From the ad of that time.

In 1983, It made an amazing debut.
It was so big and original. 4 cylinder engine was laid down below, front to rear. Its bodywork was also unique, huge edgy cowling includes big rectangle light, and windshield and back mirror mounted on the cowling contributes also to good wind protection.
Technically, it had same crank shaft mount direction of old flat twin, and gravity center is low with shaft drive system. All these appealed that it was the good son of BMW with its right tradition, beside it was decorated with the newest electrical controlling system, like injection or meter system, and a bit curious silhouette, big and powerful, that made expectation for speed advantage.
BMW declared that it would be the king on the highway further more.

BMW appealed that its the newest, but if you ride it, you may feel it's a bit heartless, and it has many similar points to old flats.

• low gravity center.
• cornering manner depends on lean angle, not acceleration.
• high rpm but anemic engine.
• you can mount huge carriage, including your wife.

Its architecture was also similar with flat twins, which is, minimum framework and steering system mounted on the power section including rear wheel and engine.
It had more power than old R100, but its feeling was the same, too flat, nothing fun. Framework was strong enough to run that big body and a bit rough control, but it's poor for more positive sports riding. Max. speed was high, and riders could continue vert high speed for a long time, but it's boring.
Well, how was that ? What was the purpose of BMW ?
I'd say the common points of K and old flats shows how was the object of BMW motorcycle. It's just a tool for tour, not a exiting motorbike.
It's a practical vehicle to tour with a huge carriage for long distance within short time. It should be compared with train, not a bike for riding of sporting or relaxing feeling.
Nothing new for riding feel, but it had many new features as a machinery.
Maybe the BMW K was the first example that a motorbike tried to full electric system. It was quite new, and so immature. From this time, a long history of improvement of K series has begun.

It had many troubles for a first few year.
It breathe out white smoke after a long time parking on side stand, caused by the engine oil down to the engine head.
Electrical system had many trouble too. Electrical meters frequently quitted to move suddenly, which is caused by the nervous connection of inside IC. A slapping to the meter could recover it, but frequent hitting made it complete trouble.
Also the lighting system troubled. An example was the blinking of direction indicator lights. You couldn't stop it to off the key, you must remove fuse or battery to shut out electrical circuit completely.
Wiring connector joint unplugged spontaneously, it seemed the connector didn't have enough strength for sufficient fixing.
Interviews to the owners of this era makes them complain much and much, even now!
BMW K was tackling the developing subjects of motorcycle electricity, it was a real pioneer.
But BMW's treatment to the subject was a problem.
Sure, they made many improvements, but they explained so few about it.
If you see next year model, it looks the same at a glance. But if you ride it, you may feel it's a completely new bike. We used to be surprised it changes so much every year.
Right, BMW left us K users behind every year. It's progressing on the profit of the charge you've paid, but it's not for you, but for someone next to you.
At this time, I've wasted the image that BMW provides matured products. It's the same of Japanese ones.

Low seat type K75, from the ad of that time.

BMW had low capacity range below to 650 cc old R, and it's followed again on new K by K75 series. Also the BMW need entry model with low price.
But K75 was terrible.
Basically, it was a easy version of K100, removed front one engine cylinder, so its displacement is 3/4 of 1000 cc, namely 750 cc.
Its crank shaft is brand-new 120 degree, crank case was newly made of course. But almost all the setting, like wheel base or engine cam profile etc., was exactly the same of K100.
You might see its a bit smaller than the K100, but its riding feel was just a same of K100.
That's nothing new, nor profit, beside its price.
I'm not sure the market appreciated it or not, but it's sure it was disappeared before the debut of K100 with para-lever.
750 cc bigger than 1000 cc Moto Guzzi.

Well,
Time doesn't stop. The radial tire has come.
That heavy and camber dependent K100 surely wanted to use this feature.
After the irritatingly spontaneous K1, also the K100 was renewed.
From the ad of that day.

The engine had four valves per cylinder, which became considerably smooth.
Para-lever was an amazing feature, it improved much the manner of traction.
The body was fairly revised, however the design concept kept the same.
It became so nice, cool, and easy to run.
Well, at that time, Japan was in a era of economic bubble. Many Japanese people searched cool products to pay their bubbly money.
BMW motorcycle appealed them. They thought "Its big and cool. It'll be highest to be on it".
But the Japanese men are so tiny compared to the German. Their foot wouldn't arrive on that huge bike, that made them feel uneasy.
To such a brave but cozy men like you! Here came the low seat.

From the ad. of that time.

It was a stupid feature.
It looked low, but it's wide. It didn't make easy at all to touch the foot on the ground. Beside, so thin and uncomfortable sheet wasted the long distance comfort of BMW. It made knees to bend stronger.
BMW threw its philosophy as a perfect tourer in front of the figure of profit.
At this time, huge amount of "uncles with wide apart knees" appeared on low seat BMW here in Japan. But almost all of them vanished nowadays.
BMW K seems not so attractive to awake them to the enjoyment of bike riding.

I think the K's architecture of engine mount decided its character. It was heavy, laid so low, long front to rear. I felt my K75 was just a fear in the rain, its slides too awfully, I couldn't control it any, all I could do was just to pray. (A my friend of K100 owner commented that it's because mine was K75, K100 was better. Maybe so.)
And this engine layout made impossible to be K100 more smaller or lighter. So the only way for development was to be more bigger and heavier, with much excess power and utility.

A miniature of it is enough big and forceful.

BMW old K could not take over the peculiar sense of old R, which was aimed on the coexistence of easy riders' tension and roomy margin of the bike. I don't think it could establish any unique excellence at all. As a proof, there remains many enthusiastic old R riders, but very few for old K.
Now I feel it was just a one experiment for BMW history.

Ombra.
Dec. 2005

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