Old or New, 1100 vs 1150???

[bissona]

Oh God, my head's swimming from reading a thousand posts and I'm more confused than when I started.....

Opinions please. Buy an 1100 for sub £5k now, or wait until next spring ('04) and plump for a shiny new one??

She'll be used around europe this year and then a long overland next year. I could buy the 1100 now and then sell her to get the 1150 next year but I'm terrible at selling stuff, BMW will have dumped their prices (stop laughing), the euro will tumble and I'll end up getting 3 quid.

If anyone reckons on the 1100 can you answer a couple of Qs:

1) How many miles is too many? (I should put about 25k/year on)

2) Any particular year to go for/avoid?

Huge thanks for any help.

Cheers,

Ali

ps: for those wondering where the brazilian beach babes are, you'll have to ask Tiff. I just spent a week with her in Itacaré (enough for even the hardest adventurer!) and she explicitly forbid for posting anything other than pictures of me own arse. Not nice....

 

[Stumpy]

All bikes lose money but a GS stands up better than most. Don't put off till tomoorw what you can do today. Get yourself a 1100 now get out there enjoy it and trade it in on a new one in 2004. Or sell it via this BB. Whatever you lose will be worth it for the 25,000 miles of pleasure you get.



Stumpy

 

[Paul G (BHT)]

bissona, go for as late model as possable now and enjoy it.... Uk prices seem to be around £5,000'ish for a 99 GS1100

 

[bissona]

Top thanks for the info. WIll keep my eyes open for a '00 at a decent price and go for it. Then for all the goodies........ where did I put that damn visa card??

Cheers,

Ali

 

[Gecko]

Merits of 1100 over 1150 - the 1100 went through all it's stages of evolution and ended up being a top machine with all the bugs and gremlins sorted. The 1150 is a superb machine but with the early 1150's there have been some horror stories. Now the Adventure is starting to tell some tales of gremlins and problems.
Some of the things I read about servo brakes and engine problems do worry me.

The 1100 is simpler and thoroughly tried and tested so as the man says don't put it off - buy a late low mileage model and you will not be disappointed. Mine is now a 1999 model which I have put 47000km on it since new and I have really had nothing wrong with it. If well maintained and respected it will take you around the world.

To my 1150 riding friends - no disrespect intended but tried and tested proven design versus modified and upgraded does have some merits. The 1150 and the Adventure are both great machines but the heritage of years of evolution of the 1100 carries some benefit.....not to say I wouldn't swap my 1100 tomorrow for a new Adventure if I had the money of course