Owned:  Jul ’08 –  May ’14
Miles ridden:  11,244

I found I missed my K75 – the sweet sound, silky smooth engine, upright riding position, and the fact that it was my first bike gave it special meaning to me. I tried to track down the young man that purchased my 1993 K75 to see if he would sell it back to me, but to no avail. So I began looking … (This never seems to take me too long!)  I wanted a standard model again, and one with ABS this time. I found what I was looking for in July 2008 – in Connecticut. We made the deal, and I went out and rode it home the end of the month. Here it is..

As you can see, its a gorgeous candy apple red metallic (BMW Mystic Red). I am the third owner. The bike had only 12,000 miles on it and was exceptionally well cared for. The previous owner took off the low seat that was on the bike originally and replaced it with a standard height seat and battery covers. It had no windshield, so I bought the one BMW makes specifically for the bike to ride it back to Cleveland.

The bike came with the saddle bags, including original BMW liners.

 

I found the 22 liter BMW top box too small for my needs, since this is my main commuter bike. So I bought a GIVI E45 with mounting rack, which makes for a nice, clean appearance, is easily detachable and holds a ton of stuff, including my helmet.

The seat that came on the bike was one of the ones BMW had Corbin make for them for several years. The seat was in great shape, and very sharp looking, but I found it too soft and lacking support for anything but short rides around town. I was lucky to find a “like new” regular Corbin seat (the lower one in the photo below) to take the place of the “BMW by Corbin.” The two seats are very similar in appearance, although front portion of the regular Corbin is 1.5 inches longer than the BMW Corbin, and the foam is much firmer, both of which add to rider comfort. I’m still deciding which one I’ll leave on the bike.

I like to have running lights on my bikes to create a triangle of lights, which makes me more visible to motorists and identifies me as a motorcycle. I picked up these lights at Wal-Mart for $15 and fabricated simple mounts that attach to the lower caliper bolt.

 

After several months on the bike I found I needed more protection than the BMW windshield afforded me. I bought a used Rifle Superbike fairing on eBay and had it painted with Glasurit’s Mystic Red Metallic, the original factory paint. The fairing provides the increased protection I was looking for and the lines of the fairing complement the bike rather nicely.

If you look carefully above you’ll notice the battery covers are slightly different than the ones the PO had put on the bike, which were for a different model K bike. I was able to find a set of the correct covers and had them painted along with the fairing. The color match is perfect!

The cold days this winter convinced me to add hand protectors and heated grips. They make a huge difference on those cold morning rides.

You’ll also notice the Corbin dual touring seat above – this one is just like new with leather in the seating areas. I’m still deciding which seat I like best…