BMW K bikes (Bricks)


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1Back to top Go down   85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Empty 85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Sat Jul 01, 2023 1:35 am

spat

spat
active member
active member
I picked up an '85 K100RS/EML sidecar rig over the winter. Since have been checking out the rig, this is an EML of Holland build so it's a nice setup and has car rims and upgraded the rubber to Michelin 55595 ZX Radial Tire, 135SR15 these where the hot tires for vintage Porsche sports cars and supposed to be a great tire for this setup, not that it would interest the 2 wheel crowd. Anyway got out for my first road trip with it and wanted to share my observations and K-bike questions that came up from the road. About 2,000 miles total Colorado to Lake Okoboji Iowa USCA national sidecar rally. Ran slab for the 1st half of the day travel partner wanted me to lead to set the pace I wanted learning the bike and continued running hard on the 2 lane to make our 500 mile target for the day. Observation this K does not like running that hard nor do I on it. Had to add a pint + more at the end of the day of coolant. Being a sidecar rig the truck ruts were hard to track in and seemed like a battle. Rest of the trip was easier running 65-70ish staying off the supper slab my preference anyway and a much more pleasant journey but the last 60 miles again slab end of day into Denver. Temps in the high 90s running about 4500 rpm temp light coming on drop it down to 4 grand light goes out kept it down there no problem want to get home I kept playing with the speed, at least it did not boil over this time, not to mention the saddle temp was about unbearable most of the time. Only other problem my steering dampener broke on the way back and I just removed it. 
So do you all find the old K bikes a good traveling bike as a solo and the addition of the hack makes it run hotter, not what I was hoping for in a traveling rig but it just flat wore me out. On my Ural I enjoy the ride but can't make the miles and my 2-wheeler also pleasant traveling on. Don't get me wrong it is a fun rig, a bit aggressive and intense to ride and travel on.
To Do: flush and clean coolant system see if that helps now summer is here shouldn't take long to see if it does. I'll do my searches for coolant advise I have heard they run warm and should have already done it but hoping it's not like an oil thread. Fuel running 80ish I dropped to 25 mpg or less, best was 30+ish. subjective but what's a solo bike get?
 All in all a good trip and the rig did well so what's not to like.
85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip IMG_3843-L

    

2Back to top Go down   85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Empty Re: 85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Sat Jul 01, 2023 3:58 am

firstle

firstle
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Life time member
standard forks or leading link ?  is a bit to fast imo , take it easy

    

3Back to top Go down   85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Empty Re: 85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Sat Jul 01, 2023 12:27 pm

spat

spat
active member
active member
Leading Link. More enjoyable slowing down with the sidecar rig yes but could the old two wheelers perform well at interstate speeds?

    

4Back to top Go down   85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Empty Re: 85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Sat Jul 01, 2023 2:17 pm

firstle

firstle
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Life time member
i have never had a problem they are a very very good bike , i did have a guzzi outfit for a while but now have 3 wheelers (morgan) and bikes , is the fan cutting in ? forgot to ad your k100rs is a 120 mph plus bike . no problem 100 mph all day .

    

5Back to top Go down   85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Empty First ride Sat Jul 01, 2023 8:39 pm

daveyson

daveyson
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Once you have the coolant system sorted, if there is still too much heat for the rider, it could be that some panels are missing from the fairing. 

I'm not familiar with the RS model, but with RT models there are internal panels above and behind the side vents to direct engine heat out the side vents and away from the tank and rider. There might be a panel between the fairing and forks. On mine I turned it upside down, that resulted in air scoops, reducing the heat. The rear panels were missing on mine. 

My brick sat for years before I got it. On the first ride, the heat on my legs was unbearable, and it was winter, I thought if this is the way it is, I'll be selling it. Maybe the heat was due to its first ride after many years, maybe the missing rear panels, or maybe the missing air scoops, dunno but the problem is gone now.


__________________________________________________
11/1985 BMW K100RT (late model)  Vin. 0090567
 ~120,000 km
    

6Back to top Go down   85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Empty Re: 85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Sun Jul 02, 2023 1:14 pm

spat

spat
active member
active member
Thanks for the feedback. I thought the K's were good at speed traveling bikes. Adding the sidecar puts a bit of a strain on the bike but these motors seem to be up to the task. I guess I have to look into the science of the K-Bike fairing and panels. I know some who remove the lowers to help improve cooling but I'm not sold on that.

    

7Back to top Go down   85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Empty Re: 85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Sun Jul 02, 2023 3:41 pm

Point-Seven-five

Point-Seven-five
Life time member
Life time member
A fair bit of heat comes from the fuel tank.  In hotter climates the fuel can get hot enough to boil.  The source of the problem seems to be the fuel pressure regulator that is mounted right behind the radiator. 

There are two fixes, the first is to add some sort of a fuel cooler, and the second which is probably a lot easier would be to move the fuel pressure regulator from it's little corner of hell out from behind the radiator to a location above the fuel rail out of the main airflow from the radiator.

Here is how Bert(Crazy Frog) did it on his bike:https://www.k100-forum.com/t15210-relocating-the-fuel-pressure-regulator

The only thing I would do different from CF's arrangement would be to find the space to get the body of the regulator further forward to avoid the hot air from the radiator.  I would also make the fuel lines as short as possible but still allow for moving the tank back far enough to access the coolant filler.


__________________________________________________
Present: 1991 K100RS "Moby Brick Too"
 
Past:
1994 K75RT "Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS"
1988 K100RS SE "Special Ed"
1994 K75S "Cheetos"
1992 K100RS "Moby Brick" R.I.P.
1982 Honda FT500
1979 Honda XR185
1977 Honda XL125
1974 Honda XL125
1972 OSSA Pioneer 250
1968 Kawasaki 175
    

8Back to top Go down   85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Empty Re: 85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Wed Jul 05, 2023 4:27 pm

spat

spat
active member
active member
Fortunately fuel problems did not haunt me but thank you for the tip

    

9Back to top Go down   85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Empty Re: 85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Thu Jul 06, 2023 3:11 pm

92KK 84WW Olaf

avatar
Life time member
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You should have heat insulation on the underside of the tank, stuck on with a reflective foil finish. There is also a plastic/rubber baffle that the tank sits on, you should see it at the headstock end of the tank. Also the fairing baffles mentioned are important.

I have had less of these issues using Motul 20W50 3000 mineral oil and use it in all my Ks.


__________________________________________________
1992 K100LT 0193214 Bertha Blue 101,000 miles
1984 K100RT 0022575 Brutus Baja Red 578 bought 36,000 now 89,150 miles
1997 K1100LT 0188024 Wotan Mystic Red 689 58,645 now 106,950 miles Deceased.
1983 K100RS 0011157 Fricka 606 Alaska Blue 29,495 miles Damn K Pox Its a Bat outta Hell Now 58,200 miles. 
1996 K1100LT 0233004 Lohengrin Mystic Red 38,000 miles currently 51,800 miles.
1983 K100RS 0004449 Odette R100 colours 58,000 miles. Sprint fairing now 63,390 miles

Past:
1968 Yamaha 80 YG1
1971 Yamaha 125 YAS-1
1968 Honda 125 SS
1970 Honda CD 175
1973 Honda CB500-4
Honda CX 500
    

10Back to top Go down   85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Empty Re: 85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Thu Jul 06, 2023 3:26 pm

Laitch

Laitch
Life time member
Life time member
spat wrote:I guess I have to look into the science of the K-Bike fairing and panels.
To read something about the mechanics of Brick heat management, click this link, agree, then read the heat management document in the Frame section.


__________________________________________________
1995 K75 90,000 miles
    

11Back to top Go down   85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Empty Re: 85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Sat Jul 08, 2023 8:50 am

glennpm

glennpm
Silver member
Silver member
I had good success in insulating the fuel lines under the tank using foam pipe insulation. After I did this, I no longer had the gas tank boiling. I used a beaded pad, cutting down a full size back rest beaded seat overlay. I also have a lamb's wool pad that works very well.

Glenn

    

12Back to top Go down   85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Empty Re: 85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Sat Jul 08, 2023 10:19 pm

AL-58

AL-58
Life time member
Life time member
Ive spent the last 16 years and many kms (150,000 maybe) on a K100RS sidecar. The last 10 or so with much EML stuff retrofitted, which stiffened it and made it a much better running and handling outfit.

It was a great travelling rig, even did a few 1000km days without any discomfort. It started out as pure RS setup but was a better bike with RT handlebars fitted, both for the ride position and making the steering effort easier on the shoulders. It had 15" wheels front and rear, running a 165-15 rear and a 130/90-15 bike tyre up front. 135 rears wore out too quick and would spin up sometimes on wet twisty roads. After running all sorts of tyres up front the bike tyre was the best compromise, a 145/65-15 front car tyre was fabulous but was very difficult to get it seated and difficult to remove, wasn't worth the grief.

Most of the RS has now gone to Woz (Wollongong)


__________________________________________________
'93 K1100LT
'08 F650GS (798cc)
'19 R1250RS

+ another boxer engined motorcycle and sidecar

"When I'm too old and too foolish to handle a sidecar I'll buy a Sportsbike"

85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip K-dogs10
    

13Back to top Go down   85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Empty Re: 85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Thu Jul 13, 2023 7:41 am

GTJos

GTJos
Silver member
Silver member
Smile  Hi Spat and welcome here!
I'm riding a K100RT (with RS fairing) with an EML GT2001.
Have the RT steer mounted for comfortable handling.

About your heat-problem: don't forget that the wider front fender and wheel take a lot of the cooling wind away from the front / radiator! That said: try to optimize the wind-flow trough the radiator with the internal parts of the fairing mounted (mentioned eslewhere in this thread). Also the insulation of the fuellines is a good point.

We took the rig for a 10-day journey to Poland in summer 2019. All-in-all about 5000 kilometers, in very warm conditions. Most of the time we drove country-roads, on average about 80-90 km/h (60 miles/h), a very pleasant drive!
On the way back we had to hurry home and took the German autobahn. The speed there was about 130 -140 km/h, still in warm (hot...) conditions. Never had an issue with the cooling system though... (My left upper leg sometimes was nearly cooked, but that was all.)

Enjoy your rig!

Greetings from the Netherlands cheers
Jos


__________________________________________________
85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Deutch10Ich bin enge Kirchröatsjer jong; adieë wa ?! 85 K100rs/EML 1st road trip Deutch10
                                1992  K1100LT 6458188
                                1987 K100LT (RS-fairing) 0170844 + sidecar EML GT2001
                                1986 K100RS 0085647 + sidecar Velorex 562
                                1985  K100RT  0027026
    

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