[Duken4evr]

Great story and beautiful bikes.



I have a '77 R100/7 that has been turned into a poor man's imitation with an airtech bikini fairing circa GS1000 and an RS seat. Blasphemy I suppose, but at least it is an $1800 blasphemy.



Alas, I find her rather boring and have grown tired of her. She is going up for sale, to be replaced by a big bore dual sport to share garage space with the TL1000S. Now there is a twin that is fun to ride

 

[36948]

My first Beemer was a R60US that I bought for $800. I restored it and unfortunately let it go after a few years. It was by far the smoothest and quietest bike I ever owned (including a six jug Wing), and was the most satisfying in every respect except all-out performance. People would roll down their windows at traffic lights to see if it was running. On cold mornings, I would sit on the seat, push the primers twice, give the starter pedal one kick while remaining seated, and the bike would purr to life. Import and Harley riders occasionally applauded when we'd leave a haunt and they were trying to get their bikes started. My second Beemer was a R1100RT, very competent and much faster than the old R60US, but not nearly as smooth, and quite sterile by comparison! I didn't keep it long, prefering the company of my 99 Excelsior Henderson.

 

[Steven_Verschoor]

Most enjoyable read. Thank you.

 

[piinob]

Great Story. May we have some more please?

 

[sarnali]

Great story, Reminds me of my '79 R100RT that was given to me when my dad quit riding.

My wife and I rode the wheels of that bike with nary a problem, I had to sell it when my youngest daughter was born because we wuz' poor in those days.

I think airhead beemers still feel like real motorcycles, I'm afraid the new ones don't do anything for me.

 

[3983]

Great story. In my early year I always had a bit of a thing for the R90s (and some of those add pic!).



It was a sports bike in the sense of a sporting way to travels great distances in comfort on any type of road, not sport in the sense of "my back and arms are killing me after 50ks...need a cafe stop"

 

[3983]

Oh yes...the story was perfecting understandable and coloured with great descriptions.



I also understand US english to a large degree...although you do have funny spelling (and accents for that matter)!

 

[stogieBill]

Thanks for the great read. Once again I am reminded of my lost lust for these beemers. I had a very greedy friend whom owned two of the '74 R90S's. One in the orange and the other in the charcoal/silver. He never even fired them up unless he was going on a jaunt of 100 miles or more. Some people!

 

[longride]

I remember wanting an orange one back in 1976. I saw it at a Beemer dealership and left drool marks all over it. Since I didn't have 2 nickles to rub together at that time, I had to settle for my 72 Bonnie instead. Good article that brought back some memories.

 

[12250]

"In Rotterdam, a skull city if ever I saw one, some snapperhead ripped both front indicators clean off their stalks and carried them away to its nest"

I just love the way those crazy British folks make up preposterous words and sayings. Real good guys to party with too, but good luck getting a word in. Great article.

 

[17693]

Excellent read!!! Thank you for not Americanizing the language. At risk of insulting your writing skills (which is certainly not my intent) any attempt, no matter how skillful, to Americanize this piece would very likely have stripped the soul right out of it. This is the kind of story that makes non-riders begin to understand the passion that stirs within us all. They won't understand fully, but to things there must be a beginning.

 

[25850]

you did the right thing when you left the story intact. great read.



my dad had an R90S ... a burnt-orange one. i mooched rides whenever i could, flogging the pi$$ out of it on every back road and deserted highway i could find. it was the GSXR of its time, but in a sophisticated, tasteful package. fantastic bike.



thanks for the memories ...

 

[MaxAlien]

Thanks for a very entertaining story Henry, and leaving the British English in there was most definitely the right thing to do! The piece is peppered with absolutely classic phrases.



I have a BMW R1150R, and I'm very tempted to add "an older cousin" to the stable, possibly an R90S. Beautiful bike.

 

[Thinc2]

Sweet article and great timing! I just returned from a lunchtime run on my R100S - 40 miles of Colorado canyons. Get back to my desk - this article is the first thing i saw. It's turning out to be a good day.



Can't agree more with the author's assessments - my R80RT is my gentlemen's touring bike, the R100S is the beast that needs to be ridden.

 

[35244]

Ahhhh, the 70's. Men were men, sheep were scared and herb was plentiful. I think the R90S is the one of the 3 or 4 most lovely bikes of the last 30 years and totally useful. Not a tempermental bone in it's lovely germanic body. I like the current BMW line pretty well, but nothing in that model line raises the ole BP like the S's.

 

[39970]

I have to agree that the R90s is one of the most beautiful bikes I've ever seen even though I looked at them as the "enemy" at the time (old time Z-1 fan). Credit where credits due. No mention of Reg Pridmore? Butler and Smith?

 

[21726]

Absolutely.

 

[35244]

Lets not forget Udo Geitel (sp?), Steve something or another witht the long hair...gee, my memory is gone. I blame the 70's. I had a new Kaw Z1-B in 75, but wanted an R90S so bad I could taste it. Affording the Beemer bac then was about as likely as me having a date with Shannon ****inson tonight.

 

[43179]

Great story! Again, the language was as it should have been.



Stories like these keep me in love with motorcycles. That said, I've never really got on with airheads, as much as I've wanted to. I've yet to ride one that didn't make me feel disconnected from the road. Maybe one that's had its suspension sorted would feel better.

 

[11158]

I was at Blue Moon cycles in Atlanta looking at their group of R90s last weekend.



I restored a 75 R90/6 in the late 80s. I loved it until some "snapperhead" poured a coke in its gas tank and it was never the same again ( I didn't have the $ to fix it ).



I came back to BMW last year with a R1100R. I can feel a lot of the character of the old R90 with all the advantages of a modern bike. But, if I could have more than one bike, I'd go back to Blue Moon and make an offer.



BTW - If you love BMWs and ever pass through Atlanta, you should check out Blue Moon's private BMW museum.