Smooth operator

FEW EVER ENVISAGED BMW’s brick-shaped four becoming the trendy target for café builders. Then again, the K-series was never easy to figure.

Upon its release in 1983 the liquid-cooled, fuel-injected inline carried the very survival of BMW’s motorcycle division.

Or so it was thought. A unique approach offering both modernisation and Teutonic tradition, the DOHC, 987cc multi was turned then dropped until the cylinder head was riding portside and the crankshaft was spinning longitudinally; just like a boxer twin.

The K100’s stressed-member frame and single-sided swinging arm swept past industry standards.

Thirty years later, Larry Romestant’s K1200 hybrid embraces the greatness of Spandau and a few other locations besides.

K-based café specials are becoming less unusual, but Romestant’s careful refinement and groomed uniformity sets this apart. Individual styling and engineering applications become clear on the first encounter.

Read more in January’s edition of CBG