BMW R100RS Road Test Review - The First Sport-Touring Motorcycle!
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- Опубліковано 26 кві 2024
- In this fun road test review, we'll be looking at BMW's beautiful R100RS! One of the most influential motorcycles of the 1970s, the R100RS was the first readily available motorcycle to feature a full, frame-mounted fairing. It also featured radical, low-set handlebars and a seating position that was very sporty for 1977. It was the first sport-touring bike of the modern formula (full fairing, sporting ergonomics). With a production run that lasted from the late 1970s into the 1990s, this cult classic BMW is a true milestone motorcycle! What's it like to ride? Let's find out together!
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I think you summed up the ride when you said it “flows down the road”…. I have a 1983 R100RS which currently has 104,000mls on the clock. I’ll happily jump on her and head off across the continent without a worry. 3-400ml days are perfectly comfortable. Once you get into the rhythm of riding these bikes you do indeed just flow down the road rolling on and off the throttle. It is one of the best bikes for travelling cross country on and can surprise people how quickly you can travel in style and comfort…. Truly a ‘gentleman’s express’ 😊
Right on! I appreciate the feedback from owners of the bikes I review. Cheers!
You said it prefect, I ride an 83 RS too only changed the steering to a K75s one , but when the bike is warmed up it flows on the roads . Great stuff.
@@beatrai Right on, thanks!
I rode a 1978 RS for 90K miles and adjusted carbs and valves along with oil changes and tires, it's a wonderful motorcycle in my opinion.
Hi Dan, Thanks for sharing your experience with the RS. How often did you perform the service (mileage interval)?
1983 R80RT hands-down best bike BMW ever built. As anyone who has driven one. Best gearing, best harmonics
That's saying something because the R100 is great.
My brothers last bike was an R80 but I don't think that I ever rode it.
I'd love to test that theory on a ride-review! Cheers
I have a new to me 1977 R100S. Something I noticed about the bike in the video: the engine style is reminiscent of an old radial airplane engine, and the shape of the windscreen reminds me of the canopy of the BF-109. From the camera perspective, I got... old warplane vibes.
BMW was a major WWII radial engine builder. Their 801 Radial was a fantastic power plant used in many fighter and bomber aircraft. Cheers!
Great review! I'm a long time airhead and have several in the garage. I have an 81 R100RS in many boxes, your video has me itching to start wrenching! Your a bad influence Jon, I keep adding interesting 80's bikes to the garage after watching your reviews :)
That's quite the compliment! I'm glad I can be a bad influence 🙂 when it comes to 80's bikes. Cheers!
I had an '81 R100RS and could ride perfectly warm at 6°C. Great fairing and great foot warming cylinders.
Sometimes I'd get off the bike and be surprised how cold it was "outdoors".
I believe that! Very nice wind protection. Cheers!
Here in Australia it gets really hot in summer.
My brother met another rider who was too hot once.
The smaller fairing on the R100S was adequate in warmer climates.
@redtobertshateshandles Right on! It's still a problem on fully-faired motorcycles today. They're not much fun above about 75 degrees F. I love riding them in cooler weather, though. Cheers!
Thanks for the ride along! They are great machines with a ton of character and that unit you rode is in amazing shape. For me though, I find having those grips so close together leads to back and shoulder soreness after a while. I expect to have a '75 Airhead in the garage soon and will keep the wide bars for that reason.
Right on! The Airheads are growing on me. I'll try to have some more BMW content in the future. Cheers!
Around the time that bike was built. I bought a used R75 from French police and road it all the was across to Istanbul and Anatolian planes. Only to sell later because the only shipping fees I could afford to bring it back to the US would have taken 3 months on a ship. 😎. Great bike.
So cool! Thanks for sharing the memories!
I had a R100RT from 1981. Nice touring bike
Right on!
Gorgeous bike.
Right on, Jeff!
What an amazing example of that year/model! If I'm recalling correctly, the '77 R100RS may have been the only year for 40mm Bing carbs and also larger diameter exhaust(?) I think it was the last year for non-emissions cam indexing. I owned and wrenched a '72 R75/5 for many years. Early short wheel base model, but I did some touring with it. Krauser and Wixom cases. No screen.
Right on, Hank! Thanks for sharing the memories. I'm not 100% sure about '77 being the only year for the 40mm carbs and larger diameter exhaust. Maybe a BMW expert could chime in here? It was a real treat to get to ride such a nice, low-mileage RS. Cheers!
Brings back memories.Thank you so much. So easy to look after as well as being a great companion.
You're welcome!
great review I was 10 yrs old when this came out we come along way but its all you need back in those good times yrs =concours 1000 look seems like thankyou
You're welcome!
Jon, great job on the Beemer . Germany built a bench mark motorcycle and this one look like a trip back to the future. Beautiful reminder of sport touring birth. The Japanese Honda's gold wing also put H.D. cruzer to shame like the BMW R 100 SERIES did.
Thanks, Paul! You're right about the Goldwing. It was also a very nice long-distance mount. Cheers!
Always loved this bike, just something about the look
Right on!
I bought a new R100RS in smoked graphite grey in 1982. I toured Europe on it, was such a wonderful bike to ride long or short distance and had such character. I cried when l had to sell her some years later..
Right on, David! Thanks for sharing the memories. Cheers!
I rode one of these in 80s, commuted in and out of London for 4 years and toured Wales and Scotland including the Isle of Skye. Did 78,000 miles, and it never missed a beat. I used to service it myself, dead easy with a Haynes manual (those were the days), the only work I had done in a garage was a clutch plate change. The only difference to the one in this video (and thank you for posting) was it was black with gold coloured trim to the wheels. Lovely and easy bike to ride, and comfortable for long distance use. Returned about 50 mpg.
So cool 😎! Thanks for sharing the memories. They are easy to work on and quite simple, really. Neat machines. Cheers!
Enjoyed the video Jon. BMW'S reputation was built on the old air heads. The R100 in the RS RT or GS would be my BEEMER of choice. RIDE SAFE OUT THERE!
Thanks, Henry!
Great low-down torque on these BMWs. Bars were often narrow back then, as I remember. 14:20 A dashboard you don't need your reading glasses on to make sense of. Nick
For sure! I like the easily legible clocks. Cheers!
Sweet! Always liked the look of those machines. Clean. 😊
Right on!
Excellent review! I want one more than ever.
Thanks, Kent!
Enjoyed your video. I've had 3. A 79, 82 and my current 88 with 160k on it and it's in perfect shape with no engine work except valves, which was a know defect at the time.
Overall I've probably put on in excess of 300k on these machines.
Some thoughts: I weighed my 88 and it's a almost exactly 500 lbs with a half tank.
I personally love my rear drum brakes. Stay dry in the rain and with only about 30% of the rear doing the braking it's plenty enough plus I think they're lighter & no fluid to worry about. The 72 with rear discs were a real pain to flush. Adjustment on the drum is a 3 second quarter nut turn.
I agree with you on the riding position, so put 1.5" up and back bar risers on mine for a more comfortable seating, about the most you can do with the fairing and line length restrictions.
The 77 has a heavy flywheel. My 88 is much lighter and quicker shifting, but it's still not a flickable bike.
Btw, nice touring road for the RS.
Right on! Thanks for sharing your insights on the R100RS. Now I want to try out a later model year for comparison. Cheers!
Had a new R80 which is very similar to the R100 , sold it after 6 months because of the agricultural gearbox plus other issues. One of the few bikes i owned which i don't miss at all.
The BMWs aren't everyone's cup of tea. If you're used to the Japanese machines, the BMWs feel very different. Each bike has their own plusses and minuses. Cheers!
When touring the open roads the clunky gearbox and torque reaction of the shaft don't really intrude that much.
@@redtobertshateshandles I agree. In my opinion, the R100RS was one of the first truly specialized motorcycles. Cheers!
@jonsmotorcyclerescueandrev3538 Absolutely fantastic German engineering.
My brother toured Europe on an R100S or two. I can't remember exactly.
The red R100S he bought new in
Australia was used for touring and every day riding and did over 100,000 kilometres, which is 60, 000 miles.
I think that the clutch was the only thing that wore out.
@@redtobertshateshandles Right on!
I would say that the R90 S was the first sport touring motorcycle, but the R100 RS raised the bar conciderably.
Right on! If I could have made the title longer, I would have added "of the modern formula." The full fairing and lower set bars of the RS came to define the class as we know it today. Cheers!
Very generous of your friend Tim to allow you to share this stunning piece of history with us. Amazingly low mileage! A friend had one in university days in the mid eighties. The analog clock on it really was cool. I had a Honda Shadow 500 at the time, which was obviously very different. Thanks for a great video Jon!
You're welcome! Thanks for sharing the memories!
Very cool for your friend to loan you the bike to review. It’s a gorgeous example
I agree!
Always enjoy your reviews. I like that you are straight forward with the good and not so good. I have too many bikes now but…. I’ve been eyeing one of these to add to the garage. After watching your review, in getting an bad feeling that one will be coming home soon! Thanks for encouraging my addiction!🏍😎
Right on, Kevin! I need to move a few bikes myself to make room for more. It's a sickness, really. 🙂 Cheers!
What I couldn't get over when I rode them was the extreme narrowness of the bars and lack of leverage.
It definitely gives them a sense of stability, but they don't transition quickly. There was a deliberate focus to the R100RS (high-speed tourer) that helped usher in the era of specialization. Cheers!
You really need to road test what BMW called the "Super Boxer" the first BMW Boxer engine after the K Bikes.
They have 90Hp and 70nm of tourque
The first front Monolever single front shock, and single rear shock. I have one. It has incredible tourque from 3,000 to its 7,500 redline.
I love your channel!
Thank you! I have owned several newer RTs and really enjoyed them. I would love to review more BMW models if I get he chance. Cheers!
I thought reviewing an oil/air 1:33 cooled RT would be a nice addition to your channel. It's a very overlooked engine. The "Super Boxer" has all usable power. I ride mine like it's a Sport Bike. As you know, it's surprising how far they will lean in turns. And being BMW's first all BMW fairing design, that is also the first fairing to be developed in a Wind Tunnel... lots of interesting talking points about that BMW era.
@@danpos1971 I agree. I will try to find a nice one to review in the future. Cheers!
Sorry. I didn't mean to reply twice. Too bad I didn't live close to you. I would happily loan mine to you. It's freshly tuned up. And in top condition. Every time I take it out for a ride. I can't help but be impressed. The only negative on this bike is the gearbox. Once I learned how to shift each gear....but I should not have had to learn.... still worth it.
@danpos1971 No worries. My dad had an R90 back in the day. It was a higher-mile bike with more neutrals than gears (or at least that's what it felt like). I always found it odd that the shifting on many BMWs is long-throw, and clunky compared to the Japanese motorcycles. Each bike has its plusses and minuses.
I had an ‘77 R100RS, same color and one of the really cool things about it was that it had a tire pump attached to the frame. The bike came with tire irons in the tool kit and patches for the tubes in the tires. Using the center stand, you could remove either wheel and the bike would rest on the opposite tire.
The bike also came with dual Fiamm air horns that were super loud.
The fairing was so good, I could ride in the rain and not get wet.
Thanks for the video!
Still got mine complete with the tool kit but no pump
So cool 😎! Tim, the owner of the review bike, was showing me all those items on his. Back when manufacturers respected the owners and expected them to ride and service their own bikes. Cheers!
My r100rt is a pleasure to put miles on and less back stress, both are long lasting quality motorcycles that are easy to maintain and easy to get parts for thanks for the video
You're welcome! Maybe someday I'll own an airhead. Cheers!
I`m 36 years old and my daily bike is a R100 RS from 1981 in Lava Red. The motorcycle rides wonderfully. Fully protected, my motorcycle season starts in March and ends in November. The cylinders warm the legs superbly in cold times.😉 #lftgkuhlt
Very nice! After riding the 1977 R100RS, I would consider a nice air-head. Cheers!
I have an 85 R80RT, the first year of the Monolever. It also has the lightened flywheel giving much less clunky shifting, and twin Brembo front brakes that really stop. As a lifelong Japanese bike rider,the BMW was a bit of a letdown at first, but the more time you spend in the saddle, the more you appreciate it. Like the RS, the RT fairing is like a cocoon protecting you from wind and rain. My worst complaints are the side and centre stands which both suck big time!
Right on! The side stand had been modified on this one already. I've heard mixed reviews on the center stand. Cheers!
Hola Jhon. Excelente Motocicleta. Salió en una epoca donde la competencia japonesa era letal.aca en Argentina hubo muchas ya que la policia federal la tenia para la division Motorizada. Saludos
So cool. I was 21 or so when that came out. I was a boy racer wanna be zipping about on my 750 Honda. And I had a few Bultacos back then. And several street bike and dirt bike magazines and I read them all. That BMW stunning visually. An amazing color and the lines are perfect. 2000 original miles!!!!! I could not resist, I would have to ride it.
A massive thank you to the owner. And thanks for the cool review. Do you remember the Yamaha Fazer, Yamaha Seca, and the Yamaha Radian? I thought those were so cool eons ago……
Thanks for review. I had the R90S - heavy clutch heavy flywheel, fantastic engine inertia and would do 150 kph at 5k revs all day.
Right on! All that engine momentum gives it excellent stability as well. Cheers!
Another interesting video as always. Very interesting machine I've always been intrigued by BMW but I have never owned one nor do I know anyone who does.
Thanks! I've owned quite a few BMWs, and they certainly feel different than the Japanese bikes. The airheads never feel fast, but they can be hard to keep up with if ridden by a good rider. Cheers!
Nice Jon! I've certainly been aware of these bikes over the years, but have never had the opportunity to ride one. A family member now owns the big classic styled R18 and it was the first opposing twin bike that I've ridden. As far as the R18 goes, I was generally impressed with the motor and transmission. The big 18 produces alot of opposing torque that makes the bike pull from side to side with hard throttle input. Sometimes coming out of turns with hard throttle it seemed to hold or pull the bike up which was different. I know the comparison is only with the brand and engine configuration.
Eric in NC
Good point, Eric! That is noticeable on the airheads as well, especially when blipping the throttle at a stop or when first pulling out. You get used to it quickly, though. Cheers!
Looks great and sounds amazing!
Polizei rode the heck out of these.
I agree. Tim has a nice example there. Cheers!
Jon. You have really nice scenic roads to ride on. What is the big difference between spoke rims to mag? Did this bike have tube tires? Very nice color! Your reviews are excellent & I have come to appreciate the vintage motorcycles more because you go through the history of each motorcycle you review . Nice work!! As always " Thanks for the Ride "
Thanks for the feedback, James! Mag wheels are cast as one piece of aluminum (usually). They typically have better stiffness than spoked rims and never need adjusting. Spoked rims require tubes. Cheers!
The bike has tubes,these RS,,'s only had spoke wheels for one year,1977
Big brother owned an R100S about this year.
Your bike has the rounded rocker boxes.
Great touring bike with no chain to worry about.
Good eyes! The owner thought that the silver, rounded covers look better on the all-silver engine and airbox of the 1977 bike. The stock ones are black and angular. Cheers!
@jonsmotorcyclerescueandrev3538 an ex workmate of mine owns a 750 and he swapped covers with another guy.
It's his bike and he can do what he likes but people bang on about
" originality."
I really don't prefer one style over the other. They are what they are.
@redtobertshateshandles I like to preserve the bikes, and I keep all original parts. However, I will upgrade brakes and suspension while they're mine. My opinion is that if you buy it, you can make it how you wish. But it hurts me when people chop up the classics that are in nice shape. Cheers!
@jonsmotorcyclerescueandrev3538 agree 100%.
There aren't many " customised" bikes that look as good or better than original. Certainly not as practical. We all know that in the real world a bike with no fenders or a tiny gas tank or thin seat is really useless.
@@redtobertshateshandles For sure!
I once rode one of those, and when riding the Ring Road 1 around Helsinki, I wondered why all others drove like grannies; why they drove like 60 kmh when the limit was 80? Then I looked at the speedo and it read 110 kmh.... There was almost no feel of speed after Kawasaki earlier that morning. No wonder the Police used them here.
Right on, Tim. The R100RS never feels fast, but it can really move right along at a brisk pace. It's sneaky-fast. Cheers!
Still got my 77 model sitting in the corner waiting for a little TLC all original down to the paint and the seat cover
Last time out 15 years ago my baby was still doing 225 kilometres an hour
Yes those handlebars are horrible the r90s setup is much better
So cool 😎!
Bought one in 87 and toured Europe. It was too slow for the outside lane on the Autobahn. 2 months after returning the crankshaft snapped clean in half.
Wow! That sounds like a manufacturing defect. I haven't heard of that happening on another air-head. Cheers!
Great design. These days it seems the only kind that excel on the highway are huge and bulky. Maybe not but that’s how they look to me.
That's a great point! I like the lower (relative) weight on the R100RS. Modern tourers are excessive, and unless I'm doing a longer highway ride or a cold weather ride, I don't tend to choose them. Cheers!
You go for 1 hour with 100 mph and will end up with adjusting the valves and the carburator-synchronization.
EVERY TIME!
It sounds like you've experienced it. This is the first time I've heard someone mention that. Cheers!
@@jonsmotorcyclerescueandrev3538 yes. I rode it for years.
Original tires??? 😮😮😮
Yeah, not a comforting thought when reviewing someone else's motorcycle! Thankfully, all went well! Cheers
rennsport
Right on!
BMW flat twins ...built to tour ...."most"... of the way to Moscow ...not so good in snow .
Right on!
That certainly is an ugly motorcycle 😮
Engineering isn't necessarily aesthetically pleasing. These bikes were designed to be able to ride all day at around 100 mph and provide a good level of comfort for the rider and passenger.
To each his own 😉. Cheers!
The beauty of these bikes is best seen sitting behind the fairing on a long ride...
This is the Looks that Kawasaki was going for with the Concours 1000.
It certainly influenced the Concours - even the color. Cheers!
Mirrors and fairing such thought went into,I lived in Germany 85 through 88 and the main freeways had no limit on speed,most motorists went 65 or so and fuel was expensive for Germans but as a GI we got coupons for tax free fuel and it was cheap.That seat on that is great.
I agree! It's such a nice highway machine! Cheers