Possible 85 K100 purchase

Hey all, I wandered over here from the Oilheads section because I'm going to look at this K: https://albuquerque.craigslist.org/mcy/d/placitas-1985-bmw-k100/6998956248.html

I'd love a short list of things to look for since it will be the first one I've seen up close. I think I read somewhere to look at the exhaust for cracks but who knows what else. The only thing I can tell from the pics is there's some of those paper wing-type clips on the front of the radiator, holding on a grill maybe?

Price seems high but it is an original owner bike. I have to drive over four hours to look at it so any info is appreciated.

Richard

Based on all the recent work done the only other thing I'd look for are the saddlebags and keys other an general condition. The price, based on the recent work justifies the asking price. But of course I, being the thrifty person that I am, would offer less, particularly if the bags are missing.

Oh. And check out that side stand.

If it is as represented in the ad, then that's a bargain at any price below $3000.00 IMO. For whatever reason, k bikes are undervalued and underappreciated. If that was an r100 in similar condition, the asking price would be twice that and would probably get it. Good luck.

Sometimes the seller just wants the garage space back. Check various K100s for sale on the interweb, see what's going on in the market. Be polite. Check VIN number exact date of manufacture. Some parts for an early K100 are no longer available. Like the big plastic electrical fuel stick assembly bottom of tank. The seat is unique as is its mounting points and tail cowling. No biggie. Front fender doesn't have the integral lower fork brace. Depending on vin number may have the greater overlap cams. FWIW. We don't have autobahns. Throttle bodies have a shorter cable throw than later Ks. Always check the bottom tank seams for corrosion. If you can see in there. And then the leaks, if there are any. No ABS which some like, simple. Others hate because they like ABS. 16 splines instead of 20 on FD input, IiRC. Which some like. Hard to say much from a picture. Used bike usually a shot in the dark. Some sellers, especially BMW, think they got a collector item. Ya know, a legend, it's a BMW! Yay! Early center stands and rear foot rest plates were swapped out by BMW, along with speedometers. More to read about. Ya know, a conundrum. Just off the top of me head, any corrections welcome.

Mostly BMW maintains a very good parts supply. With any used bike it's hard to know exactly what a bike is, until you get into it yourself. However, I like my old early K100RS with only 86k miles.

Okay, thanks for the replies. Owner is out of town for a week so I have time to do more research. In the FWIW dept., the RT I have was owned by the same guy since 2005 before I bought it over the summer. He changed oil and tires but not much else so I spent some time cleaning stuff up. Mat be a similar story with this one. I really like the looks of this one but that's how I get bit, falling for a pretty face and not caring about what's underneath.

Quick q: this is listed as a straight K100, not an RS, RT or something else. Would it have saddlebags or any other factory farkels (German for farkles )?

I've got add that thing is 34 years old now.
Getting up there.
I've got a garaged 1990 K75RT that has for the most part trouble free and I do take it out on trips, but that is getting up in years too.
Just sayin

romulanremus said:

Quick q: this is listed as a straight K100, not an RS, RT or something else. Would it have saddlebags or any other factory farkels (German for farkles )?

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It appears to have the z brackets for side cases. Maybe he has cases, too? If not, having the brackets will at least save you some money.

vark said:

It appears to have the z brackets for side cases. Maybe he has cases, too? If not, having the brackets will at least save you some money.

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Frio, gracias.

Update: Owner of this machine is still out of town for a few more days so I haven't been to look at it yet, but we talked for awhile yesterday. He's pretty knowledgeable about the bike and hasn't skimped on keeping it in good shape. He says he has receipts for all the work he's done, which is a good thing. He bought it as an RT but took the fairing off and turned it into man cave art, and sold the bags. He indicates he has some wiggle room on the price, too.

In the meantime, this one also showed up on CL:
https://albuquerque.craigslist.org/mcy/d/albuquerque-1987-bmw-k100rt/6999974261.html

Common slight knock? This one may be a kettle of worms.

romulanremus said:

Update: Owner of this machine is still out of town for a few more days so I haven't been to look at it yet, but we talked for awhile yesterday. He's pretty knowledgeable about the bike and hasn't skimped on keeping it in good shape. He says he has receipts for all the work he's done, which is a good thing. He bought it as an RT but took the fairing off and turned it into man cave art, and sold the bags. He indicates he has some wiggle room on the price, too.

In the meantime, this one also showed up on CL:
https://albuquerque.craigslist.org/mcy/d/albuquerque-1987-bmw-k100rt/6999974261.html

Common slight knock? This one may be a kettle of worms.

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On the '85, i would want to wiggle the price down enough for a good set of bags and mounts. Kind of strange to turn the fairing into art and sell the bags. I wouldn't have done that. I would have kept it all safe to return it back to original if desired, and the bags, well they're just plain useful as heck.

chunk said:

On the '85, i would want to wiggle the price down enough for a good set of bags and mounts. Kind of strange to turn the fairing into art and sell the bags. I wouldn't have done that. I would have kept it all safe to return it back to original if desired, and the bags, well they're just plain useful as heck.

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Well, he's had it since late 1984 from new, so I suspect that's got a lot to do with it. Who thinks they're going to keep a vehicle long enough for it to gain antique status? It's like the 69 Fastback Mustang I bought for $600 back in the 70s, bone stock with a 250-6 and a 3-speed manual transmission. I proceeded to try to turn it into a Boss-lookalike, V-8, 4-speed top-loader, fold-down rear seat, shaker hood etc etc. I'd love to have that one back just as I bought it, OEM hubcaps and all! Time's perspective, right?

romulanremus said:

Common slight knock? This one may be a kettle of worms.

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The only "common" thing that might be interpreted as a "knock" is the take up of the gear backlash in the transmission and final drive when first starting to let out the clutch or when rocking the rear tire when either on the bike or when on the centerstand. There should be no knocking with the bike in motion.

Bad driveshaft splines (or universal) could make a knocking sound while in motion, but not for long, as the next phase would be total failure.

98lee said:

The only "common" thing that might be interpreted as a "knock" is the take up of the gear backlash in the transmission and final drive when first starting to let out the clutch or when rocking the rear tire when either on the bike or when on the centerstand. There should be no knocking with the bike in motion.

Bad driveshaft splines (or universal) could make a knocking sound while in motion, but not for long, as the next phase would be total failure.

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That's what I thought, and probably why the ad says "as is". Pass.

romulanremus said:

Well, he's had it since late 1984 from new, so I suspect that's got a lot to do with it. Who thinks they're going to keep a vehicle long enough for it to gain antique status? It's like the 69 Fastback Mustang I bought for $600 back in the 70s, bone stock with a 250-6 and a 3-speed manual transmission. I proceeded to try to turn it into a Boss-lookalike, V-8, 4-speed top-loader, fold-down rear seat, shaker hood etc etc. I'd love to have that one back just as I bought it, OEM hubcaps and all! Time's perspective, right?

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All the more reason to keep the original fairing and bags. These bikes are only original once, right down to the paint. When it comes to motorcycles, I'm a purist i guess, and hate to see bikes slip away piece by piece. Just a different point of view i suppose. My 1977 Yamaha xt500d is still original, not many xt's are anymore, and so are my airheads. To each their own. Good searching.

I'm of a similar mind, Chunk. I'm not a fan of the cafe racer set, but whatever boats one's float. I'm putting a 1976 GL1000 back to original, since only 2000 of them were brought to the US. Others have been stripped down for cafe projects, sadly. I'm already prowling ebay for fairing bits and bags for the K bike, but won't pull the trigger till I go look at the actual scoot in Albuquerque.

I'll throw in my two cents.
In the 1990s I had my first new BMW, which happened to be an oilhead like you are riding. I missed the wrenching I had been doing on older bikes, so I bought a 1985 K100RS that needed some love. Before it was over, I'd sold the R1100 and have been riding Ks ever since.
What I remember of that first K includes the unique seat which makes the passenger handholds a joke. My SO refused to ride on it until I swapped out the seat and tail for a later model's.
The fuel tank mount is a poor design with support at the front, and a flat plate that extends from the rear. The weight of the fuel acts thru the tanks center of gravity (middle of the tank) which is unsupported. This tends to bend the rear mounting plate upward which can cause cracks where the plate is welded to the tank. Good luck finding a welder wanting to weld fuel-soaked aluminum.
The early Ks were buzzy. BMW spend the entire product run trying to minimum the vibes by mounting all the touch points in rubber. You may find certain RPM ranges to be unpleasant.
The instrument pods were notoriously unreliable. They were often replaced and/or recalled. Don't necessarily believe what the odo reads.
The brakes squeal. The calipers and rotors are all hard mounted, unlike more modern floating designs. You can play with anti-squeak compound on the pads, or just learn to ignore the squeal. And while vastly better than the drums that preceded them, they don't stop as well as later multi-piston designs.
Overall I'd rate them a good, solid, basic bike. They obviously clicked with me, primarily because of the wide, easy to use powerband. If it clicks with you, go for it. I'd dismiss any thoughts of it appreciating as a collector's item.

I appreciate the thoughts. I have an 81 CB750 that I chased vibes on for months before finding out it’s inherent in the side-by-side 4-banger design. So sort of used to the buzz; I even halfway named the thing “Buzz Boy Blue”. And most everything I buy to ride are from the 70s or 80s, so not nervous about this one. And the only thing I’ve had long enough to appreciate in value, I married 34 years ago.

romulanremus said:

I have an 81 CB750 that I chased vibes on for months before finding out it’s inherent in the side-by-side 4-banger design..

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What I've read is that, with an in line 4, the outer pistons go up and down together, the inner pistons go up and down together at a 180 degree interval from the outers, so all four hit "half" mast at the same time, when their respective con rods are at maximum deflection from the vertical, which causes the vibration. Thus, the need for counterbalancers or double counterbalancers.

I rode a K100RS once, and found it quite buzzy below 4,000 rpm, but don't know what year it was.