“Good allrounder and a sports tourer you see few of which is kind of nice. Loads of low down torque and 50+ mpg, comfy too. Easy to service but beware of failing clutch/gearbox input shafts, 10 years old but after only 35k miles ?? Previous 1100s suffered bevel box bearing failure at 12k and 4 years old, bee em weren't interested !!!! Overall good bike, unusual, but questionable drive train.”
“I can't fault the bike.The build quality is excellent,handling great and the engine is a design classic with plenty of torque and more than enough power for real world road riding.
I also like the fact that it stands out from the crowd,it's boxer engine,telelever forks and slightly quirky looks make it different from the run of the mill japanese bikes,it certainly attracts a lot of attention when parked up.
This bike will do everything from fast sporty riding on twisty lanes to all day touring packed with luggage.........one of the great designs in motorcycling.”
“neglible oil consumption between services. Modest tyre wear.
stability at speed is remarkable - best of any bike owned or ridden.
Clunky gearbox demands care in town riding conditions but manageable and acceptable.
Preferred to previous bike which was a Ducati.”
“I brought this bike for long distance touring after owing a BMW 1150GS Adventure, which I found to be too tall and heavy for me and caused no end of problems on wet steel ferry decks!
I was keen to have another BMW and tried all the flat twin models in their range at the time and found the deceptively comfortable seat, feel of the controls, and riding position of the R1100s suited me best. My bike is non abs which I prefer after the servo abs of the GSA, and fitted with the full BMW hard luggage and tank bag. Also the full Laser exhaust and de-cat option, and taller screen. The exhaust does not appear to improve the performance but certainly makes it look and sound nicer than the stock one.
At 5'11" with a 32" inside leg, I can put both feet firmly on the ground which is essential when fully loaded with packed luggage and have ridden this bike for thousands of miles now. My only criticism is the tank range of just under 200 miles compared with the GSA, but it is far enough. All in all I would say a good all round touring bike for the money.”
“A very underated bike,usually change bikes after 2or 3 years but this one is all most 7. I can't find anything better at the moment. Goes as fast as I want and handles superb, I think it looks pretty good too.”
