Behold, I have returned from the lands of the frozen north

On the K1100LT, no less. Well, *less* two side panels as they are suffering
from broken lug syndrome and need plastic welding[1] before they'd stay in
place again. So the previous owner (jolly nice chap) will stick them in the
post instead, seeing that they are too big to fit into either panniers or
top box.

It looks like it had had a respray in the original colour at one point (no
idea why, HPI doesn't know either) so the finish is better than the
original in those areas that usually suffer, like the front mudguard.
Overall the bike seems to be in decent condition for it's age (with 48k on
the clock) although it does seem to be running a tad on the warm side. Not
*hot* but a bit too warm - may be a gauge or related problem, though.

It had the usual ABS fault (which the seller had mentioned) that cured
itself once I turned off the light before starting the engine, a
non-working radio (needs decoding) and seems to be in dire need of a
service. On the plus side, it came with full luggage plus an original BMW
tank bag and the seller had a new tyre fitted as the old one way very close
to appearing on websites dedicated to barely legal teens. Not much
paperwork with it but at least it's got most of the MOTs so the mileage
looks correct.

Took me a little more than four hours to get back from Grimsby to Ashford so
it's a reasonably quick cross-country weapon even though there is no Golf
floorpan in sight.

To celebrate this even, the VFR could now go to a new home for approx 1200
quid as (a) I need to pay for the service (and TOG[2] paid close to 600
quid for the full service on his, using the same BMW specialist as I do)
and (b) I'd like to be able to shut the garage door again.

[1] I haven't worked up the courage to ask The Spic yet as it's a BMW.
[2] Whose LT is incidentally the same colour, although IIRC it's a tad
newer. I'm beginning to get worried that I'm turning into mini-TOG.

 

Not sure if you've had an 1100 before but my experience is that they run
hotter than the K75 or K100.

An utter fucking pain in the arse that one.

I'm pretty close to removing the ABS from mine.

 

Ah, that's good to know - I've only had K75s and K100s so far so was I tad
worried that it wasn't 100% right. But if they're running hotter then it
looks like it's OK.

Well, as I've got an Accumate with the BMW power socket adaptor I'm not too
worried about it.

Bit radical, that. The bloke I bought the K75S from had done that as it had
some expensive defect - it worked, but the result wasn't 100% convincing.

 

Me too, but the battery needs to be 100% and I can't be organised enough
to make sure that every fucking battery on the four bikes keeps charged.

Prolly doesn't help that I haven't got the tuit to connect my garage to
the mains.

Well, In reality I'm pretty close to thinking about doing it. Not sure
I actually will get around to it in the next 22 or so years. After then
quite probably...

 

Well, it's the running and working.

Every weekend I'm running five miles on Saturday and 10+ on Sunday.
That on top of about 15 or so during the week rather takes it out of
one. Plus work is rather challenging atm.

Still, it's all good; or mostly so.

Rest assured, once I find the tuit to sort the power I'll give you a
bell; prolly during early April.

 

Indeed so, I have had ' the ABS light problem' on a K100 and this K11. It's
the battery. It's always the battery.

 

And if it isn't, it can get mightily expensive. But it looks like the
gamble paid off in this case.

 

Have you ever considered just offloading a load of the attractive, but
ultimately never ridden, old tat you choose to keep in there, and
instead use it to keep more of the stuff you do use?

The VFR is probably an excellent back up bike you see...

ObVFR: How much longer for this world are the tyres, Mr?

 

Well, some of that tat is marked for sale once I get around to getting them
running properly and MOT'd...

Well yes, but OTOH I'm not madly keen on keeping two bikes that do pretty
much exactly the same...

For what I'd use the VFR for I'd say another month, two months max - mind
ewe, that's about 2000-4000 miles...

 

Dunno, probably. If it's fitted it has to work is the usual mantra.

And self-defeating: the tester would expect the ABS indicator to
illuminate and go out as part of the self-test procedure when the key
is turned.

 

Depends, IWHT, on the bike and where you take it. If for instance, the MOT
platz has no rolling road and the bike is a Beemer,(dunno about the new
stuff) the light doesn't go out till the bike is doing x mph *and* both
brakes have been used. In this case, obviously, a pass results. As to your
point in general, dunno, I'll enquire.

 

That's because air bags do not fall within the tester's remit. There
is no mention of anything airbag-related in the manual. I had to ask
this question a while ago as my Peugeot shows the airbag warning
light, yet has passed three tests in my ownership: the light was
'noted' once.

ABS, otoh, is specifically mentioned in both car and bike testers'
manuals. However, info here:
http://www.ukmot.com/bike/3-1.asp
states that a defect found in the ABS system should be "advised" to
the presenter of the motorcycle.

So we're back to 'dunno' until a tester shows up and fails this
thread.

 

AFAIK it's not a failure point.

If they know enough about the system, that is.

 

That's the *other* brake warning light you're talking about. That one works
even on those bikes without ABS.

 

Not according to the place where I have my MOTs done. I asked last
year.

 

Timo Geusch wrote:
..

I plead the 'fuckwit defence(ish)' yer honour. The rear light monitor goes
out when the brakes are used, however the MC does require to move @ 5kph to
cancel the two ABS lights, nicht wahr?

 

Something like that, although I think the (single) ABS warning light on
the 1100 goes out once it gets decent readings from both sensors. IIRC
the older ones required you to go over 5kph.

 

In other news, chap here bought a R1200GS last summer, it had only done
900 miles in 2 years. He's been commuting on it (Oxford to Warwick in
all weathers). 13000 miles it's lasted. Currently back at the dealers
for complete gearbox and clutch replacement.

Chuffed he ain't.

 

mike. buckley says...

<opens little black book>

 

How does one do this?