Been riding little over 2 years. Started with a gen 2 klr650, been a great commuter and for the most part good for long trips. Bought the k100 a few months back to broaden riding experience. Can anyone name a more different pair of bikes?

1930 hand change panther . K100

Better than a pair:
1930 Dollar 250 Special.
1992 BMW K1 with sidecar.
2001 BMW C1 with doors.

And much others.

nice , has the dollar the JAP sv engine

I bought my K100 back in 1987. I fancied a smaller bike so's my shortish commute could take an even shorter cut down a rough-but-pleasant track, so I got a BSA Bantam.

I've still got one of them, 36 years later  .
I got rid of the other after about a year, after I'd rewired, rebuilt, straightened, re-ctranked it, and tried to understand how it could be so rubbish.

One had a neat folding key.
The other had a folding frame.

One had its power limited by a combination of careful design and skilled engineering.
The other had its power limited by a leaking cylinder head.

One is emblematic of the rebirth of the German bike industry..
The other is emblematic of the death of the British bike industry

One had finger tight cylinder head nuts, that I used to remove and peer into its inner workings if it didn't fire after you'd kicked it.
The other has a forum half full of nuts, that you can consult and marvel, at their inner workings if it doesn't fire even when you kick it.

One had a logo based on an aeroplane propellor, when you rode it you felt like flying.
The other had a logo of three rifles, when you rode it you felt like shooting yourself.

I could go on, but this stuff takes some figuring out and its time for my muesli  .

bantams are a bit marmite (come to that most british two strokes leave me cold with the exception of scott) that said they do very well in the british trials club and appear to be the one to have , drayton etc not sure how much of the bike is still BSA , i have had a few over the years but never kept any , for british bike punishment try the LE velocettes 

Suzi Q wrote:

One had a neat folding key.
The other had a folding frame.

firstle wrote:bantams are a bit marmite 

Always preferred Vegemite.  

Doesn't leave you with that bitter aftertaste.

Suzi Q wrote:

One is emblematic of the rebirth of the German bike industry..
The other is emblematic of the death of the British bike industry

Sometimes I guess the spoils of war can be a two edged sword. For war reparations England was entitled to copy the DKW 125 (as the bantom) So while they had the right to copy the existing generation technology, Germany developed a new generation of technology. Russia copied it (MMZ) East Germany continued it MZ) even Harley Davidson copied it. Even Japan, the German war allies, were allowed to copy it. DKW was one of the biggest motorbike makers. I think England was the only one to mirror image it, I spose to get the gear shifter on the other side. Heaps of counties copied it. It might just be the most copied bike.

So you can thank Germany for the Bantom, since I'm not sure, but I think you're saying you're a fan of the Bantom.

By the way Buzz, welcome. I think of the KLR and the brick as similar in a lot of ways, both reliiand both have a good reputation. Here's a bigger difference, I think, a Brick and a Bantom.

Welcome!  A few years back when the KLR650 and the adventure bike thing was getting really popular, a number of Brick owners added or switched to the KLR for their off road aspirations.  Seems you are going in the opposite direction. 

What the Brick and the KLR seem to have in common is a good reputation for reliability and they are good at what they were designed to do.

hello buzzedAldrin

Around thirty-five years ago I had to completely rebuild a KLR650 engine (new bearings, new seals, the lot) for a friend who was about to set out across Europe on it. By the time I buttoned up the engine (and replaced the water seal for the second time) I hated that engine for what I saw (then) as un-necessary complexity.

It survived the trip and many years of abuse afterwards.

Hi,

to this forum!


Bernie