Bmw K1100lt
BMW K1100LT
CYCLE WORLD TEST
BUILDING A BETTER BEEMER
AH, YES, COMPETITION IS WONDERFUL. THE THING is, for a while, now, there hasn’t been too much of it among touring bikes. Honda, with its splendiferous family of GL1500 Gold Wings, has pretty much had the class sewn up. Certainly, other manufacturers have continued to build touring bikes, but nobody has come close to laying a glove on the Wing.
Until now, that is. BMW has, in the careful, developmental way so characteristic of the firm, come up with a revised version of its top-of-the-line luxury touring bike. Because it is much smaller, lighter and more nimble than the GL1500, this new Beemer would seem not to be a direct competitor for the Honda. But because it works so well, is so beautifully constructed and does everything a Wing will do, the K1100LT just might be the GL1500’s strongest competition yet.
What lurks under the gorgeous metallic emerald-green paint of the bike on these pages is your basic K-bike, a fact that draws attention to the fundamental difference in philosophies between the Germans and the Japanese. The Japanese, with their incredible manufacturing expertise and instantly adaptable assembly lines, build specific designs to fit specific, narrow usages. BMW, inured with traditionalist engineering values, builds just two basic designs, massaging each to fill perceived market niches.
The Kl 100LT is the result of just this sort of massage. The most obvious change, the one pointed out by the bike’s name, regards the engine. Last year’s K100LT actually displaced 987cc, thanks to a bore and stroke of 67 x 70mm. This year, for this bike only, BMW’s engineers unlimbered the corporate boring bar and hogged out the cylinders to 70.5mm to yield a displacement of 1093cc. Then they bolted on a 16-valve head based on that of the Kl (last year’s LT used an eight-valve head), installed cams that delivered a mild, 256 degrees of overlap, and retained the familiar electronic engine-management system that oversees ignition and fuel injection. Rear-wheel power output, as obtained on Cycle World's test dyno, is 88.4 horsepower at 7250 rpm, with 70.6 foot-pounds of torque at 5500 rpm, nearly 15 more horsepower and 12 foot-pounds more torque than the K100RS tested in the July issue.
Use of electronic fuel injection made possible one final addition: The LT runs a three-way catalytic converter (“three-way” means it acts to reduce the three major exhaust emissions-hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and oxides of nitrogen), the only bike in the U.S. to be so equipped. And that isn’t all. While they had the engine cases open, BMW’s engineers also fiddled with gears, changing the top ratio, fifth, from 1.67:1 to 1.61:1 to provide for more relaxed topgear cruising. Oddly, in a move that seems to have minimized the effects of the fifth-gear ratio change, they also specified a final-drive ratio of 2.91:1, lower than that of the K1 (2.75:1) or the K100RS (2.81:1).
They didn’t stop there. Naturally this top-of-the-line Beemer comes with BMW’s anti-lock brakes. But this year the ABS system acts on the same pair of four-piston Brembo front calipers as used on the Kl and K100RS, with the same two-piston Brembo rear caliper used on Beemers since Kaiser Wilhelm first coveted France. The result is really good stopping power, with what is arguably the best brake control and feel of any production motorcycle in the U.S.
The LT uses a Marzocchi-built, cartridge-style fork, mounted at a conservative 27-degree rake with 4 inches of trail. A single rear shock similar to that employed on the K100RS is fitted to BMW’s unique Paralever swingarm. The fork makes do without adjustment; the shock is adjustable for preload and rebound damping.
It all sounds good, but to look at the thing with its bodywork removed is to see just another K-series BMW. Seen one, seem ’em all, right? Well, maybe not. Wearing its clothes, the LT becomes a Beemer of a different color, because the bodywork has been substantially changed and upgraded to suit this bike’s intended role.
The biggest changes have happened up front, where the fairing has been repositioned forward 1.2 inches and had its windscreen rethought. Instead of the stationary item of last year, this year’s screen is a tidy affair-at last made of distortion-free, optical-quality plexiglass-that moves via an electric motor from a low, sport-touring position to a high, full-coverage position. The tubular handlebar is slightly wider than last year’s version, and the familiar BMW instruments now are mounted on the fairing instead of the top triple-clamp. The fairing also contains a deep storage pocket on the right, and on the left, a high-quality am/fm radio-cassette unit that, unfortunately, feeds its power to a pair of speakers too tiny and too tinny sounding, especially at speed, to make the sound system seem anything more than an afterthought.
The seat also is revised in detail, the pilot’s section slightly lengthened. This unit, which closely resembles the touring saddles built by seatmeister Mike Corbin, is hinged at its right side and folds open to reveal the engine-management computer and a compartment that contains BMW’s usual comprehensive toolkit and tire-plugging gear. Battery and fuses reside behind the left sidepanel.
BMW’s well-integrated hard luggage is complemented this year by the addition of an enlarged, removable top box mounted on a plastic frame that doubles as a luggage rack when the box is elsewhere. The cases themselves have been upgraded with color-matched hard plastic panels and an improved sealing system intended to make them more waterproof. Top and side bags each are large enough to carry a full-face helmet.
So much for what the Kl 100LT is. How does it work? To find out, we loaded the bags, saddled up and headed out for a few 500-mile days. What we found is a motorcycle that at once has responded brilliantly to the changes made to it while at the same time remaining a prisoner of the design elements its engineers were unable to change.
First, packing for the trip: Once you learn the drill, BMW’s saddlebags are easy to remove and attach to the bike, and equipped as they are with inner elastic straps that hold your things in place, it’s quite possible to pack a lot of clothes and be reasonably assured that they’ll arrive at your destination without requiring attention from a steam iron.
The LT starts instantly, without cough or sputter, and with a bit of residual oil smoke far less intense than the plume that has been a K-bike signature, raising hope that the problem finally is nearing solution-a good thing, if for no other reason than because oil smoke ruins catalytic converters. The electronic fuel-injection system’s mixture curve, aided now by an oxygen sensor mounted in the silencer downstream of the catalytic converter, is so well mapped that when you hit the starter button, the engine starts and is immediately ready for use. A two-position idle adjuster, operated by the right thumb, is useful when the Kl 100 isn’t eager to settle into an idle directly after a cold start.
A review of the controls conducted while the engine warms reveals that the LT retains all of BMW’s characteristic switches, levers and instruments. That’s good. The instruments are logical in layout and highly legible, the levers carefully designed with contours that beautifully fit the rider’s hand, and the switches, which include left and right turnsignals operated by the appropriate thumbs, are smooth in use and rational in design. Both turnsignals, by the way, are canceled by an upward twitch of the right thumb. On the left, a similar thumb switch activates the Beemer’s diesel-truck-quality horn. Very different from the way any other manufacturer does it, but once you’re used to it, the system makes a great deal of sense.
So does the LT’s electric windscreen, adjusted via a switch mounted on the triple-clamp cover below the ignition switch. It’s been a long time since we’ve come across a feature in a touring bike that we so appreciate. This operates over a range of about 4.5 inches, but its effect is of greater movement. That’s because at low position, it flattens back into a wind-cheating, faired position, while at high position it’s almost vertical, protecting the pilot from wind, bugs and rain. Riding with the screen in the low position provides good coverage from the shoulders down, with no excessive noise or buffeting. With the screen up, there’s a nice pocket of still air behind the screen, at least at reasonable highway speeds. Notch up to a brisk sport-touring pace, however, and helmet buffeting becomes severe enough to blur the rider’s vision, signaling it’s time to lower the screen.
Overall comfort levels are very high, aided greatly by the forward repositioning of the fairing, moving it out of contact with most riders’ knees. If you went to school on a basketball scholarship, your knees likely will still contact the rear edges of the fairing, but if your inseam is 32 inches or less, you should be in good shape. You’ll also like the seat. It’s firmish, and provides fine support, delaying the dreaded onset of numb-butt until the end of very long days.
Our one complaint about the LT’s comfort level is that, at least for larger riders, there is very little room to move around to change riding position or posture, thus avoiding premature fatigue. Most riders won’t be troubled by this, but those of more than 6 feet, 2 inches in height likely will be. What, are there no tall motorcycle riders in Deutschlandl
As for the LT’s motor, there’s good news and there’s bad news. The good news is that this is the best K-motor yet, and it comes in a state of tune that allows it to pull with the authority of a Bremen Harbor tugboat between about 5500 and 8000 rpm. It’s redlined at 8500 rpm, but the horsepower curve falls off steeply from 8000, making higher revs pointless. Nor do you have to shift much-pop the thing into fifth gear at as low as 30 mph, and leave it there. Still, if you insist on shifting, you’ll find the bike capable of 0-60 times of 3.5 seconds, and 12.12-second/110.15-mph quarter-miles. That, friends, is quicker than a K100RS or a Honda ST1100. Top-gear roll-on performance also betters that of the STI 100, currently the best sport-tourer on the market.
We mentioned bad news: The LT’s lay-down Four is still a K-motor, and it vibrates, enough to make us wish the Germans finally would discover either the counterbalance shaft or rubber engine mounts, or maybe both. The vibes were there, at least on our testbike, in sufficient amplitude and frequency to tingle the toes, numb the fingers and fuzz the mirrors at all speeds between 55 and 90 mph. Luxo-touring rigs aren’t supposed to do that. Fortunately, we did find one narrow band, at about 70 mph, where the mirrors settled down enough to let us see details, always a welcome benefit.
The vibes, and the engine’s 4500-rpm engine speed at 75 mph, had us first looking for, and finally praying for, sixth gear. Revs that high, especially with an engine this buzzy, do not make for a relaxed, refined ride. This bike needs an overdrive ratio.
Still, the good news outweighs the bad, especially off the interstate and on twisting backroads. The fork is underdamped, and even set at full hard, the shock’s rebound damping is marginal, so the LT must be ridden smoothly. When it is, though, surprisingly brisk progress, complete with extreme lean angles during which nothing touches down on the pavement, is possible. In some forms, K-bikes can feel top-heavy and clumsy, but this 1100LT edition feels amazingly light and agile. The engine pulls like a locomotive; the brakes stop securely, especially when modulated just short of the ABS activation point; the ride is smooth, if a bit underdamped; and the seating position is, for most people, very comfortable.
All this makes the K1100LT a very satisfying motorcycle-if, that is, you can work your way past its whopping $14,290 suggested retail price. Those worthies who can accomplish this feat will possess a motorcycle that just might be the best K-bike yet.
Still, in some ways the Kl 100LT remains an anomaly that probably will not threaten either the luxo-touring supremacy of the Gold Wing or the sport-touring excellence of the STI 100. What it does do is position itself neatly between those two bikes, while cutting a little of the ground from under each.
BMW says it hopes to sell 550 LTs this year, and as many as 650 in 1993. Even with the bike’s remaining annoyances, we think that those numbers will translate into a lot of happy touring customers.
BMW K1100LT
SPECIFICATIONS
$14,290
EDITORS' NOTES
THE BEST THING ABOUT BMW MOTOR cycles is their press introductions. After flying you to some faraway exotic location, the company puts you up in a lush hotel, stuffs you full of delicious local cuisine, loans you a brand-new motorcycle and points you in the direction of the area's best roads. All in the hopes, of course, that you'll write something splendid about its latest, greatest model.
Well, I didn’t go to the Kl 100LT launch, Peter Egan did. But since he probably had fun enough-and undoubtedly ate enough-for two, I’ll be kind.
My favorite BMW on which to cover long distances is still the R100RS. But the Kl 100LT comes close. I think it’s the best example yet of BMW putting its four-wheel GT concept on two wheels. It may, in fact, be my favorite luxury touring bike.
Just don’t tell BMW I told you, or they won’t invite me to any more press intros. -Brian Catterson, Managing Editor
FINALLY, A K-BIKE I KINDA LIKE. JUST one question nags me: How’s it compare, wheel-to-wheel, with a Honda Gold Wing?
Well, Comparisons R Us. I hopped on our long-term Wing and went for a ride. The answer? No comparison, really. These two bikes, so similar in intent, are very different indeed in the way they do their jobs. This is a good way thing, l think, in that it increases the likelihood that members of the Greater Touring Audience (no reference to girth intended) will have no trouble at all finding a bike that exactly fills their needs. Like to stay on interstates and maybe do just a little two-laning? It’s the Wing for you. Like to do just a little interstating, staying mostly on twolaners and cornering at speeds that’ll have your passenger holding on like an overaffectionate boa constrictor? Your choice is the Beemer.
Which would I buy if my checkbook balance wasn’t constantly nudging its rev limit? Neither: I’d buy an STI 100.
-Jon F. Thompson, Feature Editor
I’D LIKE TO TELL EVERYONE THAT I really like the new Kl 100LT, but the truth is that I’m undecided. The 1100 engine feels stronger than its smallerdisplacement cousins. The new fairing and adjustable windscreen work well. And the bike is comfortable to ride, what with its wide handlebar and high-quality seat.
But I have a real problem with the LT’s $14,000 price tag, which seems out of alignment with our testbike’s poor-quality radio speakers, the orange-peel paint finish on its upper fairing section, and its so-so suspension. Extreme instrument glare when riding away from a setting or rising sun, and a lot of mechanical noise from the engine also distract from this top-of-the-line German touring bike’s charm.
Before you mark me as anti-Beemer, though, let me tell you about the BMW touring bike that really turns me on: the R100GS Boxer Twin. Designed as a dual-use motorcycle, the R100GS is, in my opinion, the best streetbike that BMW makes. And it costs almost $7000 less than the LT.
-Ron Griewe, Senior Editor
