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A question for the collective group- '78R100rs

I am close to pulling the trigger on this '78 R100rs.

https://www.mortonsbmw.com/inventory/1978-bmw-r100rs-fredericksburg-va-22408-11526263i

This is a bike I've lusted after since I was in my 20s.
I am in my twilight years and would be lucky to add 1500 miles a season to it.

The Misses is giving me grief about the mileage and possible future costs.
I have 2 other bikes. A ninet racer and a small Honda trail bike.

I would appreciate others opinions about what to do.
I have spoken to Mortons and they assure me the bike is mechanically sound.

Thanks in advance for your advice.
 
I probably shouldn't offer any advice because, like you, I love the R100RS. Actually, lower mileage for a bike of that age would be more of a concern. From the pictures, it looks complete with the added benefit of a pillion backrest. The upgrade in ignition is a plus. If, later on you decide to sell, you shouldn't have any issue with recovering your investment, if not even making some profit. As you've probably noticed, airhead prices are going up. The question really is, can you afford the bike plus the compensation gift for your wife? Good luck.

Doug
 
Morton’s seems to have a good reputation. That they have been servicing it regularly and thought enough of this bike and offers it for sale gives me a good feeling.

No pockets in caskets. If not now, when?

Good luck.

OM
 
looks

Looking at the pictures and reading the description along with sale from a dealer as well as a fair price would give me a green light to buy.

Mileage is not so high for the year bike, mileage only depends on care and maintenance as well as riding style of the owner. If Morton's has a long history with this bike, that adds frosting on the cake to buy.

I have an RS, all stock except for getting rid of the the damned points a long time ago. I love it but I must admit as I am getting older it is becoming more uncomfortable to ride due to the low and narrow bars. I find it a bit touchy in parking lots and paddling it due to the limited leverage of the bars. I find it difficult to move around and put on my lift compared to my RT. Still, it is a wonderful bike and I know if it gets too bad, I can change bars to K75 bars or add bar backs. Not at that point yet. St.
 
lust away dualex, lust away

It ran this long. The odds remain in your favor.

Compression check, plug read, clutch test drive ( launch & high gear WOT to check for slippage. )
Spin the drive line in neutral ( there WILL be clunks and rotational take up , but is it smooth & not clanky or catchy in motion,
funny noises scrutiny. Test the forks for notch and flexion. Does it leak? Does that even bother you?
Is the tank clean inside ?

You could always tell people the speedo is actually 04xxx .
Replace some accessible rubber bits to get familiar with bike.


Wifes; well , either she'll go riding along and love it , or wont go riding, and you"ll love it more !



shes a beaut from this vantage point. ........................... I mean the bike , not your wife .... I stick to what I know.
GL on the decision!
 
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Lol

You will find out what kind of shop you are buying from if you walk in with a compression gauge in hand to buy a bike, LOL. In all honesty, it is a shame BMW didn't have the extra digit on the odometers. I harbor thoughts my RS had an extra one at the head of the row. That would at least make me feel better about having to replace and rebore jugs, rings and pistons at 45K miles.

OH, she was pretty when I bought her other than the Previous Owner's Disease in the form of a broken fairing on both sides. One side from getting drunk and fighting with a girl friend who promptly knocked it over with her car in a fit of anger. The other side was again drunk but this time fumbling the side or center stand and dropping it on the other side.

Bike shoppers looking for used bikes should have x ray eyes, and telepathic abilities in many cases, at least when dealing with a private person sale. St.
 
get a feel for the dealer

The most important factor is very difficult to ascertain. Integrity. You hang around in their shop, look at gloves, helmets, jackets .... How does the dealership FEEL???

If the karma is good, BUY THE BIKE. It would be a treasure to own and ride one of those in good condition. If a good vendor sells a good bike, you won.
 
Yep

perhaps but I know what kind of shop I walk out of if we can't pull a couple easy access plugs from a one kilo kilo mile machine !

Same here, I had that kind of BMW dealership locally, he is gone now and not missed. St.
 
Color

I could be wrong but I don't believe many 78 bikes were painted that color? I know my 78RS with the two tone red uppers tank, seat rail and black lowers and side covers, the so called Belgian police bike was limited. Gold was one of the more common colors I remember from 78. LOL, my teflon memory and laziness to look up data means I can't say what other colors were offered in the US that year.

The color combo is pretty no matter how many they sold that color. One thing I have to confess, I wish they has kept the spoke wheels and drum rear brake from the 77RS.

I absolutely hate the disc brake on my 78RS, it is about half as effective as the drum brake on my 84R80RT and on the RT, I went 200K miles before I had to change shoes and replace the wheel due to wear. I lost count of the number of pads I have put on the back of the RS my theory is all of the crap kicked up from riding on the road sticks in the pads and unlike the front calipers isn't washed out leading to excessive wear. To add insult to injury over this winter, I installed a new disc. The bike supposedly has only 50K on it now. All that messing and cost for half the performance, BMW's big mistake in my view.

LOL, if I didn't have one, I would go and check out that one for sure, who knows, I may have ended up in the garage if the situation was different. St.
 
I'm lucky

They both are lovely.
Wife's riding days are long over.

I am so sorry to read about your wife, will say a prayer.

My wife's riding days ended in October 2000, when a young man not paying attention at a stop sign drove into the left side of my RS sending me flying and sliding. This was the second time I had been knocked off a bike and hurt. First time was a deer at night coming home from work.

After a year of recovery, I decided it is just too dangerous to have someone on the back. It is one thing for me to accept the risk and if I cock up or what not, I am the only one to get hurt or killed.

LOL, I thank God he gave me the common sense to wear all the gear all the time in both accidents. No road rash, and good helmets did their jobs. St.
 
Yes

Yes we can, LOL, I have had the CC note on my Anonymus book for years, so far only three hits in 30 years, all good. LOL, luckily never any need for help. St.
 
I'm starting to sell some of my bikes and am moving to interesting cars. Motorcycles are a thing my wife and I have done together for 45 years, but arthritis has ended her riding for the most part.

I've got a Boxster. It makes us giggle as hard as when we were terrorizing sport bike riders with the RT. I'm going to sell my 916 and my RT and am going to add another car to the fleet.

Motorcycles have been, for almost our entire life together, a thing we do together. Whether she was riding her own or riding pillion with me, the joy was in our mutual rides. That's done, so aside from around town toodles, we have an interesting car to play with.

Maybe that's an opportunity that might serve you both better. I'm familiar with long term illness and know that every situation and every couple is different, but that's where we've wound up.
 
Convertible

I picked up a good condition BMW 335i convertible a couple of years ago, so now, the wife and I do day trips in that together. LOL, she loves me enough to still let me do day trips on the bikes. St.
 
I would like to thank everyone for their input on this thread.
My buddy is going to see the bike tomorrow and he is taking a buddy of his that speaks fluent BMW.
There will be a compression test.

I will let you know what the outcome is.
 
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