Oh yay or you’ll regret it?

[Gerontious]

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!

 

I would guess that its on the lowest possible. my Africa Twin doesn't have a ridge, it has the opposite and there are many complaints about it from owners who have been forced to put the seat on the lower setting. If someone produce a 'filler' they would sell shedloads/

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

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!

 

I would guess that its on the lowest possible. my Africa Twin doesn't have a ridge, it has the opposite and there are many complaints about it from owners who have been forced to put the seat on the lower setting. If someone produce a 'filler' they would sell shedloads/

 

I saw a pic of a custom seat where they removed the ridge by making the seat in one smooth piece. Looked good but large like a horses saddle! It also Looked pricey!

[Guest]

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!

 

I would guess that its on the lowest possible. my Africa Twin doesn't have a ridge, it has the opposite and there are many complaints about it from owners who have been forced to put the seat on the lower setting. If someone produce a 'filler' they would sell shedloads/

 

I saw a pic of a custom seat where they removed the ridge by making the seat in one smooth piece. Looked good but large like a horses saddle! It also Looked pricey!

 

Sargent seat? If so, very comfortable.

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

I would guess that its on the lowest possible. my Africa Twin doesn't have a ridge, it has the opposite and there are many complaints about it from owners who have been forced to put the seat on the lower setting. If someone produce a 'filler' they would sell shedloads/

 

I saw a pic of a custom seat where they removed the ridge by making the seat in one smooth piece. Looked good but large like a horses saddle! It also Looked pricey!

 

Sargent seat? If so, very comfortable.

 

I do not know it was one of many google images. What is this Sargent seat you know of?

[S-Westerly]

Another custom seat builder is Corbin although they are based in the USA. About £400 for a seat though.

[Gerontious]

Sargent do not appear to list the R1100R amongst their products. Corbin do and their prices start at £896.40 for front and rear. They do not list front only.

I wouldn't bother, a large part of what you are paying for, you already have; the seat 'Pans'. if you do find that you want the seats rebuilt then use a local craftsman.

Most local to you is South West upholstery in Bristol. https://tinyurl.com/y44f42xk There are others nationwide. Doing something like this means you get exactly the seat you want, and if it turns out that you have to have it on the lower setting then the seat can be built to hide the unsightly ridge.

For example. though this particular bike has been heavily modified at the rear and that pillion seats pan has been cut down. the rider seat is original underneath though.

 

 

And here is a Corbin.. sold only yesterday on ebay for £300. looks too high.. but again gives an idea of what is possible.

 

Edited March 3, 2019 by Gerontious

[S-Westerly]

Ouch. Corbin were popular with some Ducati owners a while back. I agree that local would be better.

[Guest]

I picked up Sargent seats for our GS for £70 second hand and sold them for £75. Very comfy but if they don't make em for that bike then don't matter

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

Thanks for for suggestions

[mention]Gerontious[/mention] thankyou for the link I had no idea they existed. The company I was aware of is in Cardiff. The dealer said (when he rang to ask how tall and strong I was ) that they have a seat person that could shave some height off the seat (probably for more wedge) but if it goes ahead I’d rather use someone local. I like the seat in the first pic and have no interest in carry a pillion (happy to risk my own neck but don’t want to be responsible for other people’s) perhaps a cut down pillion seat would be an advantage for carrying luggage?

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

I picked up Sargent seats for our GS for £70 second hand and sold them for £75. Very comfy but if they don't make em for that bike then don't matter

 

That’s a bargain.

[skyrider]

£896.40 that must be some seat

[Gerontious]

£896.40 that must be some seat

 

Pair of seats. complete and hand made in America. And i believe the costs include air freight, import duties, vat, and a little bit of money I'm sure for their British agents. you cant buy direct. (anymore) the price for the seats themselves is £508

This kind of rubbish is what we have to look forward to.. as 'normal' for everything imported... exciting eh?

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

Hmm have read some not so great things about DK motorcycles. Wondering is there any tell tale signs that a bikes mileage is not genuine?

Test ride sorted for Friday morning when there might be a break in the rain!

[mikestrivens]

lack of relevant paperwork might be a clue.

[oldgrump]

lack of relevant paperwork might be a clue.

If it's a Import then probably very little paperwork on mileage side, just look at overall condition of bike! BMW engines are renown for the paint to come off the front casings? So a look at front casing can normally give some idea if it has been looked after and mileage, But a lot of Jap imports are very Low mileage.

And been to DK a couple of times, and yes some of their bikes are Spares and Repairs only, but normally they are listed and sold as such.

And always found them very helpfull, In fact trailered a bike up to them some time ago for a new exhaust, They are also Delkevic exhaust company, They made a complete Exhaust for the bike in Question and then brought the bike with new pipes back to my mates house in Poole, completely Free of charge.

Can't argue with that for sevice.

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

TLDR Too much £ for the condition of the bike.

Test rode the bike, loved it but walked away.

The pictures are not representative of the bikes actual condition. It was rustier than it looked in areas that didn’t show in the photos. The chrome surrounding the instrument cluster etc is bubbled and ready to flake. The forks aren’t actually pitted but they’re well on their way. The screen had a million little scratches that gave it quite a haze but it was difficult to tell it’s actual condition because the whole bike was heavily coated in some sort of silicone (which made me slide around on the bike- hmmph). The neutral lamp did its own thing so you didn’t know if it was in neutral and the fuel light seemed to be having a disco so after an hour of wondering whether I was about to run out of fuel or not I headed back also wondering if all the electrics were dodgy or if it was the switches? I noted a small pool of oil under the bike when it was pulled out.

If it was in excellent condition I would’ve paid near what they were asking, looked after it and viewed it as an investment in a future classic because I could easily imagine in 20years time it becoming just that. Equally if it was rusty and a bit worn and the price reflected that then I would have gone for it then too and just enjoyed it for what it is. We negotiated down to the £3700 mark and I’m sure a bit of a push would’ve taken it to 3600 but I stopped at that point because it still wouldn’t have been enough once I’d adjusted the spend to include new speedo, seat and screen it was too rich for my blood.

Mechanically I loved the way it felt. The gears are clunky but so similar to the 9T it took me a while to remember they’re supposed to be more difficult because it is nearly 20 years old!

We got it together so quickly I also forgot I was supposed to be test riding it and was just enjoying myself. I could see myself easily being on it for hours and for the idea of bimbling round Europe (assuming they’ll still let us in) it would be perfect- it was so comfortable. I loved the saddle, seating position and had no problems flat footing (5’ 4”) but the gap that was created where the saddle is supposed to butt up against the tank was so large you could see into the bike and rain would easily find its way in so a new seat would be necessary.

I loved the way it rode, more genteel than the 9T so consequently good for admiring the scenery, I was delighted to find it does go as well. Not with the same oomph but then the bhp isn’t mind blowing (or awful) so that’s fine. Having said that I had to rain it back in several times as it smoothly gathers speed without you realising- which in an unknown place FULL of speed cameras and a kilometre speedo was... well ahem let’s hope I don’t have any speeding tickets heading my way

It went where I wanted it to without being asked and vibrated less than my decades younger 9T! Brembo brakes are the best.

It is heavy. The 30 extra kgs was noticeable when I went to move it but then I’m not built for moving 250kgs and still could manage- just. It was also good on the very potholed lay-by at absorbing the bumps. When it deviated away from the balance point I felt that extra weight and this evening my arms are a tad sore so for the weedy it’s definitely a bike for smooth tarmac. The exhaust sound is meh, I don’t want anything extreme but this is bit too polite for my liking but if you were listening to it for hours on end then probably the quieter the better.

One thing that is altering my thinking a little is ULEZ. London is first, Birmingham is following suit and I know Bristol and Bath councils met last year and agreed to introduce ULEZ, it’s just a question of when. My car is diesel and on the wrong side of things for charges and I’m wondering if getting a bike I have to be careful where I ride is wise as- firstly who knows where ULEZ’s will end when there’s revenue to be had and secondly it will likely cause a big depreciation in non compliant bikes which I wouldn’t want absorb but might well like to take advantage of £££. I’m wondering if I should off load my car now before people hear about it.

A massive thankyou for all of your help and comments- I knew what I was looking for and I used them in the negotiating to bring the price down which isn’t easy when they can see the smile the bike has put on your face

I have looked at several other R1100Rs since I got back, I felt a lot of love for it and could see it doing exactly what I want so that model is way up on my want list. It did not disappoint.

[skyrider]

that's a shame that the bike was not in the condition that you hoped especially as you had travelled to view it, but summer is coming and there will be more out there which will be more to your liking

[Bender]

If it's not right it's best to walk.

[Arwen]

Sound like you had fun with it, but managed to keep rose tinted glasses off. Well done, sounds like you done the right thing

If you really want one, there are quiet a few of them around. Maybe not that low of mileage, but I've seen a few that were in showroom condition.

[Gerontious]

yes. for the money asked it should be a minter,, and it wasnt so you were right to walk away.

if you liked the bike then i would suggest you forget the 1100 and look instead the the 1150 which had a hydraulic clutch (rather than cable) and its known that the hydraulic clutch has a much longer life than the previous cable version.

these bikes had a 5 year lifespan and were merely a continuation of the 1100.. a new lease of life so to speak.

in almost every other respect the underlying bike was identical.. just a slightly larger by 47cc (I think) engine.

Things to bear in mind... and i mentioned this already. miles DO NOT matter. its all about the bikes condition,. condition is everything.

There is only one thing that I would probably avoid in these bikes and it is those that came with the servo-assisted brakes. that came with bikes from 2003. It was at the time a bit dodgy and its very common to find bikes where this was removed. if those bikes also had ABS too, then that was disabled as well as a side effect. Removal/conversion is relatively simple and inexpensive.

The PLUS of servo.. is that you can brake hard with just one finger. no strength required. And I have to say that if the SERVO still works perfectky after all these years then there is no reason why that should continue to be the case going forward.

Another bike to consider was the RS version. That is an R with slight sporty edge. you could call it a sports tourer. but its not a sports bike. Under the slightly different aesthetics, a bit of a fairing being the main difference, lies exactly the same bike as the R which is itself just an upgrade of the bike you looked at the r1100r

This is the R1150R that did not have the Servo. you can immediately tell by the spark plug cover which is a 'stripe' of plastic.

 

 

This is the version that "may" have the servo.. see the spark plug cover is a tadpole shape.

 

 

There was also a 'special version called the Rockster.. which looked like this. and i believe was lower that the standard bike.

 

 

and finally, the curveball... RS. which again can be differentiated. servo or non servo by the shape of the sparkplug cover.

 

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

Thanks all, I did feel deflated. Tempting as it was to just go with the flow and enjoy it, it wasn’t the right thing to do.

I was looking at the pics again and wondering if they use software to clean the images up or if they just have a particularly good photographer. The instrument cluster just didn’t look like that, the metal had small marks all over it the the chrome surrounds on the instrument cluster lamps was bubbled which is hard to believe when you see the pics.

[mention]Gerontious[/mention] The mileage and the cost of the potential clutch issue does reduce the pool of bikes a fair bit so that’s great thankyou, I’ll have a look at the 1150

[Arwen]

I'd be super jealous if you got a rockster, I very much like them!

[skyrider]

and now you feel inflated again Gerontious has given you a few more choices

[rennie]

Thanks for the write up!

I think you've probably done the right thing