Those 20 y/o electronics are getting hard to come by. As much as I like the K1, I would always be concerned about keeping it on the road long term.
I live in Los Angeles and ride a lot. I have NEVER seen a K1 on the road in the last 12 years. Rallies, yes. Showrooms yes. Being ridden...no. I really like how they look and will probably buy one if the money is right and the opportunity arises. They are sure to be collectible if that is your motive.
When I owned my first one, over twenty years ago now, I never saw more than one other on the road. Since then I think that I've seen two (actually in use). There used to be an advertising blurb "Seeing one is rare, owning one is rarer" - seems to have been the most truthful advertising ever. Looks are subjective. I would never call it pretty, not even handsome but I do like it even though it's difficult to say why. Values will climb faster than any other K-Brick if for no other reason than rarity. Mine will get regular use, mileage is less important than cosmetic condition IMO as putting a tatty one right is more expensive than sorting it mechanically. Apart from the main, upper fairing, the rest are made from very thin plastics (apparently to keep the weight down a bit). If over tightened, the fairing screws can cause the plastic to fracture easily. This led to them being known in some markets as "yoghurt pots": Most of the plastics are still available new but no longer in anything other than primer. Likewise, most of the graphics are available. There's a lot of plastic to re-paint if it needs it. Of the colour schemes, many people didn't like the blue/yellow & red/yellow when they were a current model and BMW responded by bringing out the more muted blue/silver, black/silver and black without graphics (I'm not sure what category the Dakar Yellow one falls into though). Now, however, the original schemes seem to be more sought-after. It looks as though people now understand that unusual styling demands unusual colour schemes. There's a more pragmatic reason for choosing the original colour schemes as a prospective owner; the yellow transmission is far easier to keep looking good (as long as it isn't chipped): Whereas the bare aluminium version soon becomes tarnished and requires a lot of graft to clean up: It can be sorted though: Rear wheels seem to suffer most, mainly from owners or tyre-fitters who try to squeeze the wheel past the final drive without dismantling the necessary bits to clear the ABS ring: Finding a touch-up is nigh-on impossible but a little, imagination, time and enamel model paints can approximate the colour: It will do until I can find a rough second-hand wheel and then see if I can find a powder-coat company who can match the original. The K1 will never reach the values of some "classic" bikes but I think that before long it will reward the effort to find and keep a good one.
I have been "in" to BMWs for a long time. Got my first one in '85 and haven't looked back. Even worked selling them for a time, and sold a lot of them. K1's were on the floor at the time. Leftover K1's that is. They were a hard sell. No real luggage options - always a question from BMW riders. Also the bodywork, gauges, stickers... all ONLY for the K1. By that time, the K1100RS was available. Faster, shared parts with the range. Not the K1. It's a rare bird all right, and god love ya' if you need to repair bodywork, luggage or gauge repair. Rare? Yes. Desirable? To some. Will they ever be as desirable and worth a small fortune? Doubtful. Ride 'em. Use 'em. Strip one and make a hooligan bike out of it. It's a motorcycle, after all
Great stories have come up here! I've never been one to understand the notion of a "collector's" bike... Unless the collector wants to RIDE said bike. To buy one for an "investment"? Ludicrous, IMO- UNLESS it's something like a Brough Superior, or maybe a Vincent... an early 20th century bike of any sort- Something of that ilk, that's going to cost you up'ards of 100K out of the gate. Either way, all motorcycles were made to be RIDDEN. Unless you own a museum, then your bikes should be ridden, too. Heck even if you DO own a museum, you should ride them (Thanks Dale Walksler!). The K1 was just one more example showing the future is (was?) now. Forward thinking in terms of design, at the very least! The K bikes, in general, were looked at as BMW's bastardization of the "brand", yet slowly have gained their "street creds"- which are richly deserved IMO. My first BMW was an 88 K100RS. To the OP- Buy a K1 IF you will, but RIDE it FIRST, then, IF YOU LIKE IT, buy it to RIDE it. You'll be sure to turn every head with the thing. An "investment"? Yeah maybe- an investment in your own love for motorcycles and in FUN. To those guys who posted pix of their K1s and the places they have ridden them to- THANKS!
Faster? Both have 100 Bhp, the K1100RS has an extra 104cc producing it's 100 Bhp at 500 rpm lower than the K1. As for not sharing parts, the K1 shares many parts with the other K-Series, particularly the K100 16-Valve and the K1100. It even shares some parts with the R1100 models. When it comes to the bodywork, well there's not much commonality between the bodywork of a K1100RS and a K1100LT, a K75S and a K75RT etc., etc. Gauges? Apart from the faces using yellow graphics (and the faces are inter-changeable), they use the same Motometer. You can even swap the units between the 3 cylinder and four cylinder models. The fuel and temperature gauges are the same ones used throughout the K-Brick range. Sorry but your attempt to suggest reasons why they may not hold their prices and probably increase in the coming years, would have been better served by just stating that you don't like the looks. It's okay. Those of us who do like them really don't feel threatened by the disapproval of others.
I use a selection of brass-wire brushes in a slow drill with a light oil (WD40 will do). Steel wire brushes are too aggressive, the oil acts as both a lubricant and to pick-up the dirt. Then clean the surfaces with a decent detergent. It's oily deposits that mark the casing the worst, get them clean and then protected with a decent polish and they'll stay good for a long time.
Nice work, ATTW! Always thought the K1 was an interesting motorcycle. I like that BMW took aerodynamics seriously when they made it. Very purposeful shape. Destined to become a rare classic!
I get a kick out of pulling the clutch lever or selecting neutral at speed. It feels like the bike will coast forever.
BMWs as a rule are desireable only to BMW lovers and the K1 is definitely on that list. Few manufacturered, and rare while not being over-priced today warrant collecting. I know a few BMWphiles in the area and among their R90S, /5 collection they all have a K1. I plan on getting one soon, not for its collection worthiness but because I always wanted one and it will do touring easily.
Gosh, I must be stupid. To my eyes the K 1 was a styling exercise that failed. If you are 6'5" fine. I would take a K1100 over a K1 any day. Better ergonomics for my 5'10" frame. Perfect for my R100RS too. I don't think anyone paid retail for a K1. About 20 other more desirable and collectible bikes come to mind. Whatever blows up your skirt.... Hell, some folks collect Vegas.
That's better. You're nearly there. Just the point about it being a "styling exercise" to correct: It was an exercise in aerodynamics not styling. The form follows the function, not the other way around. It was conducted because BMW were sticking to the voluntary 100bhp limit and the only way to increase performance was to lower the effects of wind resistance. The K1 certainly isn't fault free but neither the faults nor the subjective views of people who don't like them will affect their desirability or their value. Here's a gratuitous photo of mine: I trust it won't make you throw-up (too much).
If this thread has picqued anyone's interest in K1s, RTWDoug just posted one for sale last night in the flea market
You just don't get it. This bike was styled with a rider on it. It does look pretty homely by itself, but when you see it with a rider on it, it works.
Bought mine in 1994 (1990 model), and now have 110,000kms on it. I find it very reliable. One burnt valve which was caused by racing it then doing @240kph for 2 hours out the back of SA on the way home. Everything else has been crash damage, as I've layed it down once, and put it into a "road closed" street sign at night. Mentioning "racing", I don't understand you guys that say it's slow? 0-100 in 4.7sec, top speed I've actually DONE 245kph. I get around Phillip Island on it fast enough for me, and round up a few Duc916's while I'm at it. (Ok, they are weekend riders who trailer their bikes and can't ride). The K1200RS came out with THE SAME specifications! It's no GSXR750/1100, and certainly not as fast in a straight line as my GPz750Turbo, but what do you want/expect from a BMW "tourer"? I also don't understand you guys that say you need to be tall to fit a K1? I bought mine specifically because the K100RS I was riding didn't fit me properly. I'm a short arsed 5'8" with really short legs, and the K1 fits me "perfectly". Every tall person that has tried mine has hated it. (Maybe everyone except me hates it?) The prices here in Oz are creeping up. I paid $14k for mine, it dropped to $6k-$7k about 9 years ago, now it's back to around $9k-$10k from what I see. But mines no showroom pony. It's got chips, marks, gets left outside for years on end, sometimes it gets a cover. I bought it to ride. I also like "collecting" rare-ish BMW bikes, hence the 2004 Dakar as well. I had mine completely repainted after the last get-off, and if anyone with the blue/yellow wants a cheap paint you can't pick the difference, try Hyundai Napoli Blue, paint code EA. Well, maybe you could pick the difference if you had two side by side. It probably wouldn't work for a touch-up paint, but maybe it might? It's bloody close and 1/4 the price of the BMW paint, and VERY easy to match and touch up later. I have gaiters on mine, as you can see (pretty blue ones!). Those forks are not good, so if you have a K1, cover them if you ride it. In the 15 years I've owned it, the last set of fork seals I put in it, was when I put the gaiters on. Replacing the BMW rear shock with the Fox Twin Clicker got me about 2 seconds at Phillip Island. It really makes a difference setting the rear up on these. I've just signed up for the BMW TS Safari, so I'll be doing some long days on it again. It's been about 7 years since I did any long distance riding on it, so I hope it still "fits"! Better get some miles on it and me over the next month or so to make sure, or I'll have to take the Dakar!
One of my local salvage yards has one of these rotting in a corner. A blue one, if I remember. It would be an interesting project. But there's a limit to what sort of orphans even I can drag home, and I think that one's past it.
A K1 Appeared on out NZ Trade me site the other day, Interesting colour scheme to, and a google search for images didn't find another like it, so not sure if its factory original or not... I have a desire for one of these one day, timings not so good rite now though... Jeremy. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=634029869
Looks like all he's done is add the sticker/transfer to the lower fairing, everything else looks like a standard black version like mine...
