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1977 R100RS (euro)

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My friend has many bikes and I asked him to consider selling me one of his stalled refurb projects. He showed me a 1984 R100S and this 1977 R100RS. He says this bike, the 1977, is a Euro import and one of only 200 or so made by BMW. He has all the parts, had the motor tuned and cared for recently and upgraded the electrics. He also has sanded down all the body work and had planned to pain it.

It needs re-assembly and he claims to have all the new parts for the bike and a clean title. He says it's rare and worth 12-15K when perfect. I balked but he broke the ice with a suggestion of 6k for the bike. I offered that I should get both for 6k and told him I would call him later and chat with him about the money.

When I use the VIN decoder I get the following info:

Chassis number 6080803
Vehicle code 0306
Series 2474
Model R 100 RS
Body type ohne
Catalog model ECE
Production date 1976 / 11
Engine
Transmission
Steering
Catalyzer NONE

That doesn't mean much to me but I'm sure it is meaningful to someone. Also, when fully dressed and in great shape I don't see them going for much more than $8,000 with a more common price of about 4k.

Is this a project worth more than I think it is? I'm interested in another project bike as the pistons are still frozen in my R100's cylinders but I'm not sure this is it.

I appreciate your honest feedback,

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The attached image is not a 1977 R100RS

It is a later single sided swingarm R100RS model 1992-3?
 
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I don't get the rarity...200 produced? In 1977 model year alone, it appears over 6500 were built for Europe with the 608xxxx VIN.
 
FYI,

RSRTBIG.jpg


I sold this US first edition 1977 RS for $7500 with 40,000 miles about 2 years ago.

You'll notice some of the stock items that make the bike special including: pinstriped spoke rims, blue brake calipers and 40mm carbs just to name a few.

This bike was restored in the early 90's (repainted and many parts refreshed) prior to my purchace. It came out of a private collection, just sitting collecting dust.

It only had 22,000 miles when I bought it for $8000 in 2001. The paint job was thin and it showed some wear after I rode it pretty hard for 7-8 years and 20K miles.

The bike looked awesome and rode wonderfully fast in a straight line. I never cared for the handling characteristics when cornering at higher speeds. I stayed away from making any modifications as not to take away from the stock set up on the bike. I bought a super low mileage and clean 1995 Mystic with the cash and it handled, rode, stopped sooo much better than the RS. It was night and day.
 
I think they made 200 with 40mm exhaust.

He had a 1984 R100S sitting beside it and it had the smaller exhaust. He claims the exhaust on the 1977 was 40mm.

Also indicates that the VIN is euro spec?
 
There are several features that make the 77RS special in some folks minds. Including being the first fully faired BMW with a wind tunnel tested design.

Below is a link to a review of the 77RS -
http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/motorcycle-reviews/2008-01-01/bmw-r100rs.aspx

Cut-away picture here -
77R100RS_cutaway_pix.jpg


Below is my bike, which I paid a BMW dealer $1600 for about 9 years ago. My bike was together and I rode it the 7 miles home. I was looking for a project when I bought the bike. A colleague saw a picture of the bike that I had on my computer screen. He got excited about it being a 77RS, I'd no idea it was considered special. Since the purchase I've spent a bit more sprucing it up a bit. It rides quite well (I've a few other bikes with which to compare the 77RS). Currently, I have the 77RS insured for about $7000.

92ee4f78.jpg


There are t-shirts, coffee mugs, and other items that can be purchased that commemorate the 77RS -
http://shop.cafepress.com/r100rs

Other websites of interest are shown below. One of these websites allows owners of 77RS bikes to register the VINs. I've corresponded with the fellow that owns the bike that was assembled next to mine.
http://www.ibmwr.org/rs77/
http://www.bmbikes.co.uk/photopages/photosr100rs.htm

 
i have yet to meet a '77RS in that silver blue that is NOT 40mm.
"200" was BMWs mythical magical number for ALL their early "limited edition" models. 200 1978 Motorsport RS models, 200 38mm '78 S Motorsports, 200 Australian "police" Motorsport S models, 200 1978 gold RS Euros, 200 '78 Belgian Polizei RS models, etc. NONE of these were ever confirmed by BMW or any other source, nor do i believe that they are confirmable.
 
I believe I uploaded the wrong photo. He also has a 1984 R100 that is one of the "Last" of the production models. Someone correctly pointed that out. Here is a pic of the 1977 R100RS undressed.

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any knowledge as to color of bodywork? mechanical status?
fwiw- his price of $6k for a project RS is kinda high. you might have gleaned that from other responses as well.
 
any knowledge as to color of bodywork? mechanical status?
fwiw- his price of $6k for a project RS is kinda high. you might have gleaned that from other responses as well.

The body work is all off and has been sanded/primed. It wasn't ever hurt but it was weathered from use/storage.

The mechanical status is that it ran 7 years ago and had a total rework by a local BMW mechanic with a very good rep. It has been sitting in this state pretty much ever since.

Yes, the $6,000 price tag took my breath away. There are a ton of unknowns and some serious work to be done on the bike. The painting of the pieces won't be cheap or free and if I did this I would want it done right so I figure at least $1,000 for paint/striping. Putting it all back together sounds like a challenge though.

He also told me that the electrics were upgraded. No points and electric start as well as an optional kick start.

I was thinking 6k for both bikes.

We'll see,

Gravity
 
i have yet to meet a '77RS in that silver blue that is NOT 40mm.
"200" was BMWs mythical magical number for ALL their early "limited edition" models. 200 1978 Motorsport RS models, 200 38mm '78 S Motorsports, 200 Australian "police" Motorsport S models, 200 1978 gold RS Euros, 200 '78 Belgian Polizei RS models, etc. NONE of these were ever confirmed by BMW or any other source, nor do i believe that they are confirmable.

Darrin's(60755) '77RS had the smaller exhaust. I knew both of the first 2 owners. The late Art Grisanti bought the bike new from Leo's BMW/Kawasaki in Memphis,Tn.. I got the opportunity the ride many times with Art on that bike back in the 80'sand early 90's. I helped take care of the collection Big D was talking about. The owner bought the bike from Art and wanted it freshened up. I diassembled the bike for the resto, and noticed that the bike had the smaller exhaust. I did the head work on that bike and opened up the exhaust to take the larger exhaust. Allways neat to see that bike in picture or in person. Brings back good memories of Art and Darrin.
 
R 100 srs

I at one time heard of a special edition BMW R 100RS that was an RS built with S spec components. The info given to me was that there were 200 made and it was badged a R 100SRS. Don't know if its true or just one of those urban legend things but that bike may be one. I have seen one RS that the owner claimed was an R 100SRS, I didn't ask for proof or details instead just filed it away as big deal its his not mine and left it at that.
 
Is this a project worth more than I think it is? I'm interested in another project bike as the pistons are still frozen in my R100's cylinders but I'm not sure this is it. Gravity
Beneath the fairing, brackets and extra few wires lie a common BMW engine / transmission and drive layout with maintenance that is only slightly more complex than a box stock R75/7 which was my first new BMW motorcycle. There are lots of nice improvements made by owners of the early 77RS in the same manner that people breathed life into the R90S. I donÔÇÖt know what you are looking for other than a project. I donÔÇÖt know how familiar you are with these machines so I couldnÔÇÖt recommend the 77RS to you. I collect 76 ÔÇô 84 and have a preference for 77 / 78. My ideal airhead would combine certain elements of the first year RS with the early 80ÔÇÖs engine, clutch, brakes and electronics. I think that with the 77RS however, you would stand a better chance of having a fun BMW to ride ÔÇô one that turns heads as it goes by because its fast and good looking but also, because it has been a collectable BMW for some time, you are more likely to get a larger chunk of your money back if you sell it. Not any 10 or 15 grand though.

View page from 1978 parts book - a BMW publication.
http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=41840 reply #13 to 'Serial Number - what year is it really?'
 
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I at one time heard of a special edition BMW R 100RS that was an RS built with S spec components. The info given to me was that there were 200 made and it was badged a R 100SRS. Don't know if its true or just one of those urban legend things but that bike may be one. I have seen one RS that the owner claimed was an R 100SRS, I didn't ask for proof or details instead just filed it away as big deal its his not mine and left it at that.

sounds like one of the Motorsport variants. 1978 R100S Motorsport, with a motor that was badged as a R100RS. Possibly 40mm exhaust for that model- but that would have been the only functioning difference.
"S spec" and "RS spec" are generally identical, other than fairing diffs.
Except for possible 38mm vs 40mm exhaust & heads to accept (most editions were 38mm, only a few specific models came thru with 40mm exhaust, ever), there is no difference between an RS and a S motor within the same year.
 
Paul from the official owner's list wrote me:


The first 200 of the VIN 6080001-6080200 have unique pistons. This one is run of the mill, and if you consider all of the work and $ you will have to put into it, it sounds like a $1500 bike.

I sold a near perfect US 6180127 for $5500 and was happy to get that. These bikes are nice, but not collector status.


Thanks Paul. I wasn't sure and my friend can be quite persuasive. I'll make what I think is a reasonable offer on the bike and see how badly he wants to clear up space in his shop.

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