2002 1150RT - Known Issues

[minatophase3]

I'm a little scared to post another thread as my previous post has stirred up a few opinions.

 

But I do have a question, I found a nice used 2002 1150RT for a good price and wanted to know if there were any known issues that would stop someone from getting a 2002?

 

If I recall, the twin spark wasn't developed to fix the non-existant surge until late 2003, but I could be wrong on the dates. I know it has the servo brakes which I don't particularily care for but I'm sure I could get used to it.

 

My last bike was a 99 1100RT which had a very small amount of surge but with some Bosh 4418 plugs it seemed to go away.

 

Anyway, if anyone knows of other potential issues with this model year I would love to hear about them. A test ride will determine if the surge is there or not.

 

Thanks,

Tim

[Jake]

Ahh, opinions are what makes the world go 'round.

 

I have an '02, and love it. Detractors don't like the brakes as they tend to be the grabbiest of all the RTs, especially the early-run '02s - but you do get used to it. There can be a tendency of the early-model brakes to release on really rough pavement - or those speed-stips preceeding toll booths. The 6th (E) gear is geared fairly tall, you will likely prefer your 1100 5-speed. The steering geometry is a bit quicker than your 1100, and the lights are brighter - both nice. It's a toss-up with the surge, but the 02's seemed to have it more than the 1100's, and also more than the twin-spark. It rears it's ugly head once in a while, but I tune it out easily. There was a fuel line recall - mine was in the recall group but never had issues.

 

Other than that - if you find a nice running one, you should buy it and enjoy it!

[Mike O]

I have an '03RT. One thing I'm really annoyed about is how quickly and with little effort it takes to eat up miles on the bike. I think a diet is in order.

 

I wish it surged a bit more so that I would know what folks are complaining about...

 

 

Mike O

[Huzband]

Yeah, you'd prolly save a lot of money on pie that way.

[Stan Walker]

I'm bugged by how long it's taking to wear it out.......

(at 91,000 and rolling, never had a real problem).

 

Stan

[MikeRC]

I'll try to help - from the vantage point of a Canadian 1150RT with a manufacture date of Feb2002. 85,160 km (52,800 mi).

 

The surging drove me nuts at first, it was horrible from about 2750 to 4000 rpm. Changed the CCP (green to pink or pink to green?) and it helped a bit. Closer attention to valve adjust and it was much better. Built a home manometer for TBS and tamed the beast for good.

 

The fully linked EVO brakes are great when you have to stop RIGHT NOW, but they are very hard to modulate at parking lot speeds. Lots of practice and a gentle hand/foot.

 

Known issues would include the transmission input shaft failures (but if the bike has 20,000 mi on it it would probably have shown up by now), and clutch slave cylinder failures. I have torn my bike down for spline inspection/lube and I expect it will make 100,000 mi.

 

A long time ago, there was a reference to determine which version of the EVO servo system you had by serial number/manufacture date. Make sure that the brake and clutch fluids have been changed at least every two years. It is an involved procedure but within the abilities of most home mechanics.

 

I think you will appreciate the 6th gear - makes for quieter cruising at 70 mph + but the gas mileage seems about the same as an 1100.

 

Mike Cassidy

[eakins]

read about many stripped splines on the 02.

very $ is outta waranty.

[Mike O]

Yeah, you'd prolly save a lot of money on pie that way.

And BBQ, too!

 

Mike O

[Ken H.]

I'm on the fence on this one, and we put 36K miles on an early run '02. And probably would have tripled that had it not met an unfortunate end at my hand.

 

Of all the R1150RT's the '02, especially the early run ones, are in my mind the least desirable because of their very sensitive brakes and overall a bit more frequent surge and spline issues. Yes you can (and I did) get used to the brakes, and yes, not all of them have spline issues, and yes with work you can usually tune out most if not all of the surge. But given there are a lot of '03 units with less touchy brakes, and twin-spark '04 bikes with virtually no surge issues, and less reported spline issues, why bother with an '02? Keep looking for a pristine '04. The price differential at this point is going to be that much different.

 

For people with an '02 now there is not likely a good enough reason to move away from it (within the R1150RT run), but with the advantage of starting out 'from scratch' why go there at all?

[Paul Mihalka]

If a '02 R1150xx, I would find a cheap one with over 50K miles and known repair or non-repair history. Mentioned problem areas, like clutch splines and clutch slave cylinders, usually show up early and probably are caused by original assembly or product defects.

[RPG]

Tim, I had an '02 for a couple of years until the deer exposure in Idaho in '04. Mine was a late model so the brakes were real nice. Not grabby at all IMHO. My only complaint with the bike was the last bit of surging I still couldn't get rid of. But all I did was try different spark plugs and a different CCP. There are other solutions but then again your potential bike may not have any issues.

 

Other than that it was flawless and never had an issue.

 

My '04 RT has zero surge (probably due to Twin Spark) and gets a few more mpg.

[minatophase3]

Thanks for the replies, I think I am going to take a look at it today, but am a little more cautions now. The bike is at a non BMW dealer and from the pictures it appears to have a custom seat, windshield, and the BMW top box. The asking price is under $7,500, they claim they just want to move it as they do not normally sell BMW's. We'll see.

 

Is there a way to tell if it is an early or late model 2002?

 

Thanks again to everyone.

 

Tim

[Rich06FJR1300]

i think there is a label on the frame (i think near the front shock) that shows the month/year the bike was made.

[minatophase3]

I went to look at the RT yesterday and it was very nice, 24,500 miles, corbin seat, aeroflow ws, top case. They only had one sales person working and several people in the shop so I could not talk to him about the history of the bike. I e-mailed later when I got back home and received a reply today that the bike had been sold.

 

I think someone got a pretty nice deal for $7,300.

 

The search continues.

 

Have a good weekend everyone.

 

Tim

[11101110]

The surging drove me nuts at first, it was horrible from about 2750 to 4000 rpm. Changed the CCP (green to pink or pink to green?) and it helped a bit. Closer attention to valve adjust and it was much better. Built a home manometer for TBS and tamed the beast for good.

 

Mike Cassidy

 

sorry for the hijack but what is the CCP? Is the the motronic plug?

[Rich06FJR1300]

appreviated for the cat code plug