Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/08/12/seems-like-a-lot-of-money-for.html
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Anytime you’re near Jessup, MD, well worth a stop:
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$18,500 beautiful?
F#ck no! $5k can get you a fantastic bike, you gotta do the foot-work though, scour CL for the deals, and be ready to go out of your geographic area to get the really awesome find.
Never pay $18k for a motorcycle, never…
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I think the fairings are fine. The price, I’m ambivalent.
If it has knobbies it is no longer a cafe racer but is now a scrambler.
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No lowballers! I know what I have!
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I have a black 1975 R90/6 I got for 1500$, with the Lester mag snowflake rims that are pretty rare, and Wixom saddlebags. I agree with you about both fairings, this one is damn ugly.
Cafe racers though, I think you just haven’t seen a nice example. Here is one.
Many of the old BMWs had interesting fairings if you looked in the aftermarket. Here is the strangest I’ve ever seen, no idea who made it. From the Cafe Racer Magazine rally in Sewickley, PA, 2018:
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You gotta remember this was the same era BattleStar Galactica was out, there was a LOT of unfortunate industrial design for those years. I blame Cocaine Disco and Quaalude.
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“Seems like a lot of money for a motorcycle with an unattractive fairing”
Isn’t that basically the creed of the Chopper?
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Lots of drugs were involved im sure when someone designed that spaceship fairing I posted above.
The 70s and drugs definitely explains a lot, especially the Hannigan Astro BMW sidecars. Pretty rare, less than 300 made so im told. Guy who sold me mine has one. I always think it looks like darkwing duck:
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…Yes, I can see Darkwing Duck in that o.o . Pretty stylin’!
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Choppers do not have fairings. They would deflect the bugs that are an essential dietary element of the rider.
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I just latched onto “ugly”
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This.
My bike doesn’t have a fairing, a windshield, or anything. I like it that way. It is not cafe’ed.
If I wanted a windshield I’d get in my car. I like riding a motorcycle because I can feel the wind in my face, and yeah that comes with occasional rocks and bugs. Part of the fun on a 1000 mile trip.
Mine is out of commission right now I think my transmission has a slipping clutch spring, so I think I may take the next 8 months or so and just completely restore and customize it. It will not get a fairing, but it will get a big bore kit 
Since there are some airhead lovers here, one last pic of a rare R100CS with a custom hand hammered Karl Heinrich gas tank. Seen at Finger Lakes BMW rally 2017. Very very rare, they’re out there, but between a national BMW rally in Hamburg, PA, and all the others ive been to, only seen one Heinrich tank.
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That red is a favorite.
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Well, my prefernce is
- not chopper
- more this -
- which is my old 1976 CB400F with, shall we say, a few modifications.
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Nice. What mods?
Personally I would never pure cafe my bike. I like a standard seat so I can have a beautiful woman as a passenger 
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Dunno where youre at, but the Finger Lakes rally has a lot of rare BMWs show up every year, lots of strange sidecars too.
Yeah I’m not a fan of fairings, but if I had to have one, the R90S fairing is the only nice one Ive ever seen.
Pretty sure that is a custom paint job, its a pretty bike. Since you like it, another angle
That’s mine in the background with the pelican case on the rack. I only bring it to fill with whiskey every year at Finger Lakes Distilling, their rye is amazing.
Let’s see if I can remember them all
Yoshi 460 piston kit
Yoshi cam
Electronic ignition by… somebody or other
S & S one-off pipes, ceramic coated
Oil cooler with Goodrich braided hoses
K & N air filters
Much larger main jets
Stripped/blasted/black coated castings and frame
Cibié headlight
Don Vesco replica TZ750 fairing
Fancy coupons
Very fancy rear sets
Cast alloy wheels by somebody or other; begins with C I think?
(Eventually, after this pic) dual discs & braided lines
Swing arm by some racer shop beginning with D?
Koni shocks
GRP mudguards from and rear
Chain case
Neat seat by… somebody
Lots of things were to reduce maintenance - the grp bits and powder coated etc cut back on rust issues in UK winters. Faster bits, safer bits, comfort bits… all in all a damn fine bike. I left it with friends in 91 when I moved to California and it apparently still lives.
The last bike I bought was an RC51 but that was a bit much for open roads.
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That is a stock R100S/CS paint scheme. Friend had an r100s with it.
