Need input on 95 K1100 RS

[PatrickDonovan]

I currently own a beautiful '04 1150 RT, but I also have a payment I could surely go without seeing since I'm in the construction business in Michigan :violin . A local BMW dealer has this:
11638
I could cash out and sell my RT. I really like the idea of a more sport oriented bike since I really don't travel cross country but I do enjoy a couple of 3-4 day excursions per year. Most riding is commuting and day trips.

Can you "K" guys give me some input on this bike such as performance compared to my RT, handling, comfort (I'm 6'2" 240 lbs) ect...:thumb

thanks a bunch

[PatrickDonovan]

Sorry, I forgot to say it's a 1995 K1100 RS with 13,000 miles and some scratches on right side from a drop or a low side...not sure but very minor anyways, asking price is $3900.00

[bikerfish1100]

I had a '94 RS for 4+ years, and currently ride a R11S.
You will gain- in the positive direction: smooth power delivery. almost like an electric motor smooth, but some light hi-frequency buzz does make it thru to the bars and pegs. generally less maintenance, but less that you can do on your own. slightly more sporty riding position (some prefer, some don't). quicker acceleration across the power band.
you will lose- in the negative direction: harder to work on yourself. valve adjustments, for example, tho incredibly infrequent (2x in 55K miles on mine) require removal of the camshaft- most will opt for dealer to do it, at about $500 per visit. HEAT. that was my biggest complaint- this thing can cook you in the summer, so better plan on always wearing some kind of riding pants- i got a blister about the size of a nickel on my inner thigh after 15 mins of 40mph on the interstate in jeans! that beautiful telelever anti-dive front end. the saddlebags were less convenient on the K than the R, but that might just be my opinion rather than a factual difference. weight is about =, maybe K is better. my S is surely lighter, but your RT is kind of a piggie, so i think that's a wash.
you've got much better lights on the RT, no question. i ran Motolights on my K, and my S is still superior to it in that regard.
an in-line 4 feels different than a big twin in how they create their power and torque. some like vanilla, others prefer chocolate- you'll have to decide taht one for yourself. generally, i prefer twins. my K was a better 2up bike than my S, but your RT is pretty good for doing 2up, so that's probably a wash as well.
price sounds very good, miles sound stupidly minimal. that is a 300,000 mile motor before you have to consider any valve or ring work, so it will likely outlive you. other parts will fail along the way, but that's about the same as the big R, or any machine.
btw- MY local dealer had the same bike, with about 40,000 miles on it, outfitted about the same, and was asking around $5K for it.

hth.

[BuddingGeezer]

I had rather have the K and no payment, but that's me. I would give that for the bike, but that's me. I personally believe one can ride a nice bike for under $5,000. The K1100Rs proves that.


Bottom line is, is the R and payment worth more to you than the K and no payment. Only you can make that decision.

Ralph Sims

[owrstrich]

wow... what a find... 13k...

if you can live with the scratches and you are sure its straight... go snatch it up... the k1100rs is one of bmws best efforts...

since its at a dealer and its winter in michigan i would tell them i would pay their price if they were to first do the full 12k service and replace all the fluids including brake... engine... trans... coolant... drives... all of them... and throw in sparkplugs... brake pads... air filter and tires for wiggle room...

then when riding season arrives you got a rocket on the pad...

these folks know everything about that bike... go take a look... they can answer all of your questions...

http://k11og.org/forum/index.php

owrstrich

[Mudbug]

Nice bike.

I have a 91 K100RS that I ride every day to work as well as a few hundred miles on the weekends. Last year, I rode it to the Black Hills and the MOA rally in West Bend for a total of 5500 miles in 10 days. I found it reliable and comfortable and I would not hesitate to do it again.

The riding position is a bit different than the RT. There is a more forward lean that may seem uncomfortable at first. But you will adjust to it quickly the more you ride.

[Beemer01]

I paid a lower price for my 85 K-100, but by the time I was through with the required maintenance mentioned above I probably paid more... and I did it all myself.

And you get ABS which is a plus in my book.

Buy it if the maintenance mentioned has been done.:dance

[PatrickDonovan]

Thanks for the input...I won't have the time to look at it for two weeks, so if it's still there and it looks as good in reality as it does in print I'll probably make a deal. If not, I'm not at all concerned about keeping the RT which is a great bike. I would only trade for a cheaper, older bike if it was just a great deal and an awesome bike( I've always loved the looks of the 1100rs and even the K1) and had low miles. I have kinda wanted something a little more sport oriented since my buddy got a ducati ST3 and I realized that I wasn't going to have the time to tour the US of A or the world when I started riding again a couple of years ago.

So, we'll see. If the weather permits, I may even schedule a quick test ride.

[PatrickDonovan]

since its at a dealer and its winter in michigan i would tell them i would pay their price if they were to first do the full 12k service and replace all the fluids including brake... engine... trans... coolant... drives... all of them... and throw in sparkplugs... brake pads... air filter and tires for wiggle room...

then when riding season arrives you got a rocket on the pad...



http://k11og.org/forum/index.php

owrstrich

They saying its been fully serviced so I assume they mean the 12K service(if that's applicable to K's) but I'll find out when I get there.

[SugarHillCTD]

Sorry, I forgot to say it's a 1995 K1100 RS with 13,000 miles and some scratches on right side from a drop or a low side...not sure but very minor anyways, asking price is $3900.00


Nice bike!

Just for a point of reference, last Fall I paid $4000 for a v. good condition '93 K1100RS with 33k on the clock.

For a '95 that was ridden an average of about 1000 miles each year- that looks great. Hopefully you can be on it by riding season.

BTW, as a satisfied new owner of a K-RS (only two rides on it so far) I am very impressed with the feel of the bike at speed and the way it accelerates in top gear at highway speed. No wonder that the home page of the K11OG states the following:

"Speed is what the
K1100RS likes,
thousands of miles of it."

Good luck.

John

[bikerfish1100]

Umm, I think i want to amend the tone of my previous post.
Really, you'll be much happier with keeping the RT, it is clearly the far superior bike.

Now that we got that figured out....what dealer did you say was unloading it?

[HFbmw]

howdy,
good looking Kbike! No need to do anything to it and low miles. Yep get out of the payment plan. with the funds in the black there will be ways of making the RS into a touring bike. I purchased a 95 K1100RS last July. Took awhile for my 50+ year old body to get used to riding long distances. However the fuel consumption is much better than this 91k100LT...
Price is good... ride it for 20,000 miles and sell it for almost what you bought it for!

tim lindstrom
95 k1100RS
columbia heights, mn

[68820]

Sell the RT. Heck trade it in, take a small loss on the boxer and ride the K-RS home with a great big smile and no monthly payment.

The K11 Owners Group (http://k11og.org/forum/index.php) is a great place to start. The members can answer nearly any question you may have about the bike. The only thing to be aware of is that this is extremely low mileage on this bike. Rubber seals and such may need to be replaced. The tires may also be a little hard.

Looks like a winner to me. :thumb

[04R1150RS]

I had a '93 K for 48,000 miles, now I have a R1150RS (love the bike)

What I liked about the K bike- larger saddle bags, great power delivery, smooth engine, I,m 6'2 the ridding position was very good for long rides, head light very good, cable clutch. Only had bike tuned by dealer once, all it ever needed., oil tight engine. Low oil consumption unlike the R's


Dislikes, f*&^%'n HOT to ride in the summer, fairing was a little short as when in rain the rain was funneled up to the helmet visor. Only five speed tranny.
Went though two front brake master cylinders and one rear one. Old ABS system, but the "95's are better.

I don't regret having the K bike as it was a very good machine. It was just time for something different. The R1150RS is by far my favorite of the two, better front suspension as there is no diving of the front end when braking plus it feels lighter. The R is slower.

Maintenance for the K after 48,000 miles- one coil, rebuilt front brake caliper, 2-3 front master cylinders, two rear MC's, one tune up, no spline lube, 3,000 mile oil changes, regular changes on the tranny and diff too, evacuated the brake system every two years. Of course tires and batteries

9,000 miles Brake Master
15,600 calibrate speedo
18,500 rear brake pads
28,300 rear brake pads
32,000 front brake pads
33,500 fork seals
35,000 1 spark plug wire
37,700 vapor valve on gas tank
39,400 tune up and front brake MC
41,000 replace coil
44,700 rear brake MC
needed front fork seal again.

That is a great price for the bike the only proble I see is that it hasn't been ridden. If you buy it go through all the engine bolts and give them a tighten as they may loosen just a little. This will help prevent leaks. I check bolts periodically on all my bikes.

[antman]

Nice bike, good price. You are tall enough to handle the top heavy part.
It took 19 years and 260,000 miles of K biking to find out that I am too short and getting shorter after age 70 to handle that bulk.
I traded for an F800ST with a low frame and a low seat.
Just the new style turn signal cancel switch alone is worth several thousand dollars.

[PatrickDonovan]

Umm, I think i want to amend the tone of my previous post.
Really, you'll be much happier with keeping the RT, it is clearly the far superior bike.

Now that we got that figured out....what dealer did you say was unloading it?

You know, I was worried about giving out too much info....:nono

[bikerfish1100]

yeah, we kinda noted your caution. no dealer name, no location in your identity, no nothing!
so, you gonna pull the trigger on it? or give one of us chumps a shot at it? (hey, if you're not going for it, ya might as well keep it in the MOA family, right?)

[PatrickDonovan]

I'm going to look at it next week. If it's as nice as the picture and the scratches are easy enough to repair I'll buy it right then and put my bike up for sale. I will absolutely let you and everyone else know if it's a deal one way or the other.

Oh, by the way, it's at the dealer in.......uh, look at the time, gotta go.

[SugarHillCTD]

I'm going to look at it next week. If it's as nice as the picture and the scratches are easy enough to repair I'll buy it right then and put my bike up for sale. I will absolutely let you and everyone else know if it's a deal one way or the other.

Oh, by the way, it's at the dealer in.......uh, look at the time, gotta go.

No..ting to vurry about. Ve have vehs to find zees tings out. Vire taps, shpies, zat zort of ting...unt if ziss fails...zee rubber hoze.

Actually, good luck- looks like a great bike.

John

[PatrickDonovan]

I'm going to look at the 95 K1100 RS tomorrow. I'm sure I wont be able to take her for a test ride due to weather. I've bought many bikes by just sitting on them for a period of time and I can usually get a good indication of the feel and comfort. So, my main concern is this "HEAT THING" you guys all talk about. How bad is it? It can't be that bad or nobody would want one...right? I had '85 Suzuki Madura that put off heat when going slow on hot days...is the RS that much hotter?

[bikerfish1100]

Had my K11RS when i lived in CT. summers there are hot & humid. I also traveled all over the US on it, and into a goodly chunk of Canada as well, and put about 50K on it.
below 40 mph, the fan kicks on if air temp is around 70+. above 55, it never kicks in. When the fan kicks in is when you really feel the heat. i blistered my inner thigh on a 85 deg day, riding interstate with traffic, speeds around 50. I was only wearing jeans. I bought a Duc 900SS http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q13/bikerfish1100/ducatchurch1-1.jpg not long after, as i really wanted a lightweight summer bike. My 2 major complaints about the K11 were that it was hot and kinda heavy- not bad, but not great on tight road; it really loves hi speed sweepers and open running.
my recommendations- wear protective gear, leather or cordura, to shield against the heat. maybe have a small little something to toy around on (nice, but not critical). listen- the price and miles are so damn good on that bike, you can't lose by buying it. worst case scenario- buy it, ride it for a year, if you decide against it just sell it for a profit.

[PatrickDonovan]

Thanks Bikerfish for all the feedback. If it's there this saturday...it's mine.

Pat

[bikerfish1100]

Thanks Bikerfish for all the feedback. If it's there this saturday...it's mine.

Pat


i guess you're smarter than i look, eh?

[BuddingGeezer]

I see in the picture that the K11 does not have the tank pads. The K tank will get hot, but all tanks get hot in the summer sun. The pads will keep you from getting your legs against the tank and burning them.

There are a few other mods that can be done to reduce the heat, but they are great in the winter.

Ralph Sims

[PatrickDonovan]

I see in the picture that the K11 does not have the tank pads. The K tank will get hot, but all tanks get hot in the summer sun. The pads will keep you from getting your legs against the tank and burning them.

There are a few other mods that can be done to reduce the heat, but they are great in the winter.

Ralph Sims

I've seen a lot of them on K bikes and never understood why?...I'd rather not have to put tank pads on but would if the heat was unreasonable. I'll ride for a couple months and figure out which upgrades I'll need such as lighting, seats and electronics. Personally, I think these bikes look better w/o tank pads.

[PatrickDonovan]

It's gone:banghead , I waited too long and someone snatched it up this morning! I called the dealer late this morning to let him know I would be there saturday afternoon and even give him a credit card deposit when he told me it was sold an hour earlier:scratch . It was too hard to get over to the other side of the state any sooner. Oh well, I still have my RT. My only regret other than the obvious is that I may have tipped off a lurker to a great deal. His gain, my loss. Someone got a nice bike. I'll keep the RT until something else really grabs my attention like that bike did and tonight I'll mourn what could have been:drink

Thanks to all who gave me great input and hopefully I'll put it to good use (and faster) in the future. Winters in Michigan are made for online ogling, dreaming and perhaps shopping.

[antman]

I was just about to advise on the heat when I read that it was sold.
I was disappointed for you! You missed a good one.
My 1996 K1100RS should be available soon from Mathis BMW where I traded
it in. It has no defects. I don't think he will be selling it the low price you almost paid though.
Also it has 96,000 miles but looks as good as the photo you posted.
The mileage would not stop me.
Just a thought from a member with no $take in the deal.!