Showing less than 1,000 miles per year, this rather stock R1100S looks excellent in the option paint, and appears to have ABS and new tires. Might be a sensible entreé to the sporting side.
2004 BMW R1100S for sale on eBay
BMW’s R1100S was their re-introduction of the -S model, not seen since the R100S. Ever the flat twin, the R1100S used oil-cooled heads and four valves to percolate 98 hp and 71 ft.-lbs. torque. Suspension is of course BMW-centric, with the anti-dive Telelever front and Paralever shaft drive rear. 320mm front disks do their best with the 505 lb. dry weight. The painted cover hides a generous pillion, and bag racks are not installed but of course available.
BMW’s are born for farkling with great aftermarket support, but this owner has hardly been tempted. The overall factory look shows off the carbon mudguards and pebble-grain seat, and a stray bracket and smudge on the handlebar betrays a gadget or two. From the eBay auction:
Pristine bike. Less than 12k miles. Brand new Michelin (2ct Two Compound Tech) Aftermarket Seat, Ceramic coated exhaust, performance chip.
Try as BMW might, the R1100S didn’t fall very far from the sport-touring tree. Often seen with a jillion miles, this one looks fresh and the condition reflects the Beemer demographic of multiple bike ownership and shall we say, an experienced rider. The option paint and late year makes this one interesting, and unless your looking for something very sporty, the robust mechanicals and top craftsmanship should make it a nice value.
-donn
I’ll just come out and say that the bike is priced on a high side. Given the current market resale, you can find a 2003/2004 BCR for same $$. Plus the listing itself really stinks. Fuzzy pics, zero history, seat appears to be stock. I don’t see mounting hardware for the cases (2 rails and brackets that bolt on behind passenger foot pegs) – all necessary to install very useful side cases. This looks to have ABS which is both a blessing and a curse. While it works right it’s a blessing, when it goes south the replacement of the servo will set you back more than a grand or about 20% of the current asking price in parts alone. It’s very crucial to properly bleed the brakes and servo at recommenced intervals.
On a positive note “taxi” livery is a polarizing but I dig it. Exhaust is cat delete and looks like a very desirable Remus but hard to tell from fuzzy photos. There’s a CF rear hugger – be sure to examine the mounting strut or arm for stress cracks. Brake lens and signal lenses are clear and I consider that to be an upgrade.
Finally, contrary to Donn’s statement above there’s very little in terms of aftermarket support. I believe there are 2 companies still making exhaust systems for the R11S, one is Laser and the other GPR (?). The front fender is stock CF, rear is a/m. Aside from cheap CF on eBay, the only serious a/m upgrades are Lennie sprockets and air intake. San Jose BMW used to offer upgraded air filter but given the limited interest and/or benefit of any mechanical upgrades on the R11S combined with the cost of proper upgrades I don’t believe the filter is still available.
I can almost bet that the seller is a flipper, if he can produce complete service history which will include a very important 12k mike service then I can see this being a $4k bike, $4500 if you really must have it. However, that service alone, which should include brake flush will run you around $1k depending where it’s done (indie or dealer). Without that service, it’s a $3500 bike at best.
The last picture in the auction shows the exhaust to be a Laser, who I thought made the factory system. All too true about the listing, but I guess it’s the start of a conversation. Aftermarket comment was meant more generally and it’s hard to expect too many choices for a 15 year old bike, though probably some nice used parts out there… 🙂
Wow, am I reading a bike blog or a critical piece about modern art? Or both? Some pretty original and descriptive writing going on here. Well done.