My first BMW bike - ‘89 K100
Discussion
Let’s start with my previous bike.
I took this as a p/x on a knackered old Harley about a year ago. It was a ‘97 CBR900RR that didn’t run, needed a full respray, lots of maintenance etc. It was a big list. I parked it under a cover, full of good intentions of sorting it out, but just never found any enthusiasm to do anything to it. Last week I decided to get rid of it, advertised it cheap on Facebook and within a couple of days it was gone.
Knowing I wanted another bike I figured I better buy something ASAP before the money got spent on something silly, like food or the mortgage
After scouring Facebook marketplace for the budget friendly bikes, I spotted this. Looked in good condition, something a bit different, a BMW (owned enough of them in car form) and plenty of cheap parts available. Oh and it was reasonably local!
Anyway I hired a ZipVan for a few hours today and drove over to take a look. As you can probably gather, I bought it
It’s parked up at my Mums right now and I can’t wait to make some changes to it. Just need to find somewhere to store my ‘85 5 Series that’s currently occupying the garage and then the bike can go in there so I can start stripping it down.
I took this as a p/x on a knackered old Harley about a year ago. It was a ‘97 CBR900RR that didn’t run, needed a full respray, lots of maintenance etc. It was a big list. I parked it under a cover, full of good intentions of sorting it out, but just never found any enthusiasm to do anything to it. Last week I decided to get rid of it, advertised it cheap on Facebook and within a couple of days it was gone.
Knowing I wanted another bike I figured I better buy something ASAP before the money got spent on something silly, like food or the mortgage
After scouring Facebook marketplace for the budget friendly bikes, I spotted this. Looked in good condition, something a bit different, a BMW (owned enough of them in car form) and plenty of cheap parts available. Oh and it was reasonably local!
Anyway I hired a ZipVan for a few hours today and drove over to take a look. As you can probably gather, I bought it
It’s parked up at my Mums right now and I can’t wait to make some changes to it. Just need to find somewhere to store my ‘85 5 Series that’s currently occupying the garage and then the bike can go in there so I can start stripping it down.
t ones). I wonder if K100's of that vintage, in original/restored condition are pretty rare nowadays?Chipchap said:
F reg is one of the last K100RS's before the Blue/White SE came along and then it was 16V then it was K1100RS etc.
So its not the earliest which from memory was 1984.
Nice find, dont chop it up they are great bikes. Put it together as std as possible and just ride and enjoy it.
It’s getting chopped up So its not the earliest which from memory was 1984.
Nice find, dont chop it up they are great bikes. Put it together as std as possible and just ride and enjoy it.
Already arranged with a guy that restores them to come and buy all the panels, lights, seat etc. Sammo123 said:
Chipchap said:
F reg is one of the last K100RS's before the Blue/White SE came along and then it was 16V then it was K1100RS etc.
So its not the earliest which from memory was 1984.
Nice find, dont chop it up they are great bikes. Put it together as std as possible and just ride and enjoy it.
It’s getting chopped up So its not the earliest which from memory was 1984.
Nice find, dont chop it up they are great bikes. Put it together as std as possible and just ride and enjoy it.
Already arranged with a guy that restores them to come and buy all the panels, lights, seat etc. .....at least get that guy to join here and post for us misty-eyed don't-chop-it-up types
Sammo123 said:
Chipchap said:
F reg is one of the last K100RS's before the Blue/White SE came along and then it was 16V then it was K1100RS etc.
So its not the earliest which from memory was 1984.
Nice find, dont chop it up they are great bikes. Put it together as std as possible and just ride and enjoy it.
It’s getting chopped up So its not the earliest which from memory was 1984.
Nice find, dont chop it up they are great bikes. Put it together as std as possible and just ride and enjoy it.
Already arranged with a guy that restores them to come and buy all the panels, lights, seat etc. 
And yes, I also think '84 was the earliest. However, I think the K1 was launched in late '88 with the 16v engine but the RS was a year behind. I bought a LT in spring 89 and the 16v RS was not an option.
Lovely!
I bought one last year (well actually 2, but lets not mention the first). Its a surprisingly fun bike to ride, and rides really well.
I've started to drive into it and I'm really impressed with the engineering on this. And pretty much all parts and bits have been readily available and relatively cheap (mostly - one or two things have been surprising). Its been a huge amount of work however. I'm completely redoing absolutely everything on the bike - only have leave the motor internals alone, but every seal, cover, sensor etc has been completely refreshed. I've probably spent 100 hours alone on paint prep alone. Its been a fun project - I've taken up learning machining (lathe) and doing a fair bit of the bits and pieces myself.
motobrick forum has been great - loads of knowledgable people on there and very happy to help - my build thread is in the Customs section (Rusty's K100 Scrambler).
I bought one last year (well actually 2, but lets not mention the first). Its a surprisingly fun bike to ride, and rides really well.
I've started to drive into it and I'm really impressed with the engineering on this. And pretty much all parts and bits have been readily available and relatively cheap (mostly - one or two things have been surprising). Its been a huge amount of work however. I'm completely redoing absolutely everything on the bike - only have leave the motor internals alone, but every seal, cover, sensor etc has been completely refreshed. I've probably spent 100 hours alone on paint prep alone. Its been a fun project - I've taken up learning machining (lathe) and doing a fair bit of the bits and pieces myself.
motobrick forum has been great - loads of knowledgable people on there and very happy to help - my build thread is in the Customs section (Rusty's K100 Scrambler).
I had an 1100 for a while.
Nice bike to do big distances on, and useful with the panniers.
But they are a big lump when wheeling it out of the garage, a pretty high CofG?
I had a few moments with it on a muddy lane where I was much happier on other bikes.
For a naked or Cafe Racer mod, I think I'd prefer a twin.
The brick comes into its own on a fairly open road, particularly with the RS fairing.
I never stopped getting annoyed with the 'different from every other bike on the planet' indicator switches.
The electronics had a few amusing features too, ferocious battery drain and disco warning lights?
Nice bike to do big distances on, and useful with the panniers.
But they are a big lump when wheeling it out of the garage, a pretty high CofG?
I had a few moments with it on a muddy lane where I was much happier on other bikes.
For a naked or Cafe Racer mod, I think I'd prefer a twin.
The brick comes into its own on a fairly open road, particularly with the RS fairing.
I never stopped getting annoyed with the 'different from every other bike on the planet' indicator switches.
The electronics had a few amusing features too, ferocious battery drain and disco warning lights?
That is rather lovely. Please refrain from chopping it about.
I gather the days when you could buy one of these for £900 are long gone. That's precisely how much I paid for my 1986 model, back in 2009.
What a machine. So comfortable and such an amazing mile muncher. On more than one occasion I sat in my garden In Derbyshire, pointed it at Scotland and pulled the trigger. It was fantastic for the sort of journey. I wasn't blisteringly fast my modern standards but for someone who had just come from a Diversion 600. it felt plenty fast enough. It was also incredibly reliable. In all honesty, I'm still kicking myself for selling it!
I gather the days when you could buy one of these for £900 are long gone. That's precisely how much I paid for my 1986 model, back in 2009.
What a machine. So comfortable and such an amazing mile muncher. On more than one occasion I sat in my garden In Derbyshire, pointed it at Scotland and pulled the trigger. It was fantastic for the sort of journey. I wasn't blisteringly fast my modern standards but for someone who had just come from a Diversion 600. it felt plenty fast enough. It was also incredibly reliable. In all honesty, I'm still kicking myself for selling it!
I bought a K100 RS, new in 1990.
Nice bike.
When I went to pick the bike up from the BMW dealership, as I had bought it on HP through my limited company, BMW asked me to sign a personal guarantee on the payments. I refused, this caused some consternation as the bike was already registered, plated an ready to go. But I was told a long time ago that there is no point having a limited liability business if you then sign away those rights and advantages.
Nice bike.
When I went to pick the bike up from the BMW dealership, as I had bought it on HP through my limited company, BMW asked me to sign a personal guarantee on the payments. I refused, this caused some consternation as the bike was already registered, plated an ready to go. But I was told a long time ago that there is no point having a limited liability business if you then sign away those rights and advantages.
Edited by Alickadoo on Friday 22 August 17:32
Alickadoo said:
I bought a K100 RS, new in 1990.
Nice bike.
When I went to pick the bike up from the BMW dealership, as I had bought it on HP through my limited company, BMW asked me to sign a personal guarantee on the payments. I refused, this caused some consternation as the bike was already registered, plated an ready to go. But I was told a long time ago that there is no point having a limited liability business if you then sign away those rights and advantages.
Doesn’t sound like an unreasonable request. What did you end up buying. Nice bike.
When I went to pick the bike up from the BMW dealership, as I had bought it on HP through my limited company, BMW asked me to sign a personal guarantee on the payments. I refused, this caused some consternation as the bike was already registered, plated an ready to go. But I was told a long time ago that there is no point having a limited liability business if you then sign away those rights and advantages.
Edited by Alickadoo on Friday 22 August 17:32
Rob 131 Sport said:
Alickadoo said:
I bought a K100 RS, new in 1990.
Nice bike.
When I went to pick the bike up from the BMW dealership, as I had bought it on HP through my limited company, BMW asked me to sign a personal guarantee on the payments. I refused, this caused some consternation as the bike was already registered, plated an ready to go. But I was told a long time ago that there is no point having a limited liability business if you then sign away those rights and advantages.
Doesn’t sound like an unreasonable request. What did you end up buying. Nice bike.
When I went to pick the bike up from the BMW dealership, as I had bought it on HP through my limited company, BMW asked me to sign a personal guarantee on the payments. I refused, this caused some consternation as the bike was already registered, plated an ready to go. But I was told a long time ago that there is no point having a limited liability business if you then sign away those rights and advantages.
Edited by Alickadoo on Friday 22 August 17:32
I've done many miles on both the 8v version (I had 2) and the 16v version. Great bikes for covering distances in comfort while still offering a fun ride ( for their time period). Very robust engines that will cover huge mileages without issue. Suspension was always a bit soft and wallow but handling was better than most would expect.
Wulf Sternhammer said:
That is rather lovely. Please refrain from chopping it about.
I gather the days when you could buy one of these for £900 are long gone. That's precisely how much I paid for my 1986 model, back in 2009.
What a machine. So comfortable and such an amazing mile muncher. On more than one occasion I sat in my garden In Derbyshire, pointed it at Scotland and pulled the trigger. It was fantastic for the sort of journey. I wasn't blisteringly fast my modern standards but for someone who had just come from a Diversion 600. it felt plenty fast enough. It was also incredibly reliable. In all honesty, I'm still kicking myself for selling it!
I paid £500 for this I gather the days when you could buy one of these for £900 are long gone. That's precisely how much I paid for my 1986 model, back in 2009.
What a machine. So comfortable and such an amazing mile muncher. On more than one occasion I sat in my garden In Derbyshire, pointed it at Scotland and pulled the trigger. It was fantastic for the sort of journey. I wasn't blisteringly fast my modern standards but for someone who had just come from a Diversion 600. it felt plenty fast enough. It was also incredibly reliable. In all honesty, I'm still kicking myself for selling it!
NullReferenceException said:
Lovely!
I bought one last year (well actually 2, but lets not mention the first). Its a surprisingly fun bike to ride, and rides really well.
I've started to drive into it and I'm really impressed with the engineering on this. And pretty much all parts and bits have been readily available and relatively cheap (mostly - one or two things have been surprising). Its been a huge amount of work however. I'm completely redoing absolutely everything on the bike - only have leave the motor internals alone, but every seal, cover, sensor etc has been completely refreshed. I've probably spent 100 hours alone on paint prep alone. Its been a fun project - I've taken up learning machining (lathe) and doing a fair bit of the bits and pieces myself.
motobrick forum has been great - loads of knowledgable people on there and very happy to help - my build thread is in the Customs section (Rusty's K100 Scrambler).
I’ve been following your journey on motobrick, really enjoyed seeing what you have been doing. I have an 84rs which is in bits all over the garage floor. Im not going quite as drastic as you have done, aiming at a scrambler. Rather dreading doing the electrics though I bought one last year (well actually 2, but lets not mention the first). Its a surprisingly fun bike to ride, and rides really well.
I've started to drive into it and I'm really impressed with the engineering on this. And pretty much all parts and bits have been readily available and relatively cheap (mostly - one or two things have been surprising). Its been a huge amount of work however. I'm completely redoing absolutely everything on the bike - only have leave the motor internals alone, but every seal, cover, sensor etc has been completely refreshed. I've probably spent 100 hours alone on paint prep alone. Its been a fun project - I've taken up learning machining (lathe) and doing a fair bit of the bits and pieces myself.
motobrick forum has been great - loads of knowledgable people on there and very happy to help - my build thread is in the Customs section (Rusty's K100 Scrambler).
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