Hi folks, so finally planning a first tour around Spain come June.

Santander to Malaga via los Picos and onward to Valencia.

Has anybody else tried hefting a K100rs round Spain's beautifully smooth and traffic free twisty roads? In this case a 16v '90 with 60k miles, fully serviced with new fork springs and tyres.

The weight and handling isn't a problem, the addictive high speed straightline ability will make up for that. It's the 'characterful' baked left leg which is really off-putting. And tight bends, when fully laden? Not sure how enjoyable that'd work out over a 300 mile day in the mountains.

I don't want to regret taking the K when the alternative is an R1150R!

Any thoughts much appreciated.

Among the aussie guys a few solutions to the heat problem have been documented here, I'm sure they will chip in.
If that is the main drawback of the K there may be some fixes.
K bike or R? I would favour the R1150R for a "tour" and the RS for a "fang". These countries are relatively small so a series of "fangs" would cover it!
You will get more interaction with the local bikers on the older bike, the R would be pretty common about the place.
Either way you'll have a blast, enjoy.

Travel light...  socks, jocks, toothbrush and credit card!

Hi Arb0l,

First of all, may I say that I envy you on your planned tour of Spain?  I would perhaps recommend that you do not plan 300 mile days in the mountains.  A 300 mile day on a K is normally nothing at all, but it all changes in the mountains.  The concentration required to ride a loaded bike on the 'wrong' side of demanding roads is not to be underestimated, and it does not need the extra pressure of your accommodation being many miles away when the day is coming to an end.  You will want to stop, and enjoy the views and atmosphere, so plan days with fewer miles in the mountains.

Enjoy yourself and good luck.

I have to agree with xpc.

The mountains are extraordinary and to be honest we found a nice 200 mile outing over a day was about right. Time to enjoy nice places, time for a leisurely lunch etc. You will be needing to stop to avoid dehydration, refuel, take photos etc. I would be thinking to plan them around maximum 150 miles in a day and leave time for detours and wandering off the beaten track if you find time to spare. Weather is generally good but when it rains it rains and I would factor in 2 days out for rain in a fortnight. If you are flexible in your plans then these can be rest days.

Your average speed will not be a lot above 30 miles an hour including the times taken for stops and on some of the roads you will do well to achieve that kind of speed. I can think of plenty of places where a 100 mile day is max but with lots of nice scenery and roads.

There is nothing worse than being in a rose garden and not having time to smell the flowers.
Ghost Who Rides made a very important point about the older bike and I fully agree with him and I would take the K for that reason alone. Another very good reason is that the K is not a magnet for theft.

I am not in a position to comment on which bike but can say having taken both an LT and RT on plenty of scenic routes in Ireland the K is well up to it and seemed more comfortable fully loaded than empty, just pump the tyres well. For what its worth if you are going to be making anything over 2,000 miles I would put a new rear on and scrub it in before going rather than have it wearing down while you are away. New tyres now wont be new come summer if you get a nice spring. Also check your altitudes, the K has a small modification if you are going above 4,000 feet.

92KK K100LT 193214 wrote:.... Also check your altitudes, the K has a small modification if you are going above 4,000 feet.

  Hi Alb0l !
Great trip, wish you lot's of sun and fun !

@92KK K100LT 193214: Hope you don't mind me being curious ? What kind of mod do you mean ? And can you explaine 'how to' ? Would be much appreciated !

Jos

On the right hand side, on the rear facing downtube rear of airbox, over the alternator, there is a very small socket connector [for an electrical accessory about the size of an inline fuse holder] to modify the fuel system for riding at higher altitudes, you get it from BMW and I don't believe its expensive but others here will know more about it. I read about it in the Clymer manual but I don't have it with me at work. I didn't pay much attention to it as we have no roads above about 2,000 feet in Ireland, our highest peak is just about 1,000m above sea level. I don't think there are even accessible roads above 3,000 feet in the UK either.

My experience of France and Spain not sure I would take any bike there between mid June and Mid August. You need protective gear and its just too hot for it in the day time. You have no problem seeing 41 or 42C and apart from the sweat factor windburn is also an issue, especially at higher altitudes where the UV light is also an issue. Unless of course you use a trike.......

This high altitude connector is US model only, and usually found zip tied to the LHS downtube.

Thanks IngeK.

My LT has it but it was an import and its on the RH down tube on mine......But it has a few other strange things too, like the ABS unit is in the 'tool' tray over the battery and not in the rear compartment as expected.

Thank's a lot guys ! Never heard of this 'altitude connector' before; what a great forum this is !

Best regards
Jos.

What this altitude connector does, is adding 12V+ to terminal #11 at the Jetronic Connector.

92KK K100LT 193214 wrote:My LT has it but it was an import and its on the RH down tube on mine......

Could be that BMW for some reason did find this position better on the late models .

I went exploring and found this thread. Explains it well. Seems to be non European Ks too.

https://www.k100-forum.com/t587-air-flow-meter-adjustment

Here's agreat tip for biking around Spain......Bring me! 

I rode across the north coast of spain last year, via the picos then down the coast of portugal, into the peneda geres finally to porto then back, again via the picos, dipping into the flatlands of spain as I cut accross the country from porto to Bilbao (in more or less a straight line)

Temperature wise, the naked bike was fine, if a little on the warm side as I worked south into portugal. The north coast of spain has a similar(ish) climate to us.

I really enjoyed my relatively short trip across the central plains of espain as it was such a contrast to the windy coastal/mountain marathon I'd spent the previous couple weeks doing. Cruising (dawdling) along arrow straight, empty A (type) roads. With a slower ride and a straighter road I felt more comfortable riding with a bit less protection; Kevlar jeans, lighter bike jacket and thin gloves. That said, I was really excited to see the picos looming in the distance once more...

With just the panniers and a sleeping bag tied to the tail, handling was ok in the twistier bits; mountain corners tend to be long and sweeping rather than requiring superfast filtering type direction changes. The days I dumped the panniers did feel a lot better though!

In conclusion:
-South of Valladolid(ish) it might be uncomfortably hot. especially in any kind of traffic. especially on a faired K
-Less weight = more fun. Buy a Honda Hornet. Failing that, leave your travel scrabble at home.
-Tyres will feel old quite quick if you flatten off the back trying to break the sound barrier or pointy up the front doing the same lean angles over and over in the hills.
-Noticed no issue with fuelling in the mountains.
-Should be a good trip. You can always keep planning fairly loose and ride towards the climate/terrain you find you like the most.

Johnser,

That sums it up very well indeed, some sound advice along with a load of old bull.

I have to say I love Cornwall too but for us in Ireland its easier to get to Spain than Cornwall. however Cornwall is very definitely on my hitlist. Fond memories of the Minack Theatre for the total eclipse in 1999 but no Eden Project at that time, wasn't finished.


One thing not mentioned but it does happen that the air baffles inside the fairing or under the petrol tank are missing. Check them out by taking off the storage boxes etc and make sure they are all there and well sealed up. That will stop the warm air coming back at you. I have vented inner leg panels on the LT but solid ones on the RT. The vented ones are great in cold weather but for a trip like yours close them up from behind with a plastic sheet otherwise the heat will make your feet hot. You would get a solid pair quite cheap on eBay.

Thanks all, great advice, especially on the mileage. A couple of days around the Pennines should help work out twisty handling.

Maybe see you out there 88KE!

Heading out May 28th for three weeks, here's the overly ambitious route:

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=Unknown+road&daddr=43.252219,-4.4071669+to:43.1663272,-4.6067648+to:43.3350569,-4.6964715+to:43.3223952,-5.1320312+to:42.61577,-5.551529+to:42.445785,-5.9068235+to:42.604462,-6.486537+to:Parador+de+Ver%C3%ADn,+Parador+de+Ver%C3%ADn,+Subida+al+Castillo+de+Monterrey,+s%2Fn,+32600+Ver%C3%ADn,+Ourense,+Spain+to:41.7698997,-7.3459106+to:41.5099362,-5.7695729+to:Calle+San+Pablo+to:39.8131697,-5.7849047+to:38.1868638,-5.6806826+to:37.0640468,-5.5352702+to:36.5534011,-4.8628796+to:Mijas,+Spain+to:36.5700693,-4.6324476+to:38.0010277,-2.1109438+to:Valencia,+Spain+to:40.0254713,-2.1131058+to:40.3362928,-1.6182949+to:40.8285739,-1.7946344+to:42.7869674,-3.491243+to:Unknown+road&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=41.516804,-3.647461&spn=7.295047,16.907959&sll=39.979656,-3.91086&sspn=14.920381,33.815918&geocode=Fa8hlwIdj-7F_w%3BFfv5kwIdgsC8_yl7laPP-qdJDTHdeX3OYqWVHA%3BFXeqkgId1LS5_ynZAC5QebFJDTE8I9BAgwgkfw%3BFZA9lQIdaVa4_ymjhU8aGb9JDTE8mleqhFYr3Q%3BFRsMlQIdAbGx_ylV7vqScCE2DTGTm8yZCOSsVQ%3BFdpDigIdV0qr_w%3BFdmrhwIded6l_ykBNGH3LmM3DTF4JY2byc2ZSA%3BFa4XigId9wWd_ylP5BYiB7QwDTGuj9qkoncrrg%3BFdQCgAIdOF6O_ymrEZnpHcE6DTEK6IQvmu7egg%3BFatbfQIdCumP_ynPcyJcAeQ6DTG4s26PuWDtyg%3BFTBkeQIdnPan_yn1GcQa9h45DTEKMR95rOXbpA%3BFdkIcQIdFJKp_w%3BFTGAXwIduLqn_ylhB1N57IAVDTEuOgJkmhbkcg%3BFW-vRgId1lGp_yn1myrx0HQTDTHLgMIW5JxjLg%3BFW6NNQId2omr_yl9iEmhk2QNDTGzcMBj1Xwyzg%3BFbnCLQIdYcy1_ylVuSScUthyDTHBaGKR0_-kDQ%3BFZNqLgIdpUK5_yk5N_K-_ONyDTEN1Kr1vZP3ww%3BFdUDLgIdgVC5_ylRhR1RzuNyDTG0i6OTF-oZxw%3BFYPZQwIdIcrf_ykvs8eVTKBlDTEKtNiytPElug%3BFVRDWgIdIEL6_ylvsO_wTE9gDTE5HX8fAVGjtA%3BFX-9YgIdr8Hf_yl1UnZ952BdDTFi14PDZjjKDw%3BFaR7ZwIdik7n_ymtDWKPq71dDTE6Vwf5o32H6w%3BFZ3-bgIdtp3k_ym3Hk1-AVlcDTFn-fcJm-OWMg%3BFZfgjAIdVbrK_ylP6NRdwkBPDTGUVaGECPKg5A%3BFcshlwIdse7F_w&via=1,2,3,4,6,7,9,10,12,13,14,15,17,18,20,21,22,23&gl=uk&t=m&z=7


Now, which new tyres to fit, a whole can of worms for another thread!

ArbOl wrote:Hi folks, so finally planning a first tour around Spain come June.

Santander to Malaga via los Picos and onward to Valencia.

Has anybody else tried hefting a K100rs round Spain's beautifully smooth and traffic free twisty roads? In this case a 16v '90 with 60k miles, fully serviced with new fork springs and tyres.

The weight and handling isn't a problem, the addictive high speed straightline ability will make up for that. It's the 'characterful' baked left leg which is really off-putting. And tight bends, when fully laden? Not sure how enjoyable that'd work out over a 300 mile day in the mountains.

I don't want to regret taking the K when the alternative is an R1150R!

Any thoughts much appreciated.

In santander may not have nucho heat in his right leg but ........ 

Once you get out of Santander and fence malaga traveling to Valencia and then noticing much heat and more with K 100 RS fairing. 

The heat engine is transmitted to the gas circuit and is terminated by heating the tank. 

BMW has a thermal blanket that clings to the tank to keep warm. 

Not a great solution, but it lowers the temperature.

92KK K100LT 193214 wrote: to modify the fuel system for riding at higher altitudes, you get it from BMW and I don't believe its expensive but others here will know more about it. I read about it in the Clymer manual but I don't have it with me at work. I didn't pay much attention to it as we have no roads above about 2,000 feet in Ireland, our highest peak is just about 1,000m above sea level. I don't think there are even accessible roads above 3,000 feet in the UK either.

I need not modify the fuel system. 

And I have a K 75 and no longer has that sensor. The K 75 I have in Alicante next to the Mediterranean Sea and traveled with her to the station of Sierra Nevada Sky, and have had no problems. 

It is the highest road in Spain and often you can see prototype cars of all makes, making test 

I also agree with 92KK that 150 or 200 km daily is a good approach.

92KK K100LT 193214 wrote:Thanks IngeK.

My LT has it but it was an import and its on the RH down tube on mine......But it has a few other strange things too, like the ABS unit is in the 'tool' tray over the battery and not in the rear compartment as expected.

Here in Spain the first K 100 if you had, but then left it to incorporate

What can I say, it was a blast! Thanks for the all the tips, definitely heading back out next year. Road Pilot 3s were an excellent choice and made the bike feel 10 years younger. Engine heat no problem!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/K100RS-16V-1990-/141351610882?pt=UK_Motorcycles&hash=item20e9366a02

Hi 
good to hear you had a great trip , but sad to hear you are selling the k???

May i ask what you are looking for ?

K-rider

If you want to ride the RS down to the Dordogne I will give you £500 for it and take you to the airport for the trip back.

Thanks folks, it'd be a great ride down to the belle Dordogne if I had the time. Planning to let the auction run - the reserve's £900.

Poor form to say, but I've been offered a similar mileage K11 with a good service history.

No problems, it was a cheeky of me to offer £500 anyway. Feel free to drop in on the way down if we are on route, whatever bike you ride.