Bmw K75

BMW K75

STANDARD TIME

THE GENTLEMAN APPEARED TO be about 50, and clearly he was infatuated with the K75. “Gee, what a beautiful machine," he said to the dismounting rider. “I wanted one back in the '60s, but never got around to it. BMWs, they were always the best."

Besides the fact that it is unfaired, has two wheels and carries blue-and-white, spinning-propeller emblems, the K75 has little in common the old Boxer Twins that the viewer so fondly remembered, yet this new-for-1990 Beemer carries itself with the air of dignity that all BMWs seem to possess.

The K75 marks a return to the standard-style bikes that once laced the German company's lineup. It is the only 1990 BMW without a fairing, and it’s also the least-expensive K-bike, although only two bikes in this comparison had bigger price tags.

But for his money, the K75 buyer gets some nice pieces. The lay-down, liquid-cooled, 740cc engine was introduced in 1985, when BMW sliced a cylinder off the K100 Four. The result was—and still is—a pleasant powerplant less afflicted by vibration than its lOOOcc brother. With just two valves per cylinder and an 8500rpm redline limiting horsepower to a claimed 70, the fuel-injected engine nonetheless has a rangy, easy-to-use powerband.

In the suspension department, the K75 is served at the front by a fork made stout by 41 mm tubes, beefy triple clamps and a brace just above the plastic fender. The fork internals are identical to the sporting K75S model’s, providing a claimed 5.3 inches of travel that is fairly firm in actionnot enough to be called harsh, but sufficient" to abridge the squishy, quick-to-dive tendencies that BMW forks have become known for. In the rear is a single shock working through a single-sided swingarm that carries the bike’s driveshaft. Travel is a claimed 4.3 inches.

No one here cared for the rollercoaster saddle or the rubber apron between the seat and the fuel tank. There is an optional, less-stepped seat available with an inch-and-ahalf more padding that we'd recommend for all but the shortest riders.

What we liked about the K75 was its handling and its size. With its fork soaking up whatever a backroad dished out and its Metzeler tires providing good grip, the BMW displayed dead-neutral cornering characteristics, just begging to be leaned over. And at 488 pounds dry, the K75 isn’t overweight, but it does feel spacious and substantial. This is one standardstyle bike that an owner won’t outgrow; a motorcycle that could easily spend 10 years in the same household. That feeling is enhanced by the longest warranty period of these 10 standards (36 months) and the knowledge that upgrades for the bike, in the form of hard saddlebags, a tankbag or a windshield, are as close as the local BMW shop.

Did we like the K75? A lot. In fact, we’d call it the standard of excellence.

SPECIFICATIONS

BMW K75

$5990