1100 v 1150

I own an 1100 and I'd have difficulty deciding - it would come down to: can I justify the extra grand? Thats about all really. the 1100 is a great bike. I have absolutely no doubt the 1150 (of that year) is a great bike too. And has certain advantages - which matter to me. The Hydraulic clutch is one. A cable snapping was one of the two show stopping events Ive had. I like the fact its more HID friendly - though thats not really hugely important to me - maybe long term. The extra gear? Ive never ridden an 1150GS so I don't really know how much difference it makes. I do know that on long Motorway runs I'll often forget and try to go up a gear only to find I'm already in top. And.. a very minor point - I do like the hand guards on the 1150 - much nicer designed than the silly 1100 ones. So.. thats it. The different look I can take or leave. If the 1150 happened to be the loathsome yellow colour - then I'd factor in a respray. thats assuming i could bring myself to go and look at it. (awful colour IMO)
 
I would agree with the clutch not being a cable , if it wasn't for the well documented failure of the hydraulic clutch's ! cables have been around since the dawn of bikes, yes they break, but you can normally get them bodged on the road, try that with a leaking slave cylinder after it has dowsed the clutch friction disc with oil! I know many bikes use hydraulic clutch actuation with little or no problems, however this is BMW we are talking about :P
the extra gear? I have no idea how useful that would be, there have been discussions about whether the higher top gear has contributed to spline wear due to engines being laboured in too high a gear, I don't know the answer to that. I ride an 1100, I have had 1150's as loan bikes, and found the ratio's seemed to make the bike feel slightly gutless at lower rev's, but that could just be the difference between RT's and R's?
every other point you raise could be sorted with a few quid, and the OP could have a thousand of them spare :P
sorry to rail on about it, but we are still looking at 2 very similar bikes, as close in age as really matters at their age, with a grands difference in price! a leaking slave cylinder could blow most of that in one hit! :D
 
My other bike has a hydraulic clutch - I don't worry about it. so what if its 'well documented'? as with any problem those who have had it happen always scream the loudest - whereas the vast majority just carry on riding their bikes wondering what all the fuss is about. Just like I do with my Brick.

I don't 'do' paranoia.
 
motobiker said:
My other bike has a hydraulic clutch - I don't worry about it. so what if its 'well documented'? as with any problem those who have had it happen always scream the loudest - whereas the vast majority just carry on riding their bikes wondering what all the fuss is about. Just like I do with my Brick.

I don't 'do' paranoia.
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And has certain advantages - which matter to me. The Hydraulic clutch is one. A cable snapping was one of the two show stopping events Ive had. ahem :P
 
kennyc said:
And has certain advantages - which matter to me. The Hydraulic clutch is one. A cable snapping was one of the two show stopping events Ive had. ahem :P
Click to expand...

yes. When I was looking for a second GS 8yrs ago - I was umming and aahing between an 1100 (which I had owned previously) and an 1150. As it turned out I found an 1100 for £1800 - whereas the cheapest 1150 was approaching £5000 - a huge price differential, had they been closer - like a grands difference then I would have more likely than not opted for the 1150.

when the clutch cable snapped i came very close to dropping it.... at lights with a queue of traffic behind me. That was too close for comfort. but its not made me paranoid. After it was replaced I came on here and read what Steptoe had to say on the matter - with any luck i'll not be caught out the same way again.

I really like my 1100 - but i don't put it on a pedestal as the best thing since sliced bread. If it were to be stolen tomorrow and a 'nice' 1150 turned up. Then I would want to test ride it.. and see if the extra money - for instance a grand more than an equally nice 1100 - was worth paying. If it turned out to be so.. then the differences I outlined earlier would only increase its attractiveness to me.
 
motobiker said:
yes. When I was looking for a second GS 8yrs ago - I was umming and aahing between an 1100 (which I had owned previously) and an 1150. As it turned out I found an 1100 for £1800 - whereas the cheapest 1150 was approaching £5000 - a huge price differential, had they been closer - like a grands difference then I would have more likely than not opted for the 1150.

when the clutch cable snapped i came very close to dropping it.... at lights with a queue of traffic behind me. That was too close for comfort. but its not made me paranoid. After it was replaced I came on here and read what Steptoe had to say on the matter - with any luck i'll not be caught out the same way again.

I really like my 1100 - but i don't put it on a pedestal as the best thing since sliced bread. If it were to be stolen tomorrow and a 'nice' 1150 turned up. Then I would want to test ride it.. and see if the extra money - for instance a grand more than an equally nice 1100 - was worth paying. If it turned out to be so.. then the differences I outlined earlier would only increase its attractiveness to me.
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:D thren we broadly agree, a grand is a lot of money at this price point :D
 
1100 v 1150

These will both be good bikes and should be judged on their individual merit rather than which model is best.

If the 1150 was a 2002 model with the increased potential for spline failure and servo brake problems i would definitely take the 1100, 98 is a sorted year.

Good luck with what ever you decide to do
 
I have a 98 1100rt and a non servo 02 1150gs. Both bikes have abs and are single spark.

The 1150 wins on better gear changes, mine is almost Japanese like in being positive and quiet. When I got the 1100 I was quite shocked as to how crude the changes were. You get used to it though.

Hydraulic clutch - never had any issues with regular fluid changes. I did replace the rear pushrod oil seal as it was weeping (gearbox oil). If this happens on the 1100 its gearbox out and apart time. That wont be cheap. Although clutch cylinders can fail, so to can 1100's cables and clutch pivot arm.

I'm always going for another gear on the 1100. Never the case on the 1150.

The BMW badged brembos on the 1150 fell stronger than the 1100's calipers.

If I had a grand more when I was after an RT, I would have gone for the 1150. The 1100 is still a fine bike, but it requires. IMHO, more rider input than the 1150.
 
In most cases when the hydraulic clutch gives a problem it's the metal end of the hose corroding close to the slave. Regular checks will show that the rust bug is getting to it, plenty of time to change before failure.

Nobody has mentioned the gearbox casing failure on 1100's. Was this solved by '98? It's certainly not an issue on the 1150 with a newer design and better gearbox.

You have the option on the 1150 to run a standard catalyst and stubby exhaust which make a full size left pannier a possibility and also frees up a bit more torque at lower revs. Can't be done on the 1100.

I'd take the 1150 every time.
 
R1100gs definitely.
It has lower gearing. And 5 gears.
The first gear is fantastic.
You don't really need 6 gears.
Great in city traffic and off road as well.

And one thousand is a lot of money.

Pekka
:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
Packer said:
In most cases when the hydraulic clutch gives a problem it's the metal end of the hose corroding close to the slave. Regular checks will show that the rust bug is getting to it, plenty of time to change before failure.

Nobody has mentioned the gearbox casing failure on 1100's. Was this solved by '98? It's certainly not an issue on the 1150 with a newer design and better gearbox.

You have the option on the 1150 to run a standard catalyst and stubby exhaust which make a full size left pannier a possibility and also frees up a bit more torque at lower revs. Can't be done on the 1100.

I'd take the 1150 every time.
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I've never heard of the gearbox casing problem on the 1100? probably because it was dealt with years ago, as was the gearbox misalignement on the 1150, each to their own, personally I don't even use 5th gear until I'm on a motorway, Gawd knows what I would do with 6 :P my comments are really based around the extra grand and whether it is worth paying 30% odd more ?
 
11 v 1150

Simples..... Buy both, ride both then make your own mind up. It doesn't matter what other people prefer, you're the one who's got to ride it. Then when you've decided which one you prefer, sell the other. 1150 owner for eleven years, never had, or ridden the 1100, but I would love a good 1100 to go with my 1150. :rob
 
I've had 2 x 1150's and still have an 1150GSA which I love but neither felt as good a bike as my 1100. I don't know if I was just lucky with the 1100, until the twat that wiped me out of course, but the 1100 just felt more planted and the engine was really grunty. It had done about 75000 miles so was nearly run in & if I could I swap back tomorrow. It was the 75th anniversary model & I'd upgraded the shocks to Ohlins which made a huge difference but apart from paint job etc I don't think mechanically it was any different to a bog standard 1100. Don't let the mileage put you off. As previously mentioned if you can take a long test ride on both and make your decision then.
 
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