Going back in time?
- Thread starter Jon P
- Start date
Ok then.. Had an 1100rt oilhead, loved it but bought a PD when I came to Cornwall and loved it, went modern again with a 1100 gs which was a really great bike but proper ugly. I trhen decided that the 1150 was too similar and went to the dark side with a 1200rs. smooth as silk far too fast for my licence and bought a 100gs for a planned trip to Spain. Loved the fact I could do more than clean and polish it. Stripped to the bare frame in a morning and everything checked and put back with ease. Gearbox rebuilt in my garage other bits cleaned and paintred and bike looked and went well. Bought a 650 dakar as well. Great bike as well but again a clean and ride. Swapped it with my sons 800g/s and after a bit of tityvating I now have two interesting bikes that I can work on and get to know intimately
and if I go to a bike meet there is a good chance its the only one like it there, not like the endless rows of rice rockets or even 1200 gs's. Riding can be fast enough to be interesting and will keep up with most things on a twisty c road, long distance travel is easy though not as fast but why go touring at mach two. In a nutshell, airheads are bikes that are old enough to satisfy the " old classic or vintage urge but modern enough to be very useable" Dont pee about, get one, if it floats your boat fine and get another, if it doent, get rid without losing a fortune. For what its worth and I hope it helps.
Mine passed its MOT today . . . Rear brake and all 
Ok then.. Had an 1100rt oilhead, loved it but bought a PD when I came to Cornwall and loved it, went modern again with a 1100 gs which was a really great bike but proper ugly. I trhen decided that the 1150 was too similar and went to the dark side with a 1200rs. smooth as silk far too fast for my licence and bought a 100gs for a planned trip to Spain. Loved the fact I could do more than clean and polish it. Stripped to the bare frame in a morning and everything checked and put back with ease. Gearbox rebuilt in my garage other bits cleaned and paintred and bike looked and went well. Bought a 650 dakar as well. Great bike as well but again a clean and ride. Swapped it with my sons 800g/s and after a bit of tityvating I now have two interesting bikes that I can work on and get to know intimately
Just what I wanted to hear! Until recently I had no idea just how many 1200GSs there are in the UK. More are sold in the UK than in the whole US......and they are a common sight here. I reckon as soon as I get back I'll track down a tidy old GS........rather excited already!
Gawd, I wish I had read my post before sending it, My spelling teacher would have a fit ( Some of the errors are of course due to fat fingers and a small keyboard
Gawd, I wish I had read my post before sending it, My spelling teacher would have a fit ( Some of the errors are of course due to fat fingers and a small keyboard
But it was a good post so thanks for that and useful to Jon P and people like myself who are also considering this jump back in time.
And we won't tell teacher about the big letters you've used after a comma and opening bracket in this post.
No closing bracket either but don't worry your secret is safe with us.
Maybe I had better stick to just putting these in. Speak for themselves.
BINGO!
I reckon the 100 is about a '92? I was wondering how to fit the HPN tank and how it fits with the fairing - did you make the modifications?
Ohlins shock?
Zega panniers.................your bike is just what I am thinking about!
My next questions is has anyone tried the barrel and piston upgrade kits that are out there. Seems they reckon a good 10% increase in output along with smoothness due to lower weight pistons.
Ok then.. Had an 1100rt oilhead, loved it but bought a PD when I came to Cornwall and loved it, went modern again with a 1100 gs which was a really great bike but proper ugly. I trhen decided that the 1150 was too similar and went to the dark side with a 1200rs. smooth as silk far too fast for my licence and bought a 100gs for a planned trip to Spain. Loved the fact I could do more than clean and polish it. Stripped to the bare frame in a morning and everything checked and put back with ease. Gearbox rebuilt in my garage other bits cleaned and paintred and bike looked and went well. Bought a 650 dakar as well. Great bike as well but again a clean and ride. Swapped it with my sons 800g/s and after a bit of tityvating I now have two interesting bikes that I can work on and get to know intimately
Great post - positively inspirational for someone like me who's looking for their first GS - all of a sudden airheads seem a perfectly viable proposition.
Maybe I had better stick to just putting these in. Speak for themselves.
.......and yes I like the G/S as well. Got any more piccies???
Yes lots but most have ben posted on here over the last eighteen months or so. If you want inspiration, have a look on the sections at the start of the airheads section, lots of super bikes and probably all the variations avaiable.
There was a post on this site about a month or so ago with details of how to fit the tank. The fairing bars were taken off mine and a two headlamp setup put on. I did none of these things but did take it all apart.
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I was most interested to read (see MattWs comment above) of the sellers hand being snatched off - particularly as the bike is in Saudi I suppose at that price it would be daylight robbery !
Sean Kelly
Registered user
Hi Jon
HPN do an exchange bull-bar that works with the big tank. You then just trim back the bottom of the fairing. Looks stock once your done. I've only got one or two images of the bike that I can put up but I think you can see what I mean with this one.
Cheers
Sean
HPN do an exchange bull-bar that works with the big tank. You then just trim back the bottom of the fairing. Looks stock once your done. I've only got one or two images of the bike that I can put up but I think you can see what I mean with this one.
Cheers
Sean
Sean, That looks great, any pics of the front?
Just my opinion.............for me BMW Bikes ended with the last Airhead........maybe I would include, a K, the K75S.......but I have little experience of Ks...............I am also nearing retirement age
Why - the modern things are expensive, complicated and heavy............although I have always done all my own work..the 1200 would be just too much..and I just do not like them
But that is just my opinion
Post 1970, there are various Bikes that stand out, the /6, R90S, maybe the R100RS, the R80 monoshock, the R100GS PD and probably the RT, (80 or 100).
There is then, of course, the 80G/S, the ST and the Basic, but I would not really include these in the same line as the above...........but again that is just my opinion and it depends what you are going to use it for.
All my riding has been done "one up" and I much prefer the 800cc engine.....I really rate the R80 mono but I feel that the best Bike that I have ridden is the R90S.
( just to add - I have had quite a few Oilheads.......850, through to 1100, 1150 and 1150GSA..ridden the 1200 but never bought one)
Why - the modern things are expensive, complicated and heavy............although I have always done all my own work..the 1200 would be just too much..and I just do not like them
But that is just my opinion
Post 1970, there are various Bikes that stand out, the /6, R90S, maybe the R100RS, the R80 monoshock, the R100GS PD and probably the RT, (80 or 100).
There is then, of course, the 80G/S, the ST and the Basic, but I would not really include these in the same line as the above...........but again that is just my opinion and it depends what you are going to use it for.
All my riding has been done "one up" and I much prefer the 800cc engine.....I really rate the R80 mono but I feel that the best Bike that I have ridden is the R90S.
( just to add - I have had quite a few Oilheads.......850, through to 1100, 1150 and 1150GSA..ridden the 1200 but never bought one)
All these responses to my original question are just great! Very inspiring. It just seems to make sense to me to go back to an airhead. Of all my miles over the last 18 years of BMWs have been on a mix, mailny GSs, but with a K75RT and a K1 thrown in for good measure. All the BMWs have had their own merrits but it is the riding position of the GS I like - so much so that when I tried an R100R I fitted GS bars! But I also like the suspension travel and sitting that bit higher as well.
Over the years the cash I have spent on BMWs has been hard earnt but now as I get older I seem to want to go back to the older bikes - bikes that I can look after myself without needing to connect to a computer or special brake bleeding procedures etc......and it does seem that of late they are having more problems with the latest bikes. My current 1200GSA is a great bike - I love it and all the little extras it has...........but do I have more fun then years ago? Do I enjoy the ride more - do I enjoy the ever increasing power outputs (at higher revs!). I used to change my own tyres on the older 2 valve GSs.
The real irony is now that I am older the price of the machines is no longer an issue - I can pretty much afford to buy what I want........but it seems I want an old bike that perhaps I can 'fiddle' about with!
I am still in the US, but hoping to come back to Europe before the end of the year............and I am going to enjoy digging around finding just the right bike. I just hope I don't chicken out and go back to my old dealers and get an 09 what ever.............(no offence old dealer! - you know who you are)
Over the years the cash I have spent on BMWs has been hard earnt but now as I get older I seem to want to go back to the older bikes - bikes that I can look after myself without needing to connect to a computer or special brake bleeding procedures etc......and it does seem that of late they are having more problems with the latest bikes. My current 1200GSA is a great bike - I love it and all the little extras it has...........but do I have more fun then years ago? Do I enjoy the ride more - do I enjoy the ever increasing power outputs (at higher revs!). I used to change my own tyres on the older 2 valve GSs.
The real irony is now that I am older the price of the machines is no longer an issue - I can pretty much afford to buy what I want........but it seems I want an old bike that perhaps I can 'fiddle' about with!
I am still in the US, but hoping to come back to Europe before the end of the year............and I am going to enjoy digging around finding just the right bike. I just hope I don't chicken out and go back to my old dealers and get an 09 what ever.............(no offence old dealer! - you know who you are)
Yup!!, know exactly how you feel. Mind you a certain amount of patience is required not to mention fortitude. My Bertha has a carb imbalance problem, mentioned elsewhere, I have been trying to sort it out to no avail, Carbs stripped cleaned (ultrasonicly)new gaskets, o rings, jets, the whole hog. Still no improvement. Teeth now well and truly dug inand mind in "I will fix this bugger" mode.. Oh the joys of airhead motoring.
Sean Kelly
Registered user
Hi Jon
Sorry, I don't have any of that photo hosting stuff set up. You might be able to see a better picture of the bike as it is now if you paste this into your browser: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11869484@N06/2845576744
That's Andrew Sexton with the bike after he put in the new motor.
Cheers
Sean
Sorry, I don't have any of that photo hosting stuff set up. You might be able to see a better picture of the bike as it is now if you paste this into your browser: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11869484@N06/2845576744
That's Andrew Sexton with the bike after he put in the new motor.
Cheers
Sean
