K11 Owners Group

[will3hawks]

I'd like to get some feedback from the group on how many miles they have gone without having to go into the engine for a rebuild. What sort of riding, what oils and change intervals etc.

Also interested in the longevity of the transmissions and final drive units, again with types of oil used, etc.

Many thanks in advance for this info.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Will
_________________
The truth is 100 miles east of Memphis
BMWMOA# 70125
94 K 1100RS (Speedwagon)
"Even if I should die on the road, this would be the will of heaven"
Matsuo Basho, 1644-1694

[Flying Duck]

There;s no point in rebuilding an engine unelss you're doing it for "fun."

It's not that hard to find a decent low mile engine from a wrecked/parted bike. Much less work and $$$.
_________________
93 LT (x2)
94 RS
86-97 K75F(K75/100/1100 Frankenbrick)
86 K75C w/paralever, hi perf cams,TURBO!
91 & 92 K75Ss
91 K1
86 custom K100
14 WR250R
IBA #17739 (SS1K, BBG, 50CC)
Buy parts HERE

[Jim]

Will - don't know if anyone on the board has actually worn out a K engine or not - they're supposed to be good for 250,000 miles with proper maintenance.

You'll find a range as far as oils and change intervals if you read through the posts here. If your bike is broken in, use synthetic oil in the engine, transmission and gearbox - and ride it like you stole it.
_________________
Jim
1997 K1100LTSE 94,000 - still has gremlins!
1995 R100RT Classic 16,650 crashed - repaired!
1992 K75RTP 46,000

"We shall not all die, but we shall all be changed."

[duckbubbles]

My hot rodded K100 engine had over 190,000 miles when I took it out of the bike. Not because I had to, but I wanted to. I was installing a K1100 engine. It would still go more than 5000 miles on a quart of oil. I ran Mobil 1 15W50 for 5000 mile oil changes throughout it's life. I think 250K is not unreasonable. I've heard of K75's with well over 300K on the original everything- same basic engine parts.
That engine also went over 80,000 miles without a valve shim change.

Frank
_________________
85 K100/1100RS, 321,000 miles, 25 years
96 Ducati 900SS/SP, sold it
05 R1200ST, 35,000 miles, 5 years
400,000 BMW miles

[Phil Marvin]

Hi, Will,
I've heard of a few bikes in which the Nikasil liner flaked off the cylinders, turning the engines into junk or very expensive doorstops. I've also heard of a couple of engines with burned valves. Other than that, the damned things are bulletproof! I sold my first K1100LT, a '96. with 122k miles on it. It now has over 135k and is still running fine.

It had Yamaha 20w40 in it when I bought it. The next oil change, I went to Castrol GTX 20w50, changing oil and filter at 3k miles. When it needed topping up, I used what was handy - Exxon 30wt, left over from the lawnmower, GTX 10w30 from the car, etc., etc. The engine, from the time I bought it until I sold it, used oil at the rate of a quart every 3k-4k miles. After it had about 50k miles, I started using Mobil 1 15w50 synthetic and changing it and filter once a year or at 10k miles, whichever came first.

I have used various oils in the gearbox and final drive - conventional 80w90 hypoid gear oil (various brands, whichever Pep Boys, Auto Zone, etc. sold), Mobil 1 and/or WalMart's brand 75w90 and 75w140 synthetic. I never had any problem with any of them. I used BMW 7.5 wt. fork oil because it was consistent and cheaper than any other fork oil I saw. I try to use Castrol LMA Dot4 brake fluid, but have used others (all Dot4), including store brands and Valvoline Synthetic. I prefer the LMA. I use whatever coolant is on sale. I can remember using WalMart's brand, Texaco and Prestone. There were probably others. I always mix it 40% coolant and 60% DISTILLED water, the mixture recommended by BMW. You in colder climates with unheated garages might want a 50% mix. For many years and many tens of thousands of miles I have used Autolite 4163 spark plugs (also in the K75's) and Deutsch ff424 fuel filters from Auto Zone. These have been replaced by "Luber-Finer" (Champion Labs) ff3424 filters, made in China. They look just like the old ff424. I use OEM BMW air filters, though I rarely change the air filter. Every 10k or so miles I remove it, knock it on the driveway to dislodge the bigger stuff, then blow it out and reinstall it. It works for me. Every few thousand miles I grease the nipples (both ends) of the clutch cable. I usually use the BMW red grease which DOES NOT work for spline lubes. If not, I use a white grease. For spline lubes, I use Honda Moly 60 Paste. If you have any further questions, ask away. The worst I'll say is, "I don't know."
Ride Safe,
_________________
Ride Safe,
Phil Marvin in El Paso, TX
'94 K75A/3
'95 K75RTP

[1950 Bobber]

Hey will3hawks...

Ole' Phil is a hoot....don't follow his advice, for "using whatever was around"....

He's a good dude, knows a heck of alot, but a bit "touched" if you know what I mean

But going with good, well known recommended BRAND NAME additives would be my suggestion. Those additives are written all over this web site...and I'll defer the actual recommended ones to the guys here who have put many more miles on their machines than I have....but do frequent oil & filter changes, spine lubes, air filter, cable maintenance, tire upkeeps, fork lubes, etc, etc, etc and I hear you can expect anywhere from 150,000 to 250,000 miles on this machine

Good luck, stay in touch with these members...

Jim in Seattle
_________________
Be ashamed to die before you've won some victory for mankind!

[Phil Marvin]

[Mystic Red]

[Phil Marvin]

Hi, Scott,
I worked in the apparel business for over 30 years, most recently as Quality Manager for the company (Miller International, Inc.) which markets Rockies, Cruel Girl and Cinch jeans. I set up their quality program, hired and trained the quality auditors and managed the Field Quality dept. I also evaluated factories, helped the contractors produce "our" product and also trained a number of contractor personnel, both in English and Spanish. In thanks, on January, 2006, I was told, "Our business has changed. We are only going to work with contractors who are responsible (their word) for their own quality. We no longer need nor want ANYONE to visit the contractors' facilities. Your position is eliminated, effective immediately." Would I buy ANYTHING of those brands now? Since no one is checking the factories, not on your life!

The only job I could find with decent health insurance and paying more than slightly above minimum wage was driving a huge ore truck in the Phelps Dodge copper mine in Morenci, AZ. I've been there only since January 22 of this year. The 6 month period for Short Term Disability is pretty standard. And they have been very supportive; every time I call the supervisor or those higher up, they invariably tell me they want me back as soon as I can make it.

Ride Safe,
_________________
Ride Safe,
Phil Marvin in El Paso, TX
'94 K75A/3
'95 K75RTP

[kirkkw]