My new 2004 R1100S

rotaryboots · 03-28-2012, 03:00 AM

Hi guys, been waiting for some good weather to take some pictures of the BMW in and finally got a chance yesterday, so here it is.

It's a 2004 R1100S
Not so obvious upgrades include:

The complete carbon fiber package, you can read about it in the accessory magazine back in 04, I'll include that pdf in case someone hasn't seen it.

Carbon fiber front engine cover

ZTechnic exhaust, I thought it was a vanderlinde brat exhaust until I found the ZTechnic stamp on the right muffler

Has a chip installed in it, dunno which company it's made by though

Hyperpro front and rear springs

The canister has been moved to under the seat a bit. I'll be doing the canisterectomy so the bracket to move it might be up for sale soon

5.5 rear rim. Has a 190-50-17 on it right now. Will be putting pilot road 3's on it soon

Carbon fiber and Chrome rings around the gauges

Touring bags

Has the iABS

Heated grips

Self canceling turn signals

Came with the BMW charger, and the track stands.

I'm the second owner, the first owner meticulously maintained it and only sold it because he bought a brand new K bike and didn't see the point in having 3 BMW's.

Probably missing a few but on with the pictures.

In the background of the first pictures is Flathead Lake in case anyone is wondering.

rotaryboots · 03-28-2012, 03:01 AM

rotaryboots · 03-28-2012, 03:02 AM

Great bike so far, can't wait to get out and ride it more.

Droptarotter · Droptarotter's Garage

Nice! Where were the shots taken?

Cheers

Noblehops · 03-28-2012, 08:46 AM

Very nice bike! This might be of interest, as your hugger looks exactly like mine did before I tore into my bike:

...

Here's the hugger in process:

Before: Mostly clean (believe it or not!)

During: This has now been progressively wet-sanded up to 1500 grit, to take off the oxidized clearcoat:

After: 3 or so coats of Dupont clearcoat, buffed (professionally applied)

What a difference, eh?

N.

SeabeckS · 03-28-2012, 09:34 AM

Looks fantastic...almost makes me want to put a hugger on my bike! First though I need to replace the damaged front fender...

GotRoad? · 03-28-2012, 10:16 AM

>5.5 rear rim. Has a 190-50-17 on it right now. Will be putting pilot road 3's on it soon

Very nice looking bike, but a 180/55 will give you a better ride.

Meeni · Meeni's Garage

Fantastic looking bike, congrats!

Where did you get the spools that attach outside the bellypan? That is of much interest to me as I happen to have the same pan.

Trex · 03-28-2012, 11:49 AM

Very nice. Nice colors - love the Mandy Yellow wheels.

u3b3rg33k · 03-28-2012, 03:45 PM

Wow. That's pretty - I'm looking at picking up an identical hugger, as the PO of the one I just bought (also an '04 R1100S Just bought one!) removed it entirely, and I'd like to have one.

Any plans to color match the pannier covers?

rotaryboots · 03-29-2012, 12:26 AM

I'm going to put a 180 55 17 on it when I buy the set. I own a shop and one of our distributors sells motorcycle parts/acc so it will cost me about 300 for a set of front and rear pilot road 3's for it. I can almost touch the ground flat footed on it now (I'm 5'8"), so maybe the 180 will be just what I need ride height wise.

Pictures were taken outside of Bigfork MT, on Flathead Lake. I like taking pictures on my trips, so there will be more of this great MT scenery I get to enjoy and more.

Kraut.Burner · 03-29-2012, 01:18 PM

Schweeet... welcome to the club!

rotaryboots · 03-29-2012, 03:18 PM

Unfortunately the tire hugger came off while riding today...broke right at the skinny piece that bolts it on to the bike. It is now in 3 pieces. I'll see about carbon fibering it back together. Real bummer to have happen only days after I bought her.

Noblehops · 03-29-2012, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rotaryboots

Unfortunately the tire hugger came off while riding today...broke right at the skinny piece that bolts it on to the bike. It is now in 3 pieces. I'll see about carbon fibering it back together. Real bummer to have happen only days after I bought her.

Oh boy - there have been several tales of that happening with these Ilmbergers. Can you please photograph it as clearly as you can and post them? I'm certain I'm not the only one who'd like to know. I think there were two generations of this part, and I'd like to know which yours was, as well as how and where it broke

Ugliness! I'm glad it didn't debike you.

N.

LeftCoast Peter · 03-29-2012, 04:34 PM

Any good roads in Montana?

LeftCoast Peter · 03-29-2012, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rotaryboots

Unfortunately the tire hugger came off while riding today...broke right at the skinny piece that bolts it on to the bike. It is now in 3 pieces. I'll see about carbon fibering it back together. Real bummer to have happen only days after I bought her.

I have never heard of that before myself. I have 2 sets and they seem studly. Sorry to hear about that. Is there more to the story?

PS I just bought 55 profile tires I'm going to put on the R1200S which are designed for 50's... report to follow.

u3b3rg33k · 03-29-2012, 08:47 PM

Odd. it looks like this one:
BMW R1100S Carbon Fiber Hugger
that I plan on picking up as well - I was hoping there was internal reinforcement in the skinny bit. is that not true? if it is false, I'd suggest repairing it with a metal reinforcement (or metal webbing in the weave, etc).

Sophus · Sophus's Garage

Yes, there are different versions of the Ilmberger hugger. I believe that some produced before about 2003 may have a weakness in the construction or the material used for the aluminum bracket. I bought a used one and emailed Ilmberger to get info on which bolts I needed. They asked me to send it to them for inspection, which I did. They confirmed it was ok. Got the bolts for free.

You may have one from the earlier or faulty batches.

I would rather suck it up and get a new than repair. If it comes ofF and gets jammed between the wheel and swing arm, you may be in for a nasty surprise. Riding a bike is dangerous enough as it is. Just my 2 cents.

rotaryboots · 12:03 AM

Ah, that's not too expensive. I won't call it such a huge loss now. I was going to sand the old clear off mine and have it resprayed anyhow.

I work with a lot of carbon fiber and fiberglass, so if anything it would be stronger than it ever was, and I'd strengthen the bracket with aluminum. Pretty sure I'll just buy a new one though. Still a bummer though. Definitely got one of the bad batch ones this time. No aluminum reinforcement to be found, just sheared clean off a couple inches up the thick carbon arm that attaches it. Heard it fall off too, but didn't realize what had happened until I got to work and looked the bike over some more. Went back after my shift was over and picked up the pieces.

I'll take some pictures of the damaged hugger as requested.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeftCoast Peter

Any good roads in Montana?

Yup, plenty. Lots and lots upon hundreds of miles of long highways, some hardly driven. Most people take the interstate, and plain forget about other highways that would take them to the same place, so they get neglected by cars; good news for bikes though. One that comes to mind as my favorite twisty highway is Hwy 12 that crosses Montana to Idaho. Get on the Hwy at the Lolo junction. 2 Miles of 55mph, then non stop 75mph twists an turns for over 100 miles. Amazing sportbike hwy. It's definitely a hotspot for motorcyclists. I'll never ride that hwy on my BMW like I do on my R1 though. The Bimmer will only be my sport touring bike. Perhaps I'll make up a google map and highlight all the good riding roads.

PS: I was the service manager for a small shop in Missoula, so every 5pm the owner and I would get off work, hop on the sportbikes, sometimes with a couple other guys that thought they had something to prove, and then drag knee up hwy 12. I honestly have every turn memorized up to Lolo hotsprings. I'm an ER nurse now, so I take it a little easier on my bikes, hence why I bought the BMW. If you're not into twisty high speed kinda roads, then pretty much any highway west of the Rockies will give you amazing views the whole time.

Sophus · Sophus's Garage

There are several threads about the Ilmberger hugger breaking off at the mounting arm at this forum.
Here are a few:
Ilmberger Hugger Failure Survey
Hugger Failure Yesterday
For Sale Cheap: Ilmberger Hugger, Never Crashed, Only Tried To Kill Me Once
Ilmberger Hugger Safety Strap

That being said, the hugger is a beautiful design. Almost a piece of art. But a lot of compromises had to be made in order to achieve that look. I believe the failures were mainly with the first version and later versions seems to be mostly OK. The older versions broke at the thin mounting rod either right above the bend around the brake caliper or in the thin area where the aluminum is sandwiched into the CF part.

Of course a freak accident may happen now and then even with the revised version, if i.e. a large stone is thrown up and gets jammed between the wheel and hugger or if it has been exposed to abnormal stress, but from what i gather it seems mostly a safe alternative these days.

The hugger has been copied by a number of other outfits and I believe the Bestem USA version is a copy of the original Ilmberger design. I spoke with Ilmberger and one of the reasons they wanted to see it was to make sure that it was their, and not a copy.

My experience with Ilmberger and their customer service is excellent. It may very well have been different some years ago, but it seems that they have now learned a lesson after this problem blew up in their face. I trust them and their product, but would be wary of buying an older used version of the hugger.