Came across a local 3-owner well maintained 1998 r1100gs w/78k miles for 3800$... heated grips, ABS, BMW hard bags, 2 windscreens Per the owner....Presentable and dependable but not a garage queen, regularly maintained, new tires, new brakes (including pads, hoses, and rotors), and a new gel battery last spring. The transmission and driveshaft assembly were completely, professionally rebuilt before purchased at about 50,000 miles. It has no major issues. The only "issue" is that at some point it you might want to put new bushings in the fuel injection throttle bodies, but it doesn't effect performance, just causes a bit of low speed surge occasionally, normal for a GS with this mileage...wouldn't hesitate to ride anywhere...selling due to sweet deal on new bike purchase. Gonna take her for a spin later this week... From what i researched on site the '98 seems like the sweet spot. The surge seems 'normal' as far as an issue and is fixable. Any thoughts on price? Not too many for sale to compare. Any other advice? Thanks again for the help B
Ask about the hall sensor, if already replaced. Does it have ABS? Check the brake rotor thickness. When did he last replace the in-tank hoses and fuel pump? Any transmission work done? Those would be some of the more major expenses. Otherwise, the 97-up 1100GSes are sweet bikes with the M97 transmission.
I have a 97 with more miles than that one, I would say buy it, though I am surprised to see engine work at 50k, the brakes have been overhauled too which is a bonus.
Sounds like a decent bike for the price. The "surge" can usually be minimized by a very good valve adjust and throttle body sync, plus add Autolight 3923 spark plugs. Jim
hey rebel...it was on CL ...i just came across it yday...a fluke...totally bizarre...i never noticed the ad before... chatted with the owner ...good guy...gonna see it when the weather clears...he needs to get it out of winter storage later b
rebel...i see ya sold your wee last week...i didnt even see it for sale! DOH looks like a sweet ride and love the ammo cans....
so still waiting to hear back from the owner...he has to get it out of storage... talked to a local wrench who kinda remembers the bike ...he said (don't quote me on this as i trying to recall from memory) "surge" is from throttlebody wear/butterfly shaft/bushings etc ...airleak is causing surge...which makes sense....but he believes it needs another carb...i think i saw a kit to fix? and some of the above posts cover a fix as well http://bingcarburetor.com/pdf/throttlebodywear.pdf also asked about driveshaft /tranny rebuild and he said he thought it was a driveshaft upgrade or some sort of modification...anyone ever hear of that?? wrench is gonna try to get me in touch with the original owner who had work done hey rebel...i heard summit has a gs on consignment ...think it was an 1150 with like 100k miles or so...will PM ya
At about $1.5 each they are the best plugs you can get to minimize surge in my experience. They appear to be just a good match for the bike. Jim
well...so much for that...owner emailed this morn and said it "sold" for 4k...never even got to even see it...again thanks for the info
Got to jump on the deals for these bikes, I know because I missed out a couple times myself but then I finally ended up with a very nice 96 with 45000 miles. I don't think it had ever seen dirt. But it will now