Provenance

I picked this bike up in January, 2015 with 83,380 miles on the odometer. It was stored outside for a time, and needs some TLC. I always wanted an RS, and this is the first one I bought.

NOTE:
And, then a bit later I saw a first year 1977 R100RS for sale at way too much money, but I bought it and completely restored it. You can see all about that project here:

• 1977 BMW R100RS Rebuild: Project Index

The VIN shows the bike was built on February 9, 1983. I found the original owners manual which included information about the original dealer inspection, the date of sale, the first 600 mile check.

The original owner was a Mr. Phil Salvatore in Granda Hills, California, who bought the bike on April 20 1983.

In one week he had logged 689 miles and was ready for his 600 mile first service.

After carefully inspecting the the dealer stamps for the 5,000 and 10,000 mile inspections, I could make out the dates written underneath them, and added the dates to the margin. The original owner put 5,000 miles on the bike from April 26 through July 2 and the next 5,000 miles in one month.  I suspect he went on a long ride on his summer vacation.

There are no other dealer inspections filled in after this. Perhaps the bike was sold, or the owner started to do his own maintenance.

The word “Cancel” was written across the limited warranty page. I’m not sure why.

Photo Inventory

I took a large number of detailed pictures of the R100RS when I got it in 2015, so I have a record of the original condition and to help when I can’t remember what part goes where.  For instance, when painting, it’s nice to have pictures of the original pin stripe location on the parts, to confirm where oil leaks were, and to identify missing pieces of the bike. The slide show below contains the photo inventory I took of the bike.

As Purchased Condition

The following is a summary of the condition.  The red items will need attention.

Body Work

• Fairing paint has a large number of stone chips and missing paint.
• Fairing mounting hardware is not cracked or broken
• Fairing has no visible cracks
• Fairing right side rear view mirror bracket has paint missing
• Windscreen is not cracked or badly scratched but is very dirty
• Windscreen mounting bolts have white areas (stress concentrations)
• Seat pan has slight rust and seat has a tear
• Tail section “R100RS” emblem is missing the white paint on the lettering
• Package rack is not broken
• Pannier frame on the left side has a broken weld
• Panniers have several cracks in the ABS plastic
• Battery box and lower frame gusset is rusty due to battery acid leaks
• Rear brake line bracket is rusted from battery acid leaks
• Battery box plastic battery nut, right side, is stripped and threaded upside down
• Headlight glass is not cracked or pitted
• Rubber boots around the fork legs are shot
• Forks have rubber gaiters that restrict the steering lock to lock
• Gas tank has no dents
• Gas tank paint is worn down to the bare metal at the rear due to rubbing on the seat.
• Gas tank paint is damaged around the filler cap and has some small rust spots
• Gas tank shows intact red rust protective coating
• Gas tank filler neck is rusty
• Gas cap and lock works
• Gas cap outer black seal is cracked
• Gas tank petcocks not leaking
• Gas tank petcocks black cover lettering white paint worn off
• Original front wheel chain and lock are in spine tube
• Dashboard is missing right and left labels
• Dashboard is not cracked
• Instrument cluster is not cracked
• Clock is not working
• Volt meter is working
• White lettering under center idiot light stack is worn off
• Rear vendor badges and signs under seat are intact and original
• Under seat storage compartment in tail is not broken
• Tire pump under seat
• Brown side stand installed
• Rear engine mount threads stripped on left side (Brown Side stand)
• Side stand original mount is very loose and wallowed out
• Side stand and center stand springs intact
• Center stand mounting bolts and bushings are not loose
• Rust on rear frame and rear foot peg bolts
• Foot peg rubber is not cracked or worn
• Swing arm bearing plastic caps are not missing
• Frame has rust, missing paint and stone chips

Steering and Front End

• Choke lever paint is worn off in places
• Rubber dash on handlebars is not ripped
• Steering damper knob is not broken
• Front brake reservoir is low
• Front brake reservoir is not cracked and is not leaking
• Lettering on left and right switch assemblies is missing in places
• Front brake lines are not corroded
• Front calipers show no leaks
• Front rubber brake lines show no cracks
• Rear brake lever works
• No fork oil leaks visible

Wiring

• Under dash wiring connectors outer sheath has pulled back exposing wiring
• Wiring harness to headlight has no cracks in outer sheath
• Wiring connectors near battery outer sheath has pulled back exposing wiring
• All running lights work and turn signals flash
• Headlight works on low and high beam

Engine

• Push rod tubes leaking
• Oil pan gasket leaking a bit at rear
• Oil pan is very clean
• No oil leaks at valve covers
• Oil leak at bottom of front cover
• Valve cover paint has chips
• Bottom of valve covers do not show scrapes
• Pulse air system piping seems intact with no cracks in rubber hoses
• Air box metal hold down straps rusty
• Carburetor dome center round inserts rusty
• Carburetor dome screws are rusted
• Carburetor engine side very dirty and covered in crud
• Carburetor and choke cables bent with exposed outer sheath
• White paint on carburetor badges mostly missing
• Black float bowl on right carburetor. [New metal bowl in spare parts]
• Oil cooler bypass is not leaking
• Exhaust headers and cross over are very rusty
• Mufflers have some small dents
• Mufflers chrome has numerous stains
• Rear tail light and turn signals not cracked
• Rear fender not cracked
• San Jose fork brace installed

Transmission, Drive Shaft, Rear Drive

• Rusty transmission fill plug
• Some oil stains on back of transmission near drive shaft boot
• Oil at bottom and rear of transmission
• Tachometer cable boot is cracked
• Rear drive was painted black and paint is peeling
• Rear drive drain plug is leaking
• Shift lever linkage is loose on the foot peg pivot pin

Rear Brakes,  Wheels

• Rear brake line bracket under battery is rusted
• Rear brake reservoir is low
• Rear master cylinder shows no leaks
• Rear brake fluid reservoir hose looks very old
• Rear cast wheel paint is chipped
• Front cast wheel paint is chipped
• Some oil on rear wheel next to wheel bearing
• Some oil on rear brake bracket on rear axle

2019 Restart, RS/T High Level Build Plan

After I got the bike I did several necessary projects, as noted below. The original idea in 2015 was to restore the bike as an RS. But now, in 2019, the plan has changed to a resto-mod of the bike from the RS to RT configuration. Then I’ll have both a 1977 R100RS and 1983 R100RT. Since there is no “RS” or “RT” on the engine badge, doing this on a 1983 seems like it’s a better bike to do this to.

After I got the bike, and before the 1977 RS showed up in 2016, I completed the following work.

• Carburetor rebuild,
• Oil filter pressure relief valve repair
• New fork seals,
• Odometer repair and clock repair,
• Instrument cluster circuit board repair,
• New diode board with solid mounts,
• New alternator brushes,
• Pulse-air system removal,
• Extensive pannier repairs and fixed broken pannier bracket weld.

Below is a list of the proposed work by major sub-system for the 2019 project restart.

Major Service

I did a major service in 2015 and rode ride the bike for awhile to get some impressions about how well the engine is running and the suspension is performing. Interestingly enough, a lot of the rubber is in good condition indicating that a previous owner cared for the bike. Based on the original inspection, and the 2019 goal of converting the RS in to and RT, I anticipate doing the following work.

Carburetor, Petcock Rebuild & Refinish

In 2015, I did a complete carburetor rebuild and refinished them including repaint the white lettering on the carburetor badges. I rebuilt the Karcoma petcocks and refinished them. I’ll disassemble the carburetors and inspect the O-rings since the bike ended up sitting for over two years.

Engine

Shortly after I got the bike, the oil pressure light started coming on. I found a broken oil  filter pressure relief valve and repaired that. I checked the oil pickup and replaced the gasket and oil pan gasket.

I’ll do a top end rebuild. I will pull the pistons and upgrade the pistons, rings and wrist pins with 9.5:1 pistons replacing the modest 8.2:1 pistons the bike comes with. I will have the connecting rods machined to true the centers as they tend to stretch with this many miles. I’ll replace the push rod tube seals, head gasket and all the top end O-rings.

I’ll inspect the valves and seats in the heads for wear. If there are signs of valve recession, which would be expected for this year and the mileage if the problem was not addressed previously, I’ll have the heads rebuilt with new exhaust valve seats, valves, guides and springs.

I’ll replace the front and rear engine seals, oil pump o-ring and cam shaft seal. I may also replace the timing chain as with this many miles the crankshaft sprocket is likely worn and the chain stretched.

Clutch, Transmission, Swing Arm, Rear Drive

I’ll remove these and inspect the clutch for wear and the transmission seals for leakage. If needed, I’ll have the clutch rebuilt, or replace it.

On the rear drive, I’ll remove the black paint and refinish the rear drive. I will repaint or powder coat the swing arm.

Frame, Luggage, Luggage Frame

I fixed the broken weld on the luggage frame, and repaired all the cracks in the luggage in 2015. But that luggage and luggage frame ended up on my R75/6 when I gave that bike to my son. I replaced the rear engine mount with stripped threads in 2015 soon after I got the bike. I’ll look for an appropriate frame for the bike that matches the hepco becker bags I use on my 1977 RS. Then, one set of luggage will work on both bikes.

Brakes

I’ll inspect the disk brake pads and inspect the front and rear master cylinders, and repair, or replace as needed. I’ll check the rotors for warping and thickness and it they aren’t up to par, I’ll replace them. I’ll inspect the steel brake lines for rust and replace if required. I’ll replace all the rubber brake line components. I will repaint the front and rear calipers.

Suspension

I’ll pull the fork tubes and inspect the internals. I may upgrade the fork to a cartridge emulator design (Race Tech Gold Valve). The rear shocks will likely be replaced as well.

Wheels

I’ll clean the wheels and get them painted or powder coated as the original paint is not up to par. Wheel bearings will be inspected, pre-load adjusted and repacked with grease.

Steering

I am getting used RT handlebars and will have to replace the top throttle and clutch cables to the Bowden assembly since the RT bars are longer than the RS. I plan to update the fork top plate with the Toaster Tan version to improve the handling.

Electrical System

The tape at the bottom of the voltage regulator is hanging, so it’s possible this has been worked on. The wiring harness will be removed so the frame can be painted or powder coated. I’ll repair the outer plastic sheath where it is torn and separated from a connector body. I will get the RT sub-harness that powers the RT turn signals, ignition, volt meter and clock.

Engine Electrical System

I plan to open up the electronic ignition “bean can” to lube the advance pivots and clean it. I’ll replace the Hall Effect sensors as preventative maintenance. These eventually fail due to heat.

Due to an intermittent charging light flicker, I replaced the alternator brushes in 2015 and I replaced the diode board and the rubber diode board mounts as rubber mounts are the wrong solution to a problem BMW had and these were broken.  I may replace the alternator with a higher output version.

Body Work

With the decision to convert this to an RT body, I will get used upper body panels, windscreen and associated mounting hardware, dash board, dash wiring harness and the air vents. I don’t plan to use the plastic side storage bins as they often damage the paint on the tank since the clearance is so small. I will likely do something different for fairing storage. I’m thinking of doing some leather work, and/or alter the tank bra to act as a removable set of tank panniers. I’m also considering adding wood inlay to the dash with veneer marquetry.

Repainting

The body work will need repainting. I’m considering some options that I think will be distinctive. I’m going to try to repaint the white lettering under the indicator lights on the instrument cluster if I can come up with a usable method to do that.

2019 Project Restart Walk-around Video

I had cleaned the bike up quite a bit during the 2015 work, so it looks nicer in 2019 then when I took delivery in 2015. Now that I have a different project end-state in mind; a resto-mod into an RT configuration, I did a walk-around video of the bike in 2019 before I start the RS/T rest-mod project.

Revisions

2019-01-30 Edit planned procedures, reorganize content.
2019-02-28 Update to reflect new direction for the build, RS conversion to RT, RS/T.
2019-02-28 Added pre-build walk-around video.
2019-11-17 Edits and typos.