A couple days ago good old Charlie6 (Dom) of Redleg’s Rides forwarded an email about the above bike. Overconfidence no doubt at having reversed my opinion about sidecars he probably thought I’d be vulnerable to suggestions about a vintage BMW. Here’s his message:
Steve,
Just in case you're undergoing Beemer withdrawals.....this one seems nice.
dom
Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2011
From: "Charles xxx"
Subject: 1988 R100GS For Sale
To: "Airheads"
We are getting ready to move so I am putting my Airhead up for sale and I thought I would give the list first crack.
It is a 1988 R100GS, Black and Yellow, and is in great cosmetic andmechanical condition. It comes with Caribou luggage system and a Marsee magnetic tank bag. The GS has about 38,800 miles. I just changed all fluids, checked the valves and will check the carb sync prior to delivery.
The GS has had the circ clip issue addressed by Tom Cutter. Some modifications include Nippon starter, Moto and Hyper lites, Ohlin Adj. rear shock (came from factory with WP rear and progressive springs in forks), EnduraLast 450 watt alternator, and Acerbis handguards.
With the GS comes many, many spare parts (including a new-in-box BMW brand drive shaft, two rebuilt bing carbs(missing floats as I borrowed them last year and didn't replace), original working Valeo starter, a set of Cont. TKC tires (currently has Avon Gripsters mounted). Also, the GS is wired for handlebar mounted GPS and Gerbing heat. The BMW tool pouch is complete. I will also include a Clymer manual in addition to the Owner's manual.
I am asking $5500 for all.
The bike is located in Pottstown, PA (about 35-miles west of Philly)
I had been looking at used motorcycles on eBaby, Kissell Motorsports, and anywhere I could think of when I opened Dom’s message. Seeing that yellow and black motorcycle, reviewing the specs and price, I knew, absolutely knew, I wanted that motorcycle. I needed that motorcycle. The world would not be right, I wouldn’t be right, until it was sitting in our garage.
Kim, my loving partner, wife, and knowing soulmate was sitting a few feet away in the window, writing in her journal. I let the words, “Wow, that’s a nice motorcycle” ease past my teeth and into the room. Her pen kept pace across the page of her notebook as I added, “I’ve always loved the 1988 BMW R100 GS” and feeling a lot like Ralphie in A Christmas Story scheming to get a Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle with a compass in the stock.
The R100 GS is that cool.
Being wise and knowing how to decode my meta-messages Kim asked if I wanted a motorcycle. I really became Ralphie as I quickly thought how to respond — not too excited, not too relaxed. I did not say I wanted a football. (Apologies to anyone who hasn’t seen a Christmas Story)
Cutting to the chase Kim asked me a few simple questions. (My recollection of the exchange)
KIM: Do you like the motorcycle?
STEVE: Yes, I do, I have always loved the way these vintage BMWs look, especially the R100 GS.
K: Do you need a motorcycle?
S: (long pause) Hmmm, well, I don’t really need a motorcycle. It would be nice to ride though.
K: What are you going to do with the Vespa?
S: I’ll keep the Vespa. Never know when you might need a second machine to ride. (Suddenly I’m feeling sort of stupid)
K: If you want a motorcycle you should get one.
S: (silence)
K: What will the BMW do differently than the Vespa?
S: (I almost blurt out “it will go a lot faster”) Well, it will feel different on the road. And it might open up more riding opportunities. (I am beginning to realize how little I have thought about this subject at all)
K: When will you have time to do this? You seem pretty busy right now with work, photography, writing, the house, friends, the dog. Are you really going to be able to use it? And you’re getting all those motorcycles from Kissell Motorsports to ride. How’s another motorcycle going to fit in?
S: (Kim’s doing the thinking that I should have been doing. A light flickers in my head, dimly at first, then brighter when she asks the next question.)
K: Do you really need this motorcycle or are you just in your buying mode?
S: Hmmmm….. Well…. I… I just… (silence)
No need to go on here. I began to see what Kim saw in an instant. Things were pretty hectic after returning from Colorado. Lots of work to catch up on with lots of new things to do. When my head begins to spin at a certain speed I seek consumption therapy. Buy something and I’ll feel better. Buy a motorcycle and I’ll feel a lot better. Or so the irrational thoughts suggest. I have a really nice Bell Kevlar canoe hanging in the garage with about 4 hours of use on it. A Wisner 4×5 view camera, bamboo flute, assorted tools and toys, all purchases a direct result of consumption therapy.
Kim just saved us $5500. While I eventually come to appreciate her insight, at the moment it’s being delivered I can pout at not getting what I want. I wonder at times how she puts up with me. I’m the only man who’s like this.
I emailed the owner of the motorcycle on the phone to seek permission to use the picture on this post. He granted it with the statement “feel free to use my moto-porn”. He knew.
The next day I went for a ride on the Vespa and honestly wondered why I thought I needed anything else. The thing is perfect for me.
Couldn’t smile a bigger smile.
Steve,
I’ve had the same conversation many times with my wife. I’m guilty of consumption therapy also, it leaves me with more hobbies than time. That GS looks pretty sweet, and it might have taken me a few days to deal with the non-purchase… but in the end all is good.
GAW
I have owned three BMW “airheads” over the past 30 years. Absolutely loved them. I stopped riding in my 40s due to the birth of my daughter. Feelings of responsibility and a number of”what ifs”. Two years ago at the age of 60 and at the urging of both my wife and daughter, I bought a Vespa and absolutely fell in love with riding it. This past winter was a rough one. No riding. I began to look through Craigs list for another “airhead. I too found one I really wanted, and mentioned it to my wife.The conversation that ensued was very similar to the one between you and Kim. The weather turned and I once again rode my beloved Vespa, and suddenly I could not imagine what possessed me to look in Craigs list.
You should have bought it….
Could alway’ sell if if you did not enjoy it.
You were rationalizing your emotions…
Now I really needed that Leica Summicron 😉
Steve: You should have bought it. I have been looking at these for the past year. There are not many for sale and this one had the circlip issue fixed. Right now there is one for sale up here but without bags and I thought I wanted a PD model. RichardM is looking for one to ride in Alaska.
I just love Airheads, “must be the Jugs”, and Yellow is my favourite colour
I am lusting over your photo.
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
It’s this attitude that is bringing the country to it’s economic knees- not too big to fail institutions. Note how you are encouraged to spend money to keep the consumer economy going…
By the way does it occur to you that a motorcycle sold with a spare transmission shaft might have issues? My Bonneville turns 50,000 miles this week. No issues. Hmmm. Listen to your wife.
I mentioned that bike to a friend up here in Fairbanks and he is seriously considering it. He said that the price was a bargain considering the several thousand in “extras”. There are two others that I know up here that have purchased airhead GS bikes for much more than that and are flying out this summer to ride them back.
GAW:(Gordon) I think the consumption dilemma is a common one. And not so easy to bypass.
Unfortunately I still want a motorcycle. And unfortunately I don’t need one.
Aurelio: There is much to be said for a Vespa. A lot of the dismissive statements about them come from riders who have never had the pleasure. Except conchscooter who thinks the devil designed them.
The motorcycle experience is definitely different and I find I am slowly warming to it.
Rogier: Invoking Leica and having blogs about returning to film and using a Holga has completely undermined the veracity of anything you might say to me. You are obviously just as misdirected and lost in chaos as I am.
A Holga. Geez. Next you are going to tell me that you want a digital Holga.
And you know once you buy stuff you can never part with it.
Thanks for commenting. I bet I would have enjoyed that BMW regardless of how little I had a chance to ride.
bobskoot: Wouldn’t it be better for me to get the Suzuki V-Strom. All modern, all riding without the fussing of an older bike?
And disc brakes front and back???
It is a pretty motorcycle though isn’t it.
conchscooter: If I don’t continue to spend people will lose their jobs! Don’t you understand? If I don’t buy a 60 inch HD plasma monitor people will go hungry.
50K on the Triumph. Seems like just yesterday you bought it. I still love that motorcycle. Simple, functional, performance. Just like the Vespa.
RichardM: That bike is sold so I could stop worrying about it. Seemed like a great deal to me especially because of the circlip being redone.
Maybe a KLR makes more sense…
Steve, so close to grasping the brass ring of Teutonic Light and Motorcycling Righteousness, and yet so far…..
Now it’s gone….
If I didn’t have Vikki in the garage already, and a sidecar on the way, I would have considered buying it too…low miles, lots of extras, obviously lovingly taken care of….
It appears, your wife is the same “voice of reason” that Martha is, though Martha has become an motorcycling enabler as you’ve witnessed. Try the “spare motorcycle” argument.
Junior would look good with doggles, in a sidecar mated to a V-Strom….just saying. : )
dom
Redleg’s Rides
Colorado Motorcycle Travel Examiner
Steve:
Thank goodness it’s GONE. Now I don’t have to think about it anymore. It was a good deal
You are right about the V-strom being reliable & with disc brakes too. What was I thinking ?
it’s just that I don’t presently have a “spare”
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
Charlie6: The brass ring is still close. Another identical bumblebee BMW has just come on the market right here in State College. Who knows…
Junior has already indicated a reluctance to entrust his existence to the man riding the tug. Hardwired into his genetic code is an aversion to wearing costumes, bows, or riding in sidecars.
bobskoot: You don’t think much about disc brakes until you don’t have them.
A spare bike. There’s a concept.
My problem is I do know how another bike would fit into my mix. I do know when I would ride it. I love my Symba and riding slow while living large. But, there are places I go that the Symba struggles with, like the ride to my Granddaughters house. Yep, a bigger bike would fit very nicely there. Also, there are places I’d like to go that the Symba would just take too long to get there. And, what about more riding days in the year? Wouldn’t a third wheel be nice.
Ah, but where would the money come from and where would I store it if I had it?
Oh well, maybe someday.
I certainly wouldn’t want to bet against you having a “spare bike” before I do 🙂
But, until then the alleys call and the view is great.
~Keith
Dear Steve:
If I applied all the same questions that Kim offered you to the subject of marriage, I would be a millionaire as I never would have gotten married. (Why buy the cow when you can get mad cow’s disease at work?)
Rest assured, no one ever needs a motorcycle — for any reason. That vintage GS looked so good, that I wanted it for a bit, and I scorn “R” bikes. If I had had a better year in 2010, I still wouldn’t have gotten that GS. I’d have bought a 2003 K1200GT to keep the K75 company. The K75 is for getting laid. The K1200GT would have been for escaping the post-coital disappointment and conversation.
(There is a reason why I get divorced periodically.)
People buy motorcycle’s because they can usually see themselves on the one in question. People buy BMW’s because their soul’s insist on it.
Sell the canoe… Sell the flute… Sell the house. Keep the Vespa to remind you of your roots. Ride the Beemer when the questions about why you buy stuff get too reasonable.
Tom Cutter is my mechanic. Pottstown is 30 minutes from here. It is a very small world.
Fondest regards,
Jack • reep • Toad
Twisted Roads
The Bermuda Triangle Of Moto Blogs
Steve, you could have ridden the GS to Alaska. Don’t let that logic and reason crap mess you up again. You’re old enough to start being foolish before you’re too old to be foolish.
I have a friend with a ’79 R80 that could be had. Very low miles and sometimes I think OMG.
Then I remember that what I have is almost perfect and that the BMW might enable some more longer touring, but I really don’t have the time.
Returning to your senses isn’t always bad, but dreaming is sure fun, too.
Jim
People ride motorcycles (as opposed to water cooled BMWs ) because they are a way of making the daily trudge interesting and worthwhile. Riding a motorcycle and passing a line of comatose cages is a way of sticking a very large finger in the air as you sail by.
If I hadn’t have had a motorcycle all these years I probably would have done something I’d have regretted, like choosing to live in Pennsylvania or thinking BMWs are reliable or something crazy like that. rieoe is the shining example of what I mean.
Life seems filled with a lot of noise. Work constantly feels overwhelming, everything costs more, resources are limit, and we must now make more cognizant decisions on how we spend our money and even our time in order to optimize the resources we have. There seems to be a constant sensation of going without that I think many responsible people struggle with in terms of finding a balance of happiness and acceptance. I agree whole-heartedly with ConchScooter, we can’t have everything we want when we want it. This is pretty much why our nation and our people are facing the hard times we are in right now. At the same time, we can’t go without everything all the time either. Frankly, we might die tomorrow, so there must be a balance to these things. If having a motorcycle would bring you additional happiness and fill a dream or a wish that you have, set a goal to purchase one, save money for it, and make it a responsible planned purchase. I remember when you bought the vespa, I thought you were crazy. I fully expected to be attending a funeral within a month of you purchasing it, but after seeing how much enjoyment you have gotten out of that scooter (well both of them now), how much in many ways it has changed your life, I can certainly see you enjoying a motorcycle. For me, I think of a motorcycle in the same sort of way that I think of a tool. A motorcycle and a vespa are two different tools – two different purposes. For my part, I can’t afford to go and buy all the tools that I want/need when I want them. I have to borrow some of them from time to time when I need or want them, but some day, with some saving and planning, I will be able to buy that tool I have always wanted. I just need to plan for it. Maybe you can too.
circleblue: There are certainly lots of ways to look at this issue. Wanting a second bike is pretty common and I have met more than a few people who have many.
The scooter is still the right choice for the riding life I have now.
Dear Mr. Riepe: I admire the way you embrace life with abandon. My own path is far more measured and slow. Who knows, maybe they both lead to the same place.
For now I’ll hold onto the house and canoe and stick with the Vespa. Desire aside I can’t step away from the idea that form follows function. For me that means the Vespa is the perfect form for my transportation and riding functions.
Don’t hold your breath to long thinking I will be appearing here with a vintage BMW….
Doug: I like the fatalistic undertones to your comments. Definitely echos my own thoughts though perhaps not my actions.
Am I too old already to make foolish decisions???
Jim: Sometimes returning to one’s senses is a discouraging journey. When I was a kid I dreamed of converting a 1963 Corvair into a vehicle to race the Baja. Decades later I’m still dreaming and have the capacity to make them real. But I have to be careful to separate the ones that should come to life from those that are best left dreams.
Actually, it’s a nice puzzle to live with.
Love this logic! Very well said.
My wife is a smart one. She knows me well.
An aside, I was horrified at the terrible state of the post — typography, image, etc. It was a port over from Blogger to WordPress. Not pretty. So I went through and “updated” the appearance. Ugh. Hate to look at some of the old posts…
Conchscooter: There are times when you hit the nail on the head. Your comment is one of them. While I won’t be raising my hand in a rebellious gesture I find a subversive satisfaction looking at the comatose faces on the way to work.
Until I experience Key West I will reserve judgment on whether you made a good choice or not. Pennsylvania is a pretty nice place to ride, at least in the central part, some distance from Mr. Riepe.
hrw115: First, don’t go agreeing with Conchscooter. He’ll take that singular approval and run with it to every more lofty expressions of freedom.
If he and Mr. Riepe figure out you’re my daughter they’ll start saying your too smart, must be adopted, etc. So keep a low profile.
All this planning and saving for the motorcycle sounds great but you know what sounds even better?
My birthday is only a few months away…..
Seriously though, riding is just a joy. It was the right thing and the right time.
You need to get a motorcycle. Give up that body injuring bicycle stuff.
Dear Mr. Williams:
I embrace life like it’s a pit bull.
Fondest regards,
Jack
Mr. Riepe: Now that sounds like a Twisted Roads bumper sticker!
One of the prettiest beemers ever made. If I had the 5k+ I would have purchased it. It seems to be in shipshape and was probably pampered by the owner. I hear ya, I want it, too! And I can totally relate to the conversation you had with Kim. My better half is my voice of reason when it comes to get a grip on my desires. Otherwise my parking lot would be occupied by several two-wheeled objects. Excellent write-up.
Steve, No, you’re not already too old to make foolish decisions. I suspect that I’m older than you and I’m still making them.
SonjaM: While that vintage of the BMW R100 GS is a looker I have heard from a few people that the transmission leaves much to be desired and that it is a pretty clunky shifter.
I’ll have to keep dreaming about it and maybe one will appear.
It’s nice to have a voice of reason in the house. Makes for a smoother journey.
Doug: Lately it seems I have been given the opportunity to make decision after decision –foolish and otherwise.
I will take your comments to heart and loosen my grip on reality a bit!
I’m waiting for you to interview your Vespa mechanic.
Kate: All I have to do is determine which mechanic wants to be tagged as the Vespa mechanic! With three of them there I have the suspicion that they want to be Ducati man, Triumph guy, and BMW lord…
Kim must be a very intelligent woman and i salute her. you could have wasted your money on something you didn’t actually need. But she saved you from all that mess. you should be grateful to her for that. We women are very influential and if we think that what you are about to do is not right, we will talk you out of it until you realize you don’t actually need it.