Greetings + questions

[mcampy]

Hi everyone,

I've always been curious about BMWs and it looks like I'm about to find out. I'm planning a fly and ride to pick up a 2002 R1150R ABS "yellow jacket". It has ~12,300 mi on it, recently had the 12K service completed at Gengras BMW (Hartford, CT), has a small fairing, side cases and a little rear rack. The owner said that the tires are good but several years old (which possibly means hard). The owner claims that the bike is running good, has a <1 yr-old battery that's been on a tender. I live in Louisville, KY, so it will be a ~900 mi trip, unless I take a detour through VA and NC

The price is right, so I don't mind making the trip, but of course will have to be vigilant on my test ride. I've ridden several Japanese I-4s, just sold my SV650 that I put ~50K on and currently own a '74 Commando, but never ridden a beemer. So, what should I be aware of during a test ride? Also, is it difficult to remove either wheel for a tire change, say, in parking lot?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

cheers,


m

[iowabeakster]

Welcome mcampy,

First, the removal of the wheels from the bike is as easy as any motorcycle gets. The bike comes with a center stand. The factory supplied tool kit is sufficient. It's even easier with real tools (ratchet, sockets, torque wrench to set correct torque values). Or are you talking about removing the and remounting tires from the wheels? That is more work, but typical of any other tubeless tire job.

Check the wiring harnesses pictured below. These zip-ties were too tight coming out of the factory (red arrows) and can damage the wires and cause electrical difficulties. The picture below has no headlight... the zip-ties are behind the headlight, and hold the harnesses to the horn bracket.



I would test play at the rear wheel (with bike on centerstand) to see if there is any play. A rear wheel with play is going to need a new bearing in the final drive unit, or a pivot bearing.

Lastly, I hate to be a downer, but since you asked....

Watch the warning lights when starting up and taking off, especially the brake warning lights. The brake warning lights will go through a routine, when you get moving and you get to about 3-5mph, the last flashing light should go out and all of them should be off and stay off. The bikes before 2004 (like the one you are looking at) had less reliable ABS systems (expensive to replace the ABS unit). I would make sure that the owner has proof that the brakes were serviced regularly. The basic 12,000 mile service does not include brake service (the brake service intervals are based on time, not mileage). So the owner would need to request a brake service in addition to the standard 12,000 service. I would not buy it (I wouldn't fly out to even look at it) unless the owner has proof that he has gotten the brakes serviced regularly (at least every 2 years).

I'd be afraid that an owner that rides the bike so little, is not likely to have done the brake service as recommended. Given the unreliable nature of of the older iABS, I would not buy it unless there is proof the brake services have been done regularly.

this is just my 2 cents...

[mcampy]

I truly appreciate your advice, and this forum for supporting such communication. I have emailed the seller, requesting more details about the service history, in particular, the iABS maintenance. I have my fingers crossed

mark

[garr2]

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=19491
This is a very similar thread, which combined with the observations/advice of this one offer sage advice.
I hope it works out well for you.

[rbt1548]

Although I have a Rockster now I also had a 2002 R1150R and I like both bikes, both are fairly straightforward to work on although electrical gubbins can be a bit daunting for me, however this is a good site for all kinds of info on your bike. While I'm on, I also have a 850 Commando and there's a great forum for that too, http://www.accessnorton.com, you probably are familiar with it if not give it go it's good!
Good luck with your bike!

[mcampy]

garr2: Thanks for pointing me there, great info. I believed that my question had possibly been answered already, but I must have I picked the wrong keywords for my search.

rbt1548: Oh, I've learned about several tips and tricks from the accessnorton forum, great stuff! I love that bike, it's a keeper, sounds sooo good. I just wish it wasn't blowing smoke at the moment.

So, I stopped by my local BMW dealer today (they're paired with H-D, open 7 days/wk!) and went over the history with them, showed the pics and tried to search the BMW database with the VIN. There was some database error going on with the VIN search app, so they'll try again tomorrow.

The service manager mentioned that if an expensive ABS system malfunction ever occurs, ABS removal is easy and they would help me with the parts required for binning the ABS. He also explained to me that if there was ever an ABS "failure" while riding, you never actually lose breaking power. He said that the lever travel required to brake will greatly increase, but braking would not be affected. BTW, I'm pretty certain that you guys know all of this, I guess I'm just typing it to document it for myself. (Side note: it sounds to me that when ABS fails, it would still brake better than my Norton

If anyone's interested, here is a link to an album with a few photos that the seller took today: http://bit.ly/fwat4d

Alternatively, I've just found a 2004 R1150R, w/ABS ~45K miles and good service records for ~$400 more. Is the 2004 ABS system different from the 2002?

cheers,

mark

[iowabeakster]

Yeah, I should have mentioned the option of removing the ABS unit and converting to a tradional non-ABS. Sweatmark (that's his screen name) did a great tutorial on doing it. Check it out, below. The R1150R ABS removal is easier than the Rockster, because the speedometer on the RR is not electrical. Besides the speedo, the process is the same.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=13571

The ABS unit was improved in 2004. Not a big change in design or operation, but I've read about far fewer failures on the 2004 and later bikes (not that that is some scientific assessment).

If the ABS fails when riding, you will still have some braking. But, it is much harder to stop. Not only increased lever travel, but much more force is needed. Although the chances are awfully slim, ABS failure could be dangerous, in a situation when a very quick stop is needed.

Besides the ABS, they made a couple of other changes in 2004. They went to a two spark plug ignition (each cylinder). The brake lines are braided stainless steel (rubber on earlier models). And they came stock with terminals for easy jump starting (can be added to earlier models, with a kit).

The terminals and stainless brake lines are great. Unfortunately, the coils on the primary plugs have been unreliable on the two-spark bikes (roughly 250 bucks to replace).

[R1150Rclean]

That looks like the BMW sport fairing my bike came with, created a lot of buffeting wind at highway speeds for me.

[mcampy]

I've decided to go get the yellow '02 in CT and will be flying to Hartford this Friday evening, meeting the seller early Sat morning. If the bike matches the seller's description and there are no obvious issues or flashing lights, I'll be setting off to ride it through PA to VA, NC, TN and finally to KY. I've got my gear packed but would love input on what essential tools bring. Here's what I've got so far:

Gerber multi tool
adjustable wrench
small ratchet/4mm-13mm sockets
large ratchet/ 8, 10, 12, 14, 17mm sockets
torx bit multi tool
tire plug kit/air compressor/gauge
tiny multimeter
electrical tape/duct tape
wire nuts/wire
rope

Are there any spanners that I should definitely bring? Anything else?

The seller says that he "thinks" the tool kit is complete, but doesn't have the "Rider's Manual". I've searched and found previous threads that eventually point to the Carl Salter free manual site, but there are only maintenance manuals, no "basic" owners manual. So, if anyone has a .pdf version that I could view (for research purposes only), let me know. If not, I will have to order one from a dealer or eBay, I guess. Seems odd to me that BMW doesn't archive owners manuals in electronic form.

As for the windscreen, I'll be riding the bike primarily on interstates, so I'll find out pretty quick if I have any buffeting problems. If I do, I might take it off; any special tools to remove it?

One last thing, which has me scratching my head: I called Gengras BMW in Hartford to inquire about service records for the bike, as they did the 12K service last year. I gave the service manager the VIN and the records matched what the owner had told me. Good. Then, he said that when I start the bike cold, with the choke on, it should start within one or two tries. If not, he said there may be carb problems. Choke? Carb what? I had given him only the last six digits of the VIN, so I made sure that we were both talking about a 2002 BMW R1150R. He said, yes, correct, but that some of the 2002 model year bikes were still being fitted with carbs and I should check with the seller to find out. WTF? April fools? Anyone know if this is correct? I mentioned to him that during the 12K service, throttle body synchronization should have been checked and could he verify this. He immediately said yes, it was checked. Then silence. I thanked him for his time and ended the call.

Can't wait to get on the road,

m

[pietervn]

Hi,

That sounds like a very good ride. With regards to the tool question you have, I include a VERY comprehensive list from the IronButt website. It is a lot of tools :-), whether you can take them all on the plane, or on a bike without panniers may prove to be a challenge.

Tool Link: http://www.ironbutt.com/tech/aow.cfm?AOWID=21

Have a good ride,

Pete

[Sunbeemer]

Welcome mcampy. I think you've made a good choice and will like the bike.

I did not see any Allen keys included on your list. I carry one of those jack-knife style metric Allen key sets available at Lowe's for a few bucks, and have used it! I also carry a gooey-string-style tire repair kit you can find cheap at Wal-Mart or any autoparts store.

You could try out the bike on some of the famous roads in NC and TN, like Cherohala Skyway and Tail of the Dragon.

Have good, safe trip.

[mcampy]

Wow, that ironbutt list is great, but possibly not practical for my trip. My girlfriend is coming along for the ride, so pannier space will be limited, despite the fact that we're both only bringing minimal gear. We're checking a large SeaLine dry bag with most of our riding and camping gear, tools, etc, which leaves us with helmets in our carry-on luggage. The two of us have taken several multi-day moto-camping trips, so we've got a good idea of what we need to bring vs what we want to bring, but I'm in the dark as far as what weird BMW-specific tools could come in handy. Of course I'm hoping that I won't need any

Thanks for the allen key reminder, I have one, so that will definitely get tossed into the kit. I do have a nice tire plug kit (little rubber mushroom plugs) that I got from aerostich, which I've used three times, always worked great.

cheers,

m

[Dr. Strangelove]

I came across this tool at LLBean
this is the link to another site that has the tool

http://www.lickbike.com/productpage.php ... 2618-00%27

A complete take-along tool combining I-Beam technology with a full array of emergency tools: 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8mm hex wrenches; T25 star (Torx) driver; flat blade screw driver; composite wrapped tire lever; two spoke wrenches for 3.23mm (black equivalent)/3.45mm (red equivalent); and 10 speed compatible chain tool.

and bought one. I carry it all the time because the parts are all very useful. Park make very good tools, btw

might be considered? It's a tool for bicycles, but there is some crossover between pedals and motorcycles, I find.

John

[mcampy]

Funny that you mention that tool, here's the Crank Brothers version that I'll be bringing with me:



It reminds me that I should probably be bicycling instead, but oh well.
m

[sweatmark]

One last thing, which has me scratching my head: I called Gengras BMW in Hartford to inquire about service records for the bike, as they did the 12K service last year. I gave the service manager the VIN and the records matched what the owner had told me. Good. Then, he said that when I start the bike cold, with the choke on, it should start within one or two tries. If not, he said there may be carb problems. Choke? Carb what? I had given him only the last six digits of the VIN, so I made sure that we were both talking about a 2002 BMW R1150R. He said, yes, correct, but that some of the 2002 model year bikes were still being fitted with carbs and I should check with the seller to find out. WTF? April fools? Anyone know if this is correct? I mentioned to him that during the 12K service, throttle body synchronization should have been checked and could he verify this. He immediately said yes, it was checked. Then silence. I thanked him for his time and ended the call.

Classic. With due respect to my favorite BMW dealer's own Service Manager, the dialog you describe is not surprising. Seems that the role of the Service Manager is something akin to restaraunt hostess, or maybe the girl at Supercuts who takes my name and asks if I want a shampoo ("No," I reply, "I've been practicing at home and I'm getting pretty good at it!"), but doesn't herself actually cut anyone's hair.

Last carbs on BMWs - 1995 model year. "Choke" - well, most of us here call it the choke instead of "throttle advance lever" or however it's officially described. But c'mon, that guy's carbs comment just confirms he's got no fricking clue about the product he represents.

[mcampy]

We arrived home in Louisville last night with the new (to me) bike! We left Hartford after lunch on Sat and got home yesterday evening, about 1200 miles total. We made our way down to the Skyline Drive in northern VA, but bailed on the BRP, deciding to hit a few back roads in WV instead.

Fortunately, the only heavy rain we encountered was within the last 45 of our ride, but it was quite a downpour. Overall, the ride went very smoothly, I really like the bike, but it is certainly different than anything I've ridden previously. Not very easy to get it up on the center stand when fully loaded. Maybe there is some trick to it, not sure.

Here are links to pics:

before rain

after rain

Now I just need to register it, change the tires, change the crankcase oil, get the ABS service and give it a bath. (Anything else?) BTW, what kind of oil...

cheers!


mark

[Dr. Strangelove]

It's a beauty

[sjbmw]

Nice bike!

I bought a pair of those tank saddles from Aerostich years ago, and was unable to get them mounted correctly.
They kept sliding off the oil coolers, and hanging loose on the road as soon as some weight was applied to them.
I ended up selling them to a GS owner.

What make are those tank saddle bags?

It's a great space to carry stuff on long hauls, but the ones I had did not convert from a GS.

[riceburner]

Mate of mine once left his helmet hanging from the bars like that at Assen while he went to watch the racing. (obviously years ago when this action wouldn't guarantee a theft).....





obviously Assen is Assen.....



when he came back it was full to the brim! He had a rather squelchy ride home!

[mcampy]

The tank panniers are nice to have for extra storage and almost waterproof. I got them for my SV650 for a two up camping trip and ended up leaving them on until I sold it. Didn't have problems with the panniers sliding, they were easy to strap to the frame.

I also had a Ventura Rack, which I'm really missing now. I wonder if you can fit one on the R1150 and still keep the BMW cases. I'll have to look into that.

Here's a link to where I purchased them:

Wolfman Tank Panniers


mark