Bmw k1

[Oscar]

Any of you guys had one of these?
What is the collective wisdom on these bikes?

[jasonu]

What is the collective wisdom on these bikes?

Bloody ugly!
(sorry for any offence)

[Vampirella]

What is the collective wisdom on these bikes?
Er fookin ugly

[White trash]

When they came out I thought they were the most ugly POS ever invented. However I now reckon they're kind of cool in their own funky way. Possibly because they never really took off and fuck all people bought 'em, making them a bit of an oddity. I suspect you could pick one up at a relatively good price nowdays and maybe one day turn a profit on it.

Mechanically, it'll be awesome. It's a friggen BMW..........

[Crasherfromwayback]

Mechanically, it'll be awesome. It's a friggen BMW..........

What the fuck have you been smoking? You ever seen a Japanese bike have to have a new diff at 25000kms?

They're simply a K100 dressed in drag with wider handle bars. I've ridden a few of 'em...and they're just that to ride.

[BEAMER89]

Possibly because they never really took off and fuck all people bought 'em, making them a bit of an oddity

Someone must'ive bought them there are three of the bloody things on trade me for the same price.:bleh:

[banditrider]

I rode a mate's one once and after hopping off a Suzy 750 to ride it I didn't think much of it. BMW's idea of sportsbike at the time (I think they've got a better idea on that now) but with only 100hp...

Very heavy but stable - not sure about how well they'd fair in the twisties (only had a quick ride). I'd say my Connie would eat it for brekkie (and it's diff is fine at 63,000kms :msn-wink:).

Incidentally my mate had a lot of trouble getting rid of his...

[Scouse]

Mechanically, it'll be awesome. It's a friggen BMW..........Oh come on now it's an old BMW motorcycle are you really saying because BMW cars are seen as a quality product that they are still good when they age. Cos they are not 10 yo BMW cars are shit and there bikes are the same

[BMWST?]

Oh come on now it's an old BMW motorcycle are you really saying because BMW cars are seen as a quality product that they are still good when they age. Cos they are not 10 yo BMW cars are shit and there bikes are the same

bullshit my 20 yr BMW car is still my daily driver,and it overall condition inside and out puts a lot of newer cars to shame...

and as for the k1 it will be just like a k100 to ride...100 hp maybe but very useable hp they are..
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30057073@N08/5222531653/" title="1990 E34 535is 004a by kiwiproflexrider, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4110/5222531653_bdea610b89.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="1990 E34 535is 004a" /></a>

[FJRider]

The K100 was designed with the the (European) 100 Hp limit in force. So they tried to keep the speed possible as high as they could by making it "slippery" through the air ... hence the "uglyness" ...

[Highlander]

...

100 hp maybe but very useable hp they are..




German horses are much bigger than Japanese ones. :niceone:

[FJRider]

German horses are much bigger than Japanese ones. :niceone:

There is a "myth" ... the German ones have bigger dicks on them ... only a "myth" mind ... :innocent:

[Highlander]

There is a "myth" ... the German ones have bigger dicks on them ... only a "myth" mind ... :innocent:

You saying German horses are hung like a horse? - Go figure... :bleh:

[FJRider]

You saying German horses are hung like a horse? - Go figure... :bleh:

Nah ... I heard it was the riders of "said" german horse's ... did I say that out loud ... ??? :chase:

[Highlander]

Nah ... I heard it was the riders of "said" german horse's ... did I say that out loud ... ??? :chase:

Right. Got it. Riders of German bikes have no need to compensate. :psst:

Should probably give this man his thread back.

[Quasi]

Looks like this where Spank got his inspiration for the new dark zone:blink:

But - it is kinda ugly and looks like the great hulk:facepalm:

[Oscar]

Right. Got it. Riders of German bikes have no need to compensate. :psst:

Should probably give this man his thread back.

I wasn't really expecting sense on this site...:facepalm:

[Highlander]

I wasn't really expecting sense on this site...:facepalm:

Sorry man, Kinda got off track a bit.

Conquiztador (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/member.php/11704-Conquiztador) has one, he metioned it in his White Ribbon Ride blurb. (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/131320-Follow-my-White-Ribbon-Ride-2010) Couldn't do any harm to flick him a note asking what he thinks of it.

Personally I hae never been a fan of BMW looks. Test riding mine got me over that. I rellay like the ride, they do things quite different to most others but it certainly seems to work. My old Honda just felt all wrong after a couple of hundred km test ride on the BMW.

[FJRider]

My old Honda just felt all wrong after a couple of hundred km test ride on the BMW.

So you're NOT gay then ... :innocent:

[warewolf]

Haven't had one, but it's been on the list as something to watch, since when they were released they were the flagship model. Were they the first with ABS? Anyway I read up on them recently and it put me off buying one, can't remember why.

They predated the Hayabusa for ugly-but-slippery by some margin.

[warewolf]

From "The Illustrated Motorcycle Legends: BMW", by Roy Bacon:


The K-range continued for 1988, when anti-lock brakes (ABS) became a factory option for the K100 models
...
The second new model for 1989, the K1, was a super-sports version of the K100 which moved BMW further forward. The engine was revised to four-valve heads, there were many detail improvements, the Paralever rear suspension was fitted,

[Crasherfromwayback]

From "The Illustrated Motorcycle Legends: BMW", by Roy Bacon:

The problem with the 1st four valve 'K' engines was, they lost most of the lovely bottom end grunt the motor was so good for as a 2 valve. That's why they started to increase them in size...to get the bottom end back.

[BMWST?]

The problem with the 1st four valve 'K' engines was, they lost most of the lovely bottom end grunt the motor was so good for as a 2 valve. That's why they started to increase them in size...to get the bottom end back.

yep the two valvers had lots of grunt but even the 4 valvers have very fat mid ranges...prolly the worst thing about the k bikes was they could be buzzy.The k1 was not he first abs bike one of the k100rs models(some kind of anniversary model?) had abs.I remember Bill Biber and Dallas Rankine? had a abs demo at manfield one year during the superbikes or castrol six hour ....

[Crasherfromwayback]

yep the two valvers had lots of grunt but even the 4 valvers have very fat mid ranges...prolly the worst thing about the k bikes was they could be buzzy.The k1 was not he first abs bike one of the k100rs models(some kind of anniversary model?) had abs.I remember Bill Biber and Dallas Rankine? had a abs demo at manfield one year during the superbikes or castrol six hour ....

In my opinion it was only when they went to 1200cc that the K motor got it's grunt back. I was working for Pete Daniels at the time at Bike Clinic, and had one as a shop bike for a while.

I think it was the Superbikes...and perhaps Bill Biber and Andrew Lawrence?

[BMWST?]

In my opinion it was only when they went to 1200cc that the K motor got it's grunt back. I was working for Pete Daniels at the time at Bike Clinic, and had one as a shop bike for a while.

I think it was the Superbikes...and perhaps Bill Biber and Andrew Lawrence?
that could be right,cos it was Andrews K100RS that i was thinkin of.

[gammaguy]

When they came out I thought they were the most ugly POS ever invented. However I now reckon they're kind of cool in their own funky way. Possibly because they never really took off and fuck all people bought 'em, making them a bit of an oddity. I suspect you could pick one up at a relatively good price nowdays and maybe one day turn a profit on it.

Mechanically, it'll be awesome. It's a friggen BMW..........

bullshit

they crap out final drives and paralever bearings faster than you can say siegheil

gearboxes can be an issue too

the engines however,are bulletproof,BMW donrt even supply valve shims as they said they NEVER needed adjusting.:eek:

[Conquiztador]

Yep as mentioned above somewhere by Crasher; I have one. Bought a cheep K100 -86 a couple a years ago when I needed something to get on the road as all others of mine were in bits for modification and fixups.

Used her for approx a year. She had somewhere close to 200K use when I got her. Had problems with instruments (a common issue with them). Had problem with starter not engaging (gearbox needs to be taken off) and some wiring problems. I put all these issues down to crappy maintenance on her from previous owners. She still runs but needs some work as I put her in a ditch...
233592


In August last year I got my self a K1 for $7,500. Had done just over 30K. Two owners. I had always wanted one but would not have fitted my image years ago... But now I could not give a shit. I recon she is soo ugly that she is cool. Have done 15K with her now. Oilchanges and service (I do them my self) and a new temp sensor (well, the K100 lost its sensor...) as the red light was coming on all the time. Apart from that nuthing. The 2'nd gear jumps out occasionally and it is annoying. But I will try to get another of the projects on the road and then I sort that. Not really a major as she revs easily up to 9K in first and pulls from low in 3'rd. Starts easily each time. Takes approx 4 - 4.5litre/100k. If I am not too heavy on the hand I can get Napier - Wellington return from one tank. But as she happily sits at speeds above the legal ones and I like them too we very seldom get that far on a tanlk.

Positives:
-Stedy as on the road (apart from when sitting behind a big truck and the turbulence hits as her bodywork makes that tricky). The faster you go the more she pushes down and you feel that you are stable.
- Cheep on fuel if happy to sit around 100k (approx 4.5l/100k)
- Handles well as a tourer. But if you want to scratch on the Coro loop you might want something else.
- Have had her to 220k/h on the Napier-Taupo straight and there was still some to go.
- Happy to work in a little higher rev range and if you sit there she is very responsive and passing cars is a breeze.
- The faering is brilliant in keeping wind and water off the rider.
- If you do trips where you dont need heaps of gear she is good as she has a couple of small inbuilt side bags. Can take 5 Steinie bottles each..
- Stands out
- Bullet proof motor. Will be run in at approx 100K
- Fuel injection, ABS, .34 wind drag coefficient.
- After moving the footpegs down a few inches I now happily do Napier -Aucklan - Napier in one day.
- If there is issues and you are handy you can fix many things your self. No fiddly small bits here.

Negatives:
- Initially not an easy bike to ride. And the turning radius is 7 meters...
- They were not called "yogurth containers" for nothing. The faering was kept light to keep the weight down and is a fraction brittle.
- Heavy. 250Kg filled up.
- A high bike. And together with the weight you need to watch how you handle her when stopping and trying to push her around.

You need to grease the spline to the gearbox at approx every 40K. Motor comes off (or actually, the frame lifts off the motor...).
Keep the oil sorted in shaft and final drive and you should not have many issues. (Problems tends to come from leaving crappy oil in there)

What else? I like my K1. She easily takes me everywhere I want to go. And if I am in a hurry she responds. Perhaps not ideal in the tight twisties, but apart from that.

Would I get another one? Yep. The McDonald red one. Just because...

Oh yes, they came out in blue/yellow and red yellow first. Then it was changed to black/silver and blue/silver as many did not like the colouring. Only 6921 (I think) was made. From 89 - 94 (or about that)
233593 233594

[Crasherfromwayback]

Positives:
-Stedy as on the road (apart from when sitting behind a big truck and the turbulence hits as her bodywork makes that tricky). The faster you go the more she pushes down and you feel that you are stable.
- Cheep on fuel if happy to sit around 100k (approx 4.5l/100k)
- Handles well as a tourer. But if you want to scratch on the Coro loop you might want something else.
- Have had her to 220k/h on the Napier-Taupo straight and there was still some to go.
- Happy to work in a little higher rev range and if you sit there she is very responsive and passing cars is a breeze.
- The faering is brilliant in keeping wind and water off the rider.
- If you do trips where you dont need heaps of gear she is good as she has a couple of small inbuilt side bags. Can take 5 Steinie bottles each..
- Stands out
- Bullet proof motor. Will be run in at approx 100K
- Fuel injection, ABS, .34 wind drag coefficient.
- After moving the footpegs down a few inches I now happily do Napier -Aucklan - Napier in one day.
- If there is issues and you are handy you can fix many things your self. No fiddly small bits here.




Would I get another one? Yep. The McDonald red one. Just because...



Nice one mate! And there you have the word of a very happy owner! Nice write up.

[BMWST?]

Nice one mate! And there you have the word of a very happy owner! Nice write up.

i dont ussually like to ride bikes that i owned in a past life.I am gonna try one of these,i loved my k100rs

[Voltaire]

Long time BMW twin fan...rode a K100 for a day in Thailand ...like riding a two wheel car....certainly didn't give me the " I wants"

[Crasherfromwayback]

i dont ussually like to ride bikes that i owned in a past life.I am gonna try one of these,i loved my k100rs

Yeah funny thing is with bikes...you may love 'em..everyone else hates them. So what I say! I've had a shitload of bikes most people would think were total shit...hell...some of them were. But I loved them for one reason or another. That's what makes me laugh about some cunts here. They'll get their nose out of joint if someone dares not love their choice of bike. Get over it.

[Conquiztador]

Yeah funny thing is with bikes...you may love 'em..everyone else hates them. So what I say! I've had a shitload of bikes most people would think were total shit...hell...some of them were. But I loved them for one reason or another. That's what makes me laugh about some cunts here. They'll get their nose out of joint if someone dares not love their choice of bike. Get over it.

It is a little like with having girlfriends when younger:
"Have you hooked up with Lara?"
"Yep!"
"Shit! Why? Nobody wants to go out with her. She is soo easy!!!"
"......Yeah, I was thinking bout dropping her anyhow..."

Today when older:
"Have you hooked up with Lara?"
"Yep!"
"Lucky bastard!"
"I know, she is so hot in the bed!!!"

:msn-wink:

[Conquiztador]

i dont ussually like to ride bikes that i owned in a past life.I am gonna try one of these,i loved my k100rs


If you have your ways past HB U be welcome to take my K1 for a ride (as long as I can ride yours...)

[Conquiztador]

Did not even relise that this Thread was in Classic Bikes. Cool!!! She is one. I expect that the K1 will soon start rising in value.

[shafty]

I reckon they are a Doozie - a real classic. I was looking at getting a red/yellow one, and hooking up a Unigo http://www.uni-go.com/ trailer in matching colours, - would be a head turner and a good way to tour with a bit of class IMHO

(Awaits the feedback!!) :bleh:

[Conquiztador]

I reckon they are a Doozie - a real classic. I was looking at getting a red/yellow one, and hooking up a Unigo http://www.uni-go.com/ trailer in matching colours, - would be a head turner and a good way to tour with a bit of class IMHO

(Awaits the feedback!!) :bleh:

I recon, that riding a K1 is a little like wearing a pink shirt. You are so much man that you can actually get away with it and make it look good. :msn-wink:

[AllanB]

I can remember getting excited over them when they were released. I always thought they were kind of cool. Man it was like the future had arrived.

[Dodgyiti]

Did not even relise that this Thread was in Classic Bikes. Cool!!! She is one. I expect that the K1 will soon start rising in value.

They keep saying in bike magazines how they are to be a future collectable, there is a bike mag out right now with one in it saying that. But then why are they so hard to move on the second hand market, and why so cheap?
I had a K100RS back in the early 1990's and wished I had the money for the K1 but back then they were massively expensive to buy.
A few were grey imported to NZ around the mid 1990's and that has helped to drop the second hand prices.
They are a heck of a lot of bike for the money, not my cup of tea anymore, but in their day they were the most high tech 2 wheeler you could buy- if you had the money.

[gammaguy]

I reckon they are a Doozie - a real classic. I was looking at getting a red/yellow one, and hooking up a Unigo http://www.uni-go.com/ trailer in matching colours, - would be a head turner and a good way to tour with a bit of class IMHO

(Awaits the feedback!!) :bleh:

In Bahrain you will need the Uni Go to mount the air conditioner...........

[Gubb]

The faired version looks FUCKING AWESOME.

That is all.

[Corse1]

Oh come on now it's an old BMW motorcycle are you really saying because BMW cars are seen as a quality product that they are still good when they age. Cos they are not 10 yo BMW cars are shit and there bikes are the same

Plus 1 on that. BMW cars are POS in my experience. Boss had a 540i Schnitzer that kept falling to pieces inside.
A few staff at work have had them and sold them rather quickly due to expensive servicing and crap workmanship.
Drive train is bullet proof though.

Don't get me started onm Alpha Romeo's though

[Highlander]

.

- Heavy. 250Kg filled up.
- A high bike. And together with the weight you need to watch how you handle her when stopping and trying to push her around.



My R1100s is also tall and at least 30 kg heavier than the CB750 it replaced. It feels much lighter once you are sitting on it and have it up from the side stand. The balance is obviously fine tuned. A couple of people have commented that it feels light once you are sitting on it.

[banditrider]

1 x K1 on the Southern Cross to go with all the other R & K series Beemers on the run.

3 Connies, plenty of ST's and a few VFR's (800's, no 1200's as nobody is sure what they're for).
1 x GS1000 with something like 300,000km on the clock.

Oh, and a few 3 wheeled thingees: M109 trike, Can-am spyder and a 400cc MP3...

No Boss Hoss this time.