TracyPrier Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Howdy all It's been a while... I've been doing a stint in the chain gang and much in all as I have enjoyed my sic-fiddy GS I got me a hankering for an oilhead again. Apart from anything else my better half just is not so comfy on the GS as she was on the RT. Rather than an RT I'm looking at the simpler R models. Down here in New Zealand the R850R has been and is still a popular model, as is the 1100 / 1150 versions. Does anyone know of a source for (as much as possible) reliable fuel consumption figures so I can get a comparison between the 850 and 1100? Thanks guys Tracy Link to comment
philbytx Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Tracy, My riding buddy has a 1996 850R and I a 2000 1100R. On average, he gets about 2/3mpg more than me. On our last ride I got 41mpg (U.S. gallons!). However, this was a twisty back road hooning session and we don't exactly hang about On a more 'sensible' ride, I can regularly get 48mpg out of my R1100R. Link to comment
Trullion Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 Can't help with the 850R but I do have an 850GS (same engine). I average 52mpg (imperial). This compares with 47mpg on my 1100RS. I don't know offhand whether or not the R850R has the same FD as the GS; if it does it is fairly low-geared. This makes it quite sprightly but revvy; top gear on my 850 = 4th gear on the 1100RS, though the RS has a higher ratio than the 1100R. Nice place, New Zealand...a wonderful biking country. Link to comment
mikeR1100R Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 I get about 48 mpg on my '98 R1100R. I used to get 50 - 52 before 10% ethanol. I have heard that the difference in power output is almost negligible between the 850 and the 1100. Good luck! Link to comment
TracyPrier Posted December 10, 2008 Author Share Posted December 10, 2008 wow, only 2 or 3 miles difference? cool. That's a lot different to the one list of figures I have found that put the 850 at 50mpg and the 1100r at 39mpg... but then I take those sorts of figures with a BIG pinch of salt... real-world figures mean far more IMO. Thanks for that Tracy Tracy, My riding buddy has a 1996 850R and I a 2000 1100R. On average, he gets about 2/3mpg more than me. On our last ride I got 41mpg (U.S. gallons!). However, this was a twisty back road hooning session and we don't exactly hang about On a more 'sensible' ride, I can regularly get 48mpg out of my R1100R. Link to comment
TracyPrier Posted December 10, 2008 Author Share Posted December 10, 2008 I was originally going to look at an 850 because of superior fuel figures but an 1100 has turned up for a pretty sharp price, hence the question. It's a little higher in miles than I had first considered but then when I thought about it, it is still 7000 miles lower than the 60,000 miles that was on the ex-CHP RTP I imported and that ran like a dream and was totally solid Something I notice here is that most of the R model bikes down here are without ABS... is that the same in the US/Europe?? just curious as I don't see lack of ABS a deal-breaker. Thanks Tracy Link to comment
philbytx Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 They tried to keep the R price "competitive" and so less ABS models were available..it was an expensive "extra"!!. Link to comment
Trullion Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 A lot of R's don't have ABS in the UK. My 850GS doesn't either. I see that as a big plus, not a minus. ABS2 can be a right PITA, just look at the threads.......; it's never cut in on my 1100RS anyway. FWIW I would definately go for the 1100; it will be faster (+10bhp) and more relaxed. My 1100 is also smoother, but they do vary. To some extent it depends how well tuned they are. Link to comment
mikeR1100R Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 I would agree on the ABS feature or lack thereof. My 1100 does not have ABS either. I don't spend any time pining for it. I think it saves weight (those units are kahuge!). I also don't hear any shrieking from an ABS system when I apply the brakes. I am sure the RT models benefit from ABS, but I wouldn't put the kibosh on a deal on an R due to no ABS. Good luck with your search. Mike Link to comment
philbytx Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 LeRoy, my 1100R, has ABS and my buddy's R850R does not. I actually like ABS2...never had a problem with it plus it is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY easier to work on than my RT's linked and power-assisted iABS. However, I am one of the folks that really do like the linked ABS on my RT Link to comment
TracyPrier Posted December 10, 2008 Author Share Posted December 10, 2008 Funnily enough, when I think about it the ABS only came on with the RT once or twice... and yes they ARE heavy chunks of metal. I certainly won't turn down a bike because it doesn't have ABS. ANd I'll certainly look at 1100's now that I know there is minimal difference in fuel consumption Thanks guys for the "real world" input on this post Cheers Tracy Link to comment
philbytx Posted December 10, 2008 Share Posted December 10, 2008 Tracy, You will LOVE the R1100R. It is more fun than a box of frogs. Link to comment
TracyPrier Posted December 10, 2008 Author Share Posted December 10, 2008 Tracy, You will LOVE the R1100R. It is more fun than a box of frogs. Thanks Philby... I'm sure it will be. I totally enjoyed the RT but there WAS a lot of it! and doing maintenance involved removing half the bike (or seemed to). I've been enjoying the "naked simplicity" of my sic-fiddy and am keen to keep with the whole naked theme. ...I just need to do a Craigslist search for the box of frogs now Once I have my new beasty I'll post up. cheers Tracy Link to comment
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