30 years ago last week, I bought this '93 BMW R100GS-PD from the long defunct Buckingham BMW is Seattle.. I had just moved from Alaska to Idaho and wanted something a little more dirt-roadworthy than the 750F, CBR1000F, GSX-R1100, and the rest of the menagerie I had at the time. I rode a Transalp, and while it seemed to be a fine bike, it just didn't float my boat. Kind of bland, I guess, I had ridden a R100GS-PD that belonged to a buddy in Alaska. He was taking his GS to the dealer in Anchorage from Kenai for service, so I rode along on the GSX-R on the 150 mile ride. We swapped bikes along the way and both of us came away impressed with each other's bike. So even though the Transalp was about half the price of the GS, the GS it was. Because it was the fall, I was able to do well on the price, plus they threw in the bags, passenger footpegs, Corbin dual seat, and initial break in service. (Typical BMW, having to buy passenger pegs as extras. And you couldn't get the pegs as an assembly, you had to buy each individual component, nuts, bolts and washers.)
Anyway, the GS, along with the CBR1000F, has been my main touring bike all these years. It is featured in many of the posts in the Interesting Roads thread. It's been pretty reliable, especially considering some of the places I've had it. I don't pound on it because I am usually alone in places where it is a very long walk out to where a cell phone is more than a camera or a clock. But I don't baby it either, and it has held up very well. The main issue has been the famous Paralever drive shaft problem. It is now on its third driveshaft, an Emerald Island greasable/rebuildable shaft. Again, typical BMW, for years they wouldn't admit there was a problem. Then when it couldn't be denied anymore, they declared the driveshaft a wear item, like a chain and sprockets would be. An $800 wear item. So hopefully the EI shaft will be the solution. What's another maintenance item involving extensive disassembly added to the rest of them?
Anyway, I could write about the bike's idiosyncrasies for hours, many stories to tell. But in-spite of all that, I love the thing. It is at home on the interstate, very competent in the twistys, seems like it will go anywhere in the rough stuff, and then there is that beautiful 9 gallon gas tank, so you rarely have to pass up a road because of range concerns. So to celebrate 30 years, I took it for a ride that it was made for. The bike and I went down to one of my favorite places on earth, the Owyhee Mountains. Here are some pix.
There is a story to tell to wind up this epic that illustrates my relationship with this bike. Where I was camped was 5 miles off a very good (but washboardy) gravel road. The road to where I camped was very rough, crossing a ridge, then descending steeply down switchbacks through washouts and sharp rock outcroppings. Standing on the pegs all the way. I was stopping a lot to take pictures when coming back out, making it back to the gravel road. The starter has always been noisy, but it seemed like it was getting worse and cranking slower. Sure enough, when I got on the bike after taking that last photo and hit the starter button, the starter crapped out. We were on a bit of an incline, so I bump started it. The Valeo starters from that era were notorious for the magnets breaking off inside. This one made it 30 years and over 74,000 miles, so went far longer than most. As usual, the bike got me home as it always has. I might have to dink with it before riding it again, but it got me home from deep in the boonies in spite of me ignoring the warnings it was giving me. So as I said, I love the thing.
That being said, it is for sale. Selling price is $74,434. Of course I will install the new starter before delivery.
