My R100GS tale of woe

I'm sure it will look and run lovely when Mikey's finished with it.

I can't wait to follow its progress. I love watching a project. :thumb
 
VERY wise decision -now you know the job'll be reet!:thumby::thumby::thumby::clap

Exactly.
It takes a lot of good judgement and luck when taking a chance on a Bike.
Luck comes and goes / but good judgement is usually earned by previous bad judgment :blastand learning from the experience :rolleyes:. Or is that only me? :nenau
I've spent many thousands in the past 40 years honing that judgement and i STILL need a lot of luck! :(
I can only sympathise with the O.P. ~ been there bought the T Shirt (or, most memorably a Bennelli 350/4 :blast )
But just think how good it's going to feel riding it when it's done :bounce1.
 
Is that Ethanol melting the plastic fuel tank?

I think it was just not a good paint job to start with, it can be just peeled off by hand, I know because I have removed most of it. I'll leave it with the natural finish, I think. Someone in a previous post suggested they could not be painted, but there is one, finished in a lime green colour on a R100GS, in the Touratech HQ showroom in Germany.
 
Sorry for your woes. This may be "suck eggs" stuff but ...

1. Ask MB to prepare a brief report on what he found, including pics.
2. Grab a copy of whatever info was in the vendor's ad.
3. Approach the vendor with same and ask for a financial "adjustment".
4. If you get a negative response then it's small claims / county court time.

It's easy to be wise after the event but we've all been there! In a few years time, you will have a great and appreciating bike and a good story to tell.
 
I think it was just not a good paint job to start with, it can be just peeled off by hand, I know because I have removed most of it. I'll leave it with the natural finish, I think. Someone in a previous post suggested they could not be painted, but there is one, finished in a lime green colour on a R100GS, in the Touratech HQ showroom in Germany.

I think there were 2 types of those tanks made, one you could paint, one you couldn't. The lime green one that was on the Legobike never showed any sign of paint lifting
 
I think there were 2 types of those tanks made, one you could paint, one you couldn't. The lime green one that was on the Legobike never showed any sign of paint lifting

Correct. The one you cant paint is, I think, Polyethylene, is cheaper and only has a screw top filler cap, the other is vinyl, is more expensive, and mostly has a lockable filler cap. The cheaper one is much more comon, and due to the off gassing of the fuel which can pass through the material cannot be painted or coated with anything - it always peels off eventually. I have a black poly one as a spare for my G/S and have found that you can polish them up a bit with WD40 and a bit of elbow grease.
 
You may not be able to paint them but may be able to apply large preprinted plastic sheets to the tank like Ive seen on a Safari tank
 
You may not be able to paint them but may be able to apply large preprinted plastic sheets to the tank like Ive seen on a Safari tank

Nope. Not if its stuck on - NOTHING will stay on. And it has a complex combined angular/curved shape which makes it vitually impossible to make a cover (a la Bagster) to fit. Ive seen one made by a guy on Advrider (after dozens of attempts) and it looked sh*t.

Honestly, I have direct experience of this myself, and the best advice is either buy a paintable one and do what you want with it, or buy the cheaper one and live with it. The white one is best as you can see through it and get an instant fuel reading...
 
I think that this is the tank - on one of my Basics, now long gone to Gary I think - I never liked the look of them

these tanks are made for long distance touring - not sure why you would want one on a "normal" GS

tank_3.jpg


tank_1.jpg


tank_2.jpg
 
It only says that the engine has been stripped and rebuilt, not refurbished.
Looking at the rest of the bike, probably stripped, numerous expensive faults discovered
then moved on.
You'll have a new 'best friend' in Mikey :thumb Good luck with the project.
 
I think the motor would have been scrapped if it had been fired up:eek:

At least you then know what you're buying...


It only says that the engine has been stripped and rebuilt, not refurbished.

And it doesn't say who stripped and rebuilt the engine and what new parts were fitted.

Maybe a blind one armed alcoholic russian potato farmer who'd never heard of oil .
 
The good old "non runner but was perfect before taking it off the road" story by a fellow bikermate, who as everyone knows, all bikermates are as honest as the day is long.

Not a problem if the bike is cheap........ But that price is ride away on an almost immaculate bike money.

It's simple. A bike in a state and non running is to be priced as if it is a non running bike in a state, no matter what stories the owner provides unless (at the price asked) there's paperwork or phone numbers to talk to the person who did the work and guarantees from the seller.
 
Sorry for your woes. This may be "suck eggs" stuff but ...

1. Ask MB to prepare a brief report on what he found, including pics.
2. Grab a copy of whatever info was in the vendor's ad.
3. Approach the vendor with same and ask for a financial "adjustment".
4. If you get a negative response then it's small claims / county court time.

It's easy to be wise after the event but we've all been there! In a few years time, you will have a great and appreciating bike and a good story to tell.


Thanks for that, most of which I had in mind, with the addition of perhaps an engineers report, will have to be based on the pictures though, as Mike is not hanging about with sorting it out. Will cost for the report, but if it goes to Court I will not be paying for it!

Unfortunately, it appears the seller does not wish to discuss the matter, I imagine he feels safe behind the 'Sold as Seen' disclaimer, but will make a final attempt to resolve informally, once I get the bill from Mike and can work out a reasonable claim, not including the cosmetic improvements or the faults that could be seen at the time I bought it.

So I'm really between your 3 & 4 at the moment.
 
I think there were 2 types of those tanks made, one you could paint, one you couldn't. The lime green one that was on the Legobike never showed any sign of paint lifting

Interesting information regarding the tank, I did look at the one at Touratech HQ recently, but neglected to take a picture. I wasn't aware it was known as the Lego bike. Would be interested to know the history of it, if anyone knows.

These are the markings on my tank, it does have a locking cap and no vent pipe, unlike yours Bill.
 

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At least you then know what you're buying...




And it doesn't say who stripped and rebuilt the engine and what new parts were fitted.

Maybe a blind one armed alcoholic russian potato farmer who'd never heard of oil .

Neil, I was told who did the engine rebuild and this is taken from their website:

BMW SERVICING

Our BMW Servicing specialist was formally trained by BMW in Germany. This way you are assured of the best servicing and a service unparalleled !!!

Formally trained by BMW in Germany
 


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