Old Tires and Supplemental Lighting

[jemmons56]

Hi, everyone...first time poster here. I've had a couple of K bikes (LT, traded it in for a GTL) but felt like I needed an R to be a real Beemer guy. So I just picked up a 96 1100 RS with 32K miles as a second bike. It just had an annual service and runs like a top.

Lots of questions, but here are the ones I feel like are most important right now.

1) The tires on the bike are 6 years old. They have very few miles on them; I would guess < 1K. There is no sign of dry rot or cracking, although the chicken strips have kind of a yellowish film on them. It seems to just be a surface discoloration, as I can scrub a bit and get it off.

Should six-year-old tires concern me? If they wear faster than normal, no big deal, as long as they don't suddenly wear out in the middle of a sweeper!

2) I want to get some more light on this baby, not for night riding, but for visibility. I had some Motolights on my LT and they seemed like they did a good job, and I liked the simple clamp-on-fork-tube mounting. Any reason not to go that route on the RS?

Thanks in advance...looking forward to learning a lot here...already have!
---
Jim E - Austin TX
96 R100RS
12 K1600GTL

[GSAddict]

1) 6 Year old tires will be harder than newer ones and will be an issue in colder temperatures and on wet pavement. If it were my machine I would change them.
2) Anything to improve front visibility will be beneficial to your health.

[derost]

Welcome Jim!

Moto lights are a good way to go, especially since they now offer a LED version. You can also check out Clear Water lights... VERY good lights. Really kind of depends on WHERE you want to mount them, and how much modifying do you want to do. I didn't like anything out there so I made my own brackets so that they were exactly where I wanted them. If you want a bolt and go solution, then moto lights are great for giving you a good three points of light look.

[sdpc2]

re: the additional lights, i would agree that either of the lights mentioned are good options. But they are also a bit pricey. There are other options out there that are much less expensive. Think LED.

Just my 2 cents, and only worth what you paid for it....

sdc

[GSAddict]

Low Beam: 35w HID 4300k
High Beam: Hella H9 65w
Fender: Hella H7 55w
Daytime/Highbeam: Clearwater Krista LED
Horn tied to Krista High beam

The deer here wear sunglasses...............
Drivers definitely see me as well.
Important: Lights must be correctly aimed at all loads.
I have a large knob that I can adjust the height on the fly.

[bdimon]

2) I want to get some more light on this baby, not for night riding, but for visibility. I had some Motolights on my LT and they seemed like they did a good job, and I liked the simple clamp-on-fork-tube mounting. Any reason not to go that route on the RS?

I like the Photon Blasters by Skene. Very attention-getting.
http://www.lights.skenedesign.com/

[70783]

I have to admit that I went the cheap route with the aux. lighting on my RS. Bought a pair of small 55 watt halogen lights at an auto parts store. By small I mean like 2.5" x 2.5" and by cheap I think they were $17.00 about 5 years ago. I fabricated my own bracket out of 1/8" x 1/2" steel bar stock. By fabricated, I mean I took some rough measurements, cut the metal to length, clamped it in a bench vise and beat it into shape. Drilled a few holes and painted it black. I mounted the lights about half way down the lower fairing where it bolts to the frame (you'll need a longer bolt). Wired them through a relay so they are on when the low beams are on. That way I won't forget to turn them off. I think I have about $35.00 total in the lights. I had to replace one bulb about a year ago, cost $5.00.

As far as the tires go...I would replace them.

Enjoy the RS, it's a great bike.

[jemmons56]

Thanks to all of you for your help. I have ordered new tires. I knew that was the right thing to do...I just couldn't bring myself to spend the $ with all of that tread left on the existing tires without a little nudge.

I'll research the lights a little more...thanks for the suggestions, photos, and links. They do get a bit pricey, but I am not confident in my ability to fab up something on my own and have it look decent. I tried that with some LED lighting on my FJR, and it looked very "homemade", to put it nicely.

I'm going to try to stay patient with this bike...do a little research, do the installation myself, and try to learn as much as possible about the bike. That's the plan. But it's such a hoot to ride, it's sure tempting to just drop it off at the dealer and let them do everything so I can get on the road sooner!