1997 BMW R1100RT - Thoughts & Concerns?

Thinking of getting a 1997 BMW R1100RT with 76k miles.

Missing my Kawi (C10) Concours, I'm thinking of purchasing this BMW. Heard the boxter type of engine is bullet proof and low maintenance.

Would like to hear opinions on the positive and negative in owning one in South Central Texas.


Gracias!

Pretty sure they are legal in South Texas

AS far as LOW mainteance, they are about the same as most bikes. However with a book and some simple mechanical skills, it is a piece of cake to keep them maintained. If this bike was reasonably cared for, it most likely has many, many miles left in it. It won't be as quick as your C10 but the power is more than adequate. If you haven't owned a boxer before, it takes a little time to get used to the noises it makes They handle very well and perform well for long distances tours.

Where did you find this one?

What made you think of the Beemer over the Connie? Bet you could get a newer C10 for the same price as the older BMW unless you found a steal! Drew

Thanks fellas for the quick response. Doons, the bike is in the Hill Country area. Drew, I thought about getting another Connie but as you could have guess, I have riding buddies that have BMW's. LOL I like the creature comforts that you get with this series - heated grips, electric windshield and such.

I have a C-10 and a BMW, though it is a GS. Hands down, I would go with the C-10.

The Connie is easier and less expensive to maintain. I love my BMW, and this is my second one, but both of them, by far, are the most maintenance intensive bikes I have ever owned.

Don't even get me started on the rear drive, and the rear main seal.

The above is my opinion based on my experience.

iMotoPilot said:

Thanks fellas for the quick response. Doons, the bike is in the Hill Country area. Drew, I thought about getting another Connie but as you could have guess, I have riding buddies that have BMW's. LOL I like the creature comforts that you get with this series - heated grips, electric windshield and such.

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Thinking about a newer Beemer myself. Have a C10 that is a nice camping bike. Only thing I don't like about it is the vibration thru the bars. Have always lusted after the RTs and RS BMWs. Hey is that you in that old school helmet? Drew

Drew, my previous Connie did have that issue but it was manageable or I just got used to it. As the tinnitus ringing in my right ear from my Harley. Lol And yes, that would be me in the pic.

iMotoPilot said:

Thinking of getting a 1997 BMW R1100RT with 76k miles.

Missing my Kawi (C10) Concours, I'm thinking of purchasing this BMW. Heard the boxter type of engine is bullet proof and low maintenance.

Would like to hear opinions on the positive and negative in owning one in South Central Texas.


Gracias!

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Pilot, I have a '96 RT with 68,000 miles and will tell you that it runs perfectly, averages 40-46 MPG, and is a pleasure to ride. Annual service at Lone Star BMW in Austin averages $250-300 per year. The RT is truly an all season bike because of the body fairings...much protection from the cold. The electric windshield makes a huge difference as well. Plenty of power and very nimble steering. The Brembo brakes work great. It is a plus if the bike that you are looking at has the factory hard cases. The Showa OEM shocks were short lived, however, so you need to find out about the current shocks. Ohlins makes outstanding replacement shocks. Finally, having all of the books and records on the bike is very important information. Good luck with your purchase.

Gracias for the input Agman. Seems that even the San Antonio BMW riders i know, prefer the short trek to Austin for servicing at Lone Star BMW. Not sure what the deal is with the local guy.

I love that 1100 boxer. Mine is a GS with well over 100k miles and runs like a champ. I check the valves every 5k miles while I'm waiting for the oil to drain during a change, but I haven't had to adjust them in the last 40k. Oil change and valve check takes about half an hour if you're not in a hurry. Add another 15 minutes if you have to make any adjustments.

If the rear drive hasn't had any problems yet, then it probably won't have any. And even if you do end up with a rear drive issue (not as common on the 1100 as on the 1150), it's not a very difficult fix.

I can't comment on the Connie as I've never ridden one, but most of what I see in the notes about the RT above are true, especially getting used to the new noises. The upside is that the are not hard to repair, parts are available. One of the infrequent posters on this forum has 300K on a R1100RS which is roughtly the same bike with different plastic. (See if that doesn't stir up the faithful.)

Pluses include plenty of power. It will go faster than you safely should and do it all day. Enough luggage for any trip. ABS. EFI. Great handling. About as much wind protection as you can get without a car. Adjustible windshield. Motronic II electronics allow you to read the fault codes without expensive tools. Great support on the BMW forums. Even greater support from the folks at Lone Star. You can carry almost every tool you need to do a complete tear down behind the seat. You won't want to get off of it.

Minuses include faulty HES sensor wiring, a simple $200 fix if you wrench it yourself. About 60 tiny bolts to get the tupperware off. Some surge which is a freaky feeling but not a problem. Right side of the front tire wears before the left on some bikes. BIGGEST PROBLEM is they heat up in stop and go traffic, but there are fixes for this. It will go faster than you safely should and do it all day. And finally, you won't want to get off of it.

Agman can vouch that I had no interest in boxers in the past, but I love my 99RT. Get a maintenance record. If the HES and shocks have been done and there is not oil all over the final drive, you should be in for a long ride before any repairs.

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Test rode it yesterday. The ride was more "buzzy" than what I expected. Initial start of the engine was met with some notable clicking that soon disappeared. Quite a bit of nose dive when applying the front brake. I know it's an older bike but it did feel like it needed some tlc. Did like the all the creature comforts and the fairing coverage though. May look for another one.

iMotoPilot said:

Test rode it yesterday. The ride was more "buzzy" than what I expected. Initial start of the engine was met with some notable clicking that soon disappeared. Quite a bit of nose dive when applying the front brake. I know it's an older bike but it did feel like it needed some tlc. Did like the all the creature comforts and the fairing coverage though. May look for another one.

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Pilot, I am no mechanic, but the valve ticking for 1 or 2 seconds upon startup qualifies as "TADT"...they all do that. Regarding the nose dive, I suspect a bad front shock. The paralever front suspension eliminates that sort of problem. I've never had any nose dive on my RT whatsoever. There is no shortage of quality older RTs out there for sale that have been scrupulously maintained.

Agman, thanks for the input. I'm still looking. The owner did say the buziness may be due to tuning. Do you know if these bikes suffer from excessive vibration thru the handle bars (risers)? I also know what most described as the clunkiness of the tranny. Not a big deal. The hunt goes on.

iMotoPilot said:

Agman, thanks for the input. I'm still looking. The owner did say the buziness may be due to tuning. Do you know if these bikes suffer from excessive vibration thru the handle bars (risers)? I also know what most described as the clunkiness of the tranny. Not a big deal. The hunt goes on.

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Absolutely no vibration passed thru to the grips, Pilot. Regarding the clunk in the tranny, the only clunk I have ever felt is when coasting up to a red light and downshifting into first gear, just like each of the 7 Hondas that I have owned in the last 40 years. Good luck with your search.

there are several (up to 5 lately) 1100RTs on ebay, mostly between 50-70k on the clock. Looks like $3,500 is about the sweet spot.

I missed out on one with 45k by $25... I'm leary of ebay site-unseen auctions but I think I missed a good deal.

I am no means a boxer expert; I only had my 1100R for less than 2.5 years and just got an RS last week. I've had literally dozens of bikes over the years though and currently have several.

I was looking for something to replace my R1100R and orginally considered the RT. I went for an RS but now want both ... and a GS one day.

Its the same engine across the R-RS-RT - I think a different final drive ratio on the RT to help with the extra weight, and i think a cam difference on the GS.

Seating position is very different from RS to RT

On the R i sat mostly upright, well balanced

RS - 'clip on' style bars, rubber damped, multi-adjustable (in/out and back/forth only- not up/down) and you are in more of a sporty stance. Less comfortable than RT, but more fun when hitting twisties. Smaller windscreen than RT and manually adjustable.

RT - 'couch' style seating. Giant windscreen compared to RS and electronically adustable. RT carries I think over a hundred pounds more weight with the same engine, so it will be less responsive than RS

i went with RS because of lighter weight, and with the bags removed its less of a full-touring bike. My touring plans for now are just overnight rides in Texas area. RT will always be in touring mode basically, with or without bags. However, even with an aftermarket screen I still get more buffeting from the wind than i had hoped.

The extra weight of the fairing can add to fork dive - but unless you've ridding other BMWs to compare, there should be a drastic difference between traditional forks - if not then as others mentioned its likely a worn shock.

the 1100's seemed to have less issues than the 1150's just from looking around.

One of the guys in the Houston BMW club has a '95 R1100RS listed at $3200. Great looking bike with 33K on the clock. He thinks that the rear main seal is leaking, but other than some oil appearing on the bike there are no other symptoms like a slipping clutch. (Having just finished 95% of the repair, it's a lot of work, but nothing that can't be done in a home garage.) It will go on ebay shortly. I'd buy it, but I'm saving my money for an RR.