BMW R1100 RT

I know it's subjective, but are these generally regarded as "any good"?
Ever since seeing an R90/S parked down my road when I was a kid, I have
had a fondness for the marque and the sound of those engines.

But, frankly, BMW bikes in general have never really "stirred the soul"
and I have never tried one. However, I can see that something like the
1100RT is (on paper at least) a really good touring bike - perhaps as a
stablemate for the Sprint.

 

Had an R90/6 in 75.

I quite liked mine. In true old gimmer fashion I have to save of course
that, "they don't make 'em like that any more." One hears mutterings
about problems with the latest breed (nicasil bores wessie?).

It used to surprise a few folks on much sportier machines going over the
mountain on Pahnd Island. I particularly remember an effortless two-up
with camping gear ride from Scourie in Sutherland to home (500 miles or
so IIRC).

Lozzo will be along in a minute with a different perspective.


--

+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR Moto Morini 2C/375 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+

 

Pete Fisher says...

I quite like BMWs, they give me something to laugh at at in these
troubled times we live in.

Go ahead Jeremy, fill your boots, old son. Buy one and keep posting back
with reports on all the technical knowledge you acquire throughout your
ownership. I give it 3 months and you'll be able to recite the
Motorworks catalogue from front to back and recall part numbers off the
top of your head.

Ever wondered why BMW owners are so fucking anoracky about what parts
will fit what bikes, interchangeability and how things work and how to
improve them, it's cos they really do *need* to know.

--
Lozzo
Triumph Daytona 955i SE (Black with added black bits)
GSF600SW (broked)
'I do not object to people looking at their watches when I am speaking.
But I strongly object when they start shaking them to make certain they
are still going.' William Norman Birkett, 1st Baron Birkett, Oct 1960.

 

... with something like the effortlessness being due to the
ride being undertaken in the cab of an AA truck, perhaps?

 

Now *that*, ladies and gentlemen, is a "quality posting" - a genuine
laugh here.

Eh? Oh you were serious....

 

I've had a few, and got one now. I don't care for most BMWs, but some
hit my own G-Spot.

The R90/S was one, flawed though it was. It went like hell and looked
(still does look) stunning. The real problem was the poor handling at
high speed. Two probs here. One was the unbraced main frame downtubes
(the /7 series aded a horizontal brace) and the other was the
aerodynamic effect of the cockpit fairing.

My old R100RS was another. Still one of the best long-distance
fast(ish) tourers ever made, but rather single-minded in that this was
the only thing it did really well.

And the old airhead GS bikes were just wonderful fun. Shame about the
brakes and the raging thirst.

The Ks.... even though I've got one, I'm equivocal. What they all
needed was a decent BMW straight six engine, instead of a relatively
crude four. My 1100LT makes up for the relatively unsophisticated
engine with a fabulous fairing and good detailing. The only other K I
really liked was the original K100RS (preferably a 16v version).

Of the new boxers, everyone raves about the GS, and rightly so, for all
the reasons you've read. The RT is the only other new boxer that gets
me to raise an eyebrow as, by all accounts (nope, I haven't ridden
one), it manages to combine all the attributes of a supertourer with a
chassis nearly as mimble as that of a GS, and that sounds like fun.

What turns me off the new boxers is the niggling feeling that quality
has taken a dive and that the damn things really aren't very well built
and aren't very reliable.

 

When you refer to "new boxers" - does that include e.g. the 1996 RT?

 

Yes, but I still have doubts about whether you'd be buying a bucketful
of trouble.

We've discussed this before - the general feeling among the BMWisti
(Timo, Hog, etc) is that if you want a solid Beemer you want a
K100/1100 bike. If you want an oilhead boxer, you need to be slightly
suspicious of the early (1100cc) ones. If you want a late (1150/1200cc)
oilhead boxer, you've got to be prepared for some quality issues.

Returning to the early 1100cc boxers, I had two friends who ran them (a
GS and an S) and the GS had the relatively undeveloped FI system that
(IMH) made it very jerky in traffic and the S went through something
like three gearboxes, under warranty.

Oh, and then the dealer went bust.

 

Saw "a nice one" (whatever that means) on ebay (160050444180) - high
miles, one owner, seemingly lovingly maintained.

Doesn't sound too good does it.

The one nearest to me, SPC (on the A32 just south of Alton, Hants) has
disappeared I found out yesterday.

 

Yeah a '93-96 oilhead isn't really a good idea IMHO. Crap quality, poor
reliability.
If you want a low mileage Beemer tourer get a late R100RT airhead or a
late K1100LT Highline

 

Really? I was thinking of popping in next time I visit my dad.

 

Yes as far as I can tell - website is down and a quick google turned up
some Visordown postings with people discussing its demise - I assume it
to be true.

 

Hmm they were very established, as you say their site appears to be
down. Park Lane's top mechanic moved there some time ago.

 

Well with all this doom and gloom concerning reliability it's certainly
making me have a hard think. I don't actually *need* one....

 

TBF BMW never admit anything. It's like a Nuremberg rerun.

 

Yep, the site's dark with a scrap of paper referring enquiries to BMW
Customer Service. Went into liquidation. Last time I was in there, 6 weeks
ago, Rob Simpson, the owner, was [on reflection] looking slightly the worse
for worry. He latched onto my very slight interest in a 6mo K1200RS like a
drowning man, but I didn't go through with it. Sorry Rob ....

 

He wasn't the Simpson behind RGS Motorcycles, was he? BMW dealer in
Tooting that went bust a few years ago?

 

Hog came into sight through the beans and said

Went past it this am. Definately shut, all stock gone and paper (1) on
the doors. Should go past again on Friday, will stop and have a look
what's happened.

(1) looked like standard A4 notice type

 

I only have knowledge of BMWs from a fairly short time ago. I agree with
Timo's view on the RT: go for an 1150 as the engines don't seem to have the
problems associated with the early 1100cc oilheads. IME there was a
noticeable dip in quality from around 2002 on. Anecdotal evidence suggests
that from this time people experienced many more warranty claims than was
previously the case: early versions of the EVO brakes were temperamental;
paint finish and final drive issues being more common. Although, I don't
think the reliability issues are anywhere near as bad as Lozzo would have
you think: certainly no worse than what I hear about Triumph.

As a touring bike the RT is excellent. Most owners I know rate them highly.
I travelled back from Italy with a mate who was riding one. He was much
more comfortable than me at >100mph on the autoroute from Annecy back to
Calais.

I can't see why someone who already owns a Sprint would want an RT as a
second bike though.

 

I've never heard of a nikasil problem with motorcycle engines. <googles>
This randomly selected article from google suggests the problem was
confined to cars: http://www.bmwland.co.uk/talker/viewtopic.php?t=373
Something to do with cheap petrol containing lots of sulphur: I think we
only get low sulphur petrol now anyway.

Problems with the latest breed are largely down to poor quality control[1]
and the use of customers to beta test new technology[2].

[1] especially painted items and sub-assemblies sourced from far eastern
sweat shops
[2] Evo brakes on post 2003 bikes, CAN bus on post 2004 bikes, everything
on the K1200; R1200 final drives....