R1150RT vs. R1100RT 2UP

[ArthurKnowles]

Do to financial issues brought on by medical bills from my kidney transplant, I'm going to be selling my financed K1200LT. I should be able to recover 4-6K above my current loan payoff. I have a nice 96 RT just the way I like it for 1up riding, but it is pretty cramped for 2up & the stock seat is not well suited for long rides. It also has 63K miles on it.

I bought it for use in-city, so was not too concerned about a breakdown. Now it will be my only motorcycle & my only 2up choice as well.

I'm trying to decide if it would be better to put some money in to some upgrades (Seat & Elf pegs) or upgrade to a R1150RT with fewer miles & then maybe some comfort items. My primary concerns are reliabiliy & comfort for the SO, but just don't know if the 1150 would be a better choice or not. Any comments would be appreciated.

PS: Will the Wilbers shocks I have on my 1100 fit the 1150?

[Prof. Robert]

Although I can't answer your question, I can give you the link to Ted Porter's fitment guide for Wilbur shocks:

http://www.motorcycle-suspension.com/shock_absorber/wilbers/racing_suspension/shock_absorber_bmw/index.html

I hope this helps,
Robert

[alien_hitchhiker]

As far as SO/pillion comfort I really don't think there is any difference between the two (assuming stock saddles). The ergos are really the same. That goes for the rider too.

My wife and I rode an 02 1150RT a while back. She did not find it comfortable (due to the Corbin saddle it was fitted with). I didn't care for the whizzy brakes. She loves our 1100RT with R. Mayer saddles (she doesn't like the Sargeant saddles I recently bought).

So there you have it. It's all about where the butt meets the bike.

I'd consider keeping the 1100 and investing in some really nice saddles for 2-up touring. Heck, you could even get her some floor board style foot pegs. Keep your current saddles for commuting.

Hope you're doing well post transplant!!!!

[AnnapolisAirhead]

... I didn't care for the whizzy brakes.

I'm considering an RT also and wondered about differences between an R1100RT and R1150RT, beyond the dual plugging. What do you mean by 'whizzy' brakes? :dunno

[ArthurKnowles]

I think he meant that some of the R1150RT's have servo assisted brakes. My LT has them and they can take a bit of getting used to.

As for the other comments, I do appreciate them. I guess part of the question is how relaible my 63K 1100 is compared to a 30K (or less) 1150 is all other items are fairly equal?

My 1100 right now always has an oil smell associated with it when I stop. The right cylinder seems to have, or had, a small leak up fron on the head gasket. At least I saw a diuscoleration there and a buildup of material. I cleaned it off and was planning to check it again to verify that it is a leak or not.

My 1100 does run well. And I'm confident of using it in-city as I know if I have a failure I can get it towed home for a resonable fee and can then do the work needed to fix it. Whatever it happens to be. But if I am on the road and have a failure, that will be a major expense I may not be able to afford (considering hotel, dealer pricing, etc.). So, if a lower milage R1150RT would prove to be more reliable, then maybe that is the way I should go. If all things considered the 1100 & 1150 are the same reliability wise, or if the 1100 is more reliable, then I should just stick with it and add a few creature comforts to it. I just don't know the 1150 history well enough to decide, hence my Q&A.

I'd like an R1200RT, but the whole goal here is to stay within a budget and avoid any financed loan. If I were to sell the LT & RT I could buy a newer model (1150) outright.

[osbornk]

I'm considering an RT also and wondered about differences between an R1100RT and R1150RT, beyond the dual plugging. What do you mean by 'whizzy' brakes? :dunno

It is the servo assisted integrated brakes. Some people love them and many people hate them. I like them on one of my bikes but changing the fluid and repairs are very expensive.

[alien_hitchhiker]

The question: Reliability of a previously owned low mileage R1150RT versus reliability of a known 1100 with 63K.

- 1150s MAY have a slightly higher incidence of spline failures (this is a half-informed statement; solely based on what I've read on this forum).
- Servo assist brake failures have occured - though rare.
- Older 1100s may have a slightly higher rate of FD failures.
- Older 1100s may have a slightly higher rate of HES harness insulation failures.
- Put enough miles on any bike and eventually something will fail - alternator, fuel pump, something.

Add these up and it starts to look like an 1150 might be more reliable - however - my '00 1100RT with 67K on it feels like it's just now fully broken in. I'd love to put 200K on it and won't consider it to be 'old' until its well over 100K.

My answer: I think in the end it's pure speculation. Statistically I'd have to guess that it's a 50:50 proposition.

A purely logical approach -
Inspect & lube the splines on your 1100. If they look worn sell the bike. If they look good then replace the FD bearings with the newer "upgraded" bearing set, purely as a preventive move. The HES insulation can also be inspected, & then upgraded if need be, This should give you a bit more confidence in the bike. Of course, you'd also need to put that head gasket issue to rest. (Did the head bolts ever get their scheduled re-torque?).

A gut approach -
If the idea of a fresher 1150 appeals to you - go for it. If the idea of committing to your "vintage oilhead" appeals to you - go for it and do the preventive stuff.

My $0.02 (now worth roughly 1/150th of a gallon of gas).

[ArthurKnowles]

I had a chat with my dealer (where I bought the LT) and am thinking the best way for me to go is to put the LT up for sale with them via consignment and sell any items that don't sell with the motorcycle on the BMWLT.Com forum or eBay. I'll keep the R1100RT and fix any potential mechanical issues and possibly install a few comfort upgrades.

I think the first items on my list will be the head gasket, splines, and maybe the final drive. When I did my initial valve adjustment, I did forget to retourque the head and do the gap on the valve rockers. So that needs to be addressed first. Then I can check and see if the leak has been corrected or not.

The splines are also a good idea as I did buy some BMW spline lube to do that job, but just hadn't gotten around to it yet. That will tell me a lot right there as to whether or not I should keep it or not. I bought a used final drive with 10,000 miles on it, but it did get grounded down a bit where the paralever attaches. It's purely a cosmetic problem as there is more than sufficient metal for support. I could either get some aluminum welded on it, or build up some JB Weld (or similar aluminum epoxy), to improve the cosmetics. But I should be able to use it even as it is if a FD failure occurs. Truthfully, I haven't really decided if I will use it or not. My last fluid change just had the usual metal mush (no fragments) so it appeared in good condition.

I am fairly confident about the HES wiring as I gave it a high pressure wash a while back. The motorcycle started right up and I drove off without a problem. I actually washed it partially to see if I was going to have a HES failure. But it might still be a good idea to actually look at it and see. I've had off the fairings & gas tank so many times, what is one more time to me?

So thanks for all the comments and ideas. Truely appreciated.