The BMW K100 was once very new news

This weekend we found a pile of old motorcycle sheets at our accommodation address in Zeeland - now go to Cadzand Bad before the Belgians have completely taken over.

The BMW K100 and K75, the whistling bricks

We believe that Moto73 still exists. That would be right. Because in 1983, that magazine already wrote about the BMW K100 and K75. They had a look at classics back then. That the time was much more innocent then appears from the roaring text in which there are meters-long telephoto lenses hiding lurking at the new BMWs. With today's eyes, you can see that the photographer was allowed to roam around the machines with a cup of coffee in his hand and a shekie in the corner of his mouth.

The suggestions about the technique are also made somewhat mysterious, but seem neatly pegged from the list that the journal was made available.

In the meantime, the BMW K100 was hot news at the time. The machine was of course as big, heavy and fast as you would expect from a top model. But he also clearly showed that the Germans did not consider themselves blindly bound by the boxer concept. The BMW K100 - and the K75 - were as innovative as can only be thought and built in Europe. The horizontal four-cylinder with its head on one side and its crankcase on the other was a strong example of 'out of the box' thinking. A low center of gravity and optimum accessibility for service and maintenance. Fine!

After the introduction, the 'brick blocks' grew into a sales success that was the heart of a whole series of engines. But at some point the news was over and the BMW K100s and now the K75s were overtaken by time. They remained fantastic motorcycles, with the K75 actually riding just a little better than its big brother. But nobody wanted such a thing anymore.

BMWs for next to nothing

Only a short time ago the prices were at what was now the low point. 'At any price' was just a bridge too far, but for around the 800-1000 euro you already had a wide choice of BMW K100s and K75s. Two blocks away, an absolutely immaculate early BMW K100 with full maintenance history was only of interest to someone who wanted to make it into a cafe racer and who asked the owner what else could be done if the price were not included in the cockpit and suitcases .

But the prices are rising

That time has since passed. You can still buy a neat BMW K100 or K75 for little, but you won't get any more money if you take one. The funny thing is that the revival in the sale of these horizontal three and four-cylinder engines is not even due to the fact that we regular motorcyclists have come to appreciate the classic value of the 'bricks'.

Currently, buyers of this generation of BMWs are younger people who are happy to make café racers and scramblers. It is a whole new generation of motorcycle enthusiasts with passion, but with limited resources. That is beautiful again.

It is now important for BMW enthusiasts with vision to score and cherish that original copy that is as cool as possible. Because these once revolutionary motorcycles are actually the most beautiful in their original looks. Yet?