Ok, New to the site. For a while I had a 94 R1100RS and sold it to my buddy. Now I have a 88 K75c that I bought a week ago but it's Ohio in the winter so no riding! I gentleman that I purchased a BMW rear cargo box is also selling a 94 K110LT and looks damn near identical of my old bike. Same paint as well. Where can I look for the difference? Is one more powerful than the other or is one just a higher model? Thanks, I'm thinking about getting his bike is why I'm asking.

If I'm reading your question right you're asking for the diff tween an R1100 Oilhead, boxer twin with about 85 to 90 hp, four valve sihc (not sohc), five speed, with Telelever front, Paralever rear suspension. There are at least four variants
of this model: GS, R, RS & RT.

A K1100 is a four valve head, four cylinder dohc with about 100hp, traditional forks, Paralever, five speed with a fair bit more weight, model dependent. There were two variants: RS & LT.

Here's a site where you can compare specs.

Badass! Thank you! I am looking to ride with my veterans group and like the older bikes but it has to be over 800cc

Two Wheels Better wrote:If I'm reading your question right you're asking for the diff tween an R1100 Oilhead, boxer twin with about 85 to 90 hp, four valve sihc (not sohc), five speed, with Telelever front, Paralever rear suspension. There are at least four variants
of this model: GS, R, RS & RT.

A K1100 is a four valve head, four cylinder dohc with about 100hp, traditional forks, Paralever, five speed with a fair bit more weight, model dependent. There were two variants: RS & LT.

 The one I am looking at is the 94 K1100LT for $3K

A most perfect long distance bike. That came with ABS but that may had stopped working.

rushtk wrote:Badass! Thank you! I am looking to ride with my veterans group and like the older bikes but it has to be over 800cc

Why 800cc? The capacity is not the power of a bike. For example 1200cc Hardly Davidson about 60 bhp, 600cc Suzuki GSXR 125 bhp.

BobT wrote:

rushtk wrote:Badass! Thank you! I am looking to ride with my veterans group and like the older bikes but it has to be over 800cc

Why 800cc? The capacity is not the power of a bike. For example 1200cc Hardly Davidson about 60 bhp, 600cc Suzuki GSXR 125 bhp.

The Combat Veterans Motorcycle club requires all the bikes be over 800cc. I have a 84 goldwing aspencade 1200 that us modded but I think I would like a old BMW with some class to ride with them. I am trying to get the turn signals and horn to work so I can get it inspected and an Ohio title. 

Knowing what your friends are trying to accomplish with their displacement requirements, I'm surprised they don't have the minimum displacement in cubic inches and possibly mandate a manufacturing Zip Code of 17402.

I think the 800cc limit is meant to exclude anything smaller than a Sportster.

It's kind of surprising because a lot of the Viet Nam vets I know are downsizing to riceburner adventure bikes from their big Hardleys and would have a hard time meeting the 45 cubic inch requirement.

If I was tall enough I would buy a GS1200

rushtk wrote:If I was tall enough I would buy a GS1200

Don't let that stop you. 

I also have some boo boos from Iraq so I'm doubly screwed

As a 25 year veteran myself, the size of the bike does not matter. My BMW is 1250cc, my Ducatis are 939 and 821, but the cute Ducati is 250cc.

That's the ticket. As long as you can find an acrobat you can make your frigging seats as high as you want.

How about Motorrad doing a video of Jocelin doing it with a pillion? In stop and go traffic...

Will get a pop out step for me I have L3 through S1 herniated and bulging on the sciatica, then C6/7 are herniated so I have nerve damage going down right arm to hand, and lastly my feet and hand have severe neuropathy. My call sign is "Lucky"! The 11/12 will probably the biggest I will ever go. I figure I have 10 more yrs on 2 wheels.

rushtk wrote:The Combat Veterans Motorcycle club requires all the bikes be over 800cc. I have a 84 goldwing aspencade 1200 that us modded but I think I would like a old BMW with some class to ride with them. I am trying to get the turn signals and horn to work so I can get it inspected and an Ohio title.

I'd just change the badges on your K75 to K100. Much cheaper!

Unless they know what they're looking at, your Harley / Honda buddies will probably not know the difference. You do not have to worry about getting left behind.

The K75 is a very smooth running bike, and a bit easier to manhandle around except at parking lot speeds where the K bikes with big fairings can be a handful of course.

So taking my test on the K might not be a good idea?

rushtk wrote:So taking my test on the K might not be a good idea?

First ride I took on any BM happened to be on a K100LT. Ended up buying it as I came back from the test ride........ Still have it and some more.

rushtk wrote:Will get a pop out step for me I have L3 through S1 herniated and bulging on the sciatica, then C6/7 are herniated so I have nerve damage going down right arm to hand, and lastly my feet and hand have severe neuropathy. My call sign is "Lucky"! The 11/12 will probably the biggest I will ever go. I figure I have 10 more yrs on 2 wheels.

With that damage to you body I would not recommend the k1100lt. I assume that you had the naked r1100r that has a very different handling characteristic from the big k bike. The type of rides that the riders club from my post are less than 100 miles and have 5 or 6 stops along the way at least with my 900+ lb hd ultra classic the seat is like 12" off the ground so I can leverage it around the parking chaos of these type of events. With that being said I still only ride the circus machine on funeral processions and parade type events. On other rides I take my k75s or even my honda 250 rebel and have not yet been band from the club. Perhaps you could promise to wear fingerless gloves, vest, and acquire a few square feet of tattoos to compensate for the 50cc short coming.

Seriously, when the weather brakes and you get the chance to ride your k75 I think you may just find it a wonderful bike. If you do not tell anyone that it is only a 750 they will never know by it's performance. It will run circles around most stock HDs (I say most because my wife rides a v-rod that can pull away from me any time on a straight road) and hold it's own with most touring or cruisers on the market.

Your K75C can be perfect. I have an RT that I have done over 40,000 miles touring on. The K75 engine is a beast that will run all day with almost any bigger bike. As for the Harleys, when has anyone ever seen a herd of them going faster than 35mph?


The C model has pretty good ergonomics and doesn't have the big, heavy fairing the other models have so it's a little less top heavy. There are low seats out there that will lower the seat about an inch, and you can get another half inch by raising the forks and getting a shorter rear shock. That will make the bike way easier to handle if you find it a little clumsy in parking lots.

The big problem with the K75 is that the exhaust doesn't have the "bark and rumble" of the big V-twins. Not much vibration through the bars either. But, as long as the tach works, you will be able to tell if your engine is running.

caveman wrote:

rushtk wrote:Will get a pop out step for me I have L3 through S1 herniated and bulging on the sciatica, then C6/7 are herniated so I have nerve damage going down right arm to hand, and lastly my feet and hand have severe neuropathy. My call sign is "Lucky"! The 11/12 will probably the biggest I will ever go. I figure I have 10 more yrs on 2 wheels.

With that damage to you body I would not recommend the k1100lt. I assume that you had the naked r1100r that has a very different handling characteristic from the big k bike. The type of rides that the riders club from my post are less than 100 miles and have 5 or 6 stops along the way at least with my 900+ lb hd ultra classic the seat is like 12" off the ground so I can leverage it around the parking chaos of these type of events. With that being said I still only ride the circus machine on funeral processions and parade type events. On other rides I take my k75s or even my honda 250 rebel and have not yet been band from the club. Perhaps you could promise to wear fingerless gloves, vest, and acquire a few square feet of tattoos to compensate for the 50cc short coming.

Seriously, when the weather brakes and you get the chance to ride your k75 I think you may just find it a wonderful bike. If you do not tell anyone that it is only a 750 they will never know by it's performance. It will run circles around most stock HDs (I say most because my wife rides a v-rod that can pull away from me any time on a straight road) and hold it's own with most touring or cruisers on the market.

Thank you very much for the info! This combat vet is just picky I guess. My 94 was a R1100RS, gave it to my buddy. I was seriously thinking about the Vrod because the looks just seem to flow to me. Thank you again for the info on the K1100. Would a K100 be ok for me? I am looking for something to bring the bars closer to me.

Point-Seven-five wrote:Your K75C can be perfect.  I have an RT that I have done over 40,000 miles touring on.  The K75 engine is a beast that will run all day with almost any bigger bike.  As for the Harleys, when has anyone ever seen a herd of them going faster than 35mph?  


The C model has pretty good ergonomics and doesn't have the big, heavy fairing the other models have so it's a little less top heavy.  There are low seats out there that will lower the seat about an inch, and you can get another half inch by raising the forks and getting a shorter rear shock.  That will make the bike way easier to handle if you find it a little clumsy in parking lots.

The big problem with the K75 is that the exhaust doesn't have the "bark and rumble" of the big V-twins.  Not  much vibration through the bars either.  But, as long as the tach works, you will be able to tell if your engine is running.

Thank you!! Do you by chance know if there is a thread on doing the forks and shock? I know technology has come a long way so I'm going to look to improve the braking and suspension. I have no desire for a 150mph bike. I live in an area of LOTS of twistys!

Almost any aftermarket shock is an improvement over a 30+ year old factory unit. I have run vintage Fox twin Clicks and Works Performance shocks as well as a new YSS shock on my bricks. They have ll worked fairly well for me. The YSS is about $300 or so and they build it to your specs so you can get the length you need. The Works and Fox shocks are rebuildable and parts are still available. The Works shock is easily shortened by putting a spacer on the rod inside the body to prevent full extension. The Works and Fox units can be found used on eBay. They sell for anywhere from $150 to $300.

If you want to go top of the line, Ohlins and Wilburs shocks can be had new for a little under $1k. They do show up used on eBay occasionally for $400 and up. I can't say how they are shortened to lower the bike.

As far as brakes, the stock system on a K bike will easily outstop the Harleys you're riding with. I know that a lot of guys say how much is your life worth, but I use Volar brand Kevlar organic brake pads from D2Moto. They're very reasonably priced so I can replace them every two years. I've had them on five K bikes now for a total of 50,000+ miles riding all over the USA, including the mountains out west. One nice thing about them is that they are pretty gentle on the rotors. I've experienced almost no rotor wear on any of my bikes from these pads.

Brake maintenance is crucial on these bikes. You need to keep the fluid reasonable fresh, so an annual flush and bleed is a very good idea. Fortunately, it's pretty easy and only takes a half hour and a small bottle of DOT 4 brake fluid.

The biggest improvement in brake performance will come from fitting a set of braided stainless steel brake lines. A complete set front and rear for a non-ABS bike is about $175 on eBay. Almost everybody who rides K's seriously has installed them. The old rubber BMW lines are at the end of their life and are at risk of splitting or shedding the lining which will plug the lines either stopping the brakes from working, or worse, lock the brakes on.

As long as the calipers aren't leaking, I would leave them alone. I've yet to rebuild a caliper on any of my bikes. The rear master cylinder is a very weak point in the braking system, and if it's bad I would just chuck it and replace it with a new one. It's down in a nasty spot on the bike and subject to a lot of corrosion. Again, many will say how much is your life worth, but I've had excellent service from slightly modified ChiCom master cylinders(I've installed 5 of them so far) that cost about $15 vs. the BMW units that are well north of $200.

This is some badass info! Thank you for sharing. I'm going to screen shot it and start looking for parts and video. Age is what will affect this bike since it only has 24k miles on it. Last oil change was done Aug of 13 at 23,770 miles. It has 24,900 on it now. The bike has been in the same family since new.

Point-Seven-five wrote:Almost any aftermarket shock is an improvement over a 30+ year old factory unit.  I have run vintage Fox twin Clicks and Works Performance shocks as well as a new YSS shock on my bricks.  They have ll worked fairly well for me.  The YSS is about $300 or so and they build it to your specs so you can get the length you need.  The Works and Fox shocks are rebuildable and parts are still available.  The Works shock is easily shortened by putting a spacer on the rod inside the body to prevent full extension.  The Works and Fox units can be found used on eBay.  They sell for anywhere from $150 to $300.

If you want to go top of the line, Ohlins and Wilburs shocks can be had new for a little under $1k.  They do show up used on eBay occasionally for $400 and up.  I can't say how they are shortened to lower the bike.

As far as brakes, the stock system on a K bike will easily outstop the Harleys you're riding with.  I know that a lot of guys say how much is your life worth, but I use Volar brand Kevlar organic brake pads from D2Moto.  They're very reasonably priced so I can replace them every two years.  I've had them on five K bikes now for a total of 50,000+ miles riding all over the USA, including the mountains out west.  One nice thing about them is that they are pretty gentle on the rotors.  I've experienced almost no rotor wear on any of my bikes from these pads.

Brake maintenance is crucial on these bikes.  You need to keep the fluid reasonable fresh, so an annual flush and bleed is a very good idea.  Fortunately, it's pretty easy and only takes a half hour and a small bottle of DOT 4 brake fluid.

The biggest improvement in brake performance will come from fitting a set of braided stainless steel brake lines.  A complete set front and rear for a non-ABS bike is about $175 on eBay.   Almost everybody who rides K's seriously has installed them.  The old rubber BMW lines are at the end of their life and are at risk of splitting or shedding the lining which will plug the lines either stopping the brakes from working, or worse, lock the brakes on.

As long as the calipers aren't leaking, I would leave them alone.  I've yet to rebuild a caliper on any of my bikes.  The rear master cylinder is a very weak point in the braking system, and if it's bad I would just chuck it and replace it with a new one.  It's down in a nasty spot on the bike and subject to a lot of corrosion.  Again, many will say how much is your life worth, but I've had excellent service from slightly modified ChiCom master cylinders(I've installed 5 of them so far) that cost about $15 vs. the BMW units that are well north of $200.

How can print this!!! I need this inside my manual!@

MY method is, photo info with phone, put in to album then use email attach photo print email
Better ways will follow from others soon

I just saved it to my notes, copied it to word on my phone, had to of course update my printer driver for the phone, then print. I have a feeling I will be making books from this website! I need a thread on what special tools noobs should have. With all the info from here I am going to hold off on the K1100LT, Get my feet wet with this 75 and then probably get a K100 down the road. Great site! See the internet isn't just for porn anymore

rushtk wrote:I just saved it to my notes, copied it to word on my phone, had to of course update my printer driver for the phone, then print. I have a feeling I will be making books from this website! I need a thread on what special tools noobs should have. With all the info from here I am going to hold off on the K1100LT, Get my feet wet with this 75 and then probably get a K100 down the road. Great site! See the internet isn't just for porn anymore

SPECIAL TOOLS ASK first Spanner LAST

Sorry for double the picture. This is what came with my bike. Is it wrong?

NO, this looks like a genuine K tool roll with all you need to service your K, No doubt you have other tools to hand if needed.

I just bought off ebay another original set with the dip stick. Can't hurt to have 2 sets.

Since no one makes mechanic's tools in the U.S. anymore, you might as well down to the ChiCom hardware store and get a few to augment the factory tool kit. You should be able to get all set for well under $100.

The tools I use the most are:

3/8" drive metric socket set
3/8" drive extensions
3/8" drive metric Allen wrench set
Ball end metric Allen Wrench set
1/4" and 3/8" torque wrenches(watch for them to be on sale for $12.99)
1/4" to 3/8" adapter so you can use the 3/8" sockets with the 1/4" torque wrench.
Metric combination wrench set
3/4" combination wrench(works on the 18mm rear shock nuts)
Oil filter wrench to match your favorite oil filters to go on 3/8" ratchet

You can make a transmission oil level dipstick from a 7" piece of wire coat hanger. Bend the end to make a stop(I get fancy and make a finger loop). At the other end, flatten it with a hammer and make a line the correct distance from the shoulder. You can copy it from the one in your tool kit.

Was told I needed special tool to change the oil. Looking in the manual now. Figured I would try and do a full tune up on it while I have 2inches of ice on my driveway.

The special tool is a cup type oil filter wrench. They come in different sizes and fit different numbers of flutes on the filter can. Get one that works with the filters you use. Since I use the Carquest/Autozone R85348 filters I got an EnduraLast 76mm 14 flute wrench.

The other common oil filter size is 74/75mm 15 flute. I think that is the size that works with the fancy oil filters that I don't use. I have one that size just so I can remove the expensive filter that came with the bike when I do the first oil change.

BTW, The Carquest filters are made by Wix and are excellent quality at a reasonable price. Wix makes most of the private label oil filters out there like NAPA and other auto parts retailers. If you've seen some of the oil filter autopsy videos on You Tube you will know to avoid Fram and see all the brands that are made by Wix.

Roger that! I was reading to not use synthetic on my year and below and that BMW oil has a certain additive needed.

I have been using synthetic oil in my K75RT now for at least 5 years.  It has 94,000 miles on it.  No problems whatsoever, and I get about 1200 miles before the level drops from the top of the glass to the bottom which is not even a half quart.  My K75S was the same way.  Haven't had my 2 valve K100RS long enough to know how much it uses.

Past 3 years I've been using Quaker State Ultimate Durability 5W30 which has one of the highest film strength ratings(this is what prevents wear) of any readily available motor oils.  At less than $20 for 5 quarts at Walmart it's a fantastic deal.

It seems my 4 valve engines are the ones that use the most oil, about a quart every 1000 miles.  I use Castrol GTX 20W50 in them to keep the consumption down.  Lighter grade synthetic runs through them like there is a hole in the oil pan.

So with my bike at 24k what would you recommend I use. According to records it has had only 1 oil change.

Oil is one of those things that starts huge battles. I shared what I use and why, the choice of what you use is really a personal decision.

Here's a graduate level thesis and engineering test report on motor oil by a mechanical engineer who is member of the SAE and the ASME who builds race car engines as a hobby:

https://540ratblog.wordpress.com/2013/06/20/motor-oil-wear-test-ranking/

He has tested over 200 different motor oils for ultimate film strength and it's degradation at high temperature. It's at least several evenings of reading, but the information is pretty good. It is the result of over 7 years of testing oil. He ranks the oils he has tested from best to least good with his results and comments on the oil and it's additive package.

He explains and justifies everything he does. He gets nothing from anybody so he's totally independent and only bases his ratings on how much pressure it takes to break through the oil film and scuff a metal surface(the most important function of the oil in your engine). Since he builds high output race engines he has an obvious interest in knowing how well a particular oil works.

Thank you, I shall cuddle up with it by the fireplace and a cup of hot cocoa I use synthetic for my Hemi but figured bikes are different. One of the threads had said bmw used something different in their oil so I wanted to ask around.