Hello from central Texas

[GayLR-650]

Hello all. I’ve recently bought my first K bike, a black 1986 BMW K75 with 45,000 miles and couldn’t be more excited. I’ve been riding for about 15 years and have owned a handful of bikes, but this is my first bmw. I had been searching for some time for a new bike and the current new market had made it difficult to find anything I was interested in. I started searching the used bike market and find this bike. After a little reading about the k bikes(a lot from this forum) and about the history I was hooked. I had to have it, I struck a deal with the seller and rode it home. I really enjoyed the ride home and loved the three cylinder 750 and also love the 80s styling. I’ve already had my first mishap where I believe I’ve flooded the bike. I may be posting about this later in the tech section if I can’t get the bike going. Anyways glad to be here and thanks for the all the info I’ve already gotten from your forums.

[beemuker]

Welcome. and congrats. How do you think you flooded it?  It should start after you let it sit a bit. You shouldn't need to give it any throttle to start. Maybe advance the "choke" lever a bit.

[frankenduck]

Looks like a nice specimen.  It's hard to tell from that picture and black paint but it looks like it might have a K100 headlight. (Not that it really matters though.)

Here's the difference:




Do not let the bike idle to warm it up. Just start it and ride off as recommended in the K75 Rider Manual:

[GayLR-650]

Hello beemuker. I pulled the bike out of the garage for a quick ride after already riding it once or twice that same morning(short rides after replacing the led taillight bulb for a halogen so I don’t have to look at the dash light). I hit the starter and the bike started up but died right away. I went to start it again with some choke and it refused to start. I went through a long annoying process of trying to start the bike, rolling it down the driveway for a bump start etc but nothing would work. I pulled the plugs and found them wet with fuel dripping off of them. The fuel was also leaking out of the junction of the header and muffler. I pulled the plugs and let the bike sit overnight and reinstalled new plugs. Now the bike will only start if I give it half to 3/4 throttle. It runs only if I stay in the throttle and it will not idle. When the bike runs it smokes like a chimney and spills large amounts of gas onto the garage floor. I am going to test the temp sensor to see if that has gone bad since purchasing. That’s really my only lead at the moment. Open to all suggestions though. A little bummed to be dealing with this the day after I bought the bike but that’s just the way it goes sometimes. The bike started and ran fine for the test ride, on the test ride I started it 2-3 times myself. Rode it home 40 miles, started it again to take my wife for a ride. Then started it a few times the next morning fine. But now it’s deadlined

[GayLR-650]

Looks like a nice specimen.  It's hard to tell from that picture and black paint but it looks like it might have a K100 headlight. (Not that it really matters though.)

Here's the difference:




Do not let the bike idle to warm it up. Just start it and ride off as recommended in the K75 Rider Manual:

Hello frankenduck. Thanks for that little tidbit about the headlight I did not know that! I love little bits of information like that and learning about the bike in general. I’d like to source an owners manual as the bike did not come with one. Hopefully I can find one for not too much.

[frankenduck]

You can find owner and shop manuals here: http://bit.ly/new2kbikes

If it's spitting gas out at the headers that's often a sign that the temp sensor is going bad or is disconnected.

A simple thing to try first is to disconnect and reconnect the L-Jetronic (fueling computer) that is under the rider portion of the seat and above the battery.

[GayLR-650]

Thanks for the tip! I’ll try that as soon as I’m off

[GayLR-650]

You can find owner and shop manuals here: http://bit.ly/new2kbikes

If it's spitting gas out at the headers that's often a sign that the temp sensor is going bad or is disconnected.

A simple thing to try first is to disconnect and reconnect the L-Jetronic (fueling computer) that is under the rider portion of the seat and above the battery.

I really can’t believe my luck. I’m so frustrated it’s ridiculous. I did what you said. it fixed the bike right away. Started up, idled, Revved and ran perfectly. I was so excited to go for a test ride. I backed the bike out of the garage and slipped and dropped the bike on its right side. My drive way steeply drops off after my garage, less than ideal motorcycle conditions. Now I have a bigger problem with more annoying gremlins than before. The bike will start and idle but there is a loud chatter as soon as I apply throttle. It won’t rev at all and the problem seems to have gotten worse since it first happened. At first it seemed like it was going to drive. After the bike ran for a few minutes it got worse to the point it wouldn’t rev without dying and it was smoking. As soon as I hit the throttle I hear the loud chatter. Any thoughts or have I just screwed the pooch here? I’ve never had such luck with a new to me vehicle.  I can post a video if necessary

[Laitch]

Can the throttle be rotated?

Make a YouTube video of the rattle/chatter you're hearing and post the link here.

Many other owners have dropped their Bricks while trying to maneuver them out of garages or other awkward spaces. You're now a member of that club.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

Can't speak to the problem with the way your bike is running, but when I got my first K bike I brought it home and spent $300 painting the scratches and chips on the mirrors and the lower fairing. 

The first morning with the freshly painted parts I pulled the bike out of my garage and then dropped it on it's right side redamaging(is that a word?) the fresh paint.

[daveson]

Maybe unplug the computer again then plug it in again until you hear a click. Maybe the vane on the air flow meter is stuck.

Can you describe a bit more. Was your brick facing uphill when it tipped over? Was it running when tipped, if so how long running on its side before you turned it off? with kill switch? or it stalled?

The noise louder with the petrol cap lifted. Idle changes with oil cap removed (it should) The smoke was black or blue or white. The linkage at the engine moves when twisting the throttle. The air filter snug. The air box to plenum snug. The crankcase breather hose to plenum is snug. Hoping the noise is something stupid like a loose number plate (or rego plate, or whatever it's called in the USA)

Try to pinpoint the location of the noise.

[GayLR-650]

Can't speak to the problem with the way your bike is running, but when I got my first K bike I brought it home and spent $300 painting the scratches and chips on the mirrors and the lower fairing. 

The first morning with the freshly painted parts I pulled the bike out of my garage and then dropped it on it's right side redamaging(is that a word?) the fresh paint.

Thanks for commiserating with me. I think I know exactly how you felt. Very nice looking bike in your profile

[GayLR-650]

Hey @daveson , I’ll write up a detailed account of what’s happened as soon as I get off to work. I’m flirting with being late right now

[GayLR-650]

Maybe unplug the computer again then plug it in again until you hear a click. Maybe the vane on the air flow meter is stuck.

Can you describe a bit more. Was your brick facing uphill when it tipped over? Was it running when tipped, if so how long running on its side before you turned it off? with kill switch? or it stalled?

The noise louder with the petrol cap lifted. Idle changes with oil cap removed (it should) The smoke was black or blue or white. The linkage at the engine moves when twisting the throttle. The air filter snug. The air box to plenum snug. The crankcase breather hose to plenum is snug. Hoping the noise is something stupid like a loose number plate (or rego plate, or whatever it's called in the USA)

Try to pinpoint the location of the noise.

  So to summarize the incident, The bike fell onto the right side.  It was not running when it fell.  The side it fell on was sloping down.  My truck was parked too close to pick up the bike so I had to start the truck and roll it out of the way and then run back and pick up the bike.  I immediately noticed coolant drops on the motor and the oil was loose.  This morning I saw a small oil slick on the driveway, so it definitely lost a little bit of oil.  The only real damage was the mount for the brake pedal broke.  I quickly removed it and went on to inspecting the bike.  There were some scuffs on the right side engine case.  I would guess it took a pretty hard hit on the side.

   After a few minutes of the bike being up right I turned the key to see if it would start. For some reason the headlight didn't come on.  I thought that was strange.  The headlight did end up coming on after I started it. I started the bike and it idled fine,  I was going to take it on a short ride around the block to see if it rode okay but when i started to rev the engine to launch it would start to die and I immediately noticed a chatter when as soon as I hit the throttle.  The bike would was not rideable because I couldn't give it any gas. I started the bike several times and it always started and idled, but as soon as I hit the gas I heard the chatter noise sounding like maybe its coming from the right side of the engine. This morning I tried to start the bike and it started pretty feebly and died quickly after.  Each time I've started the bike since it fell it smokes. 

I am about to dive in and check the easy things that you mentioned.  Yes the throttle does move freely.  Yesterday when the bike was running it seemed like the chatter noise was directly related to the throttle. As soon as I touched the throttle it made the noise and wouldn't rev then it would just die out. Ill keep the thread updated with what I come up with.  Thanks for any recommendations

[frankenduck]

Where's the oil coming out?  Is it gear oil? (Sulfur smell.) There's a vent on top of the transmission and gear oil can leak from there if the bike spends some time on its side.

There's also a vent that can leak gear oil on top of the final drive.

[Past-my-Prime]

I feel your pain my friend. The day after I bought my K75 I rode north in Germany and put in on the ferry at Kiel where it fell over as I was attempting to centre-stand it. Scuffing the mirror (on the right side of course) and bending the crash bars. Fortunately had the tragkorb on so that helped cushion the blow. It was very hard to get up though, jammed against the side of the ferry.

Issues: welcome to the wonderful world of Brickdom.  Issues come up (in my experience, entirely self-induced). You work on the problem, learning as you go. There is a moment of verzweiflung (Despair) which can last for a while. You work it out, the bike is ready, you go for a ride, and the grin does not go away from your face! You WILL get through this issue. Is it a breather hose disconnected? Is it low on oil? Is the clutch now partially engaged? Is the fan rubbing against the radiator? (I ask this not because I think that is your problem, but because I've had ALL these and others as well.)

In my view, this is a fun bike to work on, and a funner bike to ride. Stick around!

[Laitch]

Remove the tank filler cap assembly (four screws) then determine if the fuel hose from the fuel pump has disconnected from the pump the output stub pipe or from either side of the fuel filter.

[GayLR-650]

So…. I have to issue a formal apology to all who tried to help. Turns out these k bikes really only like to run when they have gas.

As I was troubleshooting I decided to remove the tank. When I set it down on the towel I realized it was suspiciously light and I couldn’t hear much sloshing. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. Put 4 gallons of gas in from a gas can and she runs like new.

Whew…what a stressful couple of days. Looking forward to some actual riding now that this thing runs. Thanks to all who tried to help troubleshoot. Turns it was a simple fix after all(thankfully)

[Laitch]

 

[GayLR-650]

I feel your pain my friend. The day after I bought my K75 I rode north in Germany and put in on the ferry at Kiel where it fell over as I was attempting to centre-stand it. Scuffing the mirror (on the right side of course) and bending the crash bars. Fortunately had the tragkorb on so that helped cushion the blow. It was very hard to get up though, jammed against the side of the ferry.

Issues: welcome to the wonderful world of Brickdom.  Issues come up (in my experience, entirely self-induced). You work on the problem, learning as you go. There is a moment of verzweiflung (Despair) which can last for a while. You work it out, the bike is ready, you go for a ride, and the grin does not go away from your face! You WILL get through this issue. Is it a breather hose disconnected? Is it low on oil? Is the clutch now partially engaged? Is the fan rubbing against the radiator? (I ask this not because I think that is your problem, but because I've had ALL these and others as well.)

In my view, this is a fun bike to work on, and a funner bike to ride. Stick around!

Thanks for the warm welcome. I think what you described is what’s great about motorcycling in general and part of why I do it. The maintenance, the issues, persevering and overcoming(even though this time I was an idiot) and of course putting away some miles. Glad this little issue is worked out and I’m ready to do some riding!

[GayLR-650]

 Error

[frankenduck]

Back when I lived in Seattle I had three Ks shoehorned into a one car garage with my RX-7.  In order to get one of the K1100s out I'd need to back my K75 out and then start it to ride it back up into the garage.  After doing this quite a few times one day the K75 just would not start.  For the life of me I couldn't figure out why. I checked everything including pulling the spark plugs.  After an hour or so of this troubleshooting I took the gas cap off to check the fuel lines in the tank. Sure enough it was merely out of gas.

[daveson]

Bonus, good work, thanks for posting the quick and easy solution, even though you thought it was too basic to admit to. A quick solution is good to find, so no apologies required there.

Congratulations and welcome, you have passed the initiation and you're now a fully fledged member of the "Layed It Down On The Right Side, And Survived" fraternity. I'd do the other repairs but leave the engine case damage as proof of membership. Wear the scars with pride, I think of them as the schmiss of brickdom. I became a member before I got my first brick, when I took it on its test ride. Needless to say there was little haggling that time. How embarrassment was that.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

One of my early forays into Motobrick troubleshooting involved a bike that wouldn't start.  I spent an entire weekend pulling things apart, doing tests, reading voltages and searching the internet.

Then I turned on the kill switch and EVERYTHING WORKED! 

[GayLR-650]

Back when I lived in Seattle I had three Ks shoehorned into a one car garage with my RX-7.  In order to get one of the K1100s out I'd need to back my K75 out and then start it to ride it back up into the garage.  After doing this quite a few times one day the K75 just would not start.  For the life of me I couldn't figure out why. I checked everything including pulling the spark plugs.  After an hour or so of this troubleshooting I took the gas cap off to check the fuel lines in the tank. Sure enough it was merely out of gas.

That is hilarious.  I've been doing a fair amount of shuffling as well.  I have a KLR in my garage and a home gym.  There really is just never enough room. I called my dad to tell him what I had done and he assured me many-a-mechanic has troubleshooted a engine only to find out it was bone dry on gas.  How did you like having three K's? Was it too many or did they all get enough love? Did each bike fill a different role? And an RX-7 in the garage, thats a cool lineup of vehicles