Hello everyone!

I came across this forum while seeking ways to troubleshoot starting my 1985 K100RT.  I've had the bike for about 15 years.  It has 71K mi. on it and has NEVER given me any problem so I've never needed to seek out maintenance assistance.  

Unfortunately, I've put only 1,000 mi. on it the last 5 years. Biking in Kansas can be torture in the summer with the heat generated by the K100.  I'm now a senior citizen, and it seems like I've lost the passion for riding, and I'm getting it ready to sell "old reliable".  I've already donated my other "far from reliable" bike ('75 Norton Commando) to my son and am taking the BMW out of storage and preparing it for sale.  

This is an incredible forum and thanks to Bert Vogel's fine postings, I think I'm well on the way figuring out my starting problem (likely a bad relay, or bad fuel pump since I found fuse #6 blown).  

Who knows?  Maybe when I get the problem fixed and have it ready to roll, I may find the passion once again.

Regards,
Bruce Ward

welcome aboard Bruce lets hop that with guidance from this forum brings you the confidence to stick with it. 
motorcycling certainly gives a buzz like nothing else , 
if you are only periodically using your K , maybe add some stabil in to the tank , and give it the occassional kick over just to keep the internals from drying out.
look forward to seeing you here a bit more.

Hi Bruce welcome to our strange corner of the www.  Sounds like you have the usual problems encountered when bringing a K back to life.
I hope a sweetly running K rekindles your passion and we see you here often.

Hi Bruce,

Welcome and sad that the last 15 years you have been without us!

I used to look at those 1975 Norton Commandos and think wouldn't it be lovely, but same as you there was a big reliability issue which was off putting to some of us. But they did look good, sounded good and went well.....sadly there was always the 'but' while all the nice shiny Hondas set the benchmark for reliable bikes.

I got used to the full RT/LT fairing and the tricks to keep the heat away in summer, but the upside is that winter riding on the K is very pleasant.

I hope you might get a few more years out of your K.....any info you need is here, everyone is very helpful.

Appreciate the kind words of encouragement and suggestions.  I'll post the troubleshooting outcome as it may help someone with similar problems in the future.

BTW, the fuel was stored full tank with Stabil, but I did not turn it over on a regular basis, so the injectors will likely need to be addressed once I get it started.

Cheers!

baward wrote:Unfortunately, I've put only 1,000 mi. on it the last 5 years. Biking in Kansas can be torture in the summer with the heat generated by the K100.  I'm now a senior citizen, and it seems like I've lost the passion for riding, and I'm getting it ready to sell "old reliable"..  

Hello Bruce,

Welcome.

I had a quick look at google maps to see where Manhattan, Kansas was - and it looks like you have some great riding on your doorstep (in an American scale sort of way).  "Senior citizen" aka retired aka finally free to get out and enjoy the world without work getting in the way of life. It sounds like you need to get "old reliable" out of the stable, saddle up and hit the trail at least one more time - then hopefully, you will find the passion again and be riding for many years to come (but perhaps avoiding the heat of the summer).

Bets of luck.

I'll add my welcome and hopes that you'll realize that our sport can keep you young and full of life!  I'm set to semi-retire this year and look forward to being able to put more miles on my K100RS!

I'm happy to report that the starting problem on my 1985 K100RT is resolved.    Cutting to the chase ... it was a bad fuel pump.


The initial problem was a blown fuse which led me to believe that the problem was somewhere in the fuel system.  Just in case, I checked spark and found that it was reasonably strong at the plugs.


The fuel pump appeared to be running ( I could hear it), but since I intended to change the fuel filter anyway, I proceeded to siphon out the full take of fuel (always topped off for winter storage) and remove both the fuel filter and pump.  I discovered that the pump was humming but not functional.


Thanks to the excellent postings on this site (http://ibmwr.org/ktech/fuel-pump-install.shtml)  about suitable alternatives, I was able to forego the $400+ BMW fuel pump for a $64 after market fuel pump at O'Reilly's Auto Parts (#PFP E16037).  The troubleshooting guide (http://ibmwr.org/ktech/fuel-pump-install.shtml ) was also very helpful in diagnosing my situation, but I was extremely relieved I didn't have to get into the relay or other electronic issues.

I still need to investigate replacing the filter screen which disintegrated when I removed it.  Who knew 29 years soaking in gasoline would cause that?    


As expected, once I got the bike running, and cleaned up for sale, I'm reconsidering keeping it.  Thanks for the encouraging feedback from others at this site.

Bruce,

Make sure all the baffles are in the fairing! They stop warm air coming back to you. the K is a lovely one and the RT should be suiting you.....

Good to have you on board Bruce.

Hey neighbor!
I'm down here in Tulsa. I've had my K about a year now and I love it!
A great ride and an interesting hobby.  None of us are getting any younger, so get on that K and enjoy! The guys here on the forum will help with anything that comes up. I'm learning everyday.  

Welcome Dale.

Hope you keep riding in your golden years.
The best thing I miss about my old Brit bikes (BSA, Triumph) was gravity fed fuel and a kick-start! Too bad they went out of fashion it was great exercise.
Cheers,
Rob