Five years before the Dixi 3/15 rolled off the assembly line under license from British automaker Austin, the peeps at BMW cut their teeth with the R32 motorcycle and flat-twin boxer engines.
Indeed, ladies and gents; the Motorrad division was first! During its 92 years of existence, one of the most important designs for BMW as the K100 series. Also known as the Flying Brick, the standard bike was launched at a time when Japanese bikes were all the rage in the U.S. and European brands were struggling to catch up.
The Germans had put the flat-twin aside, canceled the development of a flat-four engine, and looked at the PSA-Renault X-Type engine from the Peugeot 104 supermini for inspiration. A four-cylinder mill and the K100 were released in 1982. Three years after them, BMW Motorrad rolled out a three-cylinder model in the form of the K75.
Chassis number WB1057404G0130472 is a well-preserved example of the breed, listed for auction on Bring a Trailer with three days to go. Featuring 38,000 miles (61,155 kilometers) on the clock, the highest bid for the red-painted tourer currently sits at 2,500 bucks.
"The bike was acquired by the selling dealer in May 2020," and it's offered at no reserve "with a clean North Carolina title." A tinted windscreen and fork-mounted fairings, hard-sided locking panniers, a rear luggage rack, and Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection are featured.
The 740-cc longitudinal engine with liquid cooling was good for 68 horsepower when new, and it's paired to a five-speed transmission with an enclosed driveshaft. The motor sings the song of its people through a 3-in-1 exhaust system that exits on the bike's left-hand side.
The 160-mph speedometer is complemented by a 10,000-rpm tachometer with a redline of 8,300 revs. Fitted with 18-inch wheels and Metzler Lasertec rubber, the K75 also provides stopping power in the guise of dual disc brakes from Brembo up front and a drum at the rear.
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