I bought this bike new 1982. In fact it is an “R100RSR”and is one of a limited edition of 37 bikes which BMW produced at the end of the twin rear shock era. As readers may know, the R100RS was introduced in 1977 and discontinued in 1984 before being reintroduced in 1988, by popular demand, with a single rear shock (the “monolever”).Perhaps the most striking feature of these bikes is the wonderful full fairing (shown in the photo with the lower half removed for summer riding). It was very exotic in its day and was dramatically advertised by BMW with striking photographs of the bike undergoing tests in the Volkswagen wind tunnel in Germany and showing, by means of smoke trails, the extremely effective protection provided to the rider.
Click on photo to enlarge. And of course there were the related benefits of increased speed through aerodynamic efficiency, improved high speed handling due to reduced front and rear wheel lift, plus reduced fuel consumption, all scientifically calculated and also shown by BMW in its advertising.

In my experience it is a terrific sport/touring machine and easy to maintain.

Reg asked about my trip to Europe with this bike.

In early 2007 I shipped the R100RS to England with the aim of watching the Centenary Isle of Man races in June before shipping the bike back home in November. I rode approximately 15,000 k’s (much of the time with my wife as pillion) touring England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, Holland (where we watched the MotoGP at Assen), Belgium, France and over the Pyrenees to Spain.

These days it is necessary while touring in Europe to be able to keep up with 130KPH traffic when on the motorways plus something in reserve for safety. Notwithstanding its age, the bike was able to do that easily, two and loaded with luggage and camping gear. The brakes and electrical are systems up also competent in modern traffic and there were a number of occasions when the traditional English storms and cold weather made me grateful of the shelter of the fairing. All very impressive for a bike now 28 years young!

One other trip I’ll mention is a ride on this bike a few years ago when I left Bourke (close to the Queensland border) in the morning and arrived back in Melbourne that night. We covered over 1000 k’s that day. I hadn’t intended to ride so far that day, but the efficiency of the fairing and the effortless smooth power of the flat twin made it made it safe, and great fun, to bore along those NSW roads, at speed, for hours on end. Needless to say, I was knackered at the end of the day. However that trip was a most memorable experience.

Finally, for anyone wanting to know more about these machines, there is an interesting book devoted to them written by Bill Stermer published in 2002 called (logically) “BMW R100RS”.

Tony Border