Bike problem, easy solution

I rode the 1994 BMW K75S down to the Lebanon License Branch this morning and shuffled the papers for an Indiana title and license plate.

When I started the bike in the BMV parking lot, the battery seemed weak. Riding away, I noticed the ABS warning light stayed on after I applied both brakes - a move that usually turns it off. Stopped at a traffic signal, I tried a fix that always worked before - turning the engine off and restarting. It started very feebly, died and restarted even weaker and the ABS light stayed on.

Fearing I might not have enough battery for another restart, I rode straight home, ruminating on whether my ABS was dead - I lost the ABS on my 1991 K100RS several years ago and it was very expensive to replace - and whether I should plan to take the bike down to the BMW dealer in Indianapolis. The speedo was also 99 per cent dead, with a little needle movement now and then. I'm pretty sure I know where the loose connection is for that problem.

Then, about 9 minutes into my ride, I realized I don't have to hassle with the dealership because I have reliable motorcycle service just four doors up the street from my house - Grumpy's Gold Wing Service. Grumpy repaired gummed up fuel injectors on the K75S several years ago and also installed new tires on my 2003 K1200GT.

I stopped at the entrance to my driveway and killed the engine, hoping a re-start would solve the ABS problem. The battery just barely turned the engine over and, of course, the ABS light stayed on. I stopped a few yards short of the shed where I keep my bikes and removed the saddlebags so the bike would fit with its younger brother and with our lawnmower and other shed stuff. Then I put it on a trickle charger in the hope of getting a final start, either into the shed or over to Grumpy's.

Grumpy remembered me from when we lived here 10 years ago. He looked up the appropriate battery and ordered it for me, saying it should be here next Thursday. Then we spent the next hour chatting. I was interested to learn he and I were at Indiana State University at the same time. He lived in Sandison Hall and I was next door in its twin, Gillum Hall in the 1963-64 school year. He also thought he could probably remedy the speedo glitch.

The charger did its job and I was able to fire up the K75S and ride it into the shed where it will languish until Thursday.