getting the background info on the /7 bikes

[srankin]

Boge made the original shocks for the /6 era bikes. Ikon makes a shock that has an optional metal spring cover that makes their shocks look like the /6 shocks. I have a set on my 84RT with the covers, they are a good shock and spring unit for a fair price and they look good with the spring cover.

Sadly, I didn't care much for stock BMW springs and shocks, they just didn't hold up. I replaced the OM units on my R75/7 at only 23K miles with a set of Koni units. On the 84, the stock Nivomat shocks were replace three times in 90K miles before I went to Ikon units. The RS has Progressives and to be honest they are good shocks for the price but I wish I had gone with the ikon units at the time.

Kurt makes a good point about the restoration guy's skills. I will be honest and say at one time I had restored two R90S bikes to sell. After getting them ready to sell the bottom line was I could not charge the price I had into them. Not that they were not done right but, I don't have the name or a shop to stake a reputation on. Both bikes got sold much later for way less than what I had into them, but a fair price for what they were.

I just could not in my mind justify asking a high price for my restoration knowing as an amateur I could perhaps have made mistakes. There is nothing I hate worse than previous owner's disease cause by inept repairs. tight wallets, no maintenance or "expert" restorations. I see so many people come into my friend's shop who buy airheads for the first time only to get burned. Call me crazy, but I could not take that risk. LOL, I take the risk all the time with my own two bikes, I mean if I break something it is my fault and my bike. I won't mention how may thousand dollars I just put into a complete overhaul of my long term high mile all weather ride the R80RT. I could have bought a low mile bike for less.

Anyway, as said, I am ill and bored, so gassing. Good luck on whatever bike you buy and ride the heck out of it. St

[malmac]

Your both right. Restoration is a very flexible term.

The /6 is an American import, so I assume that it was restored in the US..... That is not code for the job being sus, just more a matter of having a disconnect with information. I will do my best to look for any telltale signs of good work vs poor quality work. But I guess if there is any doubt we will pass and keep looking.

It is invaluable to have your input and advice and I really appreciate the time and effort you have put into the topic.

Regards


Mal

[schrader7032]

Makes me wonder why a bike with so few miles needed that kind of money for a restoration. What was wrong to begin with?

[srankin]

LOL, Kurt if you had seen the two R90S bikes I had on my bench years ago, you would understand why it took so much money to make them look like new. One was a daily rider and in a salt winter environment for it's life. The other had been in a wreck which damaged the forks and wheel, then to add insult to injury, it was dumped for storage into a horse stall in an unheated garage.

I honestly laugh now at "barn finds" advertised with hight prices for sale or some of the project bikes offered for sale at ridiculous prices. There is a very bent banged up R65 for sale at an asking price of almost what the bike is worth in good running condition.

Two of my friends restore /2 bikes and it has become VERY difficult for them to source candidate bikes cold. They get most of their business from people who want to restore dad or granddad's bike. In this case, the cost of restoration is driven by not only return on the dollar but sentiment as well. A restoration driven my sentiment can go way over the top on money spent. I am living proof of it with both of my bikes.

Mal, all I can add is that for the price being asked for the R90/6, it had better look like it rolled out of the showroom and check the inside of the gas tank for the liner. At that cost, it should have the stock liner in the tank not a relined tank. Relined tanks are one of the first red flags triggered in my mind to kill buying a bike. It means the bike was not stored properly at one time. LOL, because of my hanging out at my friend's shop, I see a lot of new airhead owners hit with previous owner's disease both in bikes they bought to rebuild and ride and sadly "restored" bikes.

It is too bad man was not equipped with X-ray vision so we could see under the surface what is what. I found out my RS while looking very pretty on the outside when I bought it used, had a flaw that cost me a rebuild of the jugs, pistons and rings and heads. Supposedly the odometer only had 32K on it. LOL, I call the bike my soiled dove, now she is a beauty and I would not trade her for the world. Sentiment, sometimes means crazy. St.

[malmac]

Makes me wonder why a bike with so few miles needed that kind of money for a restoration. What was wrong to begin with?

To be quite frank, I rarely believe quoted mileages unless I have known the bike personally, so that means not many at all.
Also even the best of people dont tell you the life story of a bike, even if they know it. They leave out that flooded river crossing event, or the battery that leaked acid when it cracked.

Buyer beware......

However that said...... when getting married for a second time it is realistic to assume your new wife will come with history. Not all bad but history none the less. One can still look for love.

Enough said.

Mal

[malmac]

"Mal, all I can add is that for the price being asked for the R90/6, it had better look like it rolled out of the showroom and check the inside of the gas tank for the liner. At that cost, it should have the stock liner in the tank not a relined tank. Relined tanks are one of the first red flags triggered in my mind to kill buying a bike. It means the bike was not stored properly at one time. LOL, because of my hanging out at my friend's shop, I see a lot of new airhead owners hit with previous owner's disease both in bikes they bought to rebuild and ride and sadly "restored" bikes. "

That is a really good point.
Any other good tips on what to look for will be gratefully received.
I know I have to be very clinical about this inspection, or acting in haste would give me plenty of time to repent.

Cheers. I hope you are feeling better soon. But not too soon otherwise I won't get all your great posts.

Regards Mal

[Werner1111]

Mal - The orange color of the R100/7 is very different in the sun vs. the shade. Here are two pictures of my R100/7 taken at the same location, one on the sunny side and one on the shadowed side. Note the the valve cover on the sunny side was still waiting replacement. The last picture is how I received the bike, before restoration.

I'm proud to say I did most of the work myself and a good friend painted it while I helped with all the prep. That said, I have found some amateur mistakes like a threaded hole in the frame that I didn't chase with a tap that wasn't grounding properly. I bought the Supertrapps new in 1990 while in college.

[srankin]

I have to say I loved the burnt orange color in 77. My R75/7 was pretty nice and the best part was it was not a color that was common to BMW or at least I never saw one the same color in my neck of the woods and to other companies bikes.

I like to call it classy as a gentleman's color. Perfect fit for the bike, a gentleman's ride. St.

[Werner1111]

And talking about funny things, my R100/7 had been "restored" before. It had a /6 lightened flywheel and the associated gear on the starter motor, which is different from the /7. Well, when I went to go change the starter motor with one from another /7, it took a lot of head scratching before I realized why it wouldn't engage when I pushed the starter button.

When I have more time later, I'll think of some questions/checks for the /6 inspection.

Here's my R90/6 at Laguna Seca. I don't think it's ever been repainted. I did have to do A LOT of cleanup on it, but didn't do much to the motor or paint other than clean.




Here's how I bought it. It didn't run at the time, but had "good bones".

[malmac]

[/quote]

You have done a great job of the restoration and you can rightly be proud of your work. It is a fine restoration.
This thread has really helped tease out the parameters of the decision for me.

1. Yes I am really keen to hopefully secure a R90 or R100 from the period 1974 ~1978

2. I don't want a model with a fairing - so /6 or /7 would be ideal

3. I would really like a well looked after original machine that has not been restored (read repainted etc)

4. However given how the years pass and it is now harder than ever to find a nice tidy original, I will have to consider a machine which has had some level of restoration

I would pay more for a machine that was in good condition and a reliable history but un-restored than a machine that has been restored (looks nice) but may be hiding some nasty habits (like bent frame, internal butchery and such).

We are going tomorrow to look at a restored /6 mentioned above. Lets see what I learn from that experience.

Regards

Mal