1980s BMW Airhead VS London Rush Hour

It's time to test out my 43 year old BMW R100 through London's rush hour traffic. Let see if my old classic airhead survives without overheating!

[@stewy62]

I listened to most of this video rather than watched it because I can’t think of anything much worse than riding through London traffic. On the other hand if I’d have been coming out of St.Pancras station and saw you riding by it would have made my day. I think a comparison of the touring capabilities of the R100CS against your new FTR would make for an interesting video, well at least I’d be interested in it ! That chap you were talking to mentioned touring on an R69S - what a bike ! 🇬🇧

[@WildlifeMoto]

Yep, London traffic sucks. Thankfully, it wasn't too bad as most people seem to be on holiday at the moment. That's a good idea for a video. Old Vs New.

[@FoldedSheet]

Looking great! Nice to have a tour through London too, excellent work on the BMW.

[@SkodaMart]

That’s just the nicest motorcycle I’ve ever seen I really need to create one for myself (I ride a 2002 GS and 2005 R850R atm)

[@WildlifeMoto]

Thank you. I’m really pleased with how it turned out. You can pick up tired old airheads pretty cheap and there are loads of parts available. They make great little project bikes and at the end you have something usable.

[@JustABillMoto]

Great job on this. I have followed along while I was doing a similar project (converted an 85 R80RT to an S). I have a short summary on my chennel. I LOVE your dash setup with the Beeline nav unit. Very clean. About the brakes, I can say that my rear brake is nearly terrifying at about 300 miles since the rebuild. New pads and I've adjusted everything I can. All I can imagine is it is taking them a bit longer to "bed" in than the fronts. Looking forward to your carb video. I am also not satisfied with mine just yet.

[@WildlifeMoto]

Thank you. I’ll have a look at your videos. Maybe the brake just needs bedding in. I also think they need to be used with a heel rather than a toe.

[@JustABillMoto]

@@WildlifeMoto That's right, you mentioned having some cruiser history. Either way, I can say that my new brakes are worse than the old for now and also worse than on my 91 R100RT, so I am giving it some time. Good to know that I am not alone with that particular outcome.

[@GaryT1952]

From the thumbnail I was expecting something tragic...happy to see all is well.

[@WildlifeMoto]

Haha. Well I did get quite hot. Probably hotter than the bike.

[@walt7518]

I used to commute into London on my R100S and then my R100RS in the 80's and never worried about overheating. Also rode down to Greece on the S in an August heatwave where some tarmac started melting, still no problems. Just keep on top of the oil changes. Traffic looked light compared to the 80's though...

[@WildlifeMoto]

I think I should just bin that oil temp gauge. It's got me paranoid about overheating. The bike does get properly hot, but I guess it can handle it. Thankfully, the mineral oil for these bikes is pretty cheap.

[@CHuzz7777]

Commuted into Bristol for about 5 years on an R80RT. Sold it in 2016 just shy of 100k miles and in urgent need of an overhaul! I regret selling it now but it did need quite a bit of money spent.

[@paulclarke1233]

Hi wild life motto, well done your bike is doing great and running well around London

[@WildlifeMoto]

Cheers Paul. Yes she survived! Happy days.

[@shaunyr1]

Don't worry about overheating, the Met Police used them around the clock including leaving them ticking over because of the radios. I used my R80RT for courier work back in the 80s without any issues.

[@WildlifeMoto]

Good to know. I was just a bit concerned about getting the new engine properly hot for the first time, but all seems fine. Thanks for watching.

[@peteb2304]

Have you tried reverse bleeding the rear brake? Might help if you have a stubborn air pocket. I had a good laugh at your saying, "Thank you, thank you" to drivers who were doing so little to help you squeeze through traffic. 😂

[@WildlifeMoto]

Hi Pete. You got to take every millimetre you get in London. The rear brake is a drum so nothing to bleed. They should be simple to get working but I’m not having much luck.

[@efremendez]

Hey man ill stillnwaiting for windshields reviews on scout

[@WildlifeMoto]

Dart Marlin is the one. I made a full video on it. Makes a real difference on faster roads.

[@Simulera]

I do not understand why you would doubt that such a bike is ok “in the city”. We had cities then and they worked fine. Or on the highways. Same thing, we had those too. I mean it was the 1980s, not the 1780s.

[@WildlifeMoto]

Only because it’s a freshly rebuilt engine and this is the first time letting it get properly hot in rush hour traffic.

[@Simulera]

@@WildlifeMoto well, sure, final tests are always prone to a surprise or two. But those bikes are pretty tough and relatively simple. Simple-ish. So hopefully it’s good for another 30-40 years of riding! Really nice bike and content.

[@WildlifeMoto]

Thank you sir.

[@rover100bunson]

Whats that on the steering damper knob?that jubilee clip on the fork gaitor looks awful,just picked up my 1980 100rs from wales and thank god the rear brake is the best ive had because the front brakes dont work,interesting ride to ireland

[@WildlifeMoto]

The device on the steering damper is the Beeline Moto II sat nav. Those jubilee clips are OEM parts, not BMWs finest design work, but they do the job. My front brakes were a total nightmare to get sorted and hugely expensive. Re-machined, new discs, pads, pistons, pins, new MC, new splitter, lines, fixings. Everything had to be done. Good news is they work ok now.

[@JustABillMoto]

Great job on this. I have followed along while I was doing a similar project (converted an 85 R80RT to an S). I have a short summary on my chennel. I LOVE your dash setup with the Beeline nav unit. Very clean. About the brakes, I can say that my rear brake is nearly terrifying at about 300 miles since the rebuild. New pads and I've adjusted everything I can. All I can imagine is it is taking them a bit longer to "bed" in than the fronts. Looking forward to your carb video. I am also not satisfied with mine just yet.