What BMW should I look for?

Hello All!

My first Spockets post -- anyway, I am just back from a 1700 km tour of New England on the back of a Shadow 1100. I need a bike. I am thnking BMW sport-tourer -- what can you recommend?

Rob

What's the budget?

Personally, I don't like the ergonomics on the R1100RS and R1150RS, I feel too scrunched up on them.

For proper touring, I can heartily recommend either a K1100LT or an R1150RT - I've owned both and put a ton of miles on them. In both cases, as with almost all modern BMWs, you probably want to put a better seat on them. The R1150GS I had was also pretty good for touring - depends on how much wind and weather protection you need.

For the older stuff, a good R100RT is a pretty good tourer, although I'd probably get an R100GS instead. As would everybody else, which makes them a tad expensive.

Thanks, Tim!

I've started the search -- I am liking the looks of the K100RS -- and prices don't seem to be too bad.

Rob

I prefer an R for servicing, though I have been tempted by more than one K bike recently. I'll be on the same hunt this winter.

The oilhead R bikes are a breeze for the so-called 'minor service,' (basically a glorified oil change with a bunch of checks) although for any 'major service' - which involves stuff like air filters, fuel filters, brake bleeding (a lot of fun with ABS), etc - all that plastic has to come of of pretty much anything. It's really not a bad job, just time consuming. Any of them will run forever with proper maintenance, just be sure you get one that's followed the factory schedule and procedure, and do the same yourself.

You want to verify the health of the rear end, which is not particularly easy to do by riding or inspecting, it's more of an epidemiological study. If the owner(s) had a propensity for highway trips with the bike waaay overloaded (not uncommon among the Beemer crowd), the rear end bearings can get overheated/overloaded and fail. The rear main bearing isn't a standard service part in BMW language, so it's not an easy job. Not impossible, but no cakewalk.

Anything and everything you want to know about these bikes is online. Poke around and you'll find answers to, seriously, almost any obscure question you might have.

I had a K 100rs for five years. It had progressive springs and a Supertrapp exhaust. Mu only recommendation is to look at "bar-backs". It's an aftermarket fixture that moves the handlebars up and back 1". It doesn't seem like a lot but it does make a difference on long runs.

I put 18,000 miles on mine. I could keep up with the squids, fit a 12 pack in each saddlebag and it was pleasing to the eye.

I installed a removable GIVI trunk box for the wife to lean back on. I don't recall what I paid for it, but I sold it for $3200.

I replaced it with an R-1150 rt.

Dan

There are no bad Beemers.

So I now own a 1991 BMW K100 RS . . .

130 thousand kms . . . white, blue accents. Thanks all.

Where are the pictures?

Pics tomorrow . . . too busy riding tonight

I need a GRM sticker for my bike . . .

Not to hijack; but for anyone following this thread, please don't overlook the K 75s. Same bike but a 3 cylinder 750 and not the 1000 4 cyl.

Quick, light, easy to look at. Bags.

Dan

Doesn't the K75 have issues with the rear drive splines? I've always liked the idea of one, but that has scared me off.

I haven't heard that.

Dan

914Driver wrote: Not to hijack; but for anyone following this thread, please don't overlook the K 75s. Same bike but a 3 cylinder 750 and not the 1000 4 cyl. Quick, light, easy to look at. Bags. Dan

How quick? I've always liked the looks of those.

BMW final drive splines are a BMW owner club phenomenon that got bigger when teh internetz happened.

If they're lubricated w/ some high-pressure grease they'll last forever.