Hi Ya'll

I am pondering a 85K100lt

I was wondering what the watt output is on this thing.  I'd like to do some heated gear.

Also any issues I should be aware besides:

speedo not working

hot in the summer

chk to see if the final drive has been lubed.


The thing needs tires I reckon.  What is a set gonna cost me roughly?

Thanks!!

We shall see.

Great to see you on board!!!

1985 it is going to be a K100RT as the LT came later. Essentially the same, mechanically, fairing, are identical apart from usual updates.

If you go into the portal page here there is a link to what to do if you have just bought a K bike. Have a read of that.

Under the clutch bell housing, near the back of the engine there is a 1/4 inch diameter hole. Make sure no oil is coming from it.

At the front of the engine is the coolant/oil pump. Make sure no leak coming from it.

If the centre stand has the curved feet be advised they break unexpectedly and land your bike over, can be expensive. I changed on 2 Ks to K1100 complete assemblies as they don't break. Complete assembly is a straight change.  

I can't comment on price of tyres there, but your conditions in cold and rain are similar to our and I use Bridgestone Battlax BT45 but others use different and are happy.

Alternator can be upgraded to K1100 ones and they have higher output.

Welcome! 

If you use LED driving lights, the 32amp alternator will have about 100 watts available for heated gear. 

The RT airing is very efficient at keeping engine heat in.  There are lots of things folks have done over the years to cool things down a little.

That first peek at the splines of a new bike is pretty scary.  My experience is that if the bike has been well maintained cosmetically the chances are good the splines have been cared for as well.

The RT is not what I would consider a canyon carver, it's real job is to put massive amounts of asphalt behind you in comfort.  To that end I go for tires that handle well but have a fairly low cost per thousand miles.  My K75RT runs on Shinko 230 Tourmasters.  If you can mount and balance them yourself you can get a set(front and rear) that should give you over 9,000 miles, online for under $180.  If you shop around you might be able to get a set mounted on your wheels(you remove the wheels from the bike) for around $250-275, maybe less. 

Depending on the problem, the speedo might be repairable.  It could be simple or complex/expensive depending on the problem.  Early K100's are known to have had speedometer issues.  What is the specific problem here?

As far as common issues, I have had miserable luck with rear brake master cylinders.  So far I have had to replace four of them.  I've also had overheating issues caused by mineral buildup in the cooling passages and massive amounts of bugs and dirt in the cooling fins.  You also would be smart to figure on replacing the rubber hoses for the fuel lines and breather as well as planning on cleaning the interior of the fuel tank if the bike has been idle for an extended time with ethanol fuel in the tank.

thanks for the replies.

Yes it is an rt.  I had been looking at some 1100Lts a few months back.  I musta had it on the brain.

I've emailed but no response yet.  I like to do email first so I can get my Q's answered / see what response/seller I'm dealing with.  Most good ones respond via email even though they might not want to.  If I have to drive a fair bit, I kinda like to know who I am dealing with.   That's me. I'm not in a hurry to find something ....an  affordable bike with a fairing/windshield, upright seating, easy to work on, fairly reliable, not expensive - good elec. output, bags, not a Goldwing.  BMW's have attracted me for some reason even though I've gotten a lot of advice to stay away.  I've had a few older GW's I liked but I want something a bit lighter/smaller.  I have a 78 GL1000 now but its set up as a naked bike.  I don't ride it much because of that.  I like having it in the garage though.

That said,  here is the ad.  If it isn't cool to post them my bad - I will edit it out..
https://portland.craigslist.org/clk/mcy/d/la-center-vintage-bmw-1985-k100r/7134827016.html
I'm guessing it would need tires.  Looks like the rear m/c was replaced. hmmm.....   no mention of the speedo.  former owner was a fighter pilot - they usually are a little meticulous / detailed about things. 

everyone's idea of condition - good, fair, and excellent seems to be a matter of perception/opinion/i need to inflate it a little to get someone to show up.  I've been disappointed mostly and have missed out on deals cause I didn't believe it was that good.  He says "good"  Kinda hard to tell with the pics posted.  It isn't 'excellent' - its 35yrs old so there is that.. 
If it was close I would go look at it, but its a 2-3hr drive.

Looks OK and with the work he has done I would say it's worth the drive.

It is a tough call. Looks well kept but I would stay away from the 1985 one hit wonder.
The fuel level sender is of the old type thermistor design, is all rubber on the outside and is NLA 'no longer available'.
When that fuel level sender starts leaking or is partially disintegrating on the outside your SOL

I would confirm the year actually is a 1985 by the last 7 #'s of the VIN in the BMW Max Fiche

Looks to be in good condition cosmetically, but I wonder how many miles it has.  The price is higher than what I would pay for an '85 RT.  The stuff that was done is not high dollar service other than for the rear master cylinder. 

I would ask if the speedo works and how many miles the bike has.  For $2750 I would want to see a working speedo and real documented mileage under 50,000.  Early speedos had problems and were replaced under warranty.  When that was done, the dealer put a sticker under the seat saying what the mileage was on the old speedometer.

Being an estate item, the seller(s) are being typically over optimistic on the price.  If it's a fresh listing, they are not going to be very negotiable on price. IMO a 2-3 hour drive is too far to go to haggle over the price of a bike with unknown and unverified mileage.

Thanks for that volador.  I'm learning.  I will keep that in mind.  85 was special eh? 
My old wing has a lot of those NLA parts but I've managed to round up replacements.  no main bearings to be had but I picked up a spare motor for $25.

Point-Seven-Five,

All good points.  I've have noticed estate sellers to be as such myself.  There is this local 1100 rt with under 7k miles that started out at $8500 years ago - its down to $5500 and still for sale. 

I did not hear back from the seller.  I left my ph# too in case he really wanted to call me.  I mighta asked too many questions.  That right there weeds out a bunch.  Not going to pursue it further.

I didn't know there was a k100rt before this.  
I will have to do a little more research.

I'm still open to an old BMW for their character and community.  I don't know if they have more issues than other old bikes but when they do does seem like it can get spendy quicker.  Probably just my uneducated observation at this point.

thanks again

Some people get really hung up on low miles K bikes.

They can be nice cosmetically but lack of use leaves rubbers, seals, hoses perished and a lot of other things needing service, plus out of date tyres.

A well used K and 40-70,000 miles and really good maintenance is the ideal.

I picked up a nice 83 K100RS 29,000 miles and it hooked me completely. Old registration, in very good condition having been in a heated boat shed for 17 years. The seller was reasonable and his asking price made sense. But.....it needed the obvious K bike items and I knew the things to expect and had a budget. Turned out the budget was exceeded by a very small amount. But I would have been distressed if this had hit me out of the blue. I am looking at another very nice K bike that still has original tyres and I have no doubt its looking at bad rubbers, seals and a lot more as it hasn't moved in many many years.

Your mileage may vary, but I have found that old K bikes are arguably the best buy in motos you can find.  The engines are easily capable of 200,000 miles, they are comfortable and can cover a thousand miles in a day, more if the rider can handle it.

They are can be maintained by any reasonably mechanical owner for not very much money.  The problems most of them have are from sitting neglected for many years, and once they are brought up to proper operating condition they are as reliable as any modern bike.  Lots of parts are available on the internet so you don't always have to go to the dealer.

I have three of them in the garage right now.  My K75RT has been out to the western U.S. four times and circled the Great Lakes.  If the border opens up, I hope to ride it to Fairbanks, Alaska this summer.  It has 94,000 miles on it.

Keep looking, you will find a good one.

A well maintained K on 100,000 miles or more and a good number of years in the one ownership is going to be a better buy than a 5,000 mile one that's sat for 25 years. Ok the 5,000 mile one may look better, but is got a heap of jobs coming before its as reliable as a 5,000 mile one a year old.

Build up a good parts store.....its a great money saver.