I have just bought a BMW R100GS PD (that is what is stamped on the frame) made in Nov 1994. The picture in the manual shows the PD version having a single seat and a larger rack. My bike has the 21 inch front wheel and the double (pillion) seat, BMW hard paniers, and a kick starter (which is listed as an option). I am wondering if my version was an early experimental model, or exactly what model? Perhaps the previous owner bought a few options.
A few more questions for the boffins.
1. The manual states that the maximum oil consumption is one litre per 1000 km. This seems to be out by a factor of ten. What is the real rate of oil consumption?
2. The side stand seems too short, the bike leans over too much. I am thinking about attaching a pad to the bottom of the side-stand. Has anyone come up with a better idea?
3. I can just flat foot but I would like to lower the bike a bit more if possible. I have set the rear spring on the softest setting. I am considering loosening the front fork clamps to steal a centimetre there, the top of the forks would touch the underside of the handlebars. Is this a good idea? Anyone have another idea?
4. The bike was a one owner before I bought it. He wrote in the manual every oil change etc but there is no mention of any overhauls. The bike now has 135000 km on it (everyone said dont buy it, too old). It appears to run like new. My fear is that it must be on the verge of a few expensive overhauls (motor, gearbox etc). Is it possible or likely that it has gone this far without an overhaul?
5. At 55 km/hr the handlebar shakes as if to send it on a tiny 'S' path. It is a bit like worn steering bearings. I can not detect any grooving in the steering bearings and the front wheel bearings seem OK. It may be just weird harmonics at that particular speed. Anyone know what is going on?

The engine should be fine with only 135,000 k's on it. My R65 has 230,000 on it (no work done to the engine) so far with fairly good compression still. Apparently the gearboxs need new bearings every 120,000 km's or so but some last longer.
Sean

I do not understand. If you do not have oil consumption you should be happy. Do you want to burn oil, buy a really old bike.

135 000 miles seems OK and the previous owner seemed to take care of the bike. Enjoy!!

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Alec in Calgary

The R100GSPD in the U.S. came with the double seat and the shorter rack, unless it was a special order or it was changed later. Both seats and racks are stock BMW parts.

"1. The manual states that the maximum oil consumption is one litre per 1000 km. This seems to be out by a factor of ten. What is the real rate of oil consumption?"

That is the maximum, if your oil consumption is near or over that you may need new rings or new valves.

Stock rear shocks are usually replaced by that amount of mileage.

The single seat with longer rack was an option, so was the kick starter. The 21" frontwheel is standard, so is the 17" rear wheel.

The oil consumption varies from bike to bike, as it does regarding the speed at which you're travelling. When taking it easy (80 - 110 kph) the oil consumption on my R80GS is negligible, when I travel long distances at higher speed (130 - 150 kilos) it tends to use > 1/2 L on 1000 ks.

The side stand is in fact a bit sqiff, but stable enough.

You could push the fork up 2 cms and fit the rear skock of the R 80 street model, which is about 2 cms shorter than the GS shock. On rough roads and/or with luggage you have to tighten the rear shock, so you couldn't keep it on the softest position.

The first tyre I had on my R80GS was the Metzeler Sahara 3 which behaved similarly to yours, in my case between 60 and 70 kph. All other tyres have been ok up to now, although I have changed the front coil springs from standard to White Power in the mean time. Might have made a difference too.

Regarding the gearbox, the stories are all different. Some people do tons of kms without probs, mine needed new bearings after 18,000 kms :-( Now there seems to have been a short period around 1993 when BMW didn't secure the front bearing with a circlip, but after mostly bad experience fitted the circlip again on later models. Mine was one of the rotten series...

Maybe this helps?

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Only when we pause to wonder
do we go beyond the limits of our little lives.
(Rod McKuen)

There have recently been (are) 2 single seats for sale on ebay(US). As they say, the single seat and additional rack was an option and IMHO well worth it. It's comfier and looks better. Check also the German ebay site. Email Helmut at h.kaitinnis@dokom.de who are wrecking a PD now for any parts. They even had the big tank for sale on ebay. Just keep checking regularly under different search headings and you'll find one. Also search the club sites especially the ibmw.org classifieds. The US is the biggest market place.
Being older technology, the engine will always use oil. Just get used to it. I'd check your front tire for wear and balance and then readjust your steering head bearings for the wobble. Also worthwhile to check the paralever play.

You've just bought yourself a wonderful bike which will go to the shops or take you round the world. It really is bullet proof.

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Tim ('91 R100GSPD)

The only baggage you carry should be in the panniers

It's a warranty-avoidance scheme: if you bought it new and it burnt a lot of oil, but < 1l/1000km, BMW probably wouldn't do anything about it, citing the manual ("this is normal"). I've seen this happen at Mercedes Benz, where an almost new car burnt double that.

You can push forks through up to the bars, but don't let them touch. Back off 1 mm.

Check your drive shaft universal joints. The rear one is a consumable item.

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Cheers,
Peter.

Europe to NZ 2006-10

Or... you could buy a new one (repro), from Siedenrock in Germany for €138 plus shipping
http://www.siebenrock.com/index1.php?sprache=en under the chassis tab

John

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Nostradamus Ate My Hamster

This happened to me - the steering head bearings weren't tightened properley (and kep coming lose) - if you've not checked already I suggest you check the tightness (I used threadlock to keep the nut tightened and had no probs since).

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Fuzzy Duck
(I\'m quackers about bikes)

Side stand is short at all R 100 GSs.
It leans much aside. Doesn't cause any problem.
Strong enough.
If disturbs in mind could be high a bit. Up to you.

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"where the traveller goes, nobody knows ! "

It isn't clear from your post whether your oil consumption is lower or higher then the recommended limit from BMW, but I shall assume lower, which is a good thing.

I fought oil consumption in my 88' R100GS for quite a while, thinking that it was rings or pitted cylinders. In the end I found it was simply going out the breather, and being routed back through the carbs and burned in the engine, as it is designed to do. Running the engine at higher speeds increased the consumption as more oil was being spit out the breather.

Talking with other owners, this seems to be a variable problem, which likely accounts for BMW's rather loose tolerances in the manual. I have heard that running the engine only topped up to 1/2 full on the dippstick (so roughly 400-500 ml less oil) will halt or reduce the consumption. Personally, I don't like the idea of less oil in my engine, and had considered going to a deeper sump to gain more oil capacity prior to selling the bike.

Hello Splash, I also have a 94 R100GSPD. I've owned it for about 8 yrs and put about 75,000 km on it. The best thing about these bikes is that they require maintenance at various intervals. I've just replaced the Timing Chain at 95,000 km. Should be replaced before 100,000 km. My gearbox bearings went at about 45,000 km. Should be about 60,000 km. The starter motor poles came unstuck at about 75,000 km. About right. The carby's should be overhauled every 5 or so years. Mine does not use any oil between changes. I change my oil and filter at least every 5000 km or 6 months. I use Mobil Synth. If you get a Haynes Manual and do the maintenance schedules as described the bike will go forever. The bikes were imported into Australia fully optioned. Although not all had the heated handgrips. Yours sounds normal for Australia. The side stand is normal. Very poor. I don't use it. I only use the centre stand. Much safer. I did read somewhere that there was a replacement. Try BMShop, MunichMotorcycles or MotoHansa. Sometimes if you leave them overnight on the side stand oil will leak down into the left cylinder and they will be smoky when started. For mostly dirt roads I use Metzler Enduro 3 (10,000 km front, 7,500 km rear). For mostly road I use Metzler Tourance (20,000 km front, 10,000 km rear). You can only lift the forks a small amount through the the fork triple clamp as the fork top will hit the speedo housing. My bike has at times developed a wobble through the bars at about 55kph. It isn't easy to feel the steering bearings when they need replacing. If you strip the front end and inspect them you will see marks on the bearing cone. Tyre pressures and tyre balance is important so is rear spring ride height. If it is running well, do the maintenance and enjoy the bike. They really are the best.

Garry

A year later ....
Wobble was much worse so I read up on this from the web. What I did not know was the steering needs to be tighter so that when moved it stays in that position and not slap loosly against the stops, like mine did. I greased the bearings and tightened as above. Wobble cured, can not induce it at any speed. The bearings were too loose.

Some years later... how did it go ?
I seems as if all but one of you questions were solved.

Gearbox should be overhauled at 100 000km give of take about 20 000km, or whenever there is too much sound from the ballbearings...
The gearbox may literally exploded... so I would not push overhaul intervalls.

Engine should have a new oil-pump at about 150 000km. The pushrod rubber grommets tend to start leaking after about 10 years or 100 000km or so - it is a good idea to check pistonrings for wear and check the condrod bearings at the time of grommet change.
The cam-followers lose the hardening - that need to be checked more often... can be done by lifting down the oil-pan.
The cam-chain should be changed at about 100 000km, or when it starts rattling too much. Cam-chain sprockets should be replaced when showing clear signs of wear - 200 000km intervalls (?)...
When you need to change the conrod bearings it is a good time to balans the conrods and pistons.

Install a steering damper if your bike does not have one.

There are some unclarities on the issue of valves.
I hear statements that the valves, especially the exhaust valves must be changed at 60 000km intervalls... it seems as if the valve-guides wear faster though...

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Drive Safely,
Albert

"I have set the rear spring on the softest setting."

On my bike that causes the steering to wobble. At 3/4 hard with good tyres and correct pressures it handles correctly. But I am a bit fat!