Stating the obvious . . . .

My friend has admired my bike and he is mechanically able. He has been looking for a R series that he could take care of and ride. He is capable of rebuilding a bike but would prefer to buy a decent bike and ride. He has been unable to find something that wasn't overpriced (read:in good condition).
He called Bob's BMW and spoke with a salesman and was told that nice airheads are in short supply and that a nice R100RT w/ monolever is probably worth $6000.
Considering how bad Wall Street is doing, fixing up an airhead is a good investment!
Can anyone remember what a 1993 R100RT sold for new?
Thanks,
Campbell Tellman II
'93 R100RT

Here's a source:

http://www.beemergarage.com/documents/pricelist93.pdf

If you can convert pounds to dollars:

http://www.bmbikes.co.uk/priceguides.htm

Bob's is a good place to get parts, advice, a new bike, gear, etc. and I give them a lot of business (happily), but on reporting on the state of the airhead market, not so much in my opinion. They tend to try to create the market more so than see the reality of it. This I've found to be particularly acute on airhead bikes for sale. And like many dealers (and real estate for that matter), a salespersons opinion may oft be confused with a complete picture of the real market. Mostly, its a viewpoint of their reality (what do I have to sell not what's the best bike on the market for your friend necessarily). Not all bikes for sale by owner are junk, not at all and I'd strongly suggest non-dealer avenues be considered as well (if not more).

I spent just 10 minutes looking around for a few decent buys on bikes. Some of these I've just browsed online or friends have sent links to me (I'd love an RT, RS, ok, I'm becoming a junkie). Here's a few to take a peek at for your friend:

'83 R100RT ($3500):
http://tinyurl.com/5rwnua

'84 R100RT Last Edition(reserve not met, but damned nice bike):
http://tinyurl.com/5hnwg2

'86 R80RT Monoshock ($2300):
http://tinyurl.com/2tekkf

'82 R100RT ($3200):
http://tinyurl.com/5dwtb5

This very site has a decent selection currently for sale, ibmwr.org, craigs list in cities near you, subscrbe to the mags (BMW ON, Airmail, OTL, etc.), attend local tech days (even if your friend doesn't yet have a bike or an airhead), it's great comeradery.

they can all be shipped, or ridden home. Have an airhead adventure.

The bottom line is, it's pretty easy to find a good strong bike to start riding with minimal fuss, and unless you friend is looking for a Motorsport or regular R100RS in mint condition, it shouldn't take $6k. That's absurd in my opinion--unless its a couple bikes.

[No offense intended for any Real Estate agents or bike sales folks. As I said, just an opinion. ]

Time of the year also has a lot to do with price /availability of bikes.
I don't think a dealer is a good benchmark to use when buying a bike. Try selling an Airhead to a dealer and see what they think the true value is. Then try to buy one from a dealer and see what they think is the true value is.
Having sold 2 Airheads and a K bike in the last 7 months. I have not seen that much variation in demand and supply over previous periods.
With a little homework and time I am sure you can find a nice bike at a fair price.

mtnrider2 said:

I don't think a dealer is a good benchmark to use when buying a bike. Try selling an Airhead to a dealer and see what they think the true value is. Then try to buy one from a dealer and see what they think is the true value is.

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Well said! I tend to get waaaay too wordy.

CTellman said:

Considering how bad Wall Street is doing, fixing up an airhead is a good investment!

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Investment?
No. Not if you're concerned with making money.
Yes. If you're looking for a nice older bike that can maintain a reasonable pace on the road and is relatively trouble free (and that's subject to interpretation).

108625 said:

Investment?
No. Not if you're concerned with making money.

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Hehehe, wanna buy one of mine?

AnnapolisAirhead said:

Hehehe, wanna buy one of mine?

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No thankyou.

After moving to town and giving up the space to adopt every sad looking piece of neglected machinery I found, I changed my selection criteria.

If it is not something I've wanted most of my life, it can stay right where I found it.

Even the Beemers (old and new) were something of a foray into curiosity. They weren't something I've "always wanted". My R100T (transformed into an S) has become a great bike, after all the work and money spent on it over the years. I know it will never return that investment in dollars and cents, only in riding pleasure.

Now, if I were to have put the same time and effort into a bike I've lusted after for most of my life, it would more likely have been a Laverda Jota, or Honda CBX.
They're just harder to find parked in sheds in Montana.

There were less of the monoshocks - plus they were more recent, so typical shape is better overall. All these factors drive up the price.
I don't know if these should be called an investment - but they certainly are no longer depreciating assets - unlike most any vehicle useful for daily drive/riding.
Just tell your friend to get a running, titled one - at least that gives you a known starting point.