1985 K100r ?

[ThommyT]

I HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PURCHASE A 1985 K100R (The ad reads K100R with half fairing) I assume it's a K100RS. 36,000 miles always garage kept. $1900.00 OBO.
It seems to me the early K's had a number of issues that were worked out over the next few years... Is there anything in particular to know or be concerned about or look out for on the early K's? Any thoughts or advice?

It seems like 1900 is almost moped $, seems couldn't go wrong at that $ for K100, but am concerned about things I heard over the years.

Thanks for any advice suggestions.

[deilenberger]

I HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PURCHASE A 1985 K100R (The ad reads K100R with half fairing) I assume it's a K100RS. 36,000 miles always garage kept. $1900.00 OBO.
It seems to me the early K's had a number of issues that were worked out over the next few years... Is there anything in particular to know or be concerned about or look out for on the early K's? Any thoughts or advice?

It seems like 1900 is almost moped $, seems couldn't go wrong at that $ for K100, but am concerned about things I heard over the years.

Thanks for any advice suggestions.


One of the issues was the speedometer/odometer. They failed with great regularity.. so don't believe the 36,000 miles (less than 2k per year? Not a good thing if true..)

I'd suggest looking at the K-tech-FAQ pages on http://www.ibwmr.org - there is a reasonable outline of what to look for written by someone.. :clap

[ThommyT]

One of the issues was the speedometer/odometer. They failed with great regularity.. so don't believe the 36,000 miles (less than 2k per year? Not a good thing if true..)

I'd suggest looking at the K-tech-FAQ pages on http://www.ibwmr.org - there is a reasonable outline of what to look for written by someone..

Thanks Don, for the speedo advice and the link to http://www.ibmwr.org . I had found the site before and since forgotten about it (sorry), but then again, I'm the type who has to be re-trained when I return from lunch. :rofl . Kudos to you for all the contributions you have made on that site! :thumb

To those who aren't aware (I'm probably the only one) there are some excellent articles, etc. and Don has many very well written and easy to follow step by step how-to's at the above site. :clap

Any other folks out there who have advice on this?

Thommy Tolson (R80RTRIDER)

[Liv, Norway]

Hi Thommy!

I know something:
At the www.ibmwr.org - k-bike tech - engine - Output shaft noise diagnosis 1 & 2:
That happend to my boyfriends K100.
At the second picture in the second article I can see the engine is on a table.

I know you don't have to remove the engine from the bike to figure out if you have to replace the part or to replace the part! That is good news!

Remove the right cover on the engine (you may get a little trouble with the water hose) and you can see if the rivets had made the hole large (ovel) or not.
Or remove the oil sump cover (empty the engine for oil first!) and bring a mirror and some light, and you can see it!

That way you can figure out if the part is OK or not!
I think I have a picture of the old part somewhere, ask me to dig it up if you want to see it!

:-) Liv.

[davel]

I don't believe anything castrosphic, but a lot of small minor things that can be corrected. Loose bolts on muffler cover, bad seat, engine not black powder coated (not really a problem), smaller tires, suspension not great, instument cluster to name a few. On a positive note, the earlier ones put out a little more power because of a different cam... :stick

[Bruce_C]

If you go to see it and you are on the fence about buying, take a couple of Q-tips with you and put them in the vent hole that is under the clutch. If they come out wet, walk away quickly. Nothing like having to replace the clutch in a newly purchased motorcycle because of a seal leak to put a bad taste in your mouth.
Bruce C :)

[deilenberger]

If you go to see it and you are on the fence about buying, take a couple of Q-tips with you and put them in the vent hole that is under the clutch. If they come out wet, walk away quickly. Nothing like having to replace the clutch in a newly purchased motorcycle because of a seal leak to put a bad taste in your mouth.
Bruce C :)

Actually - it's fairly common that older K bikes dribble tiny drops of oil from this hole (it's actually a drain hole, not a vent.)

The most common cause is the O ring behind the nut that holds the clutch basket to the output shaft of the engine. They get old, dry out, crack and are generally petrified by about 10-12 years of age.

I once did a survey of the drain hole at one rally where there were a lot of K bikes.. ALL of them over 10 years old had some signs of leakage. Most of them over 8 years old looked a bit wet. Between 6-7 years - it was a craps shoot.

The good news is - I have not really seen any clutch damage caused by this leak. It appears the oil is flung out of the clutch housing before it can make it's way to the clutch disk.

The rear main seal is only very rarely a problem.. the O ring is a given on any K over a certain age, and fairly easy to take care of if you're doing a clutch spline lube.

Best,