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sunhuntin
13th January 2007, 17:45
been lookin at a tourer/cruiser, and some of the beemers have caught my eye. what does everyone recommend? economical? comfy over long distances? theres a local couple who ride one each, but i dont get much chance to talk at work.
are they reasonably light, and easy enough to ride? am looking at a full decker [fairing, hardbags and tourpak.]

i would prefer a harley, but just a tad out of my price range. id be wanting to paint it as well...

TIA

pritch
13th January 2007, 18:59
been lookin at a tourer/cruiser, and some of the beemers have caught my eye. what does everyone recommend? economical? comfy over long distances?


In a former life I had a K100RS. Slow steering, crap brakes, (relatively speaking) but comfortable. Absolutely capable of crrying two people and their (considerable) luggage all day at 160kph plus.

Historically BMW have always made the most comfortable bikes. I read in one road test years ago, "The only bikes on which you can ride a thousand kilometres and still feel like dancing... " Which sort of summed it up then and probably still does.

I don't want to offend anybody, but within your stated aims there would be no way a Harley could compare with a Beemer. Style, yes. Image, yes. But for, comfort, economy, tank range, etc the Beemer should win hands down.

If that wasn't the case I guess all those Round-The-World riders would have been riding Harleys...

Edbear
13th January 2007, 19:19
Pretty much agree with wot pritch said. The 1100R would have to be one of the all time great tourers if you don't want too much weight, either. It's been said that you can't wear out the bores of the BMW twins, just re-ring them at around a gazzillion miles and then they go for a few more gazzillion.

Shaft drives are good and they're economical on tyres too. Too pricey for me at the mo, though. (So are Harley's).

Ixion
13th January 2007, 19:35
What the previous posters said. I dunno that von Klunken would take kindly to being styled a full dresser, but he does have the full fairing, hard luggage etc.

Very comfortable, ride all day and feel ready to ride all night, economy is pretty good (17kpl day in day out).

Handling is good but unexciting. Just goes round corners. No dramas, no fancy stuff. Corner? Ach , zo, und good bye corner.

Lights are very very good, and the shaft drive is real nice when touring, no worries about chain lube or adjustment.

Handles gravel pretty well, basically handles anything without drama.

However , light they most certainly are NOT. Dunno what von Klunken would weigh on the road, but I doubt it would be under half a tonne. And many of them are a high bike, and top heavy with it.

If you can , get one with ABS brakes (wonderful ) and an electric screen (best gizmo ever invented for bikes).

Really, nothing bad I could say about them, except that they are too respectable. The exact opposite of a two stroke, one feels one must ride very safely and respectably.

avgas
13th January 2007, 19:43
F800, its fantastic

sunhuntin
13th January 2007, 20:17
What the previous posters said. I dunno that von Klunken would take kindly to being styled a full dresser, but he does have the full fairing, hard luggage etc.

Very comfortable, ride all day and feel ready to ride all night, economy is pretty good (17kpl day in day out).

Handling is good but unexciting. Just goes round corners. No dramas, no fancy stuff. Corner? Ach , zo, und good bye corner.

Lights are very very good, and the shaft drive is real nice when touring, no worries about chain lube or adjustment.

Handles gravel pretty well, basically handles anything without drama.

However , light they most certainly are NOT. Dunno what von Klunken would weigh on the road, but I doubt it would be under half a tonne. And many of them are a high bike, and top heavy with it.

If you can , get one with ABS brakes (wonderful ) and an electric screen (best gizmo ever invented for bikes).

Really, nothing bad I could say about them, except that they are too respectable. The exact opposite of a two stroke, one feels one must ride very safely and respectably.

top heavy? would a 56 year old bag of bones be able to handle one with a 90-odd kg chick plus gear? he rides fully dressed harleys, and managed fine with me on the back plus gear, but that was 2 years ago.

roughly how much does a second hand 1100 or so go for?

geoffm
13th January 2007, 20:23
What is the budget? Makes a big difference to what you can get. Some of the beemers seem poor value for money when compared with the Japs stuff.
I have had my K100RS-16v (same as K1100) for several years. Pretty reliable, althoguh BMW parts prices in NZ are eyewatering. Order major items from Europe. There is only 1 dealer in each major town, although they are easy to service and there is plenty of info available.
Get panniers with the bike. They are a big plus for any distance work. Mine was my only transport when I was in Christchurch for 2 years, and did a couple of tours of the South Island no sweat. You can cover long distances, but they are porky.
Geoff

Ixion
13th January 2007, 20:31
top heavy? would a 56 year old bag of bones be able to handle one with a 90-odd kg chick plus gear? he rides fully dressed harleys, and managed fine with me on the back plus gear, but that was 2 years ago.

roughly how much does a second hand 1100 or so go for?

They're not hard to handle, and once rolling the weights no problem, just don't go too hard in corners.

Dunno really about price, they're quite variable depending on year, condition, specification. R1100, maybe $8k - $12K , the RT models a bit dearer.

One possibility is that every so often ex police models come up, which are usually a lot cheaper.

Bear in mind that BMWs can run up very high mileages without problems, 100000k is nothing on a BMW.

Make a point of finding out when the splines were last lubed . Oh , and the gearboxes are always horrid but difficulty upshifting MAY indicate shot splines.

sunhuntin
13th January 2007, 20:32
not sure on budget yet...its for when my partner comes over. think the way ill work it is pick the bike and then start saving hard out. i prefer to pay in cash.
id prefer to get a harley, but doubt ill ever have enough money for one, so thought id explore a beemer. dont really want to go jap
itd be used for going right round new zealand at least once, and will carry at all times: 2 riders, tent, sleepingbag and spare clothes i guess. plus be used for carryin purchases between postings home.

ixion...so the best way would be to try and buy local? that way i can get it checked out by my favoured mechanic.

avgas
13th January 2007, 22:44
100000k is nothing on a BMW.

Im still to see any post 80's bike which cant do this if not thrahsed.
The exception being a two stroke rocket....which is guranteed to be thrashed

Scouse
13th January 2007, 23:10
BMW's the worlds ugliest bike

Dadpole
14th January 2007, 00:26
BMW's the worlds ugliest bike

Really? Check my profile. Suzuki GSX1100EFG. That is probably the worlds ugliest bike. Full of "styling" oddities such as the infamous "picnic table" below the tail light. :puke:

But I loves it I do.

Titanium
14th January 2007, 05:51
K 1200 S is the ultimate sports tourer from BMW.

I have one for sale ...... have had 9,000 kms of fun and comfort.

There is not much more in a motorcycle that you could want.

Cheers


Peter

Posh Tourer :P
14th January 2007, 08:04
If you get the boxer twins, they are manageable with full luggage and pillion.... not sure on the weight of the new ones, but it is lower down than the K bikes..... Check them out.... A lower COG can make a heavy bike seem very manageable

Titanium
14th January 2007, 08:13
The new K bikes have a very low COG due to the fact the cylinders lean forward at 55 degrees.

sunhuntin
14th January 2007, 15:17
cheers peter...good luck selling. im not in the market to buy yet, just looking. it sounds like the older ones are just as reliable and the new...is this fact?

Ixion
14th January 2007, 19:46
There are many who argue (sometimes vehemently) that the older ones were MORE reliable than the later ones. I'm not entirely sure they are wrong.

Bonez
16th January 2007, 16:36
The new K bikes have a very low COG due to the fact the cylinders lean forward at 55 degrees.I would have tought the old Ks had a lower COG considering the engines on its side ralitive to other triples and fours.

Ixion
16th January 2007, 16:47
The naked ones, the CoG is quite low. But the RT and LT models it comes way up cos of the weight of all those great big high fairings.

Mystic13
18th January 2007, 10:25
You can't beat the F800 series.... dial up "F800riders.org" on the web and have a look around. Or check out this video http://www.bmw-motorrad.jp/event_campaign/chris_pfeiffer/video.html and enjoy. When you buy a bmw join bmwor and take advantage of the group insurance scheme. Insurance is a little over $600 for full cover for a new F800ST. BMW Finance provide finance at one of the cheapest rates around so I'd use this. Lastly talk to anyone that has one of these, they're fast, handle incredibly well, they're light and torquey, will handle two up touring all day long, you can throw them around at speed and I'm getting around 67mpg.

These bikes just leave you with a big grin after riding. You need to ring around the country to buy one because BMW worldwide can't meet the demand for these bikes and the wait can be long. Oh and did I mention the ABS in the wet. This thing stops like the road was dry.

There are a lot more videos on f800riders.... hope this helps. Of course if the budget is way lower I'd still go bmw, bmwor group insurance and BMW finance. The other thing you need to decide is what sort of touring if you're going back of beyond then you wouldn't want the road bikes. There is an F800GS coming which is expected to be a seriously big seller.

TLDV8
18th January 2007, 11:02
I like the look of the F650 GS/Dakar after reading Silk Riders.

I thought a single would struggle a bit but it seems they have no trouble at highway speeds,are robust with excellent mileage and open up new adventures as far as getting off the main roads.
Not a BMW tourer in the mould of the Twin's but ........

Eddieb
19th January 2007, 12:06
One Bear in mind that BMWs can run up very high mileages without problems, 100000k is nothing on a BMW.
splines.

Have a look at these mileages on advrider. 265,000km on a Honda Africa Twin, 400,000 miles on a mid 90's bmw GS, etc etc.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=178077

Pogo2
19th January 2007, 18:01
Used to own a K100RS. Like alot of people said quite heavy but once over 5-10 kph ,just fantastic. Loved the shaft drive, and just put petrol in it - not much else to do. Never many hassles, although parts were expensive - $150 for genuine BMW battery.

Would have another one tomorrow - always fancied at R850R. Odd shape but it grew on me.

Read somewhere that over 50% of BMW bikes ever produced are still on the road. Don't know if it is true but I wouldn't be surprised.

pritch
20th January 2007, 08:36
There are many who argue (sometimes vehemently) that the older ones were MORE reliable than the later ones. I'm not entirely sure they are wrong.

Nor me.

A gentleman of my aquaintance has a gently aging BMW that he has owned since new, he says it was one of the last of the good ones... He is of course just slightly biased.

Not too many years ago BMW bikes were assembled in Bavaria by tradesmen,
the engines were assembled by mechanics, and the painters were all craftsmen.

The ads used to talk about how BMW pinstriping was all applied by hand by skilled tradesmen. (For the benefit of any feminists offended by my use of "tradesmen", I do not recall seeing a woman in any of the ads.)

It was probably as a consequence of that level of expertise in the factory that BMW bikes gained the reputation they held as the most reliable bikes in the world.

More recently BMW opened a factory in Berlin and hired assembly workers off the street just like everyone else does. Gone are the mechanics and the craftsmen, and sadly, also gone is the level of quality and reliability they brought with them.

All of which goes some way to explain why Honda are now considered to make the most reliable bikes money can buy and not BMW.

kevfromcoro
20th January 2007, 18:41
just got my dooks on a BM 800...full fairings and bags on the back,,,,at high speed its good,,,, great tourer,,,.pulls well from 60mph..to the ton....just one thing..keep dropping it at low speed,,,,,done a u turn on the hway..and dumpped it in the middle of the road.dumped it my familes driveway...this thing is a handfull going slow,,,,i have over 40 yrs of bike ridding..and never done this......mayebe its getting youst to the shaft drive.....other than that its a great bike.....reliable...starts evertime.the fairing provides ecxell protection....and i can fit a box of piss in each bag,,,would like to ride a later model..probably a lot more user friendly......Ride Safe KEV

Edbear
20th January 2007, 20:08
i have over 40 yrs of bike ridding..and never done this......KEV




There's yer answer, Kev! Stop and have a sleep, mate! :yes: I's been ridin' fer 36 years and boy is I tired...!:bye:

Wolf
25th January 2007, 12:08
I'm still planning on getting a 1980s BMW R100CS one of these years when I find one at the right price. I found the one I rode was like an extension of my body - it just went where I wanted it to go. I'm a short-arse and I was quite light back then but I had no issues with the bike's weight - I manoeuvred it with no more drama than my far lighter RD350 and it felt more manageable than my brother-in-law's old GT550.

It just felt so damned easy to ride and it turned out I was going a lot faster than I realised - handled at 50mph like I was only doing 50km/h. Very confidence -inspiring machine.

shafty
25th January 2007, 16:48
K 1200 S is the ultimate sports tourer from BMW.

I have one for sale ...... have had 9,000 kms of fun and comfort.

There is not much more in a motorcycle that you could want.

Cheers


Peter

Why are ya selling such an awesome bike Pete?

shafty
25th January 2007, 17:04
I've had 3 BM's - a K100RT, with the big fairing, bags etc, a retro 1990 (?)
R100R - a naked Boxer, and until last year a R1150R - see pic below. I would buy a K or R model anytime, infact if my budget was a few thousand, a good K or R would be n awesome bike for the money. These bikes are mostly owned by mature, fussy owners, so getting one in excellent condition isn't hard. Shaft Drive Rules (hence my KB name). The R100R was a favourite, it handled so well, it made me look good as a rider. The paralever and telelever suspension on the 1150 is amazing also. I have a write up on that model if interested. Theres a BMW for all price ranges now, meaning good older models.

Don't be too quick to put-down Jap bikes. They are fantastically engineered, and exceptionally clever. The HD choice on the other hand.............personal I know, but I wouldn't have one, unless it had a radiator (V Rod). Have fun looking at bikes, - test ride heaps!

Ixion
25th January 2007, 17:11
,,,These bikes are mostly owned by mature, fussy owners, ,,,

Half a mark I suppose. I guess there's always an exception :rofl:

Titanium
25th January 2007, 18:02
Why are ya selling such an awesome bike Pete?


A number of reasons ... nothing that relates to the quality of the exceptional K1200S. More organic reasons.

Cheers


Peter

Lou Girardin
25th January 2007, 19:57
They make great cars.