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Looking to buy an Airhead R90S - first time buyer

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r67boxer
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Re: 3 Bikes have showed up on CL

Post by r67boxer »

Bayou wrote:
Sat Feb 18, 2023 6:01 pm
1. 1976 R90S - 4 hours away. Asking $7.2k
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/m ... 28823.html
This seems too good to be true. It's absolutely beautiful and should be listed well north of $10K IMHO.

Kevin

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srankin
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Re: Looking to buy an Airhead R90S - first time buyer

Post by srankin »

The R90S looks pretty good for the price, of the three, it is the best purchase at a glance.

LOL, I am a picky fella when I negotiate on used bikes, so I would be asking for proof of the mileage, and looking inside the gas tank to see if the OM liner is still there.

LOL, in all honesty, I would pick it up myself if it were near by. However, it would take a bit of time before I believed the pretty face. St.
Owner of a 84, R80RT and 78, R100RS

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srankin
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Re: Looking to buy an Airhead R90S - first time buyer

Post by srankin »

All three of the bikes are priced right as far as I can see by pictures. Good luck, St.
Owner of a 84, R80RT and 78, R100RS

Bayou
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Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2023 7:55 pm
Location: Bay Area, California

Re: 3 Bikes have showed up on CL

Post by Bayou »

r67boxer@gmail.com wrote:
Sun Feb 19, 2023 8:00 am
Bayou wrote:
Sat Feb 18, 2023 6:01 pm
1. 1976 R90S - 4 hours away. Asking $7.2k
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/m ... 28823.html
This seems too good to be true. It's absolutely beautiful and should be listed well north of $10K IMHO.

Kevin
Wow! Though I liked the R90S of the three, I didn't expect such positive responses. 8-) That shows how little I know. :lol: I was in two minds whether or not to drive 3-hours, instead, just wait for one to show up nearby.

Thank you, SDCR, Kevin, srankin! You all made my day. :D

Rendezvous with Gary tomorrow morning, I've to start early since it's a 3-hours drive. This is what he had to say:
  • He bought it from the 2nd owner 2 years ago.
  • No maintenance records.
  • All oils were changed 8 months ago at a local BMW dealer.
  • It is not a Garage Queen or a Museum Piece but a good looking bike.
  • He believes the paint is original and the mileage is accurate. All gauges work including the clock.
  • No leaks. Pushrod rubber seals were replaced due to a leak (common Airhead problem).
  • Mod: Gear shifter is newer with a link(?) as it's hard for him to upshift due to an earlier accident; shifts easily now.
  • Wheel bearing are not greased since he has owned, same goes with the transmission splines.
  • Tires have ~50% tread left.
  • Seat has a small tear (can be seen in photo). He thinks it's not the original seat. :o
  • Has the toolkit but not complete, also has aftermarket tools.
  • Has owner's manual but it is in bad shape.
  • Saddle bags are newer model, in decent shape but not the best looking; has keys.
  • It's an all cash transaction.
I'm taking 2 flashlights (big and small) with me so that I can look up and down pretending to be an expert :lol:

Please let me know the important gotchas I should be looking for. I'll update upon my return tomorrow. Should I decide to buy, I'll make a downpayment tomorrow and in the next 4-5 days have to hitch a ride there and ride it back.

SDCR
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Re: Looking to buy an Airhead R90S - first time buyer

Post by SDCR »

I also thought that this might not be a legitimate sale, due to the relatively low pricing. Looking at the pics, IMO, the paint is either a very faithful repaint, or the original silver smoke. Seems to have a fair amount of patina. The bike may have some baseline maintenance needed, but know that this is a bonafide blue chip BMW classic,
1983 R100
2000 R1100

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srankin
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Re: Looking to buy an Airhead R90S - first time buyer

Post by srankin »

Two nit picky things I see. The first is the gas cap. I always thought the 76 R90S bikes switched over to the flush /7 caps. Of course this could be just an early year model and BMW could have finished off the chrome caps.

The volt meter is not stock and I don't think the clock is either?

Neither takes away that it is in nice looking shape and the price is right. Good luck. St.
Owner of a 84, R80RT and 78, R100RS

SDCR
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Re: Looking to buy an Airhead R90S - first time buyer

Post by SDCR »

ST,
I agree regarding the VM and clock. They fit OK, but look different than the components on a R90 S.

The gas cap however, appears to be stock. Here is another silver smoke...
Attachments
C19D6561-2DE6-40F6-B486-47F3544C1884.jpeg
1983 R100
2000 R1100

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srankin
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Re: Looking to buy an Airhead R90S - first time buyer

Post by srankin »

LOL the gas cap is a nit pick. The 74 and 5 bikes I know that style cap. Also I could just plain be wrong, it wouldn't be the first time. St.
Owner of a 84, R80RT and 78, R100RS

SDCR
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Re: Looking to buy an Airhead R90S - first time buyer

Post by SDCR »

ST,

All good. I could not be sure without finding a picture.

At any rate, the LA one appears to be a very fairly priced machine. IMO, a buyer would be getting into an R90 S, at a ground floor price.

John
1983 R100
2000 R1100

Bayou
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Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2023 7:55 pm
Location: Bay Area, California

Rode a BMW (R90S) for the first time

Post by Bayou »

Roundtrip took almost half a day. Did I decide to buy? No, not yet. (want to get that question out of the way first :D )

First off, the seller is a very nice guy. We spent close to an hour chatting as I examined the bike and kept asking questions. He let me ride it round the block. :)

Here are my findings:
  1. The bike is original all round.
  2. Nice patina. Paint looks original to me, if not, it's an awesome job!
  3. Gear shifting is smooth and effortless because of the Mod. Wow!
  4. Triple matching #s verified. Same key opens all the three locks.
  5. Sadly, IMHO, the motorcycle has taken a toll due to being in the beach/oceanside area for the last ~2 years.
  6. The bike has rust allover (see sample photos). Getting rid of rust is a project in and of itself.
  7. Plenty of oxidation on rims, spokes, front forks, rear shocks, engine casing, etc.
  8. Strong gasoline smell around the bike. I bet that if it is parked in a house garage, the whole area smells of gasoline in no time. Didn't see any obvious leaks.
  9. Thin oil coating at multiple places (not visible in the photos): oil pan under carriage, shaft-drive end points, black rubber elbow/hose that connects the carburetor to air filter, rear brake light switch, etc.
  10. Clutch jumpy: as I gently released the clutch when I took it for a spin, the clutch engages in one snap with a "clang" sound that's clearly heard and bike jumps somewhat, and it happened every time I released the clutch. Owner is aware of this, he asked me to give it some gas when that happens.
  11. This is interesting. During idling, duck quacking like sound is quite noticeable. Gary says that's how they sound by design and apparently there's a fix for it. :shock: Is that right?
  12. VDO Voltmeter is all over the place. The needle was jumping between 8- and 14-volts during idling. Hope it is not the alternator or the charging system. Owner says both VM and clock are original noting how snugly they fit, his guess is that since this was the last run, they used whatever parts they had. Same goes with Engine valve cover, it looks different from most other R90S.
  13. Front wheel is hard to turn by hand. Shouldn't it turn freely? Other "R90S" also exhibited the same behavior but that was lot harder to turn.
  14. Uneven wear on the front tire like 'cupping' in cars :roll: Wonder what's causing this? Both the tires must be replaced.
  15. Clearance between the footbrake pedal and the carburetor is narrow, whenever I released the pedal, my foot kept bumping into the bottom of the right carb.
  16. Both the grips on the handlebar are worn out. (no biggie)
  17. Lastly, if I decided to buy, he'll bring it to me on his trailer. :o He is eager to get rid of it. He has an older Police Harley that he wants to keep.
Where do I stand with this bike?
Honestly, the short ride I took the bike didn't excite me at all. To be fair, I took it around a block within the mobile home park. Given this the first time ever I've ridden a BMW, :D felt it was loud and that's "normal" I suppose? :D I like quieter ones and that's one of the reasons for me considering a BMW.

I don't want a rusty bike, and yes, this one can be restored after spending time and money. Also have to take care of overdue maintenance, oil leaks, jumpy clutch, and others I've listed above.

I'm still digesting all this. :|

Slight digression, I keep seeing R1100RS and RT late 90s to early 2000 models between 15k to 30k miles for around $4k. Again, I don't know anything about these models. Should I even be looking at these? My main criteria is a reliable motorcycle that's quieter and easy to service (DIY) and not having to take it to a dealer every time an error code shows up.

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/mcy/d/ ... 51510.html

About ~4 weeks ago, when I started looking, a running R1100RS with 110k miles was offered for $1k as-is. The reason the seller stated is that he had to get rid of it in two days or so. I was so tempted but within no time someone gobbled it.

I'm grateful to all your inputs. Sorry for the long post.

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