1979 R100S Provenance questions

[SGTBILL]

Hello all: This summer I bought an Airhead and I'm in the middle of going through it to get it too top running shape. The bike is a 1979 R100S. The bike is White with the Motorsport pin striping. The paint is not in great shape but from 10 feet it looks great to me. The seat is blue. I figured the white paint and pin striping was something someone did along the way to have the Motosport look rather than being original. Then last weekend someone told me he thought the only bikes BMW sold in that era with blue seats were the Motosport versions. The tank emblem is not like the Motorsport emblems I have seen in later models. That may be a clue.

I checked the BMWArchive.org web site to look at the data listed for the VIN. It indicates the "Type" is 0324; "Series" is 2474; "Market" is Europa; "Model" is R 100 S; "Production date" is 06/1978

I was toying with the idea of having the whole thing painted to really make it shine, since I expect this will be a favorite rider for the rest of my riding days. But if this is still an original paint Motorsport version maybe it makes sense to leave it in original (albeit not pristine) condition. In general, I am not a bike polisher and I have passed on a couple of Airheads that were almost museum pieces because I wanted bikes I would ride. A lot.

Is there a way to tell if this is a Motorsport R100S or one painted to look like it? Although I started riding on BMWs back in 1979, I wasn't paying attention to the new bikes back then. I was a private in the US Army stationed in Germany and a 1973 R75/5 was "all" I could afford so I don't have memory of the particulars of the models offered. Hopefully someone in our august membership will have better recollection than me.

BTW, 200 autumn miles on this R100S in the Shenandoah is a vivid reminder of why we ride....

 

[Dmftoy1]

There's some really good threads on these bikes over the last 2-3 years in the archives on the airheads list at micapeak.com. Fwiw

 

[20774]

Nominally, the R100RS models were the Motorsports. Here's a picture of the brochure at the time:

http://www.omnilex.com/public/bmw78/78p1.jpg

From what you say, your bike was a European bike. Tom Cutter only had recollections of the US deliveries since he worked at Butler and Smith at the time. Numbers of 1978 R100RSs ranged from 200 to 400...Andy Schwietzer's book mentions 500 bikes. Tom said that the first versions of RSs were just repainted run of the mill whereas the later models were purpose built with the bigger motor and exhausts. At some point in the run, the Motorsport painted bikini fairing was added to the R100RS...the engine badge even said R100RS but it looked like an S.

Given that you have a European bike, there might have been a different run there. I would have thought a 6/1978 built bike would be a '78 model.

 

[lkchris]

In Europe you could get any paint job you wanted.

The blue seat would fit any big Airhead '77-'84 and you didn't need special permission to order one.

There was never a special tank emblem from BMW for any airhead ever. If this is not the standard roundel, it's aftermarket.

First question to answer is whether there were ever "Motorsport" bikes sold outside the USA. I'd be surprised if there were.

 

[toooldtocare]

This is my old Motorsport, minus the "yellow" bags (should be white) which were replaced with better looking black ones. I let my very original Motorsport go a couple of years ago, and today it is in a museum. I do not know about the 100S bikes, but I have heard that they did make some "Motorsport" versions of them. As far as I know they were all the 78 model year. I bet yours is titled only as a 79 because it was the year it was sold. Again, a regular bike vs a Motorsport is paint, a blue seat, and a blue brake line to the rear master cylinder. This may help, is yours blue? I would not swear that the 100S versions were blue, but I know that the RS versions were.

 

[SGTBILL]

Mine doesn't have a blue rear brake line. I sent a query off to BMW Archives asking for any details about the bike. Often they can fill in some information such as where it was first sold and options installed at the factory. I'll let everyone know what I learn from them.

 

[jimwjarmour]

all stirred up

Hi again ,sgt Bill,boy you sure have us all stirred up since buying the r100s! ,I seem to remember,(while I lived in n,Ireland ,uk in 1978) there being a 1978 r100 SRS in motorsport white,only a small number, an RS with the S fairing installed,it was said to be a cancelled order from a police force (Australian I think) does your bike have a 40 mm exaust? if in doubt the bracket holding the header to the footrest bolt will be stamped 42,if its stanped 40 they are 38 mm,hope this helps Jimmy

 

[toooldtocare]

You probably have already seen these, but if not, may be worth looking at.

http://www.omnilex.com/public/bmw78/

http://www.motofantasy.net/1978-bmw-r100s-motorsport/

http://r100smotorsport.forumfree.it/

 

[SGTBILL]

A Few Clues

I haven't heard from the BMW Archive query I sent over the weekend but from the links below comes this nugget from Tom Cutter (Courtesy of Kurt in San Antonio I believe).

"There were a number of 1978 model R100 bikes built with S and RS fairings and painted with the Motorsport paint job. All had Euro-spec motors, which by 1978 was just a larger exhaust and different carb jetting.

The bikes were being built in Germany when the original purchaser, the Austrian BMW importer, cancelled the order, due to weak sales.

BMW contacted their various distributors, and Butler & Smith, Inc., here in the USA, accepted the order, specifying the Motorsport paint shceme which had sold well here the previous year. The bikes arrived here in 1979. I happen to know that, because I was the guy who off-loaded them into the warehouse, while the regular warehouseman was out for surgery."

Based on this I believe my R100S was built in June 1978 as part of this Austrian order and subsequently shipped to Butler and Smith and sold as a 1979 Model. I'll wait to hear from the BMW Mobile Traditions Archive folks.

 

[toooldtocare]

Now that makes sense, explains the paint and year.

 

[SGTBILL]

Reply from BMW Group Archive

I received the following from the BMW Archive folks...

"The BMW R 100 S VIN 6067605 was manufactured in June 1978, the original paint code is mentioned as 585 which stands for "Motorsport Design Weiss". Further details are not known, because the delivery records are not complete anymore.

Nevertheless we hope this information is helpful for you."

Based on this I think the paint is likely original and as I said before not in great condition. Since Motorsports had blue seats the seat is also likely original.

I guess I have to be careful what I do with this one.

 

[toooldtocare]

To give you a good idea, my very good condition Motorsport sold for $13,000 to a collector in Alabama and currently is in a museum. The paint was almost perfect, had both seats (full and 3/4 - both in blue), and 16k miles on it.

 

[SGTBILL]

Something I'm pretty sure isn't original are the side covers as they don't have decals on them. Those covers were easy to lose as I recall.

 

[bikerfish1100]

Battery cover decals were added post-delivery.
Rear brake line on the 1978 Motorsport S model was blue, same as the RS version.
Motorsports came thru in 3 configurations in '78; RS with RS badged motor, S with RS badged motor, and S with S badged motor. The RS/S was the rarest of the 3. The RS badged motor might have come thru with 40mm exhaust, as did the other 1977-78 Euro spec models (RS gold metallic, original silver blue RS in '77, and the "Belgian Polizei" red metallic/metallic grey RS model).
This was the "Belgian police" model:

 

[happy wanderer]

This thread is really enjoyable and the bike you have there is quite the story. It would be cool to write this up with photos for the ON. Sure would beat another travelogue!

 

[112190]

Motorsports and More

Interesting information here to a boomer admiring/owning these bikes for 40 years. And BTW, the '75-'79 Airheads are all special,......truly the sweet spot IMHO.

AGREED,.....if I see another travelog of a GS group wandering through South America, I'm going to gag myself.

 

[dennisdarrow]

Interesting information here to a boomer admiring/owning these bikes for 40 years. And BTW, the '75-'79 Airheads are all special,......truly the sweet spot IMHO.

AGREED,.....if I see another travelog of a GS group wandering through South America, I'm going to gag myself.

Truly right in all regards.............Those years were the apex of the breed, before USA mandates began to erode the design aspects.......................Yes, I get a kick out of the "Adventure Expeditions" like the one about the "Pony Express" in the current, December, issue of the BMWMOA Owners News. Yups with a support vehicle across terrain that most of us rode on with our /?? whatevers not so long ago...........lolol.....Wondering if they didn't come across some of the current "Aboriginals" to sell them beads and fry bread.................God bless.........Dennis