100 Days 48 States

1999 BMW R1100RS
Sport Touring Motorcycle

The motorcycle I rode across 48 states is the 1999 BMW R1100RS pictured below. This is what it looked like with the optional luggage and tank bag installed, as well as my camping gear on the passenger seat.

As standard equipment the motorcycle includes: a 90-horsepower air and oil cooled horizontally opposed twin cylinder engine; Bosch Motoronic electronic fuel injection; 4 values per cylinder; ABS II anti-lock brakes; a stainless steel exhaust system with catalytic converter; the BMW revolutionary Telelever front suspension system; the patented BMW Paralever rear suspension with enclosed shaft drive; five speed transmission; rider information display with fuel and oil temp gauge; a 6.1 gallon fuel tank. Before adding luggage the bike weighs 526 pounds with a full tank.

I bought this motorcycle new in June of 1999 from Lindner Cycle Shop in New Canaan, Connecticut. The list price was $15,100, but I got a great deal. I had the dealer install the optional heated handlebar grips and the optional cylinder protectors. Later on, while in St.Louis, I had a Throttlemeister throttle lock installed, which helps relieve my wrist on longer days.

My R1100RS gets about 44 miles to the gallon, on average. I regularly ride over 220 miles between fill-ups The seat, handlebars, windshield, and suspension are all easily adjustable. The bike can go very fast, and it can stop just as quickly. The handling is superb. This bike fits the sport-touring category very well. Without all the gear, it is a nimble, canyon carving, sporty motorcycle. With the optional luggage installed, it is a comfortable, capable, long-distance touring machine. It's good for a one day ride, or a hundred day adventure.

BMW introduced the R1100RS in 1993 and the model has been very successful. However, new models and variations like the R1100S and the R1100RT led the 1999 example to be the end of the line for this bike. Someone told me that BMW only brought over 40 of these in 1999, so I was very lucky to get one. For the year 2000, BMW produced a limited edition of the R1100RS with a silver/black paint combination, something they often do when they end a model's production. But then, for the 2001 model year, BMW continued the production of the R1100RS, making it available again in red and black. It seems that until a replacement model is introduced, BMW will continue to produce this exceptionally fine motorcycle.