81 RS sell, repair, part out, or keep?

[9842]

I have a 81 RS gray smoke, a 9 out of ten. 100% complete with upgrades and bolt on extras. Fork gators brace and triple clamp, areo wind screen, clutch and shift kit, running and hyper lights, heated grips, top end with valves and rings, new speedo, tires, small tail rack, and more. Have owned it since 91 and do not ride it much anymore. Tried to sell it a few times for 4k and got a few low balls for 3k.
Well now I tried to bleed the brakes and have no pressure on the hand lever.
So My question is do I spend the money to keep this machine in service or do I sell it as is.
Aother thought, do I part it out, hate to think about it but I do not want to put money into it and sell it for 3k
What do you think?
Brian

[20774]

I'd say sell it as is, or fix it and sell it, or hold out for the right buyer. Parting it out seems like it's going to be a lot of work and, no offense, but it doesn't sound like you want to do that sort of thing right now. Maybe you should just get what you can and move on.

I think it would be best to get the bike to someone who will use it a little more regularly. Looks like you've had your fun with it and kept it nice shape with some good add-ons. But that doesn't sound like you right now...maybe the people making offers are looking for more of a stock machine. Just guessing...

[97077]

As a owner of 2 RS's I would do everything I could to keep this bike road worthy. These bikes are wonderful to own and ride. As time goes on there will be fewer of these so we should try to keep them going. Heck if our government can spend millions on a mouse in California maybe they can help save the RS's. To me that would be stimulating. Just a thought.:brow Is winter over yet?:banghead Kevin

[r11rs94]

Don't know what part of the country you are from, but around here there are some dealers that buy bikes like yours. Have you tried this yet? Good luck.

[barryg]

It's your bike to do as you plez, but I hate to a nice complete bike parted out, double that since it's an RS. Keep looking for a buyer.

[26667]

Had a similar brake problem w my '78 RS recently. Check the MC. Mine just wasn't holding the pressure.You can get the re-build kit for about $65 , or replace the entire MC and reservoir for about$360 as I recall. that's for the under the tank reservoir. IDK about the bar mount type.

I know what you mean about selling, etc, though. But geez I love riding mine when it's right. The niggling seemingly endless problems associated w an older machine can drive you nuts, but somebody will want that at a better $ if you can hold out a bit and if you can face one more $400 investment. 'Course then you could just ride the darned thing. I hope you get an ez sign about your decision.

[kgadley01]

prepare it for long storage, and put it away. someday you will wish you still had it, and you will.

[brickrider]

I just did a quick check on Kelly Blue Book web site (kbb.com). For the State of MichiTAXigan, in which I reside, the listed trade-in value for your 81 R100RS is $2300. So the offer of 3K that you received, IMHO, is a fair one.

There are many of the faithful who would cringe at the thought of another good old bike being ripped apart.

Aside from that, I can tell you with certainty NOT to part it out unless you want to expend an extensive amount of time with wrenches in order to sell maybe a few of the major parts and have a pile of leftovers. A person has to be well connected in order to do that much selling. Fleabay isn't that good. The MOA FLea Market is good, but is not geared to the kind of parting out that you are considering (all the parts for one bike only, not as a business).

Your best bet is to make sure it is spotless, and then ride it to the MOA National Rally, and to a few of the other MOA advertised BMW rallies which are long standing and have a loyal following (Top O' the Rockies, Finger Lakes, etc.). Park it in a prominent place, and put a nice, professional-looking For Sale sign on it. Polish & Wax it regularly during this time.

So yes, I said ride it, which means fix it so the guy who will part with hard cash won't have to. Would you buy a used bike for the going market price that isn't working? Or would you think that, sheesh, if the brakes ain't workin', what else is broke or will go wrong?

The other option is to trailer it to those same rallies, but don't expect to get the best price for a bike that needs repair right away.

Yes, I understand that's a hard hit from what you have invested. The market decides the value. That's just the way it is. These are the same cold hard facts which have hit me more than once.

$.02

Ride Safely,
BrickRider

[jamesdunn]

I say, "Do not part out that bike!" Repair it and keep it or sell it. It might be worth more parted out now, but I think these bikes will only gain in value and it seems a little cash will fix yours.
I own a '78 RS and generally prefer to ride it in place of the modern oilhead I also own. I think they are modern classics within the BMW line second only to the R90S.
In my area when an airhead comes up for sale they go fast. As I have learned in following up, on for sale ads, only to fine the bike sold before I can make an offer! Cannot say the same for a lot of other brands. Harleys seem to languish unsold forever.

[Kirbster919]

I'd just like to add, that offer of $3k wasn't exactly a lowball, in my opinion. A friend of mine owns a car dealership, and the motto is "a car (or bike) is only worth what a customer is happy to pay."

Bikes (and the vast majority of all vehicles) are usually emotional investments. Nobody needs a new car, and there certainly are more economical ways to ride around besides an airhead, but our hearts long for that opposed twin beneath us. I don't see that bike appreciating faster than inflation, so I say fix it, shine it up, and then sell it. if you had both feet in the boat, you wouldn't consider selling it.

[nealart]

If it really is 9 out of 10 and you need to get top dollar you might want to ebay it.

Lots of good photos and some help with transportation will get you the money you need.

I would think a 9 out of 10 RS would get 4 grand or more pretty easily.

[dmcbmw356]

throw it up for sale again, where are you located??

[9842]

Thanks for the replys guys. Looks like parting out is a no no, I did not want to do that anyway, like ripping apart a family member.
I know what I am going to do, just had to hear it, I am going to fix the brakes and ride the hell out of it to get my moneys worth for a while, and then it will sit and be ridden a few days here and there on long trips and cold days.
I have 2 toasters I ride around town and on hot days, one is in Boston and the other is in Maine. Love those bikes.
So Thanks for the advice. I will throw some money at the brakes, problem goes away, and I have a third bike to ride on cold days or long distance. Good problem to have, huh.
And your right, I will never regret keeping an RS, somedays I still sit and just stare at it in the garage, like I did 18 years ago, can't say that about many things in my life!
Thanks guys
I feel better now
Brian
81 r100rs smoke
73 lwb toast green
73 lwb toast blue

[kstoo]

I posted this and then found out that it coincided with your most excellent decision to let the grey smoke stay at home. Yea!!
I chuckle as I read down this thread ... just about all my favorite RS owners have checked in and registered their horror at the thought of you parting this out.
Parting out is for wrecks, not running motorcycles. A brake problem is not justification for parting out. If you were a junk dealer then you might efficiently be able to part this out and make a buck but chances are you are going to spend a whole lot of time and still end up with a pile of unsold parts and I doubt that you would get $3K for your effort. Check the eBay economy out; things are not selling very well on eBay. There are a bunch of sellers and not very many buyers. I know this because I will be giving away a bunch of parts tonight for a lot less than what they should sell for. A lot of competition. But then again I was able to buy a final drive for $50 which was unheard of a few months ago.
I will ditto what the others have said; $3K is not low ball for a 90% pure 81 RS. I think that I would pay as much as $3500 if someone could show me receipts and records that would prove that I don't have to send another final drive out for rebuilding!!
Another option is that we, all of the above mentioned RS aficionados, chip in to raise your ransom to save this poor innocent grey smoke from doom! I would let you all keep in my garage for nothing! :stick

I like RS!!!
:bikes

[9842]

Hi Guys
Thanks again for helping me make my decision to fix the brakes and keep the rs, yea!!!!!!!!!!. Now I must post "How to bleed and get pressure at the lever"
Thanks Again
Brian

[rinty]

Brian:

RS's, being sport tourers, are a specialty item, even in the BMW world, and right now the recession has chilled the market for most of kinds of vehicles.

I sold an '82 RS about three years ago, and it wasn't easy. This bike was a runner cosmetically, but perfect mechanically, and I had about $10,000 worth of mods, upgrades and the like into it. It was sort of a rolling showcase of my tech's talents (the well known Dave Anderson).

I got $4,000 for it, and I believe that's what it was worth.

From what I have read on the various internet boards, I get the impression that if you are selling a specialty item, you have to be patient in finding your buyer.

[James.A]

Hey man, if your'e in the mid-west, I'll trade you a running R27 for it.

[9842]

Hey guys
Pulled the callipers and they look nice and clean. I bleed them every few years so I guess it paid off that they are in good shape.
I ordered rebuild kits but did not use them, just put it all back together. I still had no pressure when bleeding so I ordered a master cylinder from MAX in NH. Rusty said to use an improved 15mm master instead of the original 16mm. He shipped it for a total of $211, he is great. I also had him send steel brake lines. So last saturday night I spent about 2 hours and installed the new master and Lines. Bleed the system and problem solved. On Sunday I took a nice 2 hour ride to reseat the pads and I have my old bike back, It felt great.
After the ride I sat looking at the bike and realized what a bueatiful machine it is. Then I thought that it is almost 30 years old and runs great when all systems are working.
So for $350 I have a bike that I can take anywhere, any time. I'm happy and I promise that I will never part it out.
Thanks for all the input
Brian
9842

[shire2000]

And something you did not consider. If you live realitively close to the 49th parrallel, advertise it on the North side of the border. You will get a lot more for it in Canada.

You Americans tend to sell your bikes for a lot less than what they are worth in Canada. I have said it before. I regularly buy Airheads in the Pacific Northwest of USA, bring them across the border and usually double my money selling them up here in B.C. Sure, I look for deals, but it is amazing how little people value these bikes in the states.

Bought a 1980 RS last spring in Salem for $3700US. Brought it home with 3 other bikes in a cube van. After doing some minor repairs (rebuilt MC, new lines, new pads, new tires) sold it for $8200US to a fine gentleman in Penticton. Doubled my money and had some fun fixing up the bike over a couple of weekends.

If you want to sell your bike for top dollar, stop thinking locally and start thinking globally. There are lots of Canadians with money just waiting for the right bike to buy, and lots of them don't want to go thru the hassle of looking for them in the states. I am just weird, I like to hunt for them, bag em and bring em home.

[kstoo]

... so eventually all the good airheads will be in Canadia because everything else in the states has been parted out and then the demand for airheads will shoot through the roof and ...

:dunno

[shire2000]

Now you are catching on. We come down and buy up all the good Airheads for cheap and take them home. You part out all the rest. Then when you no longer have any good examples left, we offer to sell them back to you at "current" market value. That is simple economices. Free enterpirse at it's best.

So, like I have this really great 1981 R100RT that I can sell back to you in 2020 for, oh, let's see. How about a nice even $30,000US. Only 400,000 miles on it. That's not bad, just over 10,000 miles per year. Excellent daily driver. hehe.

:ca

[criminaldesign]

rat it out.

[jlsmith37804]

FWIW,
I got my 81 RS a year ago, with bags, new pipes, all that you had done, and a Corbin seat, for $2200, from a guy that had 5 or 6 different BMW's. He also recommended a front tire, as the one on it was old and hard, but not checked.

[9842]

Sounds like you got a great deal on your RS. Mine is running fine now so I am going to keep it and enjoy it on long Rides and cold days.
I hope to find a good deal on a r100rt. If you know anyone with 5 or 6 bikes and wants to part with a RT let me know.
Thanks
Brian
9842