BMW R1100GS

BMW R1100GS
Manufacturer BMW Motorrad
Production 1993–1999
Predecessor R100GS, R80GS
Successor R1150GS
Class Dual-sport
Engine 1,085 cc (66.2 cu in) flat-twin, four valves per cylinder, oil-cooled[1]
Compression ratio: 10.3:1
Bore / Stroke 99.0 × 70.5 mm (3.90 × 2.78 in)
Top speed 121 mph (195 km/h)
Power 80 hp (60 kW) @ 6,750 rpm
Torque 97 N·m (72 ft·lbf) @ 5,250 rpm
Transmission 5-speed shaft drive
Suspension Front: BMW Telelever
Rear: Single spring / shock absorber
Brakes Front: Twin 305 mm disc
Rear: Single 276 mm disc
Optional ABS
Tyres Front: 110/80-19
Rear: 150/70-17
Wheelbase 1,509 mm (59.4 in)
Dimensions L 2,189 mm (86.2 in)
W 920 mm (36 in)
H 1,366 mm (53.8 in)
Seat height 840 mm (33 in) to 860 mm (34 in)
Weight 243 kg (540 lb) (wet)
Fuel capacity 25 L (5.5 imp gal; 6.6 US gal)
Oil capacity 3.75 litres (3.96 US qt)
Related R850GS

The BMW R1100GS is a dual-sport motorcycle that was manufactured from 1993 to 1999 by BMW Motorrad in Berlin, Germany.[2] The bike has a 1,085 cc flat-twin (boxer) engine, first seen in the R1100RS which was launched the year before in 1992,[2] and was the first member of the GS family to use an air- and oil-cooled engine, known as an "oilhead", as opposed to the earlier air-cooled airhead engines which had been used on BMW motorcycles since the R32 in 1923. From 1996 to 2001, a sister model, the smaller capacity 848 cc R850GS, was produced.[3] In 1999, the R1100GS was superseded by the R1150GS.

Contents

Technical features

Previous BMW motorcycles used the airhead engines such as the type 247 air-cooled flat-twin with two pushrod-activated valves per cylinder. The R1100GS oilhead engine introduced partial oil-cooling and four chain-driven valves per cylinder.[4] The engine also used Motronic fuel injection instead of the carburettors used on the earlier bikes.[4] Rear suspension and driveshaft used the same Paralever swingarm system as the previous bikes, but with the addition of remote pre-load adjustment on the shock absorber.[5] Front suspension used a new A-arm system called Telelever.[6] Options included heated handlebar grips and ABS.

Popularity

A total of 39,842 models were produced.[4] After launch it became the best selling enduro motorcycle, selling 3,554 units in Germany. The number two model was the outgoing R100GS, which continued to be sold during 1994, and the third was the F650 Funduro.[2] Neil Peart, who is the drummer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band Rush, used an R1100GS for a 14 month, 55,000-mile (89,000 km) self-healing trip,[7] which he made in the late 1990s following the tragic deaths of his only daughter and wife.[8] The trip was documented in the book Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road.[9]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ Schneider & Koenigsbeck pp. 207
  2. ^ a b c Schneider & Koenigsbeck pp. 64
  3. ^ "BMW R850GS Specifications". BMbikes. http://www.bmbikes.co.uk/specpages/R850GS.htm. Retrieved 9 August 2009. 
  4. ^ a b c "BMW R1100GS Specifications". BMbikes. http://www.bmbikes.co.uk/specpages/R1100GS.htm. Retrieved 9 August 2009. 
  5. ^ Field, Greg (2003). Motorcyclist BMW Files: Selected Road Tests. MotorBooks/MBI Publishing Company. pp. 177. ISBN 9780760316955. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_aaGSrFqz2IC&pg=PA176&dq=bmw+r1100gs&ei=kZJ-SpDrEIH6yATSjp3LCg#v=onepage&q=bmw%20r1100gs&f=false. 
  6. ^ Schneider & Koenigsbeck pp.67
  7. ^ "Book Review Ghost Rider By Neil Peart". Motorcycle.com. 13 August 2003. http://www.motorcycle.com/news/news1306.html. Retrieved 9 August 2009. 
  8. ^ Catterson, Brian (February 2003). "Rush's Neil Peart: Rockin' and Rollin'... Rollin'... Rollin'". Cycle World. http://www.neilpeart.net/articles/cw/index.html. Retrieved 9 August 2009. 
  9. ^ Peart, Neil (2002). Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road. ECW Press. ISBN 1550225464. 

Bibliography

  • Schneider, Hans-Jurgen; Koenigsbeck, Dr. Axel (2009). BMW GS Adventure Motorcycle A 30-Year Catalog. Parker House Publishing. ISBN 9780979689178. 

External links