Howdy ya'll!

Well, I simply cant wait to share. Been lurking here for a while and asking the odd question but now its time for my first thread. It will be a long time between now and any significant update, but as I just said, cant wait to share.

A week ago I bought 3 K100s of gumtree. Sight unseen, but there were a few pics which made things look interesting to say the least. 

There is an 84 and 85 RS, and a 86 LT or maybe RT, not sure yet. One RS is more or less together and running (who knows how well), one is together except for the back end, and the LT/RT is in a million bits, but has many brand new, in packet, engine parts and a nice looking soda blasted engine. 

Got the lot delivered and loaded in to my Mums shed in QLD for $1800. 

So, heres the current plan....

In October Ill be heading up there (Im currently near Mudgee, NSW) for the old girls wedding (old man passed a decade ago) and will haul the 3 bikes back down south, along with all the tools Ill need - the basic, plus bearing pullers etc etc (old man was a bike mechanic, specialising in HD and Ducati and worked from home, so has a full workshop)

Ill get the assembled RS going and rego'd for a bit of daily fun, then begin converting the dismantled LT/RT into a RTW sidecar rig for the Mrs and I to take off with in 2 or 2 1/2 years. Currently thinking of buying an older Ural hack off fleabay from Ukraine and convert it to LH side. My uncles are both tool makers so should not be to tricky. 

The hack will be set up like a GS...single seat with a big rack on the back, Ohlins (maybe) shock, car tyre rear wheel, not sure on the front end yet. Ditch the fairing, fit a big round headlight and a screen, high fender etc. An adventure hack so to speak. I figure the K will be reliable as, many parts avaliable, enough HP for a hack, comfy etc 

Maybe maybe maybe ill be able to build a 3rd bike out of the remains, but Im unsure of that and the priority is on the daily rider, and the hack.

Hi Floyd welcome to the Knuthaus.
So it was you who bought those 3, they have been doing the rounds a bit, I hope you get at least one good bike from the lot.
Invite to the Fair Cairn Rally at Tottenham just west of Dubbo in 2 weeks time, 21st Sept. Come along with a K and enjoy.

RicK G wrote:Hi Floyd welcome to the Knuthaus.
So it was you who bought those 3, they have been doing the rounds a bit, I hope you get at least one good bike from the lot.
Invite to the Fair Cairn Rally at Tottenham just west of Dubbo in 2 weeks time, 21st Sept. Come along with a K and enjoy.

Cheers Rick,

Fingers crossed on the 3 K'. Definitely hoping I get a decent bike out of it (or3). They have a bit of a history aye? What do you know about them?

Dont know if ill be able to make it to the rally, will be running a natural building course at the time. Thanks tho!

Floyd.

welcome Floyd

sounds like some fun times ahead ol mate

enjoy .
and keep us uptodate how its all going together

we love seeing old "k" bikes getting back on the road

there are a swath of brilliant restorations ...and others in here 
good onya bloke

Hi mate and welcome.
Urals are great if you like to keep the skin on your rice pudding.  
Yes, come along to the Farkn rally. Should be good! 
Sean.

just like to add

sounds like at least 17 or more old k bikes ...and that's just from this website ...

I recon the bmw clubbies will bring out the goods for this celebration
if your a "k" enthusiast ....you would be mad to miss it ...my best guess is that there will never be quite the same inspiration to achieve this gathering in quite the same way .
mind you if we all live another 10 years ...who knows ?

welcome Floyd, sounds like you're heading down the same path as Rockman started on .
he is currently parting with his chair and stuff and going solo, he may have some advice for you if you have a chat. 
rick it is interesting to see that that threesome found a new home, good to see they didn't make it to the scrapyard.
here , here Charlie , the time is now, an icon reaching it's classic status.  even a fiftieth doesn't conjure up as much emotion.

All sounds like a good plan.

Some inspiration for your build:
















It's like Mad Max with sidecars!

Al

cool al

groverK wrote:welcome Floyd, sounds like you're heading down the same path as Rockman started on .
he is currently parting with his chair and stuff and going solo, he may have some advice for you if you have a chat. 
rick it is interesting to see that that threesome found a new home, good to see they didn't make it to the scrapyard.
here , here Charlie , the time is now, an icon reaching it's classic status.  even a fiftieth doesn't conjure up as much emotion.

 Hi groverk,

Thanks for the welcome. Been chatting with Rockman briefly via PM and email and have arrange to drop by his place on my way up north in October. Hopefully will doing a bit of a trade and Ill walk away with his subframe and heavy duty rear shock. Pretty good start on my rig. And I dont think he is totally parting ways with the chair, just mounting it on a KLR instead and going solo on the K.

So do you blokes know about my threesome just through the gumtree ad or has it been changing quite a few hands? If anyone can give me any info about the 3 bikes id be pretty keen to hear it. 

I go through phases of being convinced that I have bitten off way to much, and then through phases of utter elation and excitement to be taking on such a project. I find the idea of resurrecting these bikes to be utterly romantic and brilliant. I mean, I like a good cafe racer as much as the next bloke, but it does seem rather silly to dismantle and modify a perfectly good bike purely for style and reasons of aesthetic. But thats just me I guess. To save something from the scrap heap and to hand build new life into it will be such a great pleasure. 

I havnt actually seen the lot in the flesh yet, but even (WORST case scenario) if I have to buy another bike, Ill have a shit load of spare parts to plunder, and plenty to swap/sell etc. The financial outlay was rather minimal. Which is another thing that really excited me - to build a rig of very high quality, that suits my requirements precisely, yet is insanely cheap (financially).

That's the spirit Floyd. Most of us get one bike then finally end up with a shed load of parts as well (and frames, and engines and fairings). You've done it all in one hit. Good man.
Hope to get up your way soonish so will give you a shout.
RT

The 3 bikes first appeared for sale on fleabay about 2 years ago and started with $1500 but didnt sell and were put up again for $1200 and I discussed it with other half and decided to buy. They were in Maryborough at that time. When I went back to buy they were gone.
I rang the seller thinking maybe they had been taken down but had been sold to someone in Childers.
They then sold again to someone in or near Gladstone which is where the guy you bought them from got them and he paid $2000.  So they did the rounds and ended up not far from whence they started.
I spoke to the present seller about them and tried to rustle up 2 others so as to buy and have 1 each but couldn't find a third interested forum member so passed on them again.
I do hope that they have finally settled into a good home and get resurected.

Welcome to the site too.

There is nothing like getting a k sorted and when something goes wrong being able to go into your shed for a part from another K and fit it. You realise then that you have a simple maintenance issue, no cost and endless parts. The only gap is expertise, with that you will keep a k running for a very long time.

Welcome Floyd from just up the road in Dubbo. We will catch once you have collected your collection of collectables from the north. Sorry I only have two bikes.

Good buy Floyd, what you got there is basically 3 K bikes, sure, keep one going on the road with parts from the others. Long term though, with the help of this forum, build 3. The time is coming when these bikes are going to be worth an absolute fortune. Trust me I've see it before, Dull, Boring, never LOVED by the general biker populace, only good for racking up the miles! So many guys, of a certain age, saw their mates ZOOM all over continents with merely an oil change! They will want a good goer, and pay good $s for one. 

JUst my Thoughts

G

AL-58 wrote:All sounds like a good plan.

Some inspiration for your build:



It's like Mad Max with sidecars!

Al

Who are all those Rick G inmpersonators:lol!: 

Welcome to the forum Floyd - sounds like you bought yourself a bargain buy!

88

Looks to me like the boys have one k and you ain't a man until its gets a mate!!! Interesting that its contagious. Get a K and it cries out for a K mate!

Is that a pic of our ghost there looking on or am I seeing things.

Hi Floyd_of_Oz.

Not long since I was down in your part of the world March \ April this year.

Glad you've joined the forum, can't wait to hear how you get on with the bikes ~ sounds like you will have all the "kit" needed to get working on them once you've got back from the "Big Bash" in October.

Regards

Hopping Mad 

Hi Floyd,
Good on you a great buy, welcome to the forum.
Regards,
K-BIKE

Thanks once more for all the welcomes guys, and a big thanks to Rick for a bit of background on my 3 new machines.

Well, its not a K bike, but at least I got to get some oil and grease under my nails and smell like petrol all day, to the point where the mrs said I stunk.

Im a farm manager of a permaculture farm out side of Mudgee, and yesterday had to strip a honda pump to find out why it decided to through in the towel. No compression to speak of, and when the the starter was pulled you just got a rhythmic 'clunk clunk clunk'...

A bit of fuel was left in the tank so i inverted the whole lot to tip the fuel out, and to my infinite surprise, black black black oil went everywhere....I removed the top mounted fuel tank only to find a massive hole in the crank case. I could fit about 3 fingers in it, and the missing peice was still sitting there between the case and the tank....you can see the crank and its missing a conrod....will split the cases tomorrow and look further...but jeeeez what a mess.

Hope its not a sign of things to come hehehe. Bet a K is far to civilised to do any such thing....