New resident in my basement for the winter.
1978 R100RS Motorsport
One of 200 imported to the US:
It's neither.
New resident in my basement for the winter.
1978 R100RS Motorsport
One of 200 imported to the US:
At the point of the RS introduction (1976), I don't know of another motorcycle that came from the factory equipped with a frame-mounted fairing—from any manufacturer. And certainly not another that was designed in the Pininfarina wind-tunnel!
They were certainly trying hard to lose their homeland rep as the "gummi kuh" motorcycle.At the point of the RS introduction (1976), I don't know of another motorcycle that came from the factory equipped with a frame-mounted fairing—from any manufacturer. And certainly not another that was designed in the Pininfarina wind-tunnel!
Nothing wrong with a "rubber cow". Sometimes a flexible frame can be a rewarding experience as it absorbs shock. Never have I ever seen a cracked BMW frame. And they don't need an Isolastic engine suspension, either.
Cracked frame problems with the singles brought the R27 elastomer mounted motor as the solution.Nothing wrong with a "rubber cow". Sometimes a flexible frame can be a rewarding experience as it absorbs shock. Never have I ever seen a cracked BMW frame. And they don't need an Isolastic engine suspension, either.
There were no cracked frames in the BMW singles. Their frames were nearly as stout as the twins with half the engine. The R27 as the hot-rodded version of the singles increased vibration and the small mounts (BMW car transmission mounts) were used only to smooth it out. Works very well, too. As you can see (maybe) there's a white R27 in my basement, too.
At the point of the RS introduction (1976), I don't know of another motorcycle that came from the factory equipped with a frame-mounted fairing—from any manufacturer. And certainly not another that was designed in the Pininfarina wind-tunnel!
Thanks. Good points but most—if not all—of those were nothing more than frame-mounted cockpit fairings and on the Duck I believe the lowers were an option, not standard. Picking nits, I believe the Laverda offered the full fairing on their road-race version only, so not really standard. For that matter, the BMW R90S came standard with a fork-mounted cockpit fairing beginning on its introduction in 1973. If anyone thinks the RS was a "touring" fairing, they likely never sat in the crouch forced by the shortest handlebars of any BMW. Sport/Tourer, maybe. The later RT version was the tourer, though many ruined the RS with larger bars and set-backs. My back was in horrible pain the day I picked up my '78 RS in November of 1977 to ride it home from DC, By the time I hit Gainesville (maybe 30-miles) the pain went away and I was comfortable leaning over those bars for many years after.
John Player Nortons had full frame-mounted fairings in ‘74.
