How old is too old

[Stephen McElduff]

I had a 2002 RT 1150 15 years ago that I bought in '03 with 1500 miles.

I put 18K miles on it before selling it w/o any mechanical trouble.

My question is this:

 

I see the same bikes on EBAY motors with 50K + miles on them for sale for

about $3,000.

 

I would assume that if I were to buy such a thing and then take it to an

Official, authorized dealer repair shop it might cost a few or more hundreds

of dollars (I understand this would be very variable) to bring it up to

to "fighting shape". What is your opinion of trying to do this sort of thing

with the result being a bike which I could take to Alaska and back (I live

in Tampa). I am on a fixed income and would really like to have an excellent

machine for a total of $4,000 or less.

 

I am mildly handy with a wrench but would want to err on side of caution

in that regard. What things usually need to "be fixed" on this sort of situation? 

Do these engines seem to last forever or do they need significant work after

50K-75K miles?

 

Thanks in advance

 

PS - I used to be on this site in the early 2000s and participated alot in the Atlanta

chapter..... If anyone remembers "Marty" from that group (so many years ago) it

would be nice to hear from you. I used to go to all the Blue Ridge Parkway rallys

in those days.... Thanks again

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Skywagon]

Welcome Back...Marty is here and still active on the site.  Others will give you info you will find valuable.  Here is my point of view.  Just about any mechanical device 15 years old will have needed some maintenance along the way.  It would be important to know what had been done.  Typical things I see on this board that need help on the 1150 series are brake related.  DR, Andy, or others will give you details but things to watch for are brake lines...if rubber they need to be changed.  The ABS module which is quite expensive if it goes bad ~$2000+ for parts.  Final drive.  There were some years and bikes that had final drives go bad.  Fixable but expert skill or help needed.  Fuel quick release valves are plastic and hopefully changed to metal.  They leak.  About $75 at beemerboneyard.

 

I had my 1150RT from new to 40k/miles.  Never anything serious.  Time for the experts to help out.  Don't get too spooky as there are tons of them on the road providing great riding.  Just get underneath the service records.  Good luck.

[Stephen McElduff]

Sounds like I might be a lot better off by getting up the initial purchase $$ available

and buying: 

 

1) with as few miles as possible and

2) all service records

3) from someone who's knowledgeable and has some cred. on this site.

 

Actually, all of the above seem very very important

 

Do we have any info. on frequency of ABS module needing replace? 

That sounds like a killer expense.

 

Thanks very much....

[Endobob]

@Marty Hill  you need to check out this thread by Stephen McElduff 

[dirtrider]

1 hour ago, Stephen McElduff said:

Sounds like I might be a lot better off by getting up the initial purchase $$ available

and buying: 

 

1) with as few miles as possible and

2) all service records

3) from someone who's knowledgeable and has some cred. on this site.

 

Actually, all of the above seem very very important

 

Do we have any info. on frequency of ABS module needing replace? 

That sounds like a killer expense.

 

Thanks very much....

 

Afternoon Stephen McElduff

 

When it comes to dealer checking and/or repairs the general rule on the older BMW motorcycles is to at LEAST double & maybe even triple the amount that you 'think' it should cost. A few "hundreds" wont get you much at a BMW dealer in 2020.

 

Assuming decent care & service the  engines pretty well do last forever. Transmissions, clutch splines, slave cylinders, drive shaft's, ABS modules, &  final drives-- not so much.

 

Service records are nice but  that doesn't necessarily mean much as the last owner might have done the work themselves & done a better & more meticulous job than a hurried dealer would have. Or, on the other hand, faked service records might be covering up the lack there-of on service & maintenance.

 

Low miles isn't much of a guarantee either as a BMW boxer bike that sits for long storage times can easily turn into an expensive  money pit motorcycle. You probably don't want a 100,000 mile bike but you probably should buy one that was ridden regularly each year.  

 

Buy from someone that YOU TRUST, if in doubt then move on to another motorcycle. If you have that (I don't trust this guy feeling) then why would you trust the bike that he is selling?

 

If you want to stay with the 1150RT series then best advice I can give  is to buy a late 2003 or better yet a 2004, or even the few made in early 2005. Twin spark bikes are a better starting point & less likely to have expensive stripped spline issues.

 

Lots of got-ya's on older BMW motorcycles if not careful with a few really nice 1100/1150 motorcycles floating around   if you shop right.

 

If you have one in mind then come back here with as many details about it as possible & we can maybe help you with what questions to ask & what to look out for. 

 

Start your research by reading the archives on this web site as most that can go wrong, cause problems, or cost major money has been covered here at one time or another. 

 

 

 

[Stephen McElduff]

Thanks so much for the thorough, and lots of good advice repy!

[Rider1260]

I just joined the BMW club late last year , I was able to find a low miles 2008 ( 15000mi ) out the door below 7K from a dealer. 

After some forum reading I was at first hesitant to go BMW talk of final drives , fuel connectors , throttle cams , expensive suspension. then I talked to some friend that are long time BMW riders and remembered back to the SV1000 forum and the issues with that bike ( Green Connector melting , Idle hammer rod knock , Clutch chudder ) none of these things happened to me and wasted $1000 on an extended warranty. My SV1000 was 100% reliable. 

To me the nice part about my BMW is I can still work on it if needed yes I will check the " weak links " on my bike. 

Like anything buy the lowest miles , best kept newest bike you can afford IMHO 

Your bike will be out there , happy hunting 

[Jim Moore]

If you like the older style RT, I'd be looking for a 1998-2000 R1100RT. Too many potential issues on the earlier and later ones imo. You can probably find one for $2500. You'll have to replace the HES and the brake lines. Plan on $500 for that. Besides that it should make it to Alaska and back no problem. You may get unlucky, but that model is pretty bulletproof.

[Marty Hill]

Just got a note from him and sent an answer.  Amazed he remembered me, it was a very long time ago.  Hell, I'm lucky I remember me!

[szurszewski]

Man. I don’t think it’s a bad idea to buy an older BMW (I’m working on a 2001 R1100S right now - or would be if I weren’t typing this), but if you’re thinking of going to a dealer for any repairs or updates needed...that’s likely to get expensive. The dealers here charge upwards of $100 per hour, so your few hundred dollars might get you an oil change and brake flush - but if you need anything actually done that can add up quickly. For instance, the bike I’m working on now I bought for $1200. The guy I got it from got it from his friend as a very good deal. After riding it for a year the bike was due for a 12k mile service and a few other things. He got a $1200 quote from the dealer and decided to sell the bike instead. 
 

Today I’m replacing fork seals, and I just took one of the headers to my neighbor who is going to weld a small crack for me. I’ve got a set of used brake rotors to replaced the slightly warped ones on here, and I replaced the oil sight glass a couple of days ago. I’ve also done all the fluids and will be replacing the air and fuel filters as well as a broken turn signal mount. All in, assuming I don’t find anything else wrong, that will be a few hundred dollars in parts and consumables. But if I paid a shop to do all that, it could  be $2000 (or more - new BMW rotors are several hundred a pair). Nothing I’m doing is complicated - I’m not that bright or talented - but if you don’t want to do it yourself make sure you budget to pay for it. 
 

Maybe you can just borrow Marty’s bike...

[joeyjamb]

I picked up an '04 just about 3 years ago. I got lucky on the year as I wasn't aware of the dual-spark difference prior. You are doing the right thing by starting here. First off don't let miles scare you. I got mine with 50k on the clock and put about 10k on myself. I have had a few issues but that is to be expected with a machine of that age. Rubber. Look at any and all rubber bits on the machine you are considering. I also own a '66 Oldsmobile and I can tell you that on any machine, it will be the rubber components that will age. Check brake lines, fuel lines, electrical insulation. All of it can be good indicators of the condition of the bike. Things like overly faded black plastic on the dash and handlebars indicate that it was stored outside a lot. Especially in Florida, it doesn't take much for the sun to do damage. You won't avoid all fading but it is a good place to start. I would suggest looking for an independent mechanic if you want to go that route. There used to be a good guy in Clearwater that I took my bike to when I still lived in the area. I see Greg's Custom on Court St but I am not certain it is the same person. 

On my BMW, I have had to replace the fuel pump, spark plug coils, and the fluids. The brake lines are in my future but right now the lines are good. The best part of these bikes is that they really aren't difficult to work on once the plastic is off and the people on this forum are excellent resources for parts and tips. I love the machine, it handles well and the ease of maintenance combined with a passionate following means you will never fail to find a solution to any issue you many encounter.

 

Joe

[Miguel!]

My 2001 R1100RT has 106K miles and I have no problems. I had an independent BMW mechanic do an extensive look over it and fix everything that needed fixing, including the swapping out the brake lines for stainless steel. He rates are little lower than the dealer but I trusted him. Since then, I've done a lot of my own maintenance but save the brakes, throttle body sync, and a few other things for him. He services all the local authority bikes including the local CHP. I commonly see 1100, 1150 and 1200 at his one-man shop that he runs with his wife and two boxer dogs, one named Beemer. I regularly see 1100's and 1150's with 180K miles and he tells me they run perfectly.  He tells me just keep oil and gas in it and it will keep on running. 

 

Regular maintenance is pretty easy. There's lots of videos on you tube as well. 

 

Just my observations...

Miguel

[Warren Dean]

One item that really got my attention  when I looked for my current ride was that the 1100RT brake system will function when the ABS pump dies. It is my understanding that the 1150 and beyond will have a severely compromised brake system when the pump fails. I disabled the ABS on my first 1100RT  due to the lamp staying on all the time and it worked just fine.

Since I do my own maintenance, things like that are important to me. 

As for money outlay, I bought this beauty for $2500 and it only has 40,000 miles on it. ALL service records from new, clean as a whistle, new tires, new SS brake lines.

The pre-2002 R1100RT bikes are a bargain these days and if you are patient, you can find similar deals. And a big reason seems to be that they are worth literally $300 - $500 as trade-ins at dealerships. 

 

Cheers!

Warren

[szurszewski]

27 minutes ago, Warren Dean said:

It is my understanding that the 1150 and beyond will have a severely compromised brake system when the pump fails.

That brake system - often referred to as the servo or whizzy brakes because there are servo pumps that add most of the braking force and make a whizzing noise as they operate - was only used a handful of years. I’m not great at keeping track of these things, but I believe it was 2002-2005. After that BMW went back to a non-power-assist ABS system. 
 

Definitely something to be aware of as a bike with broken power assist brakes (again, only a limited number of years had this) is pretty much non rideable (you CAN stop the bike, but it takes a lot more effort and a more distance). The system can be removed for not a lot of money in parts, but the owner or an independent mechanic would need to put in some time. A dealer fix for the system will likely cost a few thousand dollars as the replacement ABS module is quite expensive. 

[James in OK]

I have a 2000 R1100RS with just over 102k miles.  No engine work ever.  Take your time, buy the tools you need, and learn to do all the maintenance yourself.  These bikes were MADE to be worked on easily (until you get to clutch replacements and the like). Valve adjustments, throttle body cleaning (and even adjustment), clutch cable adjustments, etc.  All simple.  

 

I'm 70 miles from a BMW dealer and don't have a trailer, so I do everything on the bike.  I have learned a lot and there is so much amazing help available here.  INCREDIBLE knowledgeable help.

 

That said, I would personally buy a bike either from someone on this forum or BMWMOA.  It's less likely to have sat in a garage (or outside) for years, and is possibly still being ridden.  You're more likely to be able to get service records and know the history of what you are buying.  I did just that in 2011 when I got this bike and I have all service records back to when it was new.

[lkchris]

A VERY pertinent question as regards Oilheads ...

 

Sometimes it's bad to be first ...

 

In the 1990s new Euro regulations arrived mandating that auto parts be biodegradable.

 

This is quite significant as regards Oilheads, as most by now have severely degrading wiring harnesses  ... and should have had their brake hoses replaced by now.

 

On inspection one can very likely discover that wherever a wiring harness is held by a cable tie, the harness sleeve will have split and it's quite likely the insulation on the wires inside will be crumbling.  This is the problem also with the Hall Effect sensors, where if you ride in the rain your ignition is likely to short out, stranding you.  It could have already happened and been fixed of course, but you need to know imho.

 

The next generation Boxers featured CANBus electrical systems and steel braid covered teflon brake lines, the Oilheads being first demonstrated what not to do.  Observe new BMW in showrooms and you'll note rubber straps rather than cable ties securing wiring harnesses.

 

My R1100S has new handlebar switches, the harnesses secured by the new rubber straps, and I've installed the straps in other locations, too.  I had my dealer replace my Hall Effect sensor proactively.

 

If you're ambitious and dedicated to your bike, you can repair your electrical system.  Install Spiegler or similar brake hoses.  If you want to get far from home, you should do all this.  For me, the R1100S is the only Oilhead worth saving, especially given the really significant improvements that came with Hexheads, Camheads, etc.

 

 

[Jim Moore]

I've never seen the actual wires degrading anywhere but at the HES, where they are exposed to a lot of heat. In general I've seen the sheath degrade but the wires still look good.

[AviP]

Try to get a single owner bike. My experience is that you get a more consistent story/history with a single owner bike. Obviously that is harder to find but they are out there.

[tallman]

Welcome back.

JIm's advice is excellent.

Get the newest R1100 you can find, w best history.

Then plan on replacing (if not done) the mentioned bits.

Carry reasonable spares, tools, you'll be fine.

Often if you can't, someone can, if you have the goodies to install/replace.

Fuses, common relay, fuel quick release, etc.

If you are still in Tampa, check out the BMW Riders of Tampa Bay.

Good group, may find a bike, have frequent rides, etc.

My R 100 Rt had the odo break at 189,000ish.

Rode it 20 more years, no engine issues.

Best wishes.