BMW introduced the R 100 RT in 1978 as part of its large-boxer touring line and positioned it as a long-distance road machine rather than a stripped-back sport model. The RT designation reflected its touring focus, with factory emphasis on weather protection, a full fairing, an adjustable windscreen, and practical luggage provisions for riders covering serious mileage. It quickly became one of the defining airhead touring BMWs of its era.
The original R 100 RT belonged to BMW’s twin-shock, air-cooled boxer period and shared the brand’s classic horizontally opposed twin layout with other R 100 models of the time. Its significance was not in outright performance but in how it translated BMW’s engineering identity into a comfortable, high-mileage touring package. For many riders, it represented the template for the modern BMW sport-touring motorcycle: stable, purposeful, and built for all-weather use.
BMW’s official classic documentation lists the first R 100 RT production run as 1978 through 1984. That makes the original R 100 RT a single, continuous historical nameplate with no separate revived production period under the exact same model name.