Polishing a Turd (K75S)

Outstanding

I'm diggin it.I'd ride her all over the world.

Excellent writeup. I'm in the midst of a K75 refurb as well and the information here is very useful.

Can you reveal the secret of you "patented cleaning method"? I see you painted right over the existing finish on the cam cover and crankshaft cover. Did you use rattle can finish or spray gun to do the work? Also, did you prime before the topcoat?

Regards,

I wish I had your skills as you are the one I want to buy my bikes from.
Though I worry about your internals if you regularly shit stuff that color.

Beautiful machine. I wanted a K75 when they first came out.

Thanks for all the photos and write-up! I also ride an '88 K75 and love it. Wish I had your skills and work-shop!

Thanks for the kind comments chaps. I've sold the "Turd" having carried out a similar job on a friend's K1 I succumbed to the lure of K1 ownership again.

I've done a similar job on my K1 and now have another K75S undergoing major work.

This is how it looks at the moment:



It's a 1990 build, has 16,000 miles from new but was stood somewhere horrible for many years.

This bike is for my nephew to play with until he inherits my K1.

Sorry I missed this post.

Cleaning the cases I use brass wire brushes of various sizes and shapes in a hand drill. Set the speed quite low to avoid damaging the aluminium surface (brass wire brushes are less aggressive than steel).

I use some light oil as a lubricant on the surface (WD40 is ideal). Then more WD40 to clean and lift the dirt that the brushes remove.

Finish off with a good thorough wash with detergent. Oil is the enemy of the casings as it allows the dirt to stick and get ground in. Lastly I use a quality polish just as I would on a painted surface for protection.

When it came to the crank and cam covers, I cleaned and polished the ribs and the BMW logo before masking. The paint then went on over the masking tape.

No primer. I just keyed the old finish and then used aerosol cans of satin black enamel.

Love it man!!!

Nice job spiffing up those K1 headers.

Just for you:

Puuurdy

Cant believe the K1!! looks great. one of my favorite bikes

I should never have sold the one I owned back in '91. Here's the Classic Black one I cleaned-up for a mate:



I still prefer my red one though:

That's the mutt's nut right there.Sweet bikes.