The BMW R1100GS is a
dual-sport motorcycle
A dual-sport motorcycle is a type of street-legal motorcycle that is designed for both on and off-road use. The terms ''all-road,'' ''on/off road,'' and ''dual-purpose'' are also used for this class of motorcycles. Dual-sports are equipped with ...
that was launched in 1993, and manufactured from 1994 to 1999 by
BMW Motorrad
BMW Motorrad is the motorcycle brand of BMW, part of its Corporate and Brand Development division. It has produced motorcycles since 1923, and achieved record sales for the fifth year in succession in 2015. With a total of 136,963 vehicles sold i ...
in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, Germany.
[Schneider & Koenigsbeck, pp. 64]
The bike has a
flat-twin
A flat-twin engine is a two-cylinder internal combustion engine with the cylinders on opposite sides of the crankshaft. The most common type of flat-twin engine is the boxer-twin engine, where both pistons move inwards and outwards at the same ti ...
(boxer) engine, first seen in the
R1100RS which was launched the year before in 1992,
[ and was the first member of the GS family to use an air- and oil-cooled engine rather than the earlier air-cooled ]airhead
An airhead is a designated area in a hostile or threatened territory which, when seized and held, allows the air landing of further teams and materiel via an airbridge (logistics), airbridge, and provides the maneuver and preparation space necess ...
engines which had been used on BMW motorcycles since the R32 in 1923.
A smaller capacity sister model, the R850GS, was produced from 1996 to 2001.
In 1999, the R1100GS was superseded by the R1150GS.
Technical features
Previous BMW motorcycles used the airhead engines such as the type 247 air-cooled flat-twin with two pushrod-activated valves per cylinder. The R1100GS engine introduced partial oil-cooling and four valves per cylinder operated by a single chain-driven camshaft. Motronic
Motronic is the trade name given to a range of digital engine control units developed by Robert Bosch GmbH (commonly known as Bosch) which combined control of fuel injection and ignition in a single unit. By controlling both major systems in a si ...
fuel injection was included instead of the carburettor
A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meterin ...
s found on earlier bikes. Rear suspension and driveshaft
A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power and torque and rotation, usually used to connect ...
used the same Paralever swingarm
A swingarm, or "swinging arm" (UK), originally known as a swing fork or pivoted fork, is a single or double sided mechanical device which attaches the rear wheel of a motorcycle to its body, allowing it to pivot vertically. The main component of ...
system as the previous bikes, but with the addition of remote pre-load adjustment on the shock absorber
A shock absorber or damper is a mechanical or hydraulic device designed to absorb and damp shock impulses. It does this by converting the kinetic energy of the shock into another form of energy (typically heat) which is then dissipated. Most sh ...
. Front suspension used a new A-arm
In automotive suspension, a control arm, also known as an A-arm, is a hinged suspension link between the chassis and the suspension upright or hub that carries the wheel. In simple terms, it governs a wheel's vertical travel, allowing it to move ...
system called Telelever
BMW's motorcycle history began in 1921 when the company commenced manufacturing engines for other companies. BMW's own motorcycles—sold under the BMW Motorrad brand—began in 1923 with the BMW R 32, which was powered by a flat-twin engine (a ...
.[Schneider & Koenigsbeck, pp.67] Options included heated handlebar grips and ABS.
Notes
References
*
External links
Micapeak information page on R1100GS
R1100GS review
in American Motorcyclist magazine, December 1994
R1100GS review
in Motorcycle News
''MCN'' or ''Motor Cycle News'' is a UK weekly motorcycling newspaper published by Bauer Consumer Media, based in Peterborough, United Kingdom. It claims to be "the world’s biggest weekly motorcycle newspaper".
The title was founded in la ...
{{BMW motorcycles
R1100GS
Dual-sport motorcycles
Motorcycles powered by flat engines
Shaft drive motorcycles
Motorcycles introduced in 1993