1100 LT vs RS comparo, buying advice

[matjas]

hi all,

having just sold my RE500bullet I have concluded that there is a free spot in the garage and in my heart that needs filling in.
as the good bricks /due to the soulless choppers and bobber fans/ are becoming more and more hard to come by at a good price even in their homeland of BRD I have developed a slight itch to have another 11 brick - this time a nice RS with /preferably/ less than 50kkm on the clock.

I fancy the bags, better engine management, IInd gen ABS and the general 1100 platform has gotten my utter respect hauling my ass the whole past season all over europe in the summer heat.

now - talking about the ambient temps - I would be more than happy to have THE SAME bike but more suitable to ride it in the summer with the wind in my face and chest. I believe the left thigh is going to be scorched anyways...

what is the comparison between these bikes in the posture? Is the forward lean A LOT? on the hands? on the private areas?
the LT is pretty 'sit-on-ass' affair. I am afraid the RS could be balls flattening experience - and I am not able to have a day in the saddle before the purchase.

fuel economy, final drive ratio, tank capacity I reckon are on par. is the suspension a LOT stiffer???

any ideas and conclusions are more than welcome. I have found a couple of clean bikes in Germany and I think I could give it a go. wanted to get another R60/7 airhead but ... cannot make up my mind really at this point. my R80GS gives me this experience aplenty + good suspension on the local bumps.


I have my eyes also on one example of naked 1990 K75 that could haul me around on the hot summer days AND a PRISTINE /but expensive/ case of looking LIKE NEW K100RS in silver metallic. bike looks like a new machine with only 32kkm on it - but I am put off by the monolever, the 1gen ABS and the less then perfect fuelling system that can be already almost 40 in two years...

[frankenduck]

I've got plenty of miles on both systems and ABS I is much better than ABS II.  Why? Because the ABS II exhibits false positives when ABS I does not. A false positive is when the ABS kicks in when it should not. I can identify three scenarios when this has happened to me on my ABS II K1100 where the ABS I K1100 does not. The bottom line is that ABS II are more dangerous and I'd Take an ABS I bike over an ABS II bike in a heartbeat.

[matjas]

I velue your experience and you have certainly clocked more distance on your bricks than I have done but I have nothing against the IIgen system as far as its practical usage goes and I trigger the system on purpose every now and then + I managed to save my health once when filtering the traffic and did emergency braking on the white stripe... It did well.
I must say it is less obtrusive than the modern systems and you get no lever pulsating sensation - just smoooooth braking. For me it works fine, plus the common consensus is it is MUCH more reliable and serviceable in the long run - I WANT to have ABS on my touring bike and dont want to ever delete it because it is a deadweight.

Coming back to K100/1100RS debate...
Not bashing the 100 but the K and 100 line100RS is mentioned not once nor twice as being more buzzy and there is reason to that, also slightly less power and torque AND the fuelling system is in fact MORE complicated from what I gather just reading the internet.

[Laitch]

I have my eyes also on . . . a PRISTINE /but expensive/ case of looking LIKE NEW K100RS in silver metallic. bike looks like a new machine with only 32kkm on it - but I am put off by the monolever, the 1gen ABS and the less then perfect fuelling system that can be already almost 40 in two years...

If the K100RS pristine Brick you mention is the one in the photo you've uploaded, it should have a paralever—not monolover—drive and was the forerunner of the K1100 models. The fuel system is similar to the K1100. If it is the oldest 4V K100RS model, it would be roughly seven years older than the oldest K1100.

[Laitch]

Is the forward lean A LOT? on the hands? on the private areas? the LT is pretty 'sit-on-ass' affair. I am afraid the RS could be balls flattening experience -

The hands would be lightly placed on the RS handlebar because abdominal muscles should be able to carry the upper body load. As far as uncomfortable displacement of elephantine genitalia while riding an RS is concerned, many competent upholsterers would be able to create a scrotal scoop in a Brick’s seat. 

[The Mighty Gryphon]

As the Duck mentioned, the K100RS you posted is the 16 valve model that is essentially a destroked 1100.  I have had two of those 16 valve 100's and found them to be a little buzzy, but not enough to be annoying.  However, the 75 is silky smooth and my touring bike was a K75RT.  And yes, the RT is a mobile roaster.

As Laitch said, if you have decent abdominal and lower back strength, there is no problem with riding all day on the RS.  If you do find the more forward riding position tiring, a set of bar back clamps or "C" model bars will help make things more comfortable.

As far as ABS systems, I have heard more complaints about the 2nd gen ABS regarding reliability and spares.  I have had 5 bikes now with gen I and outside of power wiring issue on one bike, have had excellent luck with them.

[matjas]

thanks for all replies and pieces of advice.

didnt know there were actually TWO iterations of K100 - mono and paralever + engine differences.

one aspect that is missing from your opinions is how much is the suspension different on RS from this on LT - I do not believe they did not stiffen it up and maybe also the stroke is shorter.
where I live we have a very broad matrix of tiny roads with little traffic and theyre very nice to ride but mostly with my 80GS :D even the LT is not feeling very much at home there :/ anything sportier will have to stick to the main roads which I dont really like unless going out for a couple of days = distance riding.

[alabrew]

I bought the RS with the idea that it would be cooler to ride in the US southern summer than the K12LT. NOT! I get a bit more air on my arms and head, but the fairing blocks really well. The riding position isn't as comfortable, but it still is fun.  I find the sport bike's short bars need much more pressure to steer than the wider bars. The 4 valve seems to breathe better than the 2 valve motor. Big Red solved the summer riding, but nothing is very comfortable once it gets over 95 degrees or so, especially with our humidity.

[matjas]

yup - it most probably is the same animal as my LT in terms of being a HOT bike. somewhere I read the RS actually IS hotter than LT which I find difficult to believe.
last summer in Italy I had 5-6 hours on motorway in 38C in shade so this must have been in 40+ figures in the sun. It was JUST bearable when riding along the coast but when the road went into the land I was close to collapsing 

[Laitch]

one aspect that is missing from your opinions is how much is the suspension different on RS from this on LT - I do not believe they did not stiffen it up and maybe also the stroke is shorter.

According to the parts fiche at MaxBMW, the rear shock absorbers seem to be the same, likewise the front fork of each. Where they differ is in their wheel diameters, widths and locations. The LT has an 18" front and 17" rear; the RS has an 17" front and 18 inch rear; both are wider than the LT. Use a BMW parts fiche—like MaxBMW's or a European equivalent—to compare models for basic information. If the part numbers are the same, the parts are the same.

[blackie1]

I "upgraded" from my K1100LT to a 1991 naked K75 with small aftermarket givi screen and it was the best move i have ever made.
so much more fun to ride. all the horsepower and acceleration I need.
the K1100 was such a heavy bloody thing especially when you were off it and  were pushing it about, to park it in your shed for instance.
sure, if i was going to embark on a 3000km journey across a continent with a pillion on board,then the K1100 would be ideal.
and slipping a kenny rogers music cassette into the onboard tape deck and lighting your cigars with the on board cigarette lighter was quite fun on the firet couple of rides but for all other applications I would go with the K75 all day.