Evaluating a 2000 R1100RT-P

[kneedrachen]

Good Afternoon All,

Hoping you can help me out. I'm looking at purchasing a 2000 RT-P from about 1/3 of the way across the country. Other than typical used bike things such as corrosion and crash damage, tire condition, etc, is there anything else I should be looking for? I've previously owned an Airhead but Oilheads are new to me.

Thanks In Advance.

[Jim Rogers]

I actually did buy a 2000 R1100RT-P via e-bay from Chattanooga TN last year. It had in the low 60s on the clock. I spent several hours on the phone with the guy to get a feel of what he was like and how much I could trust what he was saying. Being an ex-cop, I felt like I could tell. Turns out, the motor was even better than I could have ever hoped for. I got the VIN and found out it was from the High Point, NC PD. So I contacted the closest dealer and discovered they had all the service records. The service manager was super and went through its history. (Oh, and being an authority, it has most likely been down. While the seller did not know, the dealer did. It was only Tupperware damage and that had been replaced with new. Other things I found out was that the rear drive was only a few thousand mile old, it had two clutches installed (again the second was only a few thousand miles old, and, the shocks had never been replaced.) Then, he sent me all the records at his expense. They were great. It is a great bike. The only true down sides were the seat, the shocks, and the tires. The seat was apparently the original and was completely compressed. Being a large guy, I bought a couple from e-bay for a good price. Turns out the standard BMW Comfort seat just does not work for me and I ended up with a Sargent. So, if you want a pan for an 11RT-P to have one built, I can help as I now have three seats: the 60K, a 15K and an NOS. While the tires had a few miles left on them, I still put a set of Road Pilot 2 on. A good investment. As the shocks had never been replaced, I chose to put a set of Ohlins on. (They were only $300 more than OEMs. A great investment but you can certainly get a great set of shocks for a MUCH lower price.) I also chose to do the 36K service as the PD, naturally, did not do it prior to the sale and the previous owner did his own service. The previous owner also had it completely painted to make it all black, put a set of driving lights (wired to the authority lights/siren handle bar switch (I like that) on where the front crash bars would have penetrated the fairing, and even carpeted the radio box. I also replaced all the cables simply because I wanted to. The original wind screen was somewhat old and scratched so I put a taller CeeBailey on. Lastly, I had the aux battery taken out (since it is not in the starting circuit) and restored the fairing storage box. Don't necessarily count on the 'guarenteed speedo accuracy'. Mine is fine up to about 50 but then is a little off on the low side. The front break discs rattle and have a little lateral play in them. This is normal as they are full floating discs (great for self alignment and heat dissipation) and held in place with bobbins. I thought about replacing them but there is no rotational movement, why bother? All in all, I have about $9K in 'Hilda'. I, as well as my dealer based on his assessment, would not hesitate to take her across country. And you will really like the extra size of the generator, no can bus, and the oil cooler fan. Foot peg lower kits will fit but not work if you have the stock authority side stand. The extension gets in the way and your left heal will ride on the extension, feeling really funky. Because of being a 90HP bike, Throttlemiesters work OK on level ground but outside of that, they are pretty useless. I especially like the radio box instead of the back seat. Keeps folks from asking for a ride and is a very convenient storage compartment. If you really want a back seat, conversion kit are available. You wont be able to get a single, front only, Corbin seat as theirs is not compatible with a single seater and they wont sell just the front, anyway. I tried. But the better custom seat makers will use your pan, so that is not an issue if you go that route and Sargent will sell a compatible, front only if you go that route. So, what would I tell ya? Take the time to talk to the seller, get the service records from the local dealer, plan on putting a little bit of money into your motor based on those records and your personal taste, and enjoy.

[Lisa_ST]

Having worked at 2 dealerships, the only advise I can give you is that you may have electric gremlins on these bikes. Remember that they are wired for 2 batteries and all the extra police equipment. That being said, it depends on who did all of the wiring harness mods and how many times the bike has been taken apart for maintenance. If you know a BMW dealer that you are friendly with, get the vin number and have them run a vin history for you in the warranty system. That will at least let you know if the bike has had any major issues while in service.

Good luck!
Lisa

[adooley]

I think what everyone previous has said is pretty spot on. I have a 2002 R1150RTP and was fortunate that everything has worked out nicely. Do your homework and the surprises should be minimal. The other thing to check for is the diagnostic plug that allows BMW to plug in their computer to 'talk' to the bike computer. Mine was cut off when they remove the police equipment. I have replaced it but it wasn't easy. Other than that, they are wonderful machines. I have taken mine from DC to the midwest and southeast without incident. Have fun and good luck! :)

[kneedrachen]

Thank You all for your replies. The seller seems to be a straight shooter as I've emailed him extensively and spoken to him on the phone. I feel comfortable at this point. I'll get the VIN and take it from there.

Again, thank you for your replies and assistance with this.

Alex

[bdiver]

My experience was a bit different. I bought mine in LA and flew down to ride it back the next day, well.... it left me stranded 60 miles from where I got it and had to be towed back. The dealer (not a BMW but one that sold authority cars, trucks, bikes, etc) had their mechanic work on it the next day. When I got there they had run the battery down so low the ABS wouldn't work properly and I'm sure they had to replace the Hall effect sensor but he didn't mention that. I left a day later and it ran alright. After getting back to my home (over 1K miles) later I did all sorts of maintenance and finally have the bike really dialed in and running smooth but it took a few yrs of working on it to get it perfect. The best part of these bikes is how easy they are to work on.

[AntonLargiader]

... you may have electric gremlins on these bikes. Remember that they are wired for 2 batteries and all the extra police equipment. That being said, it depends on who did all of the wiring harness mods and how many times the bike has been taken apart for maintenance.

I agree absolutely. Honestly, most RT-Ps I have worked on are just beaten to death. The wiring was a bodge from the beginning and gets hacked up more and more as the bike goes through its service life. Sometimes the bikes are ridden by people who really wish they had Harleys and they just hammer them. Remember the riders are not the owners.

Some people really like their RT-Ps and clearly some have had good experiences. My observation is that "used RT-P" = "used-up RT-P".

[kneedrachen]

Brian/Anton-


Thank you for your insight as to the potential for problems with these bikes. The PO has had the bike for 32k reported trouble-free miles and had the driveshaft rebuilt. I do not know about clutch replacement or wheel bearing replacement, I will try to find out more from my local dealership.

Anton-

Were the lights/siren spliced into the existing wiring harness or did BMW make separate harnesses for options to be plugged into. I've heard some departments just cut the harnesses when the bike is sold so you're left with a rat's nest of wiring.

Alex

[bdiver]

My bike did not have any switches on the handlebars and it really looked like a civilian model. Once I started taking things apart I found cut wires all over the place, luckily they were only for the extra stuff the authority model had on and once removed it was no biggie. They removed the big front crash bars and filled in the holes of the fairing, I had no back seat box but a regular seat. I believe they put a new/used jug on the right side as I've found some broken fins near the inside where it attaches to the engine. I don't think I could have seen that unless the tupperware was removed.

My bike had 54K on it when I got it and now I'm up to 97K. I have really just done the adjusting of valves, change oil and stuff like that. I've had no issues with the FD (knock on wood). All in all I'm pretty happy with it.

My friend purchased an authority bike with a lot less miles (~41K or so) and he ended up putting in 2 new/used final drives, so it's kinda the luck of the draw.

[Jim Rogers]

Anton,

+1 on the comment about the LEO who has to ride a Beemer but really wants an H-D. The guys that did the service on Hilda, said exactly that. Maybe that is why she needed two clutches.

[Landfellow]

Some people really like their RT-Ps and clearly some have had good experiences. My observation is that "used RT-P" = "used-up RT-P".[/QUOTE]


I have had just the opposite experience. Last year I bought a 2004 RTP with 20,000 miles. . I got a great deal on it ($3,800.00). The bike was all original with the code 3 red and blue flashing lights and siren intact and working so there were no cut or hacked wiring. I even had to remove the police and municipality stickers. I contacted the dealer who serviced it and got all the service records. The bike was sitting in storage for a year so I had to replace the fuel filter and change all the fluids. I ran a couple tanks of sea foam and it ran like a champ. I have since had it tuned up, got an aftermarket seat and windshield, full size system cases and hard wired a GPS. I love the all extra safety features (run flat tires, front & rear crash bars, extra loud horn, running lights, and additional side mounted turn signals) along with all the other things that make it a little more heavy duty than an RT. I have about $5,500.00 invested in it and couldn’t be happier. I have put thousands of miles on it with no problems whatsoever. Do your homework and if the price is right, you could have one sweet ride.

[kneedrachen]

Thank you for your input. The PO has had the bike for 32k miles and put a new final drive in. I'm guessing if there were any electrical gremlins they would have cropped up by now.

We'll see how this plays out, I'll keep you all updated.

[AntonLargiader]

I have had just the opposite experience. Last year I bought a 2004 RTP with 20,000 miles. . I got a great deal on it ($3,800.00). ..

I think that's pretty unusual. Most departments run them for at least 60,000 miles, and CHP is now stretching them to 100k miles.

[Landfellow]

I think that's pretty unusual. Most departments run them for at least 60,000 miles, and CHP is now stretching them to 100k miles.


Not really, Max BMW just had 3 of them (2005 RTPs) all with under15K. I also bought a 2005 RTP last year with 14K on it :deal. It came from a local municipality here in the east where we have a short motorcycle season. All with working lights and siren. Of course I take the fuses out for all the code 3 equipment...:wave

[Landfellow]

my o4 & 05

[eblakemore]

I recently purchased a 2000 from an auction that disposes of surplus authority equipment. I have had ZERO issues with the bike. Any money spent is by my ambitious nature to make it less authoritative looking, although you really get respect from other oncoming drivers when they see a black and white coming at them :)

I shopped ebay to find all the parts and pieces to convert the radio box to a 2-up seating, replaced the white center tank strip w black, found a 33 liter top case, and 2 touring covers for the city bags. 2 new tires and I'm on my way for my first check mark on my bucket list. ( 7 day ride like the wild hogs)

The bike is old enough to find salvage parts, saving tons of $$, but young enough to trust its' durability and not to break down

[175781]

I have an 04 RTP. 32K. Runs great, but there's an occasional horn whine/bleat when the ignition is on, but the bike is not running. Haven't the slightest why. Something done when the emergency equipment was removed, no doubt.

[Cyclepilot]

Mine is a 1997 with over 120,000 miles on it. It was sold at auction at 70,000 miles, and then the next owner put another 50,000 on it. I bought from him last spring and have another 3k miles burned off.

I've had a couple of minor electrical issues (the dead switch on the side stand was causing the engine to just stop at any time-so I ran a temporary bypass (gotta replace it soon), and then there's the worn-out brake light wire that I had to fix). There is the proverbial rats nest electrical harness, but the stock switches & features work without issues.

The last owner replace the final drive the year before. It does have a surge- but I've run through the easy-to-do fixes on the forum and the surge has gotten a lot better. I've also had to replace the fork seals. The "choke lever" doesn't seem to do anything, even when I tightened up the adjustment on it; although the bike starts up right away and runs on it's own after a few seconds of love with the throttle.

The smaller black plastic panels under the seat are both cracked, and are on my list of things to replace when I can get a good used set. The windshield has a bunch of those little micro scratches/stress fractures running through it so it is a bit hard to see through with the sun shining in.

These are all just minor things and to be expected with a 15 year-old motorcycle that has spent enough time on the road to circle the Earth 5 times... :) It still runs strong, and burns very little oil. The ABS functions properly and all in all it has been a great bike. I would have to say however that even though I do like this bike, my next one will probably be the civilian version.

[175781]

I absolutely love mine. Would like to be able to go 2 up though. The slim city cases don't hold much, but I've learned to deal with it.