Looking at Possible New-to-me R1100RT

[CurtinWaco]

Hi, guys and gals.

I'm looking at at '97 R1100RT Saturday; 147k miles, recent full-service. No reported issues when I spoke with the owner on the phone recently.

 

I owned a K1200LT for a few years and felt I knew the bike pretty well. Any things I should be on the lookout for when I look at/ride the bike for the test ride?

 

I am aware of the HES issue some have reported and not to let it idle for extended periods of time. Any help would be appreciated!

 

Ride safe, always!

Curt

[MT Wallet]

Welcome. You might hang back a bit and wait for another bike. There are plenty of R1100RT's with less miles out there. Don't get in a rush. Good luck.

[Jim Moore]

What is he asking? I wouldn't give him more thatn $2K for it, no matter what kind of shape it's in. Also, it will need a new HES and new brake lines immediately if it hasn't been done yet. That's $500.

[eddd]

Transmission splines will likely have some wear and the drive shaft will be suspect if it hasn't been replace/refurbished along the way. Damaged splines reduces the value by a couple of thousand, the drive shaft by 500-1000 depending on whether you are capable of doing repairs.

 

That being said, if everything checks out and you are a 5,000 mile a year rider and the price is $3000-4000 then maybe.

 

We need a lot more information, and you need to do some research.

[dirtrider]

Morning Curt

 

147,000 miles on any BMW motorcycle is a LOT of miles. That doesn't necessarily mean it is worn out but as the miles get higher over 100,000 the chances of major issues drastically increase.

 

For the most part the BMW boxer engines are pretty darn bullet proof but the same can't always be said of the transmission, final drive, drive line, or ABS brake system.

 

I always question any vehicle that is put up for sale right after a full or major service. What normal person pays big money to service a vehicle right before selling it?

 

On the other hand, what did the service tec find during the service that prompted the owner to sell the vehicle?

 

It might mean nothing but to me it puts up a big red flag.

 

A 97 1100RT with 147K isn't worth a lot of money & can be a good deal IF it is in decent shape with a some of the major (possible) problem areas already addressed.

 

If you are here asking what to look for that probably means you are not well versed on the BMW boxer bikes & their weak points.

 

Just no way can we bring you up to speed in a couple of postings here on the subtle things to look for in a very high mile BMW boxer bike.

 

Plus, a lot of savvy long time BMW boxer owners can probably cover major issues enough to sell a bike to an unsuspecting new owner.

 

My suggested advice to you is to find a GOOD BMW repair shop to look the bike over for you before making an offer. Or at least find a long time experienced BMW boxer owner & take that person along to look at the bike with you. (lot more difficult to fool a longtime BMW boxer bike owner)

 

You not only need to look the bike over (but it's very easy for a non BMW owner to miss major flaws though) but you really need to look the seller over very carefully.

 

Is the seller selling a bunch of other JUNK, is his/her house well taken care of?

 

How about the sellers other vehicles? -- Is his car, truck, or other motorcycles beat to death or show signs of lack of care? Why would he have treated his 1100RT any differently?

 

Bottom line here-- A high mileage BMW 1100RT could be a good bargain as the price should be fairly low but the possibly of buying a money pit is also very high.

 

[Bud]

Transmission splines will likely have some wear and the drive shaft will be suspect if it hasn't been replace/refurbished along the way. Damaged splines reduces the value by a couple of thousand, the drive shaft by 500-1000 depending on whether you are capable of doing repairs.

 

That being said, if everything checks out and you are a 5,000 mile a year rider and the price is $3000-4000 then maybe.

 

We need a lot more information, and you need to do some research.

 

I have a 99 RT for sale on the classifieds here with about one fourth as many miles, priced in that price range, and haven't received a single inquiry.

[hopz]

Welcome on board.

 

I suggest you edit your information to show where you are. Texas is a pretty big place and we have members everywhere who can assist…

 

I have an R1100S model. 32k miles. I think of of it as "like new"… RT's with the same engine are available. Given the budget…

 

If that one is the ONE… then rest assured it still has a lot of good life, fun, reliability and spirit left in it. Understand that the buying price is just one part of the cost of ownership in any motorcycle/car etc.

 

Keep us in the loop and tell us how its going.

[AndyS]

Personally I would give it a miss and look for something MUCH newer with A LOT less miles. doesn't matter what bargain price it is, with age and miles the risk increases and repair bills are OFTEN high.

[CurtinWaco]

His ask is in the $2k ballpark.

[Bud]

Well there you go then. You have received a lot of advice and we look forward to finding out what you decide.

 

Good Luck!

[CurtinWaco]

Thanks, guys! I'm off to see the bike today and found a great cache of information on this website!

[CurtinWaco]

As it turned out, the advice and documents available on this website helped! No evidence of drive shaft lubrication, throttle stuck full-open (thankfully, found during TCLOCS), and incomplete maintenance records. For the price, probably would have been a good deal if the expense didn't double the selling price (I have an aversion for ri$k); for the maintenance required to bring it up to spec, I'll keep looking.

[Solo6]

147,000 miles on any BMW motorcycle is a LOT of miles.

 

I'm going to disagree with you on this.

 

So does the California Highway Patrol, who changed their BMW retirement policy from 60,000 miles to INDEFINITE. They have some 1100s still in service, approaching 200K miles.

 

A properly-maintained RT is good for several hundred thousand miles.

[Solo6]

As it turned out, the advice and documents available on this website helped! No evidence of drive shaft lubrication, throttle stuck full-open (thankfully, found during TCLOCS), and incomplete maintenance records.

 

With that mileage, it was probably a copcycle. Most agencies won't release maintenance data when they sell a motorcycle.

 

However, I wouldn't buy an 1100. The 1150 was enough better to make it worth the extra money, and I've seen them in the $4K price range around here.

[dirtrider]

147,000 miles on any BMW motorcycle is a LOT of miles.

 

I'm going to disagree with you on this.

 

So does the California Highway Patrol, who changed their BMW retirement policy from 60,000 miles to INDEFINITE. They have some 1100s still in service, approaching 200K miles.

 

A properly-maintained RT is good for several hundred thousand miles.

 

Morning Solo6

 

So lets sees the overall cost to run those RT-P bikes to indefinite mileage.

 

Bet total cost to indefinite is WAY more than the original price of the bike.

 

I would really like to see the repair history on some of those 200K bikes.

 

I could have kept the first car I ever owned as long as I kept throwing more money at it. By now that would probably have well exceeded $150,000.00.

 

At some point the cost to keep them going becomes prohibitive.

 

No matter who you are or what agency you are 147,000 miles is still a LOT of miles on a motorcycle.

 

[philbytx]

 

IMHO, I certainly wouldn't base any good data on anything related to Californian Government and the way it spends taxpayer dollars !

 

 

[upflying]

It is CHP policy to retire those over 100,000 mile bikes when a repair exceeds $2500.

Many CHP 1150's are out there with over 100,000 miles. The CHP 1100 is a rare sight now.

[Solo6]

It is CHP policy to retire those over 100,000 mile bikes when a repair exceeds $2500.

Many CHP 1150's are out there with over 100,000 miles. The CHP 1100 is a rare sight now.

 

I was in the People's Republic last weekend, and saw an 1100 still in service. I stopped at In-N-Out, and an 1150 there had over 125K.

 

The big thing that kills off motors is lack of maintenance. Oil changes especially. If you don't abuse the motorcycle, the only major repair is clutch changes.

[MT Wallet]

Transmission splines will likely have some wear and the drive shaft will be suspect if it hasn't been replace/refurbished along the way. Damaged splines reduces the value by a couple of thousand, the drive shaft by 500-1000 depending on whether you are capable of doing repairs.

 

That being said, if everything checks out and you are a 5,000 mile a year rider and the price is $3000-4000 then maybe.

 

We need a lot more information, and you need to do some research.

 

I have a 99 RT for sale on the classifieds here with about one fourth as many miles, priced in that price range, and haven't received a single inquiry.

 

 

If you are serious take a look at this machine. If I didn't already have one, I'd jump on this for the price.