BMW R100RT REVIEW - Will this often maligned bike ever be retro cool? 

In Australia in the 1970s and 1980s, it was a thing much talked about with bikers to ride around Australia. about 20,000 plus kilometres. Amongst those who did this, it was widely agreed that only BMW would do cos of its legendary reliability. Never did the round trip myself but did do some very long distance riding on my RT. Such as Victoria to Brisbane and back, over 2000 km there and back. Was getting 300 km from a tank of petrol. At one point on the Pacific Highway, and at night with almost no traffic, I reduced my speed to 80 km/h. The range was astonishing, got 480 km from the tank instead of 300km, the reduction from 100 to 80 made that much difference.

I've had around 20 larger tourers, either Guzzi or BMW. The RT was, without doubt, the best (with the Guzzi Calfornian a close second). I rode my RT from Edinburgh to Bol d'Or non-stop, save for a couple of hours sleep in a field half way down France. I got in tow with a few Laverda guys at Class and ran with them, rarely less than 100mph, for more than 100 miles. I was terrified, but the RT was sublime. For me it is the perfect tourer, much better than the lard-arse 'tourers' on today. BMW R100RT, I salute you!

I have an '79 RT with 38,000+ miles on it. It looks like the bike in the video, same color, too. Out of my 7 BMW's that I presently own (from '73 to '80), I have to say that this bike is my favorite. Maybe it's my age (70) but the /5, /6, and dual shock /7's are the bikes that own my heart. Some day the younger generation are going to realize what gems these bikes really are. I ride all my bikes out at least once a month, not only to keep my sanity in this crazy world but also to spot any mechanical issues that pop up and that rarely happens. Thanks for the video!

Test rode one in 1980, loved it, but as a 19 year old, couldn't afford one. Just bought one as an early 63rd birthday present and still love it. She's a keeper.

My 1st big BMW was a 1981 RT. I was initially put off by the old geezer looks but my friend who was a dealer at the time told me to just try it out. I rode for a couple of dozen miles and was uncertain about the effectiveness of the fairing so I stood up on the pegs. It all made sense. I bough it and put about 120k miles on it. 600 mile days were a dawdle. The seat was way more comfortable than the Corbin I later had on an 84 RT I owned. The stock seat allowed you to ride on the passenger pegs and slide back and forth relieving butt cramp. I rode all over the west coast. The only bike I liked better was a Leverda.3C but that wasn't as comfortable on long miles.

No issues with wind noise / turbulence at all on my '83 RT, but I'm 5'10" - maybe that makes the difference. I have tilted the screen right back and my helmet is out in the airflow, a little bit like it was on my 100S. If I tilt the screen up more towards vertical, I get that 'negative airspace' feeling as if you are being sucked / pushed forward. For my money the RT fairing is a thing of beauty and sitting behind it at post-legal speeds is an absolute joy.

Back in the early 90's l got a used 1979 R100RT w/1800 miles , almost identical to yours in the video but mine had an oem leather tank cover , had to buy one new carb as l couldn't get it cleaned out enough to run perfect but once put on it purred & l fell in love with my new Beemer & rode it year round in lndiana 4 seasons . I rode that bike all over the U.S. with my dog on the gas tank , mant times we would ride to a river on a hot summer day for a swim to cool off then cruise the back roads to dry out , she loved it as much as me . One summer l took off west solo to the AMCA meet in Davenport lowa for the weekend then continued out across the plains to the Rocky Mountains , pitching my tent each night & firing up my single burner coleman stove to fix some grub , at this point on this trip l decided l was going to do a 1000 mile day which l did & even got 4 hrs of sleep on top of a picnic table while l waited out what l thought was tornado warning weather , raining & wind so hard l had a good lean into the wind to make progress . Botton line is l have nothing but good things to say about a older R100RT , rides like a Cadilac , reliable , comfy , l would buy another in a heartbeat & l already have 12 or 13 bikes now . Glad l found your video brought back some real good years/memories .

Nice video, brings back memories. One thing though: when discussing engine sound, you might consider not adding music...

I personally like the looks of this bike. Ive been really riding some since the late 60's but never had the money to buy a BMW until a couple of years ago. Now I wish I would have done it earlier. Thanks for the video

I'd much, much rather have a 100 than the current equivalent. So complicated, and they've lost the charm along the way. Not hard to see, if BMW decided to roll out a new version of the 100, with some sensible modern elements, and *minimal* electronics, it'd be very popular.

Lovely video. Some great shots. I have the RS 100. Almost finished its refurb. Just the diode board and seized calipers to go

i had the R80/7. it was a masterpiece.

Don't remember any wind issues on my RS with raised screen travelling at 90mph for several hours in france, usually in the wet. I still have an R80 and RS both 1980 heavy flywheel. Great bikes. Huge shame so many have been cannibalised.

I’ve owned 3 and loved them.

I think you have underestimated the R100RT. It was and still is a great bike full of character that captures the sentimentality of present and many previous owners.

Bought my 1982 r100rt back in 1999, in spite of a few ignition issues, a harness meltdown due to previous owner putting a screw into the harness and shorting it out, oh and an alternator upgrade, it's been a good bike. A few years ago, I purchased an mra windshield and it deflects the wind better than the stock screen. Of course it's not the only beemer I ride...

I had one and it was a fantastic bike if flawed in a few ways. Handling wasn’t the best and cast wheels could crack plus wheel bearings gave out regularly. They did require constant fettling. Wind noise was not that bad but yes, the vortices flow does push on your back. Their saving grace was that lovely engine and their long distance comfort.

I had the '84 model in this exact colour scheme!

Very nice bike💪

All your Boxer Vids.....Reminds me of My R65 REALLY need to Rebuild her now She's VINTAGE

Having owned both R80 & R100 RTs over the years, the BMW RT is one of the most capable bikes to cover distance on. As you say they’re viewed as boring but they are simply great at what they were designed to do. However my forever bike now though is my R100RS (which is your bikes close relative with a number plate only a couple of digits different!) and the RS is truly the best of the best, a design that has never been bettered 👍

In the 1980s, the then editor, of Australian Two Wheels magazine, John Rooth, wrote a full test report article. He reckoned, the R100RT was the only bike he could fart at 80kph and still smell it.

I changed my screen to an after market one. If I recall it was slightly taller and removed all that annoying buffeting and noise.

Nice vid!. I have the tall screen on my green '81 RT, angled to minimise wind noise. Buffeting by big trucks is more worrying for me

I have done over 70 000 miles on my 81 twin shock. I have a friend who is approaching half a million miles on his. Just buy a taller screen from Moto works or moto bins in uk. Super comfy. Super nimble. Super tractable in wet or on rough roads. I loved mine but have now upgraded to a 1200rt which pretty much does the same thing as the air head but is has modern refinements

Another flaw is that awful radial roller clutch release bearing that falls to bits (heavy flywheel models) i did a mix and match with parts and used the much superior ball bearing from the light flywheel models

Never heard of the R100RT being maligned. Fairing was fantastic for keeping me dry from the rain. R models have the best foot warmers in the motorcycle world. Owned an RT in the 1980s. loved the look of the fairing and that of the RS. Very distinctive and very German. The RT and RS of those days had some minor shortcomings. Seat felt hard after riding any distance, fuel capacity was too low 300 km range. Always used ear plugs cos of the wind noise. Seat is hinged which means panniers have to be removed to lift the seat. To remove rear wheel and tyre, pannier frames have to be removed, a real chore. Minor gripes though. I prefer the high screen that the two piece screen seen in this vid. Recently acquired another 1980s RT and one thing on the agenda is to increase fuel capacity. Gonna get another tank and lower the interior frame hump, to start with. The purpose of the hump was to allow for front brake master cylinder mounted under the tank, this was later moved to the RH end of the handlebars. So the hump is no longer needed to be so large. This might add one or two litres or more. thinking of replacing the frame side covers with mini fuel tanks ala early Honda Lead Wing tanks. This is gonna be fun.

l owned a R100RS in the late seventies l always found the Bike a joy to ride. l wonder if some of the wind noise is generated by the close proximity of the rear view mirrors and the body of the fairing...The other observation is the 'bolt on wind deflector'... You may find of interest that ships have a wind deflecting system known as a 'Dodger' this is a fitting on the front edge of the bridge wings. It is so designed with a large opening at the lower edge for the wind to enter, narrowing at the top so the wind is channeled at a higher speed so deflecting the rush of wind over the top of the fairing. This system worked well on a Tanker ship... might be worth further investigation..

RT is gorgeous.

Greets from AUS. In my younger days no way I was into these 'old man' bikes lol,as like many I was into sports bikes. Bought a new Suzuki TL1000S when then first came out ,I was 27 then,loved the VTwin in the twisites. But some years later I bought a used BMW K100LT,was OK still at the time. But in 2014 I bought a '02 R1150RT,so much better than the K100LT and back to that Twin feeling..love that. Still have it,those and the 1100's are still decent bikes ,(though not a huge fan of the servo assist brakes of the 1150 and the early 1200's had too). But am defo looking at upgrading to either a 2017-18 1200RT or 2019-2020 1250RT. New is always nice but so expensive. Side note,older brother bought a new BMW R65 in 1984,which he still has today,not running and needs some work. He loved it so much he just kept it. He also bought the R80RT in 86 new,his fav bike but did sell it a few years later,needed the cash at the time. He now also has an old R100RS, 1977 model I think but guessing it was actually the R100S with an RS fairing cause the on the engine block it says R100S,I believe if it was the actual RS they also had that in big letters on the engine.

I love the looks of the RT and have since I was just getting into touring. Their fairings are so well done the rain protection is great. I wish they had Honda’s shaft system. Change the oil and you’re good. No need to separate the rear wheel/ axle to get at the splines every 15000 miles.

In the process of buying a 79 RT in the same colour. Is there a knack for using the side stand? When sat on it, it's difficult to push the stand forward enough to use. Certainly it's so well engineered, remarkable.

Hi Owen - what deflector are you actually using in the video? Thanks!

J'ai eu beaucoup de motos, mais celle-ci etait de loin ma favorite, d ailleurs j en ai eu 3...pour les vacances à 2 seule mon electra pouvait rivalisé en matière de plaisir

🏍️💯💯

Brakes are very good for the time and even now

Sehr schönes Motorrad 👍👍👍👍👍

I have exact bike but lost fairing do to accident

So, genau so sah meine RT aus. Nur mit Topcase. Der beste Tourer. Es gibt bis heute nichts besseres 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

How did you find this compared to the shorter screen rs ?

Good stuff. How tall are you?

It is a very Cool bike! I just picked up my older 1978 R100/7 Could that be "Cool"? Id like to think so...

Hello - I've just enjoyed watching your video and it's made me wonder whether an old airhead might suit me. I particularly like the look of the R100rs but I've a couple of concerns as I've never ridden an older BMW. I have had mid 90s oilheads with Telelever/Paralever suspension which were great bikes, comfortable, stable particularly over white lines, tarmac banding etc, whereas other bikes like a Diversion made me quite nervous over such surface changes. How would you rate the airhead with the later oilheads in this regard and generally. Regards Mike

The only thing that has always bothered me about the RT is that the handlebars are bent towards the driver. Unfortunately, this leads to my wrists hurting after a few miles.

The bike is not at all maligned it is a classic from a bygone era of harden motorcyclist who loved long distance touring. Non of us are owners we are custodians of this truly wonderful machine.

Have you experienced side wind which cause the bike going side way?

Never had wind noise

Anybody got link to these wind deflectors?

I'm 5'9" and never had the wind noise.

Class = Calais!

name of wind deflector?

You do know the screen is adjustable right?

Take the RT fairing off, fit S fairing and change bars…. It’ll still do 99% of what an RT does. It’ll also look better!

j'en ai eu 3. je les regrette.

It's a typical German machine, reliable but also boring and too heavy in park-maneuvring. Italian bikes are by far more brillant and elegant in all!