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Need advice for long trip on K75RT

tullypilot

New member
I have a K75RT with 21,000 miles on it that I have not had long and know little about. I hope to leave Memphis on the first of July, ride to Winnipeg, then over Hwy 1A to Vancouver, and on down to Salem for the rally. I have a Clymer manual and will do all recommended service before I leave. I have my anonymous book and a BMW tool kit. I will ride on paved roads and hope to find that there will be dealers along the way to help me with any needed parts and repairs. I would like some advice on what I can do before departure to make it more probable that I can make such a trip on such an old bike with few mechanical problems. I know what a wrench is for but I am not one of those guys who can do major mechanical work along side of the road. What spare parts and extra tools should I take along?
I will be camping most nights and have never made such a long motorcycle trip before. I would like any advice that I can get.

Hope to see you at the rally.

Steve Price
tullypilot@bellsouth.net
901-277-7835



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Service the bike before you leave and you should be fine.
Make sure your tires are fairly new and check the brake pads.
On our K75s we usually got 60,000 miles out of the front pads and 30,000 miles out of the rear, but some people get less.

Have a fun trip.
 
I've got a 91 K100LT with over 120K that I wouldn't hesitate to ride long distance. If I were to take it on a long trip I would check the brake pads and tires. Check for loose nuts and bolts. I always carry cables in my bike just in case. I haven't needed them yet. You may also want to check your saddlebag hinges. I had one split on my on a trip once. I now carry extra saddle bag hinges which I haven't needed since I started carrying them. With just 21k on your bike I wouldn't worry about much despite of its age.
 
I would suggest that you pull the final drive and inspect/lube the splines. My 91 75RT had 30,000 miles when I got it and the rear splines were 50% worn. Don't use any grease that BMW recommends. Guarddog 525 is what a lot of us use.
 
-Sapre headlight bulb
-Spare tail light bulb
-two extra fuses for every fuse on your bike.
-A way to repair a flat. (small pump and tire plugs...c02 cartridges...)
-a decent assortment of tools. (allen head sockets, a ratchet, screwdrivers, tape, wire, zip ties, some baling wire, a small hacksaw blade, metric sockets, an oil filter wrench, a good length of electrical wire, electrical connectors and the tool to squeeze them, an assortment of metric nuts and bolts a small LED flashlight,...) I use a vinyl 'bank bag' to hold all my tools, and these and lots of other stuff would fit in the tail section of my old K Bike.
-Clutch cable and throttle cable. (if you break a cable, you be as far away from home as possible, DAMHIK!)
-some small strong rope
-a can of Pledge to clean crap off the bike
-on a morbid but needed note, put your important info, name, next of kin, any passengers name or if you are solo, on a luggage tag and strap this to you handle bars every morning before you start the ride, then take it off when you stop each day. If you are injured, or maybe ejected from the bike and are laying in a ditch, rescuers will know who you are and how many people they are looking for. and keep your Driver's license on your person ,(not stored in on the bike) for the same reasons as above.
-Take your time and enjoy!
 
Lube the final drive splines.

Check the valve adjustment.

Grease the clutch cable barrel where it pivots in the clutch lever.

If you carry a spare clutch cable, also get a spare clutch cable barrel (lever end). If the cable breaks, this may fall out rendering the new spare cable useless.

Check the crankcase breather hose. Replace if there are ANY cracks.

Check fan blades to insure they spin freely by hand.

Check fan operation (after checking for free spinning) by letting the bike idle for 10-12 minutes. Fan should come on before the overtemp light comes on.

Check clutch adjustment for proper freeplay.

Check coolant level AT THE RADIATOR CAP (under the fuel tank. You must slide tank back to access).

Inspect overflow hose between radiator and coolant expansion bottle for ANY cracks.

Buy an altitude plug and know how to use it.

Change engine oil and filter.

Check tranny and final drive lube levels.



Have a great time and look me up at the Rally!



:dance:dance:dance
 
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Great advice here, I would only add to bring a spare fuel filter, a set of spark plugs, and a spare oil fill cap and o-ring (BTDT.....)
 
Before you get started, lay out your route.
then get you anonymous book and see if any dealer are along your route.
then check the town along the route for member listing.
This will give you a heads up if something goes wrong.
 
Tanks for the advice. What is an altitude plug?


It is a jumper that plugs into a connector under your left battery cover. BMW calls it a contact ring:

61 13 1 459 504 CONTACT RING $7.90


When inserted, it tells the fuel injection computer to inject less fuel. It is recommended to install it at above 4000 ft. The air is thinner there so you need less fuel to maintain the proper air/ fuel ratio. These bikes do not have oxygen sensors or any other way to tell if they are running too rich.

Above 4000 ft install plug. Below 4000 ft remove plug. Those of us that regularly ride multiple mountain passes snip the wire loop on the end of the altitude plug and splice in some wire and a switch. That way you don't have to stop to fiddle with the plug.



:dance:dance:dance
 
What you need for a trip like you have planned is your passport, a comfortable seat on your K, fresh fluids and good tires. After that, if you've kept the bike up, all you'll need is time.
 
You need to check the fuel lines for cracks, and dont forget the hose clamps. Pull on them! They might look ok until you pull on them and they can slip off the little nipple.
 
If I didn't know the history of the bike and I were going to make a trip that long, along with the other advise here, I would think about putting a new battery in it.
 
...
I will be camping most nights and have never made such a long motorcycle trip before. I would like any advice that I can get.

I would advise you to take a short trip , maybe two or three days long, before the big trip so you can come home and make adjustments comfortably.
 
There is a socket with a rubber/plastic cap over it, taped to the frame tube above the coils. You must remove the left battery cover to get to it. I will try to post a photo later today.



:dance:dance:dance
 
Comfort item -

I STRONGLY suggest you pick up a bead rider for your seat. In the case of my old 85K and my newer 2004KGT, the bead rider allows airflow between your seat and the seat of the bike, virtually eliminating the dreaded monkey butt.

$35 well spent.
 
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