Boxerworks.com

Jean doesn't live in the US...so he's not expressing miles but kilometers. The ads from the Airmail magazine are not on-line...you have to be a member to get the ads.

Kurt in S.A.

chasbmw wrote:An unmolested 77 S would be a good buy, the 77s were by all accounts the fastest of the airhead range and the R100S was only produced in fairly small numbers.

It's a pity that the value of that bike has been reduced by all the work done to it, but the owner still wants to get some of his money back

Hi ChasBMW,

I don't know if the value was reduced by all the work done. I don't know how much he paid 4 -5 years ago when he bought it. From a collector stand point I'm sure you are correct. From my perspective I am looking for a bike that is not perfect. I'm hoping that I can then continue to modify and otherwise play. I'm a visual artist so design, color and line are all important and familiar tools to me that I enjoy. I'm not looking for a museum piece. If a semi-customized bike is worth less than "Mint: still in the box" then that works even better for me.

I thought what knocked this bike out of the running (as I listed in the "Problems" section of my short novel at the top) was the history of neglect by the previous three owners and the fact that it had over $700. in DMV fees for not being registered for many years. It runs and since it has low mileage the seller seems to think everything is fine with it. I was/am tempted to offer over $2000 if the seller deals with the DMV, but he's already told me he's not that interested in selling it. He's probably going to put it back in storage at the end of the week and leave it there until he returns next year. He lives in another country. He might also ship it there or part it out.

That is why I was asking here and there, what do you experienced folk think? Should I offer more if he deals with the DMV and just risk the unknown potential mechanical issues? The consensus seems to be to wait for a better, less questionable bike. Cheaper in the long run.

Regarding the ad Jean mentioned, if there is a record of service to other parts of the bike (rear bearings and drive shaft, for example) or the mileage is really low and the seller is discounting the value understanding that "tranny work" will have to be dealt with by the buyer, etc. then maybe that is a better buy in the long run.

I don't know. That's why I'm here asking questions.


Oh, Thanks Kurt. You replied while I was typing.
I see if I can track that down.

Souljer wrote:How much would a R100S that might be in decent shape but need tranny work be worth? What is the mileage, does it run, etc.?

That's a tough question to answer, for me anyhow. Plus I'm not up on current airhead values. The answer has to depend on condition and the "story" that goes with the bike. But you do have a big part of the story in that the transmission "needs work". The transmission can only be fixed or replaced. Used airhead transmissions are increasingly rare, but they can be had. Unfortunately airhead transmissions are "prone" to failure. Say about 10 years ago a used transmission could be had on the IMBMWR want ads for, say, $600 to $1,000. And what you get is a transmission that may or may not be "good". So, it is a gamble unless you have a particular reason to trust the seller (friend of a friend, etc.). My WAG would be that the current "value" of such a transmission would be in the $1,000 to $2,000 range. And Ebay would probably be higher.

Airhead transmissions can still be repaired, and there are trusted repairmen around. The chief concern would be whether the cluster gear is in good shape since it is no longer available, and I haven't heard of anybody making that particular item. I broke the cluster gear in my '77 R100/7 transmission over 20 years ago, and was able to readily find another. But that was over 20 years ago. Today you still will be able to find a used or rebuilt transmission, but the price will be higher.

Where I'm headed with all this transmission talk is that if and when you buy the '77 R100S you should mentally add about $2,000 to the purchase price. ($1,000 more if you hire somebody to do the swap.) If that works for you I would say go for it.

But there are more things to be considered other than the transmission (which I've made so much of). The first thing is how stock is the bike? Modifications do little to enhance the market value, no matter how sexy they are. Having said that, if the bike has mods and they turn your crank, go for it. I'm just saying that (in my opinion) mods don't enhance the MARKET value.

If you find a bike that particularly interests you, I would suggest posting the particulars along with some pics right here on Boxerworks. The collective knowledge on this board is damned good and we can likely tell you a lot of things about the bike that you might not notice.

FYI, I have a '77 R100S that I bought roughly 20 years ago. It is my favorite airhead. I have also spent significant seat time on a '77 R100/7 and a '76 R75/6. The reason I bring this up is that the airhead "charm" isn't limited to the S and RS bikes. In fact my '77 R100 S bike rides and feels much the same as my '77 R100/7. The S bike has a bit more power than my /7 but both "scoot" nicely. I certainly don't miss (or for that matter notice) the power when I'm on my /7. The R75/6, on the other hand is way down on power compared to the bigger bikes, but it still is a fun ride. The lower power means I have to "wring the bike's neck" if I want to fly briskly. And that is a joy in and of itself. It forces you to pay attention to the bike and escalate the RPMs (since you don't have the R100 torque to get you up to speed.)

Finally (at last) may I suggest that the S bikes and the RS bikes have an emotional "patina of desirability" that I think isn't exactly warrented. For example, the 77 R100S is regarded by most as being the acme of all R100S bikes. The 78 R100S has (IIRC) some cam timing differences, but is otherwise the same engine. In the same vein the '77 R100RS, generally speaking, is even more desirable than the R100S. I believe the '77 S and RS engines are identical except that some of the '77 RS bikes have a 40mm exhaust as opposed to the standard 38mm exhaust. I can't say for sure, but I reckon that a '77 RS with 40mm pipes will fetch substantially more money than a '77 RS with the smaller pipes.

(I've been pretty free with dollar values in the above. Others here may have better figures in mind.)

Ramble over. Hope this helps a bit.

Ken

Here's a quick search on Ebay motorcycle parts for "airhead transmission".

Kurt in S.A. wrote:Jean doesn't live in the US...so he's not expressing miles but kilometers.
Kurt in S.A.

KM = kilometers

Jean does live in the US, but the bike she is talking about has a European speedometer on it, so it's odometer registers in kilometers rather than miles.

Ken in Oklahoma wrote:

Souljer wrote:How much would a R100S that might be in decent shape but need tranny work be worth? What is the mileage, does it run, etc.?

...Where I'm headed with all this transmission talk is that if and when you buy the '77 R100S you should mentally add about $2,000 to the purchase price. ($1,000 more if you hire somebody to do the swap.) If that works for you I would say go for it.
...
If you find a bike that particularly interests you, I would suggest posting the particulars along with some pics right here on Boxerworks. The collective knowledge on this board is damned good and we can likely tell you a lot of things about the bike that you might not notice.
...
Finally (at last) may I suggest that the S bikes and the RS bikes have an emotional "patina of desirability" that I think isn't exactly warrented. For example, the 77 R100S is regarded by most as being the acme of all R100S bikes. The 78 R100S has (IIRC) some cam timing differences, but is otherwise the same engine. In the same vein the '77 R100RS, generally speaking, is even more desirable than the R100S. I believe the '77 S and RS engines are identical except that some of the '77 RS bikes have a 40mm exhaust as opposed to the standard 38mm exhaust. I can't say for sure, but I reckon that a '77 RS with 40mm pipes will fetch substantially more money than a '77 RS with the smaller pipes.

(I've been pretty free with dollar values in the above. Others here may have better figures in mind.)

Ramble over. Hope this helps a bit.

Ken

Hi,

It all helps. Thank you all for taking the time to help out. I appreciate all points of view as I form my own.
Your first paragraph I quoted above makes me think it's wise to avoid the bike I mentioned in my first post. The seller wants too much of a motorcycle that may need extensive work and certainly needs a good basic maintenance servicing.

I just modified my original post to include a bit more info and pix. I think if you click on the picture of the bike you will go to a small album of detail shots of the bike I'm talking about. Then you will have a better understanding of what I'm dealing with and perhaps can offer some advice on the matter of this particular bike.

I know that if I wait I will eventually get a better deal that suits me perfectly. The question is how long will that be. Is what I'm asking for a one in a million chance (and local so I can check it out in person and ride it home would be nice) so that it may take years of searching (that makes me want to jump on this one), or is it rather common and another more suitable bike will be along every month or so (which makes me feel like waiting)?

I just don't know.

By the way, I did join the Airheads club.
I'll check my mailbox tomorrow for the newsletter and the ad mentioned.

It really does look to me like a quick and dirty Cafe conversion, I see the low bars, but no rear sets, crappy aftermarket indicators and seat, lots of Matt paint, how well was that applied? I can't see if the under tank master cylinder was retained, if so the brakes will need some getting used to. It's very easy to do a quick and dirty Cafe conversion, you still drop a bit in parts and paint, but it's very difficult to do a really nice one, which requires good workmanship, a good eye for design and good quality parts. This costs big bucks in time and parts.

I would not take too much notice of mileage, BMW speedos go back to Zero after 99,999 miles and can be easily altered.

This maybe the only bike in the area that gets close to what you want, but I bet that you are the only likely buyer, so it's a a game of poker between the 2 of you. You don't really know what his position is and as time goes on I assume that the unpaid DMV charges will keep on getting bigger

Souljer wrote:By the way, I did join the Airheads club.
I'll check my mailbox tomorrow for the newsletter and the ad mentioned.

There is an Airheads website...it's possible that the magazine ads are also on-line. You should have received a username/password for access to the site.

Kurt in S.A.

justoneoftheguys wrote:Jean does live in the US, but the bike she is talking about has a European speedometer on it, so it's odometer registers in kilometers rather than miles.

Sorry...it's so hard to tell where people are from.

Kurt in S.A. (San Antonio)

Kurt in S.A. wrote:

justoneoftheguys wrote:Jean does live in the US, but the bike she is talking about has a European speedometer on it, so it's odometer registers in kilometers rather than miles.

Sorry...it's so hard to tell where people are from.

Kurt in S.A. (San Antonio)

Shoot - Jean is a 'timer here. Probably has made as many Airhead Rendezvous' over Appalachia Way as any airhead rider.
Just ask Scot-With-One-Tee or Magoo, who really never comes around here, but is quite active in Ohio Airheads.

Jean

Kelley Chambers - Website Mistress wrote:I was fortunate enough to meet Jean at the last Blue Moon Cycle swapmeet. She's so sweet and I love her "go get 'em" attitude. She's a neat lady!