BMW R1100 S
Ralph is on with part 6 and he’s still stripping!
I've had my 1997 BMW R1100RS for 11 mostly happy years. I originally ran it as a long-term project and product testing mule for another magazine, and at the end of the test period I was so attached to it – and it was so useful for my Channel-hopping existence at the time – I coughed up some of my own cash, found it a permanent home in the barn and turned it into a fully appointed long-distance tourer/commuter with heated seats, pimped electrics and heavily modified suspension.
Along the way I took it through the 100,000-mile barrier, at which point the engine got a strip and refresh, and I had a long-term plan to fit a brand new wiring loom, powder-coat the sub-frames and wheels, and generally make it all look nice again. But at the back end of last year I had a sudden realisation about the RS, which was that I was never going to get round to any of that – just too many other projects needing funds and time, both of which were in short supply.
A change in working patterns meant I wasn't using it much out of necessity, and a change in mindset meant I wasn't using it much for fun either, so when it got to the end of summer and it hadn't actually turned a wheel since Spring, I knew it was time to set the old girl free. Before I could change my mind I grabbed a bucket and sponge, gave her a sluice over (and removed a headless mouse from the pillion seat – cats are so thoughtful), took some photos and stuck an advert on the French equivalent of Gumtree. My thinking was that by the time anyone called, I'd have had time to give her a looking at, maybe an oil change and a quick service, and generally make sure everything worked.
The phone rang that same evening. A serial BMW oil-head owner had a nice 1150 GS and wanted something to fiddle with over the winter. Fortunately he couldn't get here until the weekend so I had a couple of days’ grace. Bit of cleaning, bit of tidying up of bits that I'd been meaning to do for ages – re-wrapping wiring, replacing a cracked indicator lens, squirting some oil on pivots, that sort of thing. While I was doing that the battery was on charge, and when the Optimate showed a green light it was time for a test ride.