82 MOTORCYCLE CLASSICS September/October 2019
BLACK SIDE
DOWN
Looking for the right bike
M
y modest stable of motorcycles is
occupied by less than a half dozen
machines, each one bought not so
much on a predicated search for that specific
bike but the simple expedience of oppor-
tunity. The 1983 Laverda RGS is the dream
machine, a bike I never thought I’d own
until one miraculously made itself available
(thanks Scott Potter). I was riding a black 1972
short wheelbase BMW R75/5 when we started
Motorcycle Classics back in 2005, but sold it
when the Laverda came along the same year,
so when a green 1973 long wheelbase R75/5
was offered to me a few years back I just had
to get it. The 1976 Suzuki GT185 on the other
hand was nowhere on my radar when a friend
said he was selling his, but one ride around
the block and I knew I had to have it. It’s a bril-
liant little machine, stone cold reliable and
the perfect learner bike for new riders, young
and old. The 1974 Laverda SF2 doesn’t really
count as mine, a build I did for buddy Matt,
who seems to like the fact that it’s sharing
space with two other Laverdas: my RGS and
yet another RGS the two of us bought as a future project.
That brings me to the latest addition to the garage, my 1995
BMW K75, which, like the others, just sort of presented itself. I’d
been thinking about getting something in the way of an “appli-
ance,” a reliable non-collectible I could ride daily without worry-
ing about scratching its paint or dulling its brightwork from days
spent under the hot sun, a bike that wouldn’t bum me out if I
dropped it for whatever stupid reason. Laverda plastic is close
to unobtainium and classic BMW bodywork keeps getting harder
to find.
So that made the idea of finding something not so dear attrac-
tive. But what to get? The answer came when I spied the K75 for
sale on the local Craigslist. I’d just sold my 1972 Datsun pickup,
so with a bit of cash in hand the timing was perfect, and the K75
seemed the ideal appliance if ever there was one. Renowned for
its reliability and boasting an impressive list of standard fea-
tures including triple disc brakes with ABS, fuel injection, liquid
cooling and a smooth, counter-balanced inline triple, the K75
seemed perfect. And yet, nine months into ownership, I’m still
not sure how much I like it, because it doesn’t seem to move me
emotionally.
After years of riding old and oftentimes decrepit machinery,
I’ve gotten used to making adjustments in riding style and expec-
tations with the bikes I ride. My old Norton required a certain
attitude every time I swung a leg over it, and I sure didn’t ride
it for the maintenance-free experience. My R75/5 on the other
hand is hugely reliable, but it requires concessions to less-than-
ideal brakes and suspension, the drums a little on the feeble side
compared to modern machinery and the suspension regularly
overwhelmed by its limited travel.
The Laverda is an absolutely awesome road bike, happy to run
autobahn speeds all day, but it’s ponderous in town and simplyill-suited to urban riding. Contrast that with the GT185, a fab little
in-town bike that’s completely out of its element on the road. It’ll
get up to 65mph no problem, but it’s simply not happy running
fast.
So that made the K75 seem perfect. Unfaired it might not be
the best road bike, but it’ll sing along at 85mph without effort,
and its excellent balance makes it easy to ride in town. The stock
saddlebags are great for quick trips to the grocery story or stow-
ing rain gear and tools on a day trip. It gets great mileage — so
far averaging around 47mpg — doesn’t burn any oil, stops on a
dime, has a huge headlamp, big blinkers and excellent rearview
mirrors that never vibrate, giving a clear, crisp view of the road
behind.
So what’s the problem? It’s boring. While the inline three is an
excellent mill (albeit a bit slow to respond to revs), it has all the
personality of an air compressor. There’s no soul to the muted
exhaust and the whirring of the engine is simply white noise;
there’s no hint of anything interesting going on inside. I suppose
that’s the point of bikes like the K75, machines that insulate the
rider from the mechanical goings-on to, theoretically, augment
the riding experience. For me, that insulation just blunts the joy
of the riding experience.
And yet, a recent gig motorcycle marshaling the local bicycle
races showed the K to be the perfect mount for the job, its
appliance-like qualities complementing the task at hand. Quiet,
predictable and smooth, its big turn signals flashing brightly
courtesy of the built-in hazard switch, I couldn’t think of a better
bike to be on during the two days I spent leading racers around
the course. I’d been seriously considering selling the K, but now
I’m thinking I need to ride it a little more to uncover its character.
Maybe it is the right bike and a keeper after all.
Richard Backus/Founding EditorBackus on his K75 leading riders during the 2019 Tour of Lawrence (Kansas).