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Why Incomprable?
Why Incomprable?
The R90S is special because it was BMW's first real performance bike; but it doesn't really do anything better than other period BMW's.
Like most of the BMW's I've owned, it likes to cruise at 80-85mph. Like most of them it returns mid 40's fuel economy at that speed. It has the same suspension, tires, transmission, electrics and basic engine. The seat, tank, fairing and carburetors are the only real differences.
So what makes my R90S special?
Mike
69 R60/2 76 R90S 78 R100RS
70 Triumph w/Spirit Eagle Sidecar
I dont know. Never had one
twocams
92 R100RT/69 R69S
2004 Aprilia Atlantic 500cc single cylinder Scooter
83 Honda V65 Magna, fastest production bike in1983
2015 Can Am Spider SE6 1,688 miles
2018 Moto Guzzi V711 Special
I've owned two, the last one
A small critical mass of comfortably well-off middle-aged guys have bought and sold them for irrationally large sums of money ("Hey--nice paint does cost some real coin!"), so they are, by definition, very, very, um---incomparable.
R90s Incomparable?
The R90S is special because it was BMW's first real performance bike; but it doesn't really do anything better than other period BMW's.
Like most of the BMW's I've owned, it likes to cruise at 80-85mph. Like most of them it returns mid 40's fuel economy at that speed. It has the same suspension, tires, transmission, electrics and basic engine. The seat, tank, fairing and carburetors are the only real differences.
So what makes my R90S special?
Mike
As a long time owner (going on 37 years now) of my '74 R90s, what makes it "special" is certainly in the eye of the beholder.
For me, the first one I saw was my wife's older brother's version. The Tamiya 1/6 scale (remember those) R90s that was on his dresser. I remember it stopping me cold in my tracks. The way Peter Egan once described the realization of an instant classic. "Like one look at Lauren Bacall. you don't have to describe it. It just is".
As a long time Harley fan back then I came to appreciate the long distance capability and the trips I took. Florida Keys in '81, West Texas in '83, Yellowstone and the Tetons in '86, all in all accumulating 140,000 miles and 40 different states.
Yes, other BMW's could do that, have done that. But the R90s has the racing pedigree that no other /6 has, or /7 for that matter. The Styling, looks, appearance are without parallel, IMHO. The R90s can garner an audience in the middle of winter, heating up the garage and just turning the lights on to go out and admire it's beauty. Sorry, my R100RT never did that for me.
Incomparable? Maybe. The word to me comes in comparing similar models of that era. The R90s always provided the better "balance" of performance than none other had. IMHO of course.
Some good reading here by the esteemed "Incomparable" Peter Egan.
http://www.cycleworld.com/2015/09/23/bm ... peter-egan
RickR90s
The R90S was the first
From one point of view the R90S is not very different from the R90/6 or other boxer models. It is, however, historically significant in several ways.
*First BMW with dual front disc brakes.
*First BMW with factory cockpit fairing.
*First BMW over 750cc (R90/6 came a couple of months later).
*67HP, 124MPH top speed (approx 10% better than the 60HP, 116MPH top speed of the R90/6).
*It marked a return to racing success for BMW motorcycles since pre-WW2 (although short lived).
*1 - 2 finish at the first ever AMA Superbike race at Daytona, 1976 (Steve McLaughlin, Reg Pridmore).
*Winner of the first AMA Superbike championship in 1976 (Reg Pridmore).
*Many international wins including 1976 Isle of Mann 1000cc Production TT (Helmut Dähne and Hans Otto Butenuth).
*A sporty appearance that caught the attention of otherwise BMW-averse riders.
And that last point is probably the most important. Those few differences of the seat, tank, fairing (and paint scheme) made a huge difference in how this bike (and BMW) was viewed by riders.
RT Incomparability
RickR90s
Rick--you just need a nicer RT.
I did like my '93 RT except
The handling, brakes and overall ride was very, very nice and I did a lot of trips on it, but for overall enjoyment, it's hard to beat a R90s.
- San Arthur
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Desirable
While I enjoy riding my R90S I would rather put the miles on a less desirable bike, but that is me.
Mike why did you get a R90S?
'58 R26 '76 R90S '88 R100RS '94 R100GS/PD
I bought my R90S in '77. I
The bike is great, but an R90 or even an R75 would equally impress.
Mike
69 R60/2 76 R90S 78 R100RS
70 Triumph w/Spirit Eagle Sidecar
Three years , two colors
Folks that know motorcycles can quickly ID an R90S from a distance. The history with RP's Superbike Championship is interesting. Also,.....now that the RR is track bike extraordinaire, the history looms larger.
When you see one coming at you, it's usually pretty darn obvious........particularly a DO bike.
if I'm really going to rack up some miles, I'll take an R100RS for the fairing. If it's mid-summer in PHX, I might be on an old K bike. Other than that,............I'll be on an R90S.