Front Cover: 1979BMW R65/7 sets newstandard for high­performance middleweightmotorcycling. RearCover: BMWMOA Rallyistsenjoy Vermont summer.

factory in Europe has joined withButler & Smith in a special promo­tion to get more people to try BMWmotorcycles. Dealers everywherewill be participating in this nation­wide year-end program. The offerwill be a brand new 1978 BMWR80/7, at 1978 prices, with twomajor BMW touring accessoriesthrown in free: a Luftmeister fairingand a set of BMW's exclusive tour­ing luggage with mounts.

Whether you take an R80, one ofthe new 1979 models introduced inthis issue, or your Old Faithful,you'll find a steadily increasingnumber of places and events to getto. The photo collage on the backcover of this issue shows scenes andpeople at the 1978 6th AnnualBMWMOA National Rally, held inmidsummer in Rutland, Vermont.More than 3500 people and 2500bikes showed up at the four-dayevent. There were even 70 sidecarrigs (hopefully pre-69 BMW's withframes suitable for sidecar use).Unconfirmed reports indicate thatJack Shelly placed in the hot-dog­on-a-string-with-mustard event andthat Bob Espen drove over 4000miles from Palmer, Alaska, to attend.

People events and wide openspaces are both somewhat less ac­cessible in the winter. But now is asplendid time to get your bike andyour plans in order. Butler & Smith,the BMW factory, BMW dealerseverywhere, and myself-all wishyou the very best for 1979 and thehappiest riding ever.

"

FRONT COVER PHOTO: HENRIK TOFTE

ten, and set out on the open road.And "open" is really the word for

that part of the country. The Euro­peans were utterly amazed at thehorizon-to-horizon wide-open spacesof the' American landscape, the scar­city of houses, the lack of traffic.Their tour covered the desert, themountains, even the Grand Canyon.Their American hosts were im­pressed with what vigorous, hardriders they were. They sped downliterally hundreds of miles of unpavedback roads and loved every minute.Itwas on one particularly tortur­

ous mountain road, laced with tightswitchbacks, that the quote at thehead of this article was overheard.

Riding days were scheduled for an8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. interval, butthe enthusiastic dealers often tookoff on side excursions, rejoining thegroup as late as 10 p.m. In ten daysthey covered more than 1300 plan­ned miles plus an uncountablenumber of unplanned miles. Theyboarded their return flight reluc­tantly and admitted that even afteryears of books and movies, theyfound the American Southwest fargrander than anything they haddreamed of.And speaking of R80's, the BMW

The skyline in the photo belowmay be familiar but the faces prob­ably aren't. That's because thosefaces haven't ever gazed on such alandscape-they belong to Germanmotorcycle dealers, some 50 strong,most visiting the U.S. for the firsttime. The occasion is an award toBMW dealers for top sales perform­ance at their own shops in Germany.For years U.S. dealers have madeVIP visits to the factory in Europe;this time we got our crack at playinghost.

At first BMW managementthought the visitors might like theirprize to be tours of such showcaseAmerican cities as Los Angeles, SanFrancisco, and New York. But thenthey realized that a German dealeris not that much different from anAmerican dealer: he'Iikes to ride. Soinstead they offered a riding tour ofthe great Southwest American desert.And the Germans loved it.

In early October they boarded aplane in Frankfurt, arriving thenext day at the airport in Tucson,Arizona. Waiting for them were 50brand-new fully-prepped BMWR80/7's. Each dealer had broughthis own riding gear and soon theyhad suited up, divided into groups of

"The Nuerburgring is nothing compared to this.

Forthe Joyof Riding

BMW R100RS

of peak torque over an incrediblespread of 3000 rpm. For its sizeand output, this is a very flexibleengine. The R65 has a smaller,lighter clutch; lighter front forks, afixed-caliper front disc brake; anIS-inch front wheel; and a lowerframe with a shorter wheelbase thanthe larger BMW's. This exciting1979 BMW R65 comes in threecolors: (1) silver-beige metallic witholive striping (front cover); (2) lightred metallic with gold striping;and (3) charcoal metallic with redstriping.

The BMW RIOORS remains asthe luxury high-performance bikefor the all-weather sporting rider. Ithas a lower, tucked-in riding po­sition than the new RT and lessbuilt-in luggage carrying capacity.It features the wind-tunnel-testedRS frame-mounted integral fairing,sport type handlebars; and a dualseat. Other features include a fair­ing-mounted quartz clock and volt­meter, a special steel locking cablethat's concealed in the frame whennot in use, and a new 12-volt elec­trical outlet for extra lights or ac­cessories. For 1979 the RI00RSwill be available in a new two-toneiceberg blue (continued overleaf)

BMW R100T

BMW has made a significant ef­fort to tailor its products speciallyfor the American rider in 1979. Forthe new season there are three newmodels, two of which are uniquelyconceived for US-style long-distancetouring. Two models, the R60/7and the R10017 have been discon­tinued. In their place there is thenew flagship of the fleet, the BMWR100RT, a fully-equipped touringbike with many high-performanceand luxury touches. At the "bot­tom" of the line (in displacement) isthe all-new BMW R65, a smaller,narrower, high-performance middle­weight. In between are the twoBMW's for sporting riders, theR100RS and the R100S, and a fine,economical choice for the all-aroundrider, the RS017. The new R100Ttouring bike is the sixth of six ex­citing choices for 1979.

The 1979 line-up will be discussedindividually below, but here we canpoint out certain features that ap­ply to all or most models. For 1979,all 1000cc BMW's will feature thehigh-output (65 hp DIN) "s" enginewith 40mm CV carbs. The 1000'sand the SOOshare the same frame,forks, rear suspension, and fuel tank.They also share several items thathave been significantly modifiedand improved for 1979. Amongthem is a new driveshaft with anintegral shock absorber, a transmis­sion with improved gear engage­ment and stronger housing, anignition advance unit that is moreprecise, a new cam chain with auto­matic hydraulic adjustment, andimproved instruments and controlswitches.

The BMW R65 is unmistakably aBMW but with many variationsfrom the larger models to secure itsplace in the middleweight field. Testriders from all over are alreadyraving about its truly extraordinaryperformance and handling. Its en­gine is a much-modified version ofthe larger ones with a shorter strokeand extended rpm range. It delivers45 hp DIN at 7250 rpm and 90%

Three Major New ModelsPlus Major Design AdvancesPace BMW for 1979

metallic (shown on preceding page), orin gold metallic.The BMW RIOOS is the stripped-down

high-performance bike with its unique."S" cockpit fairing that is handlebar­mounted. The "S" is a no-nonsense bikefor the rider to whom the machine is moreimportant than the luxury. But it also hasa quartz clock, voltmeter, concealed lock­ing cable and dual highway horns. Be­neath the "S" locking seat are a glovecompartment and a small parcel compart­ment. Like the RS, the "S" features a twindouble-disc brake up front and a single­disc rear brake. For 1979 the BMWRlOOS is available in a brilliant red­smoke metallic color.

The BMW RIOOT is an all-new tour­ing model for 1979 with the "S"-rated1OOOccengine and factory-fitted touringaccessories. These include chromed en­gine-protection bars, chromed saddlebagmounts, a rear mud flap, and dual high­way horns. This is a model for the riderwho wants to cover a lot of ground. The"T" has a powerful double-disc brake upfront and drum rear for heavy braking onthe open road. It has a voltmeter, quartzclock, and 12-volt accessory outlet. Andit comes in a brilliant new two-tone colorcombination of red and light-silvermetallic.

The BMW R80/7 with somewhat lessdisplacement and power output than the1000cc models is nevertheless an eagerand tireless tourer. It has all the majorengineering features of the larger bikes,yet is available at considerably less cost.Because of its more modest performance,it has a single disc front brake and a full­width drum rear brake. The 1979 BMWR80!7 is offered in red metallic color.

The BMW RIOORT stands as the newtop-of-the-line offering for 1979. Itabounds. in so many luxury touring fea­tures that only a hand-on visit to yourdealer could cover them all. The RTcomes with all-new cockpit-style, frame­mounted touring fairing that features a3-way adjustable windshield, full instru­mentation, right and lefthand adjustableair vents, and right and lefthand lockablestorage compartments. The RT has a US­style touring handlebar and BMW's exclu­sive touring luggage (lightweight, weather­tight, lock-mounted, and quickly detach­able) as standard equipment. The large,lockable dualseat has two storage com­partments beneath. Steel locking cable,dual highway horns, an adjustable steer­ing damper, 12-volt accessory outlet andmany other details make this the world'sforemost touring motorcycle. There iseven an exclusive heel-and-toe shift leverfor touring riders. The new model is avail­able in red smoke metallic (shown), or ina new two-tone Phoenix Gold metalliccolor.

THE FABULOUS NEW BMW R100RT

PHOTO: RUDY TESA

ment is the modularizing of com­ponent and circuit groups withinthe system, particularly on the R65.Most electrical groups can be iden­tified by wiring color code and canbe quickly detached for service withmulti-pin connectors. On the R65the electric circuit center has beenmoved from the headlight shell to aposition on the main frame underthe tank (see photo this page). TheR65 also has new, larger (3.94 in.vs. 2.95 in.) instruments and a flash­ing alert when the tachometer passesred line.

Drive-train improvements includethe new, more rigid transmissionhousing with added rib-reinforce­ment. Inside, the transmission dogshave been re-cut to a more sloping(or "ramp-effect") arrangement sothat driving torque will send themsolidly into engagement. Shifts over­all are more positive and muchsmoother because of the new tor­sional (spring-and-cam) damper inthe drive shaft. Drive-train compo­nent life should be significantly im­proved because of less shock fromshifting, braking and acceleration.

The forks on the new R65, al­though they use the same designprinciple as those of larger models,

lation and fuel-mixture enrichment.All models now also have a single­row timing chain (which drives thecamshaft) with a hydraulic dam­per-tensioner. This arrangement ismechanically simpler, quieter andmore tolerant of engine-componentflexing under high-performancestress. The timing cover has beenredesigned with improved finningfor better heat dissipation and amore stylized appearance.

BMW motorcycle electrical sys­tems have also been upgraded. Theautomatic ignition advance unit lo­cated at the front of the camshaftnow has its own independent bear­ings. The coupling to the camshaftis through a sliding-groove arrange­ment that means a certain amountof camshaft flexing during high-rpmriding won't affect ignition timing.The new "distributor" unit can alsobe moved while the engine is run­ning to get ignition timing spot-on.

Because of laws in many statesand countries as well as for safetyconsiderations, all BMW's nowcome with an automatic lights-oncondition when the ignition is on.The lights go off in the "start" posi­tion to reduce battery drain. An­other significant electric improve-

Despite the hoopla surroundingmodel-year introductions, BMWengineers proceed at quite an inde­pendent pace. When a design im­provement has been developed andtested, it is incorporated into pro­duction models as soon as practi­cable. Thus there is usually someblurring of model-year distinctions:late '78's may have some '79 fea­tures. But the winner is the BMWowner, who knows that his machineis built to the most up-to-date stand­ards possible. And owners of oldermodels need not despair; the designswere almost always good to beginwith. They simply get improved.

For 1979, several changes havebeen made to the hardy, durable,and powerful BMW engine series.An "O-ring" seal, set in a machinedgroove, has now been placed at thecylinder bases, eliminating the needfor a liquid sealant at a time of as­sembly or repair. To reduce weightand speed oil return flow, funnel­shaped cutouts have now been madewhere the push rods pass throughthe cylinder heads. Oil vapor fromthe crankcase, which was formerlyrouted to the righthand carburetorintake, is now routed to both carbsfor truly balanced crankcase venti-

Engineering Design ImprovementsRaise 1979 BMW MotorcyclesTo a New Performance Standard

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