TigerVenture

Hello... ever since my last post which is a long time ago; the R100GSPD has gone through significant upgrades. Im putting up this post reluctantly as i might let this PD go with the right offer. I will attempt to put up a comprehensive list of upgrades i have done with the bike since i took over 2 years ago. Lots of them (upgrades) were done in the last 6 months alone.

Upgrade List:

1. First off...the engine has been Overhauled with all seals changed when i first took over 2 years ago. A couple of gear box bearing has also been changed.

2. Found a used Speedometer and managed to change this. You can compare the bike's earlier photo to the current one.

3. A new set of Tires was changed 2 months ago. Sorry no pics to show for these...

4. The electrical system was given an early upgrade to the Enduralast Alternator Kit

This kit solved the original low charging output by the bike by increasing amperage by over 80% over stock Bosch system. It also gives out a stable output of 14.2V under all load conditions. The electronic voltage regulator / rectifier is also a significant improvement over the stock design which gives increased reliability to the whole electrical system of the bike. Check out the web link for more info of EnduraLast.

5. I left this out in the original post so here it is. One other upgrade done very early when i first took over the bike is the changing of the starter motor. The upgrade is a Valeo Starter . If you are interested, you can read more about starter motors in the old GS HERE.

6. Perhaps one of the most significant upgrades to the bike is the changing of the front Fork. For those of you who are familiar with the PD, you would know the soft and flimsy front fork on the bike. You could not go fast without having the feeling that the bike is running from under you. I had this insecure feeling on the bike until i made this upgrade.

Out went the old fork and in came a WP Upside Down Fork. The purple colour on the bike is more than just cosmetic. This is a Titanium Nitride coating applied on the fork which makes it more resistant to surface wear. The gold colour gives it the "Ohlins" look. With new brake disc, caliper, mud guard, the upgrade was complete. Overall, i say this is one major upgrade as the feel of the bike is very different now. With the changing of a progressive fork spring, the bike now is whole lot stable at higher speeds and corners alot better. Check out the pics below:

Please note that i just serviced both the rear shock and the front fork last month. Did an oil change plus a change of the seals. The rear shock is an Ohlins.

7. Next up is an upgrade of the Driveshaft. It is not uncommon to have drive shaft failure usually at the U-Joint in the original design. The shaft can also go "out-of-phase" as the original damper is made of rubber which loses its shock absorbing quality after some time as the rubber hardens.

HPM Guy from the States does upgrades on driveshafts. The upgraded shaft basically includes the following:

a. Replacement of stock rubber damper with a Urethane damper made to match the customers specifications and usage. This cures the out of phase problem that plagues these shafts.
b. Conversion of driveshaft to accept, and installation of two heavy duty, high quality u-joints with grease fittings. The joints are held in place with circlips.

You can read more about it here: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=130764&highlight=driveshaft+confusion

I have also attached pics for you to check it out. Please note that these pics are not mine, i did not manage to take any pics before installation. They are taken from the website but everything in the pic is the same as the one i received.

8. Another "old" (what is not old here??) part of the bike that died due to regular wear and tear was the ignition coil. After confirming that it was indeed the ignition coil, some replacement parts were ordered. This was an easy change but i was surprised by how old the spoilt part was by the looks of it. This must have been replaced before (with same stock parts) but looking at the condition of it, it must have been there for a long time! A new ignition coil, plug wires and ignition control unit was ordered from Motorrad Elektrik. First impressions of this was a very smooth starting and engine running. Service was fantastic with questions answered promptly. Great upgrade! Photos here taken from website....same parts though..

9. About 4 months back the entire Clutch set up was changed. Mind you, these are pretty hardy components so it must have been ages since this was last changed. It will probably last a whole life time (ok im exaggerating) after this. I changed the flywheel in the process. Something i found out later that was not necessary! Below are the parts that were installed:

-- 21211338680 Fillister-Head Screw
01 21211338722 Clutch Housing
02 21211338508 Diaphragm Spring 32025
03 21212302200 Plate 32120
04 21211451512 Clutch Plate 30400
05 21211457280 Housing Cover 32220
06 21211242377 Washer (A7,4) 32360
07 21211338680 Fillister-Head Screw 32310

10. 2 months back, the Carburetor was rebuilt and upgraded with the following. I still have the receipts for these.

a. Carb Rebuild Kit
b. Idle Jet
c. Main Jet
d. Needle Jet

11. At the same time, a set of new float bowl kit from "BING" was installed. The BING Alcohol Resistant Independent Float & Bowl Kit claims to give you improved performance and 5 to 7 MPG improvement on mileage. Check out the website at http://www.bingcarburetor.com/bmw/cvaccessories.html

12. Last but not least, the engine was given a new life with the Replacement Kit Extra from Siebenrock (http://www.bmwbayer.de/index1.php?sprache=en). These are some of the improvements from this kit:

a. More power and torque for all R100 modells (from 1981) in the complete range of the numbers of revolutions.
b. Less exhaust fumes and lower fuel consumption.
c. The forged pistons are about 110 grams lighter than the originals parts. With a compression of 9,5:1, the power and torque are extremely increased. For instance, the motor power of a R100GS or R100R goes up to 67 hp. With improved power and torque curves, more driving fun is guaranteed.
d. The complete set for rebuilding is 2 cylinders, 2 pistons, 2 gudgeon pins, 4 lock rings, 6 piston rings.

The bike feels alot more "zippy" after the upgrade and the bike is definitely smoother and quieter. Great upgrade....check out the pic of the upgrade kit. Read more here: http://www.siebenrock.com/index1.php?sprache=en

I shall stop here for now. On top of what has been mentioned above, there are plenty of little upgrades done on the bike the last 2 years. There really isnt much left to work on now =). And as i mentioned, im posting this reluctantly really. I feel it's time to move on. I probably will get another bike and work on it like i did with this. So if you are keen to own a classic legend; one that will go further now after all the work that has been done, do drop me a mail or SMS.

This bike is not for bargain hunters but for one who appreciates a piece of a legend. I will only let this go to one with a good offer plus he / she must be able to appreciate this beauty. I'm in no hurry to let it go as i have fully paid for the bike plus the bike has had such significant upgrades. COE expires in April next year. I had planned to renew it but decided to post here early to see if there is anyone who wants to take over. If there isn't anyone with a great offer, i will probably renew the COE and keep this bike. If you are the one who appreciate this machine, let's chat.... =) You can email me at:

tigerapple@gmail.com

I got quite a bit of traveling in Sept - Oct so its best to email me if you want to find out more. Thanks for reading this!!! And have a nice day ahead!

Singapore - Penang - Krabi Town - Ao Nang - Hatyai - Kuala Lumpur - Singapore
15th - 23rd Dec 2006

This is my first trip on the GS. The plan is to go up to Penang in Malaysia for 2 days. I then headed into Thailand to Krabi before returning to Hatyai, then to Kuala Lumpur and back to Singapore. Total distance covered is about 2400km.

The trip to Penang saw me setting out at about 5am. It was tough staying awake at that hour especially as i did not get much sleep the night before. I was planning to head out slowly just to get used to the bike. Was not very comfortable as i could feel the bike wobbling at speed of 110km/hr and above, It just did not feel as stable as my African Twin previously. The bike already felt light and soft on the front end so this wobbling was not something unexpected. More on that later...The other concern i had was the leakinig of engine oil through the airbox. I was told this is a minor issue and the bike should get through the distance with no problem. But i had my concerns as the distance involved is much longer. Also, my shoes are getting all oily and dirty because of the leak.

So check out the pics below...

Day 1
Some pictures at the famous Penang Bridge

Day 3 - 7
Crossing the Malaysia Thailand border....

Some pics showing the nice scenery along the way....

See below for my accomodation in Krabi Town. This is a nice little guest house. Accomodation is good, clean and comfortable. Lek, the chef at the guest house is an excellent cook. In fact, i think his food is the best throughout my stay in Thailand. Nice and very friendly staff. I would stay here again if i were to be in Krabi Town again.

To reach one of the beaches, you need to take a long tailed boat from either Krabi Town or Ao Nang. I recommend Ao Nang as the crowd is better there and the frequency of the boats is also higher.

Railay Beach is the common place to hang out in Krabi. One of the most beautiful beaches in Thailand, it also offers countless climbing routes suitable for the amateur right up to the pro climbers.

Spent half a day kayaking around the beaches of Railay, Prang Nang..The weather was good, and the sights beautiful...

Went out to explore the area around Ao Nang and stumbled on this little nature walk. It is part of a reserve and has a trail that supposedly lead uyp to a summit and has a water fall along the way. As you can see, i do not have pictures for them as i did not venture far as it was getting late and i did not want to ride back in the dark.

This is the outside view of my bungalow room...

The bungalow is ok...it is fan cooled. I probably can get a better place if i had gone around a little bit more. The room has this nice little classical look, toilet is a little dirty; like i said, this is ok...but i wouldn't come back here again.

Day 8
Some pics of Hatyai town from the hotel room. The hotel is called Hatyai Hotel and has quite decent room; it's clean and comfortable. Avoid the hotel restaurant though..its expensive, food is not really that great, and service is poor. There are lots of road side foodstall across the road to where the hotel is and many resturants that serve local and international food. Shopping is ok, definitely cannot be compared to places like Bangkok and Chiangmai which has a big variety of bargains to choose from.