Hi,

Just wanted to introduce myself to the forum.

I have been riding bike for some time on a casual basis. After having kids I gave them away for safety reasons.

However, I want to start the process of building a scrambler out of a K75 or K100. I have both available to me, but cannot make a decision on the best one. They both have equal amount of Km's and around the same price.

Both would be nice but not sure I'll get that over the line.

Thanks for allowing me to join.

I think k75 is a better bike,  but if you get a k100 it won't be long until you find a dirt cheap k100 you can use for parts.  Usually k100's are cheaper, how much are the ones you're looking at?

What types and years are they?

  There have always been more K100 bikes and parts available. K75 parts are a lot thinner on the ground.
Regards Martin.

Interested to know why the K75 is better? I thought the K100 was, since having more grunt.

There is an 85 K100RT with 79,000kms - looks well look after and is ready for registration now.
The other a 92 K75 RT with 96,000kms - old project bike which has been abandoned. Have not looked at it yet, going tomorrow. From the pictures it has been sitting there for some time.

Both are around 2k AUD.

The 75 has a smoother engine and in the real world the performance is not much different to the 100, unless you are going to be carrying a pillion. However in order to get the most out of a 75 engine it needs to be revved more compared to the 100, they are a different experience. People hopping onto a 75 after riding a 100 complain about lack of grunt, that's because you need to really rev them. IMO it is also a bit better in the twisties and brakes slightly better due to the reduction in weight. A lot of the parts between the 100 and the 75 are common, but the parts specific to the 75 are rarer. there were heaps more 100's sold than 75's. I have the only 75 amongst the guys I ride with and I've never wished that I had a 100, whereas I think a couple would like a 75.
Regards Martin.

The balance shaft and reduced weight makes more difference than it seems, and being newer has improvements. If you read up there are heaps of other reasons the 75 is better. The k100 has fibre washers and rubber parts in the output shaft, it's a fair bit to replace. But if it doesn't start that's a bummer. $1000 is too much for a bike that doesn't start, I think. As a guide mine didn't start, was parked for years, got it for $600. It only needed a pump to get going and has been way better than I thought. It did have a good service history, that's always a big ticket item to me.

Great info, thanks. Feeling like the K75 is the one. Is 97,000ks too much?
How rare are the K75 parts? Will I be left stranded.
There is another bike about 600k's away, it's a K75 with 29,000kms.

There ya go, two 75's one for parts. 100,000 isn't too much if looked after, you won't have problems with parts. Cause they're made like cars, they can easily do 300,000 like cars.

Great! I'll see how the bike goes tomorrow. Anything special I should look out for?

Oil leaks, bubbles in coolant, they're very much like cars, receipts often show jobs that need doing, try to let go of the urge that you need it.

dallasf wrote:Great info, thanks. Feeling like the K75 is the one. Is 97,000ks too much?
How rare are the K75 parts? Will I be left stranded.
There is another bike about 600k's away, it's a K75 with 29,000kms.

Just my personal opinion, but it would be a shame to hack up a K75 with 29,000k's on the clock.  Especially so if they are getting as rare as they seem to be.  That engine still doesn't have the rings broken in yet.

Unfortunately, custom jobs are almost impossible to reverse, and they usually only have a life expectancy of a couple years before the builder gets bored with it.  Because a custom is so personal, they often have little resale value unless almost brand new and very well done.

So I checked out the k75, it was in very poor condition. However he had 3 other K's all with under 20,000kms.
The other k75 is too far and the guy reports the fuel pump has gone and wont start. Not ready to commit to that.

Have found a really well serviced k100 for 2k. 

Trying to figure out if I'm rushing the process? Should I wait for a 75?

Feeling rushed works against you when negotiating. K100's are great too,  mine has been good to me.  If I was looking at two similar bikes,  a k75 and a k100 I would put an offer on both,  but less on the k100 and explain why. I like working on them but I prefer riding. A well maintained bike is a way safer bet. If the seller has four k75's, l would assume the one on offer has been a parts bike,  and wonder how many parts have been swapped? Sometimes assuming the worst means you won't be disappointed.

Dallas good condition K100's are getting thinner on the ground and K75's are even thinner. As per .75 once done the novelty wears off and they either end up under a tarp in the shed or worse still out the back of the shed under a tarp. I've been the proud owner of my K75s for over 20 years and 170,000 K's and it has to be the best bike I've ever owned and I've owned a few. Last year four of us did a 3 day 1400 Km camping trip in stinking hot 40 C plus weather with not one problem. Once caféd you loose the practicality and reliability, I can get all of my camping gear in one pannier. 

If looked after, they are ultra reliable and pretty much bullet proof,  there is one 75 in NSW with 1.2 Million K's on the original engine. While scrounging parts with and for mates I've seen heaps of café/scrambler builds and I've only seen two finished. While they do offer a good source of spares for the purists I often feel sad when I see some really good stock Bricks been carved up. In the last 20 years I've only seen two café bikes on the road one owner admitted his just finished bike was no longer reliable and it was up for sale. The other café was a lot better done in an over the top way but still not practical. While it is always your call to do with it what you like, try riding it for a while in standard form. They are highly underrated mile muncher. Either way I'll win you'll love it stock, or it will be a source of spares.
Regards Martin.

92KK 84WW Olaf wrote:Hello from the northern territory.


After having kids I gave them away for safety reasons.......


Interesting...... Mine left of their own accord.

You beat me to it Olaf! That was exactly what I thought!
I never realised that giving them away was an option

We just stopped feeding them.

MartinW wrote:Dallas good condition K100's are getting thinner on the ground and K75's are even thinner. As per .75 once done the novelty wears off and they either end up under a tarp in the shed or worse still out the back of the shed under a tarp. I've been the proud owner of my K75s for over 20 years and 170,000 K's and it has to be the best bike I've ever owned and I've owned a few. Last year four of us did a 3 day 1400 Km camping trip in stinking hot 40 C plus weather with not one problem. Once caféd you loose the practicality and reliability, I can get all of my camping gear in one pannier. 

If looked after, they are ultra reliable and pretty much bullet proof,  there is one 75 in NSW with 1.2 Million K's on the original engine. While scrounging parts with and for mates I've seen heaps of café/scrambler builds and I've only seen two finished. While they do offer a good source of spares for the purists I often feel sad when I see some really good stock Bricks been carved up. In the last 20 years I've only seen two café bikes on the road one owner admitted his just finished bike was no longer reliable and it was up for sale. The other café was a lot better done in an over the top way but still not practical. While it is always your call to do with it what you like, try riding it for a while in standard form. They are highly underrated mile muncher. Either way I'll win you'll love it stock, or it will be a source of spares.
Regards Martin.

I don't plan to bastardise the inner workings of the bike. 

My plan was to keep it simple, I may be being a little naive but i was only going to:

Remove fairings 
Restore frame 
New seat
New cluster
New lights
Paint anything that needs it.
Oh, then an exhaust.

Good luck.
Regards Martin.