Reflecting on major work, R1100RS

[drj434343]

I finally took my 1997 R1100RS out for a test ride today, after getting everything back together. I can't believe I didn't have extra bolts left over after what I went through. The bike has 60K miles, and if you visit this forum often, you've probably seen several of my questions posted in the last few weeks. Here's a list of what I did.

1. Lubed all splines, including engine output with Honda Moly 60. All splines were perfect and look to have been lubed by previous owners. This job was bad, but not quite as bad as I anticipated. Clutch still had 50% left, so I left it alone. All bearings were also greased after inspection. Everything looked good.

2. Replaced hall sensor unit and alternator belt.

3. Installed new oxygen sensor and AF-XIED unit set to 7.

4. GS intake tubes.

5. Speglier SS brake lines front and back, DOT 4 system flush.

6. All new control cables; throttle, clutch, choke. Greased throttle bar and cable divider under seat.

7. New fuel filter and all new fuel lines, including in tank.

8. Converted instrument, brake, and running light to LED. Headlight converted to HID.

9. Standard maintenance items like all new fluids, spark plugs, spark wires, battery, and air/oil filters.

Finally after all these adjustments, I checked the valves and then synced the throttle bodies.

The test drive was absolutely fantastic. The combination of the GS tubes and the XIED unit seems to have increased power between 1K-3K RPM by 50%. It feels like a completely different bike. Available power around town went from good to ridiculous. Also, there is no more inflection point around 3500 where the power kicked in before. Now the power band seems quite a bit more smooth with no surging. Note; I'm not a very high revver.

I know I changed two fundamental performance attributes at the same time, so I can't really tell which one made a greater difference. However, their combination has fundamentally changed the bike's performance. If there is anyone on the fence about either change, I can highly recommend either one.

My other surprise was how easy the bike was to work on. Once the body work and tank are off, everything was accessible and easy. In fact, I'd say accessibility was superior to my R100RS. The paralever in particular was quite easily understood and worked on.

Overall I'm impressed with the bike. Now it's time to ride!

Thanks to all here who helped with my various issues.

 

[PGlaves]

Excellent!

 

[willhawks]

GS manifolds

work very well and the cost is nominal IMHO.

Best,

Will

 

[drj434343]

I should mention the lack of suspension work in my list. Except for inspecting shock mount bushings, I decided not to do any service on the suspension. I've heard the stories about how people say Ohlins will change the feel of the bike for the better. However, the bike feels fine to me right now, and I hesitate to spend as much on new suspension as I spent on the bike!

Am I really missing out by continuing to ride on stock suspension at 60K miles? My comparison so far is a stock R100RS, so this bike is a revelation in its stock form!

 

[dbrick]

Am I really missing out by continuing to ride on stock suspension at 60K miles?

I'm sorry to say the answer is "yes." If you upgrade the stock suspension with good quality aftermarket products, you'll (metaphorically) beat yourself up for having waited to do so.

 

[CoffeeGuy]

I'm sorry to say the answer is "yes." If you upgrade the stock suspension with good quality aftermarket products, you'll (metaphorically) beat yourself up for having waited to do so.

+1000

There's no comparison. Even if you source a used set of quality aftermarket shocks and toss them on without any rebuild- they're much much better.

 

[roger 04 rt]

...

8. Converted instrument, brake, and running light to LED. Headlight converted to HID.

...

Nice work on everything.

If you replaced your Alt/Batt indicator with an LED you have reduced the starting current (which comes from that lamp) and your alternator, at some point, will not start charging easily at idle. Find the 3W bulb that came from the high beam indicator and put it into the alt/batt position. That will be better than the 1.7W bulb that BMW put in there (and later changed to 3W ).

 

[gsaddict]

I'm sorry to say the answer is "yes." If you upgrade the stock suspension with good quality aftermarket products, you'll (metaphorically) beat yourself up for having waited to do so.

I'll have to agree!
Especially if you have the springs matched to your weight and loading habits.

 

[bc1100s]

Nice work on everything.

If you replaced your Alt/Batt indicator with an LED you have reduced the starting current (which comes from that lamp) and your alternator, at some point, will not start charging easily at idle. Find the 3W bulb that came from the high beam indicator and put it into the alt/batt position. That will be better than the 1.7W bulb that BMW put in there (and later changed to 3W ).

Great advice, Roger! Fortunately for the rest of us, some here have an acute attention to detail.

 

[drj434343]

Nice work on everything.

If you replaced your Alt/Batt indicator with an LED you have reduced the starting current (which comes from that lamp) and your alternator, at some point, will not start charging easily at idle. Find the 3W bulb that came from the high beam indicator and put it into the alt/batt position. That will be better than the 1.7W bulb that BMW put in there (and later changed to 3W ).

Actually, experience with similarly designed systems in my Volvo's means that I did not put an LED in that spot. I left the stock bulb in place, but did not note whether it was 1.7W or 3W. I can say that with my newly installed voltmeter, I get no discernible voltage drop at idle. It's basically 14.1 V all the time when first topping off the battery, then 13.8 V all the time after riding around for a while. Much more rock solid than the R100RS charging!

I am thinking I may have reduced the twist friction of my throttle too much however, because it has become much harder to modulate slow or coasting speeds now. Before, the twist action was so stiff, it almost wouldn't return under its own power. Now it is so easy I have to pay much more attention to my hand action lest I lurch into the back of another car. Part of that is also the greatly increased grunt at low RPM!

 

[drj434343]

To separately address the suspension issue. Are there other brands besides Ohlins that people would recommend? Especially ones that can be more easily sourced on the used market? It seems like front and back for Ohlins, even used, is $1000+.

 

[Bobmws]

To separately address the suspension issue. Are there other brands besides Ohlins that people would recommend? Especially ones that can be more easily sourced on the used market? It seems like front and back for Ohlins, even used, is $1000+.

Ohlins, Hyperpro, Wilburs, YSS are all good shocks, with the YSS being more budget minded. All of these can be tailored to your specs and are more adjustable than the stockers. In addition to that, they are rebuild-able for a nominal amount.