So Who's in the 100K Klub (not Kilometers) ?

[beemrdon]

I just rolled 100,000 miles and would like feedback on how to keep my beast running reliably for a couple of hundred K's more.
(The service manager at BMW of Las Vegas told me that when he was at BMW service school he disassembled a K1200 motor with 390,000 miles on it anf he told me that he could still see the honing (hatch?) marks on the cylinders.)
Any tips, comments from those in the know?

[Chaos]

whatever you've been doing, keep doing.  don't let the little things become big problems, nip them in the bud.  and don't get caught up in the hype for expensive oils and miracle elixirs.  just change the fluids and ride it.

mine might have passed 200K but the odometer is wonky and I'm too cheap to buy new gears for it.  Engine covers have never been off except for 3 or 4 valve adjustments.  Original HES, fuel pump, monkey nutz, clutch, oil/water pump, splines.  Recent steering head bearings and front rotors, though.

[Martin]

I've recently clocked 160.000 K's which equates to your 100,000 miles. Just service with known oils and fluids don't have to go super expensive, at the specified times. Change filters with a known brand I use Mann. I've added lube points to the clutch arm and lube cables with PTFE lubricant and I am still on all original cables. Anything that looks like it needs attention gets it, I don't leave things until they fail. With a clean bike not a show pony you see things better and cleaning it allows you to see things. I also talk to my Brick and play it music it prefers 50's and 60's so I have had to adapt to it's taste. And finally treat it like your best friend and it will do likewise.
Regards Martin.

[wally.fisher]

I have a little under 2000 miles to reach the milestone, won't happen until next year our weather is closing in here. Ride safe.


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[Scott_]

Check the U-joints in your drive shaft. I've been seeing more posts of joint failures near the 100K mark.
Something to look at when you are checking your splines.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

My RS now has about 123,000 miles.  Outside of burning oil(1 qt/800 miles) it runs great and I wouldn't hesitate taking it cross country.

Bike had been neglected prior to my ownership, and was in pretty bad shape, but responded well to  cosmetic restoration.  As mentioned by the others, a good program of maintenance and a good inspection every now and then will keep these beasts in top form almost forever. 

Keeping up on the fluid changes and consumables on schedule is much more important than how much you spend on maintenance items.  I buy my fluids at Walmart(oils, antifreeze, brake fluid) I use NAPA filters and get brake pads and tires for very cheap on eBay.  A bottle of Techron a couple times a year does amazing things to the way it runs.  Other than that I put gas in them and ride them and do my maintenance over the winter.  Every day I check oil level and check tire pressure once a week.  I commute about 500 miles a week and take a couple trips of 2000+ miles each year and so far have had little trouble beyond a balky fuel pump connector on my RS that will get addressed this winter.

Right now, the main items I have had to address have been electrical with switches and connectors.  Having been completely through my three bikes, I am familiar with the harness and where most of the connectors are.  I have shot nearly all of them with DeOxit, but occasionally I will have a switch, usually on the handlebars, but a quick shot of DeOxit fixes it almost instantly.

[Filmcamera]

My bike is approaching 130,000 and like TMG it burns oil but otherwise runs very well.

I have also had to do a fairly extensive amount of work on it after it had sat for 5+ years but even so once that was done it has been a very reliable ride.  In a couple of weeks I am going to be fitting a fuel cooler to try deal with the engine heat but I think that is largely due to where I live which means I am nearly always riding in 30+ centigrade heat. My only other remaining major piece of maintenance is to change all three brake discs, all of which are way under the min spec but it still stops fine so I will save that $600+ job for another day.

Electrical connectors are an issue but not an insurmountable one, I have had issues with the fuel pump 4 pin connector and the side stand switch but careful cleaning and use of Deoxit seems to have solved that.

Apart from fluids etc mentioned by others I always keep my bike on the center stand to limit start up smoking and use a battery tender to make sure the battery is always topped up.

[Martin]

Don our Bricks are just amateurs, see here 1.2 million K75 RT http://www.motobrick.com/index.php/topic,8112.msg60572.html#msg60572
Article was in Old Bike Australia issue No 41 I believe December 2013. I have a copy I traded the dentist for.
Regards Martin.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

I have heard of problems with clutch cables breaking at the hand lever.  I put a bit of moly spline lube on it when I do my winter maintenance and keep a small oil can near my bikes and put a drop of oil on the barrel in the lever every 5-6 times I ride to lubricate it.

My RS had an overheating problem when I got it caused by the radiator being almost totally clogged with dirt and bugs.  While not a part of the BMW maintenance schedule, I now make a good inspection of the radiator a part of maintenance and plan on removing and cleaning it maybe every 25,000 miles or when the temperature rises slightly above normal.

Keep the bike as clean as possible.  A clean bike has less corrosion, especially in hidden electrical connectors.  I will also make any leaks easier to spot, and a clean bike is easier and certainly more pleasant to work on so I am less inclined to put off minor stuff that needs to be done.

I realize these things are really just common sense, but suppose they need to be mentioned as many BMW owners seem to take pride in how much "patina" their bikes accumulate.

Last, try to avoid storing the bike for long periods with moonshine in the tank.  Find a local source for good no-corn gasoline and run a tank or two through the bike before any long layups.  When you lay the bike, up add a bit of stabilizer and some Techron and run the engine for a few minutes to warm it up.  During storage, it's good to fire up the engine every week or two and let it idle up to operating temperature before shutting it off.  This will keep the oil circulating, the battery charged, and allow the Techron to do it's thing.

[beemrdon]

I have a little bit of 3 o'clock - 9 o'clock play in my rear wheel. Is that normal?

[Motorhobo]

My daily ride has 185K miles on the speedo, but the engine only has about 130k. I bought a well-cared for K75 with 175k miles and swapped out the engine with the one from the K75 I've had since 2000 that had some frame damage. That one I disassembled for spare parts. I still have the 175K engine. When I bought it it had a rebuilt top end but needs a new RMS so right now it's serving as a paperweight. Like everyone else said, keep it reasonably well maintained and you'll get 30k more miles out of it before you have to start thinking about a valve job or top end rebuild. Or, don't maintain it at all and ride the shit out of it until it dies. That's what I did for 40k miles before I started doing my own maintenance in 2013....except despite the neglect it still refused to die. I guess it forgave me, 'cause I'm still putting miles on that engine pretty much every day.

[Laitch]

I have a little bit of 3 o'clock - 9 o'clock play in my rear wheel. Is that normal?

It shouldn't have play, just like the front wheel shouldn't have play. MOTOBRICK.COM member Kris asked the same question a while back then went in for a look. Here's his thread.

[koapono]

Greetings all,


I have 205,247 miles on my 85 100RS and 97,733 miles on my 94 1100LT.
I've had the RS since 1989, it had approximately 350 miles on the odometer when I acquired it.
I've had the LT since  2014, it had 48,000 on it.
I do my own "wrenching".
I change all lubricants annually with off the shelf synthetics (Mobil or similar) along with a drive-shaft spline lube and thorough inspection.
The only time I lube the clutch-splines is when I change a clutch, twice on the 85. I wore one out and another failed due to leaky oil-seal. I'm still running the original clutch assembly on the 94.
I change coolant every other year.
A bottle of Techron every now and then.
Other than consumables: filters, tires, cables, hoses, seals, brakes, etc all the major mechanical bits are original.
I am of the belief that the 85 was built by Elfen von Bayrisch over a holiday weekend when no mortals were in the factory. I hope the 94 has similar properties and longevity.


Ride on!

[alexis291]

I'm not so sure about this theory that bikes that get used a lot have less problems. I've had one under a tarpaulin behind my shed for years and it's been no trouble at all.


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