1978 BMW R 100 RS

1978 BMW R 100 RS sits at the top of the R100 family, the flagship that put BMW's boxer twin under a full frame-mounted fairing for the first time on a production motorcycle. That fairing isn't decoration: it cuts wind blast enough to make three-hour highway stretches feel manageable, and the shaft drive means no chain to clean after a rain-soaked pass through the Alps. This is a bike built for covering serious distance at a steady clip, not for carving canyon roads, though the low center of gravity from that flat-twin engine makes it more composed in corners than its touring mission suggests. The 1978 model carried over without significant mechanical changes from the prior year — buyers comparing it to a 1977 example should focus on mileage, service history, and condition rather than spec differences. Owners tend to be riders who've done their time on sport bikes and want something that rewards a relaxed, mile-eating riding style instead. Collector interest sits moderate to high given the R100RS's place as the first faired production motorcycle, so clean, well-documented examples of the 1978 BMW R 100 RS are worth chasing over cosmetically restored ones.