Another possible Oilhead purchase. R1100RS Your thoughts?

Hi Guys.

I hope that your New Year is off to a great start and that you’re staying healthy.

For those who may remember I joined this forum about 5 years ago as I was planning on purchasing an ‘02 R1150RT. I sought your input on common issues and what to look out for. It was quite an education. Well the rest is history, I bought that bike and I must say, it’s a much nicer bike now than the day I bought it, both in appearance and running condition. Thanks in no small part to all of you for sharing your knowledge about Oilheads with me.

Well...I’m considering buying another bike, a 1996 R1100 RS so I’d like to ask for your help once again. Being that this is an older 1100cc model from my current bike and 7 years older, I don’t know if there’s anything in particular I need to be watching out for. Were the premature final drive failures an issue back in ‘96? Surging a problem with the 1100’s, like on the 1150’s? What about the Hall Sensors? When did that become an issue? Something to look out for on this bike? What about the RS in general?

Unlike my RT which was well cared for by a well heeled Doctor, who was the previous owner. This RS seems like it’s spent a lot of time outside near the CA coast. Years of salt air and UV exposure seems to have taken a toll on the finish and hard parts. The bike has 64,000 miles on it. The offer I plan to make will reflect the overall condition and mileage. Speaking of which...the seller is asking $1800. I feel that price is high given the condition. One of our own members from Texas has a R1100 RSL with the full fairing for sale in the marketplace for about $2,000 and is in very nice condition with about the same mileage. Comparing the Texas bike to this bike, I feel the $1800 asking price on this local bike may be overly optimistic. The Seller seems like a very nice guy. We’ve spoken on the phone and I can tell, he seems like the sort of guy, you’d enjoy chatting with over a beer. Just a very pleasant & nice guy. That said, I don’t want to offend him with a low offer, but I feel the bike may only be worth half as much, taking in to account the appearance. What are your thoughts? My plan would be to bring this bike up to snuff and use it as my daily rider.

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At a glance, nice looking from a distance, but....slightly dull paint, ripped seat, abrasion on cylinder heads (left and right) Rusted and corroded bolts and fasteners.

Surging - There have been many comments on this forum that it really pays off to be picky/finicky/OCD with the valve clearances and throttle body & cable balance on the 1150s... The 1100s were even more so, but it paid off. If the TPS has been played with, or even if not, you may need to reset it per either Rob Lentini's or Roger 04's instructions; the only difference is where the "Zero" is set to... and I've found (on several bikes) that it really didn't matter as much as some seem to believe; all that happens is the "scale" of the computer signals is offset, and the computer does adapt to it. I've used a good DVM to set "zero" to about 4 or 5 millivolts (try to get less and the pot's wiper just falls off the resistor element); but the Bosch spec says zero should be 250 mV. At the bike's age, the resistor may be corroded or cracked, which will show up as erratic DVM readings as you twist the throttle (key on but engine off).

Yes you'll definitely need to upgrade the HES wiring if it hasn't been done already; often the bad insulation is hiding under the harness' jacket where you can't easily spot it.

The 1100RS had adjustable handlebars - and for me at least, that helped make it a great ride (friends' bikes several times). My 1150RS had fixed bars, and I hated them.

Delete the charcoal canister, and add a fender extender up front, and maybe a Hugger at the rear.

Look carefully for other damage - the valve covers "look like" parking-lot tips-overs, but look for bent hand or foot controls, etc.

TA

Getrag didn't get the transmissions sorted out on these bikes until 1997. So you want a '98 or later. The whole story is on Anton Largiader's site.

Many of these bikes surge, but that can be cured with a Beemer Boneyard AF-Xied chip.

Excellent point. If the test ride reveals notchiness or reluctance to shift - especially between 2nd and 3rd gears, either up or down - walk away unless you can get in there yourself and the seller drops the price a bit more for the effort. And if you can, that's also the time to R&R the clutch pack and inspect and lube the trans input splines. If the shifting is merely "sloppy", that can be either the linkage or those splines.

Tangoalpha,

Have you got lots of time on your hands / money in your pockets and want to get rid of both?

Just sayin'....

Hey...thanks very much for the feedback. I really appreciate the advice. Those are definitely some things I’ll keep in mind when I go to look at that bike tomorrow

I’ll be sure to ask about when/or if the Hall sensor was replaced and the last time the splines were lubed. I’m hoping what I’m seeing is just cosmetic and the bike turns out to be jmechanically sound.


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Rinty said:

TA

Getrag didn't get the transmissions sorted out on these bikes until 1997. So you want a '98 or later. The whole story is on Anton Largiader's site.

Many of these bikes surge, but that can be cured with a Beemer Boneyard AF-Xied chip.

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Rinty...so this 1996 bike is a 5 speed gearbox? My 2002 RT has the 6 speed unit. I will read up more on Anton’s site. Thanks for the suggestion.


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BC1100S said:

Tangoalpha,

Have you got lots of time on your hands / money in your pockets and want to get rid of both?

Just sayin'....

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Ha! Ha! That reminds me of an old saying about a fool and his money soon being departed. All really good points. I may pass up on it, but somewhere in the back of my head I was thinking if I could pick it up at a low price it might make an excellent project. I do love having projects and I recently sold my last motorcycle project, so this would take its place. Keeps me busy and out of trouble. That said, I would need to buy it cheap to make it worthwhile, then use it as a commuter bike.

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tangoalpha said:

Rinty...so this 1996 bike is a 5 speed gearbox?

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Yes, the six speeds came in with the 1150 engine.

...it might make an excellent project...

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...requiring expensive parts, so this will be risky. And there's other risk: Jim Von Baden just refreshed a 1993 R 1100 RS, and he never did get the transmission drain plug out. But he got the bike for free.

tangoalpha said:

Rinty...so this 1996 bike is a 5 speed gearbox? My 2002 RT has the 6 speed unit. I will read up more on Anton’s site. Thanks for the suggestion.

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Yes, the 1100R/RS/RT/GS were the 5 speed gearbox, single spark engines.

The '96 had the M93 gearbox, revised by the M97.
You also want to check:
Hall Sensor wiring harness - MUST be either repaired or replaced.
Cam Chain Tensioner - MUST be replaced with the upgraded parts (left side only)
Original rubber brake hoses - Must be replaced, usually with stainless braided hose kit from Speigler USA or Galfer.

m_stock10506 said:

Yes, the 1100R/RS/RT/GS were the 5 speed gearbox, single spark engines.

The '96 had the M93 gearbox, revised by the M97.
You also want to check:
Hall Sensor wiring harness - MUST be either repaired or replaced.
Cam Chain Tensioner - MUST be replaced with the upgraded parts (left side only)
Original rubber brake hoses - Must be replaced, usually with stainless braided hose kit from Speigler USA or Galfer.

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Thanks very much for that. I definitely will be going in to this with my eyes wide open and have a better idea of what to look out for.


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Thanks to everyone for your feedback. Your thoughts and opinions are greatly appreciated, especially since you guys have more knowledge on this subject than myself. Thanks also for being upfront and truthful about the risks involved with this particular series of bikes. If I had not asked the question, I would have never known...possibly until after buying the bike and by then it would be too late. So again, thanks for sparing me that. At this stage based on what I now know it seems doubtful that I’ll be buying this bike. I will do my due diligence and take a look tomorrow, but at this stage unless I’m able to pick the bike up for dirt cheap...like $500 I think I’ll look elsewhere.


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m_stock10506 said:

You also want to check:
Hall Sensor wiring harness - MUST be either repaired or replaced.
Cam Chain Tensioner - MUST be replaced with the upgraded parts (left side only)
Original rubber brake hoses - Must be replaced, usually with stainless braided hose kit from Speigler USA or Galfer.

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The above adds up to $400-$600 in parts. And the calipers will probably need a rebuild -$100 in parts? Seat repair will be another $100+. If the tires are more than 5 years old = $300-$400. It adds up fast!

BC1100S said:

The above adds up to $400-$600 in parts. And the calipers will probably need a rebuild -$100 in parts? Seat repair will be another $100+. If the tires are more than 5 years old = $300-$400. It adds up fast!

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Yes, but the R1100RS is one of the nicest models BMW ever built which is why Voni has over 400,000 on her '94 built in March and purchased in May of 1993.

PGlaves said:

Yes, but the R1100RS is one of the nicest models BMW ever built which is why Voni has over 400,000 on her '94 built in March and purchased in May of 1993.

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An excellent point and it does go to show what’s possible when you properly maintain/service your own bike. However, I think it’s fair to say that while BMW’s are known for high mileage, Voni’s bike is in a league of its own. Pretty rare to find that. I attribute a large part of that to the fact that you guys do the maintenance yourself. The amount of knowledge that you’ve amassed on the subject of BMW maintenance is staggering. The condition of Voni’s bike reflects that. This example that I’m looking at is not a fine specimen and from what I can tell, it may of had a somewhat hard life. More on that later....I’ve learned a bit more about the seller who is a pretty interesting person and he has a story that I think most will enjoy hearing about.

Anyway, I think the guys are trying to bring me up to speed on what perils may await me if I proceed with the purchase and it’s helpful to have a ballpark estimate on what that may cost. That’s super helpful. It sounds like to whatever the cost of the bike is, I should be prepared to dump another $1k in to it. As I always say, all good decisions require good information. I appreciate everyone’s input. If I do end up moving forward with this bike, I sure hope to pick that brain of yours....I will have a lot of questions about the RS.


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I also have this model which I really enjoy riding, have done every reliability mod ever mentioned. Maintenance is easy, compared to the 1150, the brakes are easier to do your annual flush, there is a ton of used parts on e-bay for these models which makes finding some expensive dealer spares more cost effective. With the Afxid installed, I always run over 50 MPG. The only issue I can see in the future is the 18" rear tire, now I you are good with not using a Michelin Pilot 2, then you are Okay in that respect. I picked up a 17" wheel to give me more tire flexibility. It's a good all around daily rider, lighter than the RT, easy to get to everything without the lowers to worry about.

jagarra said:

I also have this model which I really enjoy riding, have done every reliability mod ever mentioned. Maintenance is easy, compared to the 1150, the brakes are easier to do your annual flush, there is a ton of used parts on e-bay for these models which makes finding some expensive dealer spares more cost effective. With the Afxid installed, I always run over 50 MPG. The only issue I can see in the future is the 18" rear tire, now I you are good with not using a Michelin Pilot 2, then you are Okay in that respect. I picked up a 17" wheel to give me more tire flexibility. It's a good all around daily rider, lighter than the RT, easy to get to everything without the lowers to worry about.

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Thanks for that. You bring up a great point about the annual brake flush. My RT is due again for the annual flush and I’m dreading it. Such a PITA! I for one do enjoy having whizzy brakes. They stop with authority and are great for where I live where hills are plentiful. That said, I still loathe doing the annual flush.

How many miles do you have on your RS currently?


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PGlaves said:

Yes, but the R1100RS is one of the nicest models BMW ever built...

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Yes, its a nice bike but its no R1100S (Pacific Blue).

You may want to invest in a set of telescopic rear view mirrors...to keep an eye on those blue S Bikes.

bluehole said:

You may want to invest in a set of telescopic rear view mirrors...to keep an eye on those blue S Bikes.

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Still jealous after all these years, eh?