The 1977 BMW R100-S was purchased from Michigan in 2014.

The stock “S” fairing had been replaced with with a horrible Windjammer touring type fairing along with some boarder-line “ape hanger” bars. Within the first hours of owning it, the fairing was placed in the dumpster.

It took less than a year for me to have another stupid idea in 2015. A neighbor has a 1983 R80-ST essentially sitting in the trash. For $300 I rolled it into my driveway to use as a donor bike. It’s coincidental because because the R80-ST was actually the first motorcycle I rode on. My mom had one in the 90’s. That bike lives in New York now with my cousin.

The R100-S then went back to European Autohaus for an overhaul.

The handlebars were replaced with authentic BMW R100-RS handlebars. While it was at the mechanic for a physical exam and what was expected to be routine maintenance, it was found that the transmission was filled with pond water. Great.

A few hundred dollars later a replacement transmission was found on eBay and after a “quick” rebuild by Sean Helesic at European Autohaus, it was back on the road.

The front forks, disk brakes with Brembo calipers were transplanted onto the R100-S. To help with the front end swap, a little Italian flare was added with Tommaselli clip-on handlebars and a lower headlight mount. A custom triple clamp with integrated MotoGadget speedometer was purchased from Cognito Motors. Lastly, a brown leather seat was added along with an integrated LED tail-light and low profile turn signals.