1978 BMW R-Series

6162796

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I am selling my nice 1978 BMW R100s motorcycle. It has a clean CA title and is registered through Jan of 2015. It has matching numbers on the motor and frame. It is a nice, solid and well sorted 36 year old bike with the patina to show it. After selling my 1982 Honda CB 900F Super Sport a couple of months ago (on Ebay), I looked around for a BMW bike for a restoration project. I ended up purchasing this R100s from a local SoCal gent. As fate would have it, shortly after purchasing this bike, I found and purchased a BMW bike that was already completed. So my R100s restoration project is not going to happen and because I am short on space, I have to sell this one to a new home. My wife is growing tired of having her car in the driveway so that I can keep this bike garaged until it sells. This would make a great café bike project, with its bones a rare and very desirable R100s, or you could restore the bike back to a stock R100s. You could also just drive it like it is. "S" bikes from BMW were their sport bikes and came in a state of "semi-café" style with low factory handle bars that are just right for riding. I try to represent all items I sell on Ebay accurately, just as I would expect others to represent items that I buy. While it is not going to be possible to identify every blemish on this 36 year old bike, I am identifying the most important items. This R100s is painted in classic BMW black, and while the paint is solid with good reflective qualities and no significant dents, scratches or chips that I have noticed, the paint is not show quality. This is the first Airhead that I have owned and I have put a little over 175 miles on the bike since I purchased it. While I don't have anything to compare it to, it seems to run good and strong for 65 hp. It pulls hard even from relatively low rpms, which I suppose is a function of good torque from the opposing twin engine. I drove it home the day I bought it, which was about 65 miles away and there were no issues at all. I have put the remainder of the miles on it driving around town on multiple occasions, again without any issues. Once it warms up, it idles smooth too, but the idle is a bit finicky until it is warm, which may just be a function of me finding the right position on the choke lever as it warms up. Once you are rolling, this R100s runs very smooth, with very good throttle response, even when cold. I don't know when the last tune up was but one probably couldn't hurt as there is sometimes a stumble transitioning off of idle. I have read this could be a carburetor adjustment. It occasionally puffs a small amount of smoke on start up (left side) which immediately goes away, but strangely, it doesn't do this every time I start it. The last three times starting the bike, it has not smoked. From what I have read, the piston ring end-gaps occasionally line up allowing oil to seep from the cylinder wall into the combustion chamber. When you fire up the motor, it burns the oil. As I have read, this is common with BMW bikes of this vintage. I checked the compression (motor warm, throttle wide open as recommended) and it is running 150 psi in each cylinder, which is considered good. The bike leaks a small amount of oil, again consistent with its mileage. The battery box is there but it is missing its hold down clamp. I have always ridden Japanese or BMW 4 cylinder bikes and while they are quite smooth in comparison, they don't seem to have the low end torque of the opposing twin motor. I was also very surprised at how well the R100s handles. It wants to dive effortlessly into corners, I suppose a result of the low center of gravity. I particularly like the low seat and the bike's light weight. The transmission is quite smooth and shifts up and down the gears effortlessly without any issues. Everything electrical on the bike works good: turn signals; all instrument bulbs in the gauge cluster; high / low beams; high beam flasher; kill switch (two positions); brake light (from front and rear levers); speedometer; odometer; trip meter; and tachometer. Even the turn signal beeper works, which to me is a pretty annoying device. The left side horn works, but it occasionally has to think about it for a second when you push the horn button. On today's ride, it worked fine. The right side horn is missing but the electrical connection is there and shows 12V when horn button is pressed. This R100s does come with some good upgrades: Dyna electronic ignition to eliminate breaker points; braided stainless steel front brake lines; and Koni rear shocks. The shocks seem to be in fine condition and the bike has a nice and firm ride front and rear. The exhaust is in good condition with no rust perforation and has a very deep tone. There are a couple of dents in the front exhaust pipes. The front and rear brakes on the bike work good. The bike comes as you see it. It has a weathered but functional Corbin seat that is bolted to the seat cowl and fits well. That said, there are no seat hinges, but there are studs on the seat bottom that are ready to mount the hinges. The seat and pan are just resting on the bike, but the seat post that slips into the lock is there and snaps into the lock fine with a click, which helps hold it in place. Driving around like this, the seat does not move and you don't even notice that there aren't any hinges. Hinges might be able to be sourced from Corbin. Under the seat, there are no tools, tool trays or tire pump. Mileage on the bike is approximately 64,000 as best as I can tell. The odometer shows 9665 miles (might be a few more by the time the bike is sold) and there is a sticker on the rear fender under the seat that details a speedometer replacement at 54,280 miles in the year 2000. Speedometer breakage is a fairly common thing with these old BMWs I have come to learn. There is one (1) BMW folding key, which works in the ignition, fork lock, gas cap and seat lock. At the end of the day, this seems to be a well sorted R100s that could use a tune up. The prior owner gave me a folder containing a lot of paperwork detailing prior history of this R100s. I also have the original owners manual. It is in pretty rough condition, but it is still readable. Buyer is responsible for arranging and cost of shipping and I will fully cooperate with your shipper. A $200 non-refundable Pay Pal deposit is required within 48 hours of auction close. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me or call me at 858 775 0359. Thanks!