'95 1100 LT heat and vibration question

[MartyW]

I just purchased a 95 1100 LT. I love the bike, but I have a couple of concerns. At speeds below 35 mph., it is uncomfortably, almost unbearably hot. I had heard that heat was normal for these bikes , but this seems excessive. Is this normal, is there a remedy for it to make low speed cruising a possibility?

The vibrations from the handle bars cause my carpal tunnel to go nuts, even with gel palm gloves. Does anyone have an idea of what I could do about this?

I appreciate your suggestions.
-Marty

[a99miata]

baker airwings helped with the heat problem for me....not sure on the vibration, that could be anything from an out of balance front wheel to needing a damper in the handlebars.

[tourunigo]

Your K1100 goes slower than 35mph? :confused: Just joking. My '92 is hot also but I guess I just got used to it. Wings help I suppose but I don't install them but, consider this, they don't seem to work too well in slow traffic and, at speed, it might be like accelerating bugs through a vortex. I tend to have thick leather pants with great knee protection so I don't feel the heat through them (subsequently I still have hairy legs:ha ). Maybe more insulation is an answer. Actually I was considering this just the other day because we have a big trip planned through southern U.S. and up the left coast in June / July '08). If you find a secret regarding this I would be happy to consider it.

Vibration. Noticed it when I first got the bike three years ago. Buzzing. Got used to that also so now I don't know it's there. Funny, the faster I go the less noticable it is. Thought: how are the bars mounted? Rubber dampeners in place or solid connection? (Note: others on the Forum with much more mechanical experience may have some more accurate insights here than I do). Anyway, good luck with your quest and be careful with that carpal tunnel no matter what you ride. -Bob

[BuddingGeezer]

I have a K100LT which gets my left calf pretty warm on a 90 degree day. It's not unbearable though. My bike does seem to have the optional heat kit.

There is a web site with a fix a guy did with local hardware items. http://www.ibmwr.org/ktech/k100-heat.shtml

[MartyW]

Thanks for the replies so far. I put another 30 miles on the bike today. It was about 80 degrees out, and I noticed that the cooling fan ran often. I rode between 25 and 45 mph, as traffic would allow. The temp. gauge ran above the last tick mark, south of the red zone. It was a pretty sweaty ride. Could this be a thermostat problem, or is it typical? I have nothing to compare it to.
Thanks again.

[oberlin1]

Mine does not like traffic at all. After the bike is warmed up--if I am stuck in traffic the needle lives in the hot zone. Maybe you get used to it but it is very alarming. Over the weekend we ended up in a dogpatch part of the next county on some gravel roads going about 10-15 miles and hour for 5 minutes and the needle was right up there.

Hopefully there is nothing wrong, just the way the bike is.

[DarkCloud]

What gear are you in riding in? Plenty of coolant? Radiator full of debris? Coolant system been flushed lately?

[BuddingGeezer]

Do you have bar end weights on the handlebars? My '87 K100Lt has some vibration, but is smooth at 5000 rpm and higher. Not bad in lower revs. I have spent 9 hours seat time at speeds of 30 to 80 and my hands didn't bother me. Can't say how bad vibration is without weights, but I have read where they make a world of difference.

I have a buddy with bar end weights and BBs inside his handlebars on a Kawasaki Concours. He said the BBs did the trick.

[Bobmws]

Thanks for the replies so far. I put another 30 miles on the bike today. It was about 80 degrees out, and I noticed that the cooling fan ran often. I rode between 25 and 45 mph, as traffic would allow. The temp. gauge ran above the last tick mark, south of the red zone. It was a pretty sweaty ride. Could this be a thermostat problem, or is it typical? I have nothing to compare it to.
Thanks again.

In these riding conditions, your bike is acting perfectly normal. As long as the fan comes on, you will be fine, but make sure the coolant iin the radiator is full, don't rely on the overflow bottle alone. The overflow hose can and will develop cracks over time and will allow unnoticeable coolant loss, and the cracks can prevent the radiator from pulling coolant back into the system as the motor cools. Replace this hose as a precaution.
Take it out on the highway where it belongs, it will be much a more comfortable ride!
Look at the article previously posted at ibmwr.
If you can find a set of "heat guards", an aftermarket product no longer in production, they will give you a noticeable level of relief in low speed traffic riding.They are plastic panels that covered the area from the back of the fairing over the coils & alternator. The funneled the heat past the riders legs. Wearing riding pants instead of jeans will give you a bit of insulation from the heat also.
Enjoy your K and welcome to the Darkside. :thumb

[MartyW]

Thanks for the help. I discovered that thicker gloves turned bad vibrations into good ones. I found some neoprene grip covers at ascycles.com, and I think those will do the trick.

As for the heat, it seems that my riding style, which is a lot of low/medium speed cruising, is not ideal for this bike, which wants to go 90 mph for hours on end. The dealer I bought it from said he would consider taking it back from me. The question is, which bike should I replace it with. I'll post a new thread for that one. Thanks for all of the great suggestions. :thumb
-Marty

[v8dave]

I had problem with the vibrations on my K100 early on. Until I learned to keep the RPM above 3,000, I had my hands going to sleep all the time. The bike seems to like to run at slower engine speeds but until you get a Throttlemeister keep the revs up. Get a Throttlemeister, it has bar end weights that help and the throttle lock will let you release the throttle hand from the grip and flex your fingers.

For the heat wear riding pants with vents on the top of your upper legs. Jeans will cook your legs on hot days in either slow or hot riding. Did a 200 mile loop last weekend breaking in tires and the last half of the ride the air temp was 90. My BMW air pants worked just fine.

I find my fan does not come on (K100LT) in even the hottest weather as long as I'm moving, including city riding. I ride in up to 100 degree temps any hotter and I won't start out on a ride, but I will finish a ride started in cooler temps. In addition to what it says in the left panel under my name, I'm riding in Tucson Arizona and did last summer too.

[bmwron]

On my '96 LT I found the thick foam insulation panels behind the fuel / temp gauge panels were out of place from previous service to bike. This insulation directs radiator heat out the small grills on the side of the fairing. To pull the gauge panels you have one screw at the bottom and two at the top and then unplug the gauge. While your doing this you can also pull the snorkel out of your airbox and shine a flashlite thru opening to do a quick check of your air filter. You can also raise up your fual tank to get at radiator filler neck while here.
As far as the fan coming on in hot city traffic that is normal-and it will come 0n a lot, but don't worry as long as coolant is full it will be fine. Just uncomfortable.

[theLuz]

Thanks for the replies so far. I put another 30 miles on the bike today. It was about 80 degrees out, and I noticed that the cooling fan ran often. I rode between 25 and 45 mph, as traffic would allow. The temp. gauge ran above the last tick mark, south of the red zone. It was a pretty sweaty ride. Could this be a thermostat problem, or is it typical? I have nothing to compare it to.
Thanks again.

I put a lot of miles on my K1100LT (~90K) in PHOENIX. Ambient in the summer on the street is 120 deg. The bike is hot.

I borrowed an F650 GS when I took my bike in for service and rode it 60 miles to and from the shop. The 650 is HOTTER than the K. The heat is over rated on your bike. The good thing is the fan comes on and cools the engine. You will also like the heat in the winter.

[JimmyMcEnroe]

I also just purchased a 95 K1100LT and have noticed the heat problem especially on hot days. I'm a little concerned about adding the Baker wings as my long legs already hit the fairing as my foot is going to the ground on stops. I'm used to it now but fear problems with the wings. I'm interested in any solutions.

[MysticRed]

TThe temp. gauge ran above the last tick mark, south of the red zone. It was a pretty sweaty ride. Could this be a thermostat problem, or is it typical? I have nothing to compare it to

Yea, that's typical. All these guy gave good advise. The heat is the only thing I don't like about the K11LT, until it gets cold! When the temp gauge is all the way to the red your coolant temperature is approximately 205 degrees, if that make you feel any better. :brow

[OBIE12]

It seems it is the beauty of beast. I love my bike but, the heat is something to deal with. For my part it is a lot easier to deal with hi-way pegs. They can be purchased from BOB's BMW. Their part number is HPK-2. Hope this helps you enjoy the bike. Take care, Mark

[Beemer01]

I have the 85 K100RS and heat is a problem, the 1100 LT was known to be a hotter bike than mine.

First I made sure the knee pads were properly aligned and the weatherstripping was replaced with new. Misaligned knee pads will vent a lot of heat on your feet.

Second, I used the foil backing from standard household insulation to direct the heat coming off the engine out the gill vents on the side of the fairing. I used pieces of the pink insulation to plug the small gaps at the bottom of the kneepads and at the inside of your thigh below the gas tank.

Thirdly as another writer noted, I installed the Heat Guard heat shields. These are out of production, but occasionally available on the bay. They move the heat aft.

Finally I bought a used pair of BMW summer pants that offer more protection than jeans from whatever heat is still there.

Outstanding ride at temps under 75 degrees F. Manageable up to 85 to 90 as long as I can keep moving with the above listed fixes.

[jskene]

I solved the heat problem on my K1100RS by insulating the fuel lines that run over the engine.

You can see the details here:

http://www.skene.org/k1100/heat_mod/index-heat.htm