Description
NEW ARRIVAL!
Bob took a weekend, working, road trip to bring this very sweet, classic, and superbly built full conversion EML sidecar rig back to the dealership. The goal was that the team would bring it back to perfect service levels and make it 100% safe, roadworthy, comfortable, and fun, as well as allow someone with a hankering for the higher end of performance sidecar pleasure and travel, who may not have the budget to spend the $45,000 – $55,000 dollars. That is what many of the most current fully converted, full chassis, European rigs built on new bikes often require of your bank account.
The Bob’s team did everything and then found a buyer quickly. That was a little over three years ago.
We thought this was going to be the new home and next owner for a decade, but life has various twists and turns, and it came back to us again after that short time frame. But this time we did not repurchase it or take it in trade. The owner donated it to us so we could, in turn, raise money for worthy charitable causes and organizations!
That’s a fabulous opportunity to do good in the world – locally and wider – once it is sold. We’ll get into this in greater detail later but for now, know that that good person who purchased it from us a little over three years ago has given Bob’s this wonderful machine so we can raise money not just one worthy cause, but four—all highly rated and respected organizations that he helped us select and that we have supported for many years.
If you have any interest in owning a great sidecar rig, capable of taking you and others along for the fun, the following words will be worth your time. As before and after a three-year period out of our hands we turned it over to our experienced service team to give it a complete refresh so that it is once again as turnkey as a thirty-five-year young sidecar rig can be. And it’s safe, roadworthy, comfortable and much fun.
Bob logged almost 25 miles during an initial test/demo ride the day he acquired it to be certain it had the potential to be brought back to the highest levels of three-wheeled fun despite its already good history and Bob’s personal knowledge of the original owner. This time we’ve added another 20 miles of test riding to ensure all is exactly as it should be.
That service was completed by one of the Master Techs here at Bob’s with decades of sidecar experience. (Before it leaves, we know Bob wants to take it out for one more good ride — it’s just a great machine and he loves sidecars!) Our professional, in-house detailer also had a full day with it, making it look as bright and beautiful as can be without touching up or painting the few small scratches it does have.
Many of the extra procedures we chose to do at our own expense while performing the service will have long term value and are not just maintenance items. This time around we renewed the front tire, refinished the sidecar wheel as some paint was peeling, changed the oil and filter, refreshed and bled the brake systems, added nitrogen to all three tires, replaced the BMW roundels on the gas tank and the seat cowling with the original flat style for accuracy and then took it out for a nice, spirited test ride.
This beauty was formerly owned by a fellow BMW dealer who Bob considered a friend for close to 3 decades; it was his personal sidecar rig it and was always very well cared for. But, like Bob, who has access to many good machines, it did not ever see a great number of miles despite regular use and a number of short trips with and without his wife. Thus, 35 years later, this machine is in far better shape than most of the full EML conversions built back when both bike and sidecar were new. This rig was built by Sidecar Restorations, which later became BMW Motorrad of St. Louis, an authorized BMW dealership as well as the US Importer for EML.
Bob’s BMW became an authorized EML dealer in the early 1990’s as Bob was already a sidecar enthusiast; the dealership built a fair number of EML rigs on K100RSs, RTs, LTs, and several of the R100 class airheads of that era. In those days EML was the benchmark high performance sidecar rig by which all others were measured. Most all other manufacturers like EZS, ARMEC and GG, to name just a few, followed their lead in chassis modification or full change, leading link forks, improved suspension, automotive style wheels and tires plus a host of other innovations that made three-wheel fun safer and a heck of a lot more fun.
They offered two sizes of sidecar to attach to a BMW or other brand motorcycle of your desires during most of their history. In the mid 2000’s EML offered a sleeker, sportier model called the Speed 2000 of which a few have been sold by Bob’s too. Many of these were attached to the original brick-engined K1200RS and GT and later some K12 and K1300S examples. Less space for people and stuff but no less fun out on the roads. The Tour T, a more compact, and slightly boxy from some angles body style quite similar to the Steib TR500 from the 1950’s and 60’s and the GT2, a fresh, sleeker, sportier and roomier design.
This offering is a GT2 example which allows more room for one passenger and their stuff or space for a couple of kids sitting side by side or a parent and child traveling together. Two of our earliest customers for EML conversions, one on a late K100LT and the other an early K1100Rs both have close to 200,000 miles on their rigs and they are still rolling along very well, having seen regular service here at Bob’s since being built.
Bob’s friend and fellow BMW dealer selected the Special K as it was fondly called to build his rig around. The special BMW pearl white metallic paint, the special BMW motorsport pinstripes, the matching red seat and even the chrome muffler guard were all cosmetic details added to the K100RS for just one year of production for the US market. Even 35 years down the road, it still turns heads visually every time it’s used and seen. The chrome muffler guard is being swapped out for a fresh satin black finish one per Bobs instructions.
Since Bob first saw it, he and several other members of the team here have ridden it over 250 miles; it is very sweet in all regards and under all riding conditions and speeds. The alignment has been checked and it is spot on, hands free and straight on level surfaces and resistance during turning is as light as a well set-up sidecar rig ever gets. If Bob was not so personally attached (too many rides and trips with his son and father) he might consider selling his 1985 custom K100RS w/EML (Tour T body) and keep this one instead.
Like the majority of good used motorcycles, we offer up to the next owner at Bob’s, this one will leave with a few keys, the owner’s manual (like new condition), the factory tool kit and in this case even the BMW tire repair kit. It currently has a tonneau cover and the framework for the full convertible top with not one, but two tops. One is black and nearly new, and the other is red to match the seat and brand new. Having an extra top with the zippered side windows is a bonus both functionally and financially and you can decide what color based on your own criteria for a day or a long trip.
It did not arrive with saddlebags as the trunk is quite spacious, and many sidecar rigs never have bags at all for a sleeker look. But the stock bag mounts are attached. It came with factory heated grips as well. The fully adjustable four (4) air vents in the sidecar screen were added by the original owner and Bob installed an identical set in his rig – they are fantastic to have for your passengers’ comfort year-round in any kind of weather.
Beyond that, we need to tell you about the four great organizations the net proceeds from the sale of this fabulous BMW/EML Sidecar rig will be donated to. And please remember, the very generous donor of the sidecar gets all the tax benefits involved – feel free to check with your accountant but we’ve done this about two dozen times before and that’s the drill. You do of course get the great feeling of doing good, helping others, and getting a great hack outfit, and while we do get paid for the mechanical services performed we also do this for the great feeling of helping others in the community when there is a need…..
- The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and The Ride for Kids/Cure the Kids®: Bob’s and Bob have had a 30-year relationship with this organization. We have helped raise about $850,000 over the years by getting our staff and customers involved and participating in the local RFK event for many years. www.curethekids.org
- Feeding America: Another Bob’s favorite, they are one of the top organizations that takes the lead in helping those in our country and around the world who need food, and often need it now. Find a devastated town, city, community, or entire state hit by a weather-related disaster and you’ll find them there doing what needs to be done with little fanfare. www.feedingamerica.org
- Fisher House: The world of military and so-called patriotic charities that waste their resources far exceeds the number that honestly fulfill their mission, delivering the vast majority of the money they raise or take in to the programs and people they are supposed to serve. Fisher House is one of the true outliers. They do what they say they do every day, giving those injured in the service of their country, and their families when needed, the full support necessary to heal as best they can and get on with their lives. Honorable service comes to mind every time, and no takes pot shots at what they do or how they do it. The best of the best: www.fisherhouse.org
- Grass Roots Crisis Intervention Center: This is our local organization that serves individuals and families in need of food or shelter due to displacement, abuse, mental health, and other issues. They are a true 24/7 operation and work closely with our local Howard County Police. www.grassrootscrisis.org
You will not find a better looking, or better value for a ready to ride and enjoy sidecar rig, of any brand, in this high performance category out there so don’t waste time before making and appointment with the Bob’s sales team to inspect it in person.