1982 R100RS - Good value?

[jdiaz]

I hope someone gets $8000 for an R100RS. It just drives up the value for the rest of them.

[greybeerd]

I talked to the owner and he tells me the original owner had it badged and striped to look like a Motosport. Besides, from what I've read the Motosport edition was only available in 1978 and this is a 1982 model. Having said that I'm no expert so correct me if necessary. Owner was out of town this weekend but I'll get a chance to look it over more closely later this week.

[Wirespokes]

Give him the money now! Tell him you'll get it, sight unseen. It doesn't matter that it's not original paint - it's worth it! And it is a stock bmw paint scheme, a desirable one at that. Just the cloisonne motorsport roundels are worth $100 all by themselves. And the chrome bag racks are another $75-100. If the bike truly has that few miles and is as good as it looks in the pics (and runs as well too), it's a NO BRAINER!!!

[Hawk Medicine]

I usually wouldnt tell anyone this but....

That bike is a major find and if it's in reasonable shape mechanicly, $2500 is a giveaway price.

The RS bikes are very desirable, collectable and a very nice ride if youre going some miles. In fact, if you arnt going to buy it, email me, cause I'd love to have a crack at it and will either drive my pickup or fly out to buy the bike.

Don't worry about it not being a real Motosport. The 82's are better bikes anyway! I recentlt bought an '82' RS and just took it on our first road trip together, to the 49er Rally last weekend. It's a great ride and I really, really like it! As I said before, not everyone can stand the ergos but so far, theyre working for me and the bike absolutely loves to run in the 75++ range or to hit the twisties. Just depends on how stiff you set it up.

I just love R-100RS's

Heres mine:

[Hawk Medicine]

Originally Posted by Wirespokes

Give him the money now! Tell him you'll get it, sight unseen. It doesn't matter that it's not original paint - it's worth it! And it is a stock bmw paint scheme, a desirable one at that. Just the cloisonne motorsport roundels are worth $100 all by themselves. And the chrome bag racks are another $75-100. If the bike truly has that few miles and is as good as it looks in the pics (and runs as well too), it's a NO BRAINER!!!

Hey Spokes,

Youre right. Those MS rondels were NLA and valuable for a while but last time I checked SJBMW or Bob's, they were available for about $20 each as new stock and they are also available in Germany from Siebenrock.

I took mine off of a 79 RS that I parted out and thought I had some real treasure. Now I know that all I have is "Parts".

OTOH, I'd buy that bike is a heartbeat and smile all the way home and for the next several weeks. Oh yeah....

[CurlyMike]

Heck ya, I would borrow against the kid’s college fund any day for that bike. Sorry kids

[Wirespokes]

Originally Posted by mymindsok

last time I checked SJBMW or Bob's, they were available for about $20 each as new stock...

Thanks for the great news, dude! Guess I shoulda sold them when they were valuable!

[greybeerd]

Made the deal yesterday evening and man I'm excited!
It needs a little work here and there but nothing unusual for a bike that has been sitting for a while. I'm looking forward to the effort of getting it back on the road.

Alan

Originally Posted by greybeerd

A neighbor has one for sale and is asking $2,500 obo. Bike appears to be complete and in fairly good shape for its age and mileage (16,000 +). Sorry no pics. I haven't inspected it (just a quick look over) yet and having never owned a BMW of any sort I was wondering what gotcha's to look for on this model and if his asking price is reasonable. Thanks in advance from a dedicated lurker.

Alan

[caponerd]

Originally Posted by greybeerd

A few pics for your viewing pleasure. Looks complete and original to me but what do I know! Haven't talked to the owner yet (Holiday weekend). Let me know what you think...

http://picasaweb.google.com/nalarelo...52187879830578
http://picasaweb.google.com/nalarelo...52189320062530
http://picasaweb.google.com/nalarelo...52201721780146

Even if you hate the bike, that one's worth buying just so you can make a few bucks.
Like the others said, if the odometer hasn't already gone around once before, 16,000 miles is like barely broken in. And if it's on it's second trip around, it's still a good deal if you have maintenance records available, in fact, maybe even better because the one big gotcha of that particular year is soft valve seats. If it's still running past 50,000 miles, it means the problem has been addressed.
I don't know if there was a recall to fix those, or if people dealt with them under warrantee, might want to find out about it.

[Wirespokes]

Originally Posted by caponerd

...soft valve seats. If it's still running past 50,000 miles, it means the problem has been addressed.

Actually, the problem was valve seats that were TOO hard and didn't transfer the heat from the valve to the head well enough. The BMW engineers were anticipating unleaded fuel and changed the seat material, and they didn't guess right. By the middle or late 80s they got it right.

One solution is to run with a bit wider clearance during the heat of the summer - instead of .008 on the exhaust, got to .009 or .010. The intake isn't normally a problem so leave them at .004. Just pay attention to them and you'll see if they're losing their clearance. There's usually no big rush to get this done, but the sooner it's done the better chance there is of saving the exhaust valves. And they aint cheap, believe me.

Read all about it from Snowbum - he's got a lot to say about this. Lots of background info there.

[Tripletreat]

Well, I confess that when I first read your post I thought you were just winding us up with a yarn about one of those infamous "barn finds." The pix give credibility to the story.
That's a very nice bike. Looks like there are some mods: aftermarket windscreen, paint, saddle. The center stand is knackered, so you may want to address that fairly early.
Do take the comments about the valves closing up seriously. I do not agree that it is a gradual process. One year I road across country on my RS of that vintage and the exhaust valves lost ALL measureable lash before I reached the rally. Ignored, that would have distroyed the top end, at the very least. That can be costly.
The RS is my favorite model Airhead. The fairing is a design marvel, giving the rider great protection without being a barn door on the front of the bike. If the bike suits you, I'm sure you'll want to upgrade the suspension and brakes. With careful mods, these old bikes are still excellent sport tourers.
Congratulations on a real bargain. You're the envy of many!

[caponerd]

Originally Posted by Wirespokes

Actually, the problem was valve seats that were TOO hard and didn't transfer the heat from the valve to the head well enough. The BMW engineers were anticipating unleaded fuel and changed the seat material, and they didn't guess right. By the middle or late 80s they got it right.

One solution is to run with a bit wider clearance during the heat of the summer - instead of .008 on the exhaust, got to .009 or .010. The intake isn't normally a problem so leave them at .004. Just pay attention to them and you'll see if they're losing their clearance. There's usually no big rush to get this done, but the sooner it's done the better chance there is of saving the exhaust valves. And they aint cheap, believe me.

Read all about it from Snowbum - he's got a lot to say about this. Lots of background info there.

I stand corrected. I do remember hearing that it had something to do with an attempt at preparing for unleaded fuel.

I can attest that if the seats have been replaced, the replacements are amazingly stable. I bought my 1982 model in 1999, and after putting around 50,000 miles on it, I've only had to actually adjust the valves a couple of times. This one had been done at around 30,000 miles, and when I got it, it had about 70,000 on the clock.
I check them regularly, and they're almost always within spec.

[greybeerd]

Appreciate the kind words and the tip on the valves.

Alan

Originally Posted by Tripletreat

Well, I confess that when I first read your post I thought you were just winding us up with a yarn about one of those infamous "barn finds." The pix give credibility to the story.
That's a very nice bike. Looks like there are some mods: aftermarket windscreen, paint, saddle. The center stand is knackered, so you may want to address that fairly early.
Do take the comments about the valves closing up seriously. I do not agree that it is a gradual process. One year I road across country on my RS of that vintage and the exhaust valves lost ALL measureable lash before I reached the rally. Ignored, that would have distroyed the top end, at the very least. That can be costly.
The RS is my favorite model Airhead. The fairing is a design marvel, giving the rider great protection without being a barn door on the front of the bike. If the bike suits you, I'm sure you'll want to upgrade the suspension and brakes. With careful mods, these old bikes are still excellent sport tourers.
Congratulations on a real bargain. You're the envy of many!

[Lornce]

Good on you. RS's are the bomb.

I hope you wore a mask when you picked it up.

You stole that thing.

[tsmall07]

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I have an opportunity to purchase one of these (45k miles). It's in very good shape and it's got bodywork from a Last Edition R100CS, but I would prefer to have a full faring for bad weather days. How hard is it to get a full faring for one of these? Also, how good of a daily driver do you think it would be for a guy that's 6'4" and 250lbs?

I also have the option to get a 1995 K1100RS (25K miles) with a lot of extras from the same guy.

I would only be buying one of them. Which would you guys suggest for DD for a guy my size and for trips with the petite wife?

Thanks for helping out a noob.