By Jeff Glucker
So you want to own a classic BMW, but you don’t have the coin to put that 3.0 CSL in your garage? Maybe you should start thinking about a two-wheeled German steed instead. Perusing my local Craigslist this morning I happened across a 1979 BMW R100, and it’s asking price of $3,500 seems like a good place to start negotiations. Per the seller, the bike has seen 54,000+ miles of duty and the engine has been given the attention it requires. The registration is current, and the California title is clear.
It may not be that round-taillight BMW 2002 you’ve been lusting after, but perhaps a bit of old-school German-cool can still reside in your garage. Talk the seller down to $3,000 or less, fire up the bike, and lane-split with a smile all the way back home.
[Source: Craigslist]
Lane split? You crazy Californians…
And ditch the faring. After that, you've got a sweet bike.
Never! <img src="http://www.wildsoundmovies.com/images/mad_max_goose_bike.jpg">
Not all fairings are bad. But the one on the featured bike? It is awful. The one you show above is much better.
I endorse Lanesplitting fully and when I was riding, I enjoyed every second of the privilege. If I already have to accept the fact that all motorists are inherently trying to kill me, then I'll at least take that perk.
OH! Bonus: It's also now ILLEGAL to impede a motorcyclist who is lanesplitting by opening a door or something or blocking deliberately. So in CA, either let me lanesplit when I'm riding with a smile, or get your ticket.
http://www.chp.ca.gov/programs/lanesplitguide.htm…
also: Fairings are sexier and much, MUCH better to ride with.
I will NEVER ever own another bike without a fairing again. #destroyedBuell
I've never been a fan of fairings in the past, but I must be getting old. My Suzuki S50 is currently in the process of getting a fairing…a re-purposed, distinctive OEM fairing from another brand bike…to be revealed here on Hooniverse when it's complete.
Well, I am a prematurely-old 27-year old. My wreck took a lot of years out of my hips, unfortunately. My Katana rides all screwy without its fairings, and I hated riding my Buell without one. You had to tuck in on that bike and really rev the crap out of that poor thumper to get it to go 85mph – meaning I was always screaming at the top of 5th just to keep up with traffic. But yeah, there was no windscreen or anything on that bike and that, coupled with its upright riding position, wasn't super fun at speed.
Fairings are great! Just make sure they extend back far enough.
<img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5133/5512867456_cfc3733b03.jpg" width="400">
And that there are enough wheels to hold them up! : )
I typically move my car as far over as possible.. I feel cool when I get the thumbs up from lane-splitting bike person.
I would often be that guy – I appreciate it when cars give me room to breathe. I think it makes us both much more comfortable.
I think it's crazy in anything other than parked traffic, but there's no way in hell I'd try and obstruct someone doing it. That's just being a complete ass.
That fairing is tragic, innit?
Fairings are all well and good, but that one looks like an eBay special body kit for an old Bondo-bomb Civic.
Man, how I love these things.
54K? Freakin' brand new! I thought I got a deal when I bought a 20 year old GMC with 57K for $3800, an R100 will go 200K pretty reliably, if the past 30 years have proven anything.
Be prepared to buy a whole set of specialized BMW motorcycle tools, these old beasts were like bicycles in their cultish maintenance supply. Or, be prepared to pay some old cranky devil who has the tools to do your maint. for you. And hope he doesn't close up shop.
It's not that bad, for routine maintenance you need an exhaust nut wrench, the feeler gauges out of the stock toolkit, a conical grease gun fitting and ideally a cut down 27mm socket for torquing the swingarm pivot locknuts. if you are a masochist and keep the breaker points you should also have a dummy centrifugal advance shaft for setting the gap, but the smart money buys an electronic ignition. Almost everything else except a clutch job or an alternator replacement can be done with ordinary metric hand tools. A clutch requires an alignment tool (cheap) and a set of long fine thread bolts to slowly ease off the spring. I did a clutch replacement in a garage with no electricity and a top end rebuild in only slightly less spartan conditions. I did have the crusty old guy do the rear main seal replacement because there are limits to my patience.