After that, well it’s a very simple old motor.
Cam chains can get forgotten so keep that in
the back of your mind. Tappity tappets are
normal, after all it’s air-cooled lump with stickyout
pots so you’ll hear everything – and a noisy
tappet is better than a silent one on old motors.
If you can, it might pay to check the frame for
any cracking. These bikes get a hammering that
no other road bike could ever see, they also get
hugely overloaded at times so it’s not unknown
for frames to crack or even break. Problem is
the crack often comes under that 32-litre fuel
tank where you can’t see…
Good news on tyres, you can get Metzeler’s
latest Tourance tyre in the correct sizes, this is
a great tyre that will last an easy 16,000km and
give good grip. If you fancy yourself off-road
then there are some good options such as
Metzeler’s Karoo knobbly or Mitas’ E09 and
E07+ that’s even more aggressive.
CONCLUSION
Every garage should have an airhead, just to
ground the owner. It’s the nearest thing to the
old British classic bike experience, but without
the oil leaks, the need to understand magnetos,
dynamos, nor the perpetual roadside rebuilds.
BMW’s type 247 engine is a motorcycling icon
in itself – it gets the most out of the least. Don’t
expect love at first sight, or rather first ride,
sometimes it takes weeks before a rider ‘gets it’.
The R100GS is a good airhead to have (as is its
little brother the R80GS – identical, just a couple
of hundred cc’s smaller). KR’s publisher Vege
has owned an R100GS from new, and he still has
it. Subsequent GSs have come and gone but
Vege has kept hold of his GS (aka The Red
Baron) as it does the blend of tar seal, gravel
and plain old sand and mud as found in New
Zealand so much better than any of the newer
ones. It is, to all intents, the genuine article.
KIWI RIDER 67