Oh yay or you’ll regret it?

[Mack01]

Now that is a very nice looking bike . If I was into that sort of bike I would be up there like a shot. It is prob just the light/shadows/ camera angle but 5th picture in the front wheel looks a tad wonky. Hope you enjoy the test ride, that seat looks soooo comfy.

[Fozzie]

I don't think you'd lose money on it so why not? Keep it in good fettle.

Take it from someone who had a chance at a near mint Aprilia RS250 in 2012 for just over £1000. Just go for it, as I now see them at 5k as a minimum and it really irritates me

Would have been an amazing bike, and I didn't go for it as I thought I was being too emotional over it, and it would just be a waste of garage space

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

Once again thankyou gerontious, you are a font of BMW knowledge, I’d call you the BMW rainman if it didn’t sound like it could be an insult

I’m off to see the ex BMW mechanic down the road to ask him how much he’ll charge for the 24,000 service and to change the speedo which will have to be an immediate job because Ive never got my head around KMPH and don’t want points. Good to know the bike is the same as a UK bike.

[mention]rennie[/mention] thankyou. Grey parts are?

[mention]Fozzie[/mention] it does feel a bit like it might be one of those bikes that’ll become more desirable with age but it’s all in the test ride cos it’s going to be ridden.

I’ll report back tomorrow after the test ride

Thanks to all for your input. Valuable as always.

ps they’ve taken it off autotrader until I’ve test ridden it which is nice of them but now we can’t look at the pics!

[rennie]

grey imports! models/specs that you couldn't get as standard UK bikes

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

Test rides off for tomorrow because brake pads have been ordered. So it’ll be next week now.

Went to see ex bmw mechanic, he’s such a nice guy and I love listening to his encyclopaedic knowledge and sensible advice on bikes. Him and Gerontious would get on like a house on fire. He was saying a lot of the same things you’ve said [mention]Gerontious[/mention] which was nice to hear.

He’ll replace the speedo for £100 which I thought was good considering the cost of the part. He’ll check the bike over if I get it and let me know what the dealers did and didn’t do when they serviced it. He said if they used EBC brake pads it might be worth thinking about changing them because brembo or ferodo would work better but that’s only a thing to think about.

For the 24,000mile service he said it’s likely to be under £300 and possibly under £200 but he’d really need to see the bike first and if the dealers recently done some of the work it could be less.

He said there probably won’t be a lot of movement on the price because that model has started increasing in value, then he looked at the pics and said yep it looks in good condition, your unlikely to find a lot of wiggle room.

I’ll see if I can put the pics that were on the autotrader link at the top of the post.

Bonus my replacement driving licence turned up today which is spectacularly fast- I only ordered it on Monday! I still look like a Slavic chess player/assassin

[S-Westerly]

You wouldn't have to adjust the headlight as Japan drives on the same side of the road as us.

[Arwen]

All sounding good [mention]Slowlycatchymonkey[/mention] ! You itching with excitement yet?

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

All sounding good @Slowlycatchymonkey ! You itching with excitement yet?

 

I may have got a bit overexcited today consequently like a child I am now so tired my eyes are trying to shut but I won’t let them becasue I need to read more articles about the bike!!

Even my other half is happy about it, he understands I need it... I must remember to get him a birthday prezzie Monday

[Guest]

Even my other half is happy about it, he understands I need it... I must remember to get him a birthday prezzie Monday

 

Hmmmm...... OK........

[Gerontious]

I'm sure you'll like it despite it being from a different era. A bike that was designed before 1993. 4 generations removed from your other bike. A lot more character than more modern machines, much simpler. The engine is effectively eternal. The electrics are sound. The gear box can be click click click. Or click. clunk. Bang, and is nothing to worry about, there is a knack you will learn for smooth changes. It's all cable, so these will eventually snap. There is a replacement schedule for all of them. It has the old style BMW indicator switches.. Which at first are extremely odd. But you soon get used to them. 3 buttons all thumb operated. Exhaust is quiet. And completely stainless. It's pointless replacing it. (And can open a can of worms). Centre stand as standard. Odd horn button. Slow revving. At 4000rpm the bike will be doing 80 and that's only halfway to the redline. Wheels are anodised.. Spokes are stainless. Pilot road tyres really suit it.

One top tip. Never let it stand for more than a few minutes ticking over and definitely never leave it ticking over a few minutes and "forget"... This is very bad for the oil and can cook the hall sensor behind the front plate of the engine. There is no need to ever let it warm up. Just start the engine and go. It's injection, with a lever marked choke. This is just a fast idle which your bike may need at start up.. Or you can (should) just ride it away.

It should tick over.. Once warmed up at a steady 1100rpm.

Strange noises are normal. The way it jerks to one side with the first bang from the engine is perfectly normal too.

Despite buying the Africa Twin and really liking it. I'm still really in two minds about selling my 1100. It fits me perfectly. And because of that, who would buy it? Grotesquely tall bikers with odd tastes in bikes are few and far between.

Edited February 28, 2019 by Gerontious

[Tiggie]

[mention]Gerontious[/mention] you are making me want one too!

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

More manna from heaven [mention]Gerontious[/mention] thumb.

Thankyou I think I will.

A workhorse that will stable well with my show pony.

The electrics must be sound because the dash is from the Star Trek enterprise NCC-1701 and Scotty never complained about the electrics.

I think one of the things I’ve always liked about older things is that theres often knack to them, the clink clink bang will likely mostly be taken care of with my earplugs otherwise I’ll ignore it.

Snappy cables I don’t like. I’ll want to be seeing that schedule soon.

A centre stand, theres a luxury I’ve never known.

Sorry to be so ignorant, what is the hall sensor? What happens if you get stuck in mahoosive traffic jam and there’s no choice but to idle, switch it off?

This I look forward to-

“The way it jerks to one side with the first bang from the engine is perfectly normal too.”

The sideways thump of the 9T starting up is one of my favourite things, always gives me a little thrill.

Your 1100? I’d hold onto it for a year, if you haven’t ridden it you have your answer.

So thinking waaay ahead as if I’ve bought it and ridden it home. Is there’s still an appropriate cruise control can add and any recommendations for heated grips?

[Gerontious]

Purely from memory, the cables, theottle and clutch are replaced at 24000 or thereabouts. Might be 30 or 36. I can check when I get home. The hall sensor is to do with timing the spark plug "spark" it recognises the position of the cylinder and signals the spark to happen at the right point. If the engine gets excessively hot, to the point that the down pipes are glowing, then the cables plastic coating can start to melt and short. And then the spark won't happen. This is only going to happen if the engine is ticking over and you forget... Leave it for a few hours, or longer. This can also make the oil so hot that the sight glass in the engines lower side can melt.... I have heard of that happening. But the bike had been left ticking over for hours. All afternoon.

The sight glass is made from plastic.

I've only once or twice turned the engine off in standing traffic. Both cases a crash up ahead and nobody was moving. People were stood at the side of the car, twiddling their thumbs.

I do believe a centre stand was standard.. But maybe wrong as its a Japanese bike. Heated grips were normal on a lot of bikes from that era.. So, wait and see.

Panniers should use the ignition key, they come from a time before aluminium crates and are quite good. Once nice bit of design is the moirrors are a tad wider, so if the mirrors will fit through a gap, so will the luggage. The pannier on the exhaust side is a little smaller. Be careful when you close them.. Turn the key so the red tab disappears and only then fold down the handle to fully lock the case. If the red tab is damaged the case will not lock and it's a pain to fix.

The bike is air/oil cooled. As well as cooling and lulbricating the engine, the oil carries heat away from the exhaust valves. To a little radiator. It's the case that most bikes like this can overheat if left for too long. Like an hour. It doesn't have a fan that on water cooled bikes would take over.

They sometimes burn oil. Again this is normal for a boxer of this era and is mostly caused when the bike is parked on it's sidestand over night. The cylinder on the stand side will be leaning downwards and what happens is a little oil leaks past the piston rings and is burnt when you start her up. Perfectly normal. If you use the centre stand this oil loss is much reduced.

There's nothing hard or fancy about checking the oil. Park the bike on its centre stand on level ground overnight. And look at the glass in the morning. If you can see oil, then your good to go. There none of this... It must be between this and that mark. See oil in the glass... That's all you need to know. Just try not to overfill. Top up in small amounts and give it time to settle. My bike doesn't need topping up from one service to the next.. It always on its centre stand overnight. That's the cure.

You can likely add a friction throttle stabiliser.. Cruise control wotsit to the throttle grip. Maybe a kaoko.

Other upgrades to think about for the future are braided brake lines.. And eventually replacing the two shock absorbers, but there is no rush to do either.

[Arwen]

The other reason I have heard to not let them ideal on either the center or side stand for too long is the vibrations can knock them off the stand eventually. Just another reason to jump on and go!

I love the sound of the older boxers. Although I did mistake a VW campervan for my partners R1150 once

[Fozzie]

The noise is part of the character

At idle my old ER6F was like "chugga chugga chugga", and my old SV was like "Bom Bom Bom Bom", my CBR600F is like "RrRrrrRrrrRRrrrrRRRrr"

Call me insane, but if this post did what it was meant to, you just read that in the sounds they make

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

[mention]Gerontious[/mention] Who leaves their bike ticking over for hours, someone suffering from amnesia?

I’m not familiar with what burning oil is like. I’m assuming smokey and stinky? Thanks for the oil top up tips, let’s hope there’s a centre stand, I’m shamefully mañana on the maintenance front.

Why braided brake lines and the two shock absorbers?

[mention]Fozzie[/mention] yep I made to noises

[Gerontious]

@Gerontious Who leaves their bike ticking over for hours, someone suffering from amnesia?

I’m not familiar with what burning oil is like. I’m assuming smokey and stinky? Thanks for the oil top up tips, let’s hope there’s a centre stand, I’m shamefully mañana on the maintenance front.

Why braided brake lines and the two shock absorbers?

 

 

Braided Lines improve the brakes.. its a heavy bike and the brakes need every help they can get. I noticed a marked difference when I had mine done.

The bike has two shock absorbers. one at the rear (as usual) and one at the front. The forks are essentially empty tubes and not part of the actual suspension. New Shocks will totally transform the bike.. but, having said that this bike hasnt done many miles so you should get plenty more out of them. but, its something to consider. I went for Wilbers and had them 'made to measure' built for my weight.

People do leave their bikes ticking over.. Ive seen pictures of what happens. The sight glass eventually melts... the engine oil gushes out and the bike dies.

If that doesn't happen.. then the oil gets far hotter than it should, becomes too thin to be effective and the engine suffers significant wear.

Or.. as mentioned stops, because the wiring to the hall sensor loses its insulation, shorts and needs to be replaced. (not too expensive)

you probably wouldn't notice the little bit of oil that burns off after the bike is leaning over, overnight on the side stand. but.. day after day it adds up and then you get the complaints when they notice.. "My Bike is using too much oil!!!" its easily avoided. only use the side stand for short stops. or if you do use it all the time, dont be surprised if the bike needs a little top up every month or two. Its perfectly normal for a boxer of that era. Ask almost any R1100S owner.. no centre stand on them.

I almost never leave the GS on its centre stand overnight. So, it never needs a top-up between services. So long as you can see oil in the sight glass.. when the bike is on its main stand. thats it. as I said there is none of this: it must be between these two levels. it can be full.. it can be almost at the bottom, doesn't matter. if you can see it? that just peachy.

if you were to over top up. thats not a problem either. excess oil is deposited in the air-filter box. under the filter. it even has a nifty little plugged drain-hole to let it out, easier than using the sump plug and draining/refilling.

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

Thanks [mention]Gerontious[/mention]

The dealer said it’s 225kg, google threw up 235kg do you think that’s about right?

Looked at the Wilbur shocks. They’re about £350 each so times two plus labour is a pricey upgrade.

So if the quick google I did is correct the braided lines hold there shape unlike the flexible hoses so they’re more efficient? Do you think it’s pricey job? It doesn’t sound it but you never know!

[Gerontious]

More expensive on an ABS bike.. but on yours, no. an hour or two labour (if that) and its best done when the brake fluid is renewed, which should be done every 24 months. So doesn't need to be "immediate" worth considering for the future though.

Goodridge produce a kit for the bike that costs £106 and you can choose the colour. you can maybe find cheaper if you hunt, or watch eBay.

but these are the cheapest I can find with a quick search: https://tinyurl.com/yykdjf2b

235KG is the dry weight.. so add fuel and oil. these are by any standards heavy bikes. over a quarter ton. but.. they carry most of the weight very low down so dont 'feel' as heavy as they are.. just don't drop it as there is a real knack to lifting it and you can easily injure yourself if you get it wrong.

compare that "dry" weight with the wet weight of your other bike. 222KG.

the full specs are here.. this site is generally reliable, nice little review/commentary at the bottom. https://tinyurl.com/y3dnvlxm

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

More expensive on an ABS bike.. but on yours, no. an hour or two labour (if that) and its best done when the brake fluid is renewed, which should be done every 24 months. So doesn't need to be "immediate" worth considering for the future though.

Goodridge produce a kit for the bike that costs £106 and you can choose the colour. you can maybe find cheaper if you hunt, or watch eBay.

but these are the cheapest I can find with a quick search: https://tinyurl.com/yykdjf2b

235KG is the dry weight.. so add fuel and oil. these are by any standards heavy bikes. over a quarter ton. but.. they carry most of the weight very low down so dont 'feel' as heavy as they are.. just don't drop it as there is a real knack to lifting it and you can easily injure yourself if you get it wrong.

compare that "dry" weight with the wet weight of your other bike. 222KG.

the full specs are here.. this site is generally reliable, nice little review/commentary at the bottom. https://tinyurl.com/y3dnvlxm

 

Thanks for the brake lines info and link. That’s seems quite doable.

Picking up a 250kg bike? No problem

Great article. The website layout doesn’t look promising but the contents well written. Loved the description of the bike design ending up looking like a boxer engine does with “pug nose and cauliflower ears”

It was a surprise to read the speedo was an overly optimistic speedo- out by 6mph. I wonder how far out the 9T is?!

It mentioned more than once a “bikini bike” or “bikini machine” guessing that’s a naked bike? Tried googling it but you can imagine what came up!

Only problem I have now is the more I’ve read about it the more I’ve thought it sounds like just what I want, it’ll be very disappointing if I get up there and it’s not a fit!

[Gerontious]

The reviews were copied from American magazine articles. so the language reflects that.

The Americans have always been rather kinder to BMW than the Brits.. it was a very different time and there was little or no love for the brand, reviewers here were loathe to appear too keen as the bikes were at that time for "old men". Obviously that label has largely gone.

At the time i only read one positive review of my bike and that was in MCN, by a man named Chris Moss and he called it a "hooligan bike disguised as a BMW" and the "fastest real world A-B bike he knew of", which now seems utterly bizarre. This for a bike I've always considered a bit of a Tractor. Its fast as any of the guys who tour with me will tell you, not as fast as a modern GS. but not bad. and the R1100R isn't much slower. They're all torque monsters.

if the seat height is too much for you.. i found this on an archive.

 

If it's like my 97 R1100R, take the driver's seat off and flip it over -

you should find an allen wrench clipped to it. The seat has a bracket

towards the front, which sits on the two cylindrical rubber mounts

located just behind the tank. You should be able to see how these rubber

mounts can be moved (what the allen wrench is for) so that the seat

height is lower.

 

On that same site i linked to above, one interesting thing.

An earlier version of the bike is given 3 seat heights. (29.9 / 30.7 / 31.5 inches)

Now.. that isn't the sort of thing BMW would get rid of as the bike was updated.. so, you never know. Take the seat off and see if there is any adjustment.

[Bender]

But if it is a fit think how big your smile will be.

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

The reviews were copied from American magazine articles. so the language reflects that.

The Americans have always been rather kinder to BMW than the Brits.. it was a very different time and there was little or no love for the brand, reviewers here were loathe to appear too keen as the bikes were at that time for "old men". Obviously that label has largely gone.

At the time i only read one positive review of my bike and that was in MCN, by a man named Chris Moss and he called it a "hooligan bike disguised as a BMW" and the "fastest real world A-B bike he knew of", which now seems utterly bizarre. This for a bike I've always considered a bit of a Tractor. Its fast as any of the guys who tour with me will tell you, not as fast as a modern GS. but not bad. and the R1100R isn't much slower. They're all torque monsters.

if the seat height is too much for you.. i found this on an archive.

 

If it's like my 97 R1100R, take the driver's seat off and flip it over -

you should find an allen wrench clipped to it. The seat has a bracket

towards the front, which sits on the two cylindrical rubber mounts

located just behind the tank. You should be able to see how these rubber

mounts can be moved (what the allen wrench is for) so that the seat

height is lower.

 

On that same site i linked to above, one interesting thing.

An earlier version of the bike is given 3 seat heights. (29.9 / 30.7 / 31.5 inches)

Now.. that isn't the sort of thing BMW would get rid of as the bike was updated.. so, you never know. Take the seat off and see if there is any adjustment.

 

Thankyou.

I clocked the three heights thing but stupidly wouldn’t have thought to have a look!

The old man image may have gone but they still have a bit of an image problem. When someone asks what bike I’ve got once I’ve replied it generally gets a disappointed “oh” that I’m sure I wouldn’t get it I said a Harley, a Bonnie or an Indian!

If 30.7 is the lowest and it’s a close thing I can always lose a smidgen from the seat, although I’d rather not if I go down that route I might go the whole hog and get a gel seat, any opinions?

[Gerontious]

bear in mind this bike went to japan.. and the men there aren't known for being tall. average is 5'7. here its 5'9. Japanese women average under 5'3

The bike might easily have been adjusted to reflect that. before export. it might even have slightly different suspension that makes the bike lower. thats entirely feasible.

But, if you are on tip-toes then have the seat rebuilt, Most of the bike seat experts use far better sponges than they had 29yrs ago. and so, you can lose some height and still have the comfort levels.

What is definitely unusual for this particular bike is that for its entire lifespan as a model there was only one seat available. the R1150R that came afterwards had two, standard and low. sadly you cant use one of them.

Edited March 3, 2019 by Gerontious

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

bear in mind this bike went to japan.. and the men there aren't known for being tall. average is 5'7. here its 5'9. Japanese women average under 5'3

The bike might easily have been adjusted to reflect that. before export. it might even have slightly different suspension that makes the bike lower. thats entirely feasible.

But, if you are on tip-toes then have the seat rebuilt, Most of the bike seat experts use far better sponges than they had 29yrs ago. and so, you can lose some height and still have the comfort levels.

 

It did cross my mind that coming from Japan it would have likely been ridden by someone short and men tend to have proportionally shorter legs than women. You can see in the pic from the ugly ridge it’s already been lowered, I just wonder how far!