K11 Owners Group

[philosophicalzombie]

As I approach my one-month anniversary with Big Red (’93 K1100RS), I thought I’d put out there some observations along with a few questions. A bit about me as a rider: this is my fourth bike. Priors included late 70s Honda CB750, 1992 Honda VFR (only for a few weeks; totaled), and my long time ride, a 1984 VFR which I drove for about 15 years. I’ve been riding for about 25 years, but not intensively. I’d estimate I’ve done maybe 30K miles. In regards to a lot of you guys, I’m a noob not just to the K bike, but bikes in general.

That being said, here are some thoughts about my bike:

1. Fan switch mod: this is indispensible if you’re riding in even moderately hot climates. The instructions here weren’t very clear, but after a bit of poking around in the relay box I found the blue/yellow wire, removed the relay, dropped a wire into the relay slot (which is a great way to tap into the circuit), wedged the relay back in, and ran the wire up to the handy sealed switch which self-seated itself in the blank accessory space on the dash with just a bit of force:



(please ignore the gaping hole where the ABS reset should be..)
Ran the other wire to ground, screwed on the grey prophylactic switch cover, and I’ve got a waterproof switch that has been receiving a lot of attention here in Boulder over the past few days (temps in the mid 90s). Total outlay: ten bucks and about an hour. It is remarkable how quickly the temp drops when it’s switched on (either remotely or manually), and it’s made for a more comfortable ride overall. I’m able to get the bike and me from getting hot well before the sensor thinks it’s time. This naturally leads to a discussion of…

2. Heat in general: Man, this is a hot bike. My side covers have a layer of heat deflecting material:


which I’m guessing are not stock; they do not seem to do much. I get bbq’d on my inner calves. I’ve researched the Johnny Blanket solution and will implement that soon, particularly because I am travelling through Utah and Arizona en route to California in August. I’ve checked and it looks like the air dams that are supposed to route radiant heat out the front side air vents are properly installed (well, there is one of the left side that creates a pretty tight chamber, but on the rights I only see the radiator hose and no other dams or items to direct air out the vents; it doesn’t look like the hose could do much to direct air. Am I missing a dam on that side?). Any other hints or tips to keep her/us cool?

3. This bike really purrs in any gear from about 3900 rpm to about 4600. Prior to and above that, it’s not rough, just….buzzy. More vibration than I had anticipated. Do other K bikes hum along at the same tach levels, or do I have a suspension/damping problem? And by "hum" I mean a buttery smooth ride.

4. I have an after market stereo, but the radio reception is horrible. Any tips on wiring up an antenna? There is an antenna wire that trails out of the unit which doesn’t do much.

5. I did a couple other mods right away: flapperectomy (which gives me about 2/5 of a gallon extra fuel), and plugged off the crankcase fuel vapor line (which cured a couple of problems: pressure in the fuel tank, stall at idle on hot days, etc). Any others?

6. For some reason, the front wheel lock doesn’t work. Also, I’d like to have power to the stereo without the key on, which is the way the PO wired it (it looks like power is coming from behind the gas gauge, so I imagine PO tapped in the power source to that). Any recommendation on where to tap in to a “non-keyed” battery/power source? I can’t figure out how to run power without the headlight on either.

7. My front brakes move or “float” about 1/32 side to side, and about half that front to back. What is the acceptable range? Is bobbin replacement something that should be left to an expert? I have good wrenching skills but I’ve never done that kind of work before, and I don’t want my first bobbin experience to be my last (if you know what I mean).

Obviously, I’ve put a lot of time and thought into Big Red over the past month, and I must say I’m enjoying the bike. I rode sport bikes for years before this, and find that I’m pushing the K bike more in that direction which doesn’t seem to be a problem at all. My big concern is my 4500 mile run from Boulder to California then back to NY in August. This will be my first massive long distance undertaking, and I’m all ears for suggestions from the more experienced riders here on how to approach my own Chautauqua on a BMW (hey, maybe a little Zen on way would be appropriate. ;^)

Thanks for reading if you got this far,

Blake
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Blake
Mariposa, CA

1993 K1100RS Mystic Red

[Tim (Midland Section)]

#2 Yes they are hot, & Dry, ideal for English / German weather. The best bit of the "Johnny Blanket" is to stop hot air blasting between the bottom of the tank & the side panels, which is where it gets me. I added extra foam on top of the engine LHS to ensure my legs weren't toasted.

#3, K's can be buzzy, check exhaust pipes (headers) for tightness, also check / change the fat rubber that supports the can. Mine caused a buzz through the footrests that took months to find.

#4, Should be an antenna on Left side of fairing on an LT, don't know about RS but fitting one should cure the reception probs.

#6, Steering lock, should engage with steering almost full right. I had a K11 whose lock was so dried up that I had to strip & clean before that worked.
WARNING, there is a position fully anti clockwise, after locking, which turns on the parking lights.

#6 too. Radio runs on LT from a Purple wire which is live unless the steering lock is on.

#7 Discs are supposed to float sideways a bit, but not radially. Do a search for disc bobbins.

HTH
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Regards Tim,

Grey haired riders don't get that way by pure luck
1996 Guzzi Cali3 LAPD
1972 750 Commando
G6HRN
#485