Boxerworks.com

Long time lurking; finally logged in.

Been riding BMW airheads since 19; now 52 and still riding airheads. Oh, there has been a couple K bikes, a bad experience with a Cruiser BMW that was the biggest POS I had ridden in a while, but I had always thought the R850R was pretty interesting.

Over a lot of campfire talk over the years, I came to the conclusion that the R850 would be a good addition.

Little did I know...

I bookmarked a bunch of /5 /6 and even one /7 (my first BMW being a 1977 R75/7 I put 100,000 on) and then an R850R showed up. I added that to the list.

Over the course of a couple days, the airheads started disappearing at prices I wouldn't pay. I wouldn't say it's silly season, but still... Then I noticed the R850R had no reserve, had 2 hours left, and it was sitting at $1800 US. I thought for a moment and then said "what the hell" and bid $2400 and went to work.

As soon as I opened my iPad, *bing* mail. Well I'll be damned. I won. $2318.46. 1997 R850R, with bags, Parabellum Scout, new Michelins and an Odyssey battery. I sent the $500 deposit and made a visit to the Enterprise site to reserve a truck.

Two days later I was heading to western IL (not far from the recent shooting of Michael Brown) in a Dodge 1500 4x4 with a 5.7 Hemi. 20 miles from the pickup site, it started raining buckets. I found the address. A BMW Cruiser sitting in the garage. "My wife said I could have only have one bike..." He admitted he lost "about $1500" on the deal. We managed to get the bike in the back of the truck (why in hell are new trucks so #$E#$@ high?) and I set out.

Then the real deluge started. I made it to Du Quoin, IL and found a Super 8 with my name on it. It was raining so hard I couldn't see 20 feet in front of me. I slept hard.

The next day dawned clear. I made it home by 4pm EST. 23 hour trip. As there was no service history on the bike, I decided to have a Level 2 service down. A quick call to my old mate Troy at Trophy Motos (Tigerville, SC) and a service was scheduled. The day before I dropped it I did a mid-week ride up the Blue Ridge Parkway to US276 to Brevard and home. Sweet.

Post service, with all fluids changed, new brake pads, valves right, I replaced the 20" screen with a 12". Much better. The final addition BMW R1100GS hard guards.

Nothing left to do but ride. It'll keep miles off my R100RS, R100RS Das Beast beater, and my '66 R60/2. The more the merrier

Welcome bmwloco, that's a good tale to start out with. There are a few here with oiheads.

Gets a bit quiet here in the oilheads section, mostly all the crap goes down in the post 70's section, and the Speakeasy.
If we don't know the answer, we make one up. I learned that from Duane.

Sounds nice.

You know what they say...

Pics or it didn't happen.

Still learning my way around, but you should be able to see it by clicking on the link.

Nice! You got a great deal on it, I'd say.

Yeah, very few of us here with Oiheads (I'm one: R1100RS), and even fewer who know anything about the much less common 850. But, at least I have a '96, so I'll be happy to share what I do know, regardless of whether or not it applies.

The 850 has always been undervalued in resale, but I'd still say you did well (we won't talk about the rental cost, the gas, or the danger you flirted with in the region). As a mid-size I-can-do-whatever-you-need motorcycle, it should serve you quite well. Did it come with luggage? The System Luggage of the Oilheads was the first truly perfect motorcycle luggage - IMNSHO. Kathy's Bags just make it even better. But, if the bike didn't come with them, you'll want to check the used market (IBMWR, eBay, etc.), because they are very expensive to buy new.

Congrats! I've had a ´97 R850R for a couple of years now. Ride it every day as long as it''s no salt or snow on the roads. Only bad thing about it is that I never ride the R90 no more..

Great bike!

What kind of fairing is that?

Looks like a parabellum.