Noob intro, BMW K75 value, and bike transport

[zzpza]

My name's Jules and I don't have a license. I've wanted a classic car for donkey's years, and ran a couple of old Porsche (at different times - they weren't as flash as you are thinking) as a 2nd car. It was expensive and I don't have the room to work on them.

This got me thinking about old(ish) motorbikes. I really like the look (when naked / cafe) and slightly unconventional design of the BMW R series (not the modern one).

I'm more than old enough (going grey) to do direct access. I don't have enough spare cash (will be doing this as a hobby, not for transport) to get license, PPE, & BMW R all in one go. So I'm planning on getting a K (most likely K75) to start with to get me riding (only when I have my license) then building up a nice R as funds allow.

When I was younger I had to do most of the maintenance on my own car as I couldn't afford not to. It was enjoyable to being with (good sense of achievement) but got stressful when you needed the car to run to get to work. Now I have a reliable car serviced at the stealer, I quite like the idea of getting may hands dirty on a bike that needs some work. Having the option to walk away from it and pick it up again when the weather isn't freezing / have other things to do / don't feel like it is a big plus of it being 'for fun' only.

I've been watching BMW K75's on eBay for a while, but am wondering if there's a better place to look? Having said that, I am bidding on one at the moment. I'm not scared by stripping a bike down (have spun spanners on a friends bikes over the years). So am looking at one that needs a clutch for about 400 notes (my upper bid). Too much? About right?

Is there a Euro Car Parts / GSF for bikes? How good are moto-bins?

For transporting a non running bike (and having no license if I was to buy one that does run) I was planning on renting a luton with a tail lift. I'm guessing I could get away with a cheaper SWB transit, but I would need to get the bike in there first, and the luton is less than £85 for a day anyway. How do you transport a bike in a van? I assume I have to make sure there are strap down points? Where do you lash on the bike? Round the bars? Are there any other ways to secure it in a van? I don't have a tow hitch, or know anyone with one, so a trailer is out.

Anyway, thanks!

[wodge]

Welcome.. I was in the same position as you.. Classic cars then fancied a go on bikes..

I bought a 1990 Yamaha for a few hundred and learnt about how bikes work from rebuilding it. I know quite a few classic car people with bikes and no full bike license who just like tinkering with a bike.
To transport a bike, all you need is a transit type vehicle, a ramp to get the bike in and a couple of tie down straps. Wheel the bike into the van and put on side stand. Use one strap around the head stock pulling the front tyre tight against the front bulkhead, use one over the seat tightening up the rear suspension on the ratchet so the back end cannot tip or swing

Do a CBT, for the hundred and twenty squids or there abouts it will cost you it will teach you the basics of bike control and a hour or so out on the road with an instructor. Learn to ride big bike as and when..
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nolidge iz pouwur.
Yamaha RXS100 RS100

[Rogerborg]

Reasonable plan, I view my Enfield as an ongoing project bike.

I take it that you've seen this rear drive inspection how-to for K75/K100s? He reckons that the K75 clutch should be good for 100K miles; if you're buying a project bike that "just" needs the clutch done, I'd give some consideration to wondering if it's instead stripped its drive splines.

Two people can get a bike into/out of a Transit van without a ramp. Roll it up, lift from the bottom of the forks to get the front wheel in, carefully move to the back, life both sides, roll in. It helps to have a third person to guide it.

The Luton tail-lift is an interesting idea, but is the lift area long enough? If not, you'll have to get it on sideways then wiggle it inside. I'd plan that out carefully.

The bondage stuff I'll leave to someone who's more into that.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[pdg]

The K75 is a good bike, but then if you have a proper look at my avatar you'll see why I say that.......

They do have their foibles - 3 sets of drive splines, 2 of which very commonly get neglected for a start. They're not exactly cheap to replace if you go the new route, but even the most neglected will massively outlive a chain so it doesn't actually work out more expensive over the miles. The alternator drive is known as a fail point too, if it goes it can cost anywhere from £8 to £55 to fix!!! Most bricks will smoke like buggery from cold if they've been sat on the sidestand - it's a known 'thing' and isn't a real problem at all. There are a few 'fixes' for this if it bothers you.

They're easy to work on though, and parts are NOT expensive or difficult to source compared to the majority of other marques of similar vintage. With a part number you can get an awful lot of parts from any BMW car dealer.

To work on one of these you have to go at it as if you're working on a car. They aren't much like working on a bike at all. From drivetrain layout to the electrical system...

Motobins and Motorworks are good for parts, but watch the pricing as I've found parts cheaper from BMW direct (car dealer for some parts, posted from a bike dealer for other bits).

If you want to start modifying it, there are a few things to watch for as well as many things that can be done to make it 'yours' - but I'll save that for later if you're actually interested in going that route.

Value is a very difficult thing to guess on these. Ebay pricing is affecting everything now so that's probably a good guage of what you're going to be looking at unless you get lucky and fin one somewhere like a local paper... Condition is far more important than mileage - I wouldn't be put off a brick that's got 200,000 miles on it if it looks like it's been cared for properly and everything works. My 75 has over 80k and looks 'bad', but it runs like a watch.

To transport one, think about it fairly carefully. They are not lightweight machines. I wouldn't like to lift one into the back of a van. They're also pretty long so a tail-lift is going to be challenging.

If you consider strapping one down with a strap over the seat while it's on it's sidestand, fully expect the sidestand to be bent when you get home.

You don't say where you are, but if you were close-ish to me I'd consider giving one a second glance over for you, and I might even be persuaded to drag it home for you


(/tef)
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Any and all advice given should not be followed - if you have to ask it means you don't know so get a man in to do it for you.

[pdg]

[Rogerborg]

[pdg]

[barrkel]

[pdg]

[zzpza]

Awesome, thanks for the warm welcome and all the info guys, it is appreciated.

From the van hire company I'm looking at, it seems the luton is the only one with internal lashing points. I recon I should be ok with one person on the tail lift to steady the bike as the lift goes up, then two of us can drag it from a diagonal position to a longitudinal one and roll into the load area.

I've watched just about all of the videos on Ks and Rs by Chris Harris as part of my research, his videos are excellent. He obviously knows his stuff.

I'd heard about the side stand / oil issue. Supposedly there was a fix during production, but I can't remember the year. However knowing what causes it, it wouldn't cause me worry.

Re bending the side stand during transport, should I use the centre stand, or would it be better to put some blocks of wood under the bike before strapping it down and compressing the suspension down onto the blocks?

[Rogerborg]

[zzpza]

[P.]

Drain fluids, lay bike down on mattress if you have no tie down points, or... pick up 2 bikes and use each other as a prop

[WD Forte]

I once got my K100RS with a full RT fairing and luggage in the back of a little Citroen C15 van so its all doable with enough brute force and ignorance.

Slightly puzzled by making a 'K' into an 'R' though
chalk and cheese they are, R owners played up hell when they brought out the K series.
"Not a proper beemer" they said

The Ks are solid reliable bikes when looked after and can clock up big miles but like any bike they need proper maintenance.
Lots of interweb resources on just about every aspect of them
for the home mechanic.
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bikers smell of wee

[pdg]

I read it as having a K and building an R next to it rather than out of it...
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Any and all advice given should not be followed - if you have to ask it means you don't know so get a man in to do it for you.

[zzpza]

[weasley]

I loaded my bike into a Luton van when I moved house. IIRC I put some matting on the lift, then when it was up I pulled on the matting to spin the bike so I could wheel it in. Then I put a duvet between the bike and the side of the van and lashed it to the side with pull-down straps. I tied the front brake on and left the side-stand down 'just in case', although the bike was upright, on the left hand side, with the front facing towards the tail. I had the Luton van to do the house move... if I was getting a van just to move a bike I would probably get a regular SWB one and use a ramp. Or borrow/hire a bike trailer.
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Yamaha XJ600 | Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat | KTM 990 SMT | BMW F900XR TE

[1198]

I paid twenty quid from Enterprise to take my Monster to the garage last month. It was one of the special deals that pop up occasionally - well worth it, especially as I combined a (full) trip to the tip with it.
I simply sat an old matress upright down the side of the van and leaned the bike on it, then secured it with rope, using the loose end to tie the brake lever on. Worked perfectly well - although I wouldn't use the approach with a 'decent' bike!

[pdg]

[temeluchus]

I sold my K75 to pdg.

Drive splines regularly greased and in fine shape.
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Some shite cruiser. Now with guns and FREEDOM!