Mike from San Francisco

[acyclicsalmon]

Been a faithful gen1 SV650 rider for most my riding career....not sure what disease compelled me to buy a k100 (covid lockdowns actually, thats what) and I've enjoyed the ups and downs so far.   My red '86 k100 took me to seattle and back last year (with no shortage of troubles) and on many lovely trips with the lady.  I think I'm a young man in the k100 game, haven't had a single gentleman under the age of 50 chat me up about the bike, but thats most of the BMW lifestyle out here. 

I've been tempted to sell it many times when I'm bashing my head against the bike, but something about this bike stops me from letting go... cheers and nice to meet you all!

[acyclicsalmon]

Almost forgot to share my co-pilot....she withstood a 12 hour day from SF to central oregon (along 101 + freezing coast) last year.  No headset either!

[The Mighty Gryphon]

Welcome!  Nice looking bike!  Is that Mystic Red?

[Laitch]

Welcome, Mike. Thanks for the photos. Please tell us about the Seattle roundtrip odyssey and how you tamed adversity. Some of us need encouragement. 

[acyclicsalmon]

Unclear about the exact color, I think the color code is 575? Don't remember.

Well anyway, as for this Seattle trip.....The way up I did not have any problem at all.  Riding into Bend, Oregon, my bike died while pulling into town.  I was able to restart her after a few minutes and pull into a friendly parking lot with some shade.  Subsequent cranks each took more and more time to fire up, and I knew my battery was at the end of its legs.  I decided to let the bike cool down and start calling some local shops.  Luckily there was a cafe racer / vintage bike repair shop in Bend, no joke 3 miles away.  What a blessing.  After 30 minutes to cool down, I was able to fire the bike up and get some rest at a hostel, with an appointment to drop the bike off the subsequent day.  Turns out the bike was overheating, there was 0 coolant in her at all.  I never had any leaks so this was  confusing.  They flushed the system, inspected for leaks, found nothing, and sent me on my merry way, significantly more broke.

Further down the trip, I had my odometer die on me...I didn't know about the common odometer gear chewing, I thought maybe I was dropping below the minimum voltage for the odometer or something.  I was on a super desolate road in the high nevada desert at the time (i'm talking 2 cars in 80 miles) as darkness is coming down.  I tell myself "no stopping until I'm in town somewhere" and try my best to ignore it, but its obviously mentally torturous to think if you stop you might be out of luck or signal to get anywhere.

[Chaos]

575 might have been the paint code for mine, "Lava Red", a wonderful deep red metallic that quickly faded to white if left in the sun.  You gotta cut a 35 yr old bike some slack, I'm impressed that mine runs as good as it does with the hell and 200K I've put it through. 

[Laitch]

as for this Seattle trip......
I tell myself "no stopping until I'm in town somewhere" and try my best to ignore it . . .

Thanks for the explanation, Mike. Sometimes, strong determination is the only solution.    The sight tubes on the coolant reservoirs of earlier models like yours sometimes become opaque. If yours is opaque, find a newer reservoir with a sight tube in good condition or replace the tube so you get see what's happening. I check the coolant level in that tube every time I ride off..

[frankenduck]

FYI: The three digit code under the tail cowl is NOT a paint code. It is actually a PAINT SCHEME code. The paint code is a different three digit number.

Some examples:

A Mystic Red bike will have either 689 or 694 on the tail cowl sticker but the paint code is actually 323.

A Marrakesh Red bike will have either 643 or 658 on the sticker but the paint code is 222.

Some bikes have more than one color (like the blue/white K100RS-SE) and that PAINT SCHEME code is just one three digit number.

575 shows up as just plain ROT (red) in the parts catalog.

[Laitch]

FYI: The three digit code under the tail cowl is NOT a paint code. It is actually a PAINT SCHEME code. The paint code is a different three digit number.

A wider view of the situation can be found at the bmbikes site, Mike.

[alabrew]

Mike, welcome.
Have you actually run the vin to verify the year?
Reason I ask is that is NOT a tailpiece for a '85.
The '85 seat had hand grips moulded into the seat, yours has the hand grips as part of the tail piece.
Not uncommon for someone to switch it out as the '85 limits your seat options, and a '86 or later one opens the possibilities.

[frankenduck]

Mike, welcome.
Have you actually run the vin to verify the year?
Reason I ask is that is NOT a tailpiece for a '85.
The '85 seat had hand grips moulded into the seat, yours has the hand grips as part of the tail piece.
Not uncommon for someone to switch it out as the '85 limits your seat options, and a '86 or later one opens the possibilities.

It's an 86 an mentioned in the first post.

[acyclicsalmon]

thank you for the responses...and the lesson on paint schemes.  I bought a new side fender last year, was disappointed to see it was a very different shade of red than my current ride.  definitely not just sun bleach either.

I was motivated to test my thermometer last night after enough late night thoughts that my bike might be overheating, turns out the thermometer is functioning 100% correctly.  Its quite fun to see them pop open at 80*C on the dime.  This bike just provides endless opportunities and worries doesn't it?

[frankenduck]

This bike just provides endless opportunities and worries doesn't it?

Meh. In general they are very dependable as long as you:

Monitor the oil level and change the oil every 6K for dino or 10K for synth.
Keep an eye on the brake pads and bleed the brakes every year or two.
Tires.
Keep the splines lubed.

I never worry about my K bikes breaking down.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

Meh. In general they are very dependable as long as you:

Monitor the oil level and change the oil every 6K for dino or 10K for synth.
Keep an eye on the brake pads and bleed the brakes every year or two.
Tires.
Keep the splines lubed.

I never worry about my K bikes breaking down.

The Duck speaks the truth.  Respect your brick and it will never let you down.

[alabrew]

It's an 86 an mentioned in the first post.

Sorry, old eyes I suppose.

[acyclicsalmon]

The Duck speaks the truth.  Respect your brick and it will never let you down.

I believe it! There isn't a single bike i've ridden that gives me the same level of mechanical and physical comfort.  Coupled with the Laminar Lip I feel like I'm a perfect air bubble. Going visor up at 60mph feels like sticking your head out of a slow moving car, the air just gently hits my face and my head is perfectly still.

If anybody is curious about my current K100 woes, I documented them in this thread: http://www.motobrick.com/index.php?topic=14535.0

If anybody wants to see how I digitize my bike records, I also have a publicly shared maintenance log: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1H5KTx_Zrd00PnTEzswwuee7DoPwCtf5Nd1uTkjEA9vE/edit#gid=0