Buying 2nd hand BMWs

[Lsdinc]

Hi all,

I'm thinking of buying a 2nd had BMW tourer/sports tourer. A BMW K 75 RT or BMW 1100RS.

There seems to be some great deals out there, My budget would be 1k to about 1,800.

I have seen some good deals for 1,300-1,500 from private sales. 1990s, 30k-80k miles

I have not owned a BM before, I have heard the services can be very expensive and they are hard to work on.

What should I look out for if I go for one of these £1,500 bikes? Will it be a case of cheap is dear? I.e. very expensive parts and servicing?

Any advice would be great, thanks in advance.

Les

p.s. I do not want to start a big debate on bikes and models

[yodagoat]

the K series BMW's are all pretty bomb proof. Do the usual check on the back end (try and feel for movement by wiggling back wheel) Servicing is a piece of piss. Real easy to work on bikes.
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https://www.yodagoat.blogspot.com/

[WD Forte]

I've had a few 'Bricks' , a K100Rs and a K100 RT
Done various jobs on them ( not too hard really)
and know some guys who've clocked up big miles on K75's ( over 100K !)
A smooth reliable bike all in all.

Some, possible faults to look for
ABS can play up ( some guys just disabled it)

Drive shaft spline wear was certainly an issue on some K100s
not sure if the 75s suffered the same
I repaired one shaft by welding a new socket on it

The exhaust manifold studs can rot in place if ignored

The hall effect ignition pulsers sometimes break down and can cause hot starting issues before ultimate failure.

The waterpump seals some time go so check for leaks underneath up front. Repair kits available

The clutch actuator arms could rot/seize on older K100s
not sure if 75 issue but check for smooth easy operation

Manuals were pretty crap but there are loads of free interweb forums on K's with lots of good info for the home mechanic

new parts were easy if sometimes expensive to get from motobins motoworks and others.

Just remembered the starter motor brushes need to be kept in good nick as I dimly recall something about another system
relying on a low current ground through them at all times
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bikers smell of wee

[cheeseman]

I was considering a K75 a couple of years ago before deciding on the Pan. As suggested, spline wear is the big thing to worry about with these, but other than that they seemed pretty bombproof. The trouble is there's no easy way as far as I discovered to determine if the splines had been neglected. I guess there might be more backlash in the rear wheel observed when in gear but this is just my opinion.
Ask the previous owner about the splines and determine how good they might be from their response.
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XJ600S->Sprint ST 955i * ; Now ST1100 + W650

[temeluchus]

On the K75 and k100 monolever, the point main of failure is the rear driveshaft splines as they wear if they aren't greased occasionally. Not a difficult job just make sure to ask the owner the last time the splines were lubed. The water pump seals need doing occasionally, but as its bolted externally to the front of the engine it is a trivial job. The alternator cush drive can go on them, again not too hard to fix.

On the K1100 the weak spot is the crown bearing on the final drive. It's not a difficult fix. It's the same basic unit as the later R1100/1150 bikes.

[Snod Blatter]

I bought a '89 8v K100RS a little over a year ago for under a grand, the previous owner had lavished it with love and endless money which did nothing to increase its value but meant I got a very useful bike which has only needed a few little bits here and there for the past 11K miles, and is in need of its third pair of tyres.

They're okay in a late 70s engineering kind of way, seems obvious to me that BMW had no previous experience of building fast bikes - head shakes are a prominent feature of the RS's (likely accentuated by the narrow bars) and the brakes/suspension/frame are all a bit weak. The 16v Ks are better, and the K75s have a steering damper to try and mask the wobbles.

Long term owners reckon they're easy to work on, "Like Meccano!" they chant, but I hate to even show it a screwdriver - Where there could have been a clip there will be a screw. Where there could have been a screw there will be a nut and bolt. Where there should have been a nut and bolt there will be a stupid clip.. They're built just like BMW's cars. Works okay though, in a fashion.
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1994 CB250, 1984 CBX250RS-E, 1989 K100RS, 1995 TRX850, 2016 Z250SL