The K100 was never a big sales success, but what I liked about it was the drivetrain. Engineered by germans, the bike was reliable, lasted forever, and even though the early versions had barely 80 hp it had torque and was good for traveling, if you're not a racer.
The engine was lying flat on its side, low center of gravity, the crank on the right side, valve train on the left. The extension of the crank was the shaft going straight to the rear wheel. Between the crank case and the transmission was a dry clutch, like in a car, the tranny needed different oil than the engine.
You could overhaul the complete engine while in the frame - pop the left cover, there are the valves! Injectors on top, exhaust on the bottom. No taking off the tank, seat aso to adjust the valves.
Pop the right cover, there's the crank and the bearings. Big air filter box on top of the engine. Replace it with a K&N filter and there's open space between engine and tank. Steel tube frame was a back bone with a trellis holding the engine from the top as a supporting member. Single swingarm with paralever - if you had a flat tire, put the bike on the center stand (yes, it had one!), take out four bolts like on a car and take the wheel out, brakes stay on the swingarm. Cool!
Lots of smart thinking for a bike developed in the early eighties - to replace the boxer, which it never did. There were later some powerful 1200cc 4-valve versions which looked better, but the new K1200 has the usual upright engine configuration. Seems after all, the japanese know best how to make a motorcycle! But I like any innovative approach.
My favorite BMW was the K75S ABS with a half fairing and a howling 3-cylinder engine, lighter and sportier.
. So once SRX4-
