So this Beemer followed me home... little Guzzi content.

[radguzzi]

I have long had a hankering for a BMW Boxer twin, namely an Airhead, I had a 2010 1200 RT known as a Hexhead about a year ago but that is another story.  Sold it to purchase the second Stelvio.

Well a few months ago a mid 80s R100 was available here and I passed on it for a couple of good reasons, lots of miles, needed more than I wanted to do to one and the price was higher than it should have been.

Two days ago I stumbled upon this '91 R 100 RT, 18K miles,  bags etc, excellent price and did not pass this time.  Needs a little TLC and I am up for that.

Ride 'em .
Rob



 

[lorazepam]

I would ride that.

[Lannis]

Looks nice in the pictures.   You'll be glad you didn't pass on it, I'll bet.

Unless you drain the oil and a bunch of metal chips come out with it or something ... 

Aside from that, it even looks old-school-easy to service ....

Lannis

[Tom H]

I would ride that.

 :1:

[oldbike54]

 Ahh , the detuned 1,000 CC boxer , Those will run forever , keep an eye on valve lash , and in about 30K miles or so the transmission will probably need some attention because the engineers at BMW decided to leave a 50 C circlip out of the transmission . Not hard to fix , but do get the fix done properly . Lovely bike 

 Dusty

[spmoto]

Fine lookin' sewing machine, Rob 

[tazio]

Fine lookin' sewing machine, Rob 

O Yeah, I'd knit me a fine sweater with that
Congrats!!!

[Kev m]

Nice!!!!

[jas67]

Nice!    LOVE that blue.   Clean up the corrosion not he ribs of the valve covers, and repaint the black, and it'll like fantastic!

As another poster said, old school easy maintenance, and it'll run forever!

I just got back from riding my R75/5.   These boxer motors are sweet!  Your, of course has way better brakes and good bit more torque than my /5.

[radguzzi]

So the RT comes with a bit of a story too... can't buy a plain old Beemer, Nooo, I gotta go for the problem child.

The previous owner had purchased the EME Ignition System to have another fellow install it for him, it languished in this guys garage for a year so the fellow I bought it from just got fed up with it and wanted it gone. 

I have spent a couple of hours going over what had been installed checking it against the EME tech manual and I have a BMW wrench friend that has installed several of these that will assist and offer a sanity check for me.  The components are in place and I need to mount the new Dynateck Coils.  Carbs have been gone through and there is a new battery.

All the rest looks great except for the light aluminum oxidation that jas67 mentions which will clean up.

Crossing my fingers...

Best,
Rob

Ahh , the detuned 1,000 CC boxer , Those will run forever , keep an eye on valve lash , and in about 30K miles or so the transmission will probably need some attention because the engineers at BMW decided to leave a 50 C circlip out of the transmission . Not hard to fix , but do get the fix done properly . Lovely bike 

 Dusty

Thanks, I will study up on that... sounds ominous. 

Rob

[webmost]

Run forever, leak forever.

[ohiorider]

So the RT comes with a bit of a story too... can't buy a plain old Beemer, Nooo, I gotta go for the problem child.

The previous owner had purchased the EME Ignition System to have another fellow install it for him, it languished in this guys garage for a year so the fellow I bought it from just got fed up with it and wanted it gone. 

I have spent a couple of hours going over what had been installed checking it against the EME tech manual and I have a BMW wrench friend that has installed several of these that will assist and offer a sanity check for me.  The components are in place and I need to mount the new Dynateck Coils.  Carbs have been gone through and there is a new battery.

All the rest looks great except for the light aluminum oxidation that jas67 mentions which will clean up.

Crossing my fingers...

Best,
Rob


Thanks, I will study up on that... sounds ominous. 

Rob

Not all that bad.  fifth gear is helical, the rest are straight cut gears.  Fifth being helical tends to push the gear into the output shaft bearing, which may cause it to wear.  BMW decided somewhere during production to eliminate a c clip that absorbed the thrust from the fifth gear.

If it concerns you, there's several shops that know how to machine the groove in the output shaft so that the c clip can be installed.

Or ..... take it easy on top gear, and don't load it heavily ..... ie ...... don't pull grades below 3500 in top gear ..... drop down to 4th.

I'm riding an R100GS with over 150,000 miles on the original tranny.  I've had to replace a worn output shaft bearing once, at about 120,000 miles.

Since I've read how to keep the load off the output shaft gear, no issues.

BTW ..... beautiful bike.  From the days when a sub 500 pound bike was more than suitable for coast-to-coast riding.

If you have ignition issues, call Rick Jones at Motorrad Elektrik.  He has always given me good phone time to discuss issues.

[Sheepdog]

Love the late Airheads. The RT is a sweet package with nice components and an understressed engine. The weight is pretty acceptable, too...

[stevet]

So, this tranny issue and the discontinued c-clip... I know nothing of BMW motorcycles, but I assume that the current transmission design doesn't share this issue from decades past.  Must be completely different trannies by now, eh?

Steve.

[jas67]

Info on the circlip issue on this page:
http://bmwmotorcycletech.info/transmission.htm

[n3303j]

Had an '81 R100RT  for about 30K miles. Only problem was that one of us was too tall (it wasn't me). Seems Germans build as if a 32 inch inseam was the norm. Only BMWs I could ever flat foot at lights were built before 1970 (30 inch  inseam, mine).

So I assume you are tall enough to enjoy your new mount. It is a sweet running motor. You do have to bend further to set the rocker clearances.  And it does get brutally hot behind that fairing even with all vents open and an auxiliary added mid windscreen. Mine sat parked July and August (final reason for sale) but was fully enjoyed through December (and any clear road winter day).




Also never rode 2 up but I did like sliding all over that bench seat to change positions on long rides. The second seat bump was an annoyance. BMW screws the seat cover in place. Remove the screws and cover and you are looking at a shaped foam block. A sharp 80 grit disk on an angle grinder applied with gentle hand reshapes foam very nicely to a level bench. Reinstall the seat cover and it lays flat after a day in the sun. It was perfect for burning off the miles.

[oldbike54]

So, this tranny issue and the discontinued c-clip... I know nothing of BMW motorcycles, but I assume that the current transmission design doesn't share this issue from decades past.  Must be completely different trannies by now, eh?

Steve.

 Completely different motorbikes . Nothing from an airhead will exchange with a new beemer , not even the air in the tires 

 Dusty

[jas67]

Had an '81 R100RT  for about 30K miles. Only problem was that one of us was too tall (it wasn't me). Seems Germans build as if a 32 inch inseam was the norm. Only BMWs I could ever flat foot at lights were built before 1970 (30 inch  inseam, mine).

Agreed, yet the seat to foot peg distance on the R100R, and especially the R100R Mystic were uncomfortably short for me.   I've got a 30 inch inseam, and could *just* flat-foot the my (non-Mystic) R100R with the stock seat, but, felt cramped on it.   When I bought that bike, it came with a tall (2" higher) Corbin seat too.    That's the seat I used, as I was comfortable under way, the trade off being that I was on the balls of my feet at lights.   I didn't keep it long enough to explore lower foot peg options.   The R100R Mystic was even worse, as it had a lower seat, and not aftermarket seat options available.

I never felt that cramped riding my earlier airheads though (R75/5, and R100S).

[oldbike54]

 My /5 was perched on the center stand at a small party , HD rider I knew walks up and asks if he can sit on it . Reluctantly I agree to let him . He says "I like the BMW's , but they are just so tall" . To which I reply ,"Well , Germans are tall" , not mentioning the bike is sitting on the center stand which raises it up about 3 inches . HD guy says "What do the Germans have to do with this , BMW's are English" . After laughing out loud for a minute , I explain the facts , get a blank stare , a little bit of an argument from him , laugh at him some more 

 Dusty

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Agreed, yet the seat to foot peg distance on the R100R, and especially the R100R Mystic were uncomfortably short for me.   I've got a 30 inch inseam, and could *just* flat-foot the my (non-Mystic) R100R with the stock seat, but, felt cramped on it.   When I bought that bike, it came with a tall (2" higher) Corbin seat too.    That's the seat I used, as I was comfortable under way, the trade off being that I was on the balls of my feet at lights.   I didn't keep it long enough to explore lower foot peg options.   The R100R Mystic was even worse, as it had a lower seat, and not aftermarket seat options available.

I never felt that cramped riding my earlier airheads though (R75/5, and R100S).

The one I felt most cramped on was my buddy Leo's '81 R80 G/S. The pegs were rather oddly positioned I thought, needing to be lower and a little farther forward.

[radguzzi]

This RT seems to fit me well as did the 2010 1200 RT however, I have not ridden this one yet.

[oldbike54]

This RT seems to fit me well as did the 2010 1200 RT however, I have not ridden this one yet.

 Both of my airhead RT's had Bar Backs installed , really helped me having long legs and kind of short arms . The riding position was like a big dirt bike , really comfortable .

 Dusty

[leroysch]

Good looking ride.
Enjoy!

[Psychopasta]

Looks really nice!