Late '70s BMW Motorcycle Ephemera

Welcome. I built this page to share my collection of documents related to late-70s US-market BMW motorcycles. There is some confusion about the models and options available during this era. I hope these pages can help.

This information may be useful if you are restoring one of these bikes. You have quite a bit of latitude in your choice of color and equipment while still keeping the bike 'original'. For these model years a bike's original color and equipment cannot be determined from the frame-stamped VIN. With that number the factory can only provide month and year of manufacture.

Butler and Smith's (US importer) sales records for this era were lost or discarded and are not available. Some history of B&S is found here below. Additionally, a former B&S employee noted "the original import license was purchased from a company called the Butler & Smith Trading Company in Brooklyn, NY by Max Hoffman, the first US importer of BMW cars and motorcycles. The Butler & Smith Trading company got their name from their address, Butler Street and Smith Street in Brooklyn, in the grimy industrial section along the Gowanus Canal." Butler & Smith, Inc. ceased U.S. BMW motorcycle importation on Sept. 31, 1980.

A specific VIN range does not exist for any of the desirable '78 Specials, including the RS in Motorsport colors and the very rare chromed and polished (and non-advertised) R100S-Exklusive Sport. All of these 'specials' were built up from regular production as needed. During the late '70s, BMW's U.S. bike sales were disappointing and bikes that weren't selling were sometimes repainted, accessorized and sold by independent dealers as a local 'limited edition'.

BMW motorcycle production for a particular model year began at the beginning of August of the prior calendar year. Due to slow sales in '77, virtually all '78 model year bikes sold in the US were built in calendar 1977. In addition to the 'Exklusive Sport', several other factory models never appeared in the sales literature. In late '78 Butler & Smith received a shipment of 100 non-standard (for U.S.) bikes; in metallic red with big pipes, kickstart, headlight switch. They were originally intended for another market then offered to Butler & Smith. According to a former B&S employee, "these came to be referred-to by US dealers and riders as 'Belgian Police' or 'Australian' bikes. In actuality, they were neither (see editor's page, col.3, Spring '79 Joy of Riding). A batch of '78 RSs fitted with the 'S' cafe fairing and painted in Motorsport scheme were also seen.

Note that the large format factory brochures were produced and photographed in Germany using Euro-spec and equipped bikes. These bikes didn't always match what was available in the U.S. during the same model year. The U.S. magazine reviews and Butler and Smith advertisements are more indicative of what was actually available in the States.

Many bikes of this era have been modified by their owners. For a description of common performance mods consult The Doctor. For a more radical approach read about the 162 mph '78 Gietl/Schuster superbike below. I've made some mods to my own '78 R100S. I support the Maryland Airheads and encourage you to look up your local Airmarshal. --- Steve.

Click on thumbnails to view hi-res scans of the original documents.
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