Luftmeister Turbo/nitrous K100
LUFTMEISTER TURBO/ NITROUS K100
DR. JECKYL AND MR. BEEMER
THE MOTORCYCLE BEFORE YOU COMES AS CLOSE to being the two-wheeled world’s equivalent of Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde as anything we’ve seen. While puttering around town, it’s well-mannered and manageable. But crank open its throttle blade, bring it up on boost and thumb the nitrous-oxide button, and it becomes a yowling brute which flexes its frame and distorts its swingarm as it lofts its front wheel and spins its rear tire—yes, even in fourth gear—on its way to developing more than 250 horsepower.
The bike started life as a 1985 BMW K100, but then Matt Capri, of BMW aftermarket firm Luftmeister, Inc. (15932-A Downey Ave., Paramount, CA 90723; 800/345-6751), got ahold of it and set about developing the bike’s potential.
He reprogrammed the K 100’s ignition computer to come onto full ignition advance at 4000 rpm instead of the stock 5000 rpm; he installed his company’s Number One cams, the mildest offered, and he added adjustable cam sprockets so the cams can accurately be degreed. He flowed the head and enlarged its valve openings, and installed stainless-steel valves one millimeter larger than stock and tapered differently to improve gas flow. Then, Capri balanced and polished the engine’s internals.
To this enviable foundation he added the equipment which separates this bike from mere garden-variety, hot-rod Beemers. He bolted on his company’s Sport turbocharger system, which, complete with intercooler, is capable of supplying 18 psi of manifold pressure and—just as important—the mixture enrichment necessary to keep the whole thing from disappearing in a mushroom cloud. Because 18 pounds of boost computes to a nominal compression ratio of approximately 18:1, Capri O-ringed the cylinder head to contain the pressure of combustion. Then, for even more horsepower, he installed nitrous-oxide injection from Nitrous Oxide Systems. When this beast-bike is on boost, thumbing the nitrous button—which by virtue of a two-way switch, doubles as the horn buttonadds about 60 rear-wheel horsepower.
Since what goes also must stop, Capri added heavyduty fork springs, an anti-dive kit which consists of springs and rubber bumpers, and complete new brake systems front and rear. We should note that during the course of testing, the Luftmeister Kl00 managed to fracture two rear-brake rotors through overheating.
When he was done cramming speed into his K100, Capri wrapped the finished product in a third-generation development of a Parabellum touring fairing. The result is a bike which is probably the fastest completely legal streetbike anywhere. The cost? About $9200 in parts and labor, of which $6142 was spent just on the bike’s engine, for a value of about $25 per horsepower, plus your stock K100.— Jon F. Thompson
