How do you put a price on prestige and quality? If
someone built a pushrod, twin-cylinder motor cycle with an engine whose
basic design was decades old, and marketed it at a price many hundreds of
pounds higher than its rivals, would it sell? All logic says that it
shouldn't, but that is exactly what the BMW motor cycle company does for a
living and a very good living it makes too. BMW's secret is that its
bikes have proved their quality and dependability over the years. In
absolute terms, the company doesn't make a great many bikes and their
exclusivity, quality and high price has given BMW the kind of image that is
usually associated with Rolls-Royce, caviar and the executive jet set.
Top of BMW's range is the R100RS model, the most remarkable feature of which
is a sleek fairing designed to make high-speed touring a comfortable and
practical proposition, rather than to improve outright top speed. The R100RS
was a logical progression for BMW because its products were best known for
their long distance cruising ability and the RS was simply an attempt to
create the ultimate sports tourer, whereas the R100S, with its very small
fairing was the more normal sports bike. The R100RS is powered by a
horizontally opposed, twin cylinder engine of 980cc which, fitted with two
40 mm Bing carburettors, develops 70bhp at 7250 rpm (5 bhp more than the S).
This gives the bike a top speed of around 125 mph, hampered as it is by the
large fairing; but then high speed blasting is not what BMW's are all about.
When the weather turns nasty the R100RS comes into its own. The fairing
designed in the Pininfarina wind tunnel in Italy is so effective that wind
and rain are deflected around the rider enabling him to travel in comfort
and arrive clean and dry. Riding the R100RS is an interesting
experience.
There is a slight boom from the fairing, but the
engine is uncannily quiet and smooth. The fairing is so well designed and
engineered that wind noise is minimal and it isn't until the rider looks at
the speedometer that he realizes he is doing 20 mph more than he thought he
was. In addition, the handling and braking of the big BMW are superb and
even the trickiest of bends can be taken with surefooted confidence. Some
riders worry about grounding the cylinder heads, exposed as they are on the
sides of the machine, but this fear is unfounded. Even the most spectacular
road racer would be hard pressed to get the smart black cylinder heads
anywhere near the road.
Apart from its impressive ride, the BMW's
other major asset is its excellent fuel consumption. With a 5-1/4-gallon
tank and an overall fuel consumption of 50mpg, the BMW has a first-class
range, a feature so important to the hardened tourer. Another
impressive aspect of the R100RS is its marvelous finish. Unlike its Japanese
rivals, BMW does not launch new bikes every two weeks, but tends to stick to
a small handful of models which are constantly being refined. Consequently
the detailed finish of the BMW is immaculate and at the same time practical.
A quality image is not something that can be achieved overnight; it takes
patience, time and a great deal of work. BMWs are more expensive than most
of their rivals, but few of their owners would disagree that sometimes it
just isn't possible to put a price on real class.
Source Super Bikes by Mike Winfield
Motorcycle list magazine review 1977
IF you are expecting a list of superlatives to
describe the new BMW R100RS as the most mouth-watering motorcycle ever, then
stand by for a surprise because I have to reveal that this £2,899 wunderbike
is an •annoying machine on several counts. First, the Bee Emm's 100 mph
cruising speed turns the "temporary" speed limitations into a pathetic
pedestrian plod, particularly frustrating when the law is making a concerted
effort to take away your driving licence. Second, the sheer luxury of being
able to ride fast and hard in utter confidence has spoilt me for any other
bike I ride. Third, even if I mortgage the wife and kids, I'll never be able
to afford one, Goddammit.
Alright, so it's slipped out — I like it, but I
make no apologies for joining the BMW - is -best bandwagon. Anyone who rides
a lot of motorcycles over a lot of miles wants a machine to handle, steer
and stop as rapidly and precisely as the will that commands it, plus a top
speed way in excess of anything they are likely to use so there is
effortless power at the flick of a wrist. Next to that comes a degree of
comfort that permits a day-long ride of 600 miles without the rider
collapsing in a state of exhaustion.
The BMW is not perfect in fact there are quite a
few minor things wrong with it — but in all the major requirements of a very
serious motorcycle for a very serious (and wealthv) motorcyclist the R100RS
is outstanding.From the moment you get your leg over the streamlined hump of
the single - cum -dual seat, lean forward to grasp the short and low
handlebars, and find that your feet drop onto the footrests without having
to look where to find them, you know the bike feels right. Certainly any
apprehension about riding such a big and expensive machine vanishes as soon
as the motor is started when, with a single stab of the starter button the
980cc flat twin shakes itself into life and throbs away.
Selecting first gear, which came with a firm
click after two prods on the pedal, reminded me that BMW's gearchange is
their renowned Achilles heel, and I made a mental note to see whether the
cogbox on this unashamedly upper-class motorcycle was anything to be
snobbish about, or as embarrassingly clonky as other BMs. It did seem better
than the R90S, but it still emits a solid "thunk" with each gear if you are
careless in gear-changing.
After a while I found that by co-ordinating the movement of throttle, clutch
and gear lever the ratios would slip in and out quickly and silently.
Nevertheless, I have every sympathy with the guy who has just paid the best
part of £3,000 for a motorcycle, and finds the transmission anything less
than perfect.
One change I could never execute silently and swiftly was between first and
second gear, but apart from accidentally hitting neutral a couple of times I
never missed a change, and consider the gearbox something that can be lived
with.
The ratios were otherwise very well chosen, and
with a wide spread of muscle that took the machine from a shuddering surge
at 2,000 rpm up to a bass howl at 7,000 rpm, there was little need for
gearchanging. I frequently used top as an "automatic" when I wanted to
travel smoothly and quickly with minimum effort, and only used the maximum
revs and power when I wanted to clear away the office cobwebs with the floo
of adrenalin. Then, the bike's performance was
not far short of mind-blowing, in a deceptive sort of way.
It wasn't the arm-wrenching acceleration of a
900 Kawasaki, or the frenetic wheelie-popping surge of some of the quick two
strokes, but at every bend, or every time I checked the speedo, I found I
was travelling much faster than I thought. On our acceleration tests, the BM
clocked 13.5 sees for the standing quarter mile, despite the rear wheel
spinning wildly on the damp track.
Surprisingly, the R100RS produces less bhp than its predecessor the R90S,
but has such a boost in torque that a rider is unlikely to notice the
fractional reduction in top-end go. In fact, the fairing probably cancels
out the two bhp loss in power.
Sticking to the 50 mph speed limit, the BMW
woofles along at 2,750 rpm in top yet will react instantly to the throttle
to give instant overtaking ability. Even at 85 mph the motor is only
spinning at 5,000 rpm, and never feels to be exerting itself. From 30 mph to
well over 100, the fat spread of torque provides top gear, performance that
many other big bikes can't even begin to match.
The BMW motor's long-legged gait, and
superlative suspension and handling obviously played a part in the machine's
effortless progress on the road, but most of the credit must go to the
fairing. Unlike the usual conglomeration of fibreglass bits and bulky
brackets, usually tacked on as a "fits-mostbigbikes" extra, this injection
moulded ABS bodywork looks and feels like an integral part of the
motorcycle.
It's easy to believe BMW's claim that the
fairing was intensively wind-tunnel tested to find the best aerodynamic
shape considering the luxurious comfort it affords.
With the fairing you can cruise the R100RS at 100 mph plus all day without
the strain of being buffeted by a hurricane, and the wing shapes
incorporated into it's design helps high speed stability by putting more
weight on the front wheel.
There are a couple of complaints though — the
fairing so effectively reduces wind pressure that the rider's full weight
goes onto the bars, and at first I suffered wrist ache. Another debit point
is that the slipstream produced a draught from behind, which whistled up the
back of my helmet and down the collar of my riding suit. The screen is low
enough to see over in all but a chin - on - the - tank crouch, which is just
as well as the plastic distorts vision considerably. All in all, the fairing
represents real progress in motorcycle manufacturer's thinking, and it can
only be hoped that BMW's example starts a new trend in the manufacture of
fully equipped road going bikes, whatever their size.
For a near £3,000 motorbike the BMW has quite a
few detail disappointments: like the screen edge trim which peeled off
during the test, and the headlamp window in the fairing which leaked,
allowing dirt contaminated water to dirty the inside of the glass where it
reduced headlamp power, and was impossible to clean. The steering damper,
too, could have done with much clearer markings to make it easier to see
what the setting was while riding. The edges of the seat pan were so thinly
covered with sponge that they dug into the thighs when stopped at traffic
lights etc.
The seat was poor in other respects, too. It is
big enough for one -and - a - half people making it almost as unsuitable for
solo use as with a pillion passenger crammed in behind. The hump is too far
back for anyone but a giant to use it as support, yet far enough forward to
force the rider to sit on the back of the tank with his knees outside the
fairing whenever he takes a passenger. It is amazing that this seat should
be a product of Germany, where it has not got design approval for carrying a
passenger, and RIOORS's fitted with it cannot be sold with pillion footrests
over there. The natty cutaway hand-holds in the seat for the pillion rider
are small consolation, but shorties like me will be pleased to know that it
is easy to get both feet comfortably on the ground, thanks to the low seat.
The bike is available with a proper dual seat but it must be ordered
specially.
The advantages of developing and improving a
long established design are evident in the 100RS's handling, steering and
suspension, which seem almost unimprovable. The long-travel forks and rear
suspension are sprung and damped to near perfection, and most bumps are
absorbed with no shock getting through to the rider, although it is still
possible to feel exactly what the wheels are doing.
Steering is light and easy at low speeds and the
Metzeler tyres are superb, even in the wet.
There is no wallowing, weaving or yawing, or any other handling vices that
tend to spoil so many big capacity motorcycles and yet you can guide the
machine with no more than a light pull on the bars and knee pressure on the
five gallon petrol tank.
Talking about the tank, it gives a range of well over 200 miles with fuel
consumption between the mid forties and low fifties. Over the test, which
included track performance and relatively sedate touring, the BM returned an
average of 47 mpg, the best being 54 mpg, and worst 42 mpg, which is good
for a big, high performance sportster.
The tank cap on the latest range of BMs is a
hefty screw-in device, looking rather like a large Thermos.flask stopper,
with a lock and flap-up handle incorporated in the design which makes it
virtually leak-proof in a spill (sic). The whole lot lies flush with the
tank top to meet US legislation.
The brakes, or rather the twin drilled disc set
up at the front was disappointing. It lacked positive bite and needed quite
a lot of pressure to haul the bike down from high speeds in a hurry. It
wasn't dangerous, but only just adequate. Operation in the wet, however, was
very safe, thanks to the perforated discs which could be heard buzzing
during low speed braking. The rear drum brake was very good with plenty of
feel and a January 1977 positive action when used in anger.
On the brighter side, the quartz halogen headlamp was really good. Despite
having to get through an extra layer of glass in the fairing, the beam
bathed the road and verges with light and allowed rapid night time travel in
safety. The dip switch cut the beam dead before it dazzled other drivers,
but gives a slice of light up the nearside verge, where it's wanted.
Switchgear took a little getting used to,
particularly the down - for - right, up - for -left winker switch on the
twistgrip console. The matching dipper mechanism on the other bar is
cleverly designed to incorporate the headlamp flasher with the horn
button in easy thumb-reach above it.
The twin tone horns let out enough noise to wake
a sleeping policeman (who the hell wants to do that? Ed.) and are just the
thing for warning motorists at "T" junctions that you are using the road as
well as them.
A cockpit full of instruments saves anybody
being lulled to sleep by the soothing mumble of engine and rock of
suspension while cruising the highway, by providing enough information to keep the brain actively engaged computing distance
travelled against time elapsed compared to cruising speed etc.
Onecynic said: "Wot, don't it tell yer when yer going to arrive then. Huh,
loada rubbish" and rode away smugly on his Triumph.
But with the exception of the battery condition
indicator, all the equipment is worthwhile. Particularly pleasing are the
mirrors mounted on the fairing which give an excellent view behind.
Finish was what you would expect of a vehicle with the BMW name on it and,
apart from a small oversight which lets water into the tool compartment,
every part of the machine has been carefully thought out. There was a good
quality, comprehensive tool-kit, and hand pump for the tyres.
That still leaves us with the question: is it
worth £2,900 when you can get a 900 Kawasaki for half that?
Certainly the Z900 represents remarkable value for money, but if you are a
biking devotee and can scrape up the bread, the BMW R100RS is worth every
penny.