This has been my workhorse bike. It now has more than 200,000 miles on it, and although it has not been completely troublefree, it has been a wonderful ride.

In early 1993, the rumors were flying. BMW was going to introduce a new Boxer to replace the airheads, which had had a nearly 25 year run. When it was introduced, it was a blockbuster. 90 horsepower, half again more than the then current twins were making at about 60hp. The engine as a stressed member and 4 valve heads, old hat for the K bikes, but never before done with the boxer. And the amazing new Telelever front end, that separated steering inputs from suspension duties. Lots of other little things, ABS, floating front disks, a second oil pump strictly to direct cooling oil to the exhaust valve areas. The almost-but-not-quite-OHC "high cam" valve train. Ergonomically adjustable seats and handlebars. It was an affirmation that BMW was not going to drop 70 years of history.

In the US, the official introductory date was in early May. I happened to be in LA for my Dad's 60th birthday party, but I was flying back to Seattle the day before the intro. I dropped in to West Valley to say hello to everyone, and Laurie took me outside and then around back, where her first R1100RS was standing. I got to sit on it and hear it run and it seemed like a really nice bike. That year BMW sold a ton of the new RSes, it was a great success.

Over the following winter I got a call from Laurie. She needed to sell her demonstrator, it was getting near the mileage limit BMW had set. The bike came with a full new bike warranty — 3 years, unlimited mileage — and a set of saddlebags. The price was a substantial discount under the retail price, and in a sense, it also saved the cost of the 600 mile service. I knew that Laurie would have broken the bike in right. I decided to buy it.

We made arrangements, and on a Friday early in April of 1994 I flew down to LA with a Washington state license plate and stickers in hand. I came into the shop on Saturday morning and all the regulars were hanging around, drinking coffee and talking. They all turned around to me. Then Mike said "Hey, I rode your new bike. Pretty nice!" It continued around — everyone had ridden my new bike. And that new bike was the self same bike I had sat on nearly a year previously.

So, we got the paperwork done and set the bike up. I went for a quick ride to try it out, up to Santa Susanna Pass Rd., which has some very nice twisties. I leaned into the first turn and... I got this sickening feeling. The RS had rubber mounted bars to limit the pulsations from the motor. I could feel the bar turning further than the wheel. Other than that very disconcerting feeling, the bike was wonderful. When I came back and talked about the feeling, Laurie told me to ride it for a week and see. She was right. The sensation faded quickly as I got used to the bike and I never noticed it again.

There are too many different stories to tell about this bike on this one page. I rode it around a lot, put about 150,000 miles on it by the end of 2001 when I bought an R1150RS. I then rode the 1100 to Daytona and gave it to Stefan Knopf to take it to Germany for me. It now resides in Karlsruhe at my friend Sascha's place, and I take at least one opportunity each year to visit it and ride it.

As far as repairs go, here are the major items:

• Transmissions: yes, that's plural, but with an explanation. The original year trannies rattled in neutral. Sort of like any recent dry clutch Ducati. However, on a beemer, this was considered a fault, not sex appeal. There was a quiet campaign to upgrade the trannies to the next version. However, many of those turned out to have real problems staying in 1st gear. I got a free update at 40,000 miles to the 2nd version, and another free update to the 3rd version a short time later. I also got a new clutch, not that there was anything wrong with the original one. At about 150,000 miles, I had to pay for a 4th transmission, as I had finally rounded off the dogs in 3rd gear. I got another new clutch at that point because I think it's dumb not to replace it when you've already got the bike scattered around the shop.
• Driveshaft: At 157,000 miles, the front u-joint exploded. Nothing else was damaged.
• Front wheel and discs: the RS wheels have a reputation for being soft. I put several small wows into the original wheel, but didn't worry much about it. Meanwhile, I settled into a routine of replacing the floating disc bobbins at about 50,000 mile intervals. However, at about 170,000 miles, the front discs were finally under the minimum thickness that BMW called out. Unfortunately, BMW wanted about $400 each for new ones. Instead, I bought a front wheel that had a biggish wow in it with relatively new discs for $200 and transfered the discs over. The wheel still serves as garage art.
• Engine: At 180,000, the engine finally blew up when a piston skirt gave way while I was doing about 110mph/6,000RPM on the autobahn. Pretty much everything below the heads was junk. I was able to buy a lightly used RT motor with 30,000kms on it and get it installed for about $2500.

Even so, I feel I've gotten excellent service from a bike that has been across country a couple times and has been to half a dozen track days including a three day stint running around the Nürburgring.