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Automotive Industry

2000 Bmw R1100s - Brief Article - Evaluation

Automotive Industries, Sept, 2000 by Lindsay Brooke

It was one of the most sodden April days I'd ever spent on a motorcycle, and I've endured plenty of rotten weather in my 25 years of riding. Non-stop pouring rain, temperature in the 50s. After a few minutes in the saddle, my leather gloves were waterlogged and my hands chilled -- a miserable prospect, given the long journey our group had ahead of us.

But my spirit and enthusiasm for riding were kept high by the machine I was on. Very quickly I realized that BMWs R1100S is a perfect all-weather platform -- a bike for when the road surface is tricky and you've gotta make time. It's a two-wheeled version of a 5-Series sedan, but without the windshield wipers and CD player.

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The S-model is for riders who want a lighter, more nimble motorcycle than a fullboat touring bike (it weighs 545 pounds wet), but also need more long-range comfort than "crotch rocket" superbikes can provide. The 1.1L "boxer" Twin engine delivers heaps of usable power (90 hp at the rear wheel) through a 6-speed Getrag gearbox and sophisticated driveshaft. With a chassis that's rock-stable even in the wet, the S gave me confidence when passing semi-trucks on the rain-lashed hills of I-80.

So did its safety features: a superb halogen headlamp, optional Bosch ABS ($1,500), 4-way flashers (which kept cars off our tails when visibility waned), and heated handgrips. Oooh, those grips! On their toastiest setting, I could nearly forget my cold, wet hands. To a motorcyclist, that's almost as good as wipers and a CD player. Almost.

Automotive Industry

2000 Bmw R1100s - Brief Article - Evaluation

Automotive Industries, Sept, 2000 by Lindsay Brooke

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