Hi All. New here. Have a read of my troubles. 

Serves me right for buying an old k75. Love the thing but so far it has broken my heart. Typical to buy an old bike that was running and a few weeks later I nearly have it running again. It is currently at a mechanic in Co Cork as I have given up on it after the following. Full service, fork seals, new rear shock, coolant system flush, radiator repair, several electrical gremlins, new seat, and unfortunately a new throttle body after discovering that the previous owner had done the one thing we are all told not to do, yes fu*^ed with the throttle sync screws. 

I was doing well there for a while but when I swapped out the throttle body for the life of me I could not get it to start and run so I have admitted defeat and given it to a professional. (probably should have done that in the first place) 

Anyways I do look forward to driving it one day. Ah, the joys of old motorcycling...

I am sure i will post again soon and hopefully it will be about the joys of riding around Ireland on a working BMW K75.

Hi Jay welKome to the Knuthaus.  Best thing I can say is keep at it they are worth the trouble and hang about here and learn as much as you can then fixing it is a whole lot easier and cheaper when you do it yourself.

Once you get it dialed in it should be a good reliable steed with only gas & oil.  Just remember to ride the snot out of it. K75s like that.

Welkome aboard this great forum from a fellow K75 owner. Once sorted you will be well rewarded - most of us on here that own them love them.

Down here in Oz we would normally advise against taking your bike to a "professional" as the number of stories of large $$ spent with poor outcomes far outnumbers the opposite result.

Best advice is to get to know any fellow forum members in your region who will most likely enjoy giving a hand and get a thread going on here and ask away. I am confident there is more K bike knowledge on this forum than in virtually any dealership or motorbike workshop. As Rick says you then get to know your bike - sometimes needs patience.

Cheers

I am in Cork and in Limerick most weeks. I hope you found Jimmy here for your K75....he's yer mon as he does know his Ks inside out.

Don't be afraid to PM me, a few forum members in Cork and a few more between here and Limerick.

Be warned we meet up a few days after Christmas for a Christmas Brunch so hope you make it. Stradbally Fayre at Stradbally near Portlaoise is the normal venue and a post will be up shortly looking at dates of 27/28/29 December. Meet about 11am and depart about 1:30 so you can do family stuff and travel both ways in daylight.

Hello and welcome!

As befits their German lineage, the K's are the epitome of engineering logic.  Don't get me wrong, they can be quirky as hell (my personal database is comprised of one machine - unlike many others on this forum) but usually the solution to any issue can be found.  I have owned a bunch of other bikes but I can't remember getting to know any of them quite the same as I have with 'ol 052667.  At the end of the day you will likely become your own best expert.

      "most of us on here that own them love them"    Gaz, author


A show of hands please.  Who on this forum does not love their K?  


One of the very best things about this forum is the willingness to share either online or in person.  There isn't a dealership on the planet, BMW or otherwise, who can offer the level of support and at this kind of price, than right where you find yourself.


I hope your K comes back to you ready to hit the open road      Enjoy!

Welcome aboard mate.  Lots of info and support here!

Hey Folks. 

Thanks for all the messages of welcome and support, its also good to know that there are a few other K nutters out there, the chap in cork is not a main stealer, I am a little desperate to get the problem solved but I am not mental..  

I gave the bike to Andy Hourigan in Newmarket who came very highly recommended as a BMW guy, he also has things like an actual workshop, vacuum gauges and knowledge as opposed to a shed and a good guess. 

I do hope to get it back soon and get on the road, i have a friend up here in Limerick who is on a 1987 FJ1200 and another fellow who just got himself a 90s gs1100 both are eager to get out and about for some winter miles. 

I will certainly get in touch with future and would absolutely be up for meeting after Christmas for a burn/brunch. I will bring the other two along if its cool. 

I will let you know how I go and what the solution was.

The problem is after I replaced the throttle body the bike was running like a bag of spanners, would only start and run with the choke fully open and a feck ton of cranking. Have spark, have fuel, bike was running rich and lumpy before I changed out the throttle body (which came from Motorworks off of a running bike) Was v careful putting everything back together but no dice, opinions???

Thanks all.. 

J

I can second the Andy Hourigan recommendation.

He serviced my K1200GS and I will be back up to him soon to do the 35k (big-ass valves and plugs) service.

Andy is indeed dead sound, a lot closer to you too.

"most of us on here that own them love them"    Gaz, author


A show of hands please.  Who on this forum does not love their K?  

Agree Woodie that we all love our K bikes but in that reference I was indicating my enthusiasm in particular for the K75.

Cheer

I'll drop in and also say welcome to the new bloke from the Emerald Isle. Ah, the love affair with the K...

Over the years, with my red RS stored in a lonely shed in Queensland, and with me working in the States for a while, I occasionally entertain thoughts of parting with the machine. It's far away. I pay rent on the space. I have other bikes with which I can frolic more frequently. I sometimes live like there's no big river in Egypt. Da Nile.

That's what I do to myself, imagine it as just a machine, an object, denying its right to be the full-blooded, tempestuous, life-giving maedchen of Teutonic precision and soul that she rightfully deserves to be! And I think of selling her off like so much metal and rubber and oil seepage (she is old enough to smoke, but somehow she doesn't).

Then I return, lately not for a year or two, and slip the key into the padlock, throwing light into interminable darkness, shimmy inside, slide her hefty frame down from the mainstand, slip her between narrow passages, down cool concrete halls, past roll-up doors and out into the harsh sub-tropical sunlight of the Lucky Country. With a few fresh volts and a check of her vitals she never fails to light a fire and settles into a steady idle with the steadfastness of a country-bred hausfrau rhythmically chopping vegetables. 

In a sweat the gear is donned, leg thrown over the slab-sided panels, bum settled into the saddle, a quick stab of the go handle, clutch released, feet up and away. First a walk, slowly building to a canter, followed by a trot. Past industrial buildings, through a few roundabouts, the road opens, traffic eases, the scenic vista spreads before you to reveal she's barely breathing hard and you're both entwined in the symbiotic, fully natural ritual of bends and throttle, counter-steering and brakes, the gallop happening beneath you and you wonder why you ever had a doubt.

Well and beautifully said TWB. 

I hear ya Gaz.  I am torn right now while contemplating my next K purchase.  There is a 100 that is close by that is a good price, could use a lot of love and has a Luftmeister exhaust to boot.  But then I think that what I really want is a 75.....

Get both..!!

If you are in Cork Jimmy was the main dealer [at Kearys Motorrad] for quite a while and knows his K bikes inside out. He set my K100RT up totally by ear/feel and then takes out the gauges when he has done that to see what's needed. His touch is so good all the gauges are to him is a check. A bit like my kids being pitch perfect musicians.

My K1100LT will be heading over to him shortly for a new timing chain and valve clearance check......I have plans afoot to go to Kedada Alicante having discovered the Cork Santander ferry is running over the winter.

Look forward to catching up when you have the K back.

Success!. 

Picked the bike up from Andy today and it runs like a clock. Was worried that i may have caused more problems than i had solved when i swapped out the throttle body but thankfully all it needed was tuning up the air bypass screws and TPS. 

All that is left to do now is get the fairing back on and get it out for a ride. Hoping to get it out to lough Derg tomorrow for a short spin if the weather holds. 

He did mention that the sprag clutch / starter clutch is a bit weak and a hoour to get to as it is buried deep within the engine. Guess i will put that one on the next winter list. This winter will be final drive splines but only if the snow comes.. 

Anyways will offer a thoroughly shining recommendation for Andy the k magician. 

See you out on the road soon. 

j

Sprag clutch is deep inside but if you are in at the clutch or rear main seal its not so far further in. Regular oil changes are critical in that too.

It should not take long to get fairing back on. Weather is looking good for a Lough Derg outing......I have plans for an outing too.

Hey J

I enjoyed reading this post.
The initial frustration
Plenty of encouragement
Then success ! 

Been through the same rollercoaster myself, and I learned 2 things ;
1. Going through the troubleshooting process and having "to work for it" makes you love the bike even more because once she runs and you know the ins and outs, there are no bikes like BMWs for reliability.
2. This forum is special and with a lot of really competent people ready to take time out of their lives to help you get through any issue you might have.

I am myself someone who have benefited a lot from that generosity.

I was initially looking for a K75 myself before stumbling over a K100 insead. Always wanted to try one. I hear they are a sweet ride.

Enjoy the ride.