Author Topic: Making K1100RS more touring-like...  (Read 12202 times)

Offline ffbikersa

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  • Sarajevo K 1100 RS biker
Making K1100RS more touring-like...
« on: July 02, 2017, 09:47:48 AM »
... by installing the French SECDEM windscreen, LT's handlebars, handlebar mirrors and aftermarket indicators





Cheers from Bosnia!
Tarik
1997-1999 R 100 RT, 1999-2000 R 100, 2000-2003 R 80, 2003-2017 K 100 LT; now K 1100 RS

Offline The Mighty Gryphon

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Re: Making K1100RS more touring-like...
« Reply #1 on: July 02, 2017, 10:01:21 PM »
Very nice and a great solution for the mirror glass and turn lenses that BMW doesn't want to supply anymore.
  • In my garage in Marilla, NY
  • '91K100RS White/Blue
Current:
'91 K100RS16V "Moby Brick Too"

Past:
'94 K75RT "Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS"
'92 K100RS16V "Moby Brick" (RIP, deceased in a vehicular assault)
'94 K75S Special Edition Dakar Yellow "Cheetos"
'89 K100RS Special Edition "Special Ed"

Offline ffbikersa

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  • Sarajevo K 1100 RS biker
Re: Making K1100RS more touring-like...
« Reply #2 on: July 03, 2017, 12:32:29 AM »
Very nice and a great solution for the mirror glass and turn lenses that BMW doesn't want to supply anymore.

... which weren't made/positioned too practical anyway - so everyone was braking them  bmp
1997-1999 R 100 RT, 1999-2000 R 100, 2000-2003 R 80, 2003-2017 K 100 LT; now K 1100 RS

Offline Martin

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Re: Making K1100RS more touring-like...
« Reply #3 on: July 03, 2017, 01:11:05 AM »

There are quite a few mirrors incorporating indicators on EBay. Various shapes mountings and prices. Just type in Motorcycle indicator mirrors.
Regards Martin.
  • North Lakes Queensland Australia
  • 1992 K75s Hybrid, Lefaux, Vespa V twin.

Offline K_grendell

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Re: Making K1100RS more touring-like...
« Reply #4 on: July 03, 2017, 06:15:23 AM »
Looks great! Did you have to replace the mirrors for clearance on the lt bars?
  • Worcester, MA
Current bikes:
1987 k75s
1979 Vespa px200
1969 mz es-250 trophy
1997ducati 748
2007 ducati multistrada 1100s

Offline Laitch

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Re: Making K1100RS more touring-like...
« Reply #5 on: July 03, 2017, 07:06:49 AM »
Good work, Tarik. Thanks for the followup. The bike looks good with your setup instead of the mirror pods.
  • Along the Ridley in Vermont.
  • 1995 K75 89,000 miles
I wept because I had no radials until I met a man who had no splines.
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Offline ffbikersa

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  • Sarajevo K 1100 RS biker
Re: Making K1100RS more touring-like...
« Reply #6 on: July 03, 2017, 02:15:24 PM »
There are quite a few mirrors incorporating indicators on EBay. Various shapes mountings and prices. Just type in Motorcycle indicator mirrors.
Regards Martin.

Thanks - but what improvement would they be over what I have now? The small aftermarket indicators just cover fit at the place of previous mirrors nicely - and as I have LT's handlebars now, the original BMW mirrors look fine there too
1997-1999 R 100 RT, 1999-2000 R 100, 2000-2003 R 80, 2003-2017 K 100 LT; now K 1100 RS

Offline VonGoebbels

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Re: Making K1100RS more touring-like...
« Reply #7 on: January 06, 2018, 10:21:21 AM »
If and when the time comes that i break my OEM indicators totally... I was thinking about changing the mirrors to an M3-replica Car mirrors  :dunno With indicators if i find one that i like. Hereīs an example pic of what i was thinking about... Baseplate is somewhat there with the original, and the OEM mirrorīs already look like an E36 mirrors. And thereīs so many shapes and sizes to choose from.
  • Finland
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Offline ffbikersa

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  • Sarajevo K 1100 RS biker
Re: Making K1100RS more touring-like...
« Reply #8 on: January 06, 2018, 10:52:25 AM »
If and when the time comes that i break my OEM indicators totally... I was thinking about changing the mirrors to an M3-replica Car mirrors  :dunno With indicators if i find one that i like. Hereīs an example pic of what i was thinking about... Baseplate is somewhat there with the original, and the OEM mirrorīs already look like an E36 mirrors. And thereīs so many shapes and sizes to choose from.


After installing the K 1100 LT handlebar, existing RS mirrors became totally useless due to the changed position of my hands - I did not see anything except my elbows. So mirrors installed ON the handlebar were a proper solution
1997-1999 R 100 RT, 1999-2000 R 100, 2000-2003 R 80, 2003-2017 K 100 LT; now K 1100 RS

Offline VonGoebbels

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Re: Making K1100RS more touring-like...
« Reply #9 on: January 06, 2018, 10:54:38 AM »
Ah... Sorry, didnīt read too thorough to realize you changed the handlebars. I Myself dont want to sit 2 upright, so iīm keeping the OEM RS handlebar
  • Finland
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Offline ffbikersa

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Re: Making K1100RS more touring-like...
« Reply #10 on: January 06, 2018, 11:10:25 AM »
Ah... Sorry, didnīt read too thorough to realize you changed the handlebars. I Myself dont want to sit 2 upright, so iīm keeping the OEM RS handlebar


I like sitting more upright, but also RS handlebars are too narrow, i.e. act as a shorter lever - LT's, like with any longer lever, demand using lesser force to turn


simple physics...
1997-1999 R 100 RT, 1999-2000 R 100, 2000-2003 R 80, 2003-2017 K 100 LT; now K 1100 RS

Offline VonGoebbels

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Re: Making K1100RS more touring-like...
« Reply #11 on: January 06, 2018, 11:20:53 AM »
Yeah i know about the leverage, but iīm now fine with how it is in itīs original form :2thumbup:
  • Finland
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Offline ffbikersa

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  • Sarajevo K 1100 RS biker
Re: Making K1100RS more touring-like...
« Reply #12 on: January 06, 2018, 11:24:38 AM »
Yeah i know about the leverage, but iīm now fine with how it is in itīs original form :2thumbup:


You can notice I installed the higher windscreen too, exactly because I am sitting more uprighm. And it's wider too, giving better protection from wind/rain/snow (I DO ride the whole year).


http://www.secdem.fr/en/catalogue-produit.php?reference=BB036GT


They have another type too which is more similar to those sold by the US manufacturers:


http://www.secdem.fr/en/catalogue-produit.php?reference=BB012HP
1997-1999 R 100 RT, 1999-2000 R 100, 2000-2003 R 80, 2003-2017 K 100 LT; now K 1100 RS

Offline K1300S

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Re: Making K1100RS more touring-like...
« Reply #13 on: January 06, 2018, 07:56:09 PM »

I like sitting more upright, but also RS handlebars are too narrow, i.e. act as a shorter lever - LT's, like with any longer lever, demand using lesser force to turn


simple physics...

never understood this wider bar thing on motorcycles.  the simple physics is that you don't use leverage on a motorcycle to turn.  gentle pressure on the inside grip (countersteer) to initiate lean, and the bike turns itself.  there is no leverage needed, basically effortless.  even at low speeds.  wide bars just look ungainly.

Project Thread "K75s Midlife Refresh"
http://www.motobrick.com/index.php/topic,7810.0.html

Offline rbm

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Re: Making K1100RS more touring-like...
« Reply #14 on: January 06, 2018, 08:32:44 PM »
Depends.  In my K75 retro customization, I was going for a 50's look and all motorcycles had wide bars back then.  I would not have achieved my design goals if I went for more modern narrower width bars.
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Toronto, Ontario

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Offline AtLarge

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Re: Making K1100RS more touring-like...
« Reply #15 on: January 06, 2018, 10:32:54 PM »
Depends.  In my K75 retro customization, I was going for a 50's look and all motorcycles had wide bars back then.  I would not have achieved my design goals if I went for more modern narrower width bars.


Nice job BTW.
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1973 Honda CL70-K3, 1975 Kawasaki 350 F9-C, 1994 BMW K1100RS, 2023 Honda CRF300L Rally ABS

Offline The Mighty Gryphon

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Re: Making K1100RS more touring-like...
« Reply #16 on: January 07, 2018, 12:50:33 AM »
The only place where I have found wider bars to have a handling advantage is in high speed off road riding across rough ground.  Wider bars make it easier to resist the front wheel deflections caused by ruts, rocks, tree stumps, etc. and thus control the direction of the bike.    Even so, the effort to turn in rough going is fairly low and doesn't require much leverage.

Back when there were more unpaved roads, street bikes needed wide bars, nowadays, except for adventure bikes not so much.
  • In my garage in Marilla, NY
  • '91K100RS White/Blue
Current:
'91 K100RS16V "Moby Brick Too"

Past:
'94 K75RT "Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS"
'92 K100RS16V "Moby Brick" (RIP, deceased in a vehicular assault)
'94 K75S Special Edition Dakar Yellow "Cheetos"
'89 K100RS Special Edition "Special Ed"

Offline ffbikersa

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  • Sarajevo K 1100 RS biker
Re: Making K1100RS more touring-like...
« Reply #17 on: January 07, 2018, 01:40:09 AM »
never understood this wider bar thing on motorcycles.  the simple physics is that you don't use leverage on a motorcycle to turn.  gentle pressure on the inside grip (countersteer) to initiate lean, and the bike turns itself.  there is no leverage needed, basically effortless.  even at low speeds.  wide bars just look ungainly.


I prefer having a more upright position, not leaning forwards over the tank like on the sport bikes - and without wider bars that's hardla possible. And I would disagree with you on the leverage - because I do like 80% of the mileage in the city, commuting to and from work, moving around the town. Less than 20% on the open road. And when riding in slow speeds on a bike with narrow handlebars, turning between cars and in Sarajevo's narrow streets with narrow curves - it's a torture.
1997-1999 R 100 RT, 1999-2000 R 100, 2000-2003 R 80, 2003-2017 K 100 LT; now K 1100 RS

Offline beemerphile

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Re: Making K1100RS more touring-like...
« Reply #18 on: January 07, 2018, 06:30:24 AM »
And now we know why they make both kinds.  Having a GS an R-RS and a K-RS, I appreciate both style bars for what they do well.  I would never put narrow bars on my GS or wide bars on one of my RS's.  I DID put K-RS bars on my R-RS though.  On long road trips, the narrow bars and a bit of forward lean are more comfortable to me than the bolt upright posture of the GS.
  • Danielsville, GA 30633
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Offline ffbikersa

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Re: Making K1100RS more touring-like...
« Reply #19 on: January 07, 2018, 08:25:00 AM »
And now we know why they make both kinds.  Having a GS an R-RS and a K-RS, I appreciate both style bars for what they do well.  I would never put narrow bars on my GS or wide bars on one of my RS's.  I DID put K-RS bars on my R-RS though.  On long road trips, the narrow bars and a bit of forward lean are more comfortable to me than the bolt upright posture of the GS.


Well I was in a bit specific situation. I wanted a BMW bike from THIS generation (pre-, say, 2002), a touring bike with full fairing (high windscreen included) which offers a good weather protection in autumn and winter months, and it had to have ABS. On other hand, the lawmakers of my country prescribed how only the bikes fulfilling minimum Euro-3 exhaust norms may be imported. Thus I was limited on what can be found in the small adds of local newspapers and in internet here, in my country. All K 1100 LTs on sale were without ABS, and K 1100 LT is already becoming a bit overweight for my taste (mastodonts such as K 1200 LT or K 1600 LT I won't mentioned at all). From the only 4-valve boxer models I would ever buy, R 1100 RS and R 1100 RT, aall had either no ABS or were way too expensive.


So the decision was made by the circumstances - buy a K 1100 RS, add the wide handlebars, high windscreen, Givi topcase carrier and Louis topcase, and voila - bike for the next 10 or 15 years is there  :riding:
1997-1999 R 100 RT, 1999-2000 R 100, 2000-2003 R 80, 2003-2017 K 100 LT; now K 1100 RS

Offline beemrdon

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Re: Making K1100RS more touring-like...
« Reply #20 on: February 24, 2018, 04:42:52 AM »
Why didn't you just get an LT? They are an awesome set up.
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Offline ffbikersa

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  • Sarajevo K 1100 RS biker
Re: Making K1100RS more touring-like...
« Reply #21 on: February 24, 2018, 05:27:38 AM »
Why didn't you just get an LT? They are an awesome set up.


It's impossible to import them to my country anymore (only bikes younger than 2002, that fulfil minimum Euro 4 exhaust norms, can be imported) and I could not find any with ABS brakes in the small adds here.


Beside LT is a bit heavier and clumsier: I used to have a K 100 LT that was like 10 cm shorter and 10 kg or more lighther than K 1100 LT, and that was about maximum what someone who never goes to a gym and don't do any sports can manage. RS FEELS much lighter, it's easier to ride especially nout possibw with wider handlebars, but no way I could lift it alone if I drop it. With K 100 LT it was difficult, but possible
1997-1999 R 100 RT, 1999-2000 R 100, 2000-2003 R 80, 2003-2017 K 100 LT; now K 1100 RS

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