Hey guys (and girls),

I recently bought my first bike, my new pride and joy - my 1984 K100 RS. 
It wasn't my initial bike choice when I did my test, I was planning on getting a YZF-R6! How things change! 

I had a bit of influence from a work colleague who had a fascination with older bikes and Cafe Racers (I can hear the sighs from here), but after seeing a few pictures of K100 Cafe Racers... My heart was set and I began my search.

Initial impression of the bike, for a first time rider, from a guy with a slim athletic build..
"Wow, this is heavy. I think I need to sell it and buy an R6!"
But I'm now getting used to the weight, and loving every second of it!!

The project began two weeks after I bought her (only fairing removal so far!), and shall go on until I've got the perfect K!

This forum has been and endless supply of information in the month I've owned the bike, so I thought it was time I registered and gave you all some credit - along with a build thread when I get round to it!

Thanks again guys (and girls)

Jase 

Welcome to the forum and good luck with the project.

You will find everyone very helpful and willing to share information and thoughts, so feel free to ask questions and don't be afraid to ask what might seem a simple question. There is a section on the home page on what to do if you have just bought a K. Most of us just go buy another one....

Best thing is set up a thread for your build and ask questions there.

We like photos......

Also, its worth adding in the model and VIN to your signature that way everyone knows the relevant parts and advice....picks up the usual manufacturers modifications.

Don't be fooled by the apparent weight, my son has a VFR 800 Vtec...he thought my RT was much too heavy then discovered the difference was a massive 4 kg. With good use of the rear brake it drops nicely into corners and you can quite throw the K around a lot more than you would expect. Sensitive to tyre pressures and good tread/head bearings and for oil, great when these are in good order.

Thanks mate,

With it being my first (but long awaited) bike, I've still got a lot of learning to do in terms of riding. I'm a relatively experienced car tuner and diy-er, so a lot of the skills I've got are transferable. 

The electrics and electronics are my current brain bafflers though.

I did check my tyre pressures the other day though and saw they were F25, R27 PSI... seems rather low to me!

Where should I put up a build thread? What section?

Welcome to the forum.Like Olaf said, ask your questions; none are too trivial or too silly.

JaseYPK wrote:Where should I put up a build thread? What section?

In the "cafe racer / custom section" sub-forum under "Your own renovation".

Hi Jase. WelKome to the forum.
I'd suggest riding the bike with fairing for 6 months and then see how you feel about chopping it.
I bought mine with the view to moding to a naked sport tourer. I rode the bike with fairing for nearly 18 months, however both fairing and brackets were in bad condition and have now been removed and while I'm enjoying the naked bike very much I do miss the fairing especially when I'm out on the open road at speed especially if there's a bit of rain about.
You gotta think about what you'll be using the bike for because a cafe, while they can look hot and sexy, aren't a terribly useful bikefor tripping and this is where the K excels. Ride hard all day... all week... it sings with joy and just asks for more.
You'll get all the help and advice you need from the forum no matter what you do but it would be a shame to see another thoroughbred hobbled.

With it being my first (but long awaited) bike, I've still got a lot of learning to do in terms of riding. I'm a relatively experienced car tuner and diy-er, so a lot of the skills I've got are transferable.

Have you thought of doing an advanced rider's course?
Here's a good link for videos on riding skills

The electrics and electronics are my current brain bafflers though.

There are a few little quirks but you'll work it out.
The best thing you can do is clean all your earth connections and electrical connectors (deoxit is good). Also make sure you have a decent battery and it's kept in good condition. Both of these will cause issues if neglected.

I did check my tyre pressures the other day though and saw they were F25, R27 PSI... seems rather low to me!

Depends what tyres you have and to a degree your personal preference but most here are running 35 to 41psi (cold)

Cool thanks, I rode it for about 3 weeks with the fairing on, but now I've sold bits of it so that's not an option anymore haha. I'm fully committed!

As such, if anyone wants any parts that they think I'll be able to remove then let me know!

I've had a read through numerous electrical threads and have a good idea on what I would like to achieve, so I'll get. A build thread done and see what happens!

Thanks again!

Welcome Jase.  Good luck with your project and don't hesitate to ask for help.  Lots of expert information to be had here from folks who have logged hundreds of thousands of miles on these great machines.

Note to the others who are bothered by all the chopping that is going on these days:  Doesn't bother me a bit, all these cafe/scrambler conversions.  In 5 years when the fad is long gone and the cafe bikes have all been scrapped, the bikes I have lovingly maintained in near original condition will be that much more valuable due to their rarity.  If these bikes can end their lives feeding the creative juices of the cafe builders it's a good thing as far as I'm concerned.  A win-win for all.

Point-Seven-five wrote:Note to the others who are bothered by all the chopping that is going on these days:  Doesn't bother me a bit, all these cafe/scrambler conversions.  In 5 years when the fad is long gone and the cafe bikes have all been scrapped, the bikes I have lovingly maintained in near original condition will be that much more valuable due to their rarity.  If these bikes can end their lives feeding the creative juices of the cafe builders it's a good thing as far as I'm concerned.  A win-win for all.

Haha, to be honest, I'm not doing it for the fad, I'm doing it because its something i've always done with my cars. I've always been a tinkerer and like to learn by doing. So this being my first bike, will be my project and learner that i'll gain a lot of knowledge from. And because of i'm sure the endless heartache it's going to cause, that it'll be one i'd like to keep forever!

Nigel T wrote:'I did check my tyre pressures the other day though and saw they were F25, R27 PSI... seems rather low to me!'  I cannot quite fathom how the quote feature works on this site, but you know what I mean... 

As a fellow lightweight 'racing ferret' I find my RS feels pretty good at 35psi front and 38psi rear. Still experimenting with pressures but at higher inflation levels on Michelin Pilot 3's I thought the bike felt a bit nervy.  Changing the fork oil to 10w is another easy and worthwhile improvement to handling.  

Nigel, 

To the bottom right of a post you'd like to quote, there is a button saying "quote". Just tap it and that will trigger the reply message.

Thanks for the info on PSI's, i'll up mine to the same as yours and see how it feels. My bike is probably a little lighter than most now though as its been stripped of fairings and non-essential brackets and trims so I may drop the pressure a little.

I'm planning on getting progressive springs at some point (unless anyone has a better idea on making the front end a bit stiffer and less 'dippy', without getting another mortgage!), so I'll do the fork oil at the same time.

Cheers!

I had a nice run yesterday, sunny day mostly motorway.

Before I left I put tyres [BT45] at 38F 42R and felt rock steady. RT with panniers and top box on. I like the BT45 for winter use in particular. It feels horrible when they go low.

Front BT023 @38psi
Rear Azaro45 (radial) @40psi
Any less and I seem to get scalloping. Any more the centre wears out too quickly

Less fairing & brackets weight would not make significant difference imo (less than 1psi to the front). A pillion at around 80-90kg you'd add 3psi to the rear tyre.

Don't forget to check pressures when cold. Hot can add about 3psi

Those two posts are fairly similar. I had the panniers filled and always found you go most of the way to pillion loading. Pillion and panniers filled I go to 45psi.

Thanks for the advice guys, I'm a little racing snake with a semi stripped down RS, so I'll stick the pressures in you've recommended and see how it feels. It's gotta be better than the current 25psi!! 

Thanks for the help!

I do know some of the track tyres run much lower pressures.

With the rear tyre you will eventually feel where its at its optimum pressure, as in once it starts feeling like it's on rails check what pressure you have and that should be close to optimum. KH rightly pointed out that too hard wears out the centre faster.