I had the fairing, front fender, side covers and gas tank painted in a two tone paint scheme, code 130, used on the RS bikes; the colors are Dunkel Blue and Hell Silver. In this scheme, the seat cowl is painted Dunkel Blue but I chose to use Hell Silver instead. And in tribute to the first year 1977 RS, I had matte clear coat applied instead of gloss and a single white pin stripe applied.

Parts

I got a new clip to secure the rear seat hinge, new rubber bumpers for the bottom of the cowl and a new rondel for the rear of the cowl.

Part #	Description	Qty
07 12 9 934 318	LOCK RING – D6,0-Rear Seat Hinge Retention	1
52 53 1 232 904	COWLING BUMPER	2
46 63 7 686 746	BADGE – D=70MM	1

Video

This video shows the highlights of the assembly process.

VIDEO: 1983 BMW R100RS Install Seat Cowl and Seat

Install Foam Pad, Rondel And RS Badge On Cowl

Inside the cowl, at the rear, a foam pad is glued on the inside of the cowl. I removed it before having it painted. I install it using silicone seal and position toward the rear so the rear tool box will clear it when the seat is closed.

I clean the surface the rondel and badge mount on with alcohol wipes to get rid of any oil and dirt. I peal the backing off the rondel and position it, then press it firmly into the detent.

I use 3M molding tape to attach the RS badge. I apply the tape to the back of the badge, peal off the red protective coating and press it into the rectangular detent underneath the rondel.

Attach Grab Rail

I’m using a combination grab rail/parcel rack.

The ends of the grab rail tubes are open. A plastic plug fits in the hole. The plug has fingers that hold a square nut. The bolt that secures the bottom of the grab rail threads into the square nut.

There is a special plastic washer with a cutout that fits around the circular grab rail. The bolt, flat washer and wave washer are attached from the inside of the cowl.

The top grab rail bolt is longer. It too has a special plastic washer that fits between the outside of the cowl and the grab rail.

I left the bottom bolts loose so I can rotate the grab rail. I place the two plastic washers at the top holes of the grab rail and carefully rotate the rail down so I don’t scratch the paint with the plastic washers. I push the bolts through the holes in the grab rail and secure them on the inside with the wave washer and lock nut.

Install Rubber Bumpers and Seat

Two rubber bumpers fit in holes in the front of the cowl. The bumpers point to the inside of the cowl. I pull the legs through the holes.

I turn the sear upside down and lay the cowl on top of the seat. There are slots in the cowl and holes in the bottom of the seat pan with threaded bushings. The seat is secured with 10 bolts (10 mm long) and wave washers. I attach the bolts.

Mount The Seat

There are two hinges that are riveted to the seat pan. The slide over pins on the rear sub-frame. The rear hinge pin has a groove and a clip fits in the groove to keep the seat on the hinge pins.