Any K bike riders out there?

I owned an eggplant-purple '91 K75s from '95 to 2006 - it was a fine machine and even though I replaced it with a nice comfortable Futura, I still think the Ks' seating position/bars (with a corbin saddle) is the best I have ever ridden - a perfect balance for me. Even living on an island I managed to pile 40K onto it, - and it wasn't my only bike, it just wanted to GO !

The guy I sold mine to has a set of them he's picked up cheap and is mass-rebuilding: his plan is to paint all the body-work identically (at the same time) , re-register & insure one of them and move the plate around ( shipping some of them to other islands ! ) - pretty funny if he pulls it off - he's got enough parts to make 3 or 4 complete bikes now.

dave2,i agree with u about saving my 00BMWK1200LT for the good riding.i commute on my 97 valkyrie.

Here's my new (to me) K! I just bought two days ago. Compared to my old R65 this thing is a dream on the road!

isleofman86,wow looks brand new.how many ticks on the clock?

24k miles, its a beauty. I was running back and forth between getting another old R something and this bike and i'm so glad that i went for this one. Its amazing on the road, so solid and so smooth! here's a closed pic of the engine. I love this picture!

our - 2003 K1200LTC
shown with trunk removed for ballistics testing
Love this bike - I see a K12GT in my future

Cheers!

Don't forget Eddie. The uber K75 adventurer. He's ridden his K all over the world.

I too have begun to like the look of the older K bikes and am contemplating buying one to commute on. I currently commute on a 95 R1100GS but hate having her revving at 5k all day long. My commute is part open freeway at 80mph and part lanesplitting. I love the GS for lane splitting, very nimble at low speeds.

How do the K bikes handle? Are they as nimble as a 1100GS? What would cruising speeds be on the open road?

Are there K models and/or years to stay away from?

Brought the K home today.

Future farkles-
New Corbin seat, high.
Is there a peg lowering reward kit available? If so, on it goes.
Navigation system.
iPod remote.
Hundreds of liters of gas coupons.
ADAC training and membership.
FYYFF and ADV decals.

deangs,my 00BMWK1200LT is a really well balanced bike.i bought it in august last year with 18K on it and you can ride it really easy with no hands and the cruise on.its really balanced better than any bike ive ever owned.with 100 horsepower its got enough for me.heated grips and seat.monoshock rear suspension,6 channel cd.its hard not to like it.the biggest thing i read was its hard to handle at parking lot speeds but ive NEVER found it to be a problem.

Nah, I wouldn't trust him. He's a hack.

The worst year for Ks was 96 - when they stopped making a triple. BMW should've pushed the K75 design up to a 900. It would be S-M-O-O-T-H and have some of the power the K75 was lacking. Although K75s are not really that slow if you just run em up above 4000 rpm - which they LOVE.

Ks I've owned and loved:







This one was named Kato. I built it taking the best parts from three different K100RS4Vs.



And I've got these two as my riders now:


(As you can tell, my green K1100LT looks MUCH better than that braggart off the grid.)

Then I have the K75S I've restored around a 24k engine that will have a silver 32:11 paralever final drive. When I get off my ass and call my painter to get my tank, bodywork and hard cases back, it will be pimpin' in this bad-assed 3 stage red.



Did I mention that I like K bikes?

I've tried. Registered, sent emails, but my account has not been activated. Could you HABU and PM a mod or something?

Thanks,
Chris

I took a picture with my neighbors. Everybody is admiring a K12S.

my father's and mine, almost ready for an 8000km trip to 'north cape'
both are K75RT (mine used to be one) and have enlarged fuel tanks, double sidestand capable of lifting the rear wheel off the ground, and a large wooden trunk
(tires are pirelli scorpion mt90, mind that they are speed rated P, max 150km/h we have no intention to go past 120 and were looking for tubeless more gravel-worthy tires this was nearly the only option and handles fine, just mind the speed rating, then again these bikes where not created to race but to go the distance)

Mudbreeder,
OK...I have to ask...as I've come up with quite a few ideas after a few, BUT what are you gonna do with that "extra" capacity?
What sort of stuff are you envisioning carrying?

Fellow K-owner in Philadelphia...

http://www.motoedde.com/PicasaAlbums/Ride_Home/target0.html

have had this 3yrs now, and still puts a grin on my face every time I twist the throttle..
I think it's my 6th Kbike (80s/90's brick), and everyone of them has been outstanding...

Bought it on a whim from an ADV'r in ATL dunno who...

Recently (April) started using it as my daily rider/commute to work.. saving me $200/month in fuel costs.

This thread needs a bump.

My first K-Series, 1987 K100RT.



I fitted an RS belly-pan and the BMW-Clarion radio-cassette player. Loved that bike but it ate fork seals (I think that was fairly common with the early un-braced K's).

A little over a year ago I saw this bike on eBay fairly local. I went and had a look with the idea of bidding and restoring it.



The RS belly-pan was still there, as was the radio-cassette player. The top-box was missing and an LT seat fitted.

I knew that I'd spend too much putting it back the way it was and probably wouldn't enjoy the ride after so long anyway.

Next K I owned was arguably the best of the breed (if a little too focused for some).



With some ingenuity (and some soft luggage), my then girlfriend and I managed to spend a happy three weeks touring Spain in the early 90's.

Great bike for munching miles. I do miss that one.

I used to ride at work, had a couple of K100RTP's and K1100RTP's. The 1100's never felt as nice as the 100's - too much rubber mounting made everything seem remote.

I did have a K75RTP for it's life and wanted to hate it. I soon came to love that little, eager 750. It was unbreakable (I did try in the early days until I came to realise how good it was).

A couple of years ago I saw a nice 75C outside my local dealership. It had cases, screen and 36K miles showing. I asked who it belong to and was told, "You if you want it!"

It was a P-ex. I figured that they'd get sod-all for it from the trade (they're still under-rated) and made a silly (low) offer (about US $500). To my surprise they agreed!

So now I have this;



I thought I'd just use it occasionally (my main bike is an 1150GSA) but I find that I have wracked-up the mileage to 93K since August 2006!

When I bought it the rear shock was toast, I bought a 100RS one on eBay. Apart from one pair of (cheap) tyres, it's just been oil changes.

My GS is still the bike I use for travel but the 75 is everything else from nipping to the shops to popping over to Paris to see a friend.

I love the fact that the rear tyre is one size wider than the front of my GS, it has no ABS, no Servo assist, no semi-linked brakes, a drum rear (that I never use), no Para-lever, no funny front-end. In short it's a form of two-wheeled purity that still has real-world performance and it really rewards planned riding.

Like Boxer's, the older K-Series have easy access to the oily bits, another good reason to own one.

(I have plans to sort out some cosmetics one day. Knowing me, it will turn into a full-on restoration. eBay seems to be stuffed with cheap parts as no-one seems to want 75's. I've been buying stuff in preparation. If I'm not careful, I'll end-up with enough to build another bike!)

The Franken-K, one of those ultra-special rally-equipped K1100RS Mk II models ... the old girl got me from Jacksonville, FL to San Diego, CA in a bit under 50 hours:

Rock On.

Hey Shogs! How are you and Steve doin? Next time you are back in town we'll have to take you back over to Clark's Fish Camp for old times sake.