5 Of The Most Underrated BMW Motorcycles Ever Made – SlashGear

The BMW K75 was a straight-three-cylinder, 75hp standard motorcycle available in the U.S. from 1990 to 1995. Developed alongside the larger and more powerful K100 but released later, the K75 was designed to be a more direct competitor to the motorcycles coming out of Japan at the time by being lighter, smoother, and more nimble than its sibling. This was primarily accomplished by removing one cylinder from the “Flying Brick” engine, named such for its rectangular shape, and adding a balance shaft to counter the vibration of the three cylinders.

As far as the price is concerned, it might just be a case similar to that of the (in)famous third-pound burger, or it may just be self-fulfilling hype (or lack thereof) that markets sometimes create on their own. Still, good used K75s can currently be found for anywhere between $2000 and $4000, while the K100 can trend closer to $5000, or even higher.

While the market seems to value the K100 more than the K75, the more you get to know the two bikes, the harder it is to see why, aside from a few specific areas: power and size — the K100 is better endowed on both fronts, though you are left with worse agility, heat, and vibration. Besides, there’s only so much power you need for your day-to-day riding, and if you want more space to carry people, you can easily buy a car from the same era for a similar price.

[Featured image by Louie Armstrong via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 2.5]