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

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?

You need to look for a 'buy one get one free' offer.

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

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

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.

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

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

Haha.  Yeah, sorry about that.  I meant Japanese sportbike metric.  

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.

Bill

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.

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

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. 

Congrats. 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.

Well, you know where to point him for help and advice!

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

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.

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.

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

Update:  Husband was shocked.  His first concern was "how much," then came the inspection and the smile.  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.  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. 

A story that brings a tear to my eye!

StocktonCrew wrote:

I think I have KPox. 

Well done ! 

You registered on the forum for only a week and you already get an award.