1978 Bmw R100rs

[neilw]

I just discovered this BMW part of the AMOA. Besides Harleys ,I have a suposedly rare 1978 R100RS .I bought it 1981 because I had sold my Harley,and thought I'd try somethiong different .The saying was "Harleys are the Cadillac of bikes ,and BMW's are the Rolls Royce" so I figured I gain a little class. Trouble was I never got to work on it ,the thing just held together and nothing ever quit working,once I gleefully had to replace a clutch cable.After that just ride ,ride,ride never fix anything. After 7-8 years or so I got back to a Harley and garaged The BMW. A BMW dealer here once said it was the only one that color that had been imported into Canada,and the blue seat made it more unusual.There was a few other things too,maybe the white Krauser saddle bags I'm not sure. Since it seemed it was unusual I kept it all these years. It still has the recalled wheels ,I wanted it to be original.The saddle bags have cracks and the windsheild is gone.I have a replacement one on a shelf.
I'll see if I can send a photo.

[darrylri]

It's a shame that the bike disappointed your wrenching urges, but it looks like you need to replace the bolt that holds your license plate in the second photo.

I looked through "BMW Boxer" by Andy Schwietzer, a book that includes all of the stock paint codes and the general paint schemes for each year, and he doesn't show a white paint for any year near 1978. Could yours have been repainted by the previous owner? BMW did do some special runs with unusual colors, and Schwietzer doesn't list them all, so perhaps yours is original that way.

If you're going to keep the original, pre-recall "snowflake" wheels, you should definitely watch the ribs near where they join the hub on the front wheel, as that is where they are said to crack. (Yes, BMW will replace them free, even today, with the later design.)

[neilw]

The bike could have been repainted . The thing that made me think it wasn't was because I met a BMW mechanic/shop owner ,who ate, drank, and slept BMW bikes. He took the serial number down and later told me the gear ratio and alot of other things. He had a white bike with red pinstriping that he painted to be unique and was very suprised to see my bike .
Now I'm curious,where would be a good place to look for traces of original paint ? I guess if they were really getting into it there would be none,but it doesn't seem logical to buy a new bike then paint it right away then sell it . Us Harley guys would do that in a minute ( not sell it though ) ,but you Beemer guys ....well I don't know... LOL .
Anyways I'm heading to the garage to look closer !
Neil

[Rubone]

Darryl,
What about the Motorsports edition? It was out in '78 and was WHITE! Limited edition but with blue and red stripes and that red headlight surround.
Neil,
If anything BMW riders are more perverse than Harley riders and especially airhead riders!
Robbie
'44 UL,'47FL,'47WL, '54FL,'55KHK, more!
'55 R69, 65 R69S, '80 R100RS Hotrod!
Misc. Brits

[petri]

R100 RS Motorsport

I have an R100/7 which I bought from the original owner. He kept the original sales literature which I have. It refers to all of the 1978 models. The R100 RS Motorcport's standard color was white with "Motorsport" color scheme. In fact, that's the only color listed for the RS Motorsport model and the only model in white.This model is on the cover page. I'll scan a couple of pages in and try to post them.

Howard

[petri]

R100 RS Motorsport

Here's the first page on the R100 RS Motorsport from original factory literature.

Howard

[petri]

1978 R100 RS Motorsport

And here's the picture of the 1978 R100 RS Motorsport on the front page of the factory literature. They claim they would only make 200 of them making them rather rare I would think.

Howard

[neilw]

I was just looking at the pinstriping on my bike .It has a black stripe all along the fender with light blue over dark blue at the tip of the fender, same for the part under the seat it has the black all the way ,but the rear tip is light over dark blue. The part around the headlight is painted dark blue .I was going to send a photo of the front of the bike ,but after looking at it I'm disgusted with the way I let the dirt and grime accumulate over the years . I really feel sad for it .When I first got it ,it was even nicer than their white and red one petri sent the photo of. With the white saddlebags and polished up it really was a work of art to me. As soon as I finish reassembling my 1959 Harley I'm going to start on the BMW. I guess I feel guilty for ignoring such a loyal bike.
Oh ,yeah ,I guess if they only made 200 it could be the only one imported into Canada .
Neil

[Rubone]

Neil,
Look back at the photos sent. If your bike is not White with a RED Headlight surround and BLUE and RED stripes it is not a stock paint job for a Motorsports edition. Any other color combo is either a repaint or some other anomaly and not a limited edition. The factory paint is the most important aspect of it. Otherwise it is a normal R100RS.
Robbie

[HarleyCreation]

I have a 1976 R75/6 and a gearbox bearing gave out in it one time. Other than that it was a trouble-free motorcycle.

[Rubone]

According to some my '80 R100RS is badly abused. In order to keep up with my wife's modern Honda VFR I had to breath on it a little. It has a big bore kit (1050), sport cam, ported large valve heads, triple valve springs, titanium collars, light wrist pins, light flywheel, modified airbox, modified exhaust, dual plugged, ignition booster, fork brace, billet top tree, and a braced swingarm. It will pull 8500RPM in high gear. It is also still very streetworthy and has been coast to coast in that guise. I have put over 50,000 mi since the conversion and it still runs great. Purists claim it won't be any good to ride, it will break, etc. All my bikes have always been modified and this one is no exception.
Robbie

[Buzz Kanter]

A few weeks ago I bought a 1979 BMW R100RS (a bike I have long admired and ridden with when I had a R90S in the late 1970s) on ebay. I bought it, flew to Texas and rode ti back 2,054 miles to Connecticut.

The bike had almost 70,000 miles on the odometer and it give me excellent service on my long solo ride back - even through the very high temperatures, flash floods and more. Over the 6 days it took to get home (including stops at Barber and Wheels Through Time museums) I logged 2 days of over 700 miles each.

I am enjoying this bike a lot and it is bringing back some great memories of the old airhead BMWs I used to ride 30 years ago.

[Rubone]

Good for you on your ride Buzz,
My old RS is still the fastest/smoothest/most comfortable bike for long trips. I don't ride it nearly enough with the other stuff , but it never fails to impress me!
Robbie

[chiefj48]

I just picked up a '77 R100S Original Paint bike with 59kmiles, and it runs great!!! the bike has alot of soul, and i just can't seem to stop riding it!!!
this is my first BMW, and i am impressed with it!!! very very nice bike!!!

[Bobber59]

Got an '81 R100 myself. Has 97,000 miles on her and people still ask how she stays so clean! I flew into Long Beach at about 8 pm the night I bought her. After a half hour of conversation with the very reluctant-selling owner (I think he didn't want me to leave on her!)...I started her up and rode straight through to Seattle...if I remember correctly, 23 hours of riding with one catnap thrown in some where north of Sacramento! Into the wee hours of the night, I did some 90-100 MPH stretches on deserted route 5 ...and you talk about smooth and steady handling!

This is my third BMW (Had a great K1100RS and my first BMW was an R75/5) ....you can't knock these German motorcycles...45 years in the saddle, most impressive motorcycle I've ever owned!

Bobber59
'55 Ariel Sq4, '42 UL, '50 FLH, and trusty '81 R100 BMW