Hello, I have a streetfighter/ cafe style bike project in mind and recently found a 1988 k100 LT for sale with fire damage. According to the seller, the bike was running well before a garage fire melted the ignition switch along with some other wires. All maintenance has been performed prior to the fire and the seller states the motor and chassis were un damaged.

I am a beginner when it comes to bike restoration but base my mechanical experience from cars in the past. I own a BMW vehicle and thought this would be a nice budget project to salvage this old massive hog and turn it into a piece of individual mechanical art. I Like the mechanical look of a stripped down k100.

The bike is a bit of a drive away and wanted to get a good idea of what I could be getting myself into before making the trip. My question is mainly technical. What could I be facing in replacement parts to get the bike running? New ignition switch, gauges, wiring harness etc......?Hopefully the ECM didn't get too hot It looks like the damage is mainly on the top of the bike.

Comments? Suggestions? Questions?

Im a part of the m3 forum community which I have found extremely helpful and I hope to find this BMW community just as enthusiastic and helpful! Thanks Tell me what you think Im open for any ideas comments or suggestions.

http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/mcy/3740779863.html

nothing? Im guessing this thread interests no one.

welcome mate ,
i wouldnt say folks arent interested
just there is no suport information to "extent of damage" yet
maybe a few photos ....and partial teardown to examine the affected areas ...what was water damaged ? all that kind of stuff.
keep us informed

The bike looks like it has been exposed to alot of heat for the glass and plastic bit to melt to that extent. I am sure ALL the rubber bits need to be changed at a minimum and that alone is a small fortune.

I am amazed that the seat vinyl mas burnt/melted away but the sponge is still there, guess it's true when everyone says it's hard as!

Assume the worst then there are no nasty supprises. I would pay only for the value of parting out. i.e. what a motorcycle wrecker would give and that would be around $250 maybe $350.
All the parts that are getting hard to find and expensive are probably damaged in some way, mainly the plastic.

Welcome ///M

I think there would be a lot to do even stripping off the plastic to make a cafe bike.
There is still a lot of plastic left that is pretty specific and difficult to swap out.
Switches being one. Brake reservoir. Wiring harness.
Looking at the right side there are a lot of wires that run up there near the water reservoir and I cant see any in the photo.

From what I have seen in the states there would be better options than one as burnt as that.
Still, if you are keen enough.

rossco

One of the big issues facing you is cost of parts. We seem to have a ready supply of cheap parts for such a project over here.

Many years ago my car was in a basement car park and a car nearby burnt out. I was amazed at the amount of damage to plastic components- my car survived with no damage to metal components but a lot of plastic bits had to be replaced, all damaged from radiated heat.

The K is not impossible to do but there are a lot of rubber and plastic parts to get damaged, inside components that we know normally outlast the bike.

Although electrical problems occur they are msotly based around connections and earthing rather than damaged wires. I dont think many of us end up replacing wiring harness/looms etc. You would be looking at replacing some wiring harnesss, depending on damage. Things like ignition, handlebar switchgear, relays, even the ECU etc are available. But what of air filter box, air intake, injectors, injector rail and fittings, engine components, brake lines, brake reservoirs, caliper seals, water pipes, seals...

Its a lot of work.

Do show some more photos. Photos on craiglist seem to say its not too bad. In a fire if there is no air movement there is a huge difference in temperature as you rise up from the floor, low level stuff undamaged very often, high level stuff melts. I did a fire damage claim some years back, the guy had a vinyl record collection in his house. The bottom two rows of records were salvaged and playable, no distortion, no smoke damage as they were compressed together. The ceiling burnt away, a chair in the same room had lit up and destroyed the place.

The seat cover melts at quite low temp, as does the screen. Other stuff doesnt look bad. but smoke damaged gives carbon which conducts electricity which buggers up inside components, but only if it gets in. I opened up my ECU last year, it was 19 years old and like brand new inside, its well sealed. Rubber pipes etc will have baked and should be replaced. Fairing, if not damaged, is worth good money.

92KK

just saw the pics
looks like radiant heat and smoke damage primarily
yes plastics look shagged
metal work would come up a treat
stuff under the tank may have survived ...but i would be putting it as a hardware support vehicle
motor etc ...for a another wreck ....possibly a dropped bike ? with most of the plastic still in good condition
just a thought

I'm with Charlie on this one. maybe get a second and you can build one out of two. If the ICU and other electronic conponents are undamaged by heat it'd do-able, best way to establish that would be to try them in another k bike.

88

Thanks for the response guys.

This one is a project for sure. If I take it on it will require a lot of thought and beer no doubt. I will post more pics and let you know the extent of the damage after I see it, the bike is more than 100 miles away. I am hunting for more project options in the meantime but for 300 bucks (i'm speculating) its hard to go wrong.

Ill be patient and offer the parts value of the bike after I can arrange a truck. I doubt anyone else is insane enough to take on a project like this.

I know at this point I can only supply limited info and an update with something more concrete will become available as soon as possible.


From what I can gather it looks as though I should head into this project with the mentality of replacing most if not all vital rubber, electric, and plastic components to get the motor running. First thing obviously would be to get it running. This includes computers, sensors etc... Realistically I would be purchasing a motor and chassis. I believe the work should be mainly electrical. Mechanically the bike should be good.

Now keep in mind I am going with the minimalistic approach on this bike. I do not want to get in over my head with parts costs and it sounds like a lot of these things are hard to find and or expensive. Little rubber bits may nickel and dime me to death. Im guessing that it didnt get hot enough to damage caliper seals, fork seals, etc. I believe its still holding coolant, brake fluid, oil etc...

From what I can tell things such as ignition, handlebar switchgear, relays, ECU, battery, wire harness etc. are all available on ebay at a relatively "low" cost. Things that concern me are injectors, fuel rail, throttle bodies, mass air sensors, air box etc... What are some other electrical components besides the ecu that I should be concerned with? will attempt to compile a preliminary parts list to get the motor back running.

Any suggestions regarding alternative solutions to some of these issues would help give me an idea of the total project cost. Things that don't necessarily have to be OEM BMW that can be supplied as an alternative such as aftermarket ignition switch, turn signal switches, brake lights, headlight, tach and speed guages, maybe a modified air intake... Again this is pure speculation at this point but any input is appreciated.

Cheers

I think you will find that most of that expensive gear that makes it run are ok but the plastic had heat damage and smoke and soot. Like the paint on the fairing may just flake away if you try to rub it back for painting or may have blisters.

Some people listen but don't hear. hmmmmm