BMW R100RS

Picture the scene: a gleaming white BMW R100RS Motosport being wheeled out of the dealer's showroom into the car park (he sold BMW cars as well). A fresh MOT, road tax and insurance all sorted and the open road beckoned. Such is the stuff dreams are made of, or so it seemed to this particular biker of some twenty years experience.
 
Although it was 5 years old with 30000 miles on the clock (just run in, sir, the salesman joked), it was far and away the most expensive bike I'd purchased. But I wanted something that would last for years, cruise effortlessly for long distances yet still be relatively easy to maintain. The BMW seemed to fit the bill. It had a reputation for a quality build and long life that no other bike could match.
 
The 20 mile ride home on a freezing January day did nothing to via my damped my enthusiasm The fairing gave good weather protection, the boxer engine pulled willingly, and although the shaft drive made quick gear changes difficult, I reasoned that it was just a matter of adapting to it and that smooth changes would come with practice.
 
The single rear disc brake didn’t seem too effective at are so I decided to investigate. As an aircraft engineer by trade and a bike mechanic by inclination, I was quite happy to sort out this small problem by myself. I decided that the fault was in the brake master cylinder and obtained a seal kit from my local dealer. This was quite difficult to fit (as I'd been warmed by the same dealer) but the cost of a new master cylinder, £130, was out of the question. For about 50 miles the brake was excellent but then ed became less and less effective. The twin disc front brakes were more than adequate but the perfectionist in me wanted the back brake to work properly; after all, this was a BMW. By the time I had decided to go for a new master cylinder the price had gone up to £160. This was the sort of money that some of my previous bikes had cost, but fitting it did cure the problem - for a while.
 
I decided to visit relatives in Ireland with my 10 year old son on the pillion. The journey from East to West coast over the Pennines was exhilarating. The Krauser panniers took all our baggage easily. However, on a long trip the low bars tend to become uncomfortable, especially with a pillion as the rider is forced to sit forward, where the seat is quite hard, making stops necessary every hour or so.
 
On the last day of our trip, just a couple of hours before catching the return ferry, I got a puncture in rt rear tyre. We had just stopped or petrol and as I filled up the tank, unbeknown to me, the rear tyre was quickly deflating. The side stand had a vicious return spring and only allowed a few degrees of tilt. This, combined with the extra weight of petrol in the tank and the flat tyre, caused the bike to fall over. No damage was done except to me and my son as we struggled to lift the bike upright. Back at my relatives' house we quickly set about fixing the puncture. The back wheel would have been easy to remove had not the pannier frames been in the way - three people and a lot of struggling.
 
One epic journey across the Pennines resulted in turning around because the bike was uncontrollable in the high cross winds. What was happening here? This was the bike I'd dreamed of going around the world on, and here I was chickening out of a mere 300 mile jaunt. Combined with the fact that I never mastered the gearchange, always that awful clunk, resulted in the bike being laid up for months on end. This bike was destroying all my love for motorcycles and when it failed to start in the winter I decided it had to go,
 
A genuine battery cost £90 but an alternative was available for £50. These high prices seemed general for BMW parts and I still feel that they can't be justified.  True, the bike was a great long distance motorway cruiser but surely the gearchange could have been sorted out after all the years of development. And doing away with the kickstart on a 1000cc twin is a backward step in my opinion. For sure, the BM’ had more than adequate power for sane road use, wasnt too heavy on tyres and pads, whilst fuel was between 40 and 50mpg depending upon the degree of abuse.
 
My advert resulted in someone driving over 100 miles with a trailer to buy the bike. After a test run and a little haggling I watched it being towed away with mixed feelings. It was a truly beautiful looking bike - maybe it was just me expecting too much, but I made a mental note to stay well away from bikes with fairings and.
shaft drives.
 
About a year later I saw my old bike advertised in MCN by the bloke I'd sold it to. The mileage was less than 1000 more than when I'd sold it. Another disillusioned BMW owner? I had to confess that the idea of that helped to justify my own decision to sell. At the end of the day it just didn’t cut it as a good bike, and the extortionate spares prices made owning it a liability.
 
My next bike, a high revving 350LC, water pumper - instant power, fast, slick gear changes and a kickstart. Such is the stuff dreams are made of... For any doubting Thomases reading this, may I add this observation about BMWs in general and the R100 series in particular: look through the private for sale ads in MCN and you will notice one thing common to many - the low mileage quoted. Now, this may be explained by their owners being fair weather riders who use their bikes only for fun on our few glorious summer days. However, as any biker will tell you, if you really enjoy owning a particular bike you will find time and excuses for using it for longer and longer journeys.
 
Finally, I noticed that when BMW re-introduced the R100RS in '86, due to popular demand, they had replaced the single disc rear brake with a drum (hurray - Ed). This is possibly because the monolever rear suspension prevented use of a disc, but I like to think that it was because of feedback to BMW from my local dealer who listened sympathetically to my endless tirades about that bloody useless back brake.
 
Anon