Author Topic: New-to-me K75 with sidecar  (Read 17155 times)

Offline elizilla

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  • 1987 K75 with sidecar
New-to-me K75 with sidecar
« on: May 20, 2013, 10:15:42 AM »
Hello,

My name is Katherine and I am a new K75 rider.  This is my first BMW - I have mostly ridden Hondas and Yamahas.  But I set out to buy a fancy Hannigan sidecar, and it came with a K75 attached.  The bike has a rebuilt title and while it claims to be a 1987, it's actually a frankenbike.  The odometer has 106,000 miles, and it's been modded, beat up, modded some more, scratched and dented, modded, rebuilt, and modded.  The engine isn't original - the previous owner said it has about 35K on it, but who can tell?

In my original plans, the K75 was a temporary tow to get my fancy sidecar home.  Eventually I expected to move the sidecar to a newer bike.  But I'm actually liking this K75 a lot, so I am going to try to clean it up and continue running it.  Some of the previous owners did some dumb things, others did things that were fine for them but not for me (like the low seat -yikes), but whoever set the sidecar up did a FANTASTIC job.  It drives really, really well.

Here are some photos taken the day I brought it home.  You can see it has issues.  I have been cleaning it up, and doing things like removing the Armor-All from the seat, turning that FI cover right side up, fixing the rear brake, etc.  But I haven't taken any more pics yet.





Thanks!
Katherine
1987 BMW K75 with Hannigan sidecar
2008 Ural Tourist
2012 Yamaha Super Ténéré

Offline mac

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Re: New-to-me K75 with sidecar
« Reply #1 on: May 20, 2013, 10:21:04 AM »
That is indeed a fancy sidecar! Welcome! Where are you located? What are your plans for said sidecar? Toting dogs? Electric pianos? Rolling hot tub?
---
'86 K75T

Offline johnny

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Re: New-to-me K75 with sidecar
« Reply #2 on: May 20, 2013, 10:28:05 AM »
greetings elizilla...

welcome to motobrick.com...

that low seat looks real comfortable for the right person... i bet you would have no problem trading for a regular seat or selling it and buying a regular seat...

thanks for the photos...

j o
  • :johnny i parks my 96 eleven hundert rs motobrick in dodge county cheezconsin  :johnny

Offline k98DOG

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Re: New-to-me K75 with sidecar
« Reply #3 on: May 20, 2013, 12:23:48 PM »
Very nice ride you have - welcome!

Offline detbmw

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Re: New-to-me K75 with sidecar
« Reply #4 on: May 20, 2013, 02:14:06 PM »
I never thought about a sidecar on a K75. That looks really nice. You will really enjoy it when you make it your own.
  • Nacogdoches, Texas
  • 1988 Red K75S (der rotem Backstein) plus one that isn't a brick
Rich
East Texas BMW+ Motorcycle Club
Texas National Picnic, Jacksonville TX, 3rd Saturday in May

Offline Chaos

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Re: New-to-me K75 with sidecar
« Reply #5 on: May 20, 2013, 07:06:24 PM »
that leading link fork is great for sidecar use and costs some serious $$$   Might be worth fixing up the K75 since it's set up so nice.  Surprised the original owner didn't use a K100, they're more popular as tugs with the additional oomph.  Looks like fun.  I went the Ural route and lovin' it.   :riding: (and I got a reverse gear!)
  • sw ohio
1987 K75S    VIN 0231
Original owner, Original litter
200,000 miles (plus or minus) and 5 paint jobs
sold 6/23
2023 Ural 2WD sidecar (BMW's bastard step child)

Offline turq

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Re: New-to-me K75 with sidecar
« Reply #6 on: May 20, 2013, 07:39:14 PM »
Welcome aboard!

Nice ride. Definately brakes. Sweet ride; keep it, has too be smooth...

Offline elizilla

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  • 1987 K75 with sidecar
Re: New-to-me K75 with sidecar
« Reply #7 on: May 20, 2013, 07:39:38 PM »
Thanks for the welcome!

I have posted in the classifieds section looking for a trade.  Apparently one needs more than just the seat - there is some other hardware as well.  There are two other people ahead of me proposing the same trade, so I suspect that there may be more tall folks with low seats than you would expect.  Or maybe my timing is just bad.

The fancy sidecar, well, I have been having some health issues that make the third wheel desirable, and I find sidecars much more intriguing than trikes.  They're cool even if you don't have any physical problems.

I also own a Ural, but since my health issue may be coming down to bad posture leading to pinched nerves, the Ural is perhaps not ergonomically optimal.  It takes a lot more back strength to wrangle the Ural, than this Hannigan/K75 combo.  I am in the habit of making some pretty long trips and the Ural takes about twice as many days to cover the same distance.  Those tiring backroad days are more intriguing, because who wants to spend all day on the interstate?  But I'm not retired, my vacation time is limited, and sometimes you just have to get there.



And my other bike is a 2012 Yamaha Super Ténéré.  I spent some time last winter researching a sidecar for it, and a Hannigan like this one seemed like it would be a great choice.  Unfortunately Hannigan doesn't have a fitment for a Super10, and when I wrote to ask about it they said they'd do it, but quoted a price way more than I felt willing to pay.  So I decided to hunt for a used Hannigan to play with and figure out if it really even made sense to try to put one on a Super10, and whether I truly even wanted it.  And here I am.

Katherine
1987 BMW K75 with Hannigan sidecar
2008 Ural Tourist
2012 Yamaha Super Ténéré

Offline Grim

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Re: New-to-me K75 with sidecar
« Reply #8 on: May 20, 2013, 08:06:15 PM »
That's cool!  :riding:

Looking at the bike side shot I think you will find that not only does it have a low seat it looks like the Bike has been lowered a good bit. That may be big part of why it rides so well. The CG is helping.

Great bikes that will run for a long time. Get the maintenance caught up and I think it will continue to grow on you.



1995 Morea Green K1100LT

Offline elizilla

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  • 1987 K75 with sidecar
Re: New-to-me K75 with sidecar
« Reply #9 on: May 20, 2013, 08:27:32 PM »
Yes, I do think it has been lowered as well.  It took two of us to get it onto the centerstand and when we did, the rear wheel was about 8" off the ground!  Normally I would not like a lowered bike and would be trying to reverse it to regain my lean angle, but in this case the bike doesn't lean anyway, so it isn't that important.  And changing it back would be extra difficult, with the sidecar in the mix. So I'm inclined to leave it lowered, but try to return to a normal seat height just for my own comfort.

Katherine
1987 BMW K75 with Hannigan sidecar
2008 Ural Tourist
2012 Yamaha Super Ténéré

Offline Chaos

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Re: New-to-me K75 with sidecar
« Reply #10 on: May 20, 2013, 11:05:37 PM »
I'm with you about trikes, maybe it's the association with little kids tricycles but they're not for me.  Same with Scorpions, they just look weird to me, and not in a good way.  Had a Flexit leaning sidecar on my K many years ago, it was fun but sometimes I want a 2 wheeler, sometimes a hack.  And yes, if time in any concern the Ural is the wrong bike.  I get on my K (now with historic plates) and it seems like some futuristic rocket ship after riding the Ural. 
  • sw ohio
1987 K75S    VIN 0231
Original owner, Original litter
200,000 miles (plus or minus) and 5 paint jobs
sold 6/23
2023 Ural 2WD sidecar (BMW's bastard step child)

Offline argent brick

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Re: New-to-me K75 with sidecar
« Reply #11 on: May 21, 2013, 01:55:56 AM »
Hello,

My name is Katherine and I am a new K75 rider.  This is my first BMW - I have mostly ridden Hondas and Yamahas.  But I set out to buy a fancy Hannigan sidecar, and it came with a K75 attached.  The bike has a rebuilt title and while it claims to be a 1987, it's actually a frankenbike.  The odometer has 106,000 miles, and it's been modded, beat up, modded some more, scratched and dented, modded, rebuilt, and modded.  The engine isn't original - the previous owner said it has about 35K on it, but who can tell?

In my original plans, the K75 was a temporary tow to get my fancy sidecar home.  Eventually I expected to move the sidecar to a newer bike.  But I'm actually liking this K75 a lot, so I am going to try to clean it up and continue running it.  Some of the previous owners did some dumb things, others did things that were fine for them but not for me (like the low seat -yikes), but whoever set the sidecar up did a FANTASTIC job.  It drives really, really well.

Here are some photos taken the day I brought it home.  You can see it has issues.  I have been cleaning it up, and doing things like removing the Armor-All from the seat, turning that FI cover right side up, fixing the rear brake, etc.  But I haven't taken any more pics yet.





Thanks!

Looks like somebody spent wad of cash reworking that seat. That is definitely not a regular stock item. Placing a low OEM or Corbin seat on there should have you sit higher.
Lynn

Current:
1995 K75/3A Standard

Past:
1978 Yamaha xs750(P.O.S.)
1976 R60/6 RIP

Offline argent brick

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Re: New-to-me K75 with sidecar
« Reply #12 on: May 21, 2013, 02:07:16 AM »
I just noticed, you have the optional Aux. lights up front. Those are hard to find. Score! Well, the whole bike is a score, really. What a find!

Please keep us posted with more pictures as you make changes and updates.

OBTW, Welcome aboard.
Lynn

Current:
1995 K75/3A Standard

Past:
1978 Yamaha xs750(P.O.S.)
1976 R60/6 RIP

Offline Chaos

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Re: New-to-me K75 with sidecar
« Reply #13 on: May 21, 2013, 12:58:59 PM »
I think the windshield, bars and lights are from a K75t, and i had no idea you could install that FI cover upside down :hehehe That is now a hard to find piece, used to have one, I think CC products made it.
  • sw ohio
1987 K75S    VIN 0231
Original owner, Original litter
200,000 miles (plus or minus) and 5 paint jobs
sold 6/23
2023 Ural 2WD sidecar (BMW's bastard step child)

Offline argent brick

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Re: New-to-me K75 with sidecar
« Reply #14 on: May 21, 2013, 01:15:25 PM »
I think the windshield, bars and lights are from a K75t, and i had no idea you could install that FI cover upside down :hehehe That is now a hard to find piece, used to have one, I think CC products made it.

I always thought that CC Products was made of metal. Maybe I am wrong about that.

I have never seen those lights in person. Would love to have a set for my machine.

I wonder how that reworked low seat feels.
Lynn

Current:
1995 K75/3A Standard

Past:
1978 Yamaha xs750(P.O.S.)
1976 R60/6 RIP

Offline elizilla

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  • 1987 K75 with sidecar
Re: New-to-me K75 with sidecar
« Reply #15 on: May 22, 2013, 09:08:13 PM »
The reworked low seat would be great if I didn't have a 35" inseam.  It's a good shape, just ridiculously low. 

I would happily trade those lights AND the reworked seat AND the low seat hardware and accessory pieces, for a standard seat, the necessary hardware, and the side covers to cover the gaps.  Anyone?  Anyone?
Katherine
1987 BMW K75 with Hannigan sidecar
2008 Ural Tourist
2012 Yamaha Super Ténéré

Offline Grim

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Re: New-to-me K75 with sidecar
« Reply #16 on: May 22, 2013, 09:44:13 PM »
Wish I could convince my wife to ride. A k75 just showed up locally at the right price. At 5ft tall that seat would be right up her alley.
Ducks part site is a little out of date but he had some seats and some side covers. Drop him a line and see if he has anything. He's a little slow to respond right now with some family issues.
http://www.kbikeparts.com/

Another place to look is  http://www.beemerboneyard.com/
1995 Morea Green K1100LT

Offline Chaos

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Re: New-to-me K75 with sidecar
« Reply #17 on: May 22, 2013, 11:11:35 PM »
this is also a good site to post on if you want to trade seats  http://marketplace.ibmwr.org/
  • sw ohio
1987 K75S    VIN 0231
Original owner, Original litter
200,000 miles (plus or minus) and 5 paint jobs
sold 6/23
2023 Ural 2WD sidecar (BMW's bastard step child)

Offline argent brick

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Re: New-to-me K75 with sidecar
« Reply #18 on: May 23, 2013, 12:11:11 AM »
The reworked low seat would be great if I didn't have a 35" inseam.  It's a good shape, just ridiculously low. 

I would happily trade those lights AND the reworked seat AND the low seat hardware and accessory pieces, for a standard seat, the necessary hardware, and the side covers to cover the gaps.  Anyone?  Anyone?

I would love too, but my bike has a low seat already. A regular low seat looks like it is a little higher than your comfy one. Making that change would be easy, but you would be on the rotten end of the deal.
Lynn

Current:
1995 K75/3A Standard

Past:
1978 Yamaha xs750(P.O.S.)
1976 R60/6 RIP

Offline elizilla

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  • 1987 K75 with sidecar
Re: New-to-me K75 with sidecar
« Reply #19 on: May 23, 2013, 02:26:44 PM »
Well, if I can't find a regular height seat and hardware, I will probably destroy the careful work done to this one, by adding as much firm foam as I think I can get away with, and recovering it.  If I do that it doesn't matter what I start with.  So if this trade interests you enough to pay the cost of the shipping, I'm happy to make it.  Note that while this seat does have the fancy resculpting, it also has a couple of spots where the vinyl has been repaired.  The repairs are holding well but it's not exactly a pristine seat.  I can send detailed photos if you like.
Katherine
1987 BMW K75 with Hannigan sidecar
2008 Ural Tourist
2012 Yamaha Super Ténéré

Offline argent brick

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Re: New-to-me K75 with sidecar
« Reply #20 on: May 23, 2013, 05:11:53 PM »
Maybe, I own a Corbin low seat that someone is thinking about. Can't wheel and deal with you until things are settled with him. I own him that much. Will PM you this weekend.
Lynn

Current:
1995 K75/3A Standard

Past:
1978 Yamaha xs750(P.O.S.)
1976 R60/6 RIP

Offline elizilla

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  • 1987 K75 with sidecar
Re: New-to-me K75 with sidecar
« Reply #21 on: May 24, 2013, 03:52:13 PM »
I am not going to do anything to the seat very quickly, because I am moving in just over a week and I have a lot on my plate.  And once things settle down again I will do another search for regular seat parts before I move forward - maybe something will come up by then.  So there's plenty of time.  :-)
Katherine
1987 BMW K75 with Hannigan sidecar
2008 Ural Tourist
2012 Yamaha Super Ténéré

Offline Soggz

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Re: New-to-me K75 with sidecar
« Reply #22 on: May 03, 2019, 03:48:48 PM »
Cool
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One More Of These,One Less Of Those...

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