Is the BMW R1100R a good first bike

[NineOneSeven]

What do you guys think? One has come up for a song and so i tempted. Not sure if I'll get insurance though..

Boxer engines rule my world.

[Beemer-5]

Yes, get it.
That is a very good bike imo.
Brilliant engine/bike, for the real world, with real traffic and real road surfaces.

[Busamav]

perfect first bike ,

slow and not enough grunt to get you in trouble

[NineOneSeven]

Slow and not enough grunt arn't the kind of endorsements I was hoping for.

Cheers... I should buy a SV like everyone is telling me too but the BMW is just drawing me in.

Hmmn..

[Beemer-5]

Not slow, maybe unimpressive on paper statistics, but surprisingly swift in reality, due to the large amount of mid-range shove.
No, not a slow bike.

[Busamav]

NineOneSeven said:

Slow and not enough grunt arn't the kind of endorsements I was hoping for.

Cheers... I should buy a SV like everyone is telling me too but the BMW is just drawing me in.

Hmmn..

it was in jest waiting for more reaction from the beemer boys.

You will not be disapointed , and when your riding skills develope , you will be able to run with ANYTHING in road conditions

An old neighbour of mine just bought a Boxer Cup bike , looks superb

[Beemer-5]

I have had 4 of the big flat twins and, ridden well, they are quick enough, as road bikes.
The R1100RS disappointed quite a lot of 600cc race-rep riders, who assumed that the old carthorse would be left for dead.

[NineOneSeven]

Beemer-5 said:

I have had 4 of the big flat twins and, ridden well, they are quick enough, as road bikes.
The R1100RS disappointed quite a lot of 600cc race-rep riders, who assumed that the old carthorse would be left for dead.

Magic... I love a good underdog its the british way.

I like the fact it has alot of road presence, its different and my wife may feel that its non sport bike looks will probably mean a more sensible riding style from me.

This sounds really stupid, but I don't want a bike that wants me to ring it out (because I probably will). I'd rather waft around on torque and tour the B-roads.

Lets see if I can close the deal for a sensible sum.

[Beemer-5]

Hope you do.
14,000 rpm is all very well, but for many people, grunt is more effective on the road.

[Beemer-5]

That's partly why i sold my R1 and ride a 1098cc twin.

[black-k1]

Yes, on the road, torque rules!

The R1100R is a good bike for everyone, from beginners up. As has been said, it's not the bike for you if you want to rev the nuts of it everywhere or if you want to do lots of miles at 100 plus (kph of course ) on motorways but otherwise, a great bike.

[Beemer-5]

Even my old R100RS from 1978, with just 70 bhp, was capable and high quality.

It took me to Rome and back, in little over 4 days, without missing a beat and at about 50 mpg!

[NineOneSeven]

I have never ridden a BMW bike and I have been told that they have a peculiar trait when turning slow corners to the left or right I can’t remember. Something to do with the rotation of the engine.

Anyone know what I’m talking about? Or have I misunderstood?

The BMW is insurance group 11 and the SV is insurance group 9, however I am hoping that the insurance won’t kill me. I only passed my test on the 28th last month.
Still I only want a limited mileage non-commuting policy.

[Beemer-5]

Flat twins (and Moto Guzzis) take a while to get used to. At idle and just off idle they can feel and sound strange.
But you soon get the feel for them.

[Busamav]

smoking a pipe and wearing a flat cap will be the hardest thing for you to get used to with a Beemer

[NineOneSeven]

Busamav said:

smoking a pipe and wearing a flat cap will be the hardest thing for you to get used to with a Beemer

Oh how we laughed at the wit. Rapier sharp dear sir..








;)

[black-k1]

Busamav said:

smoking a pipe and wearing a flat cap will be the hardest thing for you to get used to with a Beemer

That’s the easy bit. I always found doing up the buttons on the cardigan was the hard bit!

Back in the mid ‘90s I had an old ’83 R100RS that I used to go “power ranger hunting” on. There was nothing like the look of sheer disbelief from the ‘Blade mounted rider as the old Beemer would pass them on the drag out of a long sweeper.

[Busamav]

[Hooli]

NineOneSeven said:

The BMW is insurance group 11 and the SV is insurance group 9, however I am hoping that the insurance won’t kill me. I only passed my test on the 28th last month.
Still I only want a limited mileage non-commuting policy.

my first bike was group 9. last january, TPF&T 30year old rider with a brand new licence - £167. now paying £280ish for a group 14 FC with one years NCD.
bike insurance is cheap it seems.

[D1 MAD]

NineOneSeven said:

I have never ridden a BMW bike and I have been told that they have a peculiar trait when turning slow corners to the left or right I can’t remember. Something to do with the rotation of the engine.

Anyone know what I’m talking about? Or have I misunderstood?

The BMW is insurance group 11 and the SV is insurance group 9, however I am hoping that the insurance won’t kill me. I only passed my test on the 28th last month.
Still I only want a limited mileage non-commuting policy.

The R1100's are great bikes. I had a R1100 RS for 4 years, they have all the real world power you need, plenty enough to get you into trouble if you aren't careful. They will cruise at 110+, will pull like a train from 30 to 90 in third gear, have great engine braking, fantastic build quality and hassle free shaft drive. If you sit on one on tick over and blip the revs gently you can feel the bike rock to the side very slightly but I cannot imagine a scenario where this would upset the handling when cornering.
So long as you buy one that has been serviced and looked after (same as any bike) you won't be disappointed. The only item that I had to replace on mine in 4 years was the starter motor, this was a known weakness on some early bikes (french made would you believe!) but it was not expensive to buy and was easy to fit.
Go for it!