Over in the R section here at Boxer works I am toying with getting a better newer R. AS one who hates 4 cylinder engines I am strangely drawn to the K1100's. I have only ever owned one 4. Way back in the 80s. It was an XJ650.
So what would I be looking for when it comes to a K1100???
So this is one K1100RS that I really like the look of.
Bike 1994 BMW K1100RS
Price $7,990*
Odometer 68,000 Kms
Body Touring
Colour MAROON
Engine Capacity 1092
RefCode ag-79249
Long Comments
JUNE STOCKTAKE SALE. REDUCED TO CLEAR! WAS $8,990. NOW $7,990. YOU SAVE $1,000 NOW!
This bike is in Excellent Condition and Comes with Genuine Panniers and Top Box. The bike has done 68,000 klms and looks Very Tidy. A great price for a long distance tourer with a bullet-proof reputation.
If you hate 4 cyl engs the solution is simple get a K75, they get along well with airheads in the barn, several of us have K75's. The K1100's I know of have been pretty much bullet proof
Ross, as you may have seen on the forum, I bought a '93 K1100RS just last May. USA blue book for my bike is a bit over 4k. I was lucky and the 'desperate to sell due to bills' seller took my 2.5k offer. According to Kelley Blue Book, your '94 in excellent condition would be about the same. There's a 'special edition' RS for a 100 bucks more. The one you posted about has the same mileage as mine. Not sure about US dollar conversion to where you are.
I've put on about 3.5k miles on the K since I bought it. The bike had been lowered a inch or two by an owner in the past. I"ve gotten the rear back to stock, but need to look into the front suspension about if it too has been lowered.
The 100 hp 16 valve motor really has the virtually seamless power; although there's a common to all bit of high pitch vibration from 3.5 to 4k rpm. I read this can be dampened more with further reading on established K forums. Other than that narrow band of buzzyness, the power-on feel is smooth as glass. I've read that one should shift into fifth gear at about 25 then really hit the throttle for a real thrill of the engine's power. I haven't tried that yet. Although once I did have to really punch it to merge onto a busy highway. If you're not used to it, the KRS acceleration can really take your breath away.
The ABS brakes are truly something to experience. I've had a panic stop in traffic already, due to the usual bozo in a cage. I could feel the ABS kick in with gratifying results. I know my '84 RS would have locked up its brakes in this situation.
After buying/stealing this bike at the price I did, about all I've done that was needed was to replace the cooling fan. That took a couple hours to complete with a used fan from Larrysfixit.
I've taken the K on a number of Saturday and weekend jaunts. I should say the K1100RS stock handlebar configuration is the typical BMW RS lean forward set up. The bike initially came with bar backs installed which I promptly removed. About a month and a thousand miles later, I re-installed the bar backs due to sore hands. I think the BB will stay for good.
Ebay in the states is chock full of used parts for bid or buy it now on these K bikes.
Future, looks like yours could be about spotless. Unless your dollar/US conversion drops down a lot, I'd say that bike is quite overpriced. Let's hope not.
I've several friends with K bikes here and there. Most say they'll be sometimes little things to fix or take care off, but not the drivetrain. That should go for 100's of k miles.
These K's are definitely a different ballgame that our trusty old airheads. If the price is right and the K checks out, I'd go for it. If it's really not your cup of tea, you can sell it and get something else.
Good luck and may the force be with you.
Randy
Click for pics
04 R1150RT ~ 78 R100/7 ~ 84 RS ~ 93 K1100RS ~ 65 R60/2
Randy in Round Rock
Yeah, they're giving those things away over here. The used prices for you guys are amazing. It's almost worth shipping a bike over there to sell it.
The K1100's are big, heavy, and indestructible. If you are comfortable with the weight, the bikes can eat amazing numbers of miles. I bought one as a parts bike that had been owned by an Iron Butt guy. Even though it was a parts bike, and had a lot of oil in the coolant, it was still running. It had 280,000 miles on it. That's not km, that's miles, on the original block, head, and even valves. These things really do run forever.
Major Softie wrote:These things really do run forever.
+1
I have yet to see a K (brick) bike that needed engine work.
I find the K75 (3 cyl) is a much better handling bike than the 4 cyl K's.
I had a new 1990 K1abs and could not get used to the front weight bias,
maybe because I'm a dirt biker at heart.
I have no idea if the later transverse four K bikes are as durable as the older 'brick' bikes.
Mechanic from Hell "I remember every raging second of it...
My bike was on fire, the road was on fire, and I was on fire.
It was the best ride ever!"
gspd wrote:I have no idea if the later transverse four K bikes are as durable as the older 'brick' bikes.
Yeah, they have yet to prove themselves. They're getting about 75% more HP out of the new ones, with a lot less weight, so it remains to be seen if they can live up to the indestructible reputation of the originals.
I like the torque characteristics of the later brick engines. If you are looking for a long distance sport tourer, I'd say go for it. Just get it checked out. Parts and service can get ugly!
