Going to look at a 1996 R110RT tomorrow.

[dougfollett]

It has 48,000 miles on it, new tires, new clutch, well taken care of, asking price $4,900. Does that sound reasonable? I'll check it out and take it for a ride but is there anything special I should be looking for? The guy said he had to replace the shifting fork because it got knocked over while parked and wouldn't shift properly. He did say that now, after the repair, on rare occasions it would slip out of 3rd shortly after shifting. I'm thinking that this is normal. I have miss shifts occasional myself. I currently own a 1989 R100RT. Thanks.

Doug

[J Brase]

I would be scared. Slipping out of gear is not the same as missing a shift. I'd also wonder why it needed a new clutch at only 48k miles.

John

[dougfollett]

Hmmm, now you have me wondering about the transmission. He said that it rarely ever happens. I'd swear that I have done the same thing on my bike. You don't quite get it into gear and it falls back out. I will definitely check it out. Why are all the interesting bikes always over 100 miles away? I went to check out one last year that was a 600 mile round trip. The guy didn't want me to ride it as it was winter and the roads had snow melt chemicals on them. Guess he really didn't want to sell it. I took the hint and left.

Doug

[nortonrt]

Take it to the BMW dealership in Tacoma and have them check it out. In my experience, BMW shops charge one hour of shop time to give you a report on the major functions - cheap insurance. If the seller doesn't want to do that... cheaper yet.

[Godfather]

If I remember reading correctly, the early oilheads had problems with the transmissions (M-94) having premature shift fork failures. One of the signs is the popping out of gear (2nd or 3rd) another is flaking or chunks of redish brown material in the transmission gear oil. I would have it checked out, as this could set you back some serious ca$h ro repair/replace. BTW The latest of the 5 speed oilhead trans is the M-97. Good luck, keep us posted.

[DARKCLOUD]

Slipping out of third, nothing to worry about. It could be a "weak shift". New clutch? If the transmission was out for the bent shifting fork, or the splines lubed maybe a new clutch was put in to save labor later on. Check the build date on the bike, if it is before 9/96 it has the big intake valves. JON

[breyfogle]

It has 48,000 miles on it, .... on rare occasions it would slip out of 3rd shortly after shifting. I'm thinking that this is normal. ....

FWIW: It is not normal, both the mileage and "slipping out of 3rd gear" are classic early indications of a transmission that will have to be replaced/rebuilt in the not too distant future.

[ALIENHITCHHIKER]

Hmm...

The clutch required replacement with presumably < 48,000 miles and the tranny occasionally slips out of third.

I'm thinking either this guy is used to riding slick shifting wet clutch Japanese bikes and applies the same techniques to the RT - or - the bike has been hot rodded.

If it's the latter then the third gear issue is more worrisome.

Having said that - if you can leverage the 3rd gear issue to get yourself an excellent price you can always drop in a used transmission (see www.beemerboneyard.com for potential cost.) If you can do the swap yourself this might be a feasible plan. And who knows, the bike may never give you a bit of trouble.

[dougfollett]

Well, I'm back. It took me a while to make up my mind but in the end I trusted my intuition and turned it down. As you can guess I'm not that mechanically talented and although I can do a spline lube I'm not much at diagnosing. Everything looked great. The owner was obviously meticulous about his equipment and was a good mechanic. I took it out for a short ride and heard some noise over the sound of the motor that I didn't like. I ride a R100RT so I think I am familiar with how noisy these animals can be but I just didn't like the sound of it. I suppose it could have been tires on the pavement or wind over the fearing but the little voice in my head kept saying "transmission". I never had any problems shifting though it felt a little clunky but isn't that typical for a BMW? I really couldn't put my finger on anything in particular. I just added up all of my feelings about it and decided to pass. You know, when the right one comes along, it jumps all over you.

[jingdog]

If you are considering one of these bikes and there is a question about the transmission, offer to change the transmission oil. If it comes out like coffee or has a metalic sheen to it then the transmission is in trouble. Doesnt necessarily mean you have to reject the bike either. If the price is right and the owner reasonable you can have an otherwise sound bike for a project which is fun all by itself.

[dougfollett]

Well, I took everyone's advice (including my own) and passed on that one. As luck and fortune would have it, I stumbled across another R1100RT this weekend. This one is a 1999 and obviously well cared for. 39,000 miles and drives and shifts almost like a new bike. There was no stopping me on buying that one. Some times a deal is so good it jumps out at you. This one certainly did. A very clean, smooth running, well cared for bike. $6000. Seemed fair to me. Did I mention a heated seat? I pick it up Saturday. Can't wait. I'll post a picture then.

Doug

[J Brase]

HooRay! A little patience on your part seems to have paid off well.

John

[ALIENHITCHHIKER]

Congrats !!!

The '99s are a better bet anyway as they benefited from all the tweaks the 1100s received from 94 on.

We want pics, we want pics, we want pics

[JimMoore]

Good call. '98 - '00 RTs are the kings of the RT world.

[RJM2096]

I love mine.