Ian Rowe from the Central West Car Club has owned his 1984 BMW K100 motorbike since new, and after talking to him about the bike it sounds like he's got no plans at all to ever part with it.
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“The BMW is 34 years old now with only 40,000km on it and I bought it brand new in Orange from Max Onley, the BMW bike dealer,” Ian said.
“Money was a bit tight but I was really yearning for the BMW. I knew I had to get a good trade on my Yamaha to afford it so I rode it from home in Cobar at the time to Orange and thankfully I had enough in my pocket to bring the BMW back.”
Cobar is 450 km from Orange and the first service on Ian's new machine was due at 1000 km so he literally rode it home then turned around the next week and rode it back to Orange for the service.
From there on he would regularly plan his service schedule for the summer months so he had enough daylight to make the 900 km round trip before encountering too many kangaroos at the end of the day.
In Ian's words, he was young and bulletproof in those days. Ian's desire for the K100 was its design.
At the time it was the first new engine design for BMW bikes in 60 years. It's a 998cc water cooled four cylinder motor mounted on its side.
Ian told me that the side mounted engine eliminates the need for a crown gear making for a more efficient shaft driven power transfer.
With the inline four mounted on its side it allows for easier maintenance too - the engine can be stripped without removing it from the bike if needed.
The BMW K100 was also one of the first bikes with fuel injection and a single side swing arm at the rear. Ian had the aftermarket Kraiser fairing fitted about two years later.
Once again funds were tight so he made the most of his tax refund at the time and spent it wisely - on the bike!
After riding the BMW for a number of years family commitments took precedence and Ian parked the bike away.
“It's only been in the latter years that I've brought it back out,” Ian said.
It's been a while, but Ian's wife Bev has ridden pillion on the BMW and enjoys the bike almost as much as Ian does.
Ian finished by saying he'd like to keep the BMW going so he can enjoy it.
“When I'm too old to ride it, it can come into the living room, but Bev may have different thoughts on that,” Ian said.
Central West Car Club which is based in Parkes and meets regularly on the first Wednesday of the month at the Parkes Leagues Club. For more information you can find it on Facebook or at www.centralwestcarclub.com
