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98 r1100rt gvw?

R

ryan1100rt

New member
This summer after returning for deployment I bought a R1100RT. Then I put some money in to it. 22 year old bike go figure. New Clutch, tires, shocks, seat, breaks.

My question is, if the bike is 622 lbs wet, I'm 200, my wife is 150 then add our stuff we get pretty close to the owners manual GVW recommendation. Should I be concerned? Our gear is basically clothes and running shoes.

Thanks

Ryan
 
Congrats on your new bike, welcome to the forum, and welcome home!

What is the GVW of your R100RT ? Does the owners manual show a separate spec for payload?
 
Pack light, check the condition of your tires and add 4-5 pounds of pressure to each, set suspension heights for the weight you'll carry, and be cautious as you ride. You'll be better prepared for two-up touring than 90% of folks out there.
 
The owners manual says around 997 lbs. I saw another something from bmbikes.co.uk that said the max was 1079. I think we weigh in around 1020.

Thanks

Ryan
 
ryan1100rt said:
The owners manual says around 997 lbs. I saw another something from bmbikes.co.uk that said the max was 1079. I think we weigh in around 1020.

Thanks

Ryan
Click to expand...

Sound's like you'll be fine but as mentioned, you might want to pack as if you'll be carrying your luggage on your back - light!

It also sounds like you're pretty handy with tools. You might consider changing out your front wheel bearings (they're cheap!) as a precautionary measure. Having tires in good condition is very important but DO NOT inflate your tires beyond the maximum indicated on the sidewall. (That is sure to ignite some discussion :D)
 
ryan1100rt said:
This summer after returning for deployment I bought a R1100RT. Then I put some money in to it. 22 year old bike go figure. New Clutch, tires, shocks, seat, breaks.

My question is, if the bike is 622 lbs wet, I'm 200, my wife is 150 then add our stuff we get pretty close to the owners manual GVW recommendation. Should I be concerned? Our gear is basically clothes and running shoes.

Thanks

Ryan
Click to expand...

Ryan, I don't think you have anything to fret about, My Bride and I have travelled all over the CONUS and Canada on our RT and even pull a Bushtec trailer. heed the words of others on this forum, and perform your regular maintenance and I'm sure that bike will perform well for you. Ours is a year 2000 with over 157,000 miles on her and still runs like a charm



CRATER LAKE

IMG_6469 B.jpg
 
I'm encouraged by "Snookers" post above however I have to wonder if over loading these bikes contributes significantly to failed rear drive units as I suspect the final drives are under built for two up touring.
My $0.02.
I use mine for commuting to work and grocery store runs.
I seldom have a rider on back.
Following this thread .....
Cheers Flhfxd
 
BC1100S said:
Having tires in good condition is very important but DO NOT inflate your tires beyond the maximum indicated on the sidewall. (That is sure to ignite some discussion :D)
Click to expand...

To be more clear, when I say add 4-5 lbs to tire pressure, I am NOT advocating going over the tire manufacturer's maximum. I have found that my R1100RS works better with more air than BMW recommended, even with just me on it. But the tire manufacturer's maximum must not be exceeded. I trust them to know.
 
My shop manual (pub. Feb 2000) says the "unladen weight, ready for road, full tank" of the RT is 606.375 pounds (three decimal places???), and the permitted total weight is 1080.45 pounds. So, this "should" allow for an extra 474 pounds of payload.
Temper this with the fact that many folks tour two-up plus luggage on these without issue.
 
flhfxd said:
I'm encouraged by "Snookers" post above however I have to wonder if over loading these bikes contributes significantly to failed rear drive units as I suspect the final drives are under built for two up touring.
My $0.02.
I use mine for commuting to work and grocery store runs.
I seldom have a rider on back.
Following this thread .....
Cheers Flhfxd
Click to expand...

I believe that there are many contributing factors which may/can lead too the failure of the rear drives.
To list a few, I would say the lack of regular maintenance ,ei. oil change and style of riding. I'm sure there are more, although the final drive on our beast is solid, verified by the 12 0'clock six o'clock and the nine and three o'clock twist /tug test with the rear tire and wheel assembly. The final drive on the R1100RT is much better than the final drive on my K1200S, and the large internal bearing actually gets lubricated by the oil in the final drive, unlike the K1200S where the large bearing is a sealed unit outside of the gear casing
 
Pauls1150 said:
My shop manual (pub. Feb 2000) says the "unladen weight, ready for road, full tank" of the RT is 606.375 pounds (three decimal places???), and the permitted total weight is 1080.45 pounds. So, this "should" allow for an extra 474 pounds of payload.
Temper this with the fact that many folks tour two-up plus luggage on these without issue.
Click to expand...

Paul, if my memory is correct, the GVW for my '98 R1100RT is under a thousand pounds. I was surprised with this when I got the bike as my K100RT was over a thousand pounds.
 
jsouth said:
To be more clear, when I say add 4-5 lbs to tire pressure, I am NOT advocating going over the tire manufacturer's maximum. I have found that my R1100RS works better with more air than BMW recommended, even with just me on it. But the tire manufacturer's maximum must not be exceeded. I trust them to know.
Click to expand...

We're in violent agreement. :laugh
 
If I had my bike loaded to or above the maximum GVW I would set my tire cold (20C) pressures to the maximum stated on the sidewalls.
 
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