindle, the bushes are shot and has dubious rear wheel steering. Front Piston or cam chain is slapping & is smoking and running bad, well I didn't expect much as it was given to me and had been used as a winter mule & spare bike for the last few years.. with 48k miles on the clock it ain't done bad...
So not wanting to spend on the Jalopy as it would be better spent on the shed building or VMAX, I were once again left without 2wheels and with the tail end of summer Bike Rallies & Shows commencing I sure did not want to be missing out on going since my VMAX jammed in 3rd gear.. Where could I borrow a bike from with my track record, I wonder ???
Well I went along to have a looksee at a bike for someone when as I were there, just looking you see ..... An opportunity arose where I could purchase this K75s for very small cash funds and that it just needed my kind of tinkering to sort a few things out on it that would not require the need to fork out much needed shed/VMAX cash, mmmmmm
A slippery slope I am a plummeting me thinks, then well "WHY THE HELL NOT".... One well used and abused K75s came home, but after a good wash, stripping down, lubing up and fluid changes, the old brick has come up a real treat.. After cleaning the fuel lines, replacing the filter, vac'ing out and washing the k&N She fires up on button and RUNS AS SMOOTH AS SILK, I were given, well almost given this bike as I were told that they are JUST NOT VERY COMMOM AND HENCE ARE NOT POPULAR AT ALL AND DON'T COMMAND A VERY HIGH PRICE and that if I chose I would most certainly get my money back in parts if I decided to Strip it..
Well I'm bloody Glad I decided to take her home and have a play, she jolly well goes like a Jetson's Space Rocket.. :-).. Now to enjoy the last of the Sun & have some, Fun, Fun, Fun...
I would like to thank all you guys for your impeccable and incredible knowledge on this great Forum.. I have indeed gleaned a great deal of useful info from this site and if anybody is ever up in the Norfolk/Suffolk area of the uk then my shed (when I finally stop riding the Brick about and get it finished ) will always be open for a hot cuppa & a natter........
Oh and if you happen to have Gear cogs or selector forks for a VMX1200 or VXS1300 bring them along, I'll certainly make them feel quite at home here too..... Cheers... Nick..
ROB the Red Old Bike 
