STEVE’S K100

Friend of the Shed, Steve Heath from Dorset, has had a couple of a bikes featured so far this year, an R80 and anR100. The lairy Outspan orange R80 recently sold through the Bike Shed classifieds so Steve was positively swimming in two pence pieces. Anyone who’s built a bike and then advertised it will be aware that those who lambast them for a seemingly inflated price need to sod off to a cold outbuilding and try it for themselves. Unless you have a stopclock running like Gary Kasparov at the world championships, earning an easy crust from customising bikes is an unachievable utopia. Besides, Steve builds bikes for the love of it under his Soul’d Out banner.

Wanting to ride a fresh build to London’s Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, Steve discounted the smaller capacity offerings in his donor range and opted for the visually challenging K100 that was languishing in the garage. Like the slightly out of favour, plump ginger girl at the school disco, a K100 just needs a bit of love and a dark corner. And lets face it, at least a K100 will put out on first date, unlike the slightly frigid and underwhelming K75.

Steve put the K on an Atkins diet with a strict burpees routine, stripping pounds wherever possible. The design boys from Bavaria clearly never had to push any of their efforts around the factory as the over engineering results in some spectacular obesity. The clocks for example weighed 3 kilos, which sounds like lots of pounds to me. A new subframe with seat base replaces the hefty factory fitted option, with a proper, comfortable saddle on top ready for 500 mile days.

Heavy mild steal exhausts fitted by manufacturers are not only an easy place to save some weight but the perhaps the single simplest way to create presence with anything powered by an internal combustion engine. Steve fabricated a 4-into-1 system, leading to a Moto GP style silencer, which rumbles nicely without attracting an ASBO. A race-spec fuel pressure regulator was fitted along with a new fuel pump to give the engine an uninterrupted source of the good stuff. Said motor was in fine fettle so didn’t need any drastic stripping down.

Yup, here’s another weighty machine fitted with Continental’s TKC80s. Yes, this choice of rubber is not going to be the thing that finally gives Guy Martin an Isle of Man TT win but they are good news for custom porkies like the K100. Steve has them fitted to his KTM Adventure and peg-scraping antics are no stranger to his Sunday activities. Forks are dropped in the yokes a few mm, fork oil is thicker and springs are stiffer to sharpen the handling; the rear shock is wound to max on the preload to ensure a purposeful stance and extra firmness.

Organic carrots taste better than the homogenous straight ones from Tescos and bare metal looks better without paint. Well, that’s completely my opinion but I like rawness. So does Steve so he stripped the aluminium fuel tank, buffed it a bit and coated with a few layers of lacquer to keep oxidisation at bay. Matching side panels suggest a smidgen of racing intentions, whilst covering up the wide-wasted battery.

Continuing with the lightweight theme, plastic mudguards keep the crud out of the radiator fins, and Steve’s teeth. A Koso digital gauge is slim and barely tips the scales, so one was fitted to the handmade aluminium dash.

With midnight oil burnt and time running out Steve put the finishing touches to the K100 on a dark Saturday evening. The following morning was damp and foggy but as the sun won the battle for the horizon, the slightly misfiring Beemer was already parked up under the Shard’s shadow in London’s Borough Market, awaiting the start of the 2014 DGR. Luckily BSMC’s Ali Latimer was on hand with his neatly arranged tool kit to ensure a smooth firing order resumed. After a glorious day spent with likeminded folk under tanzanite skies Steve completed his five hundred mile round trip back home and stood, for a moment, pleased with himself and his endeavours.

No doubt Steve will be back with another build before Christmas, if he can get his priorities in order and stop having inconvenient heart attacks! No pressure Steve 

via The Bike Shed