1997 R1100RS potential purchase. How to evaluate condition?

Greetings all. I'm considering upgrading from airhead to oilhead, and I often come across oilheads with less than complete maintenance records. I've read about 40K spline lubes, transmission failures, and paralever bearing play.

In this particular instance. I've found a 1997 R1100RS with 59K on the odometer. It has had several owners. There is a Clymer manual included that has notes from previous owners about fluid changes, tire changes, and general maintenance. I do not believe there are any indicators of major service.

So the question is, what kind of risks are there when considering a bike that may have never had its splines lubed? Should assume an immediate lube job? Should I walk away because the splines may be toast? Are there things I can do to try and evaluate the condition of the splines/transmission/paralever system?

All things being equal, what kind of opinions on value do people have if a bike like this has decent indicators of regular maintenance, but no indicators of major service? I'm sure I can tackle a spline lube myself, but don't want to risk splines that are already toast.

Opinions?

Hi drj,
If the bike has 59K miles and has had no spline issues then it is most likely one of the good ones and will remain so. There are many that make the argument not to lube the splines at all ever and those that say lube every 40K miles. I did my splines on my '04 R1150RT at 35K miles and found them to be pristine under a magnifying glass. In my opinion if your bike of interest has gone 59K miles without problems then it probably is one of the good ones. I also think that this spline thing is a bit over blown but on the other hand if you are one of the unfortunates that has had the problem then it certainly is far from exaggerated for sure. The internet is a great source for info but can easily be inaccurate or exaggerated. Personally, I think much of the trans input spline issue is related to the six speed transmission which a '97 does not have so I really doubt you should be too concerned at all about trans splines. If the price is right and the bike is clean and looks cared for then buy it! Oh, not being serviced by a dealer might even be a plus, imo. Not to point fingers but if this bike is a Portland native then owner service might really be the best thing, enough said on that subject if you get my drift.

Thanks for your response. I don't know a lot of specifics about the BMW service in the Portland area, as I do most of my own maintenance, but it sounds like there are some questionable skills in your opinion.

My biggest issue is sorting all the talk about the issues with these oilheads. I have a good handle on all the airheads issues and feel I could spot and purchase one pretty easily. But the oil heads have asking prices all over the place, and I get the sense there are potentially big issues with the splines back to the paralever on the newer bikes. To an airhead guy, its a little daunting to try and jump in with the same philosophy of doing all your own service.

drj:

I can't help you with your spline question, but before you close on this bike I would suggest you make sure that it has the M97 transmission. The seller can provide you with the number on the case, and the third last letter should be "E".

Here is a link to Anton Largiader's site, which covers the various transmission issues:

http://www.largiader.com/tech/oiltrans/

Good luck.

drj,

I rode a '97 Oilhead RS for thirteen years, and liked it a lot. I think you'd be pleased at the technical improvements over the Airheads.

Splines on the later Paralever bikes can fail, and the Paralever bearings and bushings will fail if misadjusted. The HES wiring on the early (one spark plug per cylinder) bikes is subject to heat-related failure just upstream from the sensors; later bikes may have come with better quality wire from the factory, failures there are less common. The early gearboxes were noisy; Anton's page addresses this. The throttle bodies (particularly on the right) demonstrated shaft wear, resulting in a rattling noise; Anton has a good page on this issue, and there's a fellow in Romania (Dan Cata) who sells rebuild kits at far less than the cost of a new part or a rebuild from the Bing Agency. The cam chain tensioners were updated in later production. Opinions vary on the whizzy brakes, and the life of any brake or ABS system part will be extended if the brake fluid has been completely flushed at regular intervals.

That said...I don't think the Oilheads are particularly unique. They have mechanical weak spots, as any machinery. I think the condition of the particular bike is the most important consideration, much more important than mileage. An owner who can present the bike's service history (doesn't have to have been done at a dealer, but should have been done at reasonable intervals like those specified by the manufacturer) is, IMO, more likely to have treated the bike well.

RINTY said:

drj:

I can't help you with your spline question, but before you close on this bike I would suggest you make sure that it has the M97 transmission. The seller can provide you with the number on the case, and the third last letter should be "E".

Here is a link to Anton Largiader's site, which covers the various transmission issues:

http://www.largiader.com/tech/oiltrans/

Good luck.

Click to expand...

I think a '97 RS probably has an M97 trans and so much the better but that wouldn't make me hesitate if the bike is in good condition overall. I have a R1100RSL that was built in 06/93 with an M93 trans which works, so far, very well and it doesn't bother me that it could fail in the future as the bike is so much to my liking. Of course my RS only has 4K original miles and is like new so even if the trans blew up tomorrow I would still have a smile on my face. How many times could I swap out the trans for the cost of a new BMW? I don't remember what year BMW went to the 2.4 Motronic ECU from the 2.2 and that would concern me more than the trans. The early RS machines were easy to cure lean burn surge, imo. Of course, come to think about it, all oil heads are easy to cure surging what with the wideband sensor mod. I just love the R1100RS.

You should plan to install stainless steel lines before riding very far, the ones on there can burst without warning, and you are WAY past the service life. That will get you a good brake bleed, I would plan on flushing with at least a quart of Dot4 You need to change all the fluids. Check the valve stems, there are common made in china brands that have substandard rubber, and will fail without warning. The last 2 digits of the DOT number determine the year of the tire, if over 5 years old plan to replace them, they are now hard. At least be careful for the first few hundred miles, the outer layer is slick. Make sure the clutch cable is not frayed at either end.
Other than that, RIDE they are good for over 300K smiles. Many folks prefer the 5 speed, 6th is too high on the later ones for most places, and with the torque spread of the Boxer, 4 speeds would be plenty.

Rod

Thanks all for the information so far. I have already asked for the VIN number to get the production date, and was going to figure the transmission type from that. I'll also look for the transmission number itself.

Is there a way, with the bike on the center stand, to test for play in the paralever bearings?

ragtoplvr said:

You should plan to install stainless steel lines before riding very far, the ones on there can burst without warning, and you are WAY past the service life. That will get you a good brake bleed, I would plan on flushing with at least a quart of Dot4 You need to change all the fluids. Check the valve stems, there are common made in china brands that have substandard rubber, and will fail without warning. The last 2 digits of the DOT number determine the year of the tire, if over 5 years old plan to replace them, they are now hard. At least be careful for the first few hundred miles, the outer layer is slick. Make sure the clutch cable is not frayed at either end.
Other than that, RIDE they are good for over 300K smiles. Many folks prefer the 5 speed, 6th is too high on the later ones for most places, and with the torque spread of the Boxer, 4 speeds would be plenty.

Click to expand...

Rod is exactly right on all counts.

drj434343 said:

Thanks all for the information so far. I have already asked for the VIN number to get the production date, and was going to figure the transmission type from that. I'll also look for the transmission number itself.

Is there a way, with the bike on the center stand, to test for play in the paralever bearings?

Click to expand...

Yes it is very easy. Put finger on the gap between the brake caliper and rotor. Using moderate force (less than 5 pounds) attempt to move the top (12 0'clock) of the rear tire from right to left. If you feel any movement, the big ball bearing needs attention. At this many miles, the original shimming was good, since ball bearings are very consistent, you can change only it and use the same shims (oh no, not this again). Removal of the final drive from swing arm is optional. The somewhat odd 7MM Allen socket is in a set from Harbor freight so you can torque things. Same set also fits the big hex of the paralever pivots.

Then one hand between the final drive and driveshaft housing, using the same force at 3 or 9 O'clock, feel for movement. This checks what is probably corrosion damaged paralever pivot bearings. They are also easy to renew, you do have to phase the driveshaft.

A minor seep from the pinion seal is common, and usually best to ignore as it is an odd design, difficult to change due to tools needed and locktite from hell.

Rod