The 1983 R100RS has the BMW Pulse Air system installed. This is a passive system with no active motors or moving parts. It sucks filtered air into the exhaust manifold in the heads to help burn any gasoline and to ensure low CO emissions. That said, according to Bob Fleischer’s information on the Pulse Air system, this increases the exhaust gas temperature and likely exacerbates wear of the valves and seats and could contribute to warped heads. The original valves and seats in 1983 had problems with valve recession due to excessive wear from the metallurgy BMW used to try and compensate for unleaded fuel.

For these reasons, I’m going to update the Pulse Air system and modify the air box so the valve train stays nice and cool. I purchased a smog kit from Rubber Chicken Racing Garage that has all the parts needed to complete this upgrade, shown below.

MAX BMW has a good exploded view diagram of the Pulse Air components in their parts fiche.

Remove the Air Intake Tubes

Filtered air is sucked from the air box into the exhaust ports in the heads via the air intake tubes, one for each cylinder, where it is used to burn any unburned fuel and to reduce CO in the exhaust. The air intake tube consists two metal tubes connected with a rubber hose about mid-way along it’s length. One metal tube connects to the air box next to the carburetor inlet and the other metal tube connects to a threaded port underneath the head behind the exhaust pipe nut.

I unscrew the nut at the air box to remove that end of the air intake tube.

Then I hold onto the air valve while I remove the nut holding it to the airbox. The air valves are the two bronze color cylinders inside the air box connected together with rubber hose as shown below.

When the air valve senses a high vacuum in the carburetor venturi, it opens to allow filtered air to be sucked down the air intake manifolds on each carburetor into the exhaust ports.

After removing the air intake pipe connections on both sides, I lift out the two air valves and the rubber hose connecting them.

I remove the other end of the air intake tube from the head by unscrewing the coupling nut.

This exposes a fitting in the head that I need to remove with a 22 mm socket.

Mine unscrews very easily, but they can be stuck tight due to galling, and carbon build up in the exhaust manifold.

WARNING:
Read Bob Fleischer’s write-up. This fitting often won’t budge and you can damage the aluminum threads in the head if it’s really stuck. Follow Bob’s other ways of upgrading the Pulse Air system if your fitting won’t come out easily.

Here is the air intake tube showing the two metal pipes, the rubber hose joining them in the middle, and the plug that goes into the head.

Remove Oil Breather Hoses

The oil breather hoses are also inside the air box. One of mine has split so I am replacing both hoses. If yours are in good condition, you don’t have to touch them to upgrade the Pulse Air system as the oil breather is not part of Pulse Air system.

Remove Carburetor Intake Venturi Vacuum Hoses

These hoses connect from the bottom of the carburetor and go into the airbox to a tee fitting. A single hose from the tee goes to the left side air valve. The carburetor venturi vacuum opens the air valves so filtered air can be pulled by the exhaust manifold vacuum into the exhaust manifold.

I pull the hoses back inside the top engine cover. When I rebuild the engine, I’ll pull the air box and completely remove them.

Capping Off Carburetors and Vacuum Hoses

The small screws with fiber washers fit into the threads inside the vacuum port on the carburetor. They can be removed to use carburetor balancing sticks or gauges.

Capping Off Exhaust Manifold

The oil drain plug from the R1150 motor (M16x1.5, 10 mm; part# 07 11 9 902 292) makes a perfect cap for the threaded hole in the exhaust manifold. I originally snugged this up and checked it again after I rode the bike to be sure it stayed put.  But after about 2,000 miles, one of them came out. So I now I use Loctite 271 to keep them installed. It’s a reasonably high temperature formulation so it ought to keep the bolt tight at the threads are in the aluminum head which is air cooled.

Capping Air Intake Tube Port in The Air Box

The timing port rubber plug fits nicely into the hole in the air box where the air intake tube was connected to it. I put a bit of silicone seal the plug to ensure it doesn’t pop out. That would let unfiltered air into the carburetor and the engine.

Install Air Filter on Top of Air Box

I install a new air filter on top of the air box. Note that the bottom of the filter has rounded and square corners which match those on the air box so it only goes one way.

The air box cover clips come off easily. One end hooks into the bracket on the air box and is easy to install by moving the top out of the way and then holding the clip it so it’s rotated toward the inside of the air box and pushing up on the clip. When it clears the bracket, rotate it towards you.

Revisions

2019-11-23  Edits and typos.
2020-08-28  Changed title and link.
2021-01-01  Update regarding plug size for plugging threaded hole in heads.