Is my BMW K100RS 16V ready for a test ride? (K100RS 16V Ep 3)

Finally got all the parts I needed to hit the first milestone on my BMW K100RS 16V project - getting the bike into a state where it's safe to ride and put some miles on. Will I be able to ride it on a longer test ride at the end of this episode?
I'm replacing the leaking valve cover gasket, correct the oil level and make some other smaller fixes before firing up the motorcycle for the first time in months.
0:00 Replacing the valve cover gasket
2:23 Fixing some other minor issues that annoyed me
3:30 Trying to fire up the bike
5:48 Adjusting the engine oil level
7:03 Remounting the belly pan
7:50 Unboxing the mystery parcel
9:28 Summary of the current project status
11:32 Test ride!

[@BenBlaney]

I’ve always wanted a K100 RS. This video has prompted me to start looking…

[@dullbrass]

K100 FTW. Love mine. Got a ride video up. Cheers from Germany.

[@garagemoneypit]

Schönen Gruss nach Deutschland :)

[@krisowler367]

For sure it will look better with the correct body panels !

[@garagemoneypit]

I agree, all I have to do is find a set.

[@krisowler367]

@@garagemoneypit @garagemoneypit fisrt time I watched your channel very entertaining. I have a friend who is visiting the US right now , hunting for old bikes. Will ask him if he sees a set to let me know ! 🙏🏻 K100RS 1990 ?

[@garagemoneypit]

@@krisowler367 I’d really appreciate that. From memory, it’s the belly pan that is different on the 16V model and thus harder to find, and it’s the same for the whole production run. Unfortunately that was only two years and IIRC BMW only made about a thousand of this model.

[@krisowler367]

@@garagemoneypit who knows.. things can heppen.... will ask him to keep his eye out for you.

[@timlavance867]

I have a 1994 LT..love it!!!! And two k 75's

[@garagemoneypit]

I am toying with getting another K1100LT if I can find a nice one (and make some space in the garage first). They're great bikes, as are K75s.

[@GManWrites]

Nice looking bike👍 I've never owned a BMW, more into Japanese bikes but this looks good.

[@garagemoneypit]

Thanks!

[@Mark-jp9dz]

I did a lot of miles on my K100RS - loved it. averaged about 220 miles per tank. I hated that oil sight glass. Found it very difficult to see with the full fairing on. The side-boxes are enormous, but great if you are trying to carry a lot. I preferred the city-boxes which were about half the width.

[@garagemoneypit]

It's odd - I've owned five flying bricks of various types, and I never had one that had City cases even though it would've made a lot of sense when I was commuting on one. Maybe I should try to find a set.

[@Mark-jp9dz]

@@garagemoneypit My K was second hand, and came with the big boxes. Great when packing for a couple of weeks! I managed to track down a pair of city boxes, and they made a real difference when filtering through traffic. I used the bike for commuting through rain snow and flood. Only let me down once. An HT coil failed and stopped providing spark. Luckily my bike had two HT coils, each driving 2 cylinders. I travelled home on just the two cylinders.

[@danh9959]

I thought the correct oil level is when it sits just over the dot on thr site glass.

[@garagemoneypit]

I did end up checking the owner's manual just to be sure. The dot in the sight glass is mostly the mid point - according to the owners manual, maximum level is the top of the ring on the sight glass, minimum is the bottom of the ring in the sight glass. That said, I think I need to check that with the oil hot, so I'll probably have to recheck it again anyway.

[@Wuschi2001]

​@@garagemoneypityep. All vehicles in germany have that system

[@paulojrg]

@@garagemoneypitIt works smoother with the oil just above the dot.

[@garagemoneypit]

@@paulojrg thanks for the recommendation - I'll try that when I change the oil next.

[@vvendettahh]

Nice job! I've been waiting for a 4v to show up in local craiglist for a couple of months now, nothing yet.

[@garagemoneypit]

Thank you! These aren’t that easy to find in my experience, when I looked there were only two advertised in the whole US. IIRC BMW only made a bit more than a thousand of these, so they’re much harder to find than, say, an 1100.

[@vvendettahh]

y, k1100rs is next on my list. Looks like the same as 4v k100rs except the lower fairings . I like the k1100lt fairing much better - it shows off the big brick!@@garagemoneypit

[@garagemoneypit]

@@vvendettahh in my opinion, I prefer the K1100LT over the K1100RS - the LT fairing is much better suited to longer distance touring, as are the whole bike's ergonomics. I've owned several, and I would love to own another one in good shape, but they're hard to find in non-used up condition these days.

[@kentonseydellaolcp4785]

K bikes run and shift much better above 5K rpm. Get her up there and let it rip.

[@plunder1956]

In many countries all vehicles have to undergo periodic mandatory safety inspection to be used on the road (In the UK it's called an MOT, in Germany the TUV) What do they have in America and how often do you need to do it? I've always like BMW bikes, especially the Boxer format. At least two of my friends had K series BMW bikes.

[@garagemoneypit]

I'm unpleasantly familiar with MOTs and TUEV :). Like so many things here in the US, it depends very much on the state and often the county you live in. The states in the West I have experience with (CA and NV) only do emissions testing, and even then it depends on your exact location when it comes to the frequency of it. West Virginia - at least the county I live in now - requires an annual safety inspection, but no emissions testing. However, vehicles with antique vehicles plates don't require a safety inspection, but you're limited to occasional use, basically on weekends. Other states around here require both emissions and safety inspections of varying complexity. As to the boxers vs K-bikes - I've owned (and own) both. I think the early K bikes (K75/K100/K1100) are underrated these days, and I happen to like them a lot. At least in stock form - usually not a fan of the cafe racer'd ones although certainly not opposed to modifying vehicles.

[@fluffynutz730]

I just got the 4V 1991 K100rs with 16k miles on it for $2500. I had no idea what I was buying. I traded some plumbing work for the bike. Think I may have gotten a deal

[@garagemoneypit]

If it's in decent shape, I think you did get a deal.

[@fluffynutz730]

Yes, it was garaged and started periodically. The guy is in the middle of moving and lost the only key. Luckily the BMW in Germany is still able to make a key using only the numbers off if the bike. So it's cold here in the states and I need a month for it to warm up anyway:)

[@billfish5913]

I saw you install lower pegs on your BMW GS motorcycle. I’m curious if you also lowered the foot pegs on your BMW R100RS or on this BMW K bike? I am 6 ft 2 in and trying to find a way to lower the foot pegs on my 1986 R80RT. 😎👍

[@garagemoneypit]

I have not lowered them on the K100RS. My main reason for lowering pegs is to make the knee angle more comfortable for me as I have fairly mild arthritis/wear in my knees and that’s a bit of a lost cause on the K RS due to its fairly sporty knee angle. Also not lowered on the R100RS - the geometry on the /7 airheads works for me pretty much out of the box, so I never felt the need to lower them on any airhead I’ve owned. Sorry I couldn’t provide more helpful information.

[@billfish5913]

My son in law is a welder. I’m going to see if he can fabricate a lower peg. Keep the shiny side up!😎👍

[@DmacDomage]

I'm thinking of getting one with 136,000kms on the clock. I live in the Southern part of Australia, but Summers can still land in the mid 30c range. I've heard K1100's run quite hot. Is this something that should worry me. Also, are there common gremlins to look out for? Thanks in advance

[@garagemoneypit]

I've ridden a K1100LT in similar temperatures and I'm pretty sure you're going to get warm knees from that as the radiator outlet is perfectly designed to direct the hot air there :). Kidding aside, at that sort of odometer reading, my main concern would be maintenance and general condition. If you get the bike from someone who's looked after it well, it should still be OK. OTOH at least one of my 1100LTs ate the gearbox input shaft splines around that mileage as they hadn't been lubricated regularly. Another potential gremlin is the ABS if the brake fluid hasn't been changed regularly, and the ABS unit is pretty expensive to replace if you want ABS. If you get one that's been maintained properly, had regular spline lubes (both driveshaft and gearbox input shaft - the latter is more important as you have to split the bike in two to get at it) and is generally in good condition, I wouldn't be too worried at 136,000km. I don't know the Australian motorcycle market, but keep in mind that both in Europe and in the US, you can find BMWs of this vintage with considerably lower miles/kilometers, so it might be worth keeping an eye out for one. OTOH, I'd take a bike that's been used and well looked after over another low mileage project.

[@DmacDomage]

@@garagemoneypit Thank you so much for the info. You're a Scholar and a Gentleman. My stepdad had a K100RT (ex police bike.) It was a great piece of kit. Great video here too.

[@RHP9898]

I test rode a K1100RS when I lived in Singapore and immediately walked away, the heat being pumped onto my knees was too great. These bikes are fine in Europe but 30-35 degrees would be plain uncomfortable.

[@DmacDomage]

@@RHP9898 Thanks Mate. I've heard as much. A bit of a shame because without that foible it sounds like a bike that could run for half a century.

[@RHP9898]

@@DmacDomage Yes they're great. I had a K100RS which I loved but that was in the UK where heat was not a problem!

[@Marc--eu1uv]

And this is a K100 RS? I think the K100 had other weels and braks? It‘s not a K1100 RS?

[@garagemoneypit]

It’s a K100RS *16V*, not a regular K100RS. Basically a K1 with K100RS bodywork. Pretty rare model, only made for two years at the end of the K100RS model run. It is however wearing the wrong bodywork - someone “upgraded” it to K1100RS bodywork at some point. I intend to address that issue once I’ve dealt with some of the remaining minor issues.

[@kimarisvidarxx66]

With such age, can it still handle long rides?

[@garagemoneypit]

Yes, no problem at all. The flying brick BMWs are usually good for several hundred thousand miles if well maintained. Obviously not all aren’t these days as they have been cheap for a long time, but this one is in good shape.

[@kimarisvidarxx66]

@@garagemoneypit That's good to know. I hope I'll be lucky to get a good one in the future. That's my dream bike ever since I started getting interested with big bikes.

[@garagemoneypit]

@@kimarisvidarxx66cool. One thing to keep in mind is that the K1 and the K100RS 16V are getting a little problematic getting parts for as not many were made. I think for daily use, either an 8V K100RS or a K1100RS/K1100LT might be the better choice due to better parts availability.

[@kimarisvidarxx66]

@@garagemoneypit I'll also have that in mind, as I don't think the parts will be readily available here in my country. Thanks for the info and for sharing your wonderful bike with us

[@csboi]

What color is that?

[@garagemoneypit]

Sorry for the delayed reply - it's Classicschwarz Metallic (paint code 670), although the colours are a bit faded and it does look a little more like an anthracite colour in direct sunlight.

[@m.f.m.67]

Can't keep an old Brick down.

[@garagemoneypit]

Agreed, and one shouldn’t.

[@ronwits3788]

frick the music