1970s & 80s BMW R100Rs. Yay or nay?

[Yamahardman]

Lately i've developed a raging hard-on for one of these, and am seriously considering saving up for one, to blat around on, on a regular basis, and on long trips.

Any experience and/or info on one of these would be great! Especially views on reliability.

But not to beat around the bush, a key question for me (that i would greatly appreciate being answered) is how many rpm's does the engine pull at 100km/h, in top gear, and if so, are they strained feeling rpm's?

My gb's sprockets are stretched out and cant be stretched any further and it pulls around 4000rpm, but it feels strained, and I feel mean for making it do that for over an hour.

In short, id like to know whether or not the r100 is a nice big lazy 1000, good for going on long trips.

[Motu]

My riders handbook gives maximum permissible rpm for my R65 as 7650rpm, and maximum continuous engine speed as 7300rpm. They are not high revving engines, but like to be working in the upper rev range. An R80 is doing about 3,750 at 100kmh, an R100 would be less, and it will do it all day, everyday.

[Yamahardman]

Thanks for that! My gb pulls like a freight train between 3k and 4k but it feels out of breath anywhere after that, (it's a 600cc with an xr head on it, so maybe the cam profile isn't suited for huge revs?) Are they unwieldy bikes, being a flat twin, or does being flat twin make it really stable and not so unwieldy?

[Voltaire]

I have an R90/6 can easily tour 2 up, and can lanesplit even with panniers.
Post 81's have nicer gearbox action.

[Paul in NZ]

They are good solid bikes BUT they are getting long in the tooth and do have some well known foibles... A rabid BMW owner will never mention them as they are considered 'normal' to them.. (for example, we were out on our similar age Mk2 LM Moto Guzzi one day when it was admired by BMW man who told me that he always admired them but couldn't handle the inherent unreliability... Later he told me he had rebuild the beemers gearbox 5 times and the rear drive 3 times - go figure)

In the right hands they will do big miles effortlessly but they are aging and have been thrashed by many not so careful owners so if you get a good one, GREAT if you get a dog, project time...

[Voltaire]

They are good solid bikes BUT they are getting long in the tooth and do have some well known foibles... A rabid BMW owner will never mention them as they are considered 'normal' to them.. (for example, we were out on our similar age Mk2 LM Moto Guzzi one day when it was admired by BMW man who told me that he always admired them but couldn't handle the inherent unreliability... Later he told me he had rebuild the beemers gearbox 5 times and the rear drive 3 times - go figure)

In the right hands they will do big miles effortlessly but they are aging and have been thrashed by many not so careful owners so if you get a good one, GREAT if you get a dog, project time...


I only have 3 so probably not rabid enough, like any machine they need to be maintained and if you thrash them they won't last as long.
Saying that I run a 900 in the classic racing and its done 40 odd races limited to 7500 rpm, and the only thing that has broken is the ring gear came off the flywheel. Had the gearbox out and back in about 60 minutes.
Won the over 500 series due to finishing 20 out of 21 races, I'd like to thank Guzzi, Triumph, Ducati and Norton reliability for making this possible.:woohoo:
They made lots of them, many still in service doing high miles, and easy to get bits for.
There is no thick book called BMWology either.
rant over..:facepalm:
Now when my parts arrive I can carry on with my 18 month Guzzi Monza project :innocent:

[F5 Dave]

Lately i've developed a raging hard-on for one of these, a. . .
Really? That's like saying Helen Clarke is a bit of alright & you'd give her one:lol: I mean she ran the country for a while, to a fashion but. . .

[nodrog]

Who the fuck would want an ugly old slow piece of BMW shit?

[Yamahardman]

Really? That's like saying Helen Clarke is a bit of alright & you'd give her one:lol: I mean she ran the country for a while, to a fashion but. . .

phew, don't get me started on helen clarke, what a fox! haha the name alone makes my loins tremble, hahaha!

[Yamahardman]

Who the fuck would want an ugly old slow piece of BMW shit?

The same guy who buys a hell unreliable 70's two stroke designed with a ruler and a square, and a mongrelised single that sounds like it's going to blow to pieces once its crawled over the ton....

MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

I did some profile stalking, and from the bushes I spotted someone on a Suzuki of some GSXR description.

All I will say is, each to their own!

[gammaguy]

greeat bikes but FFS get it checked out before buying ESPECIALLY the gearbox,final drive and charging system

Some earlier BMW had the stator as a rotor and the rotor as a stator(those who know will know what I mean)and this was not always reliable

apart from that they are lovely old girls like a wet hairy and smelly dog that snuggles up to you on a cold night.But you still love them:innocent:

[Voltaire]

Who the fuck would want an ugly old slow piece of BMW shit?

wot he said...:innocent:

You might need to put Glad Wrap over the keyboard before viewing.

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[Motu]

I talked my brother into getting an airhead - he got an R100, and hates it. I had one over 30 years ago...and hated it....now I'm old I love my BMW.

[Yamahardman]

wot he said...:innocent:

You might need to put Glad Wrap over the keyboard before viewing.

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Those stainless headers look sharp in that photo of 146, they've turned that delightful gold colour, probably with A touch of blue right where the pipe meets the head (my gb has stainless headers and a stainless trumpet, i love it, lol) I really like how the bmw's sound too, that distinctive boxer sound with a good measure of carb slurp, haha.

[Yamahardman]

I talked my brother into getting an airhead - he got an R100, and hates it. I had one over 30 years ago...and hated it....now I'm old I love my BMW.

I'm 21, and I have a general disdain for modern bikes. Its like you've got 4 main catagories to choose from/ 4 main typecasts to fit into when you buy a new bike.

1. Supersport/ Sport- skin suited, graphics helmeted, younger person
2. Adventure Tourer- older person riding a swiss army knife of a bike
3. Motorrad- crazy hooligans
4. Cruiser- cruiser rider/ 1%er prospect/ 1%er

Id love to be able to get something with the styling of 70's roadster, with the go of a modern sportbike, the sound of something lumpy, light handling, versatile and able to just tick along at 100kms.

Hence the want of a bmw r80/100, it ticks most of those boxes....

[Motu]

I'm 21, and I have a general disdain for modern bikes.

I've never been into modern bikes, regardless of the era. In the '70's I was riding bikes from the '50's, in the '80's I was riding bikes from the '60's, and in the '90's I was riding bikes from the '70's. In this century my main bikes are both 1987. In 1987 I would consider both these bikes worthy of my contempt....now they are cool.

I wanted to get back to the one bike that does it all, not several bikes honed for one application. The Airhead does this very well for me...although I've done some mods to suit my porpoises. Very reliable, and very ridable.

[F5 Dave]

The same guy who buys a hell unreliable 70's two stroke designed with a ruler and a square, . . .
Spend some money on that. RD400s are waaay cool, but if you rebuild them properly, replace cracked manifolds etc & perhaps splash out on some Hagons for the rear you'll have a great bike that can scratch or munch miles with ease. They are only unreliable if they have an induced problem.

[swarfie]

Who the fuck would want an ugly old slow piece of BMW shit?

Hey Bro...The Beemers not slow...just its current rider :wings:

I've just restored a '76 R90S and LOVE it. Absolutely smooth as a babies bum at wotever cruising speed ya want to sit on :innocent: Handle ok, brake ok and no shortage of boogie when its needed....but then all my bikes are old ones :Punk:

[Ender EnZed]

I'm 21, and I have a general disdain for modern bikes.

Have you ever had a proper ride on a decent modern bike? If not, you're seriously missing out.

[Kickaha]

I've just restored a '76 R90S and LOVE it. Absolutely smooth as a babies bum at wotever cruising speed ya want to sit on :innocent: Handle ok, brake ok and no shortage of boogie when its needed..How much oil does it leak?;)

[Yamahardman]

Have you ever had a proper ride on a decent modern bike? If not, you're seriously missing out.

I've ridden a 89 vfr400 nc30, and a '06 yzfr6 (on many occasions), braking is really great, and engines are real fast once i get over the "oh wait, i have to bring it past my usual bikes redline to get this thing stoked properly" factor, but I'm not used to them at all, they're stiff feeling, i feel like i have to wrestle them to get them down in a corner. I ride loose, soft, well worn in bikes, that have at max, like 3 inch wide tyres, and I love it! They're so easy to throw about! haha

[Yamahardman]

Spend some money on that. RD400s are waaay cool, but if you rebuild them properly, replace cracked manifolds etc & perhaps splash out on some Hagons for the rear you'll have a great bike that can scratch or munch miles with ease. They are only unreliable if they have an induced problem.

It's on schedule for a rebuild, i'll hopefully be getting Robin Atkins in Tokoroa to do it, (fingers crossed). He growled me for suggesting I put spannies on it, reckoned I'd go slower without the torque, haha.

[Voltaire]

I too like the way skinny tyred bikes turn into a corner so easily.:banana:

[Ender EnZed]

I've ridden a 89 vfr400 nc30, and a '06 yzfr6 (on many occasions), braking is really great, and engines are real fast once i get over the "oh wait, i have to bring it past my usual bikes redline to get this thing stoked properly" factor, but I'm not used to them at all, they're stiff feeling, i feel like i have to wrestle them to get them down in a corner. I ride loose, soft, well worn in bikes, that have at max, like 3 inch wide tyres, and I love it! They're so easy to throw about! haha

That's not even remotely near enough to give you an accurate perspective on modern motorcycling. Maybe have a go on something with wider bars that feels more familiar to you.

Old bikes are cool but it sure as fuck ain't because they ride better. Don't go living out your Dad's fantasies just because you're imagining that the alternative involves wearing a power ranger costume is all I'm saying.

[Gremlin]

I'm 21, and I have a general disdain for modern bikes. Its like you've got 4 main catagories to choose from/ 4 main typecasts to fit into when you buy a new bike.

1. Supersport/ Sport- skin suited, graphics helmeted, younger person
2. Adventure Tourer- older person riding a swiss army knife of a bike
3. Motorrad- crazy hooligans
4. Cruiser- cruiser rider/ 1%er prospect/ 1%er
It's ironic that you immediately typecast others... and yet you're right into the classics while rubbishing the modern bikes. Each to their own...

FWIW, I own an adventure tourer, bought it at 27. It's a BMW too.

Life's short, buy what you want, worst case, you don't like it, sell it and buy something else.

[Voltaire]

BMW's are old mans bikes.:laugh:

[Motu]

BMW's are old mans bikes.:laugh:

That's why I didn't like my first BMW, I was only 27 at the time, far too immature for such a bike. I was 55 when I got my 2nd BMW, and suddenly it's perfect.

[F5 Dave]

I'm only 45 so I'll probably have to wait till I'm 70 when S1000s are considered for old duffers.

anyway, don't mention the war. Think I did once but I got away with it.

[Yamahardman]

That's not even remotely near enough to give you an accurate perspective on modern motorcycling. Maybe have a go on something with wider bars that feels more familiar to you.

Old bikes are cool but it sure as fuck ain't because they ride better. Don't go living out your Dad's fantasies just because you're imagining that the alternative involves wearing a power ranger costume is all I'm saying.

R6's are quite modern, my gb has clip-ons and rearsets, and the riding position isn't much different, just the suspension feel and the lack of half a mile wide tyres. The power ranger factor isn't a put off at all, It's a matter preference. I can ride faster on my gb than I can on a r6. So does a r6 ride better than my gb? Yes, but not when I'm on it.

Also, my dad never rode, nor did he ever want to, he's a car man, raced rally and whatnot.

[fatbarstard]

had a r100gs for about 10 years, travelled lots of ks trouble free. regular fettling will give you an enjoyable
experience for life.
bmws slow? not at all. a well ridden bmw on the road to akaroa can & has given triumph 955i riders a real curry up though more open roads will reverse that!
an r100 bmw will travel at 150 kph all day if you want to but that will have a bad effect on your demerit points.
you would be able to pass a truck & trailer by rolling on the throttle in top gear while two up with rally gear onboard.
the low center of gravity & skinny tyres make boxer bmws a lot of fun to ride & spare parts are easy to get.
would recommend one as a bike for a good all round bike for any type of riding.

[Hobbyhorse]

BMW's are old mans bikes.:laugh:

Good to have that confirmed John. Is there much of a waiting list for the BMW Zimmer frame?

[Hobbyhorse]

Good to have that confirmed John. Is there much of a waiting list for the BMW Zimmer frame?

Come to think of it, that is probably the current classification of my 1988 BMW R80RT.

[Voltaire]

Good to have that confirmed John. Is there much of a waiting list for the BMW Zimmer frame?

I got my first BMW at 25...:rolleyes: seem like 1/4 of a century ago..eek it is.

[Yamahardman]

I got my first BMW at 25...:rolleyes: seem like 1/4 of a century ago..eek it is.

Was that your bmw sidecar i saw at battle of the streets a few weeks ago?

[Voltaire]

Was that your bmw sidecar i saw at battle of the streets a few weeks ago?

No, that was Nodrog and Stirts on the red BMW.

I only run at the track meets.:shutup:

[Yamahardman]

No, that was Nodrog and Stirts on the red BMW.

I only run at the track meets.:shutup:

Haha cool. Who has the maroon triumph sidecar, the one that looks like a speed twin?

[Voltaire]

Haha cool. Who has the maroon triumph sidecar, the one that looks like a speed twin?

That's Wille, He has had that bike for a long time, and even taken it to Isle of Man I think. He goes hard on it.
You want to get along to some classic racing at HD or Taupo.
Crisismanagement has a BMW R80 for sale as he is moving house.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/tourers/auction-697164541.htm
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[Yamahardman]

That's Wille, He has had that bike for a long time, and even taken it to Isle of Man I think. He goes hard on it.
You want to get along to some classic racing at HD or Taupo.
Crisismanagement has a BMW R80 for sale as he is moving house.


ah rats! i just brought another car, haha
that guy is a machine!

[GrayWolf]

I'm 21, and I have a general disdain for modern bikes. Its like you've got 4 main catagories to choose from/ 4 main typecasts to fit into when you buy a new bike.

1. Supersport/ Sport- skin suited, graphics helmeted, younger person
2. Adventure Tourer- older person riding a swiss army knife of a bike
3. Motorrad- crazy hooligans
4. Cruiser- cruiser rider/ 1%er prospect/ 1%er

Id love to be able to get something with the styling of 70's roadster, with the go of a modern sportbike, the sound of something lumpy, light handling, versatile and able to just tick along at 100kms.

Hence the want of a bmw r80/100, it ticks most of those boxes....

I've owned both BMW and Guzzi.... My Beemer was a GS1000 (frame outside fairing model) from the early 1990's. If you can find one of these later airheads, they sorted? out the clutch/gearbox.. had good charging system. From memory they do 'thump a bit' but the sweet spot was around 5k rpm, at that point it was smooth and felt 'right'. They are fantastic bikes if ridden the way they are intended, fast touring, not thrashing.

Guzzi? I luuuuuurved my Guzzi's, when the MT is gone :( the new 1400cc California could be a serious contender. The late 90's onwards Guzzi's are a far better machine than the older ones for build/reliability.. but they still have the 'Italian' foibles!

Enjoy the Beemer, they are great machines... so are Guzzi's . Both are a bit idiosyncratic for ownership, both are rewarding to ride.

Reading your 'requirements' though, a look at the Suzook GS1400, Yamaha XJR11/12/1300, Honda CB1300, Kwaka Z1100/1200 would fit your bill. They are all modern takes on the 1970/80's UJM. I have ridden the GS and XJR, both have torque to spare, great acceleration (especially roll on), both will competently top 200kph if required.
Which brings to mind another venerable machine to consider, the stately FJ11/1200.... a serious touring machine and I can vouch for the FJ as a fantastically competent machine, as LONG as you dont try to 'sportsbike' ride it... it's long low and heavy, so 'ocean liner' cornering would be an apt description, but once mastered? You can tromp on with a fair rate of quickosity.

[Padmei]

Airheads get under your skin. You either like them or not. You can spend a lot of money quickly if you want them to handle like a modern bike but they prob never will.
I have a couple & like them but aren't into going fast or long tours etc. My R80GS is lovely at 4500-5500revs - really sweet & relaxed motoring. A lot of owners such as myself love the tinkering as much as the riding - they are very easy to work on.

I wouldn't personally buy into that reliability bullshit - go over to advrider & check out the airhead forum over there:facepalm:
http://advrider.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=85

I quite like Motoguzzis too but the cool looking ones are far & few between on Tme.

[Voltaire]

Airheads get under your skin. You either like them or not. You can spend a lot of money quickly if you want them to handle like a modern bike but they prob never will.
I have a couple & like them but aren't into going fast or long tours etc. My R80GS is lovely at 4500-5500revs - really sweet & relaxed motoring. A lot of owners such as myself love the tinkering as much as the riding - they are very easy to work on.

I wouldn't personally buy into that reliability bullshit - go over to advrider & check out the airhead forum over there:facepalm:
http://advrider.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=85

I quite like Motoguzzis too but the cool looking ones are far & few between on Tme.

Wise words.
Don't you find the ADV Airhead section gets repetitive? Some useful stuff there but you have to read a lot of crap to find it, unlike this fine forum:rolleyes:
See R65s are increasing in value...money in the shed.

[Padmei]

Wise words.
Don't you find the ADV Airhead section gets repetitive? Some useful stuff there but you have to read a lot of crap to find it, unlike this fine forum:rolleyes:
See R65s are increasing in value...money in the shed.

Yeah it does get repetitive but I have been in there for so long & still find out interesting titbits. A lot of modern bmw riders seem interested in the old ones - well I find that when i park it in public somewhere. I must actually go for a ride soon.:niceone:

[Motu]

I've been on ADVrider since 2001, almost when it started...a break away from some over moderated BMW GS site. I found them when looking for some info on my XLV750, of course being American they knew nothing about it, but have stayed with them ever since as I find more info on all sorts of stuff there. Now I have an Airhead, I find the Airhead section to have more info than any of the other stuffy BMW sites. Americans are such know alls about everything, you just have to do a lot of sifting and ignoring to get any real gems.

[Padmei]

I've been on ADVrider since 2001, almost when it started...a break away from some over moderated BMW GS site. I found them when looking for some info on my XLV750, of course being American they knew nothing about it, but have stayed with them ever since as I find more info on all sorts of stuff there. Now I have an Airhead, I find the Airhead section to have more info than any of the other stuffy BMW sites. Americans are such know alls about everything, you just have to do a lot of sifting and ignoring to get any real gems.

Yeah I hear ya. I have to say it is a lot better since supershaft & plaka aren't posting every 2 secs.
have you checked out the shiny things thread (http://www.advrider.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=70)? Some amazing cool things like the trucks & vans & then you can check out - boots......:wacko: