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1978 BMW R100RS

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 1 of 1 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Wheels. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

0 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports

Wheels complaints

1 reports
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45,000 miles · Dec 4, 2014
Wheels

I DON'T KNOW WHERE ELSE TO REQUEST HELP ON THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE A 1978 R100RS BMW MOTORCYCLE (NOT LISTED IN YOUR DATA BASE, SO I CHOSE THE R100 9999 ENTRY FROM THE DROP DOWN MENU.) VIN [XXX] I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH THESE MOTORCYCLES, HAVING OWNED 5 BMWS. THIS BIKE WAS KNOWN TO HAVE A RECALLED FRONT WHEEL (MAG WHEEL COULD FRACTUR…

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I DON'T KNOW WHERE ELSE TO REQUEST HELP ON THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE A 1978 R100RS BMW MOTORCYCLE (NOT LISTED IN YOUR DATA BASE, SO I CHOSE THE R100 9999 ENTRY FROM THE DROP DOWN MENU.) VIN [XXX] I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH THESE MOTORCYCLES, HAVING OWNED 5 BMWS. THIS BIKE WAS KNOWN TO HAVE A RECALLED FRONT WHEEL (MAG WHEEL COULD FRACTURE). WHEN I BOUGHT THIS BIKE, I ASSUMED IT HAD BEEN REPLACED. IT HAD NOT. WHEN I CONTACTED BMW CORPORATE IN NEW JERSEY THEY TOLD ME THEY WERE NO LONGER REQUIRED TO REPLACE THE WHEEL, AS HAD BEEN THE CASE DURING THE RECALL. IS IT TRUE THAT THEY WERE RELEASED FROM THE RECALL? A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THESE OLD BMWS ARE STILL ON THE ROAD. THEY ARE OF INCREASING VALUE AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE RIDDEN. I CAN'T BELIEVE BMW WOULD BE RELEASED FROM ITS REQUIREMENT TO MAKE GOOD ON A DEFECTIVE PART WHICH COULD CAUSE SERIOUS, EVEN FATAL, ACCIDENTS. IS THIS TRUE? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI #10662184

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.