Some riders are remembered because they rode fast.
Some because they travelled far.
Colt Self will be remembered because he helped thousands of BMW R1100S owners keep riding.
If you’ve searched for maintenance advice, asked a question in one of the Facebook groups, or wondered why your clutch slave cylinder failed, you’ve probably benefited from Colt’s knowledge.
Whether you realised it or not.
Rider Profile
Name
Colt Self
Country
USA
Occupation
Former USAF serviceman
Former BMW Certified Technician
Life-long motorcyclist
Current motorcycle
1999 BMW R1100S
Over 100,000 miles
More Than Fifty Years On Two Wheels
Colt started riding in the 1960s.
His first motorcycles were Triumphs and BSAs.
Beautiful.
Fast.
Always broken.
“They needed fixes and repairs perpetually.”
Japanese motorcycles followed.
They were brilliantly engineered.
Reliable.
Almost too reliable.
“They didn’t need you at all.”
Then came Ducati.
Then Moto Guzzi.
Then Ducati again.
Every motorcycle taught him something.
Some taught him expensive lessons.
The BMW He Never Wanted
In 1994 Colt bought a BMW R1100RS.
Not because he wanted one.
Quite the opposite.
“I thought BMWs were old man’s motorcycles.”
Someone finally convinced him to take a test ride.
That changed everything.
The torque.
The comfort.
The stability.
The simplicity of working on the boxer engine.
He was hooked.
Becoming A BMW Technician
Around the turn of the century Colt retired from the United States Air Force.
Then became a Certified BMW Technician.
That experience changed the way he looked at motorcycles forever.
Every new BMW arriving at the dealership was assembled by the workshop.
Then test ridden.
Then serviced.
Then seen again after thousands of miles.
Some motorcycles stayed almost perfect.
Others came back with expensive failures.
The difference was rarely the motorcycle.
It was the maintenance.
The Lesson Most Owners Miss
After years in the workshop Colt noticed a pattern.
Owners skipped maintenance.
Brake fluid wasn’t changed.
ABS units failed.
Clutch fluid wasn’t flushed.
Slave cylinders died.
Paralever bearings were ignored.
Hall sensors were left untouched until they stranded riders.
Fuel systems aged quietly.
Then failed all at once.
The motorcycles were blamed.
BMW was blamed.
The maintenance schedule wasn’t.
That experience shaped everything Colt teaches today.
“Read the Service and Technical Booklet. Then follow it.”
Simple advice.
Worth thousands of dollars.
Finding The R1100S
In 2002 Colt bought a used 1999 BMW R1100S.
He loved it immediately.
One year later he ordered a brand new 2004 BoxerCup Prep.
That motorcycle became part commuter.
Part track bike.
Part sport tourer.
Part cross-country machine.
It covered 167,000 miles.
A Motorcycle Worth Saving
Eventually Colt found another 1999 R1100S.
Only 5,900 miles.
It looked fantastic.
Mechanically it was a disaster.
Almost every known problem had been ignored.
Oil leaks.
Slave cylinder.
Suspension.
Fuel system.
Instead of walking away, Colt rebuilt it properly.
OEM where OEM mattered.
Aftermarket where aftermarket was better.
Nothing was left to chance.
Today that motorcycle has another 100,000 miles behind it.
It’s Not an Investment. It’s an Education.
People sometimes ask Colt if restoring an R1100S is financially sensible.
His answer is simple.
It isn’t.
By the time you’ve replaced the suspension, brake lines, fuel system, Hall sensor, clutch slave cylinder and all the other age-related items, you may have invested around $8,000 in a motorcycle that’s still only worth $4,000 on the open market.
You’ll never get that money back.
But that’s missing the point.
For those eight thousand dollars, you end up with something far better than an average twenty-five-year-old motorcycle.
You end up with an R1100S that’s safer.
More reliable.
Better suspended.
Better maintained.
In many ways, better than the day it left the showroom.
And when you consider that a comparable new sport-touring motorcycle now costs $20,000–30,000, the equation suddenly looks very different.
Colt’s advice is refreshingly honest.
Don’t restore an R1100S because you expect to make money.
Restore it because you intend to ride it.
A lot.
And enjoy every mile.
“Will you ever get your money back? Absolutely not. So go out, ride and enjoy it.”
The Advice Everyone Should Hear
Ask Colt what an R1100S needs after twenty-five years.
He won’t mention horsepower.
Or louder exhausts.
He talks about maintenance.
Brake lines.
Fuel hoses.
Alternator belt.
Fork oil.
Suspension.
Do those jobs.
Ride the bike.
Enjoy it.
Ignore them.
Eventually the bike decides for you.
Why Thousands Listen
There are many experienced riders.
Many experienced mechanics.
Very few are prepared to spend hours helping complete strangers.
Colt has.
Year after year.
Patiently answering the same questions.
Explaining the same repairs.
Correcting myths.
Encouraging owners to fix things properly instead of cheaply.
His advice has saved riders thousands of dollars.
More importantly, it has kept countless R1100Ss on the road.
That is why his name comes up whenever experienced owners talk about these motorcycles.
Rear suspension and TracTive shock.
Still Riding
Colt is now 77.
The 20,000-mile years are behind him.
He still rides around 10,000 miles every year.
Sport touring.
Camping.
Motorcycle rallies.
Still on an R1100S.
Still helping others keep theirs alive.
One Million Miles Later
More than fifty years.
More than one million miles.
Countless motorcycles.
One conclusion.
“This current R1100S is truly my all-time favourite motorcycle.”
When someone with that much experience says something like that…
It’s worth listening.
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