Show us your K bike

Belper phil

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Whats everyone think to this for the section here, only really got Bill, Kev and the legend who is Mike P showing their examples: Would start with my 1100 but its dark, its sorned and under cover - will post up later. If needed a mod can make it a sticky if its popular
 
I won't post my current one as there are plenty of photos of it elsewhere. Nor will I post my first few but this is the one that made me appreciate the K-Series more than any other:

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It was an impulse purchase. I saw it sat outside Ocean one day, it having been taken in p-ex and knowing that even the trade wouldn't want it, I made an offer.

In the first four years I did nothing but change the fluids and wash it occasionally. It was utterly reliable and what's more, I rediscovered the delights of non-telelever, non-ABS riding. I found myself preferring it to my GSA for everything except load-carrying.

K-Series are not bad bikes, they never were: They have just never been fashionable.
 
K75's? Luv em - have 3 at the moment - if I had more room would have more!!

This is my Bestest one - made 1993, registered here in 1996

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Apparently it was presented to the late King Hussien of Jordan in '93, and can back to the UK in '96 with about 250 miles on the clock!! A guy in Southampton bought it - and stored it for about 14 years, as he was about 5ft nothing, and couldn't really safely ride it - even with a lowered seat and shock!!
I was lucky enough to buy it last year for 2.5k, and about 3000 miles on the clock!! I soon replaced the lowered shock, as it made it a ball-breaker to get on the centre stand - and have recently managed to get hold of a mint Nivomat shock for it - which is what it was supplied with from new, I guess.

If anybody is looking for either a lower Hagon - or a standard-length Ram shock for the K75 or K100, I would guess - give me a shout!!

Mike
 
How about some proper K's on here :thumb

I test rode a K75S once and it was one of the most tedious bikes I've ever ridden (although the R850R ran it close), especially after the lovely R100R I rode beforehand
 

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How about some proper K's on here :thumb

I test rode a K75S once and it was one of the most tedious bikes I've ever ridden (although the R850R ran it close), especially after the lovely R100R I rode beforehand

Definition of a "proper" K please?

Since the original and therefore in my view "proper" K bikes had the longitudinal engine a la "Brick", the more modern K's with a transverse engine are a different breed all together. Yes, they're K series but you can't call the modern K's "proper" and the older K's not.

I test rode a K1300GT to P ex my K1100RS against. Ended up buying a GSA and keeping my "proper" K as the better option.
 
Definition of a "proper" K please?

Something that's modern, quick, handles well and is fun to ride. The original K's were none of this, even when first released, hence the rapid reintroduction of the boxer twins.

The K1200/1300S are stunning bikes in comparison, but too uncomfy for my aching back/wrist/neck two-up. I'd have bought a K1300GT if they still made them new.
 
This is my Bestest one - made 1993, registered here in 1996


Apparently it was presented to the late King Hussien of Jordan in '93, and can back to the UK in '96 with about 250 miles on the clock!!

Appropriately regal shade of blue. Very nice indeed. :thumb2
 
Something that's modern, quick, handles well and is fun to ride. The original K's were none of this, even when first released, hence the rapid reintroduction of the boxer twins.

The K1200/1300S are stunning bikes in comparison, but too uncomfy for my aching back/wrist/neck two-up. I'd have bought a K1300GT if they still made them new.

I still disagree. Using the term "proper" in my view implies originality. The implication of whether anything "proper" is better or worse is irrelevant in the context of "proper".

In my opinion, when I rode the K1300GT my first impression was that it had a fantastic motor and a lot of sophistication. When I thought about it in the harsh light of day though, it would have given me nothing extra over and above what I get from my K1100RS apart from the expense of ownership. The type of ride and the experience it gave was so similar to what I got from my K1100RS in real world and day to day riding conditions that all I would be doing is replacing one experience with a very similar one and paying a premium to do so. The R1200GSA however is a completely different animal and the experience so different that by buying that and keeping the K1100RS gave me two almost opposite riding experiences which is why I ride both of them equally. For £400 you can put a good shock on the back of a K11, a service and 10w oil in the front forks and you would be surprised at your average speeds in normal riding.
 
Not really in the spirit but its a K 'sort of'

and the old LT is behind :augie
 

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Something that's modern, quick, handles well and is fun to ride. The original K's were none of this, even when first released, hence the rapid reintroduction of the boxer twins.
Slag off the K-Bricks all you like but at least get the facts straight. BMW never actually got to the point where they stopped building Boxers. They wanted to but the howls of outrage stopped them. The 2-Valve Boxer soldiered on until BMW had realised the importance of the Boxer to their core bike business and come up with a replacement for the venerable old thing.

So there was no "reintroduction", just a continued process of development.

Had they managed to drop the Boxer you might have got an across-the-frame Four much sooner as BMW sales wouldn't have had the support of the Boxer sales to hide behind.

Now I'll address the stupidity of comparing the current K-Series with its predecessor in terms of handling, ride and speed. As there's the best part of thirty years between the designs, it's hardly surprising that things have improved. Even taking into account BMW's glacial rate of development (historically), it would be ridiculous to expect anything else.

I have ridden the current K-Series and I liked them enough to consider buying an 'S' as recently as a month ago.

What stopped me and made me stick to a Brick is: In real world, every day use a Brick, any Brick, is perfectly capable. Indeed, the fact that they are far, far more capable than the uninitiated believe, is a large part of their appeal. Next is the fact that they are from a period when BMW's much vaunted reputation for quality of fit and finish was justifiably deserved. Finally and this is important to many if not all, they are robust, designed to last, easy and cheap to maintain. I suspect that more of the K-Series Bricks will survive than the current crop because DIY spannering is possible by even the least capable person in the least equipped home garage.

So there! :pullface
 
BMW were winding down production of the twins and had declared their intention to withdraw them . OK technically they hadn't ceased production, but they hastily reversed the product retirement programme. For all intents and purposes it was a reintroduction.

The reason for this was the dire K series bikes. They were very poor in all respects compared to the Japanese bikes of the era. The revamped 1100 and 1200's were just throwing petrol on the fire.

Biking is about fun and the K's were vanilla products - dull as ditchwater and basically two wheeled cars. This is why they aren't a proper K compared to the current K series.

The boxers were much more fun and kept BMW Motorrad going until the R1100RS and then the lovely R1100GS totally transformed their fortunes.

When the K1200S arrived it was class leading. Not quite as mindblowingly fast as a Busa or a ZZR1400, but geared for the real world, comfier, innovative and full of character. A modern Blackbird :cool:
 
BMW were winding down production of the twins and had declared their intention to withdraw them . OK technically they hadn't ceased production, but they hastily reversed the product retirement programme. For all intents and purposes it was a reintroduction.

The reason for this was the dire K series bikes. They were very poor in all respects compared to the Japanese bikes of the era. The revamped 1100 and 1200's were just throwing petrol on the fire.

Biking is about fun and the K's were vanilla products - dull as ditchwater and basically two wheeled cars. This is why they aren't a proper K compared to the current K series.

The boxers were much more fun and kept BMW Motorrad going until the R1100RS and then the lovely R1100GS totally transformed their fortunes.

When the K1200S arrived it was class leading. Not quite as mindblowingly fast as a Busa or a ZZR1400, but geared for the real world, comfier, innovative and full of character. A modern Blackbird :cool:

So, to further enlighten us of your extensive knowledge on the subject, which model (of the proper K's i.e Bricks ) have you owned?
 
My 16v RS is anything but bland, it is the perfect stable mate to my100GS. The hostory books I read have all left me with the impression that the Boxer was not discontinued because the customers of BMW still wanted to buy them. I would have thought that the fact that bmw didn't then discontinue the K series meant that it was no lemon.
 

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Biking is about fun and the K's were vanilla products - dull as ditchwater and basically two wheeled cars. This is why they aren't a proper K compared to the current K series.

The boxers were much more fun and kept BMW Motorrad going until the R1100RS and then the lovely R1100GS totally transformed their fortunes.
The numbers tell another story:

All K-Series models produced between 1983 and 1996 = 228,322

All R-Series models produced between 1982 and 1996 = 144,532

So selling just over half the numbers of K-Series can hardly be described as "keeping BMW going".

This was at a time before BMW altered their whole motorcycle ethos, a time when BMW didn't chase volume production, when they made bikes that did all they could to be different. If that meant sticking with shaft-drive, using car production unitary build systems, introducing fuel injection and ABS, it also meant that their bikes generally didn't appeal to those to whom the UJM appealed and things were all the better for that.

I doubt that I'm alone in looking back to the "pipe and slippers" image with nostalgia when faced with the influx of former UJM riders and their inability to work out that Suzuki made GS1100s and BMW built 1100GSs, who want a Blackabusa thing with a BMW badge.

As the 'K' in the name refers to BMW's Compact-Drive (Kompact), The original K-Series is the definitive K.

FFS, there was a time that BMW would never have dreamed of signing off a design that left all the crap inside a K1300S cockpit visible.
 
...
Biking is about fun and the K's were vanilla products - dull as ditchwater and basically two wheeled cars. This is why they aren't a proper K compared to the current K series.
... :

Before i got one (K100 Rat) i would have agreed based purely on what i'd researched and seen, but never ridden.
But i still got one.
Based purely on the practical reasons - ease and low cost of maintainence .
What a suprise to find i also had a smooth, tractable (relatively) powerful and predictably handling solid machine that could also generate a grin if you 'played it' well. :augie

They're now in danger of becoming trendy ffs. :eek: feck that'll put the prices up :blast
No,
i lied - all old K's are crap - dont buy one. :thumb
 
Now't wrong with the 96 K1100LTSE i had for five years.........It was mechanically faultless, pulled like a train and was comfier than my grandads armchair!

Put over 40k on that bike and you didn't even get wet in the rain, heated grips, ABS and an electric screen aswell:thumb

Aye they're dated, slow and don't handle too well now but you could say that about most of today's bikes in twenty years time.............!

FP.
 
This is supposed to be a thread about showing your K bikes, not pointless arguments like the BMW Club used to have!
 
This is supposed to be a thread about showing your K bikes, not pointless arguments like the BMW Club used to have!

WTF do you expect? "Show us what you did to your bike today" has more people posting what they did on their bike like a mini ride report thread and "Show us your Harley" has more splenetic posts for and against H-D than photos.

I blame the Mods myself. Too busy swanning about on BHT's floating gin palace to clean-up in the aisles. :rolleyes:
 


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