Opinions on R100RS

[dxhall]

As part of the planning for my Big Alaska Trip, I purchased an 84 BMW R100RS a few months ago.  I thought it would be a simple, reliable bike that would be reasonably comfortable on a three week trip.

I have been riding it to work for a couple weeks now and I am not getting it.  It is hot, pretty slow, and not all that comfortable.  There seem to be a lot of riders who love these old airheads, though.  What am I missing? 

[oldbike54]

 A thousand mile round trip .

 Dusty

[yogidozer]

you're right, it's junk......can I have it? 

[guzzisteve]

Sounds like it's not for you. That happens sometimes. Swap it out. There's plenty looking for one.

Dusty needs one, it goes down the road, and no wrenching.

[oldbike54]

Sounds like it's not for you. That happens sometimes. Swap it out. There's plenty looking for one.

Dusty needs one, it goes down the road, and no wrenching.

 I can't reach the hand grips on an RS anymore 

 '84 is a good year , last of the big valve big carb 1000's . If it feels slow either you aren't letting it rev or something is wrong with it . That generation 1000 had such a flat torque curve they feel slower than they really are .

 Dusty

[yogidozer]

And if you feel it's hot, likely you are in city, stop and go. Don't think you'll be doing much of that on your way to Alaska.
At least I hope not, for your sake.

[LowRyter]

I've never been very impressed with the performance of early boxers.   Then you have a 35 year old bike to consider.

[dxhall]

It is a Last Edition model with the single seat.  Looks cool.  I am thinking sell and look for a Guzzi SP.

[RinkRat II]

          Yup,you don't need to put yourself through that misery. I'll arm wrestle Yogidozer over it

            Paul B

       

[wirespokes]

I wouldn't think the RS would be a good choice for an Alaska trip. The RS is a paved highway machine good for 90 all day long. There are guys who ride them fast on gravel roads, but the fairing mounts tend to break tack welds if bounced around very much. I'd think the biggest difficulty would be the narrow bars on muddy or rough gravel roads. And then there's the ergos - a lot of guys can't handle the leaned-forward position. If it's not for you, the bars can be raised slightly, but that's about it. You're pretty well locked into that position.

And, yes, it can be hot. In the cold and wet that's a big plus. I even rode mine in 100 degrees on I-5 heading to Los Angeles. When it gets that hot, it's best keeping the wind off of you - the opposite of wind-chill comes into play. Good boots will keep the heat off your feet, and a cordura riding suit with all the vents open will help with evaporative cooling a wetted-down T and jeans. But it's best when the weather turns nasty - fog, rain, cold  - that's when you grow to love the RS.

Like GuzziSteve said, the airheads are mild mannered and tend to roll along much faster than it seems. I think it's a combination of how tall they are, the soft suspension, wide power band, quiet exhaust note and smoothness.

[rodekyll]

I don't know too much about the r100, but my kid has been all over Alaska and Western Canada on his r80/7.  It keeps up with me just fine.

[racasey]

Having ridden in Alaska, The Yukon, Top of The World Hwy, and the AlCan to Mile Post Zero, as well as owned an R100RS, and several GS airheads, I’d add the RS would be the Most Likely I’d ride in the Alps and Least Likely to ride to Alaska.  Sell the RS.

Safe journey,
DC

[Kristian]

The ARE slow; they barely crack 100 MPH in the quarter, something V6 Honda Accords and Camrys--and all sorts of other family cars--now does, and they won't push past 125 MPH. They only have around 55 HP at the rear wheel, and weigh 500 Lbs. And the handling is a few decades past SOTA. They are now 40 years old and based on even older designs--ancient in MC terms. You have to want a vintage experience to love them. I do, but, old bikes are now more my thing.

Why not a Norge 8V that beats any RS to death in every respect?

[lazlokovacs]

hmm

rode one for a year

the riding position is strange to me, with not much wriggle room.

I was thinking mine was slow until I found out they're just deceptive, you can scare the ---- out of yourself (and pillion) by ripping open the throttle in 2nd gear. Ask me how I know.

and the fairing is incredible!

[Mike Crenshaw]

Wirespokes said it very well.  Ergonomics, fairing, make it good for long stretches in cooler climes but it does handle twisties well.  If I was determined to ride an airhead to Alaska I would choose a /6, preferably an R90 but the R75/6 is also a good machine.  Enough power to get the job done, decent enough brakes, and light enough to pick up when you fall.

[ohiorider]

You may want to consider an R100GS (1988 - 1995) if you want to travel in relative comfort on an older BMW.  Approx range is 185-200 miles per tank.  They are not without known issues.
- Driveshaft failure.  Many as low as 30,000 miles.  Mine made it for 122,000 miles.  You'll be buying a used bike, of course, since the last of the airhead GS bikes was the 1995 model.  Find out if replaced and at what mileage.  And if a new oem one was installed or rebuildable aftermarket one from Ted Porter Beemershop.
- I got along fine with the 280W charging system, but I ran only stock lights, and heated grips and sleeveless electric vest if  required.  And I wasn't slogging at slow speed over bad roads, but running hour after hour between 4000 and 5500rpm.  Of course, with $$, anything is possible.  Aftermarket systems are available that nearly double output.
- Alternator rotor.  Factory one failed at 90,000.  Aftermarket rotor failed 40,000 miles later.
- Diode board.  Carrying aftermarket rotor and diode board would be relatively cheap insurance.  Couple hundred bucks.
- There are better starter motors available than the Valeo that came on the bike.  Motorrad Elektrik and another company or two offer better starters that draw less current.
- I've been running a 26ah battery for 4 years, and it has worked well.
Oh, and before you buy one, see if you can easily deploy the side stand.  There's a reason some call it Hitler's Revenge.

You may enjoy this short video showing Tiffany Coates taking her R80GS around the world a few years back.  R80 not available in States, but the 80 and 100 are identical aside from displacement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCaCl-G3RFg




Here's my old gal, halfway
through trip out west in 2009.
Headed toward Cody WY via
Beartooth Pass

[JJ]

I am sure you could do it, but as others recommended, a modern dual-sport bike would be more appropriate.

Here is my old 1978 BMW R100RS "Motorsport Edition."

[PeteS]

For years I thought the RS was about the second coolest bike around, after my LeMans. Then I rode one. Same impression of some here is they are cramped with not much wiggle room. Also having owned an RT boxer they are hot. The fairing funnels all the hot air right into your chest. No fun in the summer time. Right after riding the RS I rode an R90S. Totally different experience. Cooler, smoother, and easier to handle with the wider bars.
That said a dual sport is what you would want for this trip.
If you do decide to take this bike, remove the lowers. It will be cooler for you and also cooler for the diode board. I use to carry a spare diode board and ignition canister(later hall effect breaker).

Pete

[Tusayan]

Another vote for an 88-95 R100GS.  In addition to being better on rough roads they are also a better functioning sport bike than many other bikes, including earlier boxers like the R100RS.  An excellent machine for everything except continuous 90 mph autobahn use (although they will do it).  The problem today is finding s nice one in the US.

The RS was mostly a styling exercise.  It does look great and the fairing is good at high speed on a cold, wet day, but overall you could make a better bike of an RS by removing the fairing and converting it to an R100S.  Nobody would do that today but I knew people who did in the past, often after crashes, and never looked back.

[screamday]

I've taken a couple of long trips with mine. The longest being about 1700 miles round trip and about 3 weeks long. I am just shy of 6'-0" tall and I believe that trip was what precipitated a torn meniscus in my right knee. That trip was also the reason for buying the EV. I don't think I would ever take the RS on a trip to Alaska. Do as others have said and find a nice GS if your stuck on BMW. If not, there are plenty of other more capable motorcycles for that trip. Save your knees. 

[wrbix]

It is a Last Edition model with the single seat.  Looks cool.  I am thinking sell and look for a Guzzi SP.

In Pearlescent White?.....beautiful bike!

[LowRyter]

If I were riding to Alaska I would consider a VStrom or Versus, something along those lines, newer, cheaper, better performance, more reliable.  I wouldn't make this trip based on styling or nostalgia. 

Of course, I probably wouldn't consider that ride.

[Kiwi_Roy]

A thousand mile round trip .

 Dusty

It was 8060 km for me, thats 5,000 miles starting from Vancouver BC

I think an old beamer would be fine on most roads, the Dempster and Top of the World not so much.

Just do it!

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

If anyone is interested, I know where there's a '94(?) R100GS that's for sale.

[Tusayan]

If I were riding to Alaska I would consider a VStrom or Versus, something along those lines, newer, cheaper, better performance, more reliable. 

I like both those bikes but I think a lot of people have shown that an old R80 or R100GS is very good, probably functionally better for the job than those newer bikes.

It's the combination of surprisingly good performance (in many conditions) and stone axe simplicity.

[PeteS]

Simple doesn't mean unbreakable though and while many items can be fixed on the road, some may require a new part which if you don't have it with you in the middle of nowhere means you are stuck.
How many miles on the bike? At some point some parts are nearing end of life. Case in point I had the rear clutch lever on my RT break 100 miles from home. Not far but no way I could ride it and too far to walk. In this case I got a ride home with a friend to get my truck. Another time the rivets that hold the spline on the rear hub to the wheel sheared off (Twin Shock Bike). This time it was a 200 mile ride to get the truck.

Pete

[Lannis]

It is hot, pretty slow, and not all that comfortable. 

I've never bought a bike in my life that was "comfortable" when I bought it.   I change all of them - footpegs, handlebars, fairings, grips, and/or the seat.

There's no way that the ergonomics and physical characteristics of design-mule/test-rider Helmut or Giacamo or Mitsui or Bubba or Cyril are going to be the same as yours, so get to unbolting and bolting and padding and re-gripping and make it YOURS!   

Lannis

[chipdude]

Lannis
I have a Stelvio and find it very  comfortable in the stock form.
I’m 6’1”, 225, 33inseam and longer arms that most at my height.
Interested in what ergo changes you made to Stelvio, outside of the seat.
And which changes were the most impactful.

[Tusayan]

Simple doesn't mean unbreakable though and while many items can be fixed on the road, some may require a new part which if you don't have it with you in the middle of nowhere means you are stuck.
How many miles on the bike? At some point some parts are nearing end of life. Case in point I had the rear clutch lever on my RT break 100 miles from home. Not far but no way I could ride it and too far to walk. In this case I got a ride home with a friend to get my truck. Another time the rivets that hold the spline on the rear hub to the wheel sheared off (Twin Shock Bike). This time it was a 200 mile ride to get the truck.

Pete

FWIW my R100GS has 103K very hard miles and has never left me stranded.  It’s come close a few times    but generally the bike has given enough warning to allow maintenance before failure.

[Perazzimx14]

If anyone is interested, I know where there's a '94(?) R100GS that's for sale.

Depending on the money and condition I'm interested. Do tell.