Another Classic Motorcycle

I know I am rambling too much about the BMW R1100S motorcycle. Hey: I happen to like that bike a lot! But there are other classic bikes worth mentioning. Take the BMW /5 series, which started the boxer revolution here in Europe. I never rode one of these, but I recall that in the early seventies these machines were considered to be the absolute best and the most expensive bikes you could get at the time… So they were out of reach for the teenager I was at the time.

Click the image to see the large version

Again, this picture comes from 2dehands.be, where it is/was offered for sale…

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Really, They Never Die

There were/are more BMW R1100S’s for sale on the second hand market here in Belgium. Here are two more machines worth mentioning.

The first one has received the extra head lights (Microflooters?) I also wanted to mount… once I would have figured out how to mount them without having to install crash bars.

Click the image to see the large version

Then there was this nice picture that shows the profile of the machine in an almost perfect way. I’m not fond of the yellow color, but even then this bike looks yummy ;-)

Click the image to see the large version

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Classic Bikes Like The R1100S Never Die

The motorcycle season has ended for most recreational riders, and that means there are lots of bikes on secondhand sites. While waiting for a few computers to update I browsed the 2dehands.be site, and I noticed that there were surprisingly many BMW R1100S’s offered for sale.

This specimen has done over 100.000 km, and those kilometers have left their traces of course. But the bike still looks fine (click on the image to see the bigger picture):

The seller of the bike on the next picture has captured one of the defining characteristics of the R1100S: the dual exhaust pipes under the seat. I always liked those for the way they make the bike look lighter, leaner.

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A Brand-New Old-Timer Shines In The Spotlight

The old-timer transformed into a completely new bike: that’s what they did to a BMW R1100S. Just look at the result:

A fully modified BMW R1100S motorcycle with metal parts. Credit: Officine Mermaid

As explained on the InceptiveMind report on the subject:

Radikal Chopper and Officine Mermaid. Specializing in the modification of two-wheelers, the two companies have changed a BMW R1100S to such an extent that only the 1085 cc boxer engine delivers something of its origin.

Nevertheless: looks great!

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The R1100S Is Not Forgotten

The nice weather of the last two weeks is drawing out motorcyclists by droves. No wonder then that the number of secondhand motorcycles also increases. While browsing the offers, I noticed a surprising numbers of BMW R1100S’s for sale – quite a change from the last few years, when they seemed to be pretty rare. And a few of those offered nice pictures of the machine. So if those pictures tempt you, head over to the Belgian classifieds site https://2dehands.be and hope the bike is still for sale!

I’m not a fan of the blue, but: nice setting!

 

Classic yellow.

 

Nice action shot – well done!

 

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My Eye Keeps Being Drawn To The R1100S

I cant’ help it: whenever I see a BMW R1100S I have to give it a closer look. Here’s a picture from a 2002 model with quite a few modifications – including a unique look!

Details (as long as it isn’t sold) on 2dehands.be

Don’t tempt me: I would love to give it a spin, for old times sake ;-)

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Old, But Looking As New: A BMW Combo

What a lovely combination! Just the right thing to saunter through a sunny spring landscape… if only there was no pandemic about.

A 1965 BMW R60/2 with a 1953 Steib sidecar

The bike is for sale at 2dehands.be (I don’t expect this link to work for a long time). I hope it finds a caring new owner – unfortunately I don’t have neither the money nor the storage space to be able to call it mine.

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Yes, The BMW R1100S Was Used For Racing

I can’t help it: when I see a BMW R1100S for sale online, I have to check out the pictures and the specs. These days, a user called Julien is selling this Randy Mamola edition of the R1100S. It cannot be denied: the bike is looking fine after about 15 years on the road. It’s a bit too flashy for me – I don’t go racing every weekend, or ever.

Nice bike, nice picture!

Will it fetch the asking price of 6000€ ? No idea. Will its new owner like it? Sure hope so!

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The You-Are-Here Boxer

Over at the Pelican Parts forums, Craig Carr calls this “the best color scheme ever” for the BMW R1100S. Who am I to disagree?

Photo by Craig Carr. Click on the picture to see the large version.

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An Eyecatcher, Even For Non-Motorcyclists

Stefan Rohrer is a German sculptor, whose name I never would have known were it not for the picture that accompanied the announcement “Bikes und Blumen” (“Motorcycles and Flowers”) on the Motorrad website:

A sculpture called “Schwalbe 2007” by Stefan Rohrer- Photo by Thomas Schmieder (Click on the image to see the large version)

I suppose scooters fascinated him greatly in 2007, because he did something similar with a Vespa scooter as well:

A sculpture called “Vespa 2007” by Stefan Rohrer (Click on the image to see a larger version)

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An Old Motorcycle In An Old City

While walking around the center of Beaune, at the heart of the Bourgogne wine region in France, we passed the motorcycle of a seasoned traveler – and it wasn’t a BMW but a Royal Enfield ;-)

Click on the image to see the full-size version on Flickr

Beaune is certainly worth a visit – the Musée de l’Hotel-Dieu is a must-see, the Musée du Vin was a pleasant and interesting surprise. But be aware that the town has become a tourist trap.

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Peter Simms Has The Perfect Bike

Peter Simms says he has the perfect motorcycle, and there is a Brightside Media video on YouTube to prove what he says. BoingBoing pointed me to this video. Yes, it’s about a BMW motorcycle: the iconic R90S. A motorcycle that has “done” 240.000 miles – that’s well over 385.000 kilometers. And also the motorcycle that brought Peter Simms to his spouse – a nice touch.

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A German Beauty In Italy

During our holiday I spotted a few remarkable motorcycles. This BMW 75/5 was parked near the Grinzane-Cavour castle in Piemonte (Italy). Bikes that look this good are usually only on display in museums or collections. This one seemed to be coming straight from the factory, even though it is more than 45 years old! Too bad the pilot was not in the neighbourhood; I would have loved to talk to her/him.

Click on the photo to see the big picture on Flickr.

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To Wave Or Not To Wave? Wink, Wink ;-)

From “To Wave Or Not To Wave; Is That The Question?” (on ADVRider.com):

All your brothers and sisters riding motorcycles are part of your family. Over the years, we’ve developed a “cultish” like requirement whereby we are peer pressured to openly express our love to our extended family.

It’s called “The Wave”. You know, the signal that tells other riders that you recognize their sense of adventure, the freedom of the open road, and that yes, they too are cool.

I did not know there were so many different ways to greet fellow-bikers! Beware of the ‘ADVRider Inmate wave‘, though…

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New Isn’t Always Better (Looking)

BMW has just proposed a new motorcycle model, based on what BMW calls the “heritage” line: the ‘R nine T /5‘. This model is built as an tribute to the /5 series, the line of motorcyles from 1969 on that allowed BMW to counter the Japanese competion of that era.

The ‘R nine T /5‘ may be a nice and modern bike, but I still prefer the look of the source of its design – especially in this picture from Flickr user ‘Elmar‘ (click on the picture to see it – and the bike – in its full glory).

(c) Elmar – Click on the picture to see the original on Flickr.

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