Hoping for better luck this time!

[magicIV]

Hi folks,

Well, took the plunge and, all being well, will soon be riding a nice shiny R1100S. Not my first boxer twin, so why 'hoping for better luck this time'? (And simple question at end of post)

Many years ago I had an R65 which was great until I made the mistake of letting the local dealer do it's first main service! (Well, when the bike is young people care about having the right stamps in the service book, don't they?). First time I got it back it seemed really sluggish, which turned out to be fair given the front brake was now binding on which it hadn't been doing before. Got it back to the dealer for them to sort out with a few choice words ringing in their ears.

Second time around front brake was fine but still seemed really sluggish because the right hand cylinder was no longer firing. Well, that's not quite fair, it did cut back in with a great whoosh of acceleration as I rolled off the throttle on arriving at the busiest roundabout in the neighbourhood! That was a bit more excitement than I was expecting I can tell you. Anyway survived it consistently accelerating on rolling off the throttle to get it back to the dealer and left it with even choicer words ringing in their ears. It's fascinating how interesting life can be when the throttle starts working the wrong way round!

So, third time lucky ... got it back and everything worked fine, just annoying that it had picked up a load of scrape marks down the right hand side it hadn't had before! Silly me, I hadn't expected to have to photograph the bike all round to have evidence of previous condition before taking it in to a main dealer for a simple service, my bad! BMW in those days were worse than useless at sorting it out.

Anyway, continued using my scarred steed until I had to go on a work related couyrse in East London when it got nicked. Hmmm. Still Metropolitan Police found it just a week later and told me to go into the Police Station near where it had been found, with all my documents, to pick it up (hooray!) What they didn't mention was that they didn't take stolen but found motorcycles in to anywhere safe, just told you where to find it when you went to the Police station. You can see where this is going, can't you? By the time I got to where they told me they had found it it was gone again (boo!)

Desk Sergeant at least had the decency to look surprised when I returned to report it stolen again after just an hour! Still they found it again a couple of weeks later in some woods but this time vandalised beyond economic repair. I wonder how many people normally realise that if an idiot takes the spark plugs out of the cylinders of an R65 the upward facing plug holes let the rain into the cylinders, which start to suffer internally within a couple of weeks left like that? Who'd have thought it? And I still wonder what they did with the spark plugs ...

That's why I swore off ever having a BMW again ... having a bike stolen once is bad enough, but a second time before you've even got it back?

(Mind you, its replacement, a Kawasaki GPZ600R, got stolen and found 13 times before it was finally stolen for good - from the lock-up garage behind the Police station where the Police had taken it for 'safety' after recovering it! But that's another story ...as is the one about it being kept in a police lock up as 'evidence' because they caught the tea leaf but then they initially refused to release it to me later because I didn't have a valid MOT for it, the previous MOT having run out whilst the Police were keeping it as evidence!)

Soooo ... after a few years off bikes I've finally cracked about getting another boxer and hopefully will soon be riding an R1100S (deal agreed but waiting on bike passing its MOT) but hope, given the explanation above, people will be kind if and when I ask questions about spannering on it. I gave up letting other people service my bikes after the R65.

Ah yes, the simple question, is anyone able to say how wide the R1100S is, in standard trim, at its widest point (I assume mirrors or bars, no panniers fitted) and at what height above the ground? I'm fairly sure my gate will be wide enough ... if not it will be the gate that gets moved! I'd just like to know before it arrives.

Best to all and promise not to rabbit on like this every time,

Liz

[Topcat]

Great first post

Welcome to the forum.

[The Teutonic Tangerine]

This will give you the seat Height minimum. http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/bmw_r_1100_s_1999.php Someone else will, no doubt, be along shortly with the width My Recollection is that if the Mirrors go through so does everything else.

Good luck with the Boxer. BTW where did you used to live - Stolen 13 times - I'd have given up or moved out?

[SP250]

Without moving a pile of stuff to get the bike out, across the pots is approx 810mm, across the bar end weights is exactly 804mm and across the mirrors is exactly 870mm.

[magicIV]

...Good luck with the Boxer. BTW where did you used to live - Stolen 13 times - I'd have given up or moved out?

I did try moving! The first 10 times I was living in Islington (For those familiar with the area, the roundabout my previous boxer launched me into? Highbury Corner, early rush hour traffic!).

Now with hindsight I admit moving to the centre of Glasgow may not have been the smartest choice in the circs (the issue with the expired MOT being at Maryhill Police Station). I then had a job which split my time between Glasgow and Cheshire. The final successful lifting from the Police House was from near Alderley Edge. North/South, urban/rural seems to make no difference for me.

I console myself with the thought that my GPZ's engine may have done great things in that year's proddy racing in the IoM since the Police suggested they tended to see bikes like the GPZ being nicked in the run ups to the TT and the MGP weeks.

I think the real takeaway for everyone is that if I ever get to one of the forum meet ups and you're looking for someone's bike to chain yours to for security ... I may not be the wisest person to ask!

When I lived in South London I even had an MZ ETS250 stolen from a lock up behind where I lived! But in my defence it was the 'desirable' Trophy Sport version. Guess I'm just a sucker for German motorbikes.

[magicIV]

Thanks for the measurement SP250, narrower than my partner's Honda Shadow then. Yeah!

[Blackal]

Welcome in, as has been recognised already - a great first post.

Al

[dave the german]

Welcome and better luck this time!!

[Humbug]

Great first post, welcome aboard.

[nab 301]

...?

When I lived in South London I even had an MZ ETS250 stolen from a lock up behind where I lived! Sport version. Guess I'm just a sucker for German motorbikes.

Welcome to the foum, I better rethink my strategy of using my MZ as an anchor to secure other bikes to...