Boxerworks.com

Hey guys!
So, now that I have gotten my "new to me" '99 R1100R I need to get a list of things that I need to do to the bike.
Number ONE will definitely be an oil/filter change, which it will be getting sometime this weekend. But what else will I need to do to get this bike to where I should feel comfortable with going out riding it. Please help me out with what I may need to change, replace, or check. Any other fluids or oils?
The guy that I got the bike from said that it was time for an oil change, but didn't elaborate from there and to tell the truth I am NO mechanic so I really didn't know what to ask about it either. He said that it hadn't been ridden much in the last year.
As soon as it gets too cold for me to ride I am going to put it up on the back porch and take the tank and other parts off to get painted, so if there is some things that can probably be put off till then please let me know. I'm not much of a cold weather rider, but definitely want to have it ready to go come spring.
Thanks!

Check the age of the tires. There's a code stamped on them, and you can just Google "tire code year" to get information on how to read the code. On a bike that is ridden little, your tires can "age out" before they wear out. Some people don't like tires more than 2 years old. I think that's extreme, but I'd definitely change any tire more than 5-6 year old. Regardless of age, if you see any cracks in the sidewalls, replace them immediately. Oh yeah, and check the pressure.

Change the brake fluid. If you have ABS, then you can't do a very good job yourself unless you are a fairly advanced mechanic. If you're not, a dealer can do it. Even on an ABS bike, just changing the stuff you can get to is helpful, but not as good as a full bleed.

Change all the lubricants (engine, transmission, rear drive). I'd just get the synthetic gear lube that BMW sells for your tranny and rear drive, since you'll need to go to them for the crush washers anyway.

Check the brake pads. You should be able to see in there with a flashlight without having to remove any parts. You just want to make sure there's over about 1/8" of pad material left. New pads have around 1/4". If you aren't familiar with how they should look, just take a look on the web at what new pads look like so you'll know the difference between the pad material and the steel backing plate.

That should leave you good for the next two years except for oil changes and tires.

Major Softie wrote:Check the age of the tires. There's a code stamped on them, and you can just Google "tire code year" to get information on how to read the code. On a bike that is ridden little, your tires can "age out" before they wear out. Some people don't like tires more than 2 years old. I think that's extreme, but I'd definitely change any tire more than 5-6 year old. Regardless of age, if you see any cracks in the sidewalls, replace them immediately. Oh yeah, and check the pressure.

Change the brake fluid. If you have ABS, then you can't do a very good job yourself unless you are a fairly advanced mechanic. If you're not, a dealer can do it. Even on an ABS bike, just changing the stuff you can get to is helpful, but not as good as a full bleed.

Change all the lubricants (engine, transmission, rear drive). I'd just get the synthetic gear lube that BMW sells for your tranny and rear drive, since you'll need to go to them for the crush washers anyway.

Check the brake pads. You should be able to see in there with a flashlight without having to remove any parts. You just want to make sure there's over about 1/8" of pad material left. New pads have around 1/4". If you aren't familiar with how they should look, just take a look on the web at what new pads look like so you'll know the difference between the pad material and the steel backing plate.

That should leave you good for the next two years except for oil changes and tires.

Thanks MS!
Looks as though my tires were both manufactured in '07. Front tire looks pretty good, but not sure about the back I took a pic of both, maybe someone else can say.
Front

Back


Checked the brakes and the pads look good. I've got a new set for the front that came with the bike and the ones that are one the bike look almost as good. Back look fine as well. I may have to get the rear rotor turned though next time I replace the pads, it is grooved a little. Is it ok to turn rotors on bikes, or do need to purchase new ones?
The bike has two lights on the console that say ABS....is that a give away? Or is there something else I need to look for to determine whether I have ABS or not? Either way, I will probably need to get the shop to change that fluid if you believe it to be a difficult job. Would most any bike shop be able to do it? It's a ways to nearest BMW shop from here.
As long as the other fluids (tranny, gearbox) are fairly easy for a newbie to tackle I am definitely up for it. I would like to learn to do most any of the repairs myself, but I figure it will take some time to learn.
Thanks for the help!

bowyorang wrote:Checked the brakes and the pads look good. I've got a new set for the front that came with the bike and the ones that are one the bike look almost as good. Back look fine as well. I may have to get the rear rotor turned though next time I replace the pads, it is grooved a little. Is it ok to turn rotors on bikes, or do need to purchase new ones?
The bike has two lights on the console that say ABS....is that a give away? Or is there something else I need to look for to determine whether I have ABS or not? Either way, I will probably need to get the shop to change that fluid if you believe it to be a difficult job. Would most any bike shop be able to do it? It's a ways to nearest BMW shop from here.
As long as the other fluids (tranny, gearbox) are fairly easy for a newbie to tackle I am definitely up for it. I would like to learn to do most any of the repairs myself, but I figure it will take some time to learn.
Thanks for the help!

Rear tire looks a bit questionable, but hard to tell from photo. It certainly isn't unsafe, but I can't tell just how squared-off it is. Front looks great in the photo.

No, you probably can't turn the rotors on that bike, they start off too thin and just don't have any extra material. I'd have the rear checked for thickness just to make sure it hasn't worn under spec, and then, if it isn't worn past the spec and isn't scored too bad, I'd probably not worry about it. Rotors are expensive.

Yes, ABS lights on the dash would be a giveaway. Whether or not a local shop knows how to bleed the whole ABS brake system is unknown. You can ask them. I'd see if the previous owner knows if it's ever been done. If it has, then I probably wouldn't worry about it right now. If it's never been done, then you really probably ought to have it done. Call the BMW dealership and ask what they would charge and how long it would take. If it costs an arm and a leg, well then you can include that factor in deciding how much you care.

The tranny and rear drive aren't any harder than changing the engine oil. If you never dealt with parts threaded into aluminum castings and crush washers, you might want to find an experienced friend to help the first time, but you can find lots of info on the web as well, and those often have lots of helpful pictures.

You could get yourself a service manual, but if all you're going to do is maintenance, this is probably more than you need: http://www.ibmwr.org/r-tech/oilheads/R1 ... -25-02.pdf but I didn't notice it had any information about the ABS fluid situation. As I alluded to earlier, you can just do a normal brake fluid change like you would do on any normal bike, and that will be a lot better than not doing it.

Thanks MS.
Been looking at pics of the tires on the manufacturers website. IMO the back isn't as bad as I initially thought. I'll keep an eye on though. Don't most bike tires now have some kind of wear indicator on them that you start to see? No dry rot, I think they will be fine for a while anyway. Sides of the tires look almost new.
Thanks for the link to service pdf. I've got a Clymer service manual that came with the bike so I am hoping it will help me with some of the general maintenance items as far as changing and maintaining fluid levels.
I'll do as you suggest about contacting the BMW shop to see what it will cost there for the brake fluid change as well as check with the local shop to see if they are familiar with changing ABS brakes. Our BMW dealer is in the middle of Little Rock and I just hate to have to ride it down there. I much prefer the lonelier highways.

bowyorang, where are you located?
Richard T
Crescent Ok

Just outside of Searcy, AR
About an hour north of Little Rock

Also wanted to say that I found out some bad news the other day.
Went down to the BMW shop in Little Rock to get a couple thing and check to see what changing out the brake fluid was going to cost as well as a couple other things.
Guess what....They have closed down!!!!!!
Now it looks like the closest dealership is several hours away!
I'm going to have to find someone a little closer that knows these bikes....

Bowyorang,
I believe you have ABS II on the the '99. The ABS III, came along with the R1150s. I have studied and studied how to refresh the brake fluid on this bike. It HAS a hydro unit under the tank, but unlike the ABS III, I cannot find a way to refresh the fluid in the hydro unit. The ABS III has a fitting on the hydro unit so you can bleed the system from the hydro unit. Not so on ABS II. Sooo, I've contented myself with refreshing the fluid in the two cylinders. This is an important item to do every year on these bikes as the passage-ways in the system are very small. And of course, be very careful not to get brake fluid on any painted surface as brake fluid removes paint.

DaveM
1975 R90S
2000 R1100RT

Dave Backmarker wrote:Bowyorang,
I believe you have ABS II on the the '99. The ABS III, came along with the R1150s. I have studied and studied how to refresh the brake fluid on this bike. It HAS a hydro unit under the tank, but unlike the ABS III, I cannot find a way to refresh the fluid in the hydro unit. The ABS III has a fitting on the hydro unit so you can bleed the system from the hydro unit. Not so on ABS II. Sooo, I've contented myself with refreshing the fluid in the two cylinders. This is an important item to do every year on these bikes as the passage-ways in the system are very small. And of course, be very careful not to get brake fluid on any painted surface as brake fluid removes paint.

DaveM
1975 R90S
2000 R1100RT

Thanks for the info Dave! I know nothing about brakes other than how to change pads on my truck so I will definitely have to get it somewhere. I did read in the service manual that I have for it, that you have to use some kind of power extractor on it.... I don't have a clue what that is though. Or even if it is solely for the ABS II or both.
I have to say... I am REALLY loving this bike though!