Hello folks, Just picked up a new to me 2001 1150 and couldn't be more excited to ride this year. I'm coming off of an sv650 and I have a feeling I'll be a little more comfortable on this twin. Joined the forum to sip on the fountain of knowledge. One thing that I want to get in order before it warms up is the throttle cable (thing is crazy tight when rolling on). I've read around a little bit and it looks like it could be a tough job, but I'm ambitious (now at least). Anyways... here are my first photos of the new girl Boxer... and a Boxer! My dad and I on our first trip of the year.. he's on the RT in the background
Congratulations, nice looking GS! It doesn't happen to have a throttle friction screw tightened down does it?
Very clean bike, I just picked up a 97 R1100GS as my first BMW and cant wait to do some riding once I get some maintenance done
AHHH! A blue and white special... Proven to be fastest of all the GS's Throttle cables aren't that bad to change. But as with lots of Boxer work you will have to pull the tank. Boxers as a breed!!!! best damn dog I ever had welcome to the collective
Thanks for the warm welcome guys. yeah I was 'siked to find it (22,000 miles) and the guy I bought it from just wanted it to go to a good home. ridewv, no throttle friction screw. I rushed home from work just to check and make sure... wish it was that easy. gsweave, I'm gonna have to get real familiar with her as I am planning on checking valve clearance, replacing throttle cable (only going to do the one directly from the right grip along with the "new redirector" to account for the newer cable), and synching the TB's. Good thing I have the clymer manual (kindof confusing) and JVB's video in the mail!
look below to the Hall of wisdom. most everything ya need. Very easy bike to maintain. parts can sometime be $$ but twenty years from now she will still be giving you big time grins
Darn. Well double check the simple things like the grip isn't dragging, or it is kinked under the tank. If not something like that just replace the cables. They are normally good for a very long time. Only 22K? Wow, that's still new!
Let the digressions begin.[def] Nice bike looks just like mine. You will forget the difficulties of cable change when you first twist it with the new ones in place. If it has the original brake lines it's time for nice new ones. I used http://www.spieglerusa.com/brakes.html they made a big difference. brake fluid does make the tires nice and shiny black though.
I agree. Make sure that handguard setup isn't causing the extra friction on your throttle grip. With only 22K on the bike, it's not something that should need attention this early in its life. Nice choice of bike. Mine is a '98 GS and an '03 R1150R. Maintenance is still relatively straight forward on these power plants. Have fun.
Yea, I was really pleased with the buy, just an all 'round good deal. The grips are shot so I will be replacing the grips and I'll definitely check to make sure that the handguard is not causing unnecessary friction. Never heard of the cable kinking under the tank but I will check that as well, thanks ridewv. It does seem like low mileage to have to replace something like that and the guy's local dealer did a service before I bought it (wonder why they didn't catch it). However, the bike came from corpus christi (initially), so I'm not sure what kind of an effect the high humidity/salty air would have on them (there is a little corrosion on some of the visible metal bits). Thanks again to all... jeez I should never have joined this site, now I can't stop itching for a ride! Too bad it's only 3 degrees out. Anyone have heated gear for sale?! Ha
I just bought a 2001 last Spring, same color too!! I love it and I am sure you will too. My throttle was also somewhat tight and didn't feel smooth. I replaced the throttle cable and the cables to both throttle bodies. Big difference! It feels like a young bike again. the project looks and sounds harder than it is. You need to disconnect all cables and pull out the distribution box under the ABS unit. When you look at it, it seems like it is going to be really difficult to get in there and get it out - but it is not. Took me part of a morning. I didn't have to remove the tank I just moved it up and a little back and supported it with a piece of 2x4.. If you have the Haynes manual, it walks you through it (well, not the 2x4 part :) ). Part of the improvement is also that the new throttle cable will have a different method for connecting to the grip. There is updated part you need to get when getting the cable. The new method has less of a turn in the cable and allows it to move more freely. Although it is not many miles, it's still 12 years (or thereabouts) since 2001. In my view, replacing the cables is totally worth the benefit. You might be able to get away with just replacing the throttle cable, but since you have to pull out the distribution box either way, I'd suggest replacing them all.
I should add that when you change the cables, you will need to re-sync the throttle bodies, so you'll need a synchronizer. I have the Harmonizer and highly recommend it. Dead simple to use.
One more thing. On the subject of things that may relate more to age than to miles, you might search around on the board regarding brake lines. There have been some issues with degradation of the insides of the brake lines at around this age. Since I ride two up a lot, and didn't want any risk of my brake getting stuck with my wife on back and a loaded panniers, I took the precaution of swapping out all of the lines for Spiegler stainless lines. Not hard to do and cheap (relatively) insurance. After I took the OEM line off I cut it open, and didn't like what I found. A bit of a mushy mess. Who knows, probably have worked fine for many more miles, but I'm glad I did the swap. If the previously owner changed the brake fluid frequently, yours might be in better shape. But if you don't know that, you might think about swapping the lines.
If your new old GS has ABS, you'll definitely want to make sure that the rubber brake lines are not deteriorated. These rubber lines age and begin to shed rubber bits inside the lines. This rubber debris can cause braking anomalies. Also, the debris can make its way into the ABS hydro unit leaving the hydro unit inoperable and your new GS without ABS brake function. Also, if the hydro unit is replaced with OE, it will cost you in the neighborhood of $2000.00...yes, that's two thousand dollars. I would inspect the flexible brake lines and insure that they are replaced soon with aftermarket brake lines. I purchased my '01 GS aftermarket lines from these folks. They are very knowledgeable. http://www.cyclebrakes.com/html/custom_lines.html
