Second hand R1000S: what to check?

[De Swa]

A second hand BMW dealer near to where I live has a good deal on a 1999 yellow R1100S with ABS.
At least, I think it's a good deal:
22.000 km (13,750 miles?), price = 8400 Euro (7550 $), 6 months warranty included.
Does that sound ok?
N.B. the new price for a bike like this in my country (Belgium) would be about 12,890 Euro or 11,550 $.

I'm planning on going over there on Saturday and hopefully do a test ride. Do you have any tips on what I should be checking / looking for?

Another question:
On a Laser mufflers web site that saw, I noticed that they made a difference between R1100S pre and after 9/2000. What changed then?

Greetings,

De Swa
currently BMW F650 rider

[markjenn]

All these prices are pretty low compared to the states, but I have no idea what your local market is like.

I'd want to see good service records first. Next, I'd look hard for crash damage. I'd confirm the ABS system is correctly passing self-diagnostics and working on both ends. I'd exercise every light switch and electrical system to be sure it works correctly. I'd listen for "normal" engine sounds w/o excessive piston or valve noise. I'd look closely at any installed options and modifications - was it done correctly and cleanly? Stock is usually worth more. Of course, I'd inspect all wear items like tires, brakes, etc. If the battery is the original, I'd assume it needs replacing. I'd also try and assess how badly the shocks are worn. I'd give the bike a hard going over with respect to leaks and try and get some idea if it is burning oil, either by taking a long enough ride that you could monitor the level (difficult) or seeing if you get any smoke at startup or overrun.

Good luck,

- Mark

[Rapt]

When checking for leaks keep an eye on the clutch/engine case joint and the rear drive Ujoint boot area. Inspect them closely before and after riding. Also look at the underside of the transmission for signs of leaking oil. Particulalrly in the finned region on the underside it is hard to remove all traces of leaks. And these are area where many bikes seem to leak.

[roger albert]

Hi,

I believe 9/2000 was the date for the motronic change - at least one had to know whether the bike was before or after that date to spec the right version of the BBPower chip.

Things to look for:

Yes, definitely the any leak between the motor and trans. Look at that sightglass too.

Ride the bike at various road-speed/engine-speed
combinations to isolate any strange driveline noise

Check rear rotor (a lot of people let the rear pads go too long the first time and lightly groove the rotor)

Look at the heads and cylinder bases for leaks too. Same back at the rear swingarm/reardrive pivot and boot.

Check valve clearance.

If high mileage, maybe the alternator belt.

Service records?

hope that helps.

Roger

[roger albert]

Oh yeah, and check condition/flatness of the brake rotors -- especially the front.

[YAHBO]

If they let you ride it, bring it up to speed in 6th and see if it jumps out of gear or "skips" for a second. Mine does this...

and...

YAHBO NO LIKE!!!!

[motoman]

Be sure and check for evidence if the previous owner had an 'EZ-LEAKER'... If so, Don't touch it at any price!

[max monaco]

Service records, service records, service records. If not available walk away.

[gyorwar]

1.
Check for a full service record, including the yearly service.

2.
Look for accident damage, or new parts that are not normally serviceable items.

3.
Take off the seat and look for cracks or damage to the rear sub-frame where it attaches to the main frame; look at both top fixing points on the inside, where the weld meets the parent metal. So called ‘paint cracking' is _never_ just the paint, the surrounding red rust powder is a result of the crack initiation and progression process. OEMs paint parts white to make cracks easier to spot, black hides cracks, so use a MagLite. Obviously reject a bike with a cracked rear sub-frame, as this job will cost big bucks.

4.
Check for free play in the rear paralever bearings, this will make the bike handle bad, and twitch as you feed in the power from a trailing throttle. Free play will require adjustments, prior to picking up the bike. But until you get used to the bike and the torque you will probably wont spot this on the test ride.

5.
Look for worn bearings on the injector bodies, try to move the butterfly spindle up and down, again you are looking for no free play.

6.
Break disk scoring can be a problem, and I have read of some cracking at the vent holes. As for scoring; if the disk looks like a CD it is OK, if it looks like an old 78 record it needs to be replaced.

7.
Check the depth of tread, look for repair, and reject the tyre if a repair has been made. Check for stubby valve with a metal cap. Because of the large diameter and high rotation speed of motorcycle wheels, a tyre repair, or a long valve, are unacceptable on any motorcycle.

8.
Ask for a fault memory printout from the MoDiTec unit, be wary of excuses like; ‘we have run out of paper for the MoDiTec printer.'

9.
If the bike has a centre stand, I have know the CAT to become detached from letting the centre stand slam into the collector box each time the bike comes off the stand. When it starts to become detached, the CAT rattles each time the centre stand is allowed to smash into it. (I now keep my foot on the stand, and gently let it come to rest).

10.
Ask to see the registration document and telephone the previous owner.

This is not a complete list but it is my top ten, and I like top ten lists

[mryan]

Also, it sounds like the 'R1000S' is missing about 100cc's - check into that... ;-]

[Romain]

Hi De Swa,

you might buy a recent copy of the german "Motorrad" or "PS" magazine. You can check, what an S is worth on the private market. The official BMW used HP is not that good an indicator, as official BMW dealers tend to put a hefty price tag on the bikes.

check out this site www.r1100s.de - it's the most complete page on the net.

Salut

Romain from a country near Belgium

[Len]

Make sure you do have a ride and check the gear change up and down. You may find some bulking which is not unfixable ( syn oil in the box) but it's a pain and could be expensive.