K75C - - Is there a tall windscreen option?

All great info, thanks.

I had thought the K75 doesn’t use bar end weights? But maybe that is only certain bars?

As for aftermarket heated grips - - Oxford?

Forks

Another question about the front forks: Are the Showas used on the later years qualitatively different from the Fichtel and Sachs used on earlier years? Are either known to be problematic or preferable?

vark said:

Another question about the front forks: Are the Showas used on the later years qualitatively different from the Fichtel and Sachs used on earlier years? Are either known to be problematic or preferable?

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I believe the consensus is that the Showa forks are an improvement. My K75s have been 1986, 1988, 1994 and 1995 and the only forks I took issue with were the cushy long travel forks on the '86. I converted them to K75S fork internal parts in 1988.

PGlaves said:

I believe the consensus is that the Showa forks are an improvement. My K75s have been 1986, 1988, 1994 and 1995 and the only forks I took issue with were the cushy long travel forks on the '86. I converted them to K75S fork internal parts in 1988.

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Copy that. Good to know - - thanks.

Sounds like Showa forks have the edge, but I suppose as old as they all are any version might require some upgrading/maintenance.

PGlaves said:

I believe the consensus is that the Showa forks are an improvement. My K75s have been 1986, 1988, 1994 and 1995 and the only forks I took issue with were the cushy long travel forks on the '86. I converted them to K75S fork internal parts in 1988.

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I checked our bill for the 1987 K75Ts and noticed I had the shop install Progressive fork springs before we took delivery.

PGlaves said:

I believe the consensus is that the Showa forks are an improvement. My K75s have been 1986, 1988, 1994 and 1995 and the only forks I took issue with were the cushy long travel forks on the '86. I converted them to K75S fork internal parts in 1988.

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There seem to have been a lot of different forks available on a K75 depending on year and model. I presently have a 1992 K75S which was very early production and does not have the Showa forks that '92s are supposed to have, but rather have the sport "S" stamped on the top of each fork. Then I have a 1990 K75 which a VIN check says is a "C" model but came to me with a rear disk, Pichler Uni-4 fairing, low seat, high bars, and BMW belly pan with crash bars (a strange bike). The forks also have the "S" stamp on the top, which I understand means "sport", but is there some other meaning that can have?

Bonus point followup question. How do the Sport forks compare to the Showa forks?

GREGFEELER said:

There seem to have been a lot of different forks available on a K75 depending on year and model. I presently have a 1992 K75S which was very early production and does not have the Showa forks that '92s are supposed to have, but rather have the sport "S" stamped on the top of each fork. Then I have a 1990 K75 which a VIN check says is a "C" model but came to me with a rear disk, Pichler Uni-4 fairing, low seat, high bars, and BMW belly pan with crash bars (a strange bike). The forks also have the "S" stamp on the top, which I understand means "sport", but is there some other meaning that can have?

Bonus point followup question. How do the Sport forks compare to the Showa forks?

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I had been under the impression Showa forks were first used in the 1993 model year?

That IS a strange bike!! What exactly is the “Pichler Uni-4 Fairing”? Is that just the standard “C” bikini fairing, or something else? And I have seen belly pans on some “C” bikes as well as “Standards”, but never with any rhyme or reason - - have often wondered about that. Crash bars are nice!

vark said:

I had been under the impression Showa forks were first used in the 1993 model year?

That IS a strange bike!! What exactly is the “Pichler Uni-4 Fairing”? Is that just the standard “C” bikini fairing, or something else? And I have seen belly pans on some “C” bikes as well as “Standards”, but never with any rhyme or reason - - have often wondered about that. Crash bars are nice!

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I'm not dead certain about the year the Showa forks were introduced - could be 1993. I did have a 1993 K75 Standard for a while and it did have the Showa forks.

In my opinion the K-bike crash bars are only good for mounting highway pegs or for dead stopped parking lot fall overs. They are rubber mounted and are easily ripped off in a highway speed crash, based on my experience. To be able to use crash bars with a belly pan requires a special belly pan with cutouts for the lower bar mounts. To R&R the belly pan for oil changes is a major pain. On the right side there is a hole in the belly pan to allow access to the lower crash bar mounting bolts and you have to completely remove that crash bar. On the left side there is a serpentine cutout in the belly pan to allow maneuvering the belly pan around the lower bar mount since it is not accessible in the same way as the right bar. Trying to get the belly pan worked around that lower bar mount and then lined up to slide into place can be very challenging at times. I've never seen this combination on any other K-bike. A number of years ago I was hit on this bike in traffic which damaged the crash bars and the belly pan so I just ditched both and got a standard belly pan.

The Pichler Uni-4 is one of several fairings made by Pichler of Germany years ago for a variety of bike brands. The Uni-4 is a frame mounted half-faring styled somewhat like the classic Windjammer. It has two storage compartments with locks, and spaces for an optional radio and speakers. You very seldom find them any more. The picture below is not my bike but shows the Uni-4.

GREGFEELER said:

I
The Pichler Uni-4 is one of several fairings made by Pichler of Germany years ago for a variety of bike brands. The Uni-4 is a frame mounted half-faring styled somewhat like the classic Windjammer. It has two storage compartments with locks, and spaces for an optional radio and speakers. You very seldom find them any more. The picture below is not my bike but shows the Uni-4.

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They had another style with lowers that looked nice.

This thread shows the PK2
https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?57449-pichler-fairing-question-88-K75

Gotcha on the belly pan / crash bars. I see what you mean.

The Pichler Uni-4 fairing is nice! So your VIN says “C” - - I guess the original owner must have ditched the bikini fairing? Plus you had rear disc brakes. A strange bike for sure. It almost seems like there was yet one more undesignated model of the K75 for a year or two. Maybe these should be called the K75NS (“Non-Standard”)!

vark said:

Gotcha on the belly pan / crash bars. I see what you mean.

The Pichler Uni-4 fairing is nice! So your VIN says “C” - - I guess the original owner must have ditched the bikini fairing? Plus you had rear disc brakes. A strange bike for sure. It almost seems like there was yet one more undesignated model of the K75 for a year or two. Maybe these should be called the K75NS (“Non-Standard”)!

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I think it was lee98 to told me that the very last C's came with the rear disk brake. It also came with the low factory seat. It is an odd bike with an odd paint job, but it is one of the best riding and running K75s I've ever experienced. It was painted by Jose Dela Cruz (I may have spelled the wrong) out of New Jersey, but I bought it from the second owner north of Seattle. The fairing that came with it had the most amazing paint work (see first picture) but after a crash which destroyed that fairing I declined to reproduce those graphics on the replacement fairing. I discovered that the original fairing was serial number 0000000001, so apparently the first production Uni-4 fairing. Sorry for the thread hijack.

Not a hijack at all. We’re drifting around a fair bit in this thread, but it’s all K75 related so no worries.

That certainly is an unusual K75. Very customized! Did it also have a 17” rear wheel like the S, the Standard, and RT?

Another question I had concerned the later bikes with upgraded 55A alternators. Was this considered a desirable improvement? Any known issues or concerns as a result of that change?

vark said:

Another question I had concerned the later bikes with upgraded 55A alternators. Was this considered a desirable improvement? Any known issues or concerns as a result of that change?

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The original 33amp alternator was large for a bike and would handle pretty much anything you could throw at it UNTIL they came out with ABS. The ABS was very voltage sensitive so they bumped up the alternator in '93.

If you get the correct alternator with the correct drive cup, it is a simple bolt in conversion. You just have to cut of the original alternator plug and install two ring/eyelet connectors.

Necessary, no. Any down side to the conversion, no, other than the cost of the used alternator. Did I do it to the two Ss that I ride and my wife use to ride, yes.

My theory has always been; if some is good, more is better, and too much is just right.

50 amp alternator is very helpful with heated riding gear and driving lights. The lights are not so greedy anymore with LED bulbs.

Great feedback on the alternator. Thanks to both of you.

I definitely share the “more is better” mindset, so the 55a version seems like a good way to go. Just wanted to understand whether this “upgrade” came with any sort of downside. Doesn’t sound like it.

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vark said:

Great feedback on the alternator. Thanks to both of you.

I definitely share the “more is better” mindset, so the 55a version seems like a good way to go. Just wanted to understand whether this “upgrade” came with any sort of downside. Doesn’t sound like it.

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No downside at all. I retrofitted the higher amperage alternator on two K75s. One thing to note. The coupler cups that engage the driving vanes (and the shafts) are not the same. So the cup from a 33 amp can not be used on the higher capacity alternator. It will go on, but will soon spin on the shaft. So with any upgrade you need the OEM coupler for that model alternator.

Just get the later K75-K100-K1100 alternator with the correct cup already on it. Don't waste your time trying to adapt an R model alternator.

98lee said:

Just get the later K75-K100-K1100 alternator with the correct cup already on it. Don't waste your time trying to adapt an R model alternator.

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Well, you’re getting a bit ahead of me now. I don’t even own a K75 yet!

All these questions and answers are leading me to think I’d be best served by a later model K75 that came stock with the Showa forks, ABS brakes, and upgraded alternator.

That is, if I end up with one!

But regardless, thanks to many knowledgeable participants, this thread is becoming a good general background resource for prospective K75 purchasers.

vark said:

Well, you’re getting a bit ahead of me now. I don’t even own a K75 yet!

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