Factory service manual

[Zombie Master]

There are two manuals in this picture that are for sale locally. I know this is a small image, but I thought one of you might recognize the cover. Can anyone tell me if the lighter colored factory manual would be useful for my 1984 R100?
Thanxs in any event

[barryh]

Looks like it might be a factory manual. Mine is titled "Repair Manual" at the top.
I have a PDF copy of a 79 manual which you could look at and while it's not the same model it should give you a good idea of what they contain assuming all airhead manuals are much the same.

I've e-mailed you a link.

[ME 109]

Can you read what is on the cover? If it's the bmw manual and it says it covers your year, go for it. I have one.

[Kurt in S.A.]

The BMW factory manuals has plusses and minuses. On the one hand, you can't have too many references...there are some decent pictures and there are a good list of specifications. Also wiring diagrams. On the down side, a lot of steps are left out in this manual...they expect you to have gone through BMW tech school and already know the tricks/hints that are not given. Also, it focuses on use of BMW specific tools which most of us don't have.

Still, if it covers your year, it's good to have something else to refer to.

Kurt in S.A.

[Duane Ausherman]

The factory manuals are full of errors. That is why we dealers were given a 4 ring (Euro standard) binder type. At least monthly they sent revisions for us to replace the "bad info" with the newest latest greatest info that probably wouldn't get replaced for at least a few months:-) I am not kidding.

Same with the parts books. Some errors they never corrected, usually those were the specs and what parts replaced older versions going forwards and/or backwards with VIN.

We quickly gave up sending in corrections. For good reason too, how could a simple ignorant inexperienced dealer find an error from the fatherland?

Always, the first thing to have for doing mechanical work is the parts book plus experience.

[2valve]

Cant say for sure but to me it looks like a Clymer BMW R series manual to suit a BMW R50/5 Through R100GS PD: 1970-1996. And the book that it sitting on the R/H top of the manual above , again looks like a O.E BMW Repair manual to suit BMW r60/7 -R100RS .As everybody else has mentioned good and bad BUT handy to have either way for pictures etc !.

[SteveD]

The factory manuals are full of errors. That is why we dealers were given a 4 ring (Euro standard) binder type. At least monthly they sent revisions for us to replace the "bad info" with the newest latest greatest info that probably wouldn't get replaced for at least a few months:-) I am not kidding.

I've got one of those. It mostly goes up to 1978 and has multiple yellow page supplements for 1979 updates.

ZM, the white one should be fine. Can you check the cover to ascertain the years? Zooming on the picture doesn't help unfortunately.

First page. R click/view image.

[Zombie Master]

The guy wants $30.

He says:

As far as I can see the manual was printed in August 1984. It covers:
R100 /T,100,S,CS,RT,RS.
The book was purchased to work on a 1983 R65. Seems very comprehensive.
You are welcome to take it, and if you find it doesn't match, then bring it back. My Google search seems to say the manuals are the same 1981-1984 for the big R100.

[SteveD]

The guy wants $30.
He says:

As far as I can see the manual was printed in August 1984. It covers:
R100 /T,100,S,CS,RT,RS.
The book was purchased to work on a 1983 R65. Seems very comprehensive.
You are welcome to take it, and if you find it doesn't match, then bring it back. My Google search seems to say the manuals are the same 1981-1984 for the big R100.

If intact, that's a good price and hardly worth worrying about. I sold one on ebay years ago. The bidding was silly. From memory it sold for $105 + postage or thereabouts, but it did include some authentic oily finger prints and the usual special notes here and there. The buyer lived 10 minutes from a dealer. They were $108 new!

[Rob]

If ebay wasn't such a PIA to work with, I would try and sell my R65 factory service manual.
But it is not bound. It was made for BMW's proprietary ring binders. (4 rings?)
I repunched it with a 3-ring hole punch, but when I went to put it in a binder, I found the pages to be too tall (metric, no doubt).

No grease, though!