New Moto Guzzi Door Mats Available Now
I need to make this correction, Dusty was right this bike is a R1100R BMW.
Ah, ok, I'm less interested now. Still, it sounds like a decently good buy and there is nothing wrong with the 1100. Its just not a '95 R100R.
It's an R1100R. The R at the end means it's a naked bike. They're not bad bikes, but rather homely. I'd be way more interested in the R100R for $2K - what a deal! About 15 years ago I rode my R100R across the country to VT and back. It's one of the best handling airheads ever with none of the flexing others are known for. With 40mm forks, dual 4 pot Brembos and the paralever rear end it handles amazingly well. But the R11 - you're talking FI, complex electronics and a bike that's 25 years old. I don't think the demand for those is very high, so $2K might be about the max they go for on the open market.
I put probably 250,000 miles on airheads , everything from /5's to an '84 R100 RT , and they were fine machines . However , the idea that a last year ('95) airhead is a superior motorbike to an early oilhead is silly . The oilhead is faster , has better brakes , the handling is so much better the two bikes almost can't be compared , and suspension quality is light years ahead . The idea that airheads were trouble free is ludicrous , the post '84 models had transmission problems because of the circlip issue , there were problems with valve heads breaking off the stem and valve springs cracked . Were they simpler than an oilhead , yes , but try repairing a bean can ignition system , or locate a good set of points now for an earlier model . Sorry , I loved my airheads , all 4 of them , but even with the problems some oilheads had , they are still functionally superior to an airhead . Dusty
Meh , cool is wonderful , but maybe the concept is age dependent . A mid 90's airhead just isn't all that cool to an old guy , if cool is the deciding factor then find an R51 , or a '55 model R50 . There is zero difference on the cool scale between a mid '90's airhead or a mid '90's oilhead . Dusty
The R1100R you’re looking at was also available in a sleeved-down version, the R850R. I traded my K75 for one. The engineering was vastly superior IMO to my K75 (better suspension, more torque, smoother gearbox, better rear end) and handled quite confidently with its Telelever front end, though it wasn’t as attractive. $2k for a clean R1100R is a good buy where I live. The bike is simple to maintain and should be quite reliable. ABS was an option on these bikes. I’d have another R850R if I had the room.
I have little to know knowledge about these bmw bikes, so what’s the difference between a r100r and a R1000r, same year,1995?
ABS, that is the achillies heel of many of the oilheads. Some models with the servo pump extremely expensive to maintain and repair. Even the non pump models can be problematic!!!
An early R1100R is essentially valueless, a throw away bike in 2020 and forever. If it were an R100R, it’s the model that a fairly substantial group of buyers think is the peak of BMWs designs... so would be worth something for a long time to come. A totally different animal.
Traditional telescopics on this one, no?Good bikes and that seems like a very nice price. Bear in mind, Roper says that the exhaust sounds like a parson farting in a bathtub. And, as a BMW airhead owner and fan I'm confident in saying that they are not very exciting and don't handle particularly well. But I like them anyway! :)
I can relate to where you're coming from, Kev. Yes, the R1100 does everything better - stop, go, suspension, power - but in the end, the newer bikes didn't grab me. I like the way the older ones look and feel. I don't like the buzzing of the high pressure fuel pump and the way the bikes feel top heavy. I found that I prefer the feel of normal front shocks rather than the telelever. The oil heads went to a cheaper aluminum alloy (easier to cast) that needs to be painted otherwise they corrode away like the Japanese bikes. In the end, the airheads do everything well enough for real world use. The oilheads have an edge, but it's not that great. Even though airheads aren't much slower, I think it still applies that it's more fun riding a slow bike fast. I thought the first R1100 was pretty ugly and wasn't turned on at all by them. For about the same money you could get a little newer RS. I thought the 1150R wasn't a bad looking bike and wanted one with wire wheels. All of them can be had pretty cheaply these days.
