I'd appreciate any input from anyone with experience with this motorcycle for a sidecar. There is one locally for $4500. Is that a good price for an old bike?
I ran an R100/7 with a Ural for a while. I really like the BMW bikes and keep buying them but there are many stronger better bikes for sidecar use. I found that the stock /7 engine did not have enough power to pull the sidecar at freeway speed while fighting strong head winds. I upped the power to R100S specifications and it made the bike work much better. My wife also ran an R100S with a Sputnik sidecar and it worked out really well. The R100/7 comes with one disk brake on the front. S and other's have twin disks. One will stop you fine. The BMW final drive is a bit on the weak side as is the upper triple tree mount. If you go with the gear ratio on an R80/7 it will pull the sidecar better. You also will need a sub frame on this bike as the frame is not strong enough for sidecar use with out a sub frame.
You can see similar bikes on our web site www.dauntlessmotors.com
Jay Giese
Dauntless Motors Corporation
866-638-1793
Originally written by Mark in Idaho on 1/9/2007 6:49 PM
I'd appreciate any input from anyone with experience with this motorcycle for a sidecar. There is one locally for $4500. Is that a good price for an old bike?
I have a 73 /5 with an R100RS engine, LL earles forks, subframe , ETC all set up for a sidecar. just what you need. but, must pick up.... from Wisconsin. The R100RS engine really hauls it on the freeways ..cruise all day at 70+.
the R series are great bikes for a sidecar when set up right. I've owned mine for 34 years now and had a SC on it for last 4 years.
pics available if interested.
Jay,
I don't mind tinkering. What is entailed to bring it up to R100S engine specifications?
Ron,
What are you asking for yours?
Bigger valves and carb's. There are lots of things that can be done to make more power but some will cost you in reliability.
Jay
I have a modified sputnick on an 81 r100rt and it does freeways fine. It does need a lower ratio rear end, readily available and easy to swap.
$4500 seems a bit high for an r100 if it is not in exceptional condition. I've seen a number of nice ones under $4k, however I'm in the South East and prices may vary.
Owner claims low miles. We live in a sparsley populated area, not many choices. I havn't tried negotiating yet.
I have a R100/7 tugging a Dnepr sidecar. I'm not sure what all modifications were done, they were done by Perry's Motorcycle and Sidecar. Google the website for Perry's Motorcycle and Sidecar and he has several pictures of rigs with /7 bikes. No problem running at highway speeds for me.
I am a dyed-in-the-wool Ural rider. Love em but realize they cannot do high speed runs. I am also a long time BMW "airhead". I decided to build a rig based on a 1000 cc Beemer. I was all ready to use a R100 until I discovered a contemporary BMW K100 had darned near 25% additional horsepower for the same size engine. When it comes to sidecar rigs, horsepower and torque are "king and queen". I went with the K100.
That being said, if you have the choice, go with a K-bike. If not, I can tell you my 1982 R100RS was an absolute powerhouse and, if I still owned it, I would have no qualms about installing a sidecar on it. A K-bike would have never been considered under the circumstances.
Sarge
When opting between an Airhead or K bike one other thing to consider is the ease of subframing the Airheads, labor and price wise, against the K's.
Lonnie
Northwest Sidecar
It does depend a lot on what you plan to do with the rig. Is this a "starter rig", or are you experienced with sidecars? What type sidecar do you plan to attach?
I have a Dnepr (similar to Ural) on a R75/5 that does real well, and is a hoot to drive. Then I put a bigger, heavier Motorvation Formula 11 on a R100RS. With a heavy duty sidecar front end, and strong sub-frame it does well, but could use a few more horsepower. (Like K-bike, or Goldwing). See some pix of my RS rig project here:
http://pfestus1.smugmug.com/gallery/412601
Hank,
I was thinking Ural or Sputnik. I have a Honda GL650 set up with a Dneper. I love it and it does OK at highway speeds, but I'm curious about having more power. Besides, I'd love to have a new project.
