The BMW K1 has been a distant memory for the past year; a project I had no immediate need to use but still wanted to have in good working order. I sent it to my friend and longtime Isuzu mechanic, Jay, in Rhode Island, who has a fair amount of motorcycle experience. However, Jay eventually owned up to admitting that he wasn't equipped to restore a BMW motorcycle, and after sending the fuel tank out to be resealed and the fuel tree rebuilt - and paying for shipping back and forth to Jay's shop - we threw in the towel.
Ironically, the gentleman who rebuilt the K1's fuel system is also well known in the community for being a BMW expert. So, I asked him if he'd be willing to get the bike into safe operation, and he was happy to do so. Known as Joel, he's been very fair with me on the fuel system rebuild and I suspect he'll do the same with the bike's overall refresh.
After sitting at Jay's for a year, Joel had the bike running within 2 days of arriving at his shop. No smoke or bad noises and it shifts as it should. There's more to do but I've asked Joel to keep it within a reasonable budget - this is not a full restoration, it's simply to get the bike in good, running order. He sent the video below and it sounds healthy, and I'm encouraged at how easily it has come back to life after a decade of dormancy.