Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

surges forward w itho u t hesita tion and with p lenty of authority. The rich, smooth power of the Boxer motor, co mbined with the Roadster' s low sea t height and neu tral riding position, gives' the rider a feeli ng of confidence wh ile cruising down the road on the RUOOR. The Beem er was one of six bikes th at we enlisted on a staff street bike rid e recently (see issue #4, February 1) and so me 'of our less experienced street r ide rs fe lt q u ite at h om e and secure on the Roadster, as did our veteran riders. It was definitely the bik e of choice toward the end of the long d ay's ride, much thanks to its tam e motor and fairly comfortable sea t and ergonomics. But all was no t peaches and cream for our street newcomers, as they adamant- p Ie a s closing the th rott le . Seriou s eng ine brak ing, combined wit h strong ' and progressive front and rear bin ders, really stops the RllDOR in a hurry, and the ABS II will keep yo u upright if you grab too much. No problems here. The Beeme r corners quite w ell. It takes littl e exert ion to initiate the turns and once leaned over it also requires little e ffo rt to make s m a ll correcti ons, such as tightening or loosen in g your line. On e tester said that he felt the bik e handl ed " lig h t" and was easy to maneuver. Thi s feeling was most like ly enhanced by the overall sma ll feel and low seat height. No one had mu ch good to say abou t the Beemer's tra nsmission. Most of our tes te rs mentioned that they fe lt t h at (Above) This bike is by no means just a cruise r. The Beemer can be ridden aggressively on the twisties with good res ults. (Left) BM Wclaims the R1100R pumps out 80 hors epower at 6570 rpm. (Below left) The huge sp eedometer is easy to read ; check out the separate tachometer and clock on each s ide of the s peedo. the Road ster. Much o f thi s h as to do with the bike's low sea t height, neutra l riding position, ge n tle-yet-lively motor an d decent suspension. The Beemer is jus t plain easy to ride and not intimidating in the least, which makes it 'a n ideal mount for the long haul s, as well as the everyday commute. Ev eryon e o n our s taff ce r t ai n ly enjoyed riding the Roadster , and even looking at it. Well, most of us. 0 While Cycle News belieoes tileforegoing test reliable, it is tile opinion of the reviewers only and should not be relied upon in determining the performance or sa fety of tile uehicle!s) , The reader should make his or her own investigation. V. I . 1995 BMW R1100R Specifications Importer Manufacturer , BMWof North America, Inc. BMW AG, Munich, Germany ENGINE ly com p la ined abo ut the Beemer's torqu e effect that tip s the bike over to the right when the th ro ttle is blipped at slow speeds. Even the street regulars half-h earted ly agreed but followed up by saying, "It' s a Beemer, you'll get used to it." As mentioned , the RllDDR is extremely comfortable, even for one of the mo re "vertically challenged" members of our staff. He m uch ap preciated the ve ry low 29-inch se at h eigh t, and so d id our taller staff memb ers, for that ma tter. Un fortunately, we all essentially ag reed that the seat pretty much locks the rider int o one position, making repositioning a little diff icu lt whe n you want to relieve aching bod y parts . Sliding back on the seat to stre tch your legs doesn' t help any because you just drop rig ht back d ow n to where you were . There is also very little traction from the seat's cover - it's downright slippery. Raising the seat to its h ighest adjustmen t helps if yo u have long legs. The Road ster' s suspension leaves a lot to be desired, at least in the back. It's a real kick in the bu tt - literally. Decen tsize bumps will blow the rider out of the seat, and th e overall rid e is just plain harsh . Wha t else is new from BMW? The front suspension, however, far outshines the rear. Th e ride is super smooth and s table, and th e lack o f front-end dive u nder ha rd b raki n g is another added bonus. You can get the fron t end to sag slightly by chopping the thr ottle quickly, but not from grabbing a ha ndful of front brake and stepping on the rear pedal. Now, if BMW can make the rear suspension as good (or half as g ood ), then they'll really have something. Slowing the Road ster d own is as sim - Type ; Bore x stroke , Displacement Horsepower (claimed) Torque (claimed) Compression ratio Valve gear Valves Valves percylinder Fuel system . Ignition .. :, Air filter Air/oil-eooled. horizontally opposed twin 99 x 70.5mm 1085cc 80 bhp @ 6750 rpm 72 ft.-lb. @ 5250 rpm 10.3:1 High cam. chain driven 2 x 36mm intake/2 x 31 mmexhaust Four Fuel injection & electronic ign~ion MA 2.2 Bosch Motronic Paper-type element DRIVETRAIN shifting was notchy, and that it was a little diffi cult d ro pp in g th e tranny into gear from neu tra l at a standstil l. The cl utch d idn't bring about any praise eit h e r, m ai n ly 'b e ca u se it h as a very sp ringy feel. In other words, when the lever is pu lled all the way in again st the hand leb ar, it wants to spring outward .qu ickly, making it a little d ifficult to ge t smoo th clu tch action. The clu tch al so has an on ] off feel, and the pull is a little on the h ea vy si de . Exces s iv e clut ch work w ill make your left forearm ach e after a while. The Roadster can go a fair di st an ce ana tank of gas, nearly 200 miles, which is p retty good for a "s tand ard:' bike. The reserve light usually goes on around the 170-m ile mark at which point you still have a full gallon left. . Overall, the Roadster reminded us a lot of the Rll D DGS, m uch of whi ch had to do with the bike's torquey mo tor an d Telelever fron t suspension. O ne tes ter said th at there wer e times he, in fact , tho ught he was riding the GS and was abo ut to turn off on the dirt roads before re me mbering he was on the Roadster. As a whole, we enjoyed the 'RI lODR very m uch, mostly because of its docile character. "User -friendly" best descri bes Primary drive Helica l-cut gears w/tensioner Clutch . . . . . . • . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .180mm dry, single platew/diaphragm spring Drive system Enclosed driveshaft FRAME AND SUSPENSION Frame 3-section frame concept Front suspension ......•. ......Telelever w/central spring strut, decoupler upper fork bridge Frontwheel travel .4.8in. Rear suspension Monolever swingarm, BMW Paralever Rear Wheel travel 5.4in. BRAKES Brake system Optional BMW Anti-lock Brake system II Two 4-piston calipers Front brakes Dual 305mm floa1ingrotors Front rotors Rear brake ..... .•. . ... . .. ... .Hydrauli a operated singledisc c lly Rearrotor Single 276mm fixed rotor WHEELS AND TIRES Front wheel . . ..• . . . ... . . . . .. . .3.50x 17 MT - H2 cast alloy, 3-spoke U-profile Rear wheel ... . .• .. ....• . . . . . .4.50x 18 MT- H2 cast alloy. 3-spoke U-profile Front tire 120170-ZR17tubeless Rear tire 160/60-ZR18 tubeless DIMENSIONS OIA length 86.5 in. OIA width 35.3 in. Wheelbase . .. • .. .. . . . .. . . .. . .59.0 in. Ground clearance 6.2 in. Seat height ' 29.9 2132.0 in. /31. Handlebar width 32.3 in. Rakeltrail . • ..• .. . .• .•. . .. . . . • .26'/4.4 in. Weight(wet) 519Ibs. . Maximum load •. •. ...... .•....992 Ibs. gross vehicle weight rating Colors Arctic grey, Mystic red MSRP $99901$11,490 w/ABS II 25

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