Unsure if its a deal or not

[galbers]

Hello there.  I am new to this forum.  I looked at a 92 K75S today.  The owner bought it 7 years ago and has hardly ridden it.  She looked great and did well on a short test drive.  But... there was oil on the bottom of the belly pan.  Not much but it was clean oil.  It had obviously been dropped (scratches on the sides of motor and fairing.  And a significant crack in the bottom of the belly pan.) There are 149K KM's on the bike.  Is this too large a question mark to proceed with or not? Any specific questions I should be asking?

[blackie1]

difficult to say whether it is a deal or not without the asking price

[Laitch]

A few clear photos would help, also.

[galbers]

The ask is $4500 cad.  (About $3300 USD). Here are a couple pics. 

[Laitch]

What is being offered is a K75S with a highboard K75RT handlebar and dash pad. I wonder where the original handlebar and pad wound up. The "clean" oil leak could be from spillage during oil refill, a combo pump oil seal leaking, a leaking output shaft o-ring, a leaking rear main seal o-ring, or a leaking transmission seal if the oil smells like sulfur. You can replace the seals yourself if you have confidence with tools and can follow instructions.

If the ABS operates, if the instrument cluster operates, if the clutch doesn't slip, if the fan can be spun by hand and will start up after ≈15 minutes of idling, and you are willing to repair the fairing, that Brick might be good to go. The only wild cards are the condition of the oil/water pump seal, the driveshaft rear socket splines, the rear drive input splines, the clutch hub splines and the transmission input shaft splines. Those are complicated to inspect; few sellers could be expected to disassemble parts of the bike to show you their condition. The seller might be able provide information about when those elements were last inspected or lubed.

If the ABS operates correctly, if the spline lubrication date and type of lube were verifiable, if all electrical components function, and the tires have no cracks with at least 3mm of tread on them, a reasonable price to me might be 2000 CAD but I'd accept that there likely would still be work to be done on it.

Personally, I'd rather find one that hasn't been both banged up and neglected.

[galbers]

Thank you for that!  The current seller has owned it for 7 years and has not done any "heavy maintenance".  Regular oil and filter changes is about it... but has also only put on about 500k in that time.  I am tracking the VIN to a former dealership that may have done some of this larger maintenance.

I appreciate the advice and hope to join this forum as an actual brick flyer, rather than as a wannabe.   

[Chaos]

as Laitch succulently points out there's lots that can be off with a 32 year old brick.  These haven't reached the cult status of some airheads so it may just be a money pit if much is wrong.  On the other hand it could be a nice daily rider, but I'd rather not pay that much. 

[blackie1]

it "looks" great 

[Past-my-Prime]

$4,000-5,000 are typical asking prices for these in Canada these days (CDN$).  Often with fewer kms, though.
I had oil leak from oil / water pump weep hole and the fix wasn’t too hard. I also wore out my rear splines and the fix was easy but a bit pricy. Finding a replacement drive shaft and final drive was a piece of good fortune. Leak from the oil pan happens if you get grit on the oil filter o ring cover. Pretty easy to fix. Clutch is a bit more work as I found out. But with decent tools and some patience it can be done in your garage.
With all of that, it’s I lovely bike to ride, comfortable around town or long distance touring and quick off the mark or around the twisties. Only thing it’s not good for is serious off-roading lol.
Good luck and let us know what you decide!
If you pass this one up, more will come around. But life is short.

[frankenduck]

It even has the proper K75 kneepads. K75 knee pads are no longer available so some people use K100 knee pads instead.

K100 knee pads on a K75 tank:

[Laitch]

It even has the proper K75 kneepads. K75 knee pads are no longer available . . .

That hasn't stopped BMW Tri-Valley from offering them for sale.  galbers's candidate has 150CAD worth of them! Tempting? You bet; however, it might take a bit more stuff than knee pads for g to make that Brick concours-ready. If turning wrenches and working with fiberglass are g's thing, it's doable! 

[frankenduck]

Knee pads for the K75 tank are part 16111455450

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/partxref?q=16111455450&series=K569


K75RTs can also use K100 knee pads since K75RTs have a K100 tank.

[Laitch]

I believe my Brick is using K100 pads, but what is most important in this pad discussion is that we all strive to follow the State of California's advice by avoiding Bricks, their knee pads and everything else associated with them for our own good and the good of future generations. Clearly, it's too late to avoid the consequent defects arising from past contact with Bricks; the existence of Brick forums makes that abundantly clear.
 

[Chaos]

"avoid breathing exhaust" is good advice 

[bitsa]

Is there anything not known to the State of Cancer to cause California???    I do try to limit my exhaust-breathing sessions to under an hour per day...

[Laitch]

I do try to limit my exhaust-breathing sessions to under an hour per day...

I exhale into a compostable paper bag one day per week then use its contents to feed my dooryard trees.

[bitsa]

That should qualify you for carbon credits, exemplary behaviour 

(At least, it should keep Greta Trollberg off your back when you fire up from the side stand...)

[galbers]

Update:  Yes, I know it has been almost a year... I passed on that bike. But today I rode an 86' K100RT.  40,000 KM's.  Current owner has only put 10K on it in his 29 yrs of ownership.  It looked to be in great shape.  Rode well, though a little clunky downshifting to first (Clutched in) when coming up to a stop sign.  It is a bigger bike than I had anticipated restarting on (its been about 25 yrs since I rode), but I am also a bigger guy.  6'1" and 240.  Tires looked good but owner couldn't say how long they have been on the bike. So I am assuming that has to be changed as well as the fluids (though they were done last year).  Thoughts?

[Chaos]

Should be a date stamp on the tires.  Some say after 5 years they should be replaced, that may be a little conservative but if they're closer to 10 I'd get new ones.  Bike looks nice and original.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

Bike looks good.  Has the desirable 22 liter top case.  Somebody took good care of it.

Sometimes, especially when the transmission oil is cold, it can be hard to down shift into 1st when the bike is moving.  Synthetic gear lube will help.

How much free play is there in the shift lever?  Some bikes have had the grub screw in the shift mechanism loosen up.  That can make downshifting difficult.  Not a terribly difficult fix, just takes a long day to correct it.  It was the first thing I had to do to my K75RT when I got it.  7 1/2 hours start to finish working non-stop.

Regardless of age, look for cracks in the grooves of the treads on the tires.  That is a sure sign they need to be replaced asap.

[Laitch]

It also has the optional Comfort seat, which might be a comfort. The standard bench seat is a pain in the butt for many folks who long-distance ride. A Brick down-shifted to first gear in anything but a slow roll is liable to clunk. A Brick clunking regularly while downshifting to any other gear at appropriate speed needs the transmission input shaft cleaned then lubed with lubricant paste preferably containing ≥50% molybdenum content.

It's a nice looking ride, for sure. It's got the curly rear mudflap!

[Kaos]

40k, with an exterior like that? That would be one desirable bike for the rebuilders (dont let them hear it)
What would be the price of this beaut?
To be fair, bikes like these do come with some warning signs
Especially if the owner doesnt even know when the tires have been changed. The possibility is that there is a lot of maintenance to be done. And or parts to be checked, like brakelines/fluid, inner tank status, spline grease, tyre swaps you name it. Especially when it hasnt seen a lot of road.
But then also I might have completely missed some input because i was lazy and didnt read all replies.

[Laitch]

But then also I might have completely missed some input because i was lazy and didnt read all replies.

It doesn't matter whether you've read the responses or even understood them, Vlad. We're always happy when you correspond. 

[Kaos]

It doesn't matter whether you've read the responses or even understood them, Vlad. We're always happy when you correspond. 

My slight form from a range of tisms make it really hard for me to determine if this is a pat on the head or sarcasm. But ill take it <3

[Laitch]

It's a short paean to your sense of humor.