Long story short... I have an acquaintance that found out that I like BMW's... he says, "You should buy my old bike". I laugh, he looks serious. "Come, let me show you" he says as he walks to the garage. 76' R100RS in pristine condition. Hasnt been riden in about 10 years... the throttle stuck while he was on it with the misses on the back. He was able to get it under control, but that was the end of his riding. So he tells me to make him an offer. Whats this thing worth? :eek1
OOOHHH! a 77 RS! nice. BTW, 77 was fist year for the RS. not sure what the value is right now, but they ARE worth something, and if you do buy it, PLEASE don't butcher it up, plenty of other non-collectable models around for that.
10 years non operational can be hard on engines and brake systems. Lots of unknowns to mull over. It does look like the more desired 77 model RS. Why not offer him a couple of grand to start and see what happens. Mike
The higher power ( whichever flavor you prefer ) of the universe has smiled upon you by causing the events that led to the owner showing his bike to you. This is how many of the very best things in life happen. You are not looking for whatever it is, and yet there it is, dropped right in your lap. You could search for months and not find a clean original bike like this one. There is a rational way to arrive at a value for this bike. Price what a superb example is worth, and then price what the best BMW mechanic you can find will charge for going through the entire bike and putting everything in order. An experienced BMW tech will be able to tell you what is likely to be wrong. You might find that tires, a battery, a carb cleaning, front brake system rebuild, and maybe a few seals are all the bike needs to run initially, and after that you can sort out the finer points. It would be wise to add a "fudge factor" of $1000 or so for the costs of problems which may appear once the bike begins to be ridden. In any case, if you want the bike don't delay because such deals sometimes can slip through your fingers and bikes like this one do not come along every day. PS - I bet there is more to the owner's story than a stuck throttle. Maybe you can get a beer or two into him and he will tell you the rest .
As mentioned, an original '77 R100RS is one of the more desireable airhead BMWs. If you don't want it, let us know the co-ordinates.
A 1977 for sure. Has the drum rear brake. Looks to be missing the side cover but that could be that he took it off for the battery tender. They don't make them like this anymore. I would go for it.
It is a less common model - but unless you've ever ridden a BMW, don't go too mad with your offer, they ain't all that
I like the beer idea....side benefit is if I get him drunk enough maybe the price drops greatly. :) Also great idea asking about refurb costs. I'm pretty damn handy....but would want to learn about airheads on this bike. I will update you on what he thinks is a fair offer. Thanks for the input.
Get owner comfortably sloshed and save a few for yourself cause even though you are handy you'll need an average additional 2 grand or so (depending on condition) in refreshening cost. Well worth it though just for the fun you'll be having. These bikes are are very satisfying to work on.
I've brought back bikes that have sat for 20, 10, & 5 years with very few problems. I spray fogged the cyls first, then worked on everything else before I started them. The 20 yr one was a 76 R75/6 BMW, the 10 yr was a 73 Triumph 750 Tiger, and the 5 yr was a 76 R90/6. All are running very well and I can hop on any one and go any place I want to without a second thought. I wouldn't hesitate buying that bike for the right price.
Start at 2K but go as high as 3K. If he wants more maybe more invasive investigation can help settle the question. Things in doubt are the condition of gas tank, not the paint but rust inside from sitting with gas in it. Condition of front brake master cylinder and calipers, brake fluid attracts water corrodes inside parts. Was engine fogged when it was first stored. Things of this sort can be bargaining points. Look in the gas tank. Any amount of gas stored in this tank for 10 years is a bad sign.
Not a bad find. Even though it's been sitting for 10 years it's still in the upper 90-percentile of barn-finds since it looks to be stored-inside. It'll still need the usual hydraulics-tires-rubber bits TLC, but it's compete and unmolested. Be sure to check the air cleaner assy for mouse visitors, but you'll need to work down to the carbs anyway to find and correct the throttle hangup. Nice find, indeed. --Bill
Offer 1500 and assume the worst - PO put the bike up due to a scare (throttle stuck). 10 year old gas in tank looks like it was covered what kind of climate do you live high humidity?? I doubt the engine was fogged on any other steps were taken for long term storage. That all being considered a great looking bike you are indeed lucky to have first shot at that bike!!!:eek1
Get it. Get it as cheap as you can, but by all means get it. That things looks like it's in very nice shape. RSs have never been my cup of tea, but to RS lovers that year is the holy grail.
A friend collected 'RS's to the point he had every model, every year of all the twin shocks. All were pristine, low milage, collectible. I believe at one point he had 20+. I believe he's one of the most knowledgable about these bikes. He decided to sell off his bikes and now only has three, a '77 with 8k, a '78 Motorsport with similar milage, and a '79, same milage. I looked at the bikes a month and a half ago. All had been sitting for awhile. The silver RS had both the solo and dual seat. He said he'd let it go for $8,5000. I believe that's a very solid price. He could advertise and easily get more. It is low milage and pristen but also has been sitting for a few years. A RS is a unique BMW, considered one of the more special bikes ever produced by many motorcycle enthusiasts. In all seriousness to offer $3,000 is an insult to your friend - unless there is serious damage that the picture didn't show or that you failed to mention. These bikes are very valuable to many. That's not to say they are that valuable to all. The early model 'RS has moved from a older motorcycle to a collectible motorcycle. That's also true of many airhead models whose current market value has risen quite a bit in the last five years. When any object becomes collectible its value becomes almost totally subjective.
Yep, right out of Blue Book territory and into "what the buyer will pay" land. Check the engine compression and make your offer accordingly.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1977...rg=1011&rk=1&sd=160958665546&&forcev4exp=true This should help you out but this bike has been gone through.
This bike can someday be worth more than it is now. The bike on Ebay is being sold by Max BMW and they are not known for cheap. They are in the business of making money. We all know that. Many of us buy parts from Max. The Max bike, look at the list of upgrades, has been more than gone thru. It is updated and refined. Bigger Alternator, newer technology starter. Rebuilt trans and engine. Many, many refinements. So maybe you get an idea of what this bike may be worth some day. If it sells. I wonder what their reserve is? I also checked the Vin on the Max bike. Built 08/76. I think that is very early but I don't know if it's early enough. Also low miles. The bike in question here does not yet have a Vin or build date and mileage is unknown.