Which R100R for purchase?

Hi All,

The only airhead I own is a 1975 R90/6. I would like to get an R100R. As I understand, that would be years 1991-1995. Can you all please give me your comments, opinions, critiques, etc. on what year you would focus on? Any particular year to stay away from or are they all about the same.

I had another thread going but was told I should start a new thread and make my title more specific. Good point...

Thanks,

Chris

Of course you will be wading into the whole circlip missing from the transmission output shaft issue...

http://bmwmotorcycletech.info/transmission.htm

Per Snowbum, if you were looking at a 1995 and the transmission serial number was greater than 240765, you'd likely have the circlip. Otherwise you'd be asking if the PO had the clip installed or pondering the need to have it overhauled.

Or not.....

There's a few US-spec R100R nuances:

All R100Rs had four-pot front disc calipers. They work very well. The 1992 model had a single front disc brake. The 1993, 1994 and 1995 later models all had a twin disc set-up. I have read reports where riders say that with the single disc the, by modern standards relatively small diameter, fork stanchions can "walk" under heavy braking.

The 1994 and 1995 model year "Mystics" differ to the "normal" R100R in front indicator/headlamp mounting, instrument cluster treatment, front fender, seat and seat cowl styling, and handlebars that were much flatter and with a lot less pull back than the earlier years.

As wecm31 said above, in theory (there's some fog around the details) the transmissions in very last of the airheads did not have the "circlip" issue.

Monolever and Paralever airheads have a number of advantages over the earlier twin-shock bikes that help reliability and ride ability. However, fuel economy is not their strong suit, but they do get to run unleaded 87 (US [RON+MON]/2 measurement system) octane as standard and 10% less mpg than a well set up late 70s bike is probably a good guide. The R100R Paralever bikes are recognized as the best handling and best stopping of all the stock airheads.

I also have a (76) R90/6, my first BMW 7 yrs ago. Then 2 yrs ago, I picked up a 93 R100R Legend. The R100R developed a neutral switch leak, so I sent it to Oak and had the tranny updated with the circlip added, now no leaks or worries! I did not have any other problem, but the leak. The bike shifted without problems before and now. I have narrower bars and really love sport touring! The r90/6 is my daily commuter and just may ride it to Sadalia!

Mike Horne
76 R90/6
93 R100R Legend

Obviously I love the Paralever model, since I own one... Mine is is 92, which came from the factory with only one brake disc in the front but the original owner added the second disc, which is readily available.... The differences between the years is minimal at best. The difference between the R100R and the Mystic is a few details in styling, which belongs to the viewer...Overall I prefer the R over the Mystic, but I do prefer the dash of the Mystic. But at $600.00 for all the parts it is not worth my money yet to change it over... As far as the Circlip, I just don't worry about that... I bought my R 3 years ago with 40K on it and I am now in the process of doing my 80K inspection/tune-up... I have gone through the bike front to rear, forward and back over the last 3 years and still smile everytime I get on it. Mine came from England so it has European specs, which means I am running it with 40mm carbs and not the US version of the 32mm. You can't go wrong with any of them.
PM me if you have any questions... Prior to this one I also owned a 93 R100R, which I regreted selling so I got my current one, if that tells you anything.... BTW, I do like the Monolever too, mine has over 185K on it and it is a sweet ride. If my budget would allow, I would add a few more too... in due time...

IÔÇÖm firmly in the R100R fan club.

My 1993 is a great ÔÇ£nakedÔÇØ bike. It is much better handling than my 1994 R100RT (Wilbers rear shock on my R100R is every bit as good as the Ohlins on my R100RT), has excellent brakes, and is geared so that you get a lot out of the engine before holding on in the windstream becomes an issue. I have also fitted lower ÔÇ£MysticÔÇØ handlebars to help with the latter ÔÇô huge improvement making indicated 80mph riding tolerable for fairly long distances.

I actually prefer the MysticÔÇÖs styling, but the cut back front fender and seat/somewhat awkward rear rack (if fitted) combination makes it a little less functional than the ÔÇ£standardÔÇØ bike. However, while the pearlescent white of my R100R is glorious, it pales next to the stunning Mystic red. Not sure that I would trade mine for a Mystic, but I would gladly have one of each!

In the market for a R100R

OK, I am brand new in the BMWMOA and I 'm about to resurrect a 6+ year old thread.

So, being guilty as charged, 24 years after I purchased my second BMW, a R80R (the teal color with the boxer decal on the tank) I am in the market for my fourth BMW bike; and I have concluded that for many reasons (including some related with age) this will probably be my last one, so it has to be the R100R. (Note: My first was a 1996 R80G/S and my third was a R1100RA). So it is not like I am a newcomer to the BMW bandwagon but IMHO the roadsters were not only the last of the airheads but in many ways the last of the BMWs in the sense that they were true to the original spirit of 1923 e.g. the year they were born.

So here I am in case anyone wants to add to what others have said about how sound is the notion of someone (i.e. me) trying to acquire a 23-25 year old bike, fix it, repair it, maybe do some upgrades, in order to make it last for another 20 years and that is an optimistic expectation, since I am already pushing mid 50s.

There are many reasons why I want the R100R, even though I had the R1100RA for almost 5 years (and I did like it):

#1. Last and most technologically advanced of the airheads, light, easy to maintain, superb handling, excellent brakes with no ABS, trustworthy, mile-eating donkey, good resale value (even though this is not my intention).

#2. No computer on board (good ol' analog bike) no ABS, runs on regular (US 87 oct.) gas without hic-ups, parts are available and for the most part at reasonable prices.

#3. Spokes but still tubeless, smoother ride than alloy wheels, lots of tires available depending intended use, ample power in the entire range, and did I mention no ABS?

OK, I am being facetious, I have nothing against ABS, but honestly as someone who rides since I was 15-16 y.o and who's had the experience or riding an ABS equipped bike for 5+ years but never found myself in the need of ABS, I came to the conclusion that if you learned how to stop an ABS-less bike the proper way, and all you do is ride casually or even daily or so to work BUT ALWAYS very consciously and responsibly, chances are the extra cost, weight, maintenance for ABS is not necessary.

At the same time, having owned bikes with all this modern technology (e.g. computers on board, EFI, traction control, etc), I have come to the realization that -hey- a bike was never meant to be like a car; or simply put, once basic safety is there (good frame, reliable engine, trusted braking, dependable suspension) riding is more like getting liberated from our daily enslavement so when it comes to bells and whistles, less is (at least for me) more.

So please chime in and let me know where I've got it right and where not. And also, do not forget to comment, or simply point to where more info can be gleaned as far as the 3 major "weaknesses" of these R bikes.

i) circlip issue; no need to reference largiader, snowbum or ted porter, (been there, done that) my question is, if it were such a big deal wouldn't BMW have issued a recall, a fix, or do something about it. (maybe they did, and I simply do not know).

ii) week charging system and how "week" is week from your perspective; and if (and when) is it worth fixing/upgrading?

iii) the $2,000 O-ring issue (I read about this somewhere, had no clue, still have no clue, what is it and why it has such a hefty price attached?)

And finally, it sounds like my best bet would be to try to find a bike from 1995 (for all the above reason), do you agree with that, and the big million dollar question is WHERE do one finds such a bike, there were about 20K+made world wide, and the US is rumored to have received only a few hundred per year, so if my sources are right there are less than a thousand R100R on this side of the pond.

Thanks for taking the time, I am all ears to hear your advice!

Welcome to the forum! You have a pretty good handle on BMWs!

As with anything, the later the better. I might not remember correctly, the R100R Mystic made alongside might have been a "parts bin" bike, so maybe avoid that one.

i) circlip -- it's not a safety issue, more of a nuisance problem. Somewhat easily detectable so the owner can take care of it. Snowbum has been trying to keep a list of reported VINs w/ and w/o the circlip...that might help narrow the search.

ii) charging system -- it may be weak if you're running many electrical items...otherwise it's just fine. There are several bolt on options getting you in the 400+ watt range.

iii) $2000 o-ring -- it's that expensive, maybe higher now days, because it can lunch the motor. Snowbum and Anton have discussions of it and if you just do the right thing, you'll be fine.

Airheads are available in various places, but the more you narrow your choice, you'll have to wade through a lot before you get nearer to what you want. There are several search tools that will search all craigslist across the country. There's the IBMWR marketplace...beware of scammers.

Good luck!