In my opinion the world's finest motorcycle of the era. All machine, no tinsel, no gimmicks. Viewed from any angle it has more than pleasing looks. It projects personality and soul. It exudes all that is synonymous with power, class and elegance.. unashamedly peerless.

After years of riding motorcycles, a rider learns to put up with all kinds of irritating niggling things on bike after bike that really shouldn't be there.. like dodgy fuel gauges, instruments that can't be read in the dark, wheels that take two people and three hours to get off.. or mirrors full of elbows. There are other things that a mature rider would love to have.. like a bike that would allow maximum acceleration or braking in controlled safety.. or a sporty bike that can go for endless miles without perpetual tweaking and tuning. Even a sporty bike that can be toured! So when a machine comes along that puts all these things right, it's got to be good.

1000cc, 16 valves, and electronic fuel injection made this bike positively effortless to ride. Although restricted by a voluntary Euro agreement to 100bhp, there was bounteous stamina on tap for indulgent spirited riding. In contrast to the Japanese ethic, power and speed, although abundant, were rightly confined to forming integral parts of the whole picture rather than being all of it. Here at last was a machine that was totally rider designed. This machine was designed by riders for riders and clearly displayed the result of extensive refinement.

Promoted as the perfect balance between Sports and Touring, the BMW K100RS met that description completely. Whilst being an eminently sensible motorcycle which had a distinct air of class and manners about it, the 16v RS was a wolf in sheep's clothing. There were subtle tell tales such as the low profile radial tyres, triple spoke mag wheels and larger diameter floating front discs with dual piston callipers. Yes this machine could perform too! It handled in a way that yielded great confidence and shared the same invisible railway lines through bends as the Ducati. The intelligent management system meant that you could use the engine's power productively. It could be hurried urgently through the gears without a danger of over revving or unleashing unusable peaks of thrust that would normally lead to twitching or whiplash. The power delivery was smooth, progressive and deceptively grand rather than just gross.

On the road this bike really was a dream come true. I really could not find fault with it in any department... and that is a first for me! It behaved beautifully in all situations, doing exactly what a thinking rider would want it to do. No nasty surprises, scary moments or hidden `bugs' to be mindful of.. just motorcycling perfection.

Built to a level of refinement and precision hitherto unseen, the `K' oozed quality, prestige and workmanship. There were no rough edges or cut corners.. no hidden disappointments or cheap tricks. If it was necessary it was there.. if it was there.. it worked. That philosophy was carried through the whole machine.

Things that helped make the KRS perfect in my opinion were...

• Intelligent `Motronic' fuel injection
• New 16 valve engine responsive a smooth
• Paralever single-strut shaft-drive
• Anti-lock braking system
• Superb gearbox
• Fairing that worked well at speed
• Pannier supports as standard equipment
• Digital clock
• Fuel gauge that told the truth
• All electronic speedo/tacho
• Intelligent self-cancelling indicators

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