Hello everyone, I've owned my K100rs for a few years now but never really used it, I bought it on a whim as it was A) a bit different B) black and C) I'd just sold another bike and there was a bike shaped hole. I didn't use it a lot as its a bit tall for me (5'8" and short legs) and now I've started the process of turning it into a cafe racer style thing. Two questions please, firstly does everyone want to kill me for chopping it about? And secondly according to 'how many left' website it might be the only 1983 bike in the UK (so possibly the oldest) so does everyone want to kill me for chopping it about? To be fair I haven't chopped it about yet! Your thoughts??

Before we pass a verdict we would need to see a photo.....

But first you are very welcome. You wont be the first to make a café racer out of one, but most of us tend to do it out of a bike that has been damaged, especially fairings and plastics. Such a fate awaits my 92LT because of an accident.

You do have the option of keeping the original parts to allow you change it back, or sell them on to fund the change. There is a ready market for the fairings and other bits and pieces. But when you sell on a café racer the market is limited but only in some ways. Most of us found the benefits of a large barn door fairing for longer trips and would not spend long on a café racer.....

If yours is a really good example then probably try to keep it as is but in the end its your call and whichever you do you will get plenty of technical know how here. After all a K is a K.

The what's left website only identifies those bikes actually on the road, a lot of the K bikes are parked up abandoned or unused and there would be more of these.

Welcome.

It does seem a shame if the bike is in nice, original condition, to chop it about.

Early K100 models are rare in the UK owing to the lack of interest in them. Most are complete basket cases or donor bikes. Whether it's financially worth keeping original is questionable. One day they will be appreciated more but in the mean time most people will admire anything if it's original and in good nick.

To be fair it's not a mint example, it's fair condition wise but not a basket case. I completely agree about the fairing etc, I realise I'm probably making it into a less practical bike but I really only do short journeys and pootle about on bikes. I do plan to sell all the fairing, panniers etc more to help keep other bikes on the road than for the funds. Putting it back to standard won't be an easy option (for a start I will probably have sold off the plastic!) as I'm going to cut the frame off behind the seat to lose the long overhang. If it were considered to be a really desirable thing in its current state due to the age I'd rather sell it 'as is' and buy another bike to use for the project but unless opinion is really against I will press on! I will put some pictures up if I can work out how, cheers for the responses so far! Matt

I have a number of different thoughts on the subject:

1) Your legs will not grow any longer if you make your RS into a café racer. 

2) You will still be left with a bike that does not inspire you very much, even though a thinner seat may enable you to reach the ground better. 

3) It is your bike, and you can do whatever you want with it. 

4) As long as there is at least one early RS being preserved in original condition, there is a school of thought that says we do not need any more.

5) You may well have a lot of fun in going through the creative process.

6) You may produce a genuinely decent bike, as some others have done.

7) You may end up making a worthless heap out of it, as some others have done.

You can choose any of my thoughts that appeal to you.

the transporter wrote:To be fair it's not a mint example, it's fair condition wise but not a basket case. I completely agree about the fairing etc, I realise I'm probably making it into a less practical bike but I really only do short journeys and pootle about on bikes. I do plan to sell all the fairing, panniers etc more to help keep other bikes on the road than for the funds. Putting it back to standard won't be an easy option (for a start I will probably have sold off the plastic!) as I'm going to cut the frame off behind the seat to lose the long overhang. If it were considered to be a really desirable thing in its current state due to the age I'd rather sell it 'as is' and buy another bike to use for the project but unless opinion is really against I will press on! I will put some pictures up if I can work out how, cheers for the responses so far! Matt

Matt,

The other side of the coin is you probably know what you are dealing with there but if you buy another one instead you face unknowns. A nice café racer is of course fun and as you say shorter journeys make it an option. If you go café racer route the guys will still help you over any technical issues, quite a few café racers here too and you will be very welcome to any meet ups.

I am 5' 8" as well and manage both RT and LT....but not with feet flat on the ground.

To answer:
1 true!
2 I do like it which is why I want to do something with it and a thinner seat solves 1
3 yes it is
4 good point
5 very good point
6 I hope so, part of enjoying the process will be trying to make something worth having
7 this is a risk, better people than I have fallen into this trap! It's often a fine line between brilliant and bloody awful!

Be good to be able to call on you guys for some tech help along the way. Part of the reason for doing the bike is because I know it's good an bad points

have a look in here https://www.k100-forum.com/t998-posting-pictures-and-movies

we love pics ...

welcome aboard ...   have fun !

We have a number of members who are vertically challenged and you can lower them quite a bit  with modded shock/forks and seat.....go on be adventurous there are many ideas in the forum.....

Do all the early RS owners a favour and hack yours about!

The guys here are too polite to give you much grief, so document it here for us please.

ha !  onya ghosty !

Ghost who rides wrote:Do all the early RS owners a favour and hack yours about!

The guys here are too polite to give you much grief, so document it here for us please.

Ireland is so much closer........

True about lowering the bikes too. I wonder what minimum height one needs to be for a K? I cant see it being under 5' 8" as I feel marginal enough......

I'm 5'8 and 30 inside leg and I found I was on my toes not even the balls of my feet, with a big heavy bike like the K I just didn't feel comfortable. I reckon I'm about the minimum for riding one safely with a normal seat. My mate who's 6ft borrowed it for a while to do an occasional commute of about 100 miles round trip and said it was the most comfortable thing he'd ever ridden. To be fair though his other bikes are a GSXR750 and a 300 year old Triton, both lovely but not comfy!

As I bought it in 2006, non standard mirrors and indicators were already on the bike.

Non-standard belly-pan and side reflectors too.  

Chop it up. 

30" inside leg is very tight for a K, not good even if its lowered. Looks like the café racer route is the way to go!!

I'm sharpening my hacksaw as we speak! I will post some more pics if anyone is interested as I go along.

Yes. Do that, there's always room in the restoration section. Everybody likes to look over your shoulder.

If you chop and do a great job, you will have something totally unique and thus more valuable. You will also increase the value slightly of all the remaining bikes by making them more rare.

Chop away!! 

Welcome to the forum
Regards,
K-BIKE

I look forward to seeing your updates on this project!