Tell Me The Pros And Cons K75

[downhillhunter]

We're thinking about getting a K75 for my wife. She has about a 27" inseam and can't muscle around heavy bike.

She likes the w/s and fairing of the K75s (RTs?) and some of the other features.

She rides a lowered F650GS now and loves the bike, but would like something with more wind protection and more lugging power.

She commutes about 60 miles a day to work.

We realize that choosing a bike is a personal choice, but how would you regard a lowered the K75 as her choice?

What's the best way to lower a K75?

Lower seat?

Shorter shock?

low profile tires

Or all three?

How much heat can she expect from the K75 on hot summer days in stop and go traffic?

Is there an Oil Head that you'd recommend to her, over the K bike?

Thanks for your opinions and thoughts.

[CustomSarge]

1> Lower seat, absolutely. Narrowing seat nose, helps at stops.

2> Lower shock and/or smaller tires; interesting tradeoffs:
a> the shorter the shock, the less tire clearance to rear fender
b> smaller tires = higher Rs for same speed & greater speedo error, BUT more clearance tire <-> fender
c> the net lower the bike, the less ground clearance (think skidplate)

3> Every bit the rear is dropped should (must) be matched in the frontend.
The more the tubes are "pulled" into the triple clamps, the less clearance in the frontend. This can be countered by higher viscosity fork oil, at a cost of less dampening.

4> Side & centerstand considerations are another story... opinions vary Widely.

I lowered a project K75, just to see how bad I could make it: 2.5" lower shock, a 130/70 - 17 rear tire. Required 4+"(!) pull in the tubes. I had to put 30 weight oil in the forks, so it wouldn't bottom out (I'm 200#). The speedo was Way Off, but it felt like a minibike. I had to make a completely different sidestand, a centerstand was not possible. It had 4.5" ground clearance wo/skidplate. I put maybe 20 mi on it: it was just too low. It's back to stock (maybe 1.5" lower) & getting a K100RS fairing, for next season.

As to heat & fairings: I think the RT version puts Way too much weight too high up. The number of these with parking lot drops is impressive. In its' favor is redirecting heat around you. I vote for unfaired w/simple windshield and case savers (crashbars). Put highway pegs up & off the upper case saver mounts, to keep them (& feet) inside case saver bounds. This allows heat to pass under you. I'd have to build one to verify this.

There're Lots of options, but you're starting with one of the best runtrains ever made (biased opinion). Good Hunting...<<<)))

P.S. the one in the avatar was shortened by Liberal use of a gas wrench & mig welder :brow

[Motor31]

I agree with the above post.

Another pro, very reliable ride and extremely smooth engine.

Cons: The *&%$@* airfilter box on the RT makes it a real adventure and pain in the rear to change the air filter.

Watch out for a cracked broken crankcase vent line. I have to go to another state to get one, the local dealer doesn't stock them and I'll be gone by the time he gets around to ordering one.

Rear splines need lubing every 15 to 25k miles.

Enjoy the ride they are a nice stable yet nimble bike.

[wndsrfr]

I'm 5'7" with 29" inseam 155 pound pretty strong & agile guy (windsurfing helps the agility) and have dropped my K75RT in parking lots twice...no three times....but not since I lowered it. I went with a Progressive rear shock 3/4 inches shorter than standard and slipped the fork tubes up to match....easy job and really helped the handling of the bike to boot. Don't get me wrong....it's still topheavy compared to say, a naked R1100R. Have you considered sticking with the F650 and adding a Parabellum w/s built to order to provide the protection she wants?

As to the heat issue, the K75RT is hot as hell on a 90 degree day. I remove my fairing lowers to allow the heat to dissipate and not get trapped up around my body. Love it in the cool weather, though! Again, I'm betting the F bike is not as hot......

Happy hunting!

[bobinillinois]

I am 5'8" with a 29" inseam. My 94 K75 RT has a Works short shock and a Corbin lower seat and with those modifications I can just about flat foot the bike (one foot flat on the ground with the other not quite). The RT provides great wind protection when you are riding at medium to high speed, but as others point out, it is top heavy. It is not easy to lift onto the center stand, and the slower you are going the less comfortable it feels. Your wife should spend a little time with an RT before buying one to make sure she is OK with the weight of the bike. Things like putting the bike on and then taking it off the center stand, pushing it forward and back and other slow maneuvers would be a good test to see whether it is right for her. Good luck.

Bob

[Kayseventyfive]

What K75 are you looking at? Some have lower seats. I wear 30 inseam pants, and a hard measurement from my pelvis to the floor is 33 1/2 inches. My 92 K75/2 has the low seat and is fine. The seat height has been published at 29 1/2 inches, but I have not measured it. The low seat bikes usually have the big black knee pad/side cover thing.

http://www.moto-deal.com/encyclopedie-moto/picture.php?cat=116&image_id=73

[SheRidesABeemer]

I wonder what attracts the inseam challenged to the K75. It's so darn tall and top heavy. I would suggest that it's one of the worse choices for a short rider. Consider a newer better balanced K bike. The weight of a bike does not matter when it is well balanced. A K12RS/GT is heavier but lower and very well balanced. If you are open to looking outside the BMW line, almost anything else will be lower and lighter.

I love my K75, but I have the luxury of a 32 inch inseam.

[downhillhunter]

We really appreciate tapping into all of your collective experience and knowledge.

Your are offering us some great information!

For now she pretty much stuck on trying to make a BMW work.

She doesn't want one with forward controls and everything else she looked at was as tall or taller.

we started looking at K75s because they seemed to be the lightest of the touring K bikes.

How do they manage to make the center of gravity lower on the new
ones?

She pushed a K100 around this week end (to tall for her to ride) and thought it wasn't too bad.

She can't get her 650 up on the center stand by herself now, so she wouldn't lose anything that way. I have lowered the side and center stand on the 650.

It appears that we can get a K75 low enough to work for her, but our concern now is the center of gravity and the heat issue.

We have a Goldwing with a sidecar and the heat it generates on a summer day is immense!

Any other opinions or ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Downhill

[Crow18]

Does she want more wind protection for her upper body or lower body?

The windscreen on the K75T is pretty good for upper-body protection, and you can add handgrip covers (or whatever they're really called) for like $30. There are no lower bits to retain heat, but it still gets hot in traffic on hot days.

It's still a bit top-heavy, and you may do just as well, as someone else suggested, getting a Parabellum windscreen for the F650.

[spottybond]

I am about the same inseam as your wife and have a low seat K75. I have done all the above mentioned lowering schemes except the low profile tires. I am not flat footed but very comfy. I do find it top heavy espically with a full tank of gas and you could cook your lunch off the engine heat on a hot day. I just have an aftermarket Givi windscreen and can get blown around in strong winds. Is it just me or are crosswinds a bugger at times?
Now all those things said I would not trade it for the world.
I have found "MY" bike. If she is not intimidated trying to wheel it around in tight space she will not have a problem when it is rolling! My husband and I have done the rear splines , changed the oil etc... very easy bike to work on in the yard.

[CustomSarge]

1> Get a set of "barbacks", shorter legs usually means arms as well, so you'll wind up using them anyway. The barbacks will allow for pulling the tubes up into the triple clamps.

2> Cut a 2 x 4 14" long with a .5" deep V notch in 1 end & keep the saw handy.

3> Find a Very understanding owner of a standard K75, low seat type if possible. Explain what you want to do to their bike... if they don't shoot you...

4> Install the barbacks, remove the rear shock & put the 2 x 4 in. If it isn't a low seat type; consider removing the seat & putting 3-4" of something to sit on in its' place.

5> Stradle & walk around with the bike, checking out C of G & general comfort/confidence.

6> Cut a .5" off the 2 x 4 & reinstall, pull the tubes another .5" up in the triple clamps.

7> goto 5> : repeat until comfort/confidence is good OR 2.5" is up in the triple clamps (== pick a different model).

8> Put the bike back as before, thank the owner & buy'em a beer.

A fairly cavalier approach, I'll grant you. The actual cuts on the 2 x 4 may need some tweaking. Nothing damaging comes to mind, since you're just walking it about. I'd let you do it, so long as I did the work; and #8 was a Guinness... :.) G.H....<<<)))

P.S. Anything more than 1.5" is going to have tradeoffs: weight/clearance etc.

[wndsrfr]

If you're anywhere near the Tidewater Virginia area (Hampton, Norfolk, Va. Beach) you can try mine out for size.....

John

[IndyGT]

My wife has a '94 K75S that we did a fair amount of work on to get it low enough for her. That included:
1. Taking some slack out of the forks
2. Replacing the stock shock with a shorter Works shock
3. Sending the seat back to Sargent to have some foam scooped out
4. Mounting low-profile tires
The modifications changed it from a bike that scared her to one she feels comfortable on.

[dbrick]

I wonder what attracts the inseam challenged to the K75. It's so darn tall and top heavy. I would suggest that it's one of the worse choices for a short rider.

I agree with you, but we're not in the mainstream here. I think the choice has to do with seeing it as smaller than other BMWs, because we often judge size by engine displacement alone. That doesn't reflect consideration of weight, and whether it's carried high or low; the K75 does poorly on both counts.

I had an '88 K75S for nine years and 66K miles, and enoyed it immensely. My wife is 5'8" and found her low-seat '95 really intimidating. She didn't fall...but she eventually decided to stop riding, and the bike's dimensions, weight, and feel may have been discouraging. (OTOH, she had an R65 before that, and never really relaxed on it, either...so it may just have been not the right hobby).

[PAULBACH]

Lowrider is a term I invented - it is not in the BMW dictionary BUT the K75 lowrider does exist and they came from the factory that way. I own one and it is a 1995 model - the end of the run.

Apparently BMW made some low suspension bikes at that time. It is definitely NOT TOP HEAVY.

Try to find a late model K75.

Try the F650 CS - lots of power and very nimble OR

like everyone else, wait for the F800s

[Kayseventyfive]

Cycle World has and article titled "BMW K75 Low Rider" from June 88 that claims a seat height of 29.9 inches. They do not say whether that is with or without rider.

[PHMarvin]

Hi, Downhillhunter,
You don't say where you are. If you are anywhere near El Paso, TX, you are welcome to try Harriet's K75 low seat.

[Kayseventyfive]

If you are anywhere near El Paso, TX, you are welcome to try Harriet's K75 low seat.

Or El Lay.

[Mar]

I replace my crank case vent hose about every 12K miles... just like clockwork. I look for it then.

I learned to ride on my K75. As an experienced rider your wife shouldn't have any problems with a K75. Yes, they are top heavy but knowledge of that will keep her from making bone-headed moves that result in dropping the bike.

That being said, I usually use my R1150R for traveling to rallies because its center of gravity is lower and it packs better. I can hardly tell I'm carrying a load.

[downhillhunter]

We're now looking for a K75 to look at and push around and hopefully
ride, if it's low enough.

She first had her sights on the full fairing, but now is considering the shorter
fairing, beacuse of heat.

Thanks, Wndsrfr, we appreciate your most generous offer greatly, but we are in Minnesota, so we'll have to take you up on your offer some other time.

She'll just have to handle the bike to see if it's too top heavy for her. We know that reaching the ground with your feet and handling the weight of a bike are the two primary needs for enjoying her ride.

You all have been most gracious with your time, experience and advice and we appreciate it and value it greatly!

One of the things she liked about my bike (1100GS) was the fuel gauge, the digital gear indicator and a little more lugging power over the F650. Certainly
things one could live without, but frosting on the cake, if she could reach the ground and handle the add'l weight.

If for whatever reason, a K75 won't work for her, we'll put a parabellum W/S on her 650 and see if we can't find some large wind deflector wings and figure out a way to attach them for a little help on the bottom.

Let us know if you come up with any other ideas!

Thanks,

Downhill Hunter