1997 R850R ?

[captaincable]

Do most suspension and body parts inter-change between r850r and the r100r ?Just bought a 1997 R850R and will need a few thing's . One thing is a steering damper or rebuild kit if there is such a thing. Mike

[Clem]

I understand most parts will. These hand guards,from a GS, fit perfectly.
After fifteen years, steering damper and shocks need attention.

[captaincable]

Thanks Clem, I have the same color,do you know what they call it ? The bike has 47k runs great, the steering damper seems like it is not doing much wonder if there is a rebuild kit for it.Do you have a tach or clock?What kind of mpg are you getting the PO says he got about 42 mpg on the hi way seems a little low.Will try to post a picture later.
Mike

[Clem]

Hey Mike, About my BMW R1100R,
Color? BMW calls it Mystic Red Metallic, I believe.

Dunno about rebuilding the damper. I had to replace the foam washers on the steering damper and shifter. Real OEM parts does NOT show a dissected view for rebuild.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=32&fg=76

Large speedo/odometer in the center. Smaller analog clock on left. Smaller tachometer on the right.

Mileage? Gets 45 to 47 mpg. I agree. 42 does sound a bit low. He may have a heavy hand using the throttle. Or maybe just wanted to give you a very conservative figure.

IMO, the seat on this bike is supurbly comfortable. Can't wait to see your pics. Good Luck with her. Clem.

[captaincable]

I am trying to post a pix from Photobucket as I do on the f650 forum but no luck.


http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee3 ... 50R001.jpg

[captaincable]

BTW Clem that's a very good looking bike. Mike

[omg1010]

Do most suspension and body parts inter-change between r850r and the r100r ?Just bought a 1997 R850R and will need a few thing's . One thing is a steering damper or rebuild kit if there is such a thing. Mike

The R1100/R850R are identical twins except for cylinders/pistons and maybe the heads. But beware of the years the bike was made. The bike on the pic is the first generation (made til 1997). In late 1997 came a facelift (easily identified by the different instrument cluster - and many other things changed). Thereafter came the R1150 series and the R850 continued its existence. But that 850 model was a twin of the R1150 and is different to the older R850s.

To make things easy many parts (if not most parts) of the R1100R and (R850R) are interchangeable. That is something very nice as parts are offered a lot for these bikes.

Brgds
Oliver

[captaincable]

Thanks Oliver,
Just getting used to the bike. it needs a few cosmetic touches and a couple of maintenance items checked but it is a pretty neat ride that was a very in-expensive ( at least so far ) way to try a boxer.
Mike

[omg1010]

Hello Mike,

these fine bikes were rock solid. Problem areas rectified with the facelift (late 1997 onwards) was mainly the gearbox. Known failures are also the so called hall-sensor and the cables at the front of the bike (broken wires/short-circuits) due to zip-ties being overtightened. Depending on the mileage of the bike suggest you check the v-belt was changed (should be changed every 60 000 kms). If need be I suggest you get yourself the repair manual here http://www.carlsalter.com/download.asp?p=281

Brgds
Oliver

[Clem]

Mike, Trust that you are enjoying the R850R. It's a great bike. Just like omg1010 stated, the tranny is a little "tractor-like" but very durable.IMO In 16 years of service, major parts I had to replace: front brake master cylinder, fuel pump, & starter. That's about it. I went through batteries every 4-5 years, H-4 headlight bulbs about the same. Fuel filters, air filters, oil & oil filters, brake pads, tires, I changed as necessary. Maybe I was just lucky, and got a good one. I think riding a bike every week is part of the secret to keeping one in good shape. Hope that you have the same experience with your 850. These Boxers are such a joy to ride, aren't they? Talk to you later. Clem

[omg1010]

Just seen that the initial post says "steering damper needs attention". Rather than going through a repair or costly replacement I would try to completely remove the steering damper. I had removed the same on my R1100R (due to an upgrade to the R1150R telelever) and not experienced any problems. BTW the successor (1150R) which shared the same geometry had no steering damper at all ...

And I also had the shorter paralever bar of the R1100GS which made the bike a little more "agile". No problem without the steering damper.

Brgds
Oliver

[captaincable]

Thanks Oliver,
I don't notice any issue with the steering damper other than the forks flopping around on the center stand, checked the bearings everything is tight.
Doug removed what ever glitch that was keeping me from posting pix so I will attach a couple.I wonder if anyone will recognize the second one. Mike


http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee3 ... G00338.jpg

[Clem]

If it is working correctly, in the background, you probably will never know it is doing anything.It's safety gear.R1100R has a steering damper. BMW thinks it needs one. YMMV

[captaincable]

Thanks Clem, I don't feel anything out of the ordinary, can be cruising along 50-70 mph can take my hands of the handle bars she goes straight and smooth. I don't ride with my hair on fire anymore, but I do pass a vehicle on secondary roads sometimes and it is nice to feel good about the bike. I have noticed she hits hard in the rear on the bumps , my neighbor says his r1150r does the same, I think his bike has around 16k on it . I have only checked the mpg twice, the 1st time had miles from the P.O. and it got 38+ the second time my riding only, it got 44+. I noticed it had a burnt oil smell that is fading as I ride it more. also ordered a Oddessy PC680 battery as the old one seems to turn the engine over slow and the P.O. said the battery is 4-5 years old, seems to be a good deal at $104.71 & free ground shipping. Hope to be spooning on new front tire this weekend or in the next few days and do a little riding in the Georgia/ western N.C. mountains. I really appreciate everybody advice. Thanks . Mike

[captaincable]

Clem , I did mean to ask what year the GS hand guards came off of, would like to put some on the bike b-4 cold weather. Thanks . Mike

[Clem]

Yes Sir, friend. The BMW part number on the box is 7160 2340 208 Knuckle Guard Set.

[omg1010]

@clem

Whow what an extensive post about the steering damper. Let me correct a few things here.

a) the steering damper can easily be rebuilt even by a home-mechanic. All you need is the right seals (2 x KACO 73839099) and oil (60 ccm of 10W oil). Cost will be around 20 bucks and less than an hour of work.

b) my R1100R was heavily tuned (110 HP / 119 NM) and was running way faster than the stock model. Never had any problem without the steering damper.

c) no need to buy the even more expensive dampers from Oehlins and alike!

d) Correct, the steering damper re-appeared in the 1200 models but the geometry of these was different to the 1100/1150 bikes

A German sites about repairing the damper:
http://wiki.bmw-bike-forum.info/index.p ... reparieren

But as Mike says the steering damper is in good condition hence not need to touch this thing. Mike just keep on riding. No fuzz and no headaches!

Brgds
Oliver

[Clem]

I yield to your in-depth knowledge about the steering damper.
Thanks for the link. Just another reason I think that this board is great!

[captaincable]

I guess I was asking if the forks felt really easy to turn from left to right with no resistance if the bike is on the center stand just gravity will flop the forks if the surface is not completely level, just seems like a slight amount of resistance would be there from the damper,, am I off base ? Thanks for the links Oliver. I would be very interested in seeing or hearing any video of a 110 hp R1100R bet that sounds cool and would like to see how you set it up.

Has anyone had any luck getting gasoline stains off the drive shaft housing?

Just received a Odyessey PC680 battery , ordered it from Stored Energy Products (sepbatteries.com located in Lake Worth Fl.) very good service and great price $104.71 free S&H.



Clem I am starting to appreciate the bike more and more, I think its a fun bike and and looking forward to riding it and detailing it. Mike

[omg1010]

Hello Mike,

sorry but I have no video/sound of the bike. Only photos taken before I sold the bike recently: https://picasaweb.google.com/1003408169 ... R_20120601

The list of what all was changed on that bike is quite long! Now I own the R1200S.

Yes off course, the steering damper provides some kind of resistance. But if you wish to experiment you can try to remove it and take a ride. Then see how it goes and if you feel better.

Fuel stains on the housing? Unfortunately impossible to remove. No substance known to mankind will remove that. You could only repaint ...

The Odyssey PC680 is a fine battery but if not properly maintained will also die.

Brgds
Oliver