The BMW I picked up a year ago was a secondhand B reg K100RS which had done 10000 miles. The dealer claimed that it was just nicely run in and he'd let me have it for a mere £3600. I commute to work all the year round and have to wear a suit for my job, thus I need some kind of weather protection, luggage capability and, of course, reliability. After an apprenticeship on a series of UJMs. the BMW appeared to be some kind of ultimate.
When the BMW K series first came out, the watercooled, DOHC four cylinder engine turned on its side, managed to stand out from the crowds of across the frame fours from Japan that were dominating the motorcycle scene. However, times do change and the range has begun to look just a little dated, these days, but BMW still produce the best in long lived, quality products - an image hopefully not wrecked by the K1 ‘cafe racer.’ It will be most interesting to see if the K series lasts as long as the boxer twins. It had a nice Dream Machine paint job - on the first waxing I found out the reason for this, the tank had a bump knocked out of it. This appeared to be only cosmetic damage as the handling was better than most of the older Japs, only the latest hyperbikes could leave it for dead in the corners.
If the suspension was on the soft side, and the front discs could bounce the forks down on their stops, the quality of the ride, in its ability to soak up the pot-holed and rutted roads, was more than compensation. I did find that the back wheel locked up or slid momentarily if I mismatched engine speed with road speed as I changed down through the box. This kept you awake and on your toes in the wet.
All the controls have a very expensive feel and the layout of the cockpit emphasises this point. Weather protection is marginal at times, but that’s the price one pays for having a bike that doesn't look like a barn door. Riding position and seat are comfortable for as long as the fuel lasts. I could no longer do without the heated handlebars grips, it makes winter riding so much more tolerable.
It is, I suppose, a bit sad that BMW had produced the RS fairing for the twin many years ago which provided much better protection for hands and upper body than the item fitted to my bike. So good is the older fairing, and so timeless its styling, that a couple of BMW dealers are offering it as an option on the three cylinder K75, which says a lot about style versus practicality perhaps BMW can swallow a bit of pride and do the same for the larger bikes as well!
I use the bike a lot on twisty A roads where, despite weighing 100lbs more than similar performance Japs it runs along very nicely. I haven't come near to a speed wobble or throwing myself in a ditch. The only thing to watch is rear tyre wear, below 3mm of tread the handling becomes imprecise and the bike twitches over white lines.
Mechanically, over the last 12 months, the bike was something of a curate’s egg. I have no gripes over the usual consumables, as things like pads and tyres (6000 miles from the rear) have lasted as well, if not better, than my last, lighter 750 UJM. Where I have coughed, however, is the astronomical cost of some spares.
About two months ago, returning from work, the bike stuck in fifth gear and despite all attempts to to persuade it out, would only offer a false neutral as an alternative. The dealer gave me a nasty shock when he informed me that a gear had broken and that you could only buy a whole intermediate shaft. £480 plus VAT to you, John. Plus a new selector for a mere £87 + VAT.
Despite the suit and a job, this would have taken me near to bankrupcy. Thus inspired I tracked down a whole gearbox in a breakers for a mere £115. Bad enough but certainly better than the £700 bill I had been looking in the teeth. How can BMW justify a selector fork for around £100 when the most expensive Jap equivalent is under £20 - and they’re not known for giving spares away?
My years of faultless Jap machines had led me to expect the same or even more from the BMW, so the gearbox saga came as a rather rude shock, but I suppose it was just one of those things. and not a common problem to these four cylinder engines. The gearchange, itself, was quite reasonable and not at all agricultural as per many shafties. Apart from that, the K has satisfied all my other criteria admirably - there is no doubt that amongst those unfortunate enough not to rides bikes, a BMW carries a social cachet which you just don't get with other bikes.
Neil Bullock
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