LINK TO JP's VIDEO: ruclips.net/video/IsddM4G9H5g/видео.html So I just got a new bike and I thought i'd give everyone a crash course on it before I dive into ripping it apart and turning it into something special. None other than the Bmw K bike or "The Flying Brick". What spawned such a massive departure in design for BMW Motorrad? What did this bike entail? Let's get to the bottom of this.
@Jamie Mills The hall sensor is not funny either. The coils will give up, the engine will suddenly stop. But before it is definitely broken, you will get that engine stop every now and then. Horrible, it can kill you in a corner, and your workshop can replace you whole K1100 before the culprit is found. That coil is worth 40 dollars, but you must buy the unit for 300. Or what it was. But that is the story of buying an old and poorly maintained bike. You pay for everything the previous owner did not pay. Just take care to buy those bikes cheap. Better buy a well maintained one. Guys saving money on brake fluid are the same guys burning clutches, wearing out distribution chains and sprocket (vroom vroom vrooooolooooom standing, without any good reason), forgetting to check oil levels, never waiting until the engine is really warm before they release the horses, and the captain Slows riding in the wrong gear and crushing the gearbox, in short, the bastard bikers. Often they don't know they are, it's always bad luck, man. If you buy such a bike, restauration is a challenge. Not just the usual parts, most moving parts are in trouble. No oil, old oil. When it's sold, it had the oil change, you never see how it was before. All bearings had double the usual load. Ready for revision. While others ride 500k miles well maintained easily. By the way, those K75's are great. But here in the Netherlands the number of guys riding them, trading them and the parts, is getting less and less. So you need to do the maintanance yourself, or you need a workshop for that. Of course there is a BMW club, but the numbers of K75 riders is going down. While it is a very very nice classic touring bike. K1 and K100 are famous too, of course. What a pitty the K serie does not have a twin and a 5 or 6 cylinder. Imagine, the K75 also a twin engine? Or a K1250 as a 5 cylinder flying brick? No, K changed to the usual engine position. Converting a K75 to a twin K50 would be fun? Just disable one piston and change the balance weight. That's a weird crankshaft, a 120 degrees parallel twin, or is the K75 firing uneven? However, would that idea work, using the usual K75 ignition and injection? Yes, it is a fun idea.
@Michael Parkinson Did you ever ride an ex-government K1100LT? Police or military police? It has a shorter secondary gear ratio. So it does more revs in each gear than your civil pussy cat. No need to ride a gear lower than cruising around. And if you do, you get close to max power (toward the red zone) before you know it. Also the injection mapping is far more aggressive. It simply has an other type Motronic computer on board. Overall it is richer, so fuel consumption is higher, you get more horsepower, always, not just a higher peak. Gas response is better. You really get a faster bike. I was told there was a 100 hp limit in Europe, in these days. So the police still got the full power versions. The water-and-oilpomp has an other design, for better cooling and lubricating the engine. Perhaps there are more modifications I'm not aware of. But believe me, those military police K1100LT's are way faster based on basically two mods, the "chiptuning" Motronic and the changed gear ratio's. So it's adapted to give you easier access to the maximum available power. The result is aggressive bike characteristic. Maybe because of emission constraints you won't see those military police versions in the US. I have no idea. But if you get the chance to buy or ride one, don't just say "How ugly!" and walk by, remember this is the chiptuned and lower geared version K1100LT, done by BMW themselves. I hope for you you have owned one. The civil K1100LT seems to be boring compared to this. Even your advice to rev it, does not work in first gear. In first gear you simply can not switch to a lower gear. But the military police version HAS that slightly lower gear. So at full throttle in first gear the "chiptuned" military version is way faster. There is no escaping that power. There's one drawback. Modern bikes in this categorie have developed. Lighter, more displacement, higher revs, more power, VVT, modern injection (both lean and rich mapping in one bike). But compare the price, a BMW classic can be less expensive, and as long as the parts are available, you can keep it in good shape. Most touring riders will never ride their bikes at its full potential, like the police used to do, or the track racer trying the limits of such a heavy bike. As long as the bike is in good condition and safe, it's okay for most riders. Replacing suspension or even brake system parts by modern versions could make a differrence. But you need experts, and it won't be cheap. On the other hand, it's a challenge to find a modern BMW anti-lock system to replace the first generation thing. Things like that would change the original bike, but it is very useful. Better adjustable suspension is nice for fast riding and better handling in corners. For relaxed and slow paced riders that is less interesting. Their settings might be way softer. There will always be faster and better bikes. Don't forget that those BMW's are basically very good bikes, when well maintained. How you appreciate them, is a personal thing. Objectively you can say, you can ride surprisingly fast, considered it's a heavy touring bike. In other words, there are bikes around, that are the same kind of bike, but you'll see, they handle less well than this BMW at those speeds. That was some thoughts on those old K1100LT's. Please remember the fast (military) police version. It has some awsome modifications.
My dad's last bike was a 1986 K 100 RT. Money got tight with a young family and he eventually sold it, always insisting he didn't really want another bike anyway. But last summer I found the same model at a dealership about an hour away, so we drove over to take a test ride. He spent almost an hour telling the salesman old riding stories and asking questions about the newer BMWs. He didn't end up buying it, but it was such a fun afternoon spent with my dad. Thanks for this little history lesson!
Fun fact about the K75 vs K100. The exhaust tip on the K75 is shaped as a triangle noting the 3 cylinder engine and the K100 square noting the 4 cylinder engine.
And the 1100 had a round pipe. The 100hp thing was a farce. The 84 8 valve 100s did 200kph max with claimed 100hp, pretty real. About the same speed as my RZ350 of the time, faster than my GS850 Suzuki. Over the years they went through upgrades until they had an 1100 with 16 valves upgraded injection etc still with a claimed 100hp, only now they did 240kph. Yes BMW, 100hp yeah right.
@@MSmifffy They do tend to be function over fun. Try a K16. The GTL version with the shipping trunk on the back looks rediculous, but surprisingly quick. Pity they mated a roaring sportbike engine to a soviet era tractor gearbox. Remarkable handling. None of this bouncy pogo handling of so many road bikes, and almost neutral feedback with tight chicken strip shredding cornering. Not a cool bike for the weekend warrior/café set however as they are simply massive with the BMW normal stupidly large mufflers. Depends what you want in a bike but I think they all compromise because we are all different.
Arguably the greatest bike BMW ever made. Capable 200,000+ miles. They are boring but they have their own type of character. Hopefully people don't realize this so used prices can stay cheap.
the K Series beamers are the best looking motorcycle of all time tbh. Something about the way that classic square bmw engine looks on a bike is just *chefs kiss*
I was working at a BMW dealership in the UK when the K100 appeared. I always loved the engine but the bike made few friends amongst the mechanics like me who had to try to keep them running, or amongst the owners who wondered why we couldn't keep them going. You are a brave man to take one on. The electrics are a nightmare.....Good Luck.
Don’t know what your talking about them being hard to keep running I’ve got three of them that I have wrenched on and ride since they came out About the only real flaw in the bike is the rear main seal which won’t handle continuous riding at redline At this point I’ve replaced 4 of them it’s not fun and it sucks Odds are the problem your customers had is the same problem I had which was the stupid long wait for parts for the bike That’s why I bought the first k back from an auto pack claim after I’d just replaced the rear main and clutch Then I no longer had to wait for parts except for the odd ones they changed for the different models No all and all I’ll keep with my k bikes I’ve got no complaints
Welcome to the club homie! My striped down K75s is the best bike I've ever owned (Airheads, Triumphs, Ducatis, Guzzis, Hondas, Yamahas). I bought it for next to nothing fully intending to just turn around and flip it for some quick cash, but I fell in love and it's been my daily ever since (about 100k miles in ~3 years). Most people wouldn't believe the abuse it has been through and the conditions it's survived... and it's still never once left me on the side of the road. In fact, even the day I bought it... It had been sitting untouched in an open barn for 2 straight northeastern winters. The guy rolled it out, we jumped the battery and cold started it with the gas that was in the tank... I rode it 70 miles home. Without any coolant in the system (among many _many_ other things)... Zero issues. That day was just the tip of the iceberg. Great purchase, man!👍
Mine was in A similar situation though not as extreme. Maybe just sat for 8 months. I've Already torn this thing down and these things are pretty robust
Just discovered this channel today, looking forward to the whole K100 series. The editing is on fucking point, perfect balance between memes/jokes and serious info
The K bikes are some of the best bikes ever. Some people have done over 400K miles on the same engine. I've had 3, and my favourite is the K75S, which I still have. It's only done 18K miles and rides like new. They can be ridden hard all day long.
Yes! I've spent quite a few hours on one of these with a friend, (K100 RT) and his has over a hundred thousand miles on it. He's since stripped it down, cafe style, and painted it BMW 2002 blue. Makes a great noise.
These K's have been known to be called the most reliable high mileage bikes BMW had ever made. I don't know anything about the new ones though. You can ride 200,000 miles on these and I'm sure much more with very little trouble mechanically. However you have to lube the driveline splines which means taking the whole back end of the bike apart all the way to the bell housing. If you don't mind doing that every 30-40 thousand miles, and lubing the back of the drive shaft every rear tire or so, you can go a real long time with only some rubber hoses cracking, maybe getting a new water pump seal @ 100 + thousand miles (it will let you know it needs one tens of thousands of miles before you really should replace it, as it begins weeping oil) and maybe some light bulbs, air filter, and sooner or later you will likely need to get the injectors professionally cleaned or replaced, and you will buy a lot of tires and batteries and oil and filters, but you will be riding and you will have a lot of reliability goin on. I've rode about 190,000 miles on the two K's I've had. Lots of pleasant road trips. They do their best on the interstate. They will love to go 85 mph all day long, in fact the faster the better.
I bought my 86 k100rs last year and decided to go a refurb route instead - I have just ridden it for the first time and it blew me away! I wish you all the best with your project!
I remember these back in the day. I always liked them as they looked like they were easy to work on. What killed BMW for me was price. Good luck with yours. Can't wait to see what you do with it! As always, Great Video!
As I was doing all of this research, it really occurred to me that this was a premium bike in its day. Funny how I bought this thing for $1,000... the mighty have fallen.
@@Theillestrator1050 I don't know much about the new BMWs. I can tell you that back in the day the Boxer Twins were in a class all to themselves. BMW invented the "Sport Touring" class IMO. They were also very, very, reliable and easy to work on. I remember when BMW got rid of the "Boxers". Their "Purists" were horrified! Again, Good Luck with it! Ride Safe! I can't wait to see what you do with it! Yes! In it's day the K100 was a very premier motorcycle! And what do you know, the boxers came back, more modern but still Boxers.
Holy good video! Subscribed. Great editing and content. I did skip the motortrend part. Their delivery pulled yours down. You have a great narration voice and awesome pace. Well done.
What a great video. I have always been super interested in the K bikes AND R bikes, so it was a treat to get a quick little history lesson on the boxers at the start of the video. Great news on your K100 as well - congrats and I look forward to watching your custom project take shape :)
- The illestrator - I kept it bone stock. I didn’t find really anything aftermarket anyways. The only place I was able to get parts was beemer Boneyard. You’ll love the bike but them pockets better be *DEEP* lol www.beemerboneyard.com/
I'm doing away with alot of stock components and my bike seems to be stable so i'm not worried about. I find that the aftermarket components are from small companies and thus are dumb expensive, but I haven't seen any overly expensive OEM parts aside from the damn body work....good lord with THAT shit, they all want your whole wallet.
@@CollinMac96 my brother has had a k75 for over 20 years, and the most expensive thing he's had to do is repair the tank. Must be some serious issues with yours if it's a money pit.
Bruh! That is cool man...hope the Cafe Latte build works out, gonna be exciting. Also you have a face, now we still need to see if PewDiePie has legs... Top work as usual!
Heeeeeeeeel yeaaaah. U might laugh but I always thought the k engines are 4 cyl boxer engines. Now I find out they are flat inline fours. Da hell :D thanks a lot for an awesome video once again. I'm super hyped for your build project since I am actually working on a Oldtimer Bike right now my self. But more a restoration then a modding thing. It's a dkw 125/2 and I recently got her to run (before the winter I don't have a workshop have to do it outside) after doing all the electrics. Good luck with the build and keep making vids!! I love em Edit: I watched your interview and it makes it 10 times cooler, that you don't have perfect equipment and makes me appreciate it even more. And the thing that u absolutely hate smt after you created it I know it tooo well :D But you shouldn't because your work is cream!
Thanks for checking out both videos, Niceeeee, but you're taking it back further than me with that bike!.. Super old school. I understand the pain of having no indoor workshop, I'm in the same situation but I plan to get crafty about it. It'll all be explained in the project video
I owned an absolute pup of a R65LS, the one with the disgusting Hans Muth/Pyramid Head triangle fairing. Absolute money pit of a bike. Would love to own a K100 one day. Hope yours is a good one and easy to build on man, can't wait to see this project come along
Mmm... look at all those bricks on center stands... hard to look cool when you ride away in a cloud of blue smoke from leaving it on the kickstand. I had an 87 k100, and I absolutely loved it. It was quirky, unique, and a blast to ride. It sounded great, and turned over 200,000 miles without missing a beat.
It's not well known, but, the Flying Brick was originally a Peugeot 1000cc car engine. BMW bought the design and built the most indestructible bike engine in the world.
Nice job... thx! And yeah, that 'boxer' motor really goes back to BMW's WWI aviation days, making engines for the infamous Fokker D VII. And BMW's post-Versailles opposed twin is simply a 'slice' of a naturally-balanced _radial_ engine.
I used to have a k1200r that did it's best to rip your arms off when you opened the throttle. Cornered like a canal barge though :) super looking bike.
Good story. I'm glad that you're going to cafe a bike that has already been trashed, a straight one should stay that way. Personally I ride a K1300s and now they're outdated too or are they. Mine has all the toys/options that you could order at the time and the only mod is an Arrow exhaust. Even though they stopped building them in 2016 it is still a fantastic bike. Great for long distance and handles fantastic too. The only caveat is that the duolever suspension requires a bit of a learning curve. Some say that once you learn that you have troubles with a regular bike but I don't really think so.
In Britain people put the cylinder heads off these onto the block of the classic Mini A-series engines. Apparently the bores line right up. The K bikes were made nearly 20 years and the A-series nearer 50 years before BMW started making the new Mini, spooky eh?
My dad has actually recently bought a 2001 K1100R, it's his first boxer engined bike in his 34-odd years of riding. Got it for less than a grand with the only problem being it needing new tyres. Will probably show it off on Insta once it's cleaned up. Also, it#s good you kinda did a face reveal. The handsome voice matches the face, very rare to encounter. Good luck with the build, soooooooooo looking forward to seeing the end result
Great vid bro, but I personally wouldn't want to own a BMW, car or bike. Had a 330xi and they almost make it impossible to work on their products at home... that said bikes may differ. Congrats on the new ride though.
Could you give info on a k75 BMW motor cycle 2986 .I NEED TO see some pics of the left side crash lower mount bracket.Also would like direction on where I can find one for my bike.left side in the one I need now
I did a video a while ago with my face out while working on my bike, and then i did another one talking directly to the camera but I later took that one down. I put a selfie on IG though lol.
That’s what’s up! You’re building a cafe racer. I’m doing a virago and I thought about the bmw but I’m not that well versed on bmws. I’m pretty exited for your build!
That means we had the same ideas cause I was thinking about both those bikes myself. The Virago was first on my list but shenanigans with the owners forced my hand on the bmw
@@Theillestrator1050 I have a mechanics back ground so I just bought a bike that didn't run. My only request was that the bike had a title. Ended up getting one without a tittle because it was from NH. I just got the title in MA and the bike is completely dismantled. It doesn't run so I'm gonna rebuild the engine. I'm thinking of recording and taking pics of the process and just have an IG of the build. I'm really excited to see yours!
Nice. I had the pleasure of working on a few older BMWs. 85 K100R was cool but needed regular spline lubes from the clutch to the rear wheel. The plastic fuel pump mount in the tank tends to break. Fun to work on, not bad to ride, but everything about them was just odd somehow. The newer bikes are absolutely marvels of technology. You should have fun modifying your K bike.
Yes! They are sooooo ODD. There's things that I still have not figured out with this bike... Basic things, like how to get under the seat lol. Everything about them is just different, almost car like too.
@@Theillestrator1050 I think you turn the ignition key backwards and push it in if my memory serves me right. It was about 12 years ago when I last messed with one. I think the newer ones are similar.
The joys of owning a BMW bike. They're not wrong, they're just not quite right either. Like every decision they made is perfectly logical but just not the decision you would've made yourself.
K100 the first bike I rode on as my uncle had one and used to blast through the country roads with me on the back with only a helmet and 90s luck to keep me safe.
BMW went with the engine design of the K bike mostly to be different, which is what they are known for. They do it their way and did not wish to follow the Japanese.
The K1200 is gorgeous, the K1300 stunning and the K1600 has 6 cylinders. The older ones look pretty dorky to modern tastes though. Your right they look great after you've cut on them a bit but in stock form they look like a barn door.
Just subscribed and I'm excited to see what you do with that K100. I recently picked up an 85 K100RS myself, and I'm taking notes. I'm still deciding on if I want to make a bobber/cafe bike, or an adventure bike out of it, but I'm also heavily inspired by the sweet examples of mod bricks out there. Thanks for the inspiration!
Nice video, thank you. Funny and interesting. Maybe it's just my headphones but the background music was a bit loud for me, found it hard to follow your narration sometimes. Otherwise, I enjoyed it. Subbed.
Didn't hear once how "planted" this motorcycle is. Which makes it feel no other other MC I ever rode and I have owned and ridden many many motorcycles. I still have my 89 BMW K 100 RS and love riding her along with my other BMW'S My BMW 1982 R 100 RS and 2016 BMW R 1200 RS
If you are going to custom the brick, then really its that fuel tank that will need a serious redesign. Most 'cafe K100' leave the oem tank, which completely negates everything else they do. I've got one on the bench at the moment and that tank is taking 80% of my time.
Honestly I love the tank on K bikes but I get your point because the line of the tank follows a different angle from the frame itself and alot of builds end up looking kinda weird when they work with that difference. I'm not doing anything with the tank, rather I'm gonna adapt everything else to IT.
I've got the same yzf, no issues (others than me not being able to step flat footed on the stoplights) Ps: looking forward into selling it and buy a bmw r1100s (my favourite motorcycle)
i love my k1100lt sure it took me a month to strip it down to replace oil seals, clutch pack, lube splines, abs system, yes it douse always have problems but i manage on a low income because i do it all myself!
LINK TO JP's VIDEO:
ruclips.net/video/IsddM4G9H5g/видео.html
So I just got a new bike and I thought i'd give everyone a crash course on it before I dive into ripping it apart and turning it into something special. None other than the Bmw K bike or "The Flying Brick". What spawned such a massive departure in design for BMW Motorrad? What did this bike entail? Let's get to the bottom of this.
Such a great time working together! :) I hope there will be some other projects coming up in the future!
Dude..Im crying clickbait!
You never really covered the K1100?
But i liked and suscribed anyway! 😂
@Jamie Mills The hall sensor is not funny either. The coils will give up, the engine will suddenly stop. But before it is definitely broken, you will get that engine stop every now and then. Horrible, it can kill you in a corner, and your workshop can replace you whole K1100 before the culprit is found. That coil is worth 40 dollars, but you must buy the unit for 300. Or what it was. But that is the story of buying an old and poorly maintained bike. You pay for everything the previous owner did not pay. Just take care to buy those bikes cheap. Better buy a well maintained one. Guys saving money on brake fluid are the same guys burning clutches, wearing out distribution chains and sprocket (vroom vroom vrooooolooooom standing, without any good reason), forgetting to check oil levels, never waiting until the engine is really warm before they release the horses, and the captain Slows riding in the wrong gear and crushing the gearbox, in short, the bastard bikers. Often they don't know they are, it's always bad luck, man. If you buy such a bike, restauration is a challenge. Not just the usual parts, most moving parts are in trouble. No oil, old oil. When it's sold, it had the oil change, you never see how it was before. All bearings had double the usual load. Ready for revision. While others ride 500k miles well maintained easily.
By the way, those K75's are great. But here in the Netherlands the number of guys riding them, trading them and the parts, is getting less and less. So you need to do the maintanance yourself, or you need a workshop for that.
Of course there is a BMW club, but the numbers of K75 riders is going down. While it is a very very nice classic touring bike. K1 and K100 are famous too, of course. What a pitty the K serie does not have a twin and a 5 or 6 cylinder. Imagine, the K75 also a twin engine? Or a K1250 as a 5 cylinder flying brick? No, K changed to the usual engine position.
Converting a K75 to a twin K50 would be fun? Just disable one piston and change the balance weight. That's a weird crankshaft, a 120 degrees parallel twin, or is the K75 firing uneven? However, would that idea work, using the usual K75 ignition and injection? Yes, it is a fun idea.
@Michael Parkinson Did you ever ride an ex-government K1100LT? Police or military police? It has a shorter secondary gear ratio. So it does more revs in each gear than your civil pussy cat. No need to ride a gear lower than cruising around. And if you do, you get close to max power (toward the red zone) before you know it. Also the injection mapping is far more aggressive. It simply has an other type Motronic computer on board. Overall it is richer, so fuel consumption is higher, you get more horsepower, always, not just a higher peak. Gas response is better. You really get a faster bike. I was told there was a 100 hp limit in Europe, in these days. So the police still got the full power versions. The water-and-oilpomp has an other design, for better cooling and lubricating the engine. Perhaps there are more modifications I'm not aware of. But believe me, those military police K1100LT's are way faster based on basically two mods, the "chiptuning" Motronic and the changed gear ratio's. So it's adapted to give you easier access to the maximum available power. The result is aggressive bike characteristic. Maybe because of emission constraints you won't see those military police versions in the US. I have no idea. But if you get the chance to buy or ride one, don't just say "How ugly!" and walk by, remember this is the chiptuned and lower geared version K1100LT, done by BMW themselves.
I hope for you you have owned one. The civil K1100LT seems to be boring compared to this. Even your advice to rev it, does not work in first gear. In first gear you simply can not switch to a lower gear. But the military police version HAS that slightly lower gear. So at full throttle in first gear the "chiptuned" military version is way faster. There is no escaping that power.
There's one drawback. Modern bikes in this categorie have developed. Lighter, more displacement, higher revs, more power, VVT, modern injection (both lean and rich mapping in one bike). But compare the price, a BMW classic can be less expensive, and as long as the parts are available, you can keep it in good shape. Most touring riders will never ride their bikes at its full potential, like the police used to do, or the track racer trying the limits of such a heavy bike. As long as the bike is in good condition and safe, it's okay for most riders. Replacing suspension or even brake system parts by modern versions could make a differrence. But you need experts, and it won't be cheap. On the other hand, it's a challenge to find a modern BMW anti-lock system to replace the first generation thing. Things like that would change the original bike, but it is very useful. Better adjustable suspension is nice for fast riding and better handling in corners. For relaxed and slow paced riders that is less interesting. Their settings might be way softer. There will always be faster and better bikes. Don't forget that those BMW's are basically very good bikes, when well maintained. How you appreciate them, is a personal thing. Objectively you can say, you can ride surprisingly fast, considered it's a heavy touring bike. In other words, there are bikes around, that are the same kind of bike, but you'll see, they handle less well than this BMW at those speeds.
That was some thoughts on those old K1100LT's. Please remember the fast (military) police version. It has some awsome modifications.
@@voornaam3191 IS it these "Coils" you mean www.tills.de/Hallgeber-Sensor-K75-K100-K1100-R1100-92-93-108.html
My dad's last bike was a 1986 K 100 RT. Money got tight with a young family and he eventually sold it, always insisting he didn't really want another bike anyway. But last summer I found the same model at a dealership about an hour away, so we drove over to take a test ride. He spent almost an hour telling the salesman old riding stories and asking questions about the newer BMWs. He didn't end up buying it, but it was such a fun afternoon spent with my dad. Thanks for this little history lesson!
That's awesome, I'd have loved to hear them myself, invaluable experience. anyway thanks for watching!
Fun fact about the K75 vs K100. The exhaust tip on the K75 is shaped as a triangle noting the 3 cylinder engine and the K100 square noting the 4 cylinder engine.
Ahhhhhhh, didn't see that while looking into it, thats cute lol
And the 1100 had a round pipe. The 100hp thing was a farce. The 84 8 valve 100s did 200kph max with claimed 100hp, pretty real. About the same speed as my RZ350 of the time, faster than my GS850 Suzuki. Over the years they went through upgrades until they had an 1100 with 16 valves upgraded injection etc still with a claimed 100hp, only now they did 240kph. Yes BMW, 100hp yeah right.
And that is where the fun ends with the K series :-)
@@MSmifffy They do tend to be function over fun. Try a K16. The GTL version with the shipping trunk on the back looks rediculous, but surprisingly quick. Pity they mated a roaring sportbike engine to a soviet era tractor gearbox. Remarkable handling. None of this bouncy pogo handling of so many road bikes, and almost neutral feedback with tight chicken strip shredding cornering. Not a cool bike for the weekend warrior/café set however as they are simply massive with the BMW normal stupidly large mufflers. Depends what you want in a bike but I think they all compromise because we are all different.
Aint that somethin.
Arguably the greatest bike BMW ever made. Capable 200,000+ miles. They are boring but they have their own type of character. Hopefully people don't realize this so used prices can stay cheap.
The K bike series can make a legitimate claim on being the lowest maintenance, most reliable and longest lasting production motorbikes of all time.
Dailed a R1200RS in Milwaukee for years, even in winter. Rode whenever the roads were dry. Loved that bike.
I’m even more impressed knowing you make these videos at school and not the comfort of home. Can’t imagine the quality of your class work.
It was good enough to graduate 😂
the K Series beamers are the best looking motorcycle of all time tbh. Something about the way that classic square bmw engine looks on a bike is just *chefs kiss*
I was working at a BMW dealership in the UK when the K100 appeared. I always loved the engine but the bike made few friends amongst the mechanics like me who had to try to keep them running, or amongst the owners who wondered why we couldn't keep them going. You are a brave man to take one on. The electrics are a nightmare.....Good Luck.
Don’t know what your talking about them being hard to keep running
I’ve got three of them that I have wrenched on and ride since they came out
About the only real flaw in the bike is the rear main seal which won’t handle continuous riding at redline
At this point I’ve replaced 4 of them it’s not fun and it sucks
Odds are the problem your customers had is the same problem I had which was the stupid long wait for parts for the bike
That’s why I bought the first k back from an auto pack claim after I’d just replaced the rear main and clutch
Then I no longer had to wait for parts except for the odd ones they changed for the different models
No all and all I’ll keep with my k bikes I’ve got no complaints
Welcome to the club homie! My striped down K75s is the best bike I've ever owned (Airheads, Triumphs, Ducatis, Guzzis, Hondas, Yamahas). I bought it for next to nothing fully intending to just turn around and flip it for some quick cash, but I fell in love and it's been my daily ever since (about 100k miles in ~3 years). Most people wouldn't believe the abuse it has been through and the conditions it's survived... and it's still never once left me on the side of the road.
In fact, even the day I bought it... It had been sitting untouched in an open barn for 2 straight northeastern winters. The guy rolled it out, we jumped the battery and cold started it with the gas that was in the tank... I rode it 70 miles home. Without any coolant in the system (among many _many_ other things)... Zero issues. That day was just the tip of the iceberg.
Great purchase, man!👍
Mine was in A similar situation though not as extreme. Maybe just sat for 8 months. I've Already torn this thing down and these things are pretty robust
Just discovered this channel today, looking forward to the whole K100 series. The editing is on fucking point, perfect balance between memes/jokes and serious info
Holy smokes! Face reveal?!? Didnt know you had a face!!!
Just wandered across this video and I'm impressed. Great little history on the flying bricks. Well done mate.
The K bikes are some of the best bikes ever. Some people have done over 400K miles on the same engine. I've had 3, and my favourite is the K75S, which I still have. It's only done 18K miles and rides like new. They can be ridden hard all day long.
You do these kinds of videos better than anyone else informative, interesting and entertaining 👏🏾
Thank you!
Yes! I've spent quite a few hours on one of these with a friend, (K100 RT) and his has over a hundred thousand miles on it. He's since stripped it down, cafe style, and painted it BMW 2002 blue. Makes a great noise.
Yessss, it makes such a deep rumble for an inline4. And I could imagine putting that many miles on one of these. Definitely comfortable enough for it
These K's have been known to be called the most reliable high mileage bikes BMW had ever made. I don't know anything about the new ones though. You can ride 200,000 miles on these and I'm sure much more with very little trouble mechanically. However you have to lube the driveline splines which means taking the whole back end of the bike apart all the way to the bell housing. If you don't mind doing that every 30-40 thousand miles, and lubing the back of the drive shaft every rear tire or so, you can go a real long time with only some rubber hoses cracking, maybe getting a new water pump seal @ 100 + thousand miles (it will let you know it needs one tens of thousands of miles before you really should replace it, as it begins weeping oil) and maybe some light bulbs, air filter, and sooner or later you will likely need to get the injectors professionally cleaned or replaced, and you will buy a lot of tires and batteries and oil and filters, but you will be riding and you will have a lot of reliability goin on. I've rode about 190,000 miles on the two K's I've had. Lots of pleasant road trips. They do their best on the interstate. They will love to go 85 mph all day long, in fact the faster the better.
Looking foward to this series!! Been bringing one back from the dead for the last 6 months, always get excited to find new K100 content!
Gotta love the BMW!! Dude that short documentary looks legit, I’m going to go peep that now 💯
2.5K views and not one “ thumbs down “. You’re doing some great work man. Keep it up. Love your videos.
Spoke too soon about the dislikes lol, but thank you for the support!
I bought my 86 k100rs last year and decided to go a refurb route instead - I have just ridden it for the first time and it blew me away! I wish you all the best with your project!
I remember these back in the day. I always liked them as they looked like they were easy to work on. What killed BMW for me was price. Good luck with yours. Can't wait to see what you do with it! As always, Great Video!
As I was doing all of this research, it really occurred to me that this was a premium bike in its day. Funny how I bought this thing for $1,000... the mighty have fallen.
@@Theillestrator1050 I don't know much about the new BMWs. I can tell you that back in the day the Boxer Twins were in a class all to themselves. BMW invented the "Sport Touring" class IMO. They were also very, very, reliable and easy to work on. I remember when BMW got rid of the "Boxers". Their "Purists" were horrified! Again, Good Luck with it! Ride Safe! I can't wait to see what you do with it! Yes! In it's day the K100 was a very premier motorcycle! And what do you know, the boxers came back, more modern but still Boxers.
Love this channel. You take boring BMWs and make it entertaining. That’s talent. Looking forward to this build.
Holy good video! Subscribed. Great editing and content. I did skip the motortrend part. Their delivery pulled yours down. You have a great narration voice and awesome pace. Well done.
What a great video. I have always been super interested in the K bikes AND R bikes, so it was a treat to get a quick little history lesson on the boxers at the start of the video. Great news on your K100 as well - congrats and I look forward to watching your custom project take shape :)
Thank you, I'm already making moves to try to get an episode out on Monday or tuesday
Great vid man, just got a k75 as my first bike. Its been amazing. Hello from Bushwick!!!
K bike Squaddddd
- The illestrator - Skwaaaaaaadddddd
Props for the shot of the GS1000 skunk.
Bought my skunk new, still have it.
I owned a K75 and man that thing was a *MONEY PIT* k bikes definitely have personality and will make people 👀
Did you keep it stock or did you modify it?
- The illestrator - I kept it bone stock. I didn’t find really anything aftermarket anyways. The only place I was able to get parts was beemer
Boneyard. You’ll love the bike but them pockets better be *DEEP* lol
www.beemerboneyard.com/
I'm doing away with alot of stock components and my bike seems to be stable so i'm not worried about. I find that the aftermarket components are from small companies and thus are dumb expensive, but I haven't seen any overly expensive OEM parts aside from the damn body work....good lord with THAT shit, they all want your whole wallet.
@@CollinMac96 my brother has had a k75 for over 20 years, and the most expensive thing he's had to do is repair the tank. Must be some serious issues with yours if it's a money pit.
Alister Flower very possible. Mine literally began falling apart after a year of ownership.
Watched the jp vid! Very cool! It was nice to explain your creative process to us!
Thank you so much for checking it out
Another great vid, can't wait to see how the bike comes together
Great production mate, at this level your K beemer build will be cool , no worries!!!
No worries at all, already buying parts as we speak!
@@Theillestrator1050 Proud!
Thank you so much for making this, helped out and was entertaining!
Great video as usual, can't wait to see the whole build process
Such a good channel! So glad I found it!
Great video and you still crack me up with your jokes 😂😂😂 and i am pumped for the build series 😉
Ayyy finally, hello from Croatia
Nice to finally see your face man! :D keep up the good work! :D
Of course!
Gunna learn somethin today! Love these motorcycle history videos!!
Bruh! That is cool man...hope the Cafe Latte build works out, gonna be exciting. Also you have a face, now we still need to see if PewDiePie has legs...
Top work as usual!
Excited to see what you'll do to this bike, kind of inspirational :) AND let me ride it when its done!
#wifeswap 😂
This is really good auto journalism
Wow. Great vid! I'm just about to pull the trigger on a 1985 K100RS with very low mileage. It should be fun despite its quirks.
Heeeeeeeeel yeaaaah. U might laugh but I always thought the k engines are 4 cyl boxer engines. Now I find out they are flat inline fours. Da hell :D thanks a lot for an awesome video once again.
I'm super hyped for your build project since I am actually working on a Oldtimer Bike right now my self. But more a restoration then a modding thing. It's a dkw 125/2 and I recently got her to run (before the winter I don't have a workshop have to do it outside) after doing all the electrics.
Good luck with the build and keep making vids!!
I love em
Edit: I watched your interview and it makes it 10 times cooler, that you don't have perfect equipment and makes me appreciate it even more.
And the thing that u absolutely hate smt after you created it I know it tooo well :D But you shouldn't because your work is cream!
Thanks for checking out both videos,
Niceeeee, but you're taking it back further than me with that bike!.. Super old school. I understand the pain of having no indoor workshop, I'm in the same situation but I plan to get crafty about it. It'll all be explained in the project video
I owned an absolute pup of a R65LS, the one with the disgusting Hans Muth/Pyramid Head triangle fairing. Absolute money pit of a bike. Would love to own a K100 one day. Hope yours is a good one and easy to build on man, can't wait to see this project come along
"Disgusting" 😂😂😂
Yeah the build series is gonna be thorough, just wanted to get everyone up to speed first.
Mmm... look at all those bricks on center stands... hard to look cool when you ride away in a cloud of blue smoke from leaving it on the kickstand. I had an 87 k100, and I absolutely loved it. It was quirky, unique, and a blast to ride. It sounded great, and turned over 200,000 miles without missing a beat.
Yesssss, the smokey starts, I noticed that lol!
I can’t wait for the build series
It's not well known, but, the Flying Brick was originally a Peugeot 1000cc car engine. BMW bought the design and built the most indestructible bike engine in the world.
Nice job... thx! And yeah, that 'boxer' motor really goes back to BMW's WWI aviation days, making engines for the infamous Fokker D VII. And BMW's post-Versailles opposed twin is simply a 'slice' of a naturally-balanced _radial_ engine.
Liked at 1:30. Keep it coming fella.
I used to have a k1200r that did it's best to rip your arms off when you opened the throttle. Cornered like a canal barge though :) super looking bike.
Lmao, this one doesn't rip arms but it also handles pretty barge-ey
Another great video , so organized I wish I could be like that lol , keep it up bro !!!
Good story. I'm glad that you're going to cafe a bike that has already been trashed, a straight one should stay that way. Personally I ride a K1300s and now they're outdated too or are they. Mine has all the toys/options that you could order at the time and the only mod is an Arrow exhaust. Even though they stopped building them in 2016 it is still a fantastic bike. Great for long distance and handles fantastic too. The only caveat is that the duolever suspension requires a bit of a learning curve. Some say that once you learn that you have troubles with a regular bike but I don't really think so.
Good stuff man, always looking forward to your content. I'm new to motovlogging and you have some great concepts. Very inspiring.
Subscribed to you
I really hope you start making that 💸 from these videos. I love these in depth history of bike brands.
I'm making a lil bit, if I get more I can definitely boost quality with a better computer
In Britain people put the cylinder heads off these onto the block of the classic Mini A-series engines. Apparently the bores line right up. The K bikes were made nearly 20 years and the A-series nearer 50 years before BMW started making the new Mini, spooky eh?
My dad has actually recently bought a 2001 K1100R, it's his first boxer engined bike in his 34-odd years of riding. Got it for less than a grand with the only problem being it needing new tyres. Will probably show it off on Insta once it's cleaned up. Also, it#s good you kinda did a face reveal. The handsome voice matches the face, very rare to encounter. Good luck with the build, soooooooooo looking forward to seeing the end result
Are you sure it's not an R1100R? K is BMW's designation for inline 4 or inline 6 bikes.
Yeah as Gerard said, you probably meant R1100. Nice though, what's your IG?
@@Theillestrator1050 Yeah, Gerard's right, had a bit of an autistic moment there. Yeah, it's just @wasjohnfromhooddk
Another great vid!🍺😋👍
Also checked out your interview. Cool! Nice to get some insight.
Thanks a lot for checking out both!
Love your channel man. All great videos
Thank you
Those bricks can rack up serious miles. Looking forward to the build series.
Been waiting!
Oh don't say it like that XD
- The illestrator - just watched the jp video too. Nicely done.
1:26 Who does a better white person voice, Dave Chapelle or the illestrator?
Well I'm clearly much more successful than Dave Chapelle so.........😆
Illestrator...You'll need it for the BMW build series.
Great vid bro, but I personally wouldn't want to own a BMW, car or bike. Had a 330xi and they almost make it impossible to work on their products at home... that said bikes may differ. Congrats on the new ride though.
Subbed for that impression, had me in fits xD
Another great video, exited to see your build series on that beamer... Even though those handlebars & triple tree looking like a Thailand Scooter.
XDDDD lmao, yeah its really weird up there on the bars. theres switches on them and I have no clue what they do
This video helped me get over my fear of flying.
IS THIS A MEME OR SOMETHING? 😂
I tell ya, you are looking good in JP's film.😘
😂 well thank you
Could you give info on a k75 BMW motor cycle 2986 .I NEED TO see some pics of the left side crash lower mount bracket.Also would like direction on where I can find one for my bike.left side in the one I need now
ANOTHER MASTERPIECE BY THE ILLESTRATOR :)
You look different than what i expected but tbh idk what i thought you looked like. Also you do some cool voice impressions
I did a video a while ago with my face out while working on my bike, and then i did another one talking directly to the camera but I later took that one down.
I put a selfie on IG though lol.
@@Theillestrator1050 haha
That’s what’s up! You’re building a cafe racer. I’m doing a virago and I thought about the bmw but I’m not that well versed on bmws. I’m pretty exited for your build!
That means we had the same ideas cause I was thinking about both those bikes myself. The Virago was first on my list but shenanigans with the owners forced my hand on the bmw
@@Theillestrator1050 I have a mechanics back ground so I just bought a bike that didn't run. My only request was that the bike had a title. Ended up getting one without a tittle because it was from NH. I just got the title in MA and the bike is completely dismantled. It doesn't run so I'm gonna rebuild the engine. I'm thinking of recording and taking pics of the process and just have an IG of the build.
I'm really excited to see yours!
Nice. I had the pleasure of working on a few older BMWs. 85 K100R was cool but needed regular spline lubes from the clutch to the rear wheel. The plastic fuel pump mount in the tank tends to break. Fun to work on, not bad to ride, but everything about them was just odd somehow. The newer bikes are absolutely marvels of technology. You should have fun modifying your K bike.
Yes! They are sooooo ODD. There's things that I still have not figured out with this bike... Basic things, like how to get under the seat lol. Everything about them is just different, almost car like too.
@@Theillestrator1050
I think you turn the ignition key backwards and push it in if my memory serves me right. It was about 12 years ago when I last messed with one. I think the newer ones are similar.
The joys of owning a BMW bike. They're not wrong, they're just not quite right either. Like every decision they made is perfectly logical but just not the decision you would've made yourself.
@@gerardmontgomery280
I can think of a few other bikes worse than that. Not as fun either.
K100 the first bike I rode on as my uncle had one and used to blast through the country roads with me on the back with only a helmet and 90s luck to keep me safe.
good video, like the tempo... missed the k1100lt (se) in the video :-( i have a lt se... life in amsterdam, best biker ever!
BMW went with the engine design of the K bike mostly to be different, which is what they are known for. They do it their way and did not wish to follow the Japanese.
still loving my 85 K100 **super solid**
Heyyy! I’ve got an 86 RT that’ll be lighter and simpler once it’s morphed. Have fun with yours man!
✌️
I'm sure that bike is a fantastic tourer. The comfortability of my RS had me ready to keep it stock for a second lmao
The K1200 is gorgeous, the K1300 stunning and the K1600 has 6 cylinders. The older ones look pretty dorky to modern tastes though. Your right they look great after you've cut on them a bit but in stock form they look like a barn door.
😂In person I feel like it doesn't look toooooo bad....with the right color atleast
As a German i can confirm that the voice at 1:30 sounds very authentic! ✌️
OMG! we had a K100GS in my old garage when I was younger! We didn't ever run it but it just sat there...
Just subscribed and I'm excited to see what you do with that K100. I recently picked up an 85 K100RS myself, and I'm taking notes. I'm still deciding on if I want to make a bobber/cafe bike, or an adventure bike out of it, but I'm also heavily inspired by the sweet examples of mod bricks out there. Thanks for the inspiration!
how did it work out?
@@atomicdmt8763 it got put on the back burner
Is there a big diffencer between the three trims ? Besides the engine cover and the trim of the bike?
Nice work!
Interestingly, the first Gen Honda Goldwing was a 1000cc boxer four with shaft drive in 1975. I have a 77 that I'm restomoddding.
Good one love the K75s
Well done and informative video
Another perfect work ;)
Nice video, thank you. Funny and interesting. Maybe it's just my headphones but the background music was a bit loud for me, found it hard to follow your narration sometimes. Otherwise, I enjoyed it. Subbed.
Didn't hear once how "planted" this motorcycle is. Which makes it feel no other other MC I ever rode and I have owned and ridden many many motorcycles. I still have my 89 BMW K 100 RS and love riding her along with my other BMW'S My BMW 1982 R 100 RS and 2016 BMW R 1200 RS
I try to avoid a “crash” anything when it comes to motorcycles. 😄
« Step outside of the box », subtle 😂
🧀🧀🧀🧀
🌽🌽🌽🌽
Excellent tutorial..
If you are going to custom the brick, then really its that fuel tank that will need a serious redesign. Most 'cafe K100' leave the oem tank, which completely negates everything else they do. I've got one on the bench at the moment and that tank is taking 80% of my time.
Honestly I love the tank on K bikes but I get your point because the line of the tank follows a different angle from the frame itself and alot of builds end up looking kinda weird when they work with that difference. I'm not doing anything with the tank, rather I'm gonna adapt everything else to IT.
I've got the same yzf, no issues (others than me not being able to step flat footed on the stoplights)
Ps: looking forward into selling it and buy a bmw r1100s (my favourite motorcycle)
your videos are awful swell see! informative and hilarious. great job budski
Does anyone know what that yellow bike is at 2:47?
A beautiful well made bike capable of doing high miles
i love my k1100lt sure it took me a month to strip it down to replace oil seals, clutch pack, lube splines, abs system, yes it douse always have problems but i manage on a low income because i do it all myself!
That's how you do it man, do it yourself and just learn if you have the time
Good vid.
THANKS!
I'd rather have an engine with screw type valve adjustment that's harder to initially get to than on with shims.