Another interesting Fortnine video. The K75.

[twowheeladdict]

https://youtu.be/YcSDnvT5VZ0

He and his team really set the bar on motorcycle content.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

And I was just getting over the demise of my K75.  I may find another eventually, it was kind of growing on me.

[moto]

Strange image for a 1983 Venture Royale in there:




indian flag picture download


Sadly for the Flying Brick, longevity isn't everything.

[s1120]

Cool watch. He seemed to forget the K100 what I always thought the 75 was a slice of... but I could be wrong. That being said, I really think the K75S was always the nicest bike ive ever rode. Not the fastest, or the best handling, but just the nicest. Ive yet to own one sadly, but I really need to find one before they are all gone.

[wrbix]

Cool watch. He seemed to forget the K100 what I always thought the 75 was a slice of... but I could be wrong. That being said, I really think the K75S was always the nicest bike ive ever rode. Not the fastest, or the best handling, but just the nicest. Ive yet to own one sadly, but I really need to find one before they are all gone.

Yeah, he did totally ignore the first Flying Brick, the K100.
The four banger was my first Beemer, before I became an Airhead enthusiast. Later bought a K75 for my wife. The K75 was/is a much smoother running Moto than the K100.

[RinkRat II]

  I've always regarded mine as a best kept secret among the masses.   

 

 Paul B

[wrbix]

K bikes tend toward heavy but carry their weight low.

[bad Chad]

I owned a nice K75T, it like the Honda Nighthawk 750 was completely dependable and low easy maintenance.   Both those bike would run back and forth across the content as many times as one would ask for.  Eventually I would expect the Honda would need a new chain, but I never found out, as they both lacked a decent fun factor.

[john fish]

K bikes tend toward heavy but carry their weight low.

Umm.  Well, all the K bikes were known for a rather high center of mass.  Not a big deal, I thought that the high C o' M actually helped me to toss my K75rt around in the curvy bits.  Once you got them moving, they were pretty maneuverable for what they were.

I also found the fairing on the RT to be an effective shield against radar speed cops.  Look at its' angular shape and it looks quite a bit like the angular early stealth fighters.  I know that I swanned through many radar speed traps that were at an angle to the bike and the cops never nicked me.  The only cop that got me, flashed his lights but didn't stop me, was heading directly towards me.  So there's that.

Oh, the video?  Normal overly talky Fortnine stuff.  His cutesy writing is annoying. 

[wrbix]

Umm.  Well, all the K bikes were known for a rather high center of mass.

Disagree, as do a number of Google and Wikipedia references.

[usedtobefast]

  I've always regarded mine as a best kept secret among the masses.   

 

 Paul B

Wow!  Beautiful bike!  For the uninformed (me), is that K75 or K100?  What the model number/name, like K75RT? 

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Wow!  Beautiful bike!  For the uninformed (me), is that K75 or K100?  What the model number/name, like K75RT?

K75S.

[rex007can]

The K75 is the bike that got me into riding.
Back when I had my first job, evenings at a hamburger joint.
After my shift I would take my tips and go play pinball and pool at a nearby pool hall.
There was a BMW dealer along the way and every night, I would stop and stare at the K75 they had in the window, next to an R80gs. Back then the K75s looked like a spaceship.

Decades later my first bike was a 77 R60/7.

[RinkRat II]

    Thanks, UTBF, I spent the better part of six months back in '86 going between the Cagiva dealer and the BMW shop trying to decide between the Alazzurra and the K75s. Both beautiful in my eye. The fit and finish on the Beemer, the 750 and the color did it for me and I haven't looked back.


    Paul B

[egschade]

This one on CL is near me and appears to be in excellent condition with factory matching paniers, top case and a
Corbin saddle. Don't know the owner but can reach out if anyone is interested. $5000 in Morris Plains, NJ

https://newjersey.craigslist.org/mcy/d/morris-plains-1990-bmw-k75s/7647005670.html

[n3303j]

K100RS didn't have room in the engine for a rotating counterbalance. It was filled with the 4 cylinder crankshaft. But it was one of the smoothest bike engines I've ever owned. It certainly was the hottest bike I owned. The heat boiled right off that radiator and on to the rider's lower half. So the bike was always parked through the summer. It came out of hibernation at the cold days.

Then I discovered Moto Guzzi and all the BMWs went away.

[bad Chad]

And if K bikes were all that, why did they disappear decades ago??   They didn’t sell well, despite all their virtues, see Guzzi 1400 for more info on this phenomenon.

[n3303j]

And if K bikes were all that, why did they disappear decades ago??   They didn’t sell well, despite all their virtues, see Guzzi 1400 for more info on this phenomenon.

None of the BMW riders would wave at the Brick. The bike was boringly good but did not have a "strong" character. It was fast but tall and annoyingly HOT during bike season. There allegedly was a kit that piped the heat under the seat and past the rider. I never found one. Bike was also quiet. All the aftermarket exhausts of the day reduced the horsepower. So it didn't sound like a motorcycle. A bit of me does miss the extra 30 horsepower.

[bad Chad]

The k75 was a lot of good things, fast was not one of them.

[twowheeladdict]

I do wonder why the designers didn’t flip the entire drivetrain so the bike could be put on the side stand.

They didn’t realize that oil would seep past the rings overnight until it was too late? 

[wrbix]

I do wonder why the designers didn’t flip the entire drivetrain so the bike could be put on the side stand.

They didn’t realize that oil would seep past the rings overnight until it was too late?

Smoke at start up was not of any consequence except “cosmetic”.

[n3303j]

Design lined up crankshaft, transmission and final drive.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

None of the BMW riders would wave at the Brick.

That's definitely changed, from my short time aboard one. Other than the "too cool to wave" 1250 GS riders, most other BMW riders waved. My K75 was much appreciated by the guys at the Cass BMW Rally.

The k75 was a lot of good things, fast was not one of them.

Plenty fast enough for me, far more than any stock 750 Guzzi.

I do wonder why the designers didn’t flip the entire drivetrain so the bike could be put on the side stand.

They didn’t realize that oil would seep past the rings overnight until it was too late? 

Smoke at start up was not of any consequence except “cosmetic”.

Oddly enough, mine didn't smoke at all when parked on the sidestand, no matter how long it was parked that way. I've heard that BMW made changes to later ones (mine was a '93) and perhaps they just need a few 100 thousand miles to break in.  Mine had 178k.

[RinkRat II]

 
     The early bricks used full floating rings and they found the gaps would sometimes let oil through to the combustion chamber if they landed on the bottom of the cylinder. Their fix was to pin the rings to prevent rotation. You can always lean the bike to the right for a few seconds after riding to let the oil drain back to the crankcase.

   Paul B

[n3303j]

Just ride it. Never needed oil added between the change intervals and the smoke kept away the mosquitoes at the campsite.

[Shorty]

My K75 was not a fun bike in the hills, as it needed a lot of shifting. It seemed the torque was a little low as compared to my Guzzis.  It worked a charm on the long haul. I bought the unfaired version, and the heat was no biggie. It was a very quiet ride with the Swannee fairing. Handled well once at speed. It was a top heavy mess in the garage and parking lots, and I dropped it more than once. I sold my last K75 because the feet position was too far back, and it caused cramps after a few miles. I remember the first time I  saw a K75 was on the interstate in Illinois, I was driving about 80, and a pair of them overtook me, pretty rapidly. I sometimes roll the window down a little to listen to bikes pass me. Those bikes were very quiet. Ghostlike. Probably too understated for most riders. 

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

My K75 was not a fun bike in the hills, as it needed a lot of shifting. It seemed the torque was a little low as compared to my Guzzis. 

It was a top heavy mess in the garage and parking lots, and I dropped it more than once.

Very odd. Mine was just the opposite - super torquey, would pull from 2000 rpms in 5th without any problem. Probably shifted less with it than any bike I've had except the Convert. 

I had no problem in parking lots, but on gravel or grass it was a bit harder to handle. If the seat height was just a tad lower (or I was a little taller) it would have been a non-issue.

[steven c]

 I enjoyed myK75S, a very well thought out bike.

[Huzo]

And if K bikes were all that, why did they disappear decades ago??   They didn’t sell well, despite all their virtues, see Guzzi 1400 for more info on this phenomenon.

I think BMW can be a victim of their own success at times.
They pursue engineering perfection and go hazardously close to achieving it in the main.
But…
Certainly from my standpoint, engineering bugs out of their machines, skews the balance towards blandness. That reasoning will not stand up to forensic criticism, but bikes are affairs of the heart and as such, commonsense goes out the window.
Many great design advances have gone out the window because the devotees said no.
Would you buy a V100 with hub centre steering ?
If desirability was a function of perfection, this site would be Wild Bavaria…

[bad Chad]

In many ways, modern BMW are massively over engineered and exceedingly complex, I wouldn’t call that perfection.