BMW K1

BMW brought out the K1 in 1988 as a updated model to the K100. The K1 is a sports-tourer with 1000cc, 100hp DOHC engine, but the engine and the power were overshadowed by the radical looks of the K1. Different from any bike anyone had seen before, the style, liked by some, hated by others, was futuristic to say the least, but it was also beneficial to the aerodynamics of the K1, at the time of it’s release the BMW was the most aerodynamic bike on the market. The styling was certainly unconventional, especially for a German manufacturer. The K1 did not do as well as hoped, selling around 7,000 bikes between 88 – 93. The bike ended production in 93 around the same time as the Honda Fire-blade was released. Today the bike still gets looks, it still stands out in a crowd, no one has produced a bike with that kind of styling since, and they probably never will again. That’s what makes the BMW K1, a classic.