K11 Owners Group

[ken]

So, My 1997 K1100LT has 122700 ish miles on it, and I have had it for approximately 5 years. The first three I put 10,000 miles per year on it. Last year....about 7000 because it broke twice. Once to $1500 and the other about $500. This year...2010...I bought clutch parts...tried to get time to fix the clutch, but work was crazy. Took it to the local BMW repair guy and had him repair the clutch. When I picked it up, he said... You ride a lot. You should think of selling it, and getting something with lower miles. It is going to start falling apart on you.

I rode it about 1500 miles...and sure enough one thing after another. Now it isn't bad to fix, but it takes longer to take the fairing and stuff off of the bike than to fix it.

At the end of the summer, it would drive, and then once it warmed up...it would die. Wait for it to cool down, it would start right up, and then warm up....die. I learned that as the weather got colder....it was better and we could ride it. I mean after all...it was a 20 minute wait...you can ride it again even in the sumer, for another 20 minutes.

Well Christmas day, we took it for a ride, came home, and long story short, someone told me that big old bike wouldn't do a burn out even parked against something. Turned out...the clutch with only about 2500 miles couldn't hold it...and I lost the bet on top of not having a bike that works any more.

My whole intention of not selling it...was that I wanted a bike to reach 1234567. That was an expensive lesson. I envision a naked bike in my future, that is now being worked on by me. On the bright side...at least I have some spare clutch parts laying around. LOL

Hope everyone had a great holiday.

Ken
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Ken in Denver

[mtnroads]

Ouch! I feel your pain. I agree though - if you ride that much buy a newer bike.

Cheers!
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2012 R1200RT Midnight Blue
95 K1100LT Graphit (sold)
01 R1100RT Black (sold)

[slipperyox]

I Feel your pain man.

But its only a clutch, might even be just adjustment??

If it needs a replacement clutch, strip it yourself and spend an hour a day or so and you'll have it fixed in no time. Its not that difficult, you have a team here to help along the way.

Then your in a better position to sell, and get something else if you want.


To be honest, I used to regularly wheelie and burnout my old 1986 k100 (ya I'm almost 40). At 86k miles the clutch still worked fine.

Warm start issue sounds like fuel pressure/coolant sensor????? anyone
_________________
Luck is when planning and opportunity meet

[Flying Duck]

The failing when it warms up is most likely a Hall Effect Sensor.

+1 on the clutch adjustment.
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93 LT (x2)
94 RS
86-97 K75F(K75/100/1100 Frankenbrick)
86 K75C w/paralever, hi perf cams,TURBO!
91 & 92 K75Ss
91 K1
86 custom K100
14 WR250R
IBA #17739 (SS1K, BBG, 50CC)
Buy parts HERE

[mnb]

Main gasket between engine and tranny started to leak (not much but it was only a matter of time) around 40k on my '97 K11LT.

The mechanic asked if i was just going to fix it up and sell it and I could tell from his tone that's what he felt was the right thing to do with it.

I said, no way, I'll ride this bike until it literally falls apart. Well, 4 years later and mechanically, it still runs like a champ. It's in the shop for some body work because the kickstand sucks. Fortunately I was dumb enough to take insurance on it that covers the damage.

I doubt that bike will see 1,234,567 miles. I have too many bikes and not enough time to rack up that many. But I don't see that bike giving up on me for a long, long time.
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M N B
1997 BMW K1100LT ABS Special Edition
2003 Husqvarna TE610e
2007 Harley Davidson Road King
2009 BMW F800GS
2011 Husqvarna TE310
2014 Ducati Multistrada Pikes Peak MNB Edition

[Mystic Red]

[merlin geikie]

The Flying Duck writes;

[Off the grid]

Unfortunately that's what happened to me. I loved the bike but it just became too expensive to keep. After the tranny went I knew it was time.
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Bane of your existence since July 2006
2007 Triumph Tiger ABS. "Sabertooth"
2009 Husqvarna TE610. "The dirty Italian mistress"

[ken]

I am pretty sure the smoke signals that the clutch is gone. I will look into the adjustment, and I expect to fix it, I just am tired of taking the fairing off, putting the fairing on take the fairing off, put the fairing on.

We are shopping for a replacement LT

Has anyone made a naked K1100? Is the heat better with it opened up?

Thanks Richard for the pictures looks great!!
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Ken in Denver

[zyx2k]

Hmmm ... I had the main seal from the crankcase go on my clutch which caused the plate to get soaked in oil.

I had it replaced at a local shop and in less than 500 miles it was slipping again at high motorway speeds.

Back in the shop and they found that the pressure plates had warped to the shape of the old clutch plate so the pressure plates were only gripping around 1cm of the clutch plate. One pressure plate was out by 10mm and the other by 2.5mm. They took them to an engineering firm who skimmed them flat and now I can roll on in second gear from 1500 revs to the red line without a glitch.

tl;dr If you have had a new clutch plate put in it is worth checking the pressure plates out and getting them re-skimmed if necessary.
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1993 K1100RS 65,000 miles

[ken]

Thanks.

The mechanic who did the work is a good guy, with 25 years of being a BMW mechanic. I took a separate clutch assembly I got off of here, and so he had it if he thought he needed it.

I have the parts excepting the discs, it isn't just the clutch, it is the helix coil thingy apparently, and heaven knows what the next week.

I will most likely fix it, but we are trying to put the money together to just get one with less miles first so we can get back to riding it.

thanks
Ken
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Ken in Denver

[Number 6]

Well, I know a guy with 400,000 miles on his K1100LT and the bike runs great, so I don't see why your bike should be too old.
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I am not a number, I am a free man.

94 K1100LT

[lee richter]

What ever your decision is, it looks to me like you need a new Mechanic.
1. Never BUT never remove a clutch assembly with out checking the presure plate for flat & true.

2. Never disassemble the clutch from the flywheel with out inspecting the surface for flat, hot spots, and runout.

3. When the customer is going to do something that is not the best practice, OBJECT strongly. The Mechanic can do what ever the customer wants, but he needs to make sure that the customer knows he is screwing up.

Don't blame the equipment when it is the people operating and maintaning it. These bikes have been around a long time, and are revered for the engineering and reliability.

When you have noting better to do, cruse this site and do it often. It will be time well spent, the best education you will ever get, pay attention and ask questions, and it is FREE. The only dumb question is the one you didn't ask.
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Lee Richter
Orlando, FL
I like flying, HIGH or low, Wings or Not
182 Texas Tail Dragger
'39 J3 Cub
2000 HD Soft Tail Sold
2002 R1150R
1994 K1100LT

[Stoked Steve]

[Flying Duck]

"There are no dumb questions, just askers."

- Me
_________________
93 LT (x2)
94 RS
86-97 K75F(K75/100/1100 Frankenbrick)
86 K75C w/paralever, hi perf cams,TURBO!
91 & 92 K75Ss
91 K1
86 custom K100
14 WR250R
IBA #17739 (SS1K, BBG, 50CC)
Buy parts HERE

[lee richter]

Have to give credit where credit is do. They (the dumb ones) were smart enough to ask!! And then they are not quite as dumb as they were a while ago.

It is not what an expert knows, but that he knows where to find what he doesn't know.....
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Lee Richter
Orlando, FL
I like flying, HIGH or low, Wings or Not
182 Texas Tail Dragger
'39 J3 Cub
2000 HD Soft Tail Sold
2002 R1150R
1994 K1100LT