BMW K bikes (Bricks)


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1Back to top Go down   '85  basic K100 Empty '85 basic K100 Fri Aug 25, 2023 5:28 pm

jbt

jbt
Life time member
Life time member
Hey...I've been there for 7 years and never took the time for a post about my basic K100!
It's not a terrible bike, but I like it as it is: simple, efficient, reliable.
I specially  appreciate its neat and balanced design, so often slaughtered by wanabee custom makers...
Here it was when I bought it:
'85  basic K100 K100_310
Good average condition for a 40 years bike, a nice patina on the black painted parts, a very thin layer of rust. And, sadly, some very large scratches on the top of the tank. The seller told me it was its cat who made them. Come on, man...you should own a tiger to make such scars!
I first converted it to a light racer, just with the optionnal BMW sport seat and an Ohlins shock.
'85  basic K100 K100s110
And a pair of rare case savers, probably french made by Bottelin Dumoulin or Rid Jouvin. In case...
It was suprisingly efficient. I was astonished with its sport abilities, even if I had been riding  Ks for a long time, its lightweight and its manoeuvrability was easily challenging the K1 on mountain roads. The only flaw was the rear suspension sometimes dribbling in optimistic curve preliminaries...mostly solved with first a WP, then an Ohlins.


Then...I sold it to a friend, with the opportunity to receive as a part of payment a BMW R100R (bad idea, it was one of the sadest bike I had). I kept aside the goodies, and kept in mind the idea to make a sport K100 2V one day, that eventually gave birth to the eighties K100 racer some years later.

My friend is the slowest sluggish biker I ever seen. He never stresses its bike and rides veeeeeerrrrrry geeeeeeeently. By the way, he does not only has the same pace, but he actually looks like a sloth with very long arms and legs, no neck and something in its gaze evocating the animal. But he doesn't hang under the engine when riding, phew!
He's so delicate with motorcycles that I'll give him my daughter's hand with no hesitation (if he was not looking like a sloth, of course. Though...they could save money on cradles by hanging the babies on the curtain rods).
Yet he managed to break the gearbox.
On a K100.
I've seen the hardest abuses applied by the less painstaking cops on K's,  but never saw a gearbox intermediate shaft broken. Crusing at 60 km/h...
'85  basic K100 20160914

Well. I bought it back anyway, as he was disappointed about the K100 reliability and I was missing this bike, fixed the gearbox, fitted a new seat, a top box, a Fournales air suspension instead of the Ohlins promoted to the 80S racer, and mounted the optionnal windshield. I wanted to fit also a Telefix stabilizer, but discovered that these first series of K100 forks had stanchions a little bit thicker than the later ones so it won't be possible to fit it.
Then I randomly used it as a commuter bike, perfect for november to april rainy days with slippery roads, when I'm not in a world speed record mood to go to work or when the weather condition do not justify to use the pullman K1100LT.

This bike is easy and natural. That's why I like it: you forget it. It remembers me the experience I had riding a R75/6, just flying above the road, never switching gears, never braking, just cornering left and right and left and right until the tank is empty...

But.
Every time I was sitting on it...the bloody scars were facing me. I tried to hide them under a tank cover. It tore itself. The scars reappeared. (maybe they were not made by a tiger but a sloth afterall, the claws are matching).
So, this week being so warm that I could even not ride a bike, I decided it was a good time for a paint job!
I ordered color matching paint sprays at the local shop, sanded the tank, sprayed,  varnished...and now I have a nice silver K100 with no sloth marks on it.

'85  basic K100 K100_r10

I like this bike.



Last edited by jbt on Thu Aug 31, 2023 2:39 am; edited 1 time in total


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Let us enjoy the transient delight
That fills our fairest day.
    

2Back to top Go down   '85  basic K100 Empty Re: '85 basic K100 Fri Aug 25, 2023 5:48 pm

Dai

Dai
Life time member
Life time member
'85  basic K100 112350


__________________________________________________
1983 K100 naked upgraded to K100LT spec after spending time as an RS and an RT
1987 K100RT
Others...
1978 Moto Guzzi 850-T3, 1979 Moto Guzzi 850-T3 California,1993 Moto Guzzi 1100ie California
2020 Royal Enfield Bullet 500
    

3Back to top Go down   '85  basic K100 Empty Re: '85 basic K100 Fri Aug 25, 2023 6:17 pm

Laitch

Laitch
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jbt wrote: Though...they could save money on cradles by hanging the babies on the curtain rods).
'85  basic K100 112350

    

4Back to top Go down   '85  basic K100 Empty Re: '85 basic K100 Sat Aug 26, 2023 4:29 am

firstle

firstle
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Life time member
so often slaughtered by wanabee custom makers... '85  basic K100 112350

    

5Back to top Go down   '85  basic K100 Empty Re: '85 basic K100 Sun Aug 27, 2023 4:36 pm

bad boy

bad boy
Life time member
Life time member
jbt, mes félicitations
well done

Big thumb


__________________________________________________
Cheerz, David

'85  basic K100 9438-010

____________________________________________________________________________
1997 Peraves Super Ecomobile: a Kevlar reinforced monocoque with outrigger wheels, seating two.
K100 fork, monolever, headlight, indicators, K1100RS gearbox and K1200RS 589 engine, rear wheel
    

6Back to top Go down   '85  basic K100 Empty Re: '85 basic K100 Mon Aug 28, 2023 10:17 am

Suzi Q

Suzi Q
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Life time member
I like your bike too. It's the same colour & spec as my original K100 - lots of good memories from my early biking career.
Agree that the only fault with the bike was its tendency to set up a front-rear weave/oscillation/nightmare if you hit a bump half way round a fast sweeper. I tried to fix that with a Koni rear shock but that never felt right on the bike. 
As for relaxing, change-less riding, I managed to break the gearchange shaft leaving it stuck in third gear. I rode it for two weeks like that, even including a two hundred mile round trip to the lakes. 'Course, I did end up having to change the clutch Shocked.
If ever I see a silver, naked K100 with the correct headlamp nacelle and small fly screen on oohbay, I think 'shall I ?...'


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Sometimes I'm not really Suzi Quatro.
    

7Back to top Go down   '85  basic K100 Empty Re: '85 basic K100 Mon Aug 28, 2023 10:59 am

jbt

jbt
Life time member
Life time member
Let's swap mine with your K75 Madass! '85  basic K100 8157


__________________________________________________
Let us enjoy the transient delight
That fills our fairest day.
    

8Back to top Go down   '85  basic K100 Empty Re: '85 basic K100 Mon Aug 28, 2023 11:46 am

JGT

JGT
Platinum member
Platinum member
jbt. How do you get on with that screen and the standard handlebars? 
I am 5 foot 10 inches tall but found with the screen in the position as yours my helmet was pummelled by the wind. I ended up extending the top screen fixings by 80mm pushing the top of the screen away from me into a more upright position. My helmet is now very much in still air and so much quieter.


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1992 K75
    

9Back to top Go down   '85  basic K100 Empty Re: '85 basic K100 Mon Aug 28, 2023 12:19 pm

jbt

jbt
Life time member
Life time member
I had the same issue with this windscreen. Actually, it provides a stunning protection against cold air and moist, its amazing for such a middle size windscreen.
But it's very noisy and my vision is the same as the one I usually have after ingesting a dozen pints of Guiness. But I pass the tests!
I fitted a windscreen extension on the top of it that improved dramatically the situation.
Then my R1100GS borrowed the extension in order to spare my face from the insects bombing. As I random use the K100, I agreed.

Your idea is brilliant! I'll try it, as I also consider that the angle of the windscreen is a bit excessive backwards and it sometimes bothers me when getting on or off the bike. Thanks for the tip!


__________________________________________________
Let us enjoy the transient delight
That fills our fairest day.
    

10Back to top Go down   '85  basic K100 Empty Re: '85 basic K100 Mon Aug 28, 2023 12:28 pm

jbt

jbt
Life time member
Life time member
About this windscreen angle, it looks like my first K100RT.
'85  basic K100 K100rt10
My first K, I was 21...

Very efficient and protective, but very noisy!
The LT windscreen, more vertical was much better.
I still have a pair of aftermarket wedges (probably made by Arcueil Motor, as far as I remember) that were designed to modify this angle so the top of the screen was repelled from the nostrils of the rider.


__________________________________________________
Let us enjoy the transient delight
That fills our fairest day.
    

11Back to top Go down   '85  basic K100 Empty Re: '85 basic K100 Mon Aug 28, 2023 3:44 pm

JGT

JGT
Platinum member
Platinum member
'85  basic K100 Cimg2410
It aint pretty but it works.


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1992 K75
    

12Back to top Go down   '85  basic K100 Empty Re: '85 basic K100 Mon Sep 04, 2023 11:02 pm

Porto

Porto
Silver member
Silver member
Good story. I like the bike aswell. The red seat suits it and the case protectors too. Cheers

https://gpleather.com
    

13Back to top Go down   '85  basic K100 Empty Re: '85 basic K100 Thu Sep 07, 2023 2:15 am

firstle

firstle
Life time member
Life time member
happy with the fairing now (i have the standard one intact) i cut the screen down and the sides off 
https://ibb.co/3TDc1wr

    

14Back to top Go down   '85  basic K100 Empty Re: '85 basic K100 Fri Dec 01, 2023 11:17 am

jbt

jbt
Life time member
Life time member
As my K100 racer recently received a nice set of PVM wheels, the basic K100 inherited the previous sport 3 spoked wheels that were on it, as it needed a tyre change.
Not so bad... not really period correct, but visually, they fit very well the neat and minimalist look of the bike.'85  basic K100 K100_310

I'll probably remove then the windscreen, the top box, and re install the one seat saddle.


__________________________________________________
Let us enjoy the transient delight
That fills our fairest day.
    

15Back to top Go down   '85  basic K100 Empty Re: '85 basic K100 Fri Dec 01, 2023 2:10 pm

92KK 84WW Olaf

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I recently picked up a pair of the 3 spoke wheels for my 84 K100 Sprint.

The bike has gold wheels [not in the best condition] and forks and pinstriping so getting these ones painted same gold to match and new tyres on them and will fit them when the tyres on it wear out.


__________________________________________________
1992 K100LT 0193214 Bertha Blue 101,000 miles
1984 K100RT 0022575 Brutus Baja Red 578 bought 36,000 now 89,150 miles
1997 K1100LT 0188024 Wotan Mystic Red 689 58,645 now 106,950 miles Deceased.
1983 K100RS 0011157 Fricka 606 Alaska Blue 29,495 miles Damn K Pox Its a Bat outta Hell Now 58,200 miles. 
1996 K1100LT 0233004 Lohengrin Mystic Red 38,000 miles currently 48,061 miles.
1983 K100RS 0004449 Odette R100 colours 58,000 miles. Sprint fairing now 61,190 miles

Past:
1968 Yamaha 80 YG1
1971 Yamaha 125 YAS-1
1968 Honda 125 SS
1970 Honda CD 175
1973 Honda CB500-4
Honda CX 500
    

16Back to top Go down   '85  basic K100 Empty Re: '85 basic K100 Sat Dec 02, 2023 2:04 pm

Two Wheels Better

Two Wheels Better
Moderator
Moderator
I too like the clean and simple lines of the 'Basic'.

Several years ago I located a clean, 1985 K100 Basic in Olympia, which the owner had bought new at a long-defunct BMW dealership in Tacoma, Washington. It came with all of the original documents of the sale & follow-up services done. He was nearing 80 years old and his wife insisted he no longer ride. It came with original panniers, and because he had tipped it over in his shed recently, he approached the local dealership and bought an OEM touring screen for it. When I unscrewed the spark plugs to perform a needed service, it dawned on me that they were likely the originals. The bike had barely 19,000 miles on the odometre! There was not a sign of oil residue anywhere. No scratches, very clean and tidy. In about twenty years of ownership, he put less than 1,000 miles per year on the bike. I paid him $1,900 for it. It now resides in Juneau, Alaska with a friend, who although there are barely 55 miles of paved roads all round coastal Juneau, he's got twenty-odd motorbikes he runs and rides regularly. The Basic is one of his favourites and is now ridden near daily, when roads are free of snow. He has been known to ride to work over ice.


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1977 R75/7-100, '93 K11/K12 Big Block, '95 R100 Mystic, '96 K1100RS, '98 K1200RS, '06 K1200R & '09 K1300GT. Projects: 1993 & '96 K1100RS, & 1st '98 K1200RS.
The Mystic, Big Block, 2nd K1200RS, K12R & K13 are running & ridable.
    

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