I've been half looking at an upgrade for years now. Found a '96 R1100R for $2k. Has almost 92k miles on it. Looks to be in good shape. Guy has had it about 2 years and put in a bit of money catching up on maintenance. He's getting hitched and wants the money for his honeymoon (or so the story goes).
Any thoughts? Things to look out for?
It looks clean. What follows is generic to most telelever boxer bikes of that era (oilheads).
There is a lot of money to spend between the engine and the rear tire - make damn sure the there is no play in the final drive, that the driveshaft and unions are in good shape and so on. The clutch is also a lot of work to get at so do your due diligence to make sure it's all really OK.
At 92k these motors are fine if they are running well. I imagine things like timing chain guides and so on could be getting near needing a swap - but you would hear chain slap. If it runs good - it probably is good.
If it has ABS make sure it works and the fluid has been changed regularly. Neglect leads to pump/valve corrosion and the pump costs more than the whole bike at this point. IIRC some of these have/had master cylinder issues as well. Easy to check.
Make sure the brake lines are all still good or swapped to new SS lines, the lines inside the fuel tank aren't disolving, etc.
Make sure the swing arm pivot and telelever ball joint are good. Also the that dampers are good - suspension is expensive to replace and at 92k it should already be wearing aftermarket shocks or OE replacements. Hope for some rebuildable Ohlins or Wibers!
These things are known as some of the most reliable bikes ever made so just check it over carefully and make sure there isn't a real problem. YOu should be good to go. For some better detailed advice to that specific year/model - jump on the boxer forum at ADVRider.com.
Did you pull the trigger??
My thoughts: Instead of 'R1100R', they should have named it 'R1001R'. Then it would be a palindrome.
If the bike does every type of riding you need, just buy it. Also buy an official BMW repair manual. I've had four BMWs, still have two.
If you are going to keep it ....
You'll need to log in to post.
