A Japanese Bike - My first in over 30 years !

So - to recap, there I was working from home but with two big bikes (the GP800 and the K75) sitting on the drive.  Parlaying those into one bike seemed like a sensible move which explains how they were replaced with the K1100LT.

Fast forward 2 months and I found myself with a new job – and a commute into Central London on a comprehensively unsuitable machine and a true appreciation of the fact that every single ex-K75 owner has uttered the phrase "I wish I still had the K75". Hence the unfolding story of the last few posts in seeking a replacement for the LT.

With a “warm” buyer for the K1100LT during the Summer, I’d already been looking at suitable replacement commuter bikes – and a couple of mid-sized Kawasaki’s had been in the frame – a GPZ500S and an ER-5.  However the circumstances changed and economy was suddenly the watchword when I need a replacement bike before selling the LT.

There are £500 bikes around – but anything decent is usually snapped up very quickly and there were a few missed gems (a nice looking 400 Burgman and a cosmetically tatty but very sound “Divy” to name but 2).  Eventually a Kawasaki KLE500 turned up – apparently sound, not pretty but cheap enough to join the fleet before the BMW was sold/broken.

My first Japanese bike for over 30 years and my first Kawasaki since around 1979 !

I’m going to write much more about the KLE500. It has much to commend it – yet a myriad of problems, some small, some big but all eminently “fixable” although I do need to start thinking about issues of maintenance and repair that I haven’t had to consider in many years.

Importantly for a man with a desperate need to avoid the rigours of public transport, it came with enough tax and MOT to keep me on the road while I identified and sorted its issues.

The Last of the K1100LT

I said this last time – but I REALLY must update my blog more often.

The K1100LT is no more – or at least much of it has found a new home and the rest is on eBay looking for a new home.

The reason? A combination of circumstances - most of them unfortunate.

I had offered the bike for sale through a selection of online communities and nearly had a buyer. I lost him when the speedo packed up between him agreeing to buy it and collection. If you know your ‘K’s, you’ll be aware that speedo failure is common and easily rectifiable IF you can remove the speedo. The problem with the LT is that the big fairing makes that something of a chore. I guess a previous owner had faced the issue in the past as two of the bolts were comprehensively chewed and even with screen and headlight removed the speedo was staying put.

I carried on riding the bike with the remaining MOT reducing on a daily basis until it became necessary to book it in – for the MOT and to replace the front fork oil seals which were the only clear failure point as the speedo is not (currently) tested at MOT

The week before the test, the final straw occurred. I tried to ride the bike with a substantial Oxford U-lock fitted to the back wheel – the result, apart from falling off L was damage to the rear disc, dist carrier and brake pipes.

I now had an unrideable bike, (within a week) no MOT and a commute into Central London.

Given that the value of the bike was now substantially reduced, I decided that the only sensible thing to do would be to buy a cheap commuter bike and break the K

The result was the Kawasaki KLE500 that features in future posts – and the remains of a K1100LT that has funded it (with change).

If you need any K1100LT bits get in touch – and read on to hear about my experiences with my first Japanese bike in over 30 years !

For sale, my K1100LT

I really need to update my blog more often - the last post was offering my GP800 for sale - and here we are again with the LT

Circumstances are funny things – what is right one day can be completely wrong the next !

For years I worked from home with 2 commuter bikes – almost as soon as I made the decision to trade them in for one big tourer, I changed my job and ended up commuting into central London again  - on a K1100LT. It’s a fine bike but not exactly ideal for London traffic. So, it has to go in favour of something smaller – if you are looking for an budget tourer for the summer this could be it.

It’s a ’93 in Seiden Blue with a light grey seat.  76,000 miles on the clock and a dealer service history up to 63,000. It had a new engine under warranty at around19,000 miles so this engine only has around 55,000 miles under its belt. New clutch fitted in February this year.

Complete set of paperwork (including the radio) a manual on CD and all recent MOTs.

MOT until July and Taxed until December.

Usual colour matched topbox and touring cases and a set of (tatty) black city cases. As I’ve been riding it right through the winter, it is certainly not immaculate – but it is basically sound, and certainly reliable, starting without fail at sub-zero temperatures. Cleaned up it looks pretty good as you can see from the pictures. A perfect time for a new owner to fettle it in before a summer tour of Europe or beyond.

The Good:

It has RS wheels (allowing a better choice of fatter radials)

New Pirelli Angel tyre on the front – good Bridgestone on the rear

New Clutch

The ABS works!

The radio works

The electric Screen works

The Not So Good:

The temperature gauge does not work (aficionados will be aware that this does not affect the cooling fan which is on a separate circuit).

The heated grips are intermittent (and at the moment they’re not working)

£1,800 or swap for something more commuter friendly !