BMW, on Ebay I'm interested in, any good ?

SteveH says...

They are as ugly as ****, and were back then.

 

I was amused to find what I wrote about it when I was young
and knew how to ride:

"Specifically I didn't like the high bars, forward footpegs,
hot air on left foot, excessive weight, engine power curve
and crappy rear suspension."
and
"I once rode a K1. It was crap. Overweight, underpowered, handled like
a pogo stick, roasted your left leg. The engine made horrible noises
and ran out of steam just as it should have been entering a powerband.
Oh, it was ugly too."

Actually it sounds like my kind of bike now that I'm an old git.

 

I don't know why you think it was slow. I got my one past 140. That was
plenty good enough for me.

Ok. I had mine for about 5 years (if I remember properly). During which;

miles covered about 50,000
breakdowns ZERO
paint / chrome / finish decay ZERO
back pain ZERO
complaints from pillion ZERO
getting luggage on it a right pain but there was a way
heavy the wrists in slow traffic
poor turning circle
bit fiddly getting at the rear light bulbs as there was an electronic
box in the way
ABS was a bit clunky, but it worked

and finally, no, the switch-gear layout is not a problem.

 

Ohhh no, I don't like that at all, noooo nooo noo it's horrid.


--

www.ratrodz.co.uk

XJ900 Trike ** GS850 Trike
XV1000 TR1 Chop

[Rot 13 it]

Some people are like slinkys....
no real use but it makes you smile when they fall down stairs!

 

Very shiney

I've got a 1987 K75S (non ABS), it's done about 30K and isn't as shiney
as that example, I tend to ride them and rinse them off at the start of
the summer.

Easy to do your own maintenance, all the parts are available from
Motobins http://www.motobins.co.uk or Motorworks
http://www.motorworks.co.uk.

Normally very reliable.

Compared to modern jap stuff it's very heavy, you need to practice
putting it on and off the centre stand without taking out your back [1].

Compared to modern jap stuff the brakes can seem a bit tardy.

Compared to modern jap stuff the shafty effect can be very noticable.
When cornering on wide sweepers over 90mph you can detect a slight
undulation.

Other than that for everyday use, as in winter spring summer and autumn
it's a good bike. On normal roads you'll keep up with plastic
fantastics. On the straight stretches they'll pull away from you.

Don't know if the price is good or bad.

[1] I'm putting it against CB and ER 500s

 

It's still about the ugliest bike anyone, anywhere, has ever built.

 

The Elephant Man looked amazing.

 

In all fairness, I think the 1980s/early 1990s BMWs were definitely
better built than they are today. I'm talking Ks and airhead boxers
here. The early four-valver bxers were, erm, not that good.

 

I think the most stone-reliable bike I ever owned was my 900 Diversion,
but Christ, was it ever dull.

My ShiteOldBoxer - well, that doesn't count. It was dependable, and what
went wrong on it was only due to old age (rear wheel bearings
collapsing; red lead paint flaking off the inside of the tank and
blocking the fuel filters).

My old Kawa GT750 - doesn't Statto still have it? - was great. It ate a
coil, and that was it. I'd buy another if I wanted a budget tourer. For
my money, it was one of the best econo-tourers ever made. Shaft drive,
comfy, reliable, range of well over 200 miles, and you could just bolt
on the windscreens or fairings and panniers of your choice.

I'll be interested to see how the K11 stands up. My belief is that it
dates from before BMW started building crap bikes - certainly you see an
amazing number of very high mileage K bikes around. I'm also expecting
the electrics to go AWOL (well, the neutral switch already has).

The Trophy was dead reliable. Just appallingly illogical - it cost more
to run than the car, which is why I ditched it.

And let's not forget the Ducati - nine years and over 27k miles up,
looking a bit scrappy these days, but yes, reliable.

 

BORG says...

That's the only sensible post I've ever seen you make.

 

I've had one each and I'd have to agree. The early 4V boxers aren't bad
but the Ks are better - they're probably the best engineered of the
bunch.

 

Having had BM Ks since the 80s, I have to agree with the drop in quality.

Luckily this drop has coincided with the decline in my memory so I have
to say that Windows 3.1 would be my choice.

 

Good stuff. But, and I know I'm on dodgy ground here, one expects that
of a Jap bike. One doesn't expect it of a Ducati.

Interestingly, the other thing that's held up well is the finish. All
the paint is still excellent. The frame finish is still excellent -
literally, no rust. The alloy's good. There are no marks on the wheels
at all. The only real blemishes are on the black chromed parts of the
silencers.

This, I don't mind admitting, surprises me.

Oh, and the dayglo marks on the speedo and tacho needles have faded to
nothing.

 

I don't think I've had that many problems; the current K100 I've:
- replaced a starter clutch,
- two coils (only one was bad, swapped the pair),
- fuel pump wiring
- Exhaust
- Starter solenoid

And er... that's all I can remember. Not so bad in about 60k miles on a
20+ year old bike.


Previous K100 was a snotter and hand't been properly maintained so I had
to do the rings shortly after buying it.

K1100 I've had to replace an exhaust gasket... that's it in 5k miles.

K75... I've had to replace the clutch... and **** around with the tank.
In about 60 miles. Hmm.


All in all I don't think the *K SERIES* is that bad. Actually I think
the old 8 valve Ks are fucking rugged bikes ideal for long distances in
all weathers. If you like that kind of thing.


I don't believe that a VFR owner would have had less problems than I'd
had with the 117k mile K100... if they'd only paid 1400 quid for it when
they bought it 3.5 years ago.


Regarding non-K BMWs; I don't have a clue what they're like.

 

AOL for the Drifter. Although it took me 5 years because I kept crashing
it.

 

http://motorcyclecruiser.com/roadtests/xl+2000_kawasaki_drifter_800+front_side_view.jpg

 

what about this one then ?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=004&item=140039650459
--

www.ratrodz.co.uk

XJ900 Trike ** GS850 Trike
XV1000 TR1 Chop

[Rot 13 it]

Some people are like slinkys....
no real use but it makes you smile when they fall down stairs!

 

Yebbut the semi-sighted daft Welsh fucker could have added that it
would look a lot better 'fightered and pain^H^H^H^Hsplattered in matt
black.

Even better crushed and cubed.

 

Haha or peculiar?

 

Pip says...

Poor fucker's lost his gorm.

Agreed.