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Greetings from South East Queensland Sun Oct 11, 2009 5:57 pm
Jhepburn
Silver member
Greetings and salutations,
I have just found myself a very sweet 1985 K100RS with a touch under 57,000km on the clock. I was driven to a new bike by the realisation that I was wearing out my Yamaha XJ600, and drawn to the K series by a process that started with an off-hand comment, progressed through interest, intrigue, research, admiration, consideration and finally shopping. My partner (Yamaha TDM900, contemplating a GS) and I do a lot of long rides, the occasional camping and rally, and I really loved what I was reading from early road tests and recent reviews, particularly the engineering and reliability, and the surprising levels of road-holding and handling. Plus, the way it was put together - accessible engine, weight low, minimal sub-frames, shaft-drive - really piqued my interest.
So, I made arrangements to meet with a couple of owners who were selling their bikes privately. The first one was an RS, and I fell in love with it after two corners and a straight. I even got used to the indicators quickly. The second one was an RT. It had a couple of issues - horribly squeaking front brakes, handling not as comfortable - but it just wasn't my bike. The riding position was too upright for me, the fairing just too much. The RS was on the edge of being as big as I would consider owning, and it fit me beautifully.
So, I bought that first one I rode. It came with original panniers and a couple of spare hinges, original tank-bag, original toolkit including now-useless touch-up paint and mostly useless puncture repair kit, owner's manual and cover. It has been dropped once on each side, but the only visible damage is some scratches to the bottom corner of each side of the engine casing, and the fairing has been repaired and repainted a pale grey which is probably the closest that someone on a budget could get to the original, BMW-patented, metallic blue-grey.
Hermann (all bikes need a name) is my main transport. He was always going to be, but then my care decided to start breaking, so now it's Hermann or borrow my girlfriend's car. He has been absolutely faultless. The previous owner told me that the injectors would need cleaning soon, but I suspect he was putting ordinary petrol in. I've been using premium, and he seems to have improved slightly.
I need to replace two bulbs in the instrument, and the other day the right mirror fell out of its housing. No warning, just fell out. I have a replacement, and will fit it when I get enough time (I think I have a weekend free in December) to do a service.
I have just found myself a very sweet 1985 K100RS with a touch under 57,000km on the clock. I was driven to a new bike by the realisation that I was wearing out my Yamaha XJ600, and drawn to the K series by a process that started with an off-hand comment, progressed through interest, intrigue, research, admiration, consideration and finally shopping. My partner (Yamaha TDM900, contemplating a GS) and I do a lot of long rides, the occasional camping and rally, and I really loved what I was reading from early road tests and recent reviews, particularly the engineering and reliability, and the surprising levels of road-holding and handling. Plus, the way it was put together - accessible engine, weight low, minimal sub-frames, shaft-drive - really piqued my interest.
So, I made arrangements to meet with a couple of owners who were selling their bikes privately. The first one was an RS, and I fell in love with it after two corners and a straight. I even got used to the indicators quickly. The second one was an RT. It had a couple of issues - horribly squeaking front brakes, handling not as comfortable - but it just wasn't my bike. The riding position was too upright for me, the fairing just too much. The RS was on the edge of being as big as I would consider owning, and it fit me beautifully.
So, I bought that first one I rode. It came with original panniers and a couple of spare hinges, original tank-bag, original toolkit including now-useless touch-up paint and mostly useless puncture repair kit, owner's manual and cover. It has been dropped once on each side, but the only visible damage is some scratches to the bottom corner of each side of the engine casing, and the fairing has been repaired and repainted a pale grey which is probably the closest that someone on a budget could get to the original, BMW-patented, metallic blue-grey.
Hermann (all bikes need a name) is my main transport. He was always going to be, but then my care decided to start breaking, so now it's Hermann or borrow my girlfriend's car. He has been absolutely faultless. The previous owner told me that the injectors would need cleaning soon, but I suspect he was putting ordinary petrol in. I've been using premium, and he seems to have improved slightly.
I need to replace two bulbs in the instrument, and the other day the right mirror fell out of its housing. No warning, just fell out. I have a replacement, and will fit it when I get enough time (I think I have a weekend free in December) to do a service.
