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Hello from Ayrshire
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2013 6:20 pm
by golfgeezer
Hi folks
Just joined although not new to owning a BMW bike as I had a 2002 R1150GS a few years ago and had to sell it due to circumstances at the time
There seems to be quite a price difference between an GS and an R1100S which makes the sportier model appealing at the moment.
I know of the usual corrosion issues but is there any other areas that I need to be aware of when looking at these models? Also is the riding position any good for mid -long distances? Also how many miles to a tank on average?
Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 5:06 pm
by dave1100s
Welcome along mate. You must be either younger or in better condition than me as I went the other way a couple of years ago and swapped my 1100s for a GS

Loved the 11s for the four years I had it, but it got to the point were my back ached like a b*****d after only about 50 miles or so, which on my last trip around France was a real pain in the arse.......well back actually
Used to do regular 400-500 mile days no problem with a usual tank range of about 125 miles to the fuel light and I never risked more than about 20 miles with the light on! Didn't seem to make much difference how it was ridden either. Enjoy the bike mate (you're in the ideal spot, some great roads up your way) and enjoy the site

You'll find this lot a friendlier bunch than on that site that is for your previous bike

Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 10:08 pm
by McBoxer
Welcome on board!
Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 1:42 pm
by Triton
Welcome to another Scottish member.
Re: Hello from Ayrshire
Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 8:20 pm
by nab 301
golfgeezer wrote: Also is the riding position any good for mid -long distances? Also how many miles to a tank on average?
Approx 10 miles to the litre in steady state touring mode , can drop drastically in city centre /on off throttle mode.
I'd certainly be looking for petrol at 130 miles , the tank can be drained in under 100 miles though
The 11 s has never been my most comfortable bike ,( i've owned it since '03 , )but I have done long days, recently fitted lowered pegs and raised the bars slightly , it really needs the seat to be modded slightly and then could be perfect.
I have done a lot of miles in recent years on a Deauville.... depending on the trip , the better tank mileage and economy was usually the reason for choosing it on the day along with slightly better comfort.
Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 6:15 pm
by tanneman
Welcome to the forum. Yes about 10 miles to the litre. That drops to about a tank for the morning session at a track day.
New to the S
Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 9:08 pm
by R-man
Good choice - the S is one of the last of the great all-rounders, it'll do anything from 2-up touring to scratching a track day.
As others have mentioned, the seat was quite thin from the factory, and hardens with age...plenty of notes here as some of us have rebuilt them...and experiment with a few psi (4 or 5) less tyre prerssure too.
If it runs smoothly, keep it maintained (yourself) and the miles will fly by - but once things grow lumpy, do not delay get help, by searching and asking a question here...we are a knowledgeable crew!
The boxer engines love good clean oil, and hate overheating. The stock air filter (or K&N replacement) is painfully small so look up the 'Val Singleton' air filter mod, and keep an eye open for a Y-piece to replace the catalyst.
Enjoy
Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 10:26 am
by HerrFlick
Hi Golfgeezer.
After you and the 'S' have settled in and you've done the Zero=Zero procedure to balance and synchronise the throttle bodies, and before you do any other performance mods, fit the 1100/1150GS intake tubes and then see how much more performance you want.
I got:
- serious extra go beyond 4000rpm.
- always looking for 7th while cruising at 70-75 mph.
- better fuel consumption: from 140 miles per 16 litres to 180 miles now. (2 litres left in the tank at refill).
- if I thrash up the twisty roads on a 2000ft range near here I'll drop back to abt 140 miles/tank.
- rid of all fueling and surging complaints.
Have a look at my how-to post in Boxer Performance.
Seating position:
-I'm 6'4'' tall. I have the sports bars above the upper triple clamp.
- my major problem was preventing myself sliding forward onto the tank under hard braking, especially on steep down hills. (BMW seem to have a thing about geting you on the tank on all their bikes. R1200GS - arrrggghhh!).
- so: I've remove a lot of the foam in the rear half of the seat and raised the front by putting an 18mm rubber block under the front edge to reduce the forward slope in the seat.
This is reasonably effective but will have to suffice until I get around to making my own carbon fibre seat base.
It's quite comfortable for 200 mi start/stop rides, but my new base will have a that bit more finesse to allow 600 mi+ touring days.
Cheers
John C.
aka HerrFlick.
Re: Hello from Ayrshire
Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 10:53 am
by HerrFlick
nab 301 wrote:
Approx 10 miles to the litre
it really needs the seat to be modded slightly and then could be perfect.
"10 miles to the litre"
Oh my gawwwdddd !!!
Talk about mixed (up) units.
The metric system consumption measure is litres/100km.
The Imperial system uses miles per imperial gallon.
Blokes out here start with km/(their tank) and work back from there to a km/litre number.
Shouldn't be long before someone comes up with 'wee drams/cm' or 'furlongs/deci-litre'
Arrrhhh - don't mind me - I get in these moods from time to time.
Re seat mod to make it perfect: watch this space.
.
Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 11:05 am
by HerrFlick
I'll have to contact you when I arrange my scottish summer highlands riding tour. Since the time window is abt 4 1/2 days notice may be short.
Did I mention I'm a descendant of Red Comyn?
And I play golf too.
(should get me in the good books)
.
Re: Hello from Ayrshire
Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 11:08 am
by Boxered
HerrFlick wrote:
"10 miles to the litre"
Oh my gawwwdddd !!!
Talk about mixed (up) units.
The metric system consumption measure is litres/100km.
The Imperial system uses miles per imperial gallon.
.
The trouble is we buy our fuel by the litre but still use miles for distance
Steve
Re: Hello from Ayrshire
Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 11:31 am
by ned1
Boxered wrote:HerrFlick wrote:
"10 miles to the litre"
Oh my gawwwdddd !!!
Talk about mixed (up) units.
The metric system consumption measure is litres/100km.
The Imperial system uses miles per imperial gallon.
.
The trouble is we buy our fuel by the litre but still use miles for distance
Steve
Hi,
As measurements have come up can someone tell me if the uk gallon is the same as one from across the pond (USA).

Re: Hello from Ayrshire
Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 11:33 am
by Blackal
HerrFlick wrote:[
"10 miles to the litre"
Oh my gawwwdddd !!!
Talk about mixed (up) units.
The metric system consumption measure is litres/100km.
The Imperial system uses miles per imperial gallon.
Blokes out here start with km/(their tank) and work back from there to a km/litre number.
Shouldn't be long before someone comes up with 'wee drams/cm' or 'furlongs/deci-litre'
Arrrhhh - don't mind me - I get in these moods from time to time.
Re seat mod to make it perfect: watch this space.
.
Doesn't matter - the ability to get one of the units into a round number (10) and be able to easily calculate the tank range (18 x 10) makes it all worthwhile.
We use miles, because....................
Well, because - they're "miles" better (and don't you forget it!)
Al

Re: Hello from Ayrshire
Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 11:54 am
by Boxered
ned1 wrote:
Hi,
As measurements have come up can someone tell me if the uk gallon is the same as one from across the pond (USA).

No Ned, an Imperial gallon (uk) is equal to 1.2 US gallons (roughly) which is why fuel consumption figures differ between us and the US.
Steve
Re: Hello from Ayrshire
Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 1:26 pm
by HerrFlick
Boxered wrote:ned1 wrote:
Hi,
As measurements have come up can someone tell me if the uk gallon is the same as one from across the pond (USA).

No Ned, an Imperial gallon (uk) is equal to 1.2 US gallons (roughly) which is why fuel consumption figures differ between us and the US.
Steve
Then there's the Canadian gallon...
The yanks have some unflattering term for it. As do the Canadians re the US gallon on their side of the border.
Oh God - grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know where to bury those who have infuriated me.
.