Closing date June issue -> April 21
BMW K75 – Riding a motorcycle when you actually can't anymore
Some stories aren't about machines. They're about people. About stubbornness, passion, and the simple refusal to give up. The story of Hans Schoonen and his BMW K75 is one such story. A motorcycle plays the leading role, but it's really about perseverance. For him, motorcycling isn't a hobby. It's a way of life.
Photos: Harry Linker for Auto Motor Klassiek
An accident that changed everything
Hans Schoonen (64) rode motorcycles for years. Not just for fun, but also for practical reasons. For ten years, he commuted 240 kilometers every day, summer and winter, on his BMW. Riding was his outlet after work as an IT specialist for the police. Just riding, clearing his head, hitting the gas.
All 2011.
Things went wrong on the highway. His front wheel slid, and he was run over by a car that then drove off. A truck driver behind him blocked the road to prevent further damage. Schoonen survived, but the consequences were severe. After a period in intensive care, a year of rehabilitation followed. His right arm remained paralyzed.
Motorcycling seemed over.
But anyone who knows Schoonen a little knows that such a conclusion is usually temporary.
The spark came back
At first, he himself thought it was over. Then a friend pointed him to Motor Mobility for the Disabled. It turned out that motorcycling might be possible again.
Cautiously at first. A ride on the back of a friend's BMW K1200RT. If it didn't work out, he'd tap his shoulder.
That didn't happen.
“My daughters saw my eyes sparkle for the first time since the accident,” he says.
After taking modified driving lessons, the search for a suitable motorcycle began. A modified BMW K100LT proved too heavy to maneuver. Next came a BMW F800ST, but that one presented technical problems.
In the end the choice fell on a BMW K75 from 1990.
Building a bike that suits you
The K75 became more than just a motorcycle. It became a project.
Because Schoonen can't use his right arm, all the controls had to be moved to his left. This meant tinkering, improvising, and a lot of figuring things out on his own. He was able to get started in the Quispel Motoren workshop.
The front brake is now controlled on the left with a control unit from a BMW R1150RT. The clutch cylinder acts as the brake pump. The clutch itself is operated with the thumb. It sounds complicated, but in practice, it works surprisingly logically.
Schoonen is self-taught. He photographed everything he disassembled, followed the cable colors, and kept puzzling until everything fit together. The biggest project was installing ABS. A second K75 was used as a donor for this.
Not for nothing.
The lack of ABS played a role in the 2011 accident, so it absolutely had to be addressed now.
One-armed tinkering
Schoonen did a lot of the work himself. Not because he had to, but simply because he wanted to.
Whenever someone told him something wasn't possible, he took it as a challenge. Tightening bolts, replacing wiring harnesses, checking throttle bodies, even rebuilding the entire electrical system.
The engine itself proved to be in excellent condition after approximately 70.000 kilometers. New seals, a clutch, and some worn rubbers were enough to bring the three-cylinder engine back to life.
And while the engine was already disassembled, the paint was also addressed. The K75 had two different shades of red. That had to be improved.
It turned out to be quite a search to find a painter who could accurately reproduce the special BMW paint with a deep gloss.
Back on the road
After approval by the RDW (Netherlands Vehicle Authority), the modified K75 was allowed back on the road. The registration remained the same, but with a note indicating that the braking system had been modified.
And then the real work started again: driving.
Not just short trips. Schoonen is now riding again in the Eifel region, through Austria, and over Italian mountain passes. The bike has proven reliable. Except for a broken throttle cable, he's rarely left it idle.
And even that problem was solved along the way by an inventive ANWB mechanic with a universal inner cable.
Passion cannot be stopped
Hans Schoonen's BMW K75 isn't a museum piece. It's a motorcycle that shows what's possible when someone refuses to give up.
With one working arm, a good dose of creativity and an almost stubborn love for motorcycling, he built his own solution.
Or as he himself puts it: motorcycling isn't a hobby. It's a passion.
You can read the full story about Hans Schoonen and his special BMW K75 in the March issue of Auto Motor Klassiek, which is now available at the newsstand.
(More photos below.)
What a story. Wonderful. I (fortunately) can't speak to physical limitations myself. But I can speak to the qualities of the K, yes, with a capital "K." My first was a K100rt/p that started struggling at about 400.000 km. I sold it and bought my K75rt/p—yes, also a former police moped. It ran like a slob after 293.000 km. One cylinder had zero compression. I still have to investigate what was going on. I suspect a hole in the piston due to a lean mixture. In that same moped, I installed a different engine that had barely 70.000 km on it. It now has 323.000 km on it and runs like a charm. In short, BMW hit the mark with the K series. When I went to Germany every year for the K-meeting. I've seen several modified ones for people with disabilities, including one that was steered entirely from the sidecar. It was wonderful to see how those people still enjoyed riding.
Respect!
I personally make special adjustments for people with disabilities and have sometimes helped people do things they thought they would never be able to do again. In Hungary, I once met a hero who lost the use of both arms and hands. He rode a Yamaha converted into a tricycle, which he operated with his bare feet. My motto is: "What can't be done has never happened."
Deep respect for the return. Full of admiration for doing Europe on two wheels and one arm.