Is the last digit on the odometer a decimal?

[IroncladK75]

Greetings brick enthusiasts, I'm looking to buy a K75 as my first bike, and I found a listing for a 91 with '9059 miles' listed in the post.

Then there's this picture, is it actually 90591 miles?


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The guy's asking $1500, but I talked him down to $1000. Is it still worth buying if it really is 90k miles?

BTW I am new to this website, I attached a picture but as of writing this I'm unsure if it will show in the post. Please bear with me.

[Laitch]

It's 90591 miles. Whole miles are registered on the odometer; tenths of miles are registered on the tripmeter below it. Bricks regularly can achieve six-digit mileage.


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If you buy a neglected Brick, you'll likely need patience, money and tools to restore it; how much money is the unknown.

[Laitch]

It would be worth buying if it hadn't been beaten and sent to bed without dinner like that one during its lifetime.  Do you have more photos you can post?

Have you taken and passed a rider's course yet?

[The Mighty Gryphon]

Is it running?  90,000 miles isn't bad on a reasonably maintained brick.  I have one with 99,900 that I would ride across the U.S. this afternoon.  Many of these bikes have gone 200,000+ miles.

All the information you need to bring this bike back to very good condition is here.  Almost all the parts you need are available at eBay and MaxBMW.  A restoration makes a nice winter project if you have a warm place to work, and a $1000 price leaves a decent amount of headroom for part purchases.

Can you post more photos of this bike?  It will help identify what might need to be done. 

[IroncladK75]

Is it running?  90,000 miles isn't bad on a reasonably maintained brick.  I have one with 99,900 that I would ride across the U.S. this afternoon.  Many of these bikes have gone 200,000+ miles.

All the information you need to bring this bike back to very good condition is here.  Almost all the parts you need are available at eBay and MaxBMW.  A restoration makes a nice winter project if you have a warm place to work, and a $1000 price leaves a decent amount of headroom for part purchases.

Can you post more photos of this bike?  It will help identify what might need to be done. 

It would be worth buying if it hadn't been beaten and sent to bed without dinner like that one during its lifetime.  Do you have more photos you can post?

Have you taken and passed a rider's course yet?

Here's the listing itself, it has more details and photos

https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/mcy/d/rowlett-1991-bmw-k75/7550190171.html

I have not taken any rider's course yet, but I have ridden an automatic honda forza extensively, and I've ridden a honda ct110 a bit. I'm comfortable on 2 wheels, but need to learn to shift better.

[Laitch]

Unless I wanted to go where apparently no man has gone before, wanted to spend more time wrenching with an uncertain outcome on the horizon rather than riding, and was attracted to the patina of oxidation with all its possible attendant consequences including fuel leaks and quirky electronic performance, I'd flat-out reject that piece of art.

[IroncladK75]

Good advice Laitch, I messaged the guy and told him it's 90k miles, not 9k, and that I'd do $500. We'll see where it goes.

[Past-my-Prime]

Wow, I wonder what happened to the clutch?  must have been an interesting moment.

Looking at the rest of the bike, you're looking quite likely at a new driveshaft and final drive in addition to everything else (replacement fuel tank?)

On the good side: it runs. I like the seat.

If you have time and a warm garage, maybe worth what you have offered.

But look on ebay, craigslist, autotrader, etc., you'll see lots of bikes needing a lot less work for a few thousand dollars.

[stokester]

But look on ebay, craigslist, autotrader, etc., you'll see lots of bikes needing a lot less work for a few thousand dollars.

My thoughts too.  Unless you need a parts bike an extra thousand or so on a well-maintained complete bike would be worth it.

[Laitch]

We'll see where it goes.

It's going somewhere? Back into storage, I reckon, seeking stardom on Storage Wars Redux—Clapped Out Treasures.   

[daveson]

It's good to have a parts bike, good luck.

That front fairing, have I seen this brick before, on this or the k100 forum?

[The Mighty Gryphon]

I guess my first question would be: how much experience have you had wrenching?  Have you done anything like this in the past?  This is not an entry level rebuild.  If it were mine, it would be a frame up rebuild, doable but not easy with a lot of hidden surprises that might involve unforeseen expenses.  If you took your time and didn't cut corners you could end up with a reliable and good looking machine, but it will be a lot of work.

It looks to me like if you can get it for $500, the maintenance items(fluids, filters, tires, and brakes) will be about another $500.  Assuming the seller has usable parts(a long shot) I would budget at least another $1000 for parts and special tools(sockets, pullers, etc.) to get the bike reliable and looking good.  This assumes that the transmission, drive shaft and final drive don't need to be replaced.  These are not inexpensive components and can quickly wreck your budget.

By this time you will have $2000 in this bike and a lot of your time.  If you were to put your time into more searching you can find a bike for less than $2000 that is in much better condition and ready to ride.  This is a good time to be shopping, the season is ending and many sellers are getting anxious about selling their bikes and willing to accept offers.

[Chaos]

On the plus side it should be easy to check the clutch.

[daveson]

Another good thing about a parts bike, If you need to do a job on it and not confident if you can, you can have a practice run on the parts bike, and you can still ride. 

[Laitch]

On the plus side it should be easy to check the clutch.

It'd be nothing to wire a switch-operated light in there to make inspection easier.    You can make vroom-vroom noises on it when you use it for practice riding, too—no cost there. 

[Past-my-Prime]

It'd be nothing to wire a switch-operated light in there to make inspection easier.    You can make vroom-vroom noises on it when you use it for practice riding, too—no cost there. 

Why don't they have a hatch on the side like that on all bellhousings?

[Laitch]

Why don't they have a hatch on the side like that on all bellhousings?

Apparently all other clutch assemblies are assembled correctly.

[beemuker]

I got one for $250, and after [almost] finishing it, I think I paid too much.

[Laitch]