BMW introduced the R 100 CS as a sporty, limited-run variation of its air-cooled boxer twins for the 1981 model year. It arrived during the final phase of BMW’s classic /7-era boxer lineup, when the company was refining its big touring and sport-touring motorcycles before the K-series took center stage. The CS designation identified a more performance-focused road model, positioned between the company’s touring machines and its pure sport offerings.
The R 100 CS is best remembered for its distinctive cockpit fairing and for carrying BMW’s large-capacity boxer formula into a sharper, more aggressive-looking package. It followed the spirit of the earlier R 100 S, but with its own styling and market identity. Enthusiasts often associate the model with the last and most visually memorable of BMW’s traditional full-boxer sport bikes from the early 1980s.
Production was brief, ending in 1984. That short run makes the R 100 CS relatively uncommon compared with BMW’s longer-lived boxer models, and it has become a sought-after classic among airhead fans. It also marks an important transition point in BMW Motorrad history: a final flourish for the old-school air-cooled boxer sport-touring era just before BMW’s broader model strategy shifted toward the new water-cooled K bikes.