Spending money

Yep, I've been spending my hard earned cash again.

I decided that the 10R is crap if I need to carry a weeks worth of
clothing and camping kit and the Tenere is good for carrying everything
but not really fast enough on motorways so I needed something else.
Cost was always going to be a limiting factor along with home
servicing, availability of second hand spares, tank range, luggage and
cruising speed so that narrowed it down to another BMW. I checked with
those that know who told me not to go near an R1100 unless it was very
cheap so that left a K1100.

I now own a 1996 K1100RS. It's in pretty good condition, has almost
complete service history (or receipts for parts) and most of the old
MOT certs to prove the mileage is low. The biggest shock for a 15 year
old bike was the fact that it still has the OEM toolkit, first aid kit
and puncture repair kit and they go for a fair bit of money on Ebay
because people want them when they're trying to restore a bike. It
needs new tyres but that's no big deal given that i don't need anything
sticky on a lardy old barge like that. Being a law abiding citizen I
haven't tested it for top speed yet but it seems to have a pretty
strong motor and I'm guessing that it'd sit at 100mph on the motorway
with no problems at all.

 

Wise words

My K100RS was able to, so I can see no reason why the K11RS shouldn't be
able to as well. They may not be the most inspiring of bikes but they're
bloody competent.

Thinking back, the only reason that I got rid of it and got another
boxer was that while the K was excellent and what it did, what it didn't
do was make me want to get on it and ride.

 

I'd been wondering why there were always plenty of low mileage ones to
be found for low prices and now I know why.

The old 8v RS I had used to sit there at silly speeds all day long but
it was always a bit of a worry in case it started to fall apart. Bikes
over 25 years old really shouldn't be treated like that.

The only reason I bought it was for trips where I need to carry a lot
of kit _and_ ride at fairly high speeds on motorways. It might be
bit heavy for riding on ice but it'll be fine everywhere else.

 

That's pretty much why I bought the 955[1], but every foreign trip
since then has seen me taking the MV or Raptor instead.

[1] Well that & for 2-up trips, but not done one of those further than
Croyde Bay for over ten years now, so I'm knocking that off my list of
'things to own a bike for'.

 

Just watched 'twist the throttle' some annoying american **** was spewing
forth his adoration of the K, you bringing it to the BOSM?

If so, CIHAGM? you can have a go on mine....

 

I fell asleep watching that last night.

I probably will be bringing it (if only so Adie can avoid carrying a
tailpack) and of course you can have a go. I'll probably have fitted
new tyres before then so it might even steer properly. What have you
got then?

 

I'm saying nothing, yet But it's fucking fast...

 

ITYM Autobahn.



--
Lozzo
Versys 650 Inter-Continental Hyperbolistic Missile , CBR600F-W racebike
in the making, TS250C, RD400F (somewhere)
BMW E46 318iSE (it's a car, not one of those 2-wheeled pieces of shite
they churn out)

 

No, M25 & M1. Obviously I wouldn't do something like that but the bike
is probably capable of it.

 

I sort of bought the FJ1200 for that. But then I bought the 955 and
put a luggage kit on it, and that's now the 'reliable' tourer.

If I want something that might break down en route (i.e. to a Chimay)
than i'll take the FJ.

Paul.

 

Aren't they just? I was thinking about that last night, funnily enough
whilst sticking the original screen back on. I co-run the Yahoo Tiger
group, & have done for well over a decade, so have a pretty good feel
for any common faults or niggles. And when it comes to the 955, you've
got the breaking fuel connectors (replaced with non-breaking ones on a
recall), & the buffeting from the screen depending on your height, &...
nothing else.

There's the full mix of people on there from commuters to iron-butters,
including the guy I stayed with in Seattle, who thinks nothing of
stringing a few 1500 mile days together & has done the ice road (as in
Ice Road Truckers) all the way to Prudhoe Bay a few times. Plenty of
people with well over 100k miles now, & I'm struggling to remember any
of them ever mentioning a breakdown.

The only thing I don't like about them (once I tweaked the suspension
to make it more fun) is the height & weight. Either would be ok on
their own, but when you're struggling to reach 5'9" & have the muscle
mass of a vole, it gets a bit fraught at times.

 

Krusty wrote:

[racing snake]

<jubilation>

Aha! That's where I got my impression from.

<relief>

 

It was only your comments today that made me look back to see what you had
bought. I don't read the ng at weekends.

Maybe the best of all the K models. It has a better wheel size than the LT,
you can fit decent radials. The highest final drive ratio. The forks are
better than the 8v with a steel brace under the mudguard and it has those
great Brembo 4 potters and floating discs There is a decent choice of
aftermarket shocks. Like any Beemer, an Odyssey is a good idea when the OE
battery dies. Very nice to get all the OE kit with it.

Only thing you could criticise it for is the seat, which can get a bit hard
with age, but there are loads of places who re-upholser/foam them, and for
the front brake m/cylinder, but it's integrated into the controls and takes
some engineering to change.

Even the headlight isn't total crap with a good H4 bulb but using the main
unit as an HID dip and two PIAA spots as main is a sweet upgrade. I think
Stephen has done something similar.

If you wanted an LT leccy screen style it isn't difficult to swap the
fairing uppers etc. I've a spare RT fairing/light BTW, same fittings but
non leccy screen.

Only other things I can think of are making sure the fuel tubing is good
(under tank). Avoid cleaning/lube products which might degrade all that
inlet manifold rubber. Make sure the shaft splines have fresh Optimoly. Use
a decent fuel filter (splits). Shite in the tank around the pump gauze?

Failures? not a lot. The occasional clutch plate. Brake disk wear (though
those hard HH pads do make them stop well). I think (still) starter
clutches. The odd ABS failure light. Head bearings (not difficult, at which
point putting in a K75S fluid block steering damper is never a bad idea).
Misting in the instruments. I'm sure Steve has already filled you in on the
Lore.