Breaking my cherry

[Spud]

Evening gents,

I've lurked as a guest on and off here for a number of months, but have finally taken the plunge to sign up.

I live in deepest, darkest Lanarkshire and after three Triumphs (Sprint Executive, Sprint ST and an original Speed Triple) I'm currently torn between a R1100S and .. and .. .and a v f r 750.
(Sorry about the language.)

A local independent dealer has a W-plate stock R1100S (not Sport model, narrow rear rim, etc) with only 10k miles on it. It's very, very clean and he's looking £4450 for it - with a whole 3 mths warranty. The only thing I can find wrong with it is that the nearside rear indicator is hanging on a little tenuously. It has no ABS, does have heated grips, and no panniers or rails. It also appears to have the dial for the steering damper but no damper ...? Is it embedded somewhere not visible? Is this a reasonable figure for this bike?

I reckon I can batter my local BMW dealer down to near this for a similar vintage bike but with three times the mileage but with a BMW warranty. Would this be a better buy or is condition (as I suspect) king?

Does anyone know if I can get a BMW inspection done and then buy the warranty separately?

Sorry about wading in with a string of questions, most rude of me, but any advice or pointers would be much appreciated.

Cheers for now,

- Spud.

[Paul]

Welcome Spud,

No doubt Gromit will wade in shortly with a comparison between the BMW and VFR ownership experience. In answer to your questions:

The wonky rear indicator is not a major problem. The inner arm is a replacable part which cost in the region of £3 and takes about 5 minutes to replace. That will restore your indicator to factory levels of rigidity.

ABS on the earlier bikes is no great loss IMHO. Opinion is however divided on this one and you will find staunch supporters of the system. It's one of those love it or hate it things.

The steering damper adjuster you found: It wasn't behind the handlebars, was it? If so, that's the front suspension pre-load adjustment. The S has a novel front suspension system where the forks are just hollow sliding tubes with no springs in them. There is a shock absorber mounted between the headstock and a pivot called a telelever which mounts at one end on the engine and at the other end on the fork brace above the mudguard.

The R1100S has absolutely no requirement for a steering damper. They were fitted on some of the sportier paintjobs to make the bike appear more seriously sporty.

Regarding milage, a W reg bike with 10k on it will be hardly run in. I wouldn't worry about getting a higher milage bike since they do go on and on. A well used 30K bike might actually be in better mechanical fettle than a bike that's averaged less than 2K a year such as the 10k example you have found. The peace of mind of a BMW warranty is well worth paying a little extra for.

Pannier rails can be retrofitted very easily. It's literally 4 bolts on either side, plus a couple of brackets which attach to the pillion foot pegs. There are often sets that come up for sale on here, so keep your eyes open if you need some.

There are a few Boxertrixers up in your neck of the woods, who might be able to give you advice on local dealer and the state of the bikes you have looked at.

Enjoy mulling over the options and good luck with your choice!

Cheers,

Paul

[Gromit]

Pretty much what Paul said.

VFR v S comparison? Two very different ways of cracking a similar nut. As many of us have said on here in the past - ride the VFR and S back to back and 99% of riders will plump for the Honda. Ride an S for half an hour and you'll hate it - ride it for half a day and it makes a lot more sense. You obviously like your Triumph triples (who doesn't?) so you clearly like bikes which have a bit of character.

Compared to the VFR800 I'd take the S every time - but comparing with the 750 it's a harder choice. I love the 750, having ridden a mate's one on a couple of occasions. I'd ultimately still take the BM though simply for its great low end torque and superb handling. I owned an 800 - did 7000 miles on it in around 4 months; in the end I couldn't wait to get shot of it.

I'd say 4.5k for a W-plate bike is over-priced. I know of one BMW dealer here in the south with a 53 plate bike (with big back wheel and heated grips) in red with 3.5k up for 5 grand. PM me if you'd like details (and no I don't work for them!).

Good luck anyway Spud, and welcome to the group.

[Desmo904]

Funny thing about the VFR 800.
I owned one (Anniversary red & silver) fo 3 months.
I'd say it was definately the most perfect,accomplished bike I've ever owned. And I think that was it's problem - it was so good at everything it bored the arse off me.
Not because it wasn't fast enough; on real roads it performed perfectly with a quick responsive flexible engine and faultless handling.
It's a difficult thing to describe, but I get more satisfaction from riding something that's less than perfect, as long as there are redeeming features to rectify the balance.
Maybe it's what they call "character"?
Maybe it's why the bike to put the biggest smile on my face ever was the Moto Guzzi 1100 injection, or why I owned an air-cooled Ducati for 4 years, or why I swopped my ninja for a Yam RD350LC
I could go on.............

[Spud]

Welcome Spud,


The steering damper adjuster you found: It wasn't behind the handlebars, was it?

[Spud shuffles feet in an embarassed manner]

Errr. Maybe. It was .. to coin the technical .. a reasonably sized knob at the very front of the petrol tank. I thought it was marked "tension" rather than "preload", which made me think it was for a damper, but maybe I was mistaken.

Regarding milage, a W reg bike with 10k on it will be hardly run in. I wouldn't worry about getting a higher milage bike since they do go on and on. A well used 30K bike might actually be in better mechanical fettle than a bike that's averaged less than 2K a year such as the 10k example you have found. The peace of mind of a BMW warranty is well worth paying a little extra for.

That's what I thought too. However I also know that the low mileage bike was serviced annually locally and the mechanic is good, so I've no worries there. I do 10-12k per year on the bike so the 20k difference does (in my mind) add a year or so to my exepcted term of ownership.

There are a few Boxertrixers up in your neck of the woods, who might be able to give you advice on local dealer and the state of the bikes you have looked at.

Enjoy mulling over the options and good luck with your choice!

Thanks but my head is full already!!

Cheers for all the comments.

Cheers,

- Spud.

[Spud]

.... You obviously like your Triumph triples (who doesn't?) so you clearly like bikes which have a bit of character.

The triple engines are superb. The rest of the bike can be a bit variable, but they are great road bikes.

Compared to the VFR800 I'd take the S every time

I agree with you there too .. however I also agree with you on the 750. I think it's a better bike so a late 750 would be a luvverly bike too. I appreciate your comments about the torque and handling though. I like the torque of the Trumpet triples and I've fettled the suspension on the Triumphs I've had for my build (5' 11", 32" inside leg and 147lbs), so I'd rather have fun handling rather than top end power.

Is the "Sport" model worth the extra? Does the wider rim simply remove the gain made by the taller suspension?

I'd say 4.5k for a W-plate bike is over-priced. I know of one BMW dealer here in the south with a 53 plate bike (with big back wheel and heated grips) in red with 3.5k up for 5 grand. PM me if you'd like details (and no I don't work for them!).

Please do. I don't mind a bit of a jaunt to get a deal that seems that much better!

Good luck anyway Spud, and welcome to the group.

Thank you kind sir and I'm looking forward to learning lots.

- Spud.

[Spud]

Funny thing about the VFR 800. ....
I could go on.............

I know that feeling oh so well. Thanks for the reply. It's all great food for thought.

- Spud.

[boxerpan]

[quote="Is the "Sport" model worth the extra? Does the wider rim simply remove the gain made by the taller suspension?

- Spud.[/quote]

Nope. Wider rim doesn't do much and the taller suspension is just a as basic as the shorter non-Sport, just gives you more ground clearance to the cylinder heads.