The BMW R100RS arguably launched the idea of the sport touring motorcycle, but I don’t feature many non-limited edition examples just because they’re fairly common place. But did you know that the earliest examples of the legendary model were all silver/blue with blue pinstriping and blue anodized calipers? Or as some of you may remember it – this was the bike of Ian Ogilvy in the The Return of The Saint. Either way, here’s one of the oldest R100RS’ that were built.
As told to me by reader Jihelle (who submitted this bike and owns another example himself), the spoked wheels were eventually replaced with the well known ‘snowflakes’ and the blue ATE calipers became black (and then became Brembos in 1981). The motor was the same throughout the run, a 980cc boxer twin that was produced 70 horsepower and was able to get the bike up to 124 miles per hour. Between 1976 and 1974, BMW built 33,648 examples of this model. For more on the RS, check out this article on Motorcycle Classics. Or, check out this site dedicated to the first-year models.
This example (VIN: 6181245) has 11,378 miles on the odometer and just one owner. It has just 11,378 miles and looks to be quite original with the exception of an aftermarket seat. That’s OK, because it also has the desired solo seat with cowl. It comes with the toolkit, owner’s manual, shop manual, and both saddlebags – but as commenter Frazer Torode points out below, there’s no mention or appearance of the lower fairing. For a BMW collector, this is very interesting. The rest of you will probably shrug and move on. Find this RS for sale in Holland, Ohio with an unmet opening bid of $7,250
This bike-uriousity brought to you by Jihelle!