BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

Hello fellow beaksterites,

what can you tell me about these bikes?

check this one out:

http://www.hermys.com/preowned/DSC02087.JPG

due to a restructuring at my job, I have a significant reduction in pay and was considering trading down my 2003 R1150R for this 1985 K100.

basically I could get rid of my loan and lower my insurance by dropping collision and also a slightly smaller displacement may lower the premium but I can't imagine by much.

I never was a big K bike fan but it is still a BMW afterall.

My other consideration is a 1985 Honda Silverwing 500 with fairing and full luggage for only $1500. Haven't seen this one yet however.

ken k

ken k wrote:Hello fellow beaksterites, what can you tell me about these bikes? check this one out:

http://www.hermys.com/preowned/DSC02087.JPG

due to a restructuring at my job, I have a significant reduction in pay and was considering trading down my 2003 R1150R for this 1985 K100. basically I could get rid of my loan and lower my insurance by dropping collision and also a slightly smaller displacement may lower the premium but I can't imagine by much. I never was a big K bike fan but it is still a BMW afterall. My other consideration is a 1985 Honda Silverwing 500 with fairing and full luggage for only $1500. Haven't seen this one yet however. ken k

1985 was a recall/constant upgrade year for the K100 bikes. I believe 85 was the only year the K100 was produced sans fairing. 1985 K100 bikes do not share the same parts with later K's. Difference in fuel tank and seat for example. Rear drive splines were a problem, needing a periodical lub with Honda-Moly 60, NOT BMW grease. Water pump can leak. Fuel tank can leak from internal corrosion. Heat shield weld on muffler would crack, causing exhaust leak. Muffler is $tainle$$ Steel. Timing chain guide rails can break. Steering head bearings need service. Front tires would cup, producing a wobble. Check for warped front brake rotors. Brake master cylinders do leak. I don't think rebuild kits are still available. Rubber parts would crumble in short time. Odometer problems were frequent----you cannot guarantee the real mileage as the ODO may have been changed two, three times. (Gotta love Motometer---they kept trying) However, *Most* service issues are user friendly. Fuel filter R&R is 20 minute job. You can see the Air cleaner--10 minute task. Repair manuals are inexpensive and you must follow factory torque specs or you break things. DO NOT touch the injector linkage.

Horsepower is about 90, weight is about 600lbs, so it's no quicker than your Roadster. (K100 is more top heavy, too) K100 will smoke on start up after parked on side stand. No big deal.

That bike might have been repainted--I don't believe white color was an option for 1985. Check wheels for trueness. Aftermarket brake pads are cheap. Front fork fluid maintenance is easy--check the drain plugs for the possibility of being stripped. BIG money repair. Check for service history. How many owners??

Were it me.....IMHO I would find a way to keep the Roadster. You already have BMW's newest technology. Do you really want a motorcycle that may end up a *project bike*. Remember, dealer parts are not cheap anymore.

The K100, K75, K1100 bikes were long distance runners, but do require a strict maintenace schedule. I liked the K100---I put a lotta' miles on two. I have seen several K100RS bikes with over 250,000 on the Odometer. I believe that motor is bulletproof!!

Hermy's kid is ok to deal with. My old 1977 R75/7 was sold by Hermy, Sr.

Well, there my two cents,

Ed..

The K75's were said to be much smoother and more reliable. Watch out for early ABS bikes too as I hear they were problematic and expensive to repair.

my father bought a silver one when they first were available. we thought we'd died and gone to heaven, as it seemed so far ahead of anything on the market at that time, and I would ride it to show off to my friends....... $6500 - new, for a stripped K100 then.... ( I was 19 at the time....yikes!)

odometer went south at 666 miles terrible buzz in handlebars at 55-60 mph. when my dad complained to BMWNA about the buzzyness..........they said: ( not kidding here) " ride it faster".................

I inherited the beast 5 years ago with 88k on the odometer.

water/oil pump started leaking - easy fix

hall sensor "worn" then replaced - easy fix

fork seals would not seal even after new ones ( never could figure that one out)

rear final drive crown bearing spalled during a trip. ( bought a used one for $300)

many (mostly) good memories of that bike..............sold it in 2003 for $2500.

I think the motor could've gone 200k miles, if asked........


be prepared to become "handy" with a 20+ year old bike

I agree with vintagecycle. You might look at used K75s. Some people swear they are some of the best bikes BMW made. Smoother than the 1000s and perhaps more reliable. I had one for a short time as a "bridge" between a 1100 GS and my 1150 Roadster. I would have liked it much better if I had already not been spoiled by the telelever GS handling.

Avoid the ABS models. I bought mine with a peice of electrical tape over the blinking ABS failure light and it remained there for the entire time I owned it since the repair part was about 2K! Never affected the brakes though, just no ABS.