BMW K75 Motorcycle - What can go wrong!
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- Опубликовано: 5 июл 2024
- Quite a long video detailing my 1987 BMW K75 motorcycle. It covers all the bike systems and the various things to look out for if you are going to buy one or have one of the common problems. These are awesome bikes but they need looking after. I have also done more detailed videos on greasing the splines, sealing the exhaust system, changing the clutch boot, fitting a new fan and radiator, testing the fuel pump and sender, adding a power outlet and fitting cameras.
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Thanks for the great job on the video. In 1996 I bought a 1994 K75 standard ABS with just over 10K on the clock. It now reads 183K. This 'boring, underpowered, overweight, wimpy-sounding' beast has taken me all over the U.S. and Canada. I also think the lines of the bike are simple, sleek perfection -- without all the ugly beaks, graphics, etc. we see on the current crop. They'll bury me with this bike.
Just bought a 1993 K75 with 27k miles. A friend passed away and I got it from his widow. I know no nothing about it. The oil looks very clean and it starts right up. No BMW dealer in my town. Any advice on what I should do for maintenance?
I had a 95 K75 and old it when it had 100,000 mls . I rode the heck out of that bike. It was a tank. I payed it down once, and pick it up and rode away. I had no issue with it. The clutch started slipping and I could not afford to replace it. I am proud to have spent time on this epic machine. One of the greatest bikes of all time. Awesome. AWSOME BIKE. Way ahead of its time.
I'm on my third (and best) K75, the S model. I bought it 5 years ago with only 10K miles. One of the best bikes ever, even though they are about 100lbs overweight.
Recently rescued a K75 RT 1996 which was being converted to a cafe racer. Building it back into an RT. Mechanically excellent so worth the effort. So smooth! and sounds like a 911!
Well done for restoring a great bike. You should look at BMW-K motorcycles K1 k75 k100 k1100 (purists) Facebook page for help and resources. The files section has a lot of original tech notes.
With every fuel filter service, you should drain the fuel from the tank, and remove particles of grit, paint, metal etcetera; accumulated from pump fuel. If you do this, the tank will last a lot longer
That's good advice but the service interval is 20,000 miles. At the rate I ride now that's in ten years time! I usually clean it out every year.
I've owned a K75 for 12 years they do pull like a train and are very reliable , mine has done about 76000 plus miles , still going strong , good review though . Thanks
A brilliant video - full of excellent comments and all based on a "hands on" experience, well done.
Great video! Every K75 owner should find this. Liked and Saved. 1993 K75 Standard owner since 2011. Color 689. This year has also a well known quirk fail of the Odometer gear, a fiber gear in the instrument. Factory greased the gear which was not intended. The grease would ruin the gear around 20 years. Kits can be purchased for around $85 USD. I repaired my tank in 2012 with interior epoxy rather than welding to avoid repaint job. It is still fine. The fine tooth drive shaft, a poor design, was replaced with a robust one in the late 90's by the original owner.
Thank you, thank you!. I own a k75 with 95,000 miles. I'll be changing the original front wheel bearings this winter. Other issues are widely known but the first I've heard of this. It's easy to visualize what will happen when one bearing fails.
I own a 1985 K 100 RT, 93000 kms. In a very neat condition.
And i do agree with you: we have to thank all the café racer boy's for offering to us a large bank of spare parts.
At least, some of these wonderful bikes will be kept as the day they were made.
Very nice well made video.
Many thanks for your effort and interest in these bikes. Very informative !
Thank you for sharing this. I have just purchased a 1993 K75 as my pre retirement project it has 83,000 miles on it thanks again from Higganum Connecticut USA 👍🏻
Thank you. I have produced quite a few videos on the K75 on basic and slightly more advanced maintenance. One of the great things about it is that you can fix nearly everything using the bike tool kit. Be sure to make sure the driveshaft splines are greased with white paste.ruclips.net/video/On9c2ITtHek/видео.html and do a major service if it needs it. ruclips.net/video/8Y_wtyLfpi4/видео.html
Just got a 1992 K75c and this is dynamite information. Thanks for sharing it. I'm doing a street scrambler modification in the near future so a few more of those spares will be going up on eBay for grabs. Thanks for sharing the knowledge :)
Outstanding work. You've put together an excellent video. Well done.
Thanks very much. I am glad its useful.
I have an 86 k75c century two edition.300,000km. replaced driveshaft splines under warranty. other than a new clutch cable and alternator brushes never failed to start or get me home. my father bought it new and I inherited it.
Sounds like great bike. Regular rides and regular maintenance and they will go forever. Weather, salt and crashes have caused most of my maintenance.
@@johnnysevengun no salt no crashes lots of love
I've recently got a K100 into my custody, and didn't quite know what to make of it. Your videos has really been a great help! Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. :-)
Well done mate! Most thorough and informative. It will be interesting to see how many views this will rack up in 4 or 5 years :-)
Excellent and detailed description, thank You!. Mine is K100 but it is just all the same. subscribed!
Excellent informative video. Very comprehensive.
Great video buddy
Very helpful
What a thorough review: very interesting. Thank you.
I like the looks of the k75 , but oh my, what a load maintenance you have gone through. I ride a 1986 Honda VT500C Shadow, and had just a few problems (10 years now).
Well the bike is nearly 33 and I've ridden it for 20 years - the first 13 years nearly every working day in all weathers. It still starts first time every time.
The way you maintain the bike is top-notch. I can learn from you 😁
Great video! You have owned and ridden this old K a long time. Kudos. I have owned three and my Present K75S is a '93. Owned for seven plus years. Just a comment or two. Splines , clutch, and shaft at final drive need maintaining and the weep hole in bell housing need to be checked if purchasing. If it's weeping then the rear main is likely needing replacement, but it is usually not a hurry. Also, see if the cooling fan spins freely. Great bikes! Edit: I see you addressed the rear splines and their required maintenance. I know you know your stuff, so I am stating things you already know.
Good extra advice. Thanks very much.
Always use coolant for aluminium. When changing rinse with thermostat out.
Mount tires yourself. Never trust so called professionals. Use a good mounting paste between rim and tire. No water comes in an air stays in.
Don't use anything containing white spirit or similar on the plastic on the meters, it will crack. Mine 91 is still fine.
Rinse connectors regularly and earth ING.
Check valves regularly. It is easy to change the valve shims.
A stainless steel plate to shim the sidestand.
Capasitors in ABS go old and needs to be changed.
On K1100 it is a good praktise to put the ECU in a thick plastic bag.
Change the brushes on alternator and starter.
I use the oil resistant clutch from Motobins. It works good.
For forks ISOVG 32=SAE7.5
Don't ever use a pressure washer.
Ride safe
There is some great advice there. Thanks very much.
How do you remove and mount the tires?
What about balancing?
Very useful information, thanks.
They are a beautiful bike, and like anything, will repay you with reliable service for good maintainence. Mine’s a 1993 model ‘ S ‘ with 19,000 miles or 32,000 kms, depending where you are from. Keep those rear splines lubed with a quality moly paste.
ruclips.net/video/On9c2ITtHek/видео.html
@@johnnysevengun That's exactly the paste I use. Its nice and sticky and has a lesser tendency to be flung up the center of the driveshaft than other brands. Although it still happens, just not quite so quickly.
Great video. Thanks
Beautiful!
0 - 60mph is 4.6 secs, at least for the S model. I owned mine for 10 years using it as an inter-city commuter. Lots of fun and oodles of character. 👍
Great bikes. Ironically the stripped version is slightly faster than the S model because the fairings weigh a ton. I did a video about putting a belly pan on mine and was surprised how heavy it was. ruclips.net/video/bGgdE1fHSbI/видео.html
@@johnnysevengun Yes high quality fibreglass. But there wasn't that much of it on the 750 Sport, certainly not compared to the RT which was quite a heavy beast. So I think the slight acceleration difference might also have been that the S had slightly higher gearing as befitted its higher top speed. It also had a disk rear brake, rather than the drum on the roadster version.
Very nice video, I'm considering a K100, so this is worth gold, thanks! :)
Thanks. The K100 is a great bike but the K75 is much smoother to ride.
@@johnnysevengun A lot of people say that, a few says it's not that big of a deal, I think I'd like the extra oomph. I"m 60 years old, so it's not for racing purposes, just that extra torque.
@@svendtveskg5719 The K100 has 90hp against the K75's 74hp. Its the foot numbing vibration that people don't like but the power is great!
@@johnnysevengun Ok, the vibration stuff doesn't sound good! I'l try to find some comparisons online. Hope they will be as clear and thorough as yours. :)
So what did you buy?!
Very good and informative video.
I have an airhead and am thinking about K bike for more oomph!
Can't fault the power and handling but they are heavy bikes to move around in the garage.
I bought a 1986 ‘C’ model a couple of years ago,that hasn’t been ridden since 2008. It still had that years tax disc on it.
I have spent around £600 on it to get it back on the road,new fan (spal),new fuel pump and pipes,cleaned injectors,new rubber everywhere,sensors,etc.
Great bike now,but so much to go wrong on them. Had to have a new set of splines welded on to the driveshaft,and a second hand final drive unit from California on 25,000 miles.The engine is a Peugeot,by the way.
A good fun bike,and like nothing I have ever ridden. Sounds like a small jet engine.
Remember to check the valves,too.👍🏾🛠🏍
That's right. The engine was a PSA-Renault X-Type engine from a Peugeot 104. The bike is really a car with two wheels. If looked after and rode often they are fantastically reliable. I have been riding mine for 22 years (85000 miles) without splitting the engine or even looking at the valves. Modern bikes like Triumph, BSA, Royal Enfield have only just caught up with this water cooled technology. I did a video on greasing the splines as well as a few others on basic maintenance. ruclips.net/video/On9c2ITtHek/видео.html
hmmm, maybe only the crank, conrods and pistons, the idea, lol.
it's a DOHC engine and the Peugeot 104 was not and later even 16 vales for k100 and k1100.
the Peugeot has the started motor where the bmw has the oil sump.
But long time ago, more than 20 years ago, i heard the Rotax makes engines for BMW.
the K100 used fuel injection from a 3 series car in 1982!
The prototype / proof of concept used a Peugeot 104 engine. Production models used BMW's own design.
I bought a k75c which had been sat since 2006. I had to replace pretty much everything made of rubber, fuel pump,filter and anti vibe mount,new Spal fan, temp sensor,left and right switchgear, rear shock had seized,front light cowl,bulbs,injectors sent off and cleaned, flasher relay,and probably more that I can’t remember! My next thing to do, like yourself, is to firm up the front forks with better springs,even had a new set of splines welded onto the original rear drive prop!. I find that the engines are great, but everything around it is made of cheese! It’s now done 80,000 miles, but apparently, that’s just ‘ran in’!. You had your valves checked?, and if so, at what mileage?
Well done for bringing another K back to life. A bike that has been left for 13 years even in dry store is going to have lots of age related corrosion and rubber splits. I haven't touched the engine on mine and it s done around 90.000 miles now. If its sounds right don't mess with it. Change the oils regularly and the water every 3 or 4 years and it should go forever.
Concept Symetry Guitars z
Great video, many thanks! My 1990 K75RT has this strange symptoms of occasionally accellerating like crazy. I have to roll of the throttle quickly to keep it from accellerating. Any ideas? I've replaced the TPS and all the hoses/vacuum lines.
Sounds like a sticking throttle cable or lack of return on the throttle body springs.
I'm off to dismantle the fan from radiator. As it's not turning on after 20min of idling. For next step i'm gonna wire it to manual on/off via button on my dash. Old school is most trusting to me :)
This video may interest you then. ruclips.net/video/fKIFJRA4jDo/видео.html
I just found a ‘91 for £1500, I have yet to see it in person but I plan on stripping it and using the engine on my current ‘92 that is flooded. A: is that a good deal for a running bike (albeit in worn condition), 57,000 miles but it’s been outside in the sun (no rain as I live in the USA). B: they say it runs and drives, what should I check first when I go to check out the bike? Thank you in advance and have a great day!
That is low mileage but the price would depend on what model (base, S etc) and how well it has been kept. Makes sure it starts and runs evenly. Check all the rubber components as they rot and perish. Check all the electrics work - lights, side stand switch if it has one, instrument panel. If you are going to ride it make sure the tires are good. Also nothing should leak and the brakes must be firm. Good luck.
Bmw k 75 0-62 4,6 standing 1/4 mile 12,9 still, pretty damn good for an old bike
Had a plan to buy one, but after this video......f... It✌️😎
Like all bikes, there are good ones and bad ones. If you go on the Facebook groups you will find basket cases that have been completely revived as well as some amazing bargains. They have the advantage in that they are easy to fix and now all the parts are readily available from Motobins, Motorworks and Thom Hellbrekers. Mine is a 1987 model and still going like a train.
Owner of 1985 K100 BMW. I wouldn't trade my bike for anything. I love my
Motorcycle more than my Honda. I'm 34 and some guys want me to chop it it up as a Cafe bike?
Slap!! Lol not happening.
Good call. In the future the chopped bikes will be worth nothing.
❤️
Cheers for your reaction on my comment - much apreciated.
I have another, that i cannot find an answer to. Perhaps it's too simple or obvious.
I got my rear disck pads (brakes) replaced by some guy (dont ask me). And ever since that, the red warning light does not go off (on the dash board) when i check brakes. Before that replacement, it was fine.
I've checked my light's and all are working.
So the question is. Where exactly is the sensor for the rear break!? 24'22" --> your video?
Something that isn't obvious - check the pilot light! It's also connected to the BMU (bulb monitor unit).
The rear brake switch is just under the footpeg attached to the foot lever and is a black housing with silver switch plate. Make sure all the connections in the loom are clean. Also clean the bulb holders for the rear brake and rear running light as they are both connected to the dash light. Check both of them work independantly. If cleaning everything and replacing bulbs does not work it may be that the wiring in the ignition pod has broken up (this is what happened to me). You can take it apart to check for corrosion. Failing all that the bulb monitoring unit under the seat in the fuse box may have failed. It is a long rectangular one against the RHS frame bar.
Hello
What handlebar are you wearing at the time of recording the video?
thanks and greetings from Spain.
The handlebars are the original BMW ones for the 1987 K75. The drop bars shown are from a 1970's Yamaha RD250 made by Magura.
Do they check the seal of the tank at a MOT test?
19.10, that was the first thing i was toughed about BMW motorrad, the "handle" and what it was for, before anything else.
The engine and bike might be awesome, but no paralever and/or telelever. paralever is a must have, the absolute coolest part of BMW.
The tank cap and seal is checked on the MOT and if damaged will fail. The paralever looks cool but is no better than than the original cardan swingarm. I had a K1100LT for a while and could detect no difference. I still see people lift the bike on the stand without using the handle - painful!
@@johnnysevengun wel, you might not notice it dominantly, but the brake caliber is fixed on the single swing arm, braking will pull the bike down a tiny bit
also the cardan axle inside has a effect and pushing you up a tiny bit. that was what i noticed when i was a kid looking at people riding a old R../5 /6 motorcycle.
it's physics. but you only use 30% of brake.
: )
The telelever doesn't butch at al, you don't dive while braking. only when you walk the bike it will butch a bit when playing with the brake.
it was older man who used to own a motorcycle shop and it was the first thing he told about BMW motorrad and indeed it's a lot easier.
seams logical they check tankcaps.
You're using metrics so I'm guessing your in the UK with a lot of moisture in the climate, is this true? Thanks
I am in the east of England and we probably get less rain than most of the UK. However there is a lot of moisture as you say. The real killer though is road salt in the winter - that eats everything really quick. When I was riding everyday I used to hose off the bike with clean water when I got back and keep the bike warm with an oil filled radiator.
Hi I m looking to buy k75s what should I look before I buy as I have never had bmw bike before so it’s my first time .
Would appreciate if you give me any handy tips before i buy
Thanks
G
Assuming you will look at everything I put in the video I always look for how clean the bike is. Lift the seat up and look for dirt, rust, oil etc. Look right underneath the bike at the clutch assembly to make sure nothing is leaking. Look carefully at all the switches, lights and electrical connections you can see to make sure they are clean. These bikes suffer from poor connections when they get old. Start the bike up from cold and let it run for five minutes watching for smoke from the manifold joints. On the main stand the back wheel should gently go round. Check the clutch biting point by putting it in gear. If you are going to ride it make sure the brakes are really sharp and the front forks rebound. Bounce the rear shock too. Good luck.
Concept Symetry Guitars
Thank you very kind of you replying to my msg with such a great information
Concept Symetry Guitars
Hi I went to have a look bike this morning there is leak at clutch assembly on right is it a major issue with these bikes and how to much it cost to replace.
Thanks
@@maaputra If the leak is from the clutch lever boot near the back tire then it is an easy fix costing about £20. If it is coming out of the casing than it will need a clutch rebuild with new seals. If the clutch is contaminated then you are looking at hundred of pounds of work.
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Cool no worries thanks
I m also looking intok100 also any recommendations?
Those clutch boots go regularly I used to carry a spare on the bike
I think the quality is much poorer than the original issue. The first one lasted nearly 30 years. The split one in this video not even five.
@@johnnysevengun I used the Ks mainly for courier work so I guess it was inevitable that any weak spots would be found out quickly
lube the other end of the drive shaft (closest to the transmission ) at least every time you change the rear tire .
if you don't the splines fail and they are not available anymore .
it's the only thing that is a weakness in these bikes .!
use molly grease !
It is only necessary to grease the splines every 60000 miles. Thom Hellebrekers now sells remanufactured drive shafts. You might like this video. ruclips.net/video/On9c2ITtHek/видео.html
Staburags is a very good spline lube.
Video on greasing the splines ruclips.net/video/On9c2ITtHek/видео.html
Ditto mate. Gotcha.
How are the coils dangerous? i've never heard that before
When cranking they generate about 20000V. You only need a cracked insulator, some moisture or oil to allow it to track. That is why they have covers. I had an old Yamaha that would track to the frame in the rain - you don't half know about it.
@@johnnysevengun Wow i guess if it stays clean then you are good? Also mine come without covers from the factory. Thanks for the info!
Is stalling at or near idle speed a sign of a bad hall sensor?
It can be . Usually the hall effect sensor plays up as the engine gets hot. Bad idling can also be due to splits in the rubber hoses or a blocked air filter or setting it too low with the idling screw.
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new on the interwebs here. turned out intermittent stalling at idle was due to corroded/broken wire at plug on alternator. great comprehensive vid.
@@mistermang5841 One of the things I always point out is the electrical failures due to corrosion in the wiring. Difficult to trace because the loom is really complicated. Well done for finding out what it was.
The handle mentioned at 19:15, where is it for?
It is for easily lifting the bike onto its centre stand.
how do i know if my radiator is busted? It leaks or is it other? My radiator is original 25years old and it still holds...
Then don't worry about it. If it does decide to leak, in my experience they go at the bottom where the semi-circular bracket holds the radiator to the bottom of the frame rails. It starts as a mark on the bottom of the radiator and the front of the engine where the coolant leaks out and evaporates. If it's a very slow/small leak, throw in the recommended amount of Radweld and forget about it. I ran one radiator for around 30,000 miles like that before finally deciding I really ought to change it.
If is does leak it will be from the bottom RHS corner as you look from the front. Unless there is damage or a lack of cooling from the fan it should just keep working. When you do a coolant change wash it through with clean water for a couple of minutes from a hose. Only use distilled water and aintifreeze when refilling.
This is good advice.
Hey amazing video. When I get my licence in about 3 months I want a BMW bike. But I wonder, how did you know how to do it all?
I've had bikes since I was 17 (40 years now) and I bought this bike in AD2000. At that time I joined the BMW Club of Great Britain who had a great newsletter full of advice and technical tips. As the internet grew the advice was transferred to the net. I also have a Haynes and Clymer manual which are full of great advice. Most of the things which happened were known faults that develop with heavy use and fair wear and tear. Nowadays the bikes are old - mine is 32 now and the faults are due to failure of the materials the bikes are made of and just need replacing with new ones. Motobins and Motorworks in the UK are great firms with lots of knowledge and an endless selection of parts. I am also in several Facebook groups where help is just a click away.
@@johnnysevengun Wauw that's awesome thanks for sharing. I myself are from across the channel to the East and I see lots of BMW k75 bikes online for just €1000 which has me kind of sceptical. Now at least thanks to you and your video I know what to look for when I finally go out to check one out. Only reason I want a BMW is because I like that they are European and have a amazing history and character. And my uncle has always ridden a BMW, and now after 45 years he has finally permitted himself to buy his first *new* motorcycle which is a BMW R1200RS even tho he makes well enough money, but he is a true Dutchy to never buy something new when you can still fix your old stuff. And flip every coin even tho he has so much money on the bank that h| is barely saving money still because that which he adds to his account each year also goes away again because of the 5% tax. So that is why he has finally cut the knot and bought something new... Where has this story gone idk. Good night fellow Europeans.
@@JustinMaderify Have look at these advices. Very thorough and indeed helpful on all sorts of topics:
www.motobins.co.uk/hints
Search startpage for "flying brick" for user fora. The Germans has some as well..
Safe riding ✌
Should be called what it can survive.
85000 miles, several bad crashes, attack by road salt, 35 years old and still caning it.
Not sure I could deal with the bicycle sized front wheel
100/90 R18? Most bicycles are R24.
Looks so skinny in the video, I have a k100 RS myself
Nice bike. Doesn't it have an R17 front wheel - even smaller!
I find for protection, GT85 is far superior to WD40, as good as it is.
Maintenance cost list?
I am not sure what you mean? Do you mean by year or by component? By year practically nothing as I only do about a 1000 miles. Service parts are cheap and secondhand parts too. Some parts are ridiculously expensive like over £500 for the oil/water pump. The electronic parts are really expensive new like £150 for the fuel pump wiring loom. It pays to shop around but don't but ebay pattern parts as they are always fakes.
@@johnnysevengun I meant like overall on that bike what was your maintenance cost for the parts you were breaking down, because some you did mention the price and some you did not. and if not ebay or trusted ebay seller where do you shop at online ?
getting a k75s this weekend for 900 from a proper family that took care of it, the latest in the family got the bike and now has to be sent of for the airforce and bike is in perfect condition and does not leak, what should i be looking for and tips?
@@kavintruong1106 If you are in the UK buy your parts from Motobins, Motorworks or James Sherlock. All top suppliers of genuine parts and good quality pattern parts like discs and fork stanchions.
@@johnnysevengun I just fitted a YSS monoshock for 100 GBP. Also saw pattern fuel pump as low as 15 GBP.
@@bryanearthloop2403 The YSS shocks have a good reputation - the cheap pumps not so much.
Back when I was a lunatic I’d only get 4 thousand out of the back 😉
Me too!
stainless steel? rust??
What do you mean? Reference what?
I'm 19 stone and 0-60 ain't 3.6!
4.6?
Use metzeller tyres lazers for all bmw's that fit
A lot of riders go for Metzeler Lasertecs. I have always had Bridgestone Battlax on both my BMW K75 and Triumph Bonneville. They cost about the same.