BMW K bikes (Bricks)


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StocktonCrew

StocktonCrew
active member
active member
My husband has had a thing for BMW bikes since WAY before I met him, and I'm headed out tomorrow to look at an '88 K100LT with 54K miles on the clock for him.  It was stored for six or seven years, then brought out and gone through last year.  The seller says there are no knocking noises, cold or warm.  The bike looks like it is in nice shape and has been well maintained. He ran SeaFoam in the oil and fuel to de-gunk the injectors and engine after the bike sat for so long.  He says that the bike starts, idles, and runs like clockwork but there is some smoke coming from the exhaust.  Should this be a big worry, or do you think it could be a product of having sat for so long?  What else should I be on the lookout for?  I realize that there are no guarantees with any bike, let alone a used bike that is 30 years old, but I'm hoping to surprise my husband with something that he won't have to work on (at least substantially) for quite some time.  Thank you!

Darla

    

duck

duck
Life time member
Life time member
When you go to look at it have the seller start it and let it run until the fan comes on. (or the temp warning light comes on in the instrument cluster) Note that this can and probably will take several minutes of idling so a little patience will be required.

This will do two things:

1) Let you know that the fan is working.  On a bike that has sat for an extended period it is not uncommon for the fan motor to seize.  If the overheat light in the cluster comes on then the fan is probably seized and you'll be buying your husband a nice little fan replacement project right off the bat.

2) Get the smoking to stop.  Given the design of the engine, motor oil can seep past the piston rings into the combustion chamber which causes smoky exhaust.  This is normal for a bike that has sat for an extended period.  By letting the bike run until the fan comes most of that oil should burn off and the smoking should mostly go away.

Do YOU ride? Are you going to take it for a test ride?



Last edited by duck on Wed May 23, 2018 7:00 pm; edited 1 time in total


__________________________________________________
Current stable:
86 Custom K100 (standard fairing, K75 Belly pan, Ceramic chromed engine covers, paralever)
K75 Frankenbrick (Paralever, K11 front end, hybrid ABS, K1100RS fairing, radial tires)
86 K75C Turbo w/ paralever
94 K1100RS
93 K1100LT
91 K1
93 K75S (K11 front end)
91 K75S (K1 front end)
14 Yamaha WR250R
98 Taxi Cab K1200RS
14 K1600GT
http://www.ClassicKBikes.com
    

92KK 84WW Olaf

avatar
Life time member
Life time member
You need to look for a 'buy one get one free' offer.

The guys would all love a wife like you.....!


__________________________________________________
1992 K100LT 0193214 Bertha Blue 101,000 miles
1984 K100RT 0022575 Brutus Baja Red 578 bought 36,000 now 89,150 miles
1997 K1100LT 0188024 Wotan Mystic Red 689 58,645 now 106,950 miles Deceased.
1983 K100RS 0011157 Fricka 606 Alaska Blue 29,495 miles Damn K Pox Its a Bat outta Hell Now 58,200 miles. 
1996 K1100LT 0233004 Lohengrin Mystic Red 38,000 miles currently 51,800 miles.
1983 K100RS 0004449 Odette R100 colours 58,000 miles. Sprint fairing now 63,390 miles

Past:
1968 Yamaha 80 YG1
1971 Yamaha 125 YAS-1
1968 Honda 125 SS
1970 Honda CD 175
1973 Honda CB500-4
Honda CX 500
    

robmack

robmack
Life time member
Life time member
This web page by Ted Verrill will give good buying advice: http://www.verrill.com/moto/kbikebuyingguide.shtml


__________________________________________________
Robert
1987 K75 @k75retro.blogspot.ca
http://k75retro.blogspot.ca/
    

StocktonCrew

StocktonCrew
active member
active member
duck wrote:When you go to look at it have the seller start it and let it run until the fan comes on. (or the temp warning light comes on in the instrument cluster) Note that this can and probably will take several minutes of idling so a little patience will be required.

This will do two things:

1) Let you know that the fan is working.  On a bike that has sat for an extended period it is not uncommon for the fan motor to seize.  If the overheat light in the cluster comes on then the fan is probably seized and you'll be buying your husband a nice little fan replacement project right off the bat.

2) Get the smoking to stop.  Given the design of the engine, motor oil can seep past the piston rings into the combustion chamber which causes smoky exhaust.  This is normal for a bike that has sat for an extended period.  By letting the bike run until the fan comes most of that oil should burn off and the smoking should mostly go away.

Do YOU ride? Are you going to take it for a test ride
Thank you for the advice.  Yes, I do ride and plan on taking it out for a quick jaunt.  I've ridden for 20 years, and have worked on several of my bikes over the years, but they've all been metric bikes - totally unfamiliar with BMW's, so I'm admittedly a bit anxious.


__________________________________________________
"Vincit qui se vincit"


His:   1988 BMW K100LT
         1982 Yamaha Vision

Hers: 1994 Yamaha VMax
         1989 Yamaha FZR400
         1979 Yamaha DT125
    

Dai

Dai
Life time member
Life time member
The BMW's a metric bike too! It's just that the engine is an odd way round. Very Happy They are extremely easy to work on because of that odd design.


__________________________________________________
1983 K100 naked upgraded to K100LT spec after spending time as an RS and an RT
1987 K100RT
Others...
1978 Moto Guzzi 850-T3, 1979 Moto Guzzi 850-T3 California,1993 Moto Guzzi 1100ie California
2020 Royal Enfield Bullet 500
    

StocktonCrew

StocktonCrew
active member
active member
Dai wrote:The BMW's a metric bike too! It's just that the engine is an odd way round. Very Happy They are extremely easy to work on because of that odd design.
Haha.  Yeah, sorry about that.  I meant Japanese sportbike metric.   Very Happy


__________________________________________________
"Vincit qui se vincit"


His:   1988 BMW K100LT
         1982 Yamaha Vision

Hers: 1994 Yamaha VMax
         1989 Yamaha FZR400
         1979 Yamaha DT125
    

indian036

indian036
Life time member
Life time member
As Duck says, the engine layout makes some smoking at startup common, and more so if its been on the side stand. If it clears fairly quickly, and if its only a small amount after its been on the centre stand, you'll be in the same situation as most of us, and happy when on the bike.

Dai is right about them being easy to work on, though if you're not familiar with fuel injection, there is a bit of a learning curve. The advice here is just the thing for riding that curve. Smile

Bill


__________________________________________________
1985 K100RT  VIN 0028991  My original Very Happy ROB the Red Old Bike   (Historic rego)
1985 K100RT  VIN 0029036  BOB the Blue Old Bike  (Historic rego)
1990 K100LT  VIN 0190452  Work in progress
1984 K100RT  VIN 0023022  Work needing lots of progress

1986 K100RT  VIN 0090542  Work needing lots and lots of progress
1993 K1100LT  VIN 0183046  Work in progress
1993 K75S  VIN 0213045  Tom the Triple (now on Historic rego too.)
    

StocktonCrew

StocktonCrew
active member
active member
Thank you all so much for all of the pointers - can't tell you how much I appreciate it!  He busts his butt and sacrifices a lot of the things he would like to have and do, so that the kids and I can enjoy the life that we do, so I'm really trying to not screw this up and wind up with more headache for him to have to deal with.


__________________________________________________
"Vincit qui se vincit"


His:   1988 BMW K100LT
         1982 Yamaha Vision

Hers: 1994 Yamaha VMax
         1989 Yamaha FZR400
         1979 Yamaha DT125
    

Tesla13BMW

Tesla13BMW
Silver member
Silver member
For some the maintenance and fixing of the K's is a big part of the love affair.

Oops - should I be saying affair to the wife of who the bike is going to?

Do be warned you may be giving your loving husband a disease.  Kpox is mentioned around here a bit.

I don't have it, I only have two K's although the third is in the wind, and to celebrate it will have three wheels cheers


__________________________________________________
Brisbane, Australia.  '86 K100RS
    

StocktonCrew

StocktonCrew
active member
active member
Well, pulled the trigger.  No strange noises, shifts well, no gears slipping when I hit the throttle anywhere on the tach in any gear, brakes were good and smooth, electrical in good shape, etc etc.  Power was very linear and smooth (and quick to come on in mid to top end!) once she was fully warm.  Oh, and it handled great!  It never warmed up enough for the fan to come on.  I asked about it, and the seller stated that he had only seen the bike get hot enough for the fan to come on when sitting idle in road construction on a hot day.  It was blowing a small amount of smoke at the end of the test ride, but not much, and was running just as smooth as you please. The seller stated that it had been ridden maybe 20 miles since he pulled it out of storage, so I'm hoping that the smoke is just due to it having sat for six or seven years.  Hoses, plastics, and wiring all looked good.  No noticeable leaks, at least not after the test ride.  It's a 30 year old bike, and a chance any way you slice it, but at $1800 US for a fully functioning, nice running, decent shape, throw-a-leg-over and go BMW, I decided to go for it.  I'm going to get plates tomorrow, then ride it home on Saturday.  My husband still doesn't have a clue.  Here's hoping he's excited and not pissed when he sees me pull into the driveway.  Thanks again for all of the advice, and I'm sure we'll be back to beg for more.  Very Happy

Shamrock


__________________________________________________
"Vincit qui se vincit"


His:   1988 BMW K100LT
         1982 Yamaha Vision

Hers: 1994 Yamaha VMax
         1989 Yamaha FZR400
         1979 Yamaha DT125
    

duck

duck
Life time member
Life time member
Congrats. cheers Sounds like a decent deal.

The fan will come on if you let it idle long enough, even in cooler weather. But it does take a while.


__________________________________________________
Current stable:
86 Custom K100 (standard fairing, K75 Belly pan, Ceramic chromed engine covers, paralever)
K75 Frankenbrick (Paralever, K11 front end, hybrid ABS, K1100RS fairing, radial tires)
86 K75C Turbo w/ paralever
94 K1100RS
93 K1100LT
91 K1
93 K75S (K11 front end)
91 K75S (K1 front end)
14 Yamaha WR250R
98 Taxi Cab K1200RS
14 K1600GT
http://www.ClassicKBikes.com
    

Dai

Dai
Life time member
Life time member
Well, you know where to point him for help and advice!


__________________________________________________
1983 K100 naked upgraded to K100LT spec after spending time as an RS and an RT
1987 K100RT
Others...
1978 Moto Guzzi 850-T3, 1979 Moto Guzzi 850-T3 California,1993 Moto Guzzi 1100ie California
2020 Royal Enfield Bullet 500
    

caveman

caveman
Life time member
Life time member
It sounds like you may end up with a case of K-poxs; Not that there is anything wrong with that.

    

StocktonCrew

StocktonCrew
active member
active member
caveman wrote:It sounds like you may end up with a case of K-poxs; Not that there is anything wrong with that.
If this old girl proves to be reliable in the long run, I can totally see that happening.  Dave (husband) and I are as bad as each other when it comes to these older, don't-see-many-around types of bikes.  I believe it's called a glutton for punishment. Very Happy


__________________________________________________
"Vincit qui se vincit"


His:   1988 BMW K100LT
         1982 Yamaha Vision

Hers: 1994 Yamaha VMax
         1989 Yamaha FZR400
         1979 Yamaha DT125
    

caveman

caveman
Life time member
Life time member
They don't win many beauty contest but are as reliable if not more than the good Japanese rigs. Also most repair (rarely needed) can be completed with out the need for special test equipment or software.

    

Point-Seven-five

Point-Seven-five
Life time member
Life time member
It sounds like you may already be doomed to suffer from the KPox.  My personal case of KPox has been encouraged by the interchangeability of so many parts between models and years.  Also, once you learn to work on one, the rest are all pretty much the same.  That really reduces the amount of data storage in the old skull.  That they don't require many tools beyond the kit that comes with the bike is a bonus, too.

While they aren't the sexiest bikes on the road with their funky 80's styling, the mechanical bits are rather elegant which also adds to the pleasure of owning and working on them.


__________________________________________________
Present: 1991 K100RS "Moby Brick Too"
 
Past:
1994 K75RT "Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS"
1988 K100RS SE "Special Ed"
1994 K75S "Cheetos"
1992 K100RS "Moby Brick" R.I.P.
1982 Honda FT500
1979 Honda XR185
1977 Honda XL125
1974 Honda XL125
1972 OSSA Pioneer 250
1968 Kawasaki 175
    

SteveK1

SteveK1
Silver member
Silver member
I hope you and your husband enjoy the K100LT and the nice roads around Northern Michigan around Lake Huron. It's funny, I just drove through your town a couple times this long weekend; to and from Presque Isle. I recently relocated to NYC, but I'll be getting back to Michigan roads before too long.

Enjoy the new bike


__________________________________________________
BMW K1 1990
BMW R60 /5 1973
BMW R100R 1992
Honda CB360T 1975
    

StocktonCrew

StocktonCrew
active member
active member
Update:  Husband was shocked.  His first concern was "how much," then came the inspection and the smile.  Purchasing a K100 for my husband - things to look for? 723598 Because of the long weekend, I wasn't able to get the plate and rego until Tuesday, and between running with work and kids, my mother visiting over the weekend, and bad weather, he's yet to take it out.  But boy, does he want to.  And he is not the only one. Very Happy He's already looking to change a couple of cosmetic things more to his liking....with a smile on his face, I might add.

As for me, well, I can't get over what a pleasure that old K-Bike is to take down the highway.

I think I have KPox.  Shocked


__________________________________________________
"Vincit qui se vincit"


His:   1988 BMW K100LT
         1982 Yamaha Vision

Hers: 1994 Yamaha VMax
         1989 Yamaha FZR400
         1979 Yamaha DT125
    

Barry in IN

Barry in IN
Silver member
Silver member
A story that brings a tear to my eye!


__________________________________________________
1992 K75s
    

Chocolate

Chocolate
Life time member
Life time member
StocktonCrew wrote:

I think I have KPox.  Shocked

Well done ! Purchasing a K100 for my husband - things to look for? 112350


__________________________________________________
Only a few activities make me experience my senses in a way motorcycle riding does, it is like swimming in the nude in a river.
K75 BA/1992 ABS, K75 BA/1991 noABS, Ducati, Mobylette M1/1973
    

Crazy Frog

Crazy Frog
admin
admin
You registered on the forum for only a week and you already get an award. Very Happy
Purchasing a K100 for my husband - things to look for? 71aihk10


__________________________________________________
Purchasing a K100 for my husband - things to look for? Frog15Purchasing a K100 for my husband - things to look for? Logo2101986 k75, 1985 K100rt, 1985 K100rt/EML GT2 sidecar, 1999 K1200lt/Hannigan Astro Sport sidecar.
    

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