Mr K does not have any such rubber boots ! Certainly the wind does whistle through the gaps but not to any great annoyance. Does anyone think it would be worth fitting them ; I do plan to ride the bike throughout the year.
all comments most welcome and once again thanks in anticipation.

Fork boots are necessary, you can get a stone hit the metal and ruin your seals as easy as piss.
however, the appearance is better without them.
Ajays

Riding year round here in the Northwest really requires fork boots if you don't want to be changing out your seals on a fairly regular basis. I'm with Ajays about the appearance, but in the end functionality and the PITA factor of not having them on the bike won out!
OG

When you talk fork boots are you referring to the rubber gaiters that go in the fairing and stop the air passing up into the fairing from the fork area or are you referring to the concertina covers which go over the fork tubes. The fairing gaiters tend I am told to increase the heat behind the fairing, whereas the concertina covers are a really good idea to protect the fork tubes from dust and dirt which can damage the seals.
Regards,
K-BIKE

Fit the boots...it looks better. BMW did make a "scoop" type fitting years ago that replaced the boots/gaiters/whatever they're called.

The boots were removed and scoops fitted to improve cooling of the fuel tank so it would depend if you have an issue in that area.

I find my tank getting warm in quite low temperatures and is great in Winter but for the warmer climates definitely unpleasant.

the part i`m referring to is the fork boot that fills the gap in the front fairing. I certainly hadnt considered the damage limitation aspect so on balance i think it would be wise to source some rather than continue to let the wind blow through the gap . Autumn is approaching quickly too!
thanks again

The only damage part you need to worry about is the chrome section of the forks which the concertina type rubber gaiters protect.

If you are going to fit the other rubber boots you may have to remove the forks anyway so a good time to fit gaiters as well as new fork oil etc.

I have seen leather laceup covers that protect the chrome slider. Effective if you haven't time to remove the forks to fit the expanding rubber gaiters.
Ajays

I got those on my RS. The big RT/LT ones look too big on an RS for my taste, but I definitely would have a look for some sort of protection for the fork, as already mentioned by the others...

Hi Alex,
Nice to see you on here, how about a picture for the lad and where he might get a pair of leather ones.
Ajays.

Hey Ajays,

I'll do that tomorrow (it's dark and rainy ), but they're not leather (sorry for the misunderstanding). They're neoprene an will be attached with two cable clips (top and bottom). Anyway, you'll see tomorrow...

Are we talking about this:

I have a set on my K75 and have a spare one to fit on the K100 (winter job)

Kbikeparts.com has one brand new set for sale for ...... $15.00
Who will get them first?

So here you go, these are my 'fork socks':










On pack comes with 2 of them, but they're pretty long. I cut them in half to shorten them, but I'm thinking about using them alle way up and painting the fork and rim black...

Alex,
Thanks for that.
If these are mounted with the forks in situ, being strapped top and bottom, doesn't this expose a split when the forks are depressed?
I think these look better than the original rubber ones.
Where are these obtained?
Nice bike, Ajays

First of all sorry for the huge pics. I meant to have it as links to the pics

I found them by searching for 'Gabelschützer' on ebay.de
I just had a quick look on ebay.co.uk and found similar ones with 'fork protectors neoprene'

Then, concerning your question Ajays, maybe I got it wrong, but just to make it more clear. They're actually like a sock cut open on the lower part and with the tyre and brakes removed you slip'em on. The lower cable clip is practically fixed, due to the forks plastic cap underneath it. The upper cable clip can move together with the fork. The only worry I have is the upper end collecting dirt in the part between the top end of the 'sock' and the cable clip (is that what you meant by the split being exposed?). I will be watching it reagularly to make sure this is not the case (I put them on just 500km ago) and will let you know if so...

Alex_GER wrote:First of all sorry for the huge pics. I meant to have it as links to the pics

Don't be sorry, they were just a link and I modified your post to have them directly displayed with the post.

Bert

Ok, cool then...

I am so massively pleased to see that my simple question has resulted in such a full discussion. Full marks to all of you and to this wonderful forum.

jonnyqq wrote:I am so massively pleased to see that my simple question has resulted in such a full discussion. Full marks to all of you and to this wonderful forum.

How do you think we all got the experience? We share, debate and learn. Yes I agree, what's a wonderful forum.
Other forums are great too, but this one is very technical and this is what people experiencing problems are looking for. Contrarily to some other BMW forums, we stayed focused on one type of engine (K100) and only recently expanded to the 3 cylinders (K75).
Owing both models, it was a difficult choice for me, but at the end it pays off to everybody.
The community is slowly but steadily growing, and quality is better than quantity -ask your wife for her opinion - (Sorry, but this one was too easy to pass!)
Kudos to everybody!