Author Topic: K100 LT to K100 Standard Conversion Question  (Read 8118 times)

Offline kris

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K100 LT to K100 Standard Conversion Question
« on: February 06, 2015, 09:12:46 AM »
Folks, pardon me if I've got the nomenclature wrong. I want to go from my comfort saddle on the RT to a regular dual bench high seat. Are they interchangeable (without extra bits and pieces)? Also, I want to go to a flatter set of bars (RS type is what I'm thinking) from the swept back bars on the LT. Can I use the existing clutch, throttle and brake cables or do I run into length issues? I want to take the bike to a naked state.


Thanks for any/ all answers!!


1986 K100RT
  • In The Hammer!! Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
  • 1986 K100RT (Heinz) 2004 Kawasaki Concours (Eddy) 2007 Moto Guzzi Breva 1100 (Linda) Previous: 1968 Honda CD175 1973 Kawasaki S2350 1975 Honda CB550K
"I got bike fever bad!!"

Offline bocutter Ed

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Re: K100 LT to K100 Standard Conversion Question
« Reply #1 on: February 06, 2015, 11:15:40 AM »
No answers, but I did notice a bench seat came up on Kijiji in Cambridge.
  • Toronto, Canada
  • '61 Puch DS60 - '66 Puch 250 SGS - '87 BMW K75s

Offline kris

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Re: K100 LT to K100 Standard Conversion Question
« Reply #2 on: February 06, 2015, 11:59:41 AM »
Thanks for the heads-up...it doesn't look too bad. Very kind of you to send the note.
  • In The Hammer!! Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
  • 1986 K100RT (Heinz) 2004 Kawasaki Concours (Eddy) 2007 Moto Guzzi Breva 1100 (Linda) Previous: 1968 Honda CD175 1973 Kawasaki S2350 1975 Honda CB550K
"I got bike fever bad!!"

Offline Gio

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Re: K100 LT to K100 Standard Conversion Question
« Reply #3 on: February 06, 2015, 01:04:47 PM »
I'm not familiar with this term "bench" seat and how it applies to our K75/100 bikes ... my understanding is the standard (high) seat has the hinge arrangement vs the slide-in / hook arrangement of the low-seat (I just swapped out my high for a low) ... and with the exception of the single (aka police) seats thought they were the two main factory flavours - or are bench seats after-market?

Gio
  • NS, Canada
  • K75s ("Buttercup")
Halifax, NS
1994 K75s (UK spec)
1984 Honda 200ES (Big Red)

Offline kris

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Re: K100 LT to K100 Standard Conversion Question
« Reply #4 on: February 06, 2015, 02:41:43 PM »
So here is my seat. It has a slide in pin hinge arrangement in the front and a loose pin with C clip on the back. I have side panels, no ABS so I'm assuming the tools went in the back. There was no set with this bike.


Thanks...
  • In The Hammer!! Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
  • 1986 K100RT (Heinz) 2004 Kawasaki Concours (Eddy) 2007 Moto Guzzi Breva 1100 (Linda) Previous: 1968 Honda CD175 1973 Kawasaki S2350 1975 Honda CB550K
"I got bike fever bad!!"

Offline Gio

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Re: K100 LT to K100 Standard Conversion Question
« Reply #5 on: February 06, 2015, 02:57:16 PM »
Looks very similar to my high seat kris - except yours is dished on top and does not have the same hinge arrangement (right side) - the pin that goes into the lock (left side - removed in my pic) looks the same however. So I'm thinking this is a slide-in high seat ..?

The fact that you have side panels fitted precludes it being a low seat as far as I know.

I'm wondering if this is what is known as a bench seat then - can anyone confirm?

Gio
  • NS, Canada
  • K75s ("Buttercup")
Halifax, NS
1994 K75s (UK spec)
1984 Honda 200ES (Big Red)

Offline kris

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Re: K100 LT to K100 Standard Conversion Question
« Reply #6 on: February 06, 2015, 03:31:58 PM »
Just took a measure of the hinge pins...looks like about 9.5 inches from end to end...does that help? Looks like the lock hook angle may differ also. God forbid they should all run the same template!
  • In The Hammer!! Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
  • 1986 K100RT (Heinz) 2004 Kawasaki Concours (Eddy) 2007 Moto Guzzi Breva 1100 (Linda) Previous: 1968 Honda CD175 1973 Kawasaki S2350 1975 Honda CB550K
"I got bike fever bad!!"

Offline The Mighty Gryphon

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Re: K100 LT to K100 Standard Conversion Question
« Reply #7 on: February 06, 2015, 07:51:03 PM »
I have been researching part numbers and model interchangeability of seats on Max BMW's parts fiche.  It appears that BMW had four different double seats for the K bikes.  First is the "low" seat that slid on and didn't have battery side covers.

Second is the "dual bench" seat that I think is what you are looking for.  It is pretty simple with a modest step between the driver and pillion.  This is what I think was the "standard equipment" K bike seat.   Third is the "comfort" seat.  That is what you have.  Then there is the "dual saddle" that has a higher step between driver and pillion, and thicker, softer padding. 

Except for the "low" seat they all appear to be based on the same hinge arrangement, if not the same seat pan.  It appears that different foam was molded onto a common pan to make the different seats.  This is so the factory didn't have to build different frames to accommodate different seats.  It also made it possible for dealers to upsell the standard seat on the showroom floor.  I have three seats, a dual saddle on a K75, a dual bench on a K100, and the pan from a K1100LT dual saddle.   All three are built on the same pan with the same hinge arrangement.

There is also a lot of interchangeability of seats between the different models.  The biggest limiting factor here appears to be that the earliest K bikes had a different handle arrangement from the later models where the handles were incorporated in the rear seat coaming. 

What I have been able to see from limited experience of a K75rt and a K100rs4v is that there appears to be a common hinge arrangement on the "classic"(late 80's and 90's K75's, K100's, and K1100's) models.  There does appear to be some difference in seat pans, as some will not work with the under seat tool tray and cover.  This is true of my two 90's vintage bikes, neither of which came with the tool tray.

Hope this helps.

  • In my garage in Marilla, NY
  • '91K100RS White/Blue
Current:
'91 K100RS16V "Moby Brick Too"

Past:
'94 K75RT "Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS"
'92 K100RS16V "Moby Brick" (RIP, deceased in a vehicular assault)
'94 K75S Special Edition Dakar Yellow "Cheetos"
'89 K100RS Special Edition "Special Ed"

Offline Gio

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Re: K100 LT to K100 Standard Conversion Question
« Reply #8 on: February 07, 2015, 07:34:43 AM »
Great info  MG ... kris and I have been trying to figure out what he has on his 100RT (and would appear to be the "comfort" as it has the dished area) vs the one I just took off my 75s and offered for sale (which would appear to be the standard "dual bench" seat from your description - I just replaced this with a low seat.

In pm's with kris it would seem that despite having one of the high seat variants he does not have the tool-tray (which was puzzling to me) but again your your info explains this variation.

Thanks on behalf of both of us for the clarification.

Gio
  • NS, Canada
  • K75s ("Buttercup")
Halifax, NS
1994 K75s (UK spec)
1984 Honda 200ES (Big Red)

Offline johnny

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Re: K100 LT to K100 Standard Conversion Question
« Reply #9 on: February 07, 2015, 08:33:29 AM »
greetings...

this motobricker thinks...

1984 to 1985 seat hinges are different than 1986 to 1997...

1986 to 1992 hinges are diffetent than 1984 to 1985 and 1993 to 1997...

1993 to 1997 hinges are different than 1984 to 1992...

doo yourn doodillergence on the fiche...

j o

  • :johnny i parks my 96 eleven hundert rs motobrick in dodge county cheezconsin  :johnny

Offline The Mighty Gryphon

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Re: K100 LT to K100 Standard Conversion Question
« Reply #10 on: February 07, 2015, 09:56:37 AM »
JO, you are correct about the different hinges.   The seat pans I have are all the same despite the hinge difference.  The only difference I could see in the hinges is a rubber "vibration isolator" between two steel pieces.  The fiche for my K75RT shows the older style hinge while my bike has the new style.  Everything else is the same as with the old style hinge and the seat works properly.   The only difference I can imagine is that the height from the pan to the hinge pin might be different.   

I have swapped seats with different hinges without problem last Fall but will double check this weekend and get back.

  • In my garage in Marilla, NY
  • '91K100RS White/Blue
Current:
'91 K100RS16V "Moby Brick Too"

Past:
'94 K75RT "Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS"
'92 K100RS16V "Moby Brick" (RIP, deceased in a vehicular assault)
'94 K75S Special Edition Dakar Yellow "Cheetos"
'89 K100RS Special Edition "Special Ed"

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