1990 BMW K1

Post Listing Update: This K1 did not meet reserve despite 17 bids up to $4,205.01.

BMW’s first attempt at a modern sport bike, the K1 featured distinctive bodywork that in hindsight, seems like what a kid would imagine bikes would look like in 2050. In addition to its remarkable looks, the bodywork led to a drag coefficient of .38 – the lowest ever seen on a production bike at the time. The K1 was completely unexpected from BMW, and it’s still incredibly unique to this day.

Despite weighing over 600 pounds, the aerodynamic bodywork enable this 95 hp bike to top 140mph. It was the first implementation of BMW’s Paralever suspension system, their second-generation rear driveshaft technology, which reducing shaft-jacking occasionally present on the first generation K’s. Unfortunately, there were some flaws. The two biggest ones were an absolutely abysmal turning radius, and a serious buildup of heat due to the size of the plastic fairings. Some riders reported nearly having their thighs burned when the cooling fans would turn on at stoplights. Flaws or not, the bike definitely brought plenty of attention to BMW, and cemented public opinion that BMW was capable of building more than boxer-engined touring bikes. Think of it as the great-grandfather of the S1000RR.

This specific BMW K1 (VIN: WB1053501L6365376) has just 33k miles and is in the Lagoon Blue and Yellow paint scheme. BMW offered some very bizarre choices in paint schemes for this bike – by far the worst was the red/yellow variant that might as well have been sponsored by McDonalds. Every time I find a K1, I feel obligated to show you the BikeEXIF feature to see just how the red and yellow scheme looks! Yikes. Anyway, this bike is claimed to run well and need nothing, and the 1000cc flying brick engines have been proven over and over again to hit 6-digit odometer readings before needing major work. Unfortunately, this bike seems to be missing the excellent rear cowl which doubles as a backrest.