by David Brodey
I had been drooling over a couple of BMW brochures since the RS was introduced, and swore I would own one. My ride at the time (my first bike) was a brand new 1978 Honda CB750F SuperSport which I purchased in 1979 for $2,499.00 Cdn with an 18.5% interest rate. The BMW is the only bike I’ve owned that was not badged Honda.
A friend got me interested in airheads when he stuffed a 1000cc engine into his R65 frame, and mounted a Pichler fairing…all done in black paint.
In 1987 I was lucky to find my RS in a town 70km east of Toronto for $6,000.00 Cdn. The bike had just under 4,500km on the odometer. The fellow I bought it from had a young family and no time to ride.
The bike was in good shape, and just needed some serious detailing, oil/filter, tires, and a fresh battery.
In 2018 while travelling at @ 90kph to a bike event northwest of Toronto (and 5 minutes from my hotel), I noticed a blur of black and white from the corner of my left eye. Before I could react, a Canada Goose slammed into the left side of the fairing, its body folding back both mirrors, and damaging the nose piece, left upper fairing, and dash. If it wasn’t for the fairing and the steel frame brackets, I might not be here to tell the tale. 18 months later, and a healthy chunk of change, new parts and a repaint was finally completed.
Period mods / cosmetic changes during the first few years of ownership;
• BMW Hot Rod satin black side covers
• chrome fork brace and grab rail
• progressive springs
• stainless front brake lines
• San Jose triple clamp
• Koni shocks
• Browns sidestand
At 5’10”, I found the bars too far forward and low which made longer rides uncomfortable. After taking careful measurements, I found that the stock handlebars could be moved up and back @ 1”. A great fabricator in the Toronto area made the risers. What a difference an inch can make!
More changes over the last 10 years include;
• swingarm end caps
• stainless steel carb funnels
• aluminum clamshell air box
• R100 RS starter cover
• satin black paint trim on the fairing
The only time the bike let me down was when a new battery was not properly charged (initialized) by a shop, and died in Port Dover, ON…on Friday the 13th.
