BMW K75 Questions

[TimeMachinE30]

and quite short. Why waste it being scared?

Everything is a calculated risk.

If I make a mistake OK. I can live with that. When someone else's mistake costs me I cannot draw the same conclusion as you.

My advice was not out of fear but from wisdom.

May you never experience the pain of a loved one's life lost in this way.

[Gerta]

Stonea,
My first road bike was a 92 K75s. A great bike that I had for almost 4 years until I traded it for an 87 M6. I did all the maintenance on it myself and most parts are still available from the dealer. I bought it with 50K miles and rode it almost 10K miles. No issues with reliability and the last ride was a cross country ride of 5600 miles. I did add an electronic cruise control and it had all the hard luggage which made long hauls much easier. I grew up on the dirt, both riding and racing through my teens and twenties. I had the K75s in my 40's and now own a 04 K1200gt. The K75 is a little taller than my newer bike but very good handling bike with low center of mass due to the motor orientation. If you enjoy the e30s you will love the K75, very smooth motor and has a lot of the character of the e30 cars. I would recommend the defensive riders class for motorcycles. It teaches you how to be safe on a bike, you will look at traffic differently. Good luck.
Tim Allred

That's a great post there Tim. I may have to hit you up to discuss as I am thinking of getting a couple for the wife and I.

[Dozyproductions]

i've always thought v4 bikes were interesting. no surprise parts are expensive though, considering how they're not very common.

what's the bolt for? $15 is pretty damn high for a bolt... must be for something weird

It's fun under the sun and the last of the cam driven of that line. The bolt is one of the 6 bolts holding up the rear fairing. Nothing special :(

[jalopi]

O_o that's weird. mcmaster or fastenall don't have something that'd work?

[scabzzzz]

ill bite...

i had a k100 rs for a year or so. it had about 40k miles on it when i got it but i've seen others like mine in the same shape with over 100k miles.... hell, my bike ran like trash but still started and got around even with melting wiring harness and everything. somebody installed a 16v battery and the bike slowly went to shit because of it. they're solid bikes and a niche and worth buying. not as iconic as the R series bike IMO but worth having and riding. very reliable and robust. great to ride in general.

[pb34]

Well I'm the guy that bought the bike :P thanks for warning me Stone.

I had originally been looking at the K series because they are relatively cheap, high quality, fuel injected, shaft drive, all disk breaks, and can be make to look better with only a little effort. Not to mention, they are literally smaller displacement M42s on their side!

I had wanted an airhead for their simplicity and classic appeal, but the prices have been following the E30 tax: Through. The. Roof. But then this airhead popped up and a few weeks later the guy drastically lowered his price so I jumped on it. He was a younger guy trying to buy a house, but it is in impeccable condition, says he bought it from an older guy plus theres over $3k in service records.

I really wanted a classic cruiser. Im not about speed, I drive a 318i :).
And I plan on taking a rider safety course.

Any other good suggestions?

[scabzzzz]

K bikes are pretty fast. Faster than your 318i!

[Gerta]

Scabzzzz - What would you consider high mileage on one of these bikes? I'm seeing stuff from 18k up to 72k ...

[scabzzzz]

Scabzzzz - What would you consider high mileage on one of these bikes? I'm seeing stuff from 18k up to 72k ...

im not sure how to answer that because i've seen them all the way up to 200k miles. they're like e30s, if its in good enough shape, runs, and the price is right, then buy it.

[Gerta]

Scabzzzz - thanks man!

For those new riders out there (or who are just doing the research like me to start riding): http://www.verrill.com/moto/newkbike.shtml

Any of you experienced BMW bike guys share some links that you find helpful please!

[pb34]

For a K series, and since its water cooled (extends serviceable engine life), I'd say anything 75,000 plus is high mileage. Especially since these were meant to be long distance touring bikes people will put miles on them. But if you keep your eye out, there plenty of fair weather rides that have them for sub 50K miles in good condition that they are trying to get rid of because they are "outdated, ugly 90s bikes"

Gerta, That site is awesome!!! Anything for airheads??

[Gerta]

pb ... nothing I have found on airheads. I've never ever ridden before, so I've got a small budget for bike and larger budget for riding gear (I'm also a big guy). Whatever I get I want to be able to wrench on it.

[pb34]

Haha I haven't ridden yet either apart from dirt bikes. But yeah gear is going to be a pretty penny.

I know it isn't BMW, but kinda related to previous posts, but you should take a look for Suzukis.

The Suzuki gs550 from the 80s look exactly like the Honda 550 and are just about as reliable / powerful, but they have all disk breaks which weren't on the Honda yet. They can be had for less than $1,000 and still have that classic look and can be cafe'd if thats your cup of tea.

Or like they said the GS500 is a damn good entry twin. Its air cool with disk brakes so its simple and easy to wrench, but gives you a more modern feel, but it isn't overly sporty or boring.

[Gerta]

I'll take a look. Thanks man! Nothing fancy needed here seeing as I am sure I will need a steep learning curve.

[Gerta]

ha! Check this out: http://bellingham.craigslist.org/mcy/4972369314.html