Jumping Ship for a K Bike

I'm going to look at an '85 K100RT. 45,000 miles. Same owner for 23 years. Bike is in great shape. Can't keep them both. Wish me luck!

Sounds like a very safe bet to me. Those bikes are bulletproof. Unlike the 1200 flying bricks. Enjoy the bike! You should however keep both. You cannot have too many bikes. I have 9 at the moment.

Everyone says that! But I only have room for one.

Craft,

Don't sell the RT just yet. You might be able to find a place to keep it, too. I have a really nice 99 R11S and a 99 R11RT, then bought a 00 K12RS, which is a pure joy to ride and I'm sure you'll like theK100 too, but there is a place for the other bike and you'll miss it if you sell it!!

those things will run forever, but about now they are starting to have issues with brake lines and like any bike that hasn't been ridden much , master cylinders and calipers .

the biggy on the old k bikes is the combo oil/water pump.

even if flushed by the book, after all this time the pump mainshaft can have pits and damage the seal separating the two fluids . ride it til it gets good and warm then let it sit on the side stand . look for any leaks or signs of leakage out of the “pee hole” of the water pump housing .

also there's a jumper wire included behind the left side panel or under the seat left side called something like a high altitude plug . it crudely changes the mapping in the ECM to enrichin things at high altitude . if one leaves it in, it hurts fuel mileage and can carbon things up. the ‘85 had issues with running hot and a factory fix was insulation under the fuel tank and rubber knee pads as many owners got their legs burned by the fuel tank being a heat sink. they also don't sit well similar to the R bikes where the fuel pump dies when the pick up screen falls apart and sucks into the pump . it gets ugly .

anyway look and buy with caution .

those things will run forever, but about now they are starting to have issues with brake lines and like any bike that hasn't been ridden much , master cylinders and calipers .

the biggy on the old k bikes is the combo oil/water pump.

even if flushed by the book, after all this time the pump mainshaft can have pits and damage the seal separating the two fluids . ride it til it gets good and warm then let it sit on the side stand . look for any leaks or signs of leakage out of the “pee hole” of the water pump housing .

also there's a jumper wire included behind the left side panel or under the seat left side called something like a high altitude plug . it crudely changes the mapping in the ECM to enrichin things at high altitude . if one leaves it in, it hurts fuel mileage and can carbon things up. the ‘85 had issues with running hot and a factory fix was insulation under the fuel tank and rubber knee pads as many owners got their legs burned by the fuel tank being a heat sink. they also don't sit well similar to the R bikes where the fuel pump dies when the pick up screen falls apart and sucks into the pump . it gets ugly .

anyway look and buy with caution .

Morning Tri750

Something wrong here. You don't richen for high altitude as you want to lean out the fueling at higher altitudes due to the air being thinner so at altitude you need less fuel not more.

Sounds like a very safe bet to me. Those bikes are bulletproof. Unlike the 1200 flying bricks. Enjoy the bike! You should however keep both. You cannot have too many bikes. I have 9 at the moment.

Your sig says 8? Curious minds want to know what you are hiding!

I have 3.

D.R. is right: the high altitude plug leans the mixture. Your mileage improves but your power goes down. I had a K75, and since I routinely would ride from sea level to the Sierras and the beyond, I fitted the jumper to a switch so I could easily change back and forth (not on the fly, but at a stop). Certainly uber-geek, but it made me happy and I never lost the plug.

Sounds like a very safe bet to me. Those bikes are bulletproof. Unlike the 1200 flying bricks. Enjoy the bike! You should however keep both. You cannot have too many bikes. I have 9 at the moment.

Your sig says 8? Curious minds want to know what you are hiding!

 

I have 3.

The 9th would be my Vespa GTS250.

Sounds like a very safe bet to me. Those bikes are bulletproof. Unlike the 1200 flying bricks. Enjoy the bike! You should however keep both. You cannot have too many bikes. I have 9 at the moment.

"Unlike the 1200 flying bricks"

Beg to differ. Big time.

Now the 1200 wedge K bikes, yes.

I have friends with multiple K 75's that have over 500,000 miles.

Our dealership owner had a K 100 with nearly 400,000 miles'

Yes, you can put big mileages on them.

But.

They aren't the same as the more modern flying brick K1200 with outstanding brakes and all the amenities.

An '85 K compared to an '04 boxer?

Wow, big, big difference.

After 37 years of boxers I went to the Dark Side in '05 with a K 1200 brick.

Great bike. Still holds its own on the road in today's world, solo or 2 up.

Don't know what type of riding you do, solo, 2 up, day rides, tours, etc. but I'd think long and hard about going

this direction, and I'm a big advocate of the bricks.

The ride on a K 100 is much different. The K1100 was a big step up, the K1200 even more so wrt handling/comfort/road riding.

It isn't like comparing an Airhead and an oilhead. Again, IMO.

Good luck, hope it works for you.

Yup, lean.

 

"Unlike the 1200 flying bricks"

 

Beg to differ. Big time.

Now the 1200 wedge K bikes, yes.

 

I have friends with multiple K 75's that have over 500,000 miles.

Our dealership owner had a K 100 with nearly 400,000 miles'

Yes, you can put big mileages on them.

But.

They aren't the same as the more modern flying brick K1200 with outstanding brakes and all the amenities.

 

An '85 K compared to an '04 boxer?

Wow, big, big difference.

After 37 years of boxers I went to the Dark Side in '05 with a K 1200 brick.

Great bike. Still holds its own on the road in today's world, solo or 2 up.

 

Don't know what type of riding you do, solo, 2 up, day rides, tours, etc. but I'd think long and hard about going

this direction, and I'm a big advocate of the bricks.

The ride on a K 100 is much different. The K1100 was a big step up, the K1200 even more so wrt handling/comfort/road riding.

It isn't like comparing an Airhead and an oilhead. Again, IMO.

Good luck, hope it works for you.

I don't mean to pile on here but tallman is spot on. I had a '92 K1 and later an '04 K1200RS followed by the '06 K1200 I have now. The KRS was an absolute dream going cross country and wasn't bad in the twisties. Still, I was a glutton for power sooooo I moved on to the K1200 and wasn't disappointed. I hang out on on some K bike forums and can confirm that the 2005-2006 K1200's can be problematic yet there are many members with 100K+ mileage. I couldn't afford nor did I have the garage space to keep the KRS but I sure miss it and wish I could snag one as nice as the one I had.

The only comparison I can make is that I own an '02 R1150RT that I love for all kinds of riding. Compared to the K1 the RT comes out far ahead. Regardless, good luck with your decision!

I wasn't happy with the bike. Zero maintenance records as he did all the work himself and "knew what had to be done and when". Checked the FD rear spline once 20 years ago and it had lube on it so he put it back together. It had a noise up front down low that I can only assume was the oil/water pump bearing. Cosmetically 5/10.

No, had the bearing on the way out, or even thinking about it, it would have been dribbling coolant or oil when warmed up.

Not being synched could give that noise just like any other multi-cylinder engine.

The early K bikes did have an issue where the balance shaft damper rubbers would de-vulcanize to invent a word, and crumble then you get a rod knock noise from the rear, down low.

But it's an old bike ! No more advanced than an Airhead of the same year except for the very "dumb" fuel injection. No telelever, no ABS (?) rubber bits at the end of their service life,

Skinny tires, and you would have to grow a pony tail !

Bullet dodged !

Skinny tires, and you would have to grow a pony tail !

Bullet dodged !

Ha Ha! Thanks! Still looking though.

My first Beemer was a K 1100 LT. Loved the smooth engine. Quick pickup. Put a lot of miles on it, sold it to another member in Indiana and he sold it to another couple.

But I'm stuck on the OIlheads. They are like 5 generations old now. And I don't ride the newer ones because I know they will be so much better and I will have the "wants".

So ignorance is bliss and I'm happy.