AMOL Precision - I need your help

I've read some varying information about AMOL Precision recently. I just came into possession of a 77 R100RS with a placard affixed to the frame that reads "Specifically Built For A. Baxter By AMOL Precision Corp. I bought the bike from an "A Baxter" who's father apparently owned the bike. A little Googling shows AMOL involved in modifying and racing bikes in the AMA and other series' in the 60's and 70's. The bike is MUCH more than I could have ever hoped for as I discovered that it's an electronic ignition, dual spark example. Although it hadn't run in at least and perhaps 4 years, a clean out of the tank and some fresh gas along with a battery boost fired the bike up which settled into a VERY strong comfortable idle.
I have to imagine that there is some history here that I NEED to explore. Anyone??

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Nice score, but the pics dont show. sounds great

xp8103 said:

I have to imagine that there is some history here that I NEED to explore. Anyone??

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I don't know about your needs but if it's a nice bike and the price was right, you're a lucky guy!

Amol was one of the great NJ BMW dealers during the B+S years and aside from their long history and great success racing BMWs, they sold a lot of bikes and ran a terrific service department.

When I lived in NJ they did some work for me and sold me a few things. I always liked hanging around the shop. They never failed to give me the keys to a new BMW to test ride, while I was waiting for my bike to be finished and the work on my bike was always first class.

In the 90s BMW began demanding that their dealers begin creating huge, one brand, "Jewel box" show rooms and Amol (Who was selling 10+ Hondas for every BMW that went out the door!) chose not to play "BMW money ball" and closed completely.

That was a sad day for New Jersey's BMW riders and left a bad taste in a lot of peoples mouths. The owners of Amol spent a pile of their own money racing bikes and really helped put BMW on the map but in the end, it doesn't appear as if they were treated very well by the "new guard" BMW managers.

Thats the way it goes, I guess....

It's going to be much LESS of a project than I thought! Need to figure out which carb kit to buy, the left one is dripping. The steering damper is gone. Rear shocks are gone. The front brake pressure switch is stuck on. The seat latch doesn't. Battery is shot (Westco on order).

The missing body work isn't too much of a pissah but I'm going to have to find side covers sooner than later.

xp8103 said:

It's going to be much LESS of a project than I thought! Need to figure out which carb kit to buy, the left one is dripping.

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Give it a quick kick? That will stop about half of 'em when the float needle sticks.

The front brake pressure switch is stuck on.

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Late VW air-cooled/early VW water-cooled switch. Every auto parts store has one - or can get it in a day.

The seat latch doesn't.

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Considered a luxury item. If the seat comes off, you've got bigger problems anyhow.

The missing body work isn't too much of a pissah but I'm going to have to find side covers sooner than later.

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But ... but ... it's an RS! Says so right there on the engine!

Doesn't cost all that much, either. Ebay for either body panels or side covers. New OE covers were $42 each, last time I checked. I have a set of the fiberglass reproductions (My bike's white anyway.) that are perfectly serviceable.

Are you sure it's a '78? It looks like '77 colors - and I thought '78 RS's came with alloys, not spokes.

HAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAAHAHHA..... On the seat, that was kind of what I was thinking too!!

AHHHhh AMOL

I miss those guys dearly especially Joe the Service Manager, Richard the owner and Valmer Cross who ran sales. (Richard's Nephew).

Now that was a dealer. The precision shop was attached to the dealership but were separate entities.

Yes, the taste in all of our mouths who live in Northern NJ are still sour after all these years.

It's funny how that name came up so I'll tell a little story: Waaay back in '90 i stopped at AMOL to see what BMW was offering as far as these airheads were concerned. The shop was old school to say the least. Very small and well worn shop but that's the way we all liked it. Bikes piled around everywhere, Ducati's and Honda's as well.

So i got to chatting with Val and he handed me a set of keys to a 1985 R80RT. (No registration no license no anything requested). Off i went around the neighborhood. Just so you know, they were in Dumont, NJ which is a little tiny town but very congested, so while riding/puttering around i kept saying to myself, "what a bucket of bolts, how does anyone ride these things?" I went straight back to the counter and wished Val, good luck trying to sell these contraptions and thanks, but no thanks!

So i walk out to my car, which happened to be the company van at the time and realized i locked the keys inside. Holy crap, now what? I'm new to NJ don't really know anyone so i go inside and ask Val for a wire hanger and he says, why don't you just take the bike home and drop it back off in the morning on your way to work? I couldn't believe what I was hearing but i took him up on it.

Because of that type of person i was dealing with, that began my love affair with airheads. Why? because i only realized what I was riding after i got it on the open road. I lived about 35 mountainous/twisty (for Jersey!) miles from AMOL and I had a smile on my face the whole time! I returned the next morning with a check! To this day, i have an '84 R80RT because of those good people who NA chose to, in my opinion, destroy. These people put BWM in the position to become a market leader and they squandered it.

They were the best!

M

xp8103 said:

The missing body work isn't too much of a pissah but I'm going to have to find side covers sooner than later.

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A fellow naked RSer?

It's a cute label to have on the bike, but it really doesn't mean very much.

If it did, the bike wouldn't be in its current condition.

The seemingly "missing" RS fairing is a bummer as a BMW without an RS fairing really isn't an RS, but do understand that those factory auxiliary light mounts are worth a fortune.

lkchris said:

The seemingly "missing" RS fairing is a bummer as a BMW without an RS fairing really isn't an RS...

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Too true, RS-plastic=BS

Kent - perhaps you're right but then, I can't recall ever seeing one like it on others bikes. And as for the plaque meaning much - it's got a plaque on it, with a name that has at least a LITTLE history with the marque. And given that the bike belonged to the father of the fellow I bought it from, he was likely the original owner. And I take the missing body work as only part of the story. Why was it missing? And it wasn't just missing, someone took the time to mount factory aux lights, install electronic ignition and put on dual plug heads. As for the condition, the odo reads 4057 miles likely meaning that SOMEONE rode it over 100000 miles in the last 33 years (isn't that what BMWs are about??)

So, I don't have any misconception that there is WORTH in the plaque mounted there, but a 33 year old RS with 100k miles on it not awfully far removed from who I believe is the original owner may mean it has a STORY.

But maybe I'm wrong.....

Just thought I would add, back around 1981 I needed some parts for my R68. Bart, who was in the parts department at that time led me upstairs to their old parts room and left me there to rummage around the bins to see what I could find. Needless to say I found some very rare parts that allowed me to almost complete my restoration. There are no more old time dealers that would allow such a thing anymore, much less even have any of those old parts from the 1950's.

What's the VIN/serial number of the bike?

What's the VIN/serial number? Is it an early 77?

61809 33

A quick update - I've exchanged a couple emails with a fellow I found over on the Pelican Parts Tech forum named Ken Gurak who worked for AMOL back in 77-78. He has already provided me with some great company stories and a little insight into what they used to do to the bikes back then. For instance, replacing the rocker plain bearing shafts with needle bearings to quiet them down.

He also said that customers would occasionally commission "special bikes", AMOL having a reputation for building special, "one-offs", sometimes directed by the customer, sometimes just given free reign. When they did one tho, they would put the plaque on it.

Can you buy Yuenling in Me? We don't seem to have it in Ct. Get when I see my son, at school, in Pa.
Nice bike!

skiteach said:

Can you buy Yuenling in Me? We don't seem to have it in Ct. Get when I see my son, at school, in Pa.
Nice bike!

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Hell no! That is what I ALWAYS come home with a couple cases when I go visit my uncle!

xp8103 said:

Kent - perhaps you're right but then, I can't recall ever seeing one like it on others bikes. And as for the plaque meaning much - it's got a plaque on it, with a name that has at least a LITTLE history with the marque. And given that the bike belonged to the father of the fellow I bought it from, he was likely the original owner. And I take the missing body work as only part of the story. Why was it missing? And it wasn't just missing, someone took the time to mount factory aux lights, install electronic ignition and put on dual plug heads. As for the condition, the odo reads 4057 miles likely meaning that SOMEONE rode it over 100000 miles in the last 33 years (isn't that what BMWs are about??)

So, I don't have any misconception that there is WORTH in the plaque mounted there, but a 33 year old RS with 100k miles on it not awfully far removed from who I believe is the original owner may mean it has a STORY.

But maybe I'm wrong.....

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I agree wholeheartedly!

Whoever owned and outfitted that bike like that obviously loved it and rode it and took care of it. You don't run an Airhead 100K+ miles without bonding with the bike and taking good care of it and the fact that the family kept the bike means that the bike meant something to the next family members to take possession of it.

when it comes to Airheads, I general go by feel and that bike feels special to me and "xp8103" is one lucky guy to find it. Why, for me, even looking at that thing in the photos tells me that that bikes something special and to have it turn out to be a "77"? Thats just icing on the cake!

Me? I think that there is value in that little plate. It will forever tell the world that that particular 77RS was sold, serviced and modified by one of the greatest and most historic BMW dealers in America. I, for one, would fix that little road burner up and when people asked me about my bike, I would point proudly to that plaque and say "Not only is it a 1977-RS but it was built by Amol BMW. The best of the best in the US!"

Oh... And thanks for the story "mbellantone". it's been a long time and I couldn't remember Val's name. What a cool guy. He really knew how to sell bikes, didn't he? Hand em the keys and let em come back with a check!" right on! I remember him giving me the keys to a gorgeous yellow Oil Head and after about 15 minutes on the bike, I took it back to the dealership. He urged me to take it back out for a while but I knew in my bones, that if I rode that bike for a few more minutes, I'd have to own it!

When I went down to pick up Crazy Horse, the tech and I went over the work he did and he looked my road-worn, high-mileage bike over one last time and said: " "Thats a nice old bike" and I replied "That old thing? Man, that bikes near worn out!". The tech laughed, slapped me on the back and said "You know as well as I do, that that bike has a LOT of miles left in it!" and walked away.

Interestingly enough, I'm still riding that old bike!

a fortuitous find

AMOL's racing & BMW engine building reputation is second to none !
( Certainly would be interesting to know exactly what was done to that engine ... )

The AMOL badge and the bike's history would be a priceless bonus ÔÇô
to a hotrod-BMW aficionado such as myself.

An RS without the plastic ?
= A lighter & more agile machine

Cool!