Is there such a thing as a cheap Beemer?

[Eli69]

Mine was sorta cheap..About $2400. But it had something like 115,000 miles on it. Still runs great. I don't baby it.

[LAB3]

Seemed like a science teacher's bike.

Too bad this sticker on my saddlebags probably wouldn't pull off in one piece or stick really well on a different bike.

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[lizzywhite45]

A cheap Beemer usually means high mileage and deferred maintenance. The bike might be cheap, but the parts and repairs won’t be. If you can do the work yourself and know what to check, it might be a great find.

[GS1150Pilot]

Lots of cheap Beemers have way high mileage but good service histories.

[oldGSfan]

Porsche, at least before water-cooling, was a car for guys who actually drove their cars to races and back. Snooty? That's BMW car owners.

My bad. I am in an area where rivet counters (as we call them on the Brit bike forum) abound. I remember now that I had another R75/5 that I had to get the cylinder head off, and man, was it stuck. I told my dad and he said get some cotton clothesline, stuff it down the spark plug hole and bump the bike. Boom, off it came. What really bothers me is that I rebuilt that engine and had it running (for a friend) and can hardly remember working on it. Granted, it was over 30 years ago, but sheesh.

For me the sweet spot is the R100S of the late 70s, but I test rode a very nice one a few years ago, and it just felt so archaic. Looked cool though. I wanted it just for the looks but couldn't stand how sproingy and slow reacting it was.

[GS1150Pilot]

The R100S is a gorgeous bike. I'd love to own one. They do have a TON of suspension travel, and they are slow to turn, relatively speaking, but what beautiful machines, and what incredibly reliable beasts they are.

[oldGSfan]

The R100S is a gorgeous bike. I'd love to own one. They do have a TON of suspension travel, and they are slow to turn, relatively speaking, but what beautiful machines, and what incredibly reliable beasts they are.

Saw a R100S today at the OC Vintage bike meet, what a beauty. And about the same time, my son sent me a pic of a 1950 R51/2 he saw at the OC Fair. It's modified a bit, with an upgraded front brake, a different tank, fender, and rear seat. Very nice.

[GS1150Pilot]

Gorgeous machines-and gorgeous.

Funny detail-I had a black/yellow FZ1 like the one in the background for over 5 years.

[Buffalo Bill]

I spoke to a close friend of mine, about me fixing up his R90/6 airhead as a winter project.
I'm board so I'll pick it up in a couple weeks.
I did read up on them, the pre 1981 bikes have a heavy flywheel, so that slows the pickup.
Single 260mm brake disc with a single piston caliper is way too weak, so that's gotta be upgraded.
There is a supplier for brake upgrade kits, but the site looks flaky. I'll try contacting them.