My new Baby. 92 R100RS

Hey all. Name is Jim from CT USA. Happy to be here and happy to finally get a bike I have ALWAYS wanted.
This bike has no history attached but she runs perfect. Reasonably clean. New tires, brakes and fluids. Very happy with this bike but there are some peculiarities I would like to address at some point. I think it's best to just ride a while and get used to her. Then perhaps make small changes.
Maybe someone can tell me how to change my username to other then my email address?

Great bike there. I saw one nearly identical recently for sale; I think it was on Cycle Trader.
Enjoy.

Welcome the forum...nice bike! To get your username properly changed, I suggest you contact Jeff Betz in the MOA home office. He can be reached through the contacts on the main website. The forum and MOA websites run two different databases and it would be best to get everything changed consistently in both. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Very nice bike. I'm partial to the airhead RS model. I've had an '83 for a few years and really like it.

One word, Niiiiiiice

Thanks all! My last BMW was about 15 years ago a 60/5. Loved that slow thing. Toaster tank mmm..
I have to start my beginners motorcycle training course tonight. Friday night till 9 and 8 hours saturday and 8 sunday. Even though I have been riding 40 years licensed. State of CT LOST the fact that I have one and I have no old licenses to prove it. Unreal these people. I doubt that has ever happened to anyone in the history of the world.
Does little to help my mood!

All I can say, other than welcome is and SWEET BIKE. My favorite airhead has always been the RS (I've owned two, plus a bunch of other stuff) and yours is a beauty. Take good care of it.

Wayne

Very nice looking bike ! Congrats !




.

Drool, drool, drool.

What a great looking ride. Congrats on such good taste.

And a very nice intro post.

Looking forward to your impressions after you have had a chance to ride it for a while.

Maybe the nicest RS paint scheme of them all.

For sure it's the only one ever brought back or repeated.

This was a 1979 model year paint scheme then revived in the 1990s.

sibud said:

Drool, drool, drool.

What a great looking ride. Congrats on such good taste.

And a very nice intro post.

Looking forward to your impressions after you have had a chance to ride it for a while.

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I put a hundred miles or so on it so far. The riding position is really good for me at 5'10 and 185 lbs. I have a 1200 roadster(sportster) and it took a bit to get used to the RS. Definately down on power from the sporty and it's SUCH a flat torque curve.
I had trouble finding the pegs and cant get the toes of my riding boots in there to brake and shift. The rear brake is quite weak. Fronts are sweet. Same brembo's as the single disk on my Guzzi back in the day. The bars are so freakin narrow it's exiting moving it about in the garage. The kickstand is the worst thing I have ever used. Centerstand is fine. The bike handles well although she wants more countersteer then I'm used to to get her over. Sticks like glue though and goes great through the curves for a tall long legged bike. The highway manners are incredibly nice. At 85 she just purrs like a kitten and tracks like a train. The fairing is my first and works real well. The windscreen was designed by the guy that did the kickstand i guess.. Aweful roar at 40 plus. It had a 1 inch crack at the top center so I cut it down to just before the turn up at the top. Roar is about 75% cured. I love the looks of the bike and I love riding it. It's pretty much just what I expected other then that absurd kickstand that can't be deployed from the saddle and is questionable at best. I have a lot more bonding to do with this bike and I'm real glad I found her. I find the seat comfy but I haven't spent much time in it. I have a SUPREMELY comfy seat on the sporty and can ride all day without even thinking about it.
That's about it for now. Cant ride this weekend because it's safety course sat and sun and theguy knows my permit expired. I'll be back with my MC endorcement next week and can back to riding to work.
So far lovin it.

WELCOME...

Beautiful bike there. You WILL get used to the ergos.

Enjoy!

Greg,

What you just learned in 100 miles is what every motorcycle magazine review also said of the RS. It is even more funny that the bike is loved by so many with all these flaws. Now, start thinking about improvements. I had a 88 RS and 78 RS. The seat on the 78 was far better than the 88, so I changed the 88 seat with a Corbin Canyon. Made a big difference, except with the looks. On both of my bikes I added a Brown side stand, also made a big difference. On the 78 RS I also added K75S bars, another big help. And finally, on the 88 RS I added a slighter taller windscreen, which actually made it worse. Getting into clean air is better than dirty air behind the taller screen.

Look back over the many posts on these changes and you will find ideas and improvements that can be made without changing the character of the bike. One thing that cannot be improved much, is the drum rear brake. Best to use it only to scrub off a little speed in the curves than trying to actually stop with it.

Wayne

JG:

Welcome, and nice looking bike.

Have your tech weld a little tang onto the kickstand; then you should be able to deploy it with the heel of your boot. Easy peasy, if you have a 34" inseam. There's a great long thread on ADVRider, complaining about the airhead kickstands, but I used one for 15 years with no issues.

As for the wind roar, you can get aftermarket windscreens that are a bit higher than stock, and that don't ruin the bike's looks. But I've had three boxer sport tourers, and wind roar just goes with the territory.

The main issue with the RS's, as you have discovered, is the narrow handlebars, but you should get used to these.

It's a bike where earplugs are mandatory for sure. I fitted a maybe 2 in taller windscreen so I could actually see under to view the clock and voltmeter. PLEASE don't fit a straight-up screen! This is worse than wearing a pocket protector!

On mine, I would reach down and deploy the sidestand by hand before getting off. With the narrow bars it's a challenge to stay in control of the bike getting off without the bike on the sidestand first and I think impossible with a tall tankbag. Your sidestand may be different from my '84. BMW has not made a bike with bars this narrow since and the racing crowd have gotten away from narrow clip-ons, too. It was a '70s thing.

I almost never used the rear brake on mine and it's seldom necessary. BMWs simply aren't designed for majority rear braking.

lkchris said:

On mine, I would reach down and deploy the sidestand by hand before getting off.

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I used this technique as well.

I almost never used the rear brake...

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Likewise, after experiencing a couple of step outs, but I had had a set of PFM cast iron rotors installed, and they allowed for a bit more bite more than the stockers.

You can get used to anything I suppose but comfort is a bigger issue once you're of a certain age as they say. I've installed a Brown side stand, Parabellum tall screen and bar backs on my red smoke '82 RS. All great improvements for me personally. These bikes and their fairings have a timeless look still imitated today.

One thing I've always found strange about the RS is the rear brakes. The '76 to '84 models started out with rear drum brakes and then in 78 they started putting a disc brake on the rear. Then in 86 due to popular demand (outrage?) the RS came back in a mono lever configuration but it was back to rear drum braking. Too bad they didn't design in a rear disc on the mono version. The rear disc on my '82 is very effective.

Anyway, congrats on a beautiful RS. My bro in law has exactly the same bike, a '92 and same paint scheme. It's a thing of beauty and a joy to ride. Very nimble and somehow feels lighter than my '82 even though the dry weight is only 2lbs less.

Enjoy it!

That bike looks like it was well taken care of. I am sure you will enjoy it for many seasons. I love owning and riding my airhead. Just curious, how many miles are showing? If I may ask, was the price over $4K?

Thanks all again for the words.
I do want to find bar backs but havent had any success. I don't want to use K75S bars because I need to use the padded bar cover. My one mod on the bike when I got it is heated grips, and the switch is in the center of the roundel on the bar pad. So bar backs are what I will try out if I can find some. I find them for earlier models but not later models. I LIKE the heated grips right now.
Yes the bike is very clean but never restored at all as far as I can see. There was 48000 miles on the clock. Seems like she has been well taken care of. She sat for 10 years in a basement full of BMW's before the last owner bought her. He is VERY meticulous, as his home and garage shows. He treated her properly and had MAX BMW do some odds and ends plus new expendables.
Yes she was over $4000. She was over 5 in fact. I don't care. It was on ebay and I wanted to get it before the bidding started on the last few days. Many people were watching.
The bike is a rider. The engine isnt spotless and the carbs show some pee stains. Nothing is exactly perfect but everything is nice original. I'm a rider too. Works out! No rattlecan paint anywhere but I may do the valve covers over. Then maybe not. Also may do a rear shock but the stocker on there works pretty damn well. Rebound is off a touch. Forks are fresh sealed and oiled. Very nice. New fork leg boots too. Previous owner did good work and was picky.
I do want to change out the seat maybe. Before the original tears or something. It's perfect now. All I can find are pricey new corbins or ebay stockers. none cheap.
I'm busy reading up on RS stuff here. Plenty to read. I get all kinds of ideas from you all and thanks for that!
She feels a bit squirrley when braking hard. Kind of loose touch with the rear end for a second or two. Anyone know what that's all about? I haven't explored it yet. Everything feels tight. I don't know what's actually happenning though.

JGREGOR1.JG said:

She feels a bit squirrley when braking hard. Kind of loose touch with the rear end for a second or two. Anyone know what that's all about? I haven't explored it yet. Everything feels tight. I don't know what's actually happenning though.

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Tire pressures? Steering stem bearings loose? Is the wheel true...balanced?