Bmw K100rt
BMW K100RT
CYCLE WORLD TEST:
Can a Teutonic tourer find happiness in the Land Of the Double Nickel?
THE $90 SPEEDING TICKET THE Arizona state trooper was scribbling out was almost worth it. For two days the BMW had been moribund on a seemingly endless slab of interstate, towed along in the wake of a horizon-hungry Honda Gold Wing. Then came the first genuinely twisty roads of the trip, and it finally was time for the K100RT to strut, time for the flat-Four Euro-tourer to skip ahead of its more-luxurious companion. It was time for fun.
Fortunately, the officer knew a little about having fun. Because after threatening to issue the speeding ticket, all he gave out was a written warning, along with a rather limp admonishment to keep the speed down a bit, delivered with a wink.
Ridden at the speeds it was designed for, the new BMW can be a ticket collector par excellence. Born on the speed-limitless autobahns of Germany and raised on the skewed roads that mow through the Black Forest, the K100 is a motorcycle that revels in motoring along with the ground blurring by at triple-digit speeds. It is a motorcycle that is very unhappy in 55-mph America.
Part of the reason for the bike’s uneasiness on the radar-checked byways of this country is that BMW has failed to recalibrate the bike for America. It is essentially the same machine that prowls along Germany’s high-speed roadways, and, as such, is in some ways overqualified for U.S. use. And, as we’ll soon see, there are some nagging problems that remain unfixed from last year’s introductory K100, problems that compromise the RT’s effectiveness as an American tourer:
Not that BMW hasn’t tried to give > the RT more over-the-road appeal than the sporting RS model. There is a fuller, frame-mount fairing with extended lowers and a taller windshield. A wider, higher and morepulled-back handlebar complements the new fairing. A redesigned, twotiered saddle replaces the RS-model’s flatter seat. BMW’s plastic saddlebags, optional on the RS, are stan-
dard with the RT, and a matching tour trunk should be available later in the year. Also on the options-list are some interesting items, including fog lamps and heated handgrips, though, in keeping with BMW's rather Spartan approach to touring, you won't find such interstate-easing items as a radio-tape player or cruise control.
Mechanically, the RT is identical to the RS, with the exception of slightly reduced overall gearing, the better to cope with the the RT’s twoup, loaded-down station in life. About the only other alteration is a rethinking of the stainless-steel muffler’s heat-shield attaching devices, which had a nasty habit of breaking and rattling around. So instead of a leaf-spring attachment, the front mount now uses nylon locknuts, which BMW says are less affected by heat and vibration fatigue.
But while the heat shield may have made concessions to vibration, the footpegs still haven’t. And this is perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the K100RT, especially since it comes from a company that for years has touted the importance of vibration control in its opposed-Twin lineup. Footpeg vibration was the major complaint about the RS we tested in our September, 1984, issue; if anything, the RT’s footpegs vibrate more. The buzzing is particularly annoying between 55 and 70 mph, precisely the speeds that most Americans use while on tour. As velocities approach 100 mph, the bike’s autobahn breeding comes into play again and the tingling diminishes, but traveling at that speed for extended periods is a sure way to kiss your license goodbye. The vibration imparts the RT with a coarse feel that is entirely out of place on a BMW, especially one with a $7500 price tag.
Though all four KlOOs that Cycle World has ridden have been afflicted with excess vibration, BMW officials say the condition isn’t consistent throughout the entire K100 line. Still, they are aware of the problem and are about to release a footpeg kit designed to put the vibration complaints to rest. The kit will be available at no charge to K100 owners.
Another bothersome trait that surfaces during near-legal highway cruising is helmet buffeting produced by the double-lipped windshield, which sweeps back to within 12 inches of the rider’s helmet, yet is low enough to look over. The double lip at the shield’s top edge, similiar to the one on the RS but non-adjustable, is designed to accelerate air over the rider and leave him in a pocket of still air. It does not do a very successful job. As with the footpeg vibration, the buffeting is at its worst between 55 and 70 mph; and again, as speeds increase into the 90to 100-mph range, the shield’s effectiveness improves. Of course, the amount of buffeting felt at slower speeds depends on the rider’s height, but judging by our test riders’ comments, anyone taller than 5-foot-9 will feel the wind blast. Even tucking down behind the windscreen does no good, because the distortion caused by the double lips and the shield’s extreme rake means that vision is seriously impaired.
The windshield’s shortcomings are readily apparent because the rest of the fairing works so well. The fairing is very close to the rider, so there is littl e of the spillover effect that plagues many big touring rigs. Hand protection afforded by the mirror housings is especially impressive.
Vibration and windshield buffeting aside, though, the RT has some other, minor deficiencies that detract from the overall package. The engine emits an annoying gear whine, which is joined at idle by the whirring of the electric fuel pump mounted inside the aluminum 5.6-gallon fuel tank. Thankfully, both noises become less noticeable as speed increases. Although our time aboard the RT included a 1200-mile trek across Nevada, Utah and Arizona in 30and 40-degree weather, it’s apparent that in hot, humid climates the liquidcooled engine could throw off enough heat to make a mid-town troll through snarled traffic an uncomfortable experience. And while the gray paint on the RT was better than the orange-peeley blue that our test RS was saddled with, it was still a notch below the excellent paint job applied to the Boxer Twins.
The RT’s seating position also drew a small amount of flak. Because the seat is more sculptured than last year’s version, it effectively locks the rider into one position. For most rides, the seat’s padding, along with the comfortable handlebar bend, allows acceptably long distances to pass before a rest stop is required. On longer jaunts, such as an all-day drone along the interstate, a flatter, roomier seat would be appreciated.
If that list of criticisms seems debilitating, you should know that most complaints end where the interstate does. This is a bike for touring backroads, roads that meander over hills, across valleys and around mountains. It is on these roads that the K100RT leaves other touring bikes behind, where it gleefully takes revenge for the drubbing it receives on the interstates; where it has fun.
Certainly, the RT is no substitute for a hardcore canyon racer. It steers slowly compared to sportbikes with 16-inch front wheels, and the combination of a fairly short swingarm and shaft final drive makes for sloppy cornering if the throttle is indiscretionately whacked open or shut in mid-turn. Too, the excellent Brembo front brakes cause the front end to plummet during hard stops, a maneuver that doesn’t bolster cornering confidence. So the BMW is definitely not a cut-and-thruster; but if you plan your moves deliberately, brake a tad early, concentrate on smoothness and keep cornering speeds up, the Beemer will fly. And more importantly, there isn’t much drama to the fine art of cornering on the K100. Once set up for a turn, the bike will steadily arc its way through with little added input needed from the rider. And on twisty backroads whose paving is, shall we say, less than glass-smooth, the RT is a sheer delight to ride quickly, for it soaks up
the bumps and stays on-line better than any other touring machine in existence. All in all, the RT is an easy, almost relaxing, motorcycle to go fast on.
Credit for the RT’s rapid backroad canter goes to the suspension components and the engine. The front fork is a hell-for-stout setup that employs aluminum triple clamps, 41.4mm stanchion tubes and a huge axle. With the exception of sharp-edged bumps encountered at low and medium speeds, nothing upsets the nonadjustable fork unit. Controlling rear-wheel travel is a single shock, adjustable only for spring preload, mounted on BMW’s unique onesided swingarm. With a week’s worth of luggage stowed in the saddlebags. the front and rear suspensions are balanced nicely. About the only handling glitch is a slight wallowing evident in fast, sweeping turns, say, at speeds above 80 mph.
Much has been written about the K100 engine being something of a technical underachiever. And with the exception of the laid-down configuration that gives the bike a remarkably low center of gravity, the long-stroke, twin-cam, two-valveper-cylinder Four is not the stuff that SAE papers are written about. Still, there’s no denying that the torquey powerplant works, and works well. With the Bosch fuel injectors delivering stumble-free performance and a wide-as-a-river powerband pulling the bike through corners seemingly regardless of the selected transmission ratio, the RT’s 987cc engine is just one more thing the rider doesn't have to worry about during spirited backroad adventures. Matter of fact, the engine’s outstanding mid-range power explains why the RT has an LCD digital gear indicator—something that BMW would normally term a “gadget” —inset into the speedometer face: The rider often needs it to determine what gear the RT is in while scooting along those secondary roads.
As entertaining as the KIOORT is on those backroads, however, it’s hard to escape the fact that touring in America often means touring on plumb-line-straight highways bristling with all manner of speed-checking devices. And here the BMW chafes. As evidenced by the retrofit footpeg kit, though, BMW seems intent on re-tailoring its new touring bike to better fit the American market. With better vibration control, a more reasonable windshield and some of the rough edges smoothed out, this motorcycle has the potential to be a best-of-both-worlds touring machine, one that would be able to reel off comfortable 800-mile days yet still capable of attacking in the mountain passes.
It would be shame to waste that kind of potential. ®
BMW K100RT
$7500
