my dad has an 87 bmw k100rt the full touring model. and after our most recent trip i have started to look for bikes with a full fairing and hard saddle bags. found a guy with a 87 bmw k100rs, the 3/4 fairing model that looks like a current day sport tourer. so here is the problem.

the guy did a lot of the work himself but forsome reason the bike just wont move. it starts and runs prefectly. but you can drop it into gear and rev it with the cluth all the way out and the bike doesnt move. at around 2500-3000 rpm the oil pressure light comes on. it doesnt make any sound like the clutch is slipping either, no smell or anything. it has a rebuilt transmission on it and a rebuilt rearend.

any ideas as to what it could be? the bike is in really good condition and only has 78k on the motor. the deal is just too good to pass up so long as i can get it working right for not to much money. i havent had a chance to call the bmw service tech yet but i am going to when they open on tuesday.

 

Hmmm...High miles, drivetrain problem, engine's wore out and the owner did his own repairs, but it still doesn't work? There are better deals out there. But if it's really cheap, it might make a good parts bike and hey, it might just have multiple, "little," problems.

If it was me, I'd ask the owner for receipts. See how much of the work was professionally done. I find it kind of fishy that he did a bunch of work on it, yet has no idea why it doesn't move. And the oil light problem probably isn't something that can be fixed with an oil change and spark plugs. If the tranny and rearends been rebuilt, probably be time for an engine rebuild. I'd explore how much an engine rebuild costs. Figure out all your costs, for worst case, and if that figure+the cost of the bike is out of range-Then either the owners going to just about, "give," you the bike or you hunt down something else.

This kinda sounds like a basket case that was put together to sell.

 

...It aint a deal if it dont run...or...cant figure out whats wrong...
Id pass and find something that functions...unless your looking for a money pit/project bike..

 

78K is not high miles for a BMW bike....

 

I'd stay away from the BMW's. I'd go with something like a Yamaha Virago 750, maybe an '82 with full fairing, hard saddle bags, trunk, etc... and low miles like maybe 13000 or so. Hey, that sounds like MY bike! Make you a good deal.

 

sorry mrwizard, i have a yamaha. i have an 82 xj650, and am looking to step up to a bigger bike. 78k is nothing for a bmw bike. i have seen several well past 200k and a few past 300k all on this same engine and years close to this one.

i am going to call a bmw tech tomorrow to see if they can provide any insight. the bike itself is in really nice condition. the reason the guy did the work himself was because he said he wanted to learn about the bike. the bike runs prefectly well as it should with such low miles. it just sounds like the guy put something back together wrong or doesnt have enough pressure on the clutch. he had the original clutch that came with the bike on the bench and it looked perfect.

i need to call the guy back and ask more questions like what happened when it stopped working because he put 25k on the bike before now. but i am thinking if i can fix the problem for fairly cheap then this would be worth it and it will be a bike i can put 150-200k on it with out to many worries.

 

...First of all, BMW makes a fine motorcycle...
Now, as Im not familiar with water cooled bikes, I have a couple of questions concerning troubleshooting this problem...

Is the clutch wet or dry type...fluid level maybe...?
Is it a hydraulic type clutch...?
Are ya sure the cables are in good condition...? When were they last lubed?
When was the last time the clutch was adjusted...seems after 25000 miles it would be due, my sportster needed new cables after 50k..due to lack of maintenance...oops.

Do ya have a bike lift...? If so jack it up and run it through the gears to check engagement...
just them things I'd look for...

 

I think BMW's are great bikes. 200k on the engines is not unusual, (same with the cars). However, when I hear that the drivetrains been rebuilt on an otherwise low milage bike, I go Hmmm. Especially when the oil light comes on at a bit over idle. BMW is a high performance bike. That means if you baby and pamper it, it'll get up and move when you say,"GO!". Doesn't mean it's bullet proof. The State Police here bought a fleet of them couple years back, over Harley or Honda's. They were great, at first. Then, because of all the idling on the side of the road, uncaring riders and other forms of blasphamy, they started developing engine problems. Now, you can buy yourself a used BMW from the State on Ebay every once in a while. Most have between 40k and 70k. People from all over the country buy them. Most winning bids are around 4K. Lucky for me I live here and can look, in person. I cast a less sceptical eye on an old Pinto or Vega.

For me, if I was to go look at a bike and the owner tore it apart, because it was broke, replaced a bunch of stuff, still doesn't know what's wrong and puts it back together to sell- It's still a basket case to me. I'd pay $500.00 for a decent basket case.

CJ, looks like you know about bikes, and your Dad's got one. I'd probably go for it-at the right price.

 

ok here are the answers to the questions from wabiker:

the clutch is an automotive type dry clutch and is not hydrallically actualted. not sure about the condition of the cables but i gave it a few good pulls and it seemed just right and had the same amount of resistance as my dads bike. suppossedly this guy put a new clutch in it himself, so i am thinking that maybe he just didnt adjust it right. or that he didnt put it back together right.

i am going to call the owner tomorrow to get some more information, like why he tore into a prefectly fine bike that he had already massed 25k on. also if something did suddenly go wrong, what happened? a loud noise a cracking sound? that type of thing. also i am going to ask him what exactly he has done and has not done. i dont want to get it and think that this is the only problem when it very well could be just the tip of the iceberg.

i will let ya'll know tomorrow night what the service tech and what the seller says. i am hoping that the news from both parties will be positive.

 

This BMW is a shaft drive isn't it? Maybe he didn't reconnect the shaft or it might be broken.

 

well aftewr talking with the owner, my dad and i agree we are going to pass up this bike. there are too many unknown variables, and the guy was dancing around answers to very straight forward questions. but the search continues for an k100rs.

and for all of you out there that doubt the performance of the bmw bikes, go to the web site below.

http://www.rbracing-rsr.com/bmwturbos.htm#top


the bike i want produced a best of 325 horsepower and set a land speed record for its class with their kit, and with the street kit you can run between 5lbs boost and get over 130 hp in the rear.