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 !

My Moment of Fame

It's a little known fact that I'm actually a film star. Or to be more precise, a film stuntman. The clip below is from the film "Ask for Diamond" (an adaption of Anthony Horowitz's novel " the Falcon's Malteser") which is a little known British film from the Childrens Film Foundation (remember all those "Saturday Morning Pictures" features in the 60's?).

I'm the seond AA motorcyclist running accross the road to my waiting BMW R80RT. My wife tells me I'm unmistakable because I run like a girl !

It's hardly Easy Rider is it ?

GP800 vs K75 - A Comparison

I have kept my K75 alongside the GP800 as a spare bike. The intention is, (over a period of time) to "fettle" it into an immaculate modern classic for high days and holidays. To start with at least, I need to keep it roadworthy while I ride the GP800 on a daily basis. Since taking delivery of the GP800 two months ago, the K75 hadn't turned a wheel. Its MOT and tax expire this month so I thought I'd fire it up and use it for work just to see if it's still OK before submitting it for test.

So, how does a 20 year old K75 compare with a new GP800. Firstly, these are very different animals - they may have the same performance "envelope" but riding them illustrates just how far apart they are. In fact, the K75 aquits itself quite well at commuting.

Firing up the K75 was no problem at all. Despite it's period of idleness the Hawker Odyssey battery spun it immediately into life and it settled down quickly to a regular tickover aided by the "choke" control to give a fast idle.

Pulling away brings an immediate awareness of how light it seems after the GP800. Of course it is much lighter (by 36 kilos) so it almost feels like a 400 by comparison. The thin tyres also give it away as it feels much less "planted" than the GP800. Two other things grab your attention. You can see behind you - the Beemer's mirrors are excellent, large and completely vibration free. Secondly, you know how fast you are going - indeed the whole dash is a model of simple clarity although it does lack the fuel and temperature gauges of the GP800. The Beemer also has BMWs excellent left for left, right for right indicator switches - this is a much more logical system than the one used by just about every other motorcycle manufacturer. So far so good. The first problem comes with the brakes - even allowing for the fact that the K75 is probably long overdue a brake fluid change, the brakes are terifyingly bad. The front lever travel is enormous and the rear drum is hardly an efficient anchor even when working perfectly.

The first part of the journey is fairly fast and uncongested and in performance terms there is no difference between the two bikes. You are changing up and down the gears to go with the flow and overtake where appropriate on the K75 whereas the GP800 just goes wherever you point and squirt it but the end result is the same.

As the traffic starts to build up, the narrowness of the K75 becomes noticeable as does the ease with which you can "paddle" it through very narrow gaps wiggling the bars to clear the mirrors where required. However this is countered by the fact that it is less easy to ride at 0 mph than the GP800. In this respect, the GP800 is king. You can come to a halt and wait a couple of seconds before you need to put your feet down (who needs a Fuoco?). In slow moving stop/start traffic, this ability makes for very smooth progression with little effort.

By now, the riding position of the BMW is starting to tell on wrists and palms. The K75 is no sportsbike but you are tilted forwards and the (heavy) clutch makes riding much harder work. The Gp800's ride quality is in another league as well despite the handmade E=MC rear shock I have on the K75. But that sportier riding position coupled with the shorter wheelbase and lighter weight make the K75 a better hooligan bike in traffic by quite a margin. It's no KTM Duke but it makes the GP800's progression seem almost stately by comparison. On arrival at work, the K75 plays its last trump card - you just put your right foot on the centrestand tang and think the bike onto the stand - completely effortless. There is no other bike in the world that drops onto its centrestand like a K series.

All in all, riding the K75 is a much more involving experience compared with the effortless nature of the GP800. For some, that's the point of motorcycling. For me, I'm glad I've still got it for high days and holidays. It certainly doesn't feel like the "old nail" I thought it would after a couple of months on the GP800. However, getting to and from work doesn't have to be involving - it has to be efficient and comfortable and the GP800 wins out here every time. More luggage, more comfort, effortless riding and about 25% less fuel consumption make the big scoot the "daddy" in the commuter stakes.

Introduction

I've had my own website for a few years now. It's mostly about my motorcycles - especially, the BMW R1100RS, the BMW K75 and the Gilera X9 500. You can find it here:

http://gibsonfamily.interactivehosting.co.uk/mysite/bmw.html

Like many people, I struggle to find the time to update the site and I've felt for a while now that a blog is the way to go - so here it is.

The "launch" of this blog co-incides with my aquisition of a Nokia E90 Communicatior, probably the best (and certainly the most converged) mobile phone/pda/satnav device available today. I have also placed an order for a shiny new Gilera GP800, definitely the the best scooter available today.

I'm a terminably incurable researcher. I spend days on the net hunting for reviews and information before making any major purchase. Here's my chance to let others see the results of my research, read my opinions & reviews and share my experiences.