Bmw R 1100 reviews

The best all-around bike I've owned. I've had a HD Road King, Indian Vintage and Scout to name a few, and this is the easiest to live daily. Parts are not cheap and patience is required to DYI repairs and maintenance. Show less

The 2001 BMW R1150 GS is a fabulous motorcycle. A beast of a motorcycle. Well engineered and tough it will take you where miles are afraid to tred! The R1150 GS has power to spare. Surprising lower and performance. My last motorcycle was a 2003 Harley Davidson 883 Sportster. I was impressed with the power of that Harley but this 1150 BMW puts it to shame. The BMW is smooth yet robust. The 6-speed gearing has a wide range. I especially like third gear! A handful of throttle feels like you are blasting off to the moon! At age 67 I only rode my BMW mildly off road on my own farm and then only over improved dry pastures! Mine has just over 31,450 miles at the time of this review! My bike was fully serviced and ready to ride anywhere when I purchased it second hand. The tires were just 1 year old with just 1,000 miles on them. I am 67 years old and recently purchased this BMW motorcycle in September 2021, however it is too tall for me to ride comfortably and safely. I have a 30" inseam but riders need longer legs to safely handle this motorcycle. I thought about lowering the suspension but these GS BMW's are too nice to alter. So I purchased a second BMW R1200C Pheonix last week which suits my stride much better. I do not need two BMW motorcycles so I am reluncticly parting with my GS. This is what Cycle World Magazine had to say about the BMW R1150 GS: BMW R1150GS - BEST USED BIKES Exemplifying the very essence of a two-wheel Swiss army knife. Cycle World July 22, 2015 YEARS SOLD: 2000–2004 MSRPNEW: $14,190 ('00) to $14,500 ('04) BLUE BOOK RETAIL VALUE: $4,885 ('00) to $6,500 ('04)BASIC SPECS: The R1150GS is powered by an 1,130cc air-/oil-cooled, four-stroke opposed twin featuring four valves per cylinder, electronic fuel injection, and shaft drive. The 1150 introduced a six-speed gearbox, while later models came equipped with dual spark plug heads and servo-assisted combined ABS brakes. The GS weighs 582 pounds WET with its 5.5-gallon fuel tank topped up and produced 74 hp and 68 pound-feet of torque at the rear wheel on the Cycle World dyno. The "Showa" suspension offers 7.9 inches of rough road-smoothing travel, while the adjustable saddle height (33.1 to 33.8 inches) accommodates a range of riders. WHY IT'S DESIRABLE: Few bikes have proven to be as versatile as the GS BMW Beemer family, with the 1150 exemplifying the very essence of a two-wheel Swiss army knife. It's a road-hardened touring mount and heavyweight dual-sport all wrapped in one. "I went places and saw things on the GS that I never would have on another bike," Mark Hoyer remarked back in the days before he was editor-in-chief. "It truly makes molehills out of mountains." All that, plus the reputation of durability and reliability rivaling that of an anvil easily warrant the price of purchase. THE COMPETITION: Long-travel twins gained prominence in the early 2000s with the introduction of the KTM 950 Adventure and 1,000cc Ducati Multistrada. Undoubtedly, this trend was helped along by the BMW R1150GS, which was honored as the Best Sport-Touring Bike of 2000 by Cycle World in our Ten Best issue. Show less

I bought a 2000 R1100RT with 84k miles on the clock in July. I was not sure about changing from a cruiser to a sport touring bike. All summer long, when I went to the barn, I kept grabbing the RT. I put over 6k miles on this bike over the past three months, including a canyon carving expedition into the Smokies in August. It's easy to ride, comfortable and quick. Just trying to figure out why I waited so long to trade in my cruiser for a sport touring bike. Show less

I bought my R1100RT brand new in Oct., 2000. i rode her daily back and forth on Los Angeles freeways for a year. I put 31,000 on her during first year. She handled very well in rough traffic: stops on a dime and has the ability to power you out of tight spots like a rocket if need be. I rode her recreationally over the next couple of years, and due to knee surgery, I had to park her in my garage over the 2003-2004 time period. Occasional starts during 2005 ended with a dead battery, and her sitting quietly in my garage until the spring of 2012 (yes 7 years). I FINALLY put a new battery in her and she started up with a chug, until I put fresh gas in her. She rode like a champ and I had her serviced within a week. I've put almost 800 miles on her in the first two weeks of bringing her back to life and she hasn't missed a beat. I was thinking about trading her in for a new R1200RT, but after riding her and enjoying the looks of onlookers, I don't think I could ever get rid of her. This is one great machine built by one great company. If you have one; keep it. Show less

My 2001 black with white pin stripe, as of March 2012, has 50,553 miles on it and has never had a problem. It has been a fantastic motorcycle for daily commuting, twisty road Sunday rides, touring and even seen a track days (yes, I said track day). I have ridden this bike over 5,500 miles from Chicago to the most Southern point in Mexico and Yucatan and back. I've done a few cross country trips all without problems. With all the miles my stock rear shocks were getting soft and saggy. A few weeks ago I did replace the front and rear with Ohlins shocks at $1,300. Shocks are a wear and tear item. I read a review here where the rider said the exhaust was too quiet for him. The stock exhaust is almost silent, yery stealthy! But I did miss a little rumble and wanted to make a few performance changes. I decided to drop 28 lbs. and gain better Bhp by changing the exhaust to a full Two Brothers Racing ($289) setup. I also added a Techlusion Tfi ($169) fuel/air tuner like a power commander. Right away the exhaust note blew me away. This bike rumbles like a Ducati with Termigonis! The weight loss and hp make a huge difference in "get up and go". I will say I love the increase in performance but when on long distance rides, I wish I had the stock silencer on it purely for the peace and quiet. The RL handled twisty curves with grace and now with Ohlin suspension, it feels surgically precise and I feel very, very confident in corners. The R1100RL can be a great all-around bike. It has the museum quality in it's throw back classic BMW styling with new technology performance. It's a great bike for shorter height riders as the seat has three height settings from 29.6-31. 5 inches. You do feel like rider and bike become one. I think everyone who truly rides should own 2-3 bikes. It's a fun bike, a commuter and long distance tourer. This bike is fun, but not as fun as a Ducati sport bike. Although, it will still have your heart pounding and put an ear to ear smile on your face! It is a fantastic city commuter. I have even ridden a suit and tie to work on this stylish machine. I added the Parabellum Scout faring so with side cases, tank bag and large BMW bag on the optional luggage rack, it will get the job done riding long distance tour bike, but not as comfortable as the new K1600GTL on long trips. This why I say you always need the right bike for the job. Some are more versatile than others. BMW does a great job at making a bikes that can have multiple uses. The R1100RL really does this well! This is one bike I don't think I will ever sell. Show less

I have owned my rt since almost new. It is rock solid, left me stranded only once. A flat tire, to tell the truth. The paint has held up well. The hand controls are starting to show some wear but I have 68,000 on it and it will be over 69 when I return from a trip to my brothers middle childs high school graduation. I know. What an excuse to get away and do the Skyline Drive again. The 60,000 mile service was well worth the cost. Tires and oil changes are about all I've done. It is due for shocks front and rear. Show less

I bought this in April 2008 with 18,000 on it, as a 40 mile each way commuter, and with the Corbin seat and BMW bags already on it. I love it right from the start. It has massive torque, gobs of acceleration and is fast enough for me (I haven't had it flat out, but I've had an indicated 120 mph out of it without trying hard). I found it a little too buzzy for comfort around 4500 rpm. The Manic Salamander bar end weights (18.5 ounces instead of the stock 9.5 ounces) completely cured that. I found it very windy over 70 mph; Parabellum windshield, adjusted as high as it can go cured that. My other add-ons were for personal preference, not necessity. The bike is as reliable as a stone, comfortable all day, a joy to drive and magic through the twisties. At first I felt like I wasn't getting much feedback from the front suspension, then I realized it just was not having any problems, so there was nothing for it to tell me. It just goes around bends on any surface at any speed I've asked of it without fuss. Show less

This motorcycle turns heads! It is absolutely breathtaking to see going down the road. And...It doesn't stop there -- to feel it is like nothing you can explain. It will do whatever you want it to: cruise around -- slow and easy -- or take it to the limit...it floats and glides and goes into another dimension like nothing you have or will ever experience on any other motorcycle. Extremely smooth and comfortable...especially for those who are inseam-challenged since it has lowered shocks! This is an awesome motorcycle. Show less

I bought the R1100R about two years ago. (My other 'ride' is a '71 BSA B50.) The BMW is, by far, the nicest bike that I have ever ridden or owned. I tend to service the bike myself since I'm basically a cheapskate and because the bike is fairly easy to service. Other than a minor surging problem (that was taken care of by the previous owner through the installation of a custom 'chip')changing the fluids is simple enough. I noticed a squeak in the rear brake at the end of a 280 mile run this past weekend. Today I pulled the rear caliper and found that I need a set of pads. So, I got shade more than 13,000 miles on the rears. The fronts still look like new. I've also installed Speed Bleeders on the bike and they really help when the annual 'bleeding' comes up. Otherwise, the braking is superb. At 240 LBS and 6ft 3in I'm a pretty big character. When I add my much smaller wife to the equation along with full hardcases we're quite a package. Even so, the bike has absolutely no problem with us. When I'm alone very few other bikes can touch me. (I've got a friend who's a veteran MX'r. He tells me that he figures that every LB costs you 7 HP. The way the BMW pulls, I figure that I could weigh as much as a small cow and it wouldn't even protest!) Now and then an arrogant Harley guy sort of looks down his nose at the BMW. Harley isn't half the bike. (I can hear myself think on the BMW - the Harley guy can't.) The bike consistently gives me 40 - 45 mpg. It handles precisely at any speed. My only 'gripe' is the distance from the seat to the footpegs - I could use another couple of inches. Last year I installed a peg 'lowering' kit and it helped but if I could raise the seat height a bit beyond it's 'high' position it'd be better. (I've got a sciatic problem and I find that I've got to get off of the bike periodically in order to stretch out.) All-in-all the R1100R is an absolutely superb machine. I'd recommend it happily to all! Show less

Got my '04 BoxerCup new. Street riding is way cool. Have about 10,000 mi on it now. The only part of the bike that sucks are the shocks. Although others have written about low power and feel of the assisted braking system, on a short track like Infineon, it works well enough to make RC51 riders give you an unsolicited high 5 after you beat them to the corners and execute -the pass. When you get it-you know what to do. The Grin Factor, it feels great. Show less