K11 Owners Group

[K11pdx]

New K11 owner here, with a few questions. I had a K100 back in the day and fell for this new bike a couple months back. Unfortunately the prior owner was not around to ask questions of so it has an unknown history although is fairly clean and runs decently.

So, when I take the bike off the centerstand and pull away in first, I hear a mechanical clunk or two. It's only on first applying power, not on subsequent shifts. Could this be a bad driveshaft or u joint or something else?

Next, I know these bikes run hot, but this one warms all the way up to the red in town even at 40 degrees outside, till the fan kicks on. My k100 never got this hot, wondering if this is expected behaviour.

Last, the heated grips a bit funky. There's no power coming into the driver side grip so I'm assuming a bad wire. Any common cause for a short between the switch and the grip? Also I'm measuring about 8.5 volts coming into the switch itself, shouldn't I be expecting 12+?

Any chance there's an electronic owners manual out there?

Many thanks, this'll get me started.
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95K1100RS

[Inge K.]

Welcome!

[Scott_Anderson]

[whyoldbill]

[K11pdx]

Excellent, thanks for the tips! Interesting that the clunk could be an ABS test- I'll pay a little closer attention to that one. The manual is proving helpful already.
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95K1100RS

[Don Sproule]

The clunking noise you speak of is likely the ABS II re-setting. Is your bike a 94 or later?
There's a spot on the panel where you can list your location and year/model of bike. It may help us to help you when your are asking for info.
You can try stopping using the kill switch instead of using the ignition switch and then starting and taking off again. It won't likely make that sound which should prove it's normal for the bike.
I find the reset will occasionally repeat itself without shutting down and restarting on longer trips. It will sometimes do that when you stop and take off again without shutting down.
I've had two LTs, a 94 and 95. Both would bump the red zone of the temp gauge in hot weather before the fan kicked in. Normal for the bike. You can install a manual override switch to turn the fan on when you like. Not a big job and it may give you added peace of mind.
Can't help you with the heated grips. Never had an issue.

Don

[koapono]

i had one working and the other didn't.
removed rubber grip (one way is to blow compressed air between grip and throttle tube/handlebar, this worked for me) and found break in wire.
repair pretty straightforward.
there's a chris harris video on you-tube that's pretty informative.
g'luck

[K11pdx]

Yeah, my bike is a 95, so ABS reset makes sense. Phew! I was worried it was drivetrain noise. I'll get a photo into this thread too- it's a pretty bike.

One more question- I'm hearing some engine clatter, only when I brake to a stop. For about two or three seconds, it sounds like the lifters are clattering, then the noise smooths out and disappears. Oil level is fine. I can't hear anything at speed (but hard to say over wind noise). Any obvious reasons for this? I'll start with an oil change, that can't hurt...
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95K1100RS

[bikesnbones]

Hello
I too am new to the K1100.
Mines a 1993 RS.
I can relate to your concerns about running temperature, and I even posed about it here,
My understanding is that it's normal.
I was in town one day, when I pulled over and stopped because I didn't like how close the needle was getting to the red.
After getting advice here, one day I just let it run in the same conditions and found the fan kicked in right on the edge of the red zone.
It took some courage to let it do that, but I am least now satisfied that the fan does work.
My real concern is that there isn't much margin.
If something was wrong with the fan and / or thermostat, you wouldn't get much warning before overheating.
I think the answer would be to fit a manual override switch.
When riding out of town, there is no concern as the needle always sits in the middle.
Another thing to keep an eye on is the oil level.
It's quite common for these engines to use oil.
My usage seems to be about half a litre per 1000 miles, which I've been told here is quite OK.
Some do and some don't.
Usual story.
I don't get the clunk you have described, and I know the abs is working because I've put it to the test.
Considering the system used is considered dated now, it is actually very effective and from what I can gather from my BMW dealer, much more reliable and long lasting than the abs systems BMW fit nowadays.
I've only done a few thousand miles so far, but I've really bonded with it.
My bikes only fault is the rev counter.
Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't, but that's just character

[K11pdx]

Yep, it's definitely the engine and not the discs, as I only hear it after coming to a complete stop. I'm sure it's there while slowing down but I can't hear it over the wind noise or at higher rpms. Just when I stop, and hear that clatter for a couple seconds. It's just loud enough to bug me.
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95K1100RS

[Scott_Anderson]

The 1100's are a solid valve OHC design(ie no rocker arms, or hyd lifters), so it is part of the regular maintenance to check clearance between the cam lobe and the valve "cam follower".

You will get various opinions of how often to check this, some check annually, others check based upon mileage, etc.....


If you have no records of when it was checked last(if ever) I would add it to your list of tasks to perform.

BnB, your '93RS will have an ABSI which self tests/resets differently than the ABSII design introduced in '94 models.
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Ride safe.



1995 K1100LT 0302044
2017 FLHTK Ultra Limited
Garmin StreetPilot 2820
Garmin Zumo 550
Garmin Zumo XT
"One who does not ask questions is ashamed to learn" Danish proverb
1997 K1100LT 0302488(R.I.P.)
1997 R1100RT ZC62149(sold)