This page will give some information about what I am doing with and to my BMW K100RT. I bought from a chap in St Helens on ebay in August 2006. I got the National Express bus down overnight and rode it back home the following day. The run was quite un-eventful with the bike and probably more importantly the weather both behaving themselves. I noticed a couple of minor things that will need attention in the near future, namely the front end is a bit soft for my liking and there is a bit of a judder in the transmision sometimes on pulling away.

I have just replaced the oil in the front forks with slightly thicker oil than in the manual so will have a run when the weather clears up and I have a bit of time to kill. I have used Halfords own brand fork oil which is a 10W grade as opposed to the 5W recommended by BMW.

I have added some up to date photos of the old 'brick' so you will get a better idea of the condition of the bike as it is now. To view a larger image of any of these photos Just click on it. Any comments good or bad are always welcome and can be left using the Mail-to link at the bottom of my Home Page. I look forward to reading them.

Back to my 'Bikes' page.

Update April 2007

Well I have made a few changes to the old brick over the last few months, all for the better I am pleased to say. The bike now runs a bit better and hopefully safer as well.

Firstly I have replaced the engine, gearbox, swingarm, driveshaft and final drive unit with a set from a 1987 RS which has only done 6309 miles. It also incorporates a few of the improvements made during the two years since the originals were made, such as the 20 spline driveshaft. The final drive gear ratio is slightly higher but is not noticeable on the road. After setting up the throttle syncronization it starts and runs nice and has better response to the throttle.

The gearbox and drive are also smoother and the gear indications correct with the newer switch fitted. I have since cleaned the old switch and it now works as it should so I have a spare just in case. All the splines have been greased as they should be and will be kept that way, something which had been neglected on the older units removed and one of the reasons for the change over.

I also got a set of forks from the same bike as the engine and have fitted them too after giving them a good clean and check over. So all in all a big improvement in the old bike's handling and general running.

While I had the bike off the road I took the opportunity to carry out a FULL service and also strip, clean and check over as many parts as possible. This included all brake calipers, throttle grip, starter motor, switches etc. All missing and broken brackets and cracked fairings were replaced or repaired. At the same time I fitted a fuel gauge, a full set of stainless steel braided brake hoses, a new rear brake master cylinder, a new centre stand, a newer side stand and engine safety bars. I have also replaced many of the nuts and bolts with stainless steel ones so hopefully they will come off easily if required in the future.

Another improvement is the StarCom 1 Advance communication system. Maggie and I can now talk to each other, listen to music or the radio, accept calls on both our mobiles and talk to other bikers via the Motorola T5522 2-way radio (walkie/talkie). A great safety feature that I would thoroughly recommend all bikers who carry pillions to invest in.

The system I have fitted consits of the following items -

• Starcom 1 Advance Intercom system
• MP3 player with FM radio
• Two Sony-Ericsson HBH-200 units (one for each mobile)
• Motorola T5522 walkie/talkie (plus spares got as a bulk buy on ebay)
• StarCom PTT-02 handlebar switch for using the Motorola T5522
• Various cables to connect it all together

My StarCom system is fitted into the storeage compartment under the seat and powered from the output of the tail light bulb monitor unit inside the relay box just in front of it. This has the advantages of a very short cable run to the StarCom, it is live all the time the lights are on, no other switch is needed, everything is all hidden out of sight and it's easy to get at to plug in the MP3 player, Bluetooth units and the walkie/talkie.

Now that this K100RT is roadworthy again and the weather is improving I must get some miles under the wheels and enjoy this great bike.

Well I did put on some miles with this lovely bike which was a pleasure to ride both solo and two-up. I had some great trips on it and it always went well, probably the best bike I ever owned. Also I knew that it would be reliable (it is a BMW after all) and I knew the bike inside out having done so much to it and also giving it a full service. The only thing I had to do while using it was to change the water/oil pump oil seal. No shame on it considering the age and I believe they were a common problem on these bikes anyway.

Sadly in the end I had to pass it on because of a problem wwith the owner - age and constant back problems! I was continually finding it hard on my back lifting this heavy lump on to the centre stand. My back was giving out and I had to re-think my biking activities. So in the end I traded it in for a 1977 Triumph Bonneville Silver Jubilee from a chap in Barnsley.

I trailered it down there and picked up the Bonnie, couldn't believe the difference in size every time I looked in the car mirrors. I kept on thinking the bike had disappeared it was so small by comparison. On little incident happened on the way back, it was just after 09:00 on the M61 heading for the M6. The motorway was very quiet just after the morning rush, I was in the slow lane with nothing else about, cruising about 55/60 way. I saw a transit van coming up behind and it pulled out and overtook me, not a problem in it's self, but as he started to pull back in a ladder came loose on the top on the van. Guess where it handed - yes on the motorway just in front on me. I braked and headed for the hard shoulder with this ladder now sliding along in front of me. It had turned round about 75 to 80 degrees and now straddled the first two lanes but headed now in the same direction as us. Fortunately I stopped just as the front wheel hit the ladder so we did not go over it but the bracket for extending the ladder brake the underside of the bumper. Luckily there was no other traffic coming behind so I was able to get the ladder off the motorway before the next cars arrived. I hate to think what would have happened if this had been an hour earlier and the motorway traffic was at it's peak. Anyway the driver stopped so I got his and his firm's details. The firm paid for the damage so no real harm done - it must have been his lucky day. I have just put it down to experience as it could have been a lot worse and all's well that ends well. And I now had another bike to play around with, see the story on my 1977 Triumph Bonneville Silver Jubilee.