The Motorcycle that saved BMW
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- Опубліковано 13 тра 2024
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As the 70s rolled around BMW found themselves in need of a class leading superbike. After the R75/5 didn't quite accomplish that, they went back to the drawing board and came out with one of their most iconic bikes of all time, and arguably one of the most important early sport touring motorcycles in history
Check out Ian Faloon's book on the R90S
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Do a video on the Honda Goldwing.
I was fortunate to work at a BMW dealership in Fort Lauderdale in the 1970s (441 Cycle Shop) after the local H-D dealer said "Get lost, kid." My 5 years working for George & Lucille Jacques taught me that BMW stood for "Best Motorcycles in the World"! Bought a used 1971 R75/5 for my daily rider and even roadraced it in the Summer of '76 at Palm Beach International Raceway. What a blast! Now that I'm retired I'll be planning a retoration of that bike. Keep up the great two-wheeled work Bart.
In the early 90’s I bought my CBX at 441 Cycle and I think my R75/5. Great shop, thanks for the memory!
Fantastic that you still own that same bike. Many days I long for my first Yamaha RD350, and my 1977 R100S Beemer.
I have 2,73 r75 toasters and a 66, r60 right across the street from the FLL BMW dealership!
Absolute agreement with your opinion...the most beautiful bike EVER MADE. I had a 1981 R65, and I loved it! Simply perfect machine. The R90S was, indeed, a dream bike...STILL IS!
I had a 72 R75/5 and a 1982 R65LS. The 72 was a better bike in many ways even though the R65 had better handling. Of the two I would rather have the 750 today.
1982 R-65 here. That thing really handles the twisties so well. Easy to work on, too.
I've got a 77 R75/7 at home as a cafe build. Just an amazing piece of engineering
I've got a 79 R45 with a R100 RS engine in it!
The supposed pictures of Bob Lutz are actually pictures of John Delorean and Carrol Shelby.
That's just what I thought 😂. They flashed by so quickly I didn't think to scroll back to confirm.
Yeah I thought that was DeLorean thx
There are pictures of Bob Lutz.. why would you put Shelby & Delorean’s pics? 😑
lol good catch
Glad you caught that! I also did.
I bought a new R75/6 back in 1974. I put on an Avon fairing and Krauser saddlebags. What a dream machine! Easy transportation around town, to school and back as well as an excellent touring bike, it did it all.
Timeless Beauty & Function.
Bob Lutz single handedly saved the Air Head.
BMW was racing to be the first inline water cooled motorcycle,
but Suzuki came out with their water head 2 stroke, just as Bob took over a BMW.
That gave him the breathing room Lutz needed.
I remember the BMW Dealer telling Dad they're building 1,560 320i Cars for each bike
they build. They're built at break even pricing. My Uncle got a new 5 speed, 1975 R750S/T
with the new Front Disc brake. $2,300.00, and $60.00 for the hard aluminum side bags.
2 years later he got a Honda Gold Wing, so his bags were a perfect fit.
He rode from Philly to Canada, Alaska, Mexico, California, every year somewhere far away.
He got an R90S as an every day driver, and put on 328,000 miles, with 0 breakdowns.
He'ld jump on and call Mom from Maine, having lobsters for dinner, or NC having stone crabs, and be back at work on Monday morning.
He worked for JVC, and built himself a backpack of stereo equipment that plugged into his bike.(the speaker rode on his thighs) I still remember passing him on I-95 at 70mph, and hearing China Gold blasting from his vest. lol!
Nicely done. This was an enjoyable watch. I've got a 77 R100S that has been my daily rider/commuter/touring bike for the past 5 years. It is just such a lovely bike to ride. There is definitely something special about these S bikes that just exudes timeless class and coolness, but with a touch of refinement.
I still remember my driving lesson in Germany in the mid 80s. I had to change from a Yamaha soft chopper (maybe a 500) to the BMW R80 and it felt as if I were riding a bicycle. The centre of gravity was so low it was so easy to handle it. In Germany they were called „rubber cow“ as they dived in the suspension when breaking.
I had an 75/5 in the early 70's. Smooth and could cruise two up at 80 MPH easy. A great bike!
Seems like it had a sweet spot up there in the Rev range, wish I could get another
My R75/6 could cruise at 160kph for hours.
I got a ride on an R75/6 and had to have it. I toured the American west several times on that scooter. It was so smooth and lovely and easy to maintain. That Beemer was my touring bike and a Ducati 750 Sport was my cafe racer. Then some arsonist kid set my garage on fire. Both scooters went up in smoke. Disaster. I missed those bikes so bad. Later I got an R1100 and a Ducati 888SPO. But that R75/6 was a dream. Light enough, powerful enough, VERY comfortable. It was great as a touring bike and a commuter. I wish they would make it again!
At the 14:30 mark you can see the Ducati that Cycle magazine severely modded for racing. They called it "Overdog". They modded it so much and hit a problem of top end power, that stumped them for a while. Well they had the thing flowing so much air that the petcock inside diameter was too small to flow enough fuel! How they figured that one out I don't recall. But they opened up that petcock and won the 1977 AMA Superbike race at Daytona. I believe the editor raced it, Cook Nielson. Man those were heady days for a young man who loved motorcycles. Cycle had articles all about how they modded it and the race results. I couldn't wait to get every new issue! They went up against Beemers in that racing class. I think Reg Pridmore was the BMW rider to beat. Everyone waxes nostalgic about their "good old days" and at age 68, boy do I ever! The 70's had an explosion of aftermarket performance development, people were churning out every kind of race mods, engine, exhaust, suspension. Luftmeister for BMW, I had a bunch of their stuff on my R75/6. If you are young now, enjoy every minute you can on your motorcycles. A time will come when you might not be able.
Same-age and ride every chance I get . ...Air-Therapy , Tibetan 5-Rites , hopefully I'll be doing this when I'm 90 !
When I bought my Z1 (KZ900) in 76, the dealer was also a BMW dealer and had one of these on the showroom floor (in the orange), I almost bought it instead. I never regretted getting the Z1 instead, but just wished I could have bought both. Great channel, I have learned a lot and you have brought back may fond memories.
Very well done. Did justice to all the Airheads, in my garage and others. They are still my everyday rides.
WHAAAAAHHH! I really miss my 1974 R90s, upgraded with a 1978 R100rs frame and swing arm, Lester wheels, also switched out the 74 controls for 76 switches and levers, have many sweet memories
I had a 73-1/2 R75/5 with Avon fairing. Really nice bike, but it didn't smooth out below about 70mph. I finally figured out that I had best sell it because I'd be running down a 55mph highway a 70, come around a curve and find a tractor in the road which would kill me before I could stop.
Nice video. Now do one on the R100RS, the bike that singlehandedly created the sport-touring category.
Wir waren damals noch Jungen, ohne Führerschein aber motorradbegeistert! Diese Maschine war für uns die Moderne, DER Fortschritt! ...natürlich unerreichbar, aber DAS war die Neuzeit!
Irgendwie bekam ich einen Prospekt der 90/S in meine Hände und diesen habe ich bis heute.
Ich fahre heute zum Spaß `77 BMW R100/7, Goldwing `76, CB 400 `75, und ältere...als Zeitreise.
Aber der 90/S bin ich niemals mehr begegnet...
The R90S always had twin front discs, right from the start of production in September 1973. It was the first production bike to do so.
Even before MV Agusta?
It needed them as they were nothing to write home about.
and first with an electric clock ......
They were optional in the Honda CB 750
Before commenting, I looked for this exact reply... ;-)
Great description on R90S. Just as R69S was made to compete with English "performance" bikes in the sixties R90S was made to compete with Japanese bikes in the seventies.
BMW was not forerunner in in horsepower or speed but has their own way of defining reliability combined by design from way back in 1923! I'm sure my no 2 bike will be an R90S from 1976... It will be a perfect cousin to my 69S from '66 🙂
Very enjoyable vid, and bang on the money too. I absolutely adored the pamphlets I collected circa 1978/79 as a kid with the Beemers gorgeous smoky paintwork, of course by then it was the R100RS which looked like a spaceship at the time. A mate of mine had one of these 90/6s in the early nineties, man he could hustle it. Fantastic motorcycle.
Nice job. The R90S came out shortly before I got my street license, and we all lusted after them - at twice the price of the Honda CB750. A friend got one with inherited money, and wow it was light years ahead of my RD350 for any ride longer than 35 miles. Over the years I had several R75s, R90s and R100S's, and only the R100S came close to the experience of the R90S. A great bike even if it had 10-15 hp less on top than it should have.
it was deliberately low tuned for reliability. the racers were much higher HP
Yes, but with clip-ons, rearsets, and expansion chambers, that could be a helluva action-packed 35 miles. The RD was pretty awesome for its day.
@@maekong2010 Yes I agree completely! Having owned about 13 RDs that I can remember (350s and 400s, one 250 and one RD500) I can testify that they were and still are GREAT bikes!
That is a beautiful bike. I never really looked closely at BMWs before. This really sold me on them.
Great Video. I remember back in 1979 Owning a Z1 900 Kawasaki. It was a incredible Bike back then. I have owned just about every Brand and Size Bike out there. I found my Favorite Bike of all Time, when I got my BMW R1200GS. Everything about the GS makes me happy. I think it’s the Best Motorcycle ever made. Thanks for the Video.👍👍
Great job The R90s was a masterpiece and I fondly remember mine. It left me hooked on BMWs for life.
Enjoyable video. I had a 74 R90S for over 30 years. It remains the very best bike I've ever owned (and there are a few). I would buy another new one today in a heartbeat above anything else. The subsequent RS and RT (and the original GS) were also ground breaking. I don't believe any of them have been bettered by BMW since then - indeed, a lot has been lost.
Nice video and great to see the ‘Daytona’ orange colour again. Let’s not forget that Steve McLaughlin won the Daytona Superbike race riding the BMW R90S with the orange tank which made history in the motorcycle world.
Could you do a video talking about the change from almost every (sport) bike having twin rear shocks, to almost every bike having a monoshock? If that's a big enough topic for a video.
Rode a slew of Beemers. 100S, 100RS, K100RS, R11000RT, R1100RS, R1100S, and finally K1600GT. Every one of them proved to be quiet, reliable and smooth. I put well over 200,000 miles on them and hope I'll be able to ride more of them, though I do have some reservations about the sheer complexity and expense to maintain them.
k1600 seems like a bit of a monster in terms of ownership costs but you really can’t get better for American roads
I bought a used R75/7 in 1997. Someone had put a Windjammer fairing and two-up touring seat on it, which I took off as soon as I could find a stock seat and an R90/S fairing. Took the gas tank to a radiator repair shop and had the tank hot dipped to completely strip it and had pin holes in the bottom of the tank brazed up. Had a professional repaint the tank and a new front and rear fender and the fairing. Had Bing rebuild the carbs which I balanced myself, had the radiator guy repair a broken Luftmeister bag mount, (It turned out that the radiator shop owner owned a R75/5), replaced random parts as needed and rode the bike from Memphis TN to San Diego CA to Malibu and back on a one month vacation.
I loved that bike, I wish I never let it go.
Been riding all makes of bikes since 1980. I really like your way of describing things, and I think this is a great video!
Loved the look of the R90 S I duplicated it in my 1986 R80. I went with the Megura low bars, and at the time the S faring with all the hardware was still available. A color match paint job to the faring and a few hours wrench time, I had an S, at least in spirit. A year later I had the privilege of spending time with Reg Pridmore the legendary BMW R90 S icon.
Another R75/5 previous owner here. I mushed into Airhead ownership because in the 80's I was wearing out Japanese bikes with a monster 120 mile daily commute out of the San Diego hinterlands to my job in Del Mar. An excellent motorcycle ride, but a bike killer. I heard BMW's were long lived, and I picked up a 1973 LWB (Long Wheelbase) with a mere 42,000 miles on it. I had heard all the stories about odd handling etc, and after buying it as I rode it up into the mountains I wondered out it was going to be in the first curves. I was very pleasantly surprised! I put 30K trouble free miles on it before moving and having a job I could ride a bicycle to. Since I have owned a couple other Airheads but that 73 R75/5 was the best one.
I had a r75/5 and made 4 cross country trips from CA to East coast one which included a trans Canadian loop. Best touring bike I ever had with over 200 thousand miles on odometer at time of sale!
My brother put 100,000 miles on his r90 s that he bought new. Much of that mileage was accumulated on NYC streets. He had very few problems. He got $ 2000 dollars when he sold it about 15 years ago. It sold very quickly.
I like Bart exponentially more than fort nine. No constant attempts at immature humor that fall flat. Just a good ol fashion documentary.
My first bike in 1976 was a 1968 R60/2 which I purchased for commuting after moving to downtown Washington, DC. Back then nearly every BWM owner I knew commuted to work year-round on their bikes and used them for long-range touring. Several of my friends had sidecars. The R60/2 and R/69 were also very popular with bike messengers there, with the owner of the messenger company also running Capital Cycle which was the go-to source for parts to keep our old bikes running.
The sports market wasn’t one BWM, Triumph and BSA were able to compete against the Japanese and BWMs shift to focusing on that market segment alienated the niche commuting / touring community leading to an exodus to Honda when the Goldwing was introduced. In 1982 sold my Beemer and bought a Honda GL500 “Silverwing” as my commuter bike. It was the ideal size for suburban-city commuting and had the same full fairing, side bags and top case as its big brother Goldwing.
From my perspective I don’t view the R90s period as “saving” the company but rather being like Moses wandering in the wilderness searching for the promised land. Events like Baja and the Paris-Dakar races created a new niche “adventure touring” market ideally suited to the key attributes of the original opposed twin engine design and for that reason it dominated it. The introduction of the K1200LT won back the hearts, minds and wallets of the hard core well-heeled commuter / highway touring market. In 2001 I bought a K1200LT for commuting from the VA suburbs to DC, 70 miles per day, year-round because I was able to use the HOV lanes and park it for free in the basement garage of the State Department where I worked, riding it until 2010 when I retired.
very nicely done video. Bob Lutz went on to save other companies as well. He transformed the vehicles at GM into something you might want to buy during the 2002 to 2010 period. GM was bailed out from bankruptcy because he finally had them moving in the right direction and the government was willing to place a bet on it.
I’ve been a fan of BMW’s starting in 1992 with the R100 G/S later in the latest GS 80 Basic continuing with the R1200S and finally the T90 Urban GS .
All great bikes simple and very reliable always.
An excellent documentary about a great motorcycle. I am proud to say I have owned both an R75/6 and a Daytona Orange R90S. The R90S replaced the R75/6 and unfortunately, the R90S after only a year of ownership was sold to pay my university tuition. Of the 40+ bikes I have owned the R90S is the one I would like to reacquire. Thanks for this enjoyable video.
Do it. Life is short. 🤘
I enjoyed the hell out of this video. I never had the opportunity to own a Beemer, having taken a different tributary, but in retrospect, oh how I wish I had. Regardless, I've always been an admirer from afar. My dream for the time I've been living in SE Asia has been to get my hands on a '61 R60. Things don't move quite so quickly around here.
I had a '71 75/5 toaster tank in metallic blue back in '84. Bought it in Buffalo NY and intended to ride it home to Dallas . I made it straight though to Muskogee OK before flooding and storms stopped me. At the same time, I owned a red Suzuki GS1100, two polar opposite machines. Loved them both. The GS was definitely more fun to ride than the BMW, but the BMW definitely had it's own charm. The longer wheelbase /7 came along later which I'm told made the bike more stable on the highway. I only paid $1300 for that bike..wish I still had it...
Enjoyed it, I have a 76 R75/6 sitting in my barn I need to go through the Bings again ride it off n on through spring summer and fall its so simple and fun to ride.
That was Mr Delorean @ 5:12.
Me and some of my "hoodlum" friends met Reg Pridmore in the 1970's by having the audacity to ride, full throttle, down his street in Goleta, California. He chased us down, introduced himself to and scolded us on our riding. But then he invited us to his house, which was on that Goleta street and gave us riding tips that I still use to this day.
I was a teenager then. I am 65 now.
Wow what a good video.
In the 70's many riders were touring. Rider magazine was the go to publication for motorcycle touring. A common topic was Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. Where the Japanese bikes were easily overloaded the BMW and Harley's enjoyed a very high GVWR. This means a BMW of that time could load two people and their baggage with no I'll effects.
Just my opinion.
I brought the Orange 1976 R90s with the round-slide Dell ortho carburetors from Italy in January of 76 and headed for South America. The book said 72 HP and somewhere in the 390's lbs. Wide open indicated 127 mph. Nice machine.
Tks. much.
I was lucky enough to be there at Daytona when the BMW won the first Superbike races!
You could feel the big twin hammer it way around the track. (Butler & Smith)
In my view this was and still is the most beautiful bike ever built. Not only masterful engineering and quality but shear elegance. I had several BMWs in the 1980s and they were just a joy to ride.
I bought a new 1971 R75/5. Silver paint. It was a wonderful bike back in the day. Big fuel tank, I could get 300 miles,before having to hit the reserve, and find a gas station. Surprisingly comfortable, as I could ride hours and hours without getting fatigued (I was in my twenties back then). The Bing carbs were a bit finicky, the drum brakes were... well, a bit lacking (but adequate). I could load the bike down with a lot of camping gear and head off without worries of getting out and back. Sold it (along with my beloved 1968 Triumph 650 Bonneville) when I hit a personal financial crisis. Miss them both. And if I was younger, I would consider newer versions of either.
I've been a Harley owner/rider since 1993, when I purchased a new FLHS. I've put a lot of highway miles on it over the past 30 years. Many trips from Michigan to Florida (Daytona, Key West, etc.) Been to Sturgis on it, Milwaukee (Harley reunions), and the York, PA factory. It was my primary (spring/summer/fall) commuter vehicle until 2019. Still own it, but at age 72, it does more sitting than running. Probably time to 'let it go', but that'll be emotionally traumatic.
Keep it, but ride it. If it's getting too heavy, you *could* get something lighter - including another twin, eg a Ducati etc.
Either way, hope you keep on the road - on two wheels.
Until it was stolen last year, I had a long-wheelbase R75/5 with R90S seat, tank, and fairing, put on by the previous owner. I had it for 21 years of its life and it was dead reliable, amazing for a bike built in '73. The R90S had a lot of improvements over the /5, but the one it needed the most was the brakes. R90S discs weren't too impressive as disks go, but the drum front brake on the /5 had a terrifying habit of fading out with no warning while sport riding. I really puckered the seat up a few times entering corners! I miss that bike, and curse the thief who took it. I imagine it was sold off in pieces, very sad...
Look on craigslist, as I recently (after Christmas 2023) saw a R90S there that was claimed to be in a R75 frame. The R90S' bent frame was also to be included. Perhaps the frame is yours. Good luck.
The R90S, IMO, is THE best looking and still the most desirable of all BMW motorcycles. R100RS, R80GS, K100RS and K75S are close seconds. Thank you for the video!
I'm with you on your choices! 😊 But the R90S was just slightly before my time". The R100RS was my first foray into my life long appreciation for the BMW brand. Hence I would swap the the R100RS with the R90S for first place. 😁 But it's a close 2nd!🤣 Truthfully I'd be over the moon to own either one today.
I started riding in 1979, and had a number of different bikes, inlcuing a Triumph Bonnie, a Suzuki GSXR750 and a Ducati Darmah. However one bike I had was a BMW100T, similar to above. I serviced it myself, and it was in=credibly reliable. Ride it to work everyday, and went up to Scotland (from near London) on numerous occasions. I did 78,000 miles on that bike, and when sold the guy who bought it did a pressure test on the cylinders (easy to do) and he said it was like new. Not a looker but a very reliable bike. I know have a R1250R, fantastic bike to ride, keeps pace with sports bike on road speed (0-60mph = 2.8s on acceleration times), and has incredible low down torque, which needs a different riding style to a high revving straight four, but also gives it relaxed riding. It returns 65 mpg. The boxer is a unique design, though again my bike is not a looker compared to the Ducati and Augsuta sports, but never mind, cheap to maintain, cheap to insure and run, and very enjoyable, especially in the twisties.
Good one, Bart. Thx!! I had a blue '72 R75/5 'toaster-tank' in those days. When the R90S appeared in '74, it was a show-stopper. The black to silver paint scheme, the sculpted 6.3 gal. touring tank (which became standard on the /7's) was a hit. So smooth & powerful, for that time. In '75, the tangerine model appeared, but the gorgeous '74 was tops in my opinion.
`I had a 76 R90S in the late 70S while working as a metro messenger on an R69 r yellow bike in DC before fax..Beautiful machines. I put 40 thousand miles on the r90s and sold it for more than I paid for it.And still regret it.
Overall, a very good video, and yes, the R90S was absolutely a watershed bike for BMW and the motorcycle world. But, it's not "The" bike that saved BMW as a motorcycle manufacturer - it was one of them, but it was only made possible by the bike that did save BMW - the /5 Series. You indicated that the /5 was a new design relative to the preceding /2 series and list some of those difference but seem to write it off as "still not enough". That's true to a point, but what I think is missed is that the /5 series was a very expensive commitment by BMW to the motorcycle market and it was the significant market success of the /5 which kept BMW in the bike business.
BMW's worldwide bike production was only about 68,000 machines in the 15 years prior to the release of the /5 series. However, in the four years of the /5 BMW sold almost 69,000 bikes! If the /5 had not been the gigantic success it was, there would have been no R90S, or R100RS or any BMW motorcycles at all. Certainly, BMW had to follow the success of the /5 series and make their bikes even more competitive, and the R90S deserves all the credit you give it - at that time. But, for BMW to continue to succeed the R90S had to be replaced by the R100RS which was a much more revolutionary bike with its first-ever wind tunnel designed full faring. And then in the early 1980's the airheads were no longer competitive, so the K100 and K-bike series saved BMW, and the R1100 Oilheads did it again in the 1990's.
Yep ! Dave NZ
I was at the Bathurst ( 2 hours west of Sydney) Tourist Trophy races in 1974 or 1975, and I remember staring in awe at a Daytona Orange R90s. It was parked next to an also new Moto Guzzi Le Mans, mk1, a Laverda 1000, a T160 trident, adjacent were a few Z900’s, zillions of CB750’s , most with 4 into 1 exhausts. All the things I coveted as a young rider. It held its head high in this company, but it had BMW’s reputation for quality and durability so it had a real ‘something else’ about it. It was stunning, oh! how badly did I want one of those. But, as you said, the market was moving so quickly in that era, despite it almost creating the sports tourer category, it was overshadowed quickly by a never ending stream of fast, exotic and affordable superbikes, what a time to live! Why I stuck with my noisy and oily old 71’ 650 Lightning , I will never know. But then, life is full of great and missed opportunities isn’t it.
Great review! I've been riding an R75/5 (short rear wing) for more than 20yrs. Much underrated bike: 50hp with a weight of
190kg vs long rear wing: 205kg. Try to dress your bike down by 15 kg.
What a great documentary- thank you.
Thanks for a great video with interesting historical fottage. I drove a R100RS back in the early 80's and was surpriced how it even fully loaded with luggage and pillion would be faster on B roads than most Japanees bikes
Back in the seventies into the early eighties, I worked with a guy that rode nothing but airhead BMWs. He rode year round. He had a daily commute of around 125 miles. The commute was from deep in southern New Jersey to Philadelphia Pa. Needless to say he was an avid bike enthusiast and rider. He would put between 100k to 200k miles on a bike then trade in for a new one. The last I remember he had a 900S. As far as maintenance, he did only what was needed, which wasn't much. If memory serves me correctly, there weren't many bikes back then that would have served him this well. Maybe a Gold Wing Honda who's reputation for it's reliability and longevity was still in process. Thanks for a great video! To this day, there's something to be said for the BMW Air Heads.
I owned a 1974 R90S from 2003 thru 2005. After close to 30 years of riding Japanese bikes including a string of Yamaha RD's, something drew me to the timeless classiness of the R90S. It was such a cool machine, even 30 years later. Sadly, I had to sell it to make the down payment on a house.
Now, twenty years after the R90S, I've got a 2023 R1250RS. This bike is, for me, the ultimate. Likely, my last (of 16) motorcycle.
Sacred blessed Market Forces at work again! I find this story inspiring (I might have a chance to buy one of these, and wanted a little history... it was more than I expected!) and TRAGIC, because when we see the pictures of machines that are allegedly "obsolete" b/c of something happening in Japan... the old BMWs are so beautiful and make so much sense, sort of an engineer's dream at least at a glance. Once in awhile you see an ancient BMW on the road, or in front of a bar... and get a good look at it... and I think "What more could I want? Twice as much horsepower for half as many miles? I'm not that guy!
I know why the R90 was a step forward in design at the time but if you ask me the R75/5 has aged much better. This could have something to do with how much I like the R18 though. Motorrad seem to do this sort of thing on the regular though, just when everyone thinks they're stodgy and boring they'll drop an R90S or a HP2 Sport or an M1000RR to remind people what they can do when they try.
The R75/5 was my dream bike as a kid in the 1970s while most boys in the States wanted a Harley-Davidson bike . The R18 hit me really hard when I first saw one . Alas, I'm still getting my kids through college so I ride a Victory cruiser. Been very impressed with this Polaris motorcycle. Modern complexity of most modern bikes worry me and my wallet.
What a great film! I'll remember this next time the rocker arm freeplay needs adjusting on my R100 :)
As a kid in the 1970s I used to drool over the R90S. I wanted one so bad. I thought it was the best looking bike ever……until I saw a Moto Guzzi 750 S3 in black/red.
I had a silver smoke’74 R90S back in ’78. Salesman said it had 32,000 miles - turned out it was 132,000. I thought this was impossible until I put 32,000 miles on it in the first year. I had a friend who put 100,000 miles on his R90S in around a year. This is a testament to how great this bike was at eating miles. In this respect no other bike of the time came close. You could ride 600 miles at very high speeds and walk completely normally when you got off! Try that on any other bike.
I used Reg Primore’s recommended tire combination - Michelin M45s in front and Continentals in the back which let the tail hang out just a little in fast corners and led to a secure feeling. The one drawback to the bike’s design was that it was not pleasant to ride under 70 mph. I found 70-90 just tolerable. 90-110 was the sweet spot and 100 mph was magic. Valve train noise was minimal at that speed and if I ducked slightly forward behind the windshield (I had the high windshield option on the quarter fairing) the loudest sound was the tire hiss on the road, followed by the wind in the spokes, followed by the exhaust. I bought the bike because I love speed but didn’t want to draw any more attention than necessary to my activities.
A minor point about the colour of the silver smoke version; the silver does not fade into black - it is extremely dark olive green, discernible only in bright sunlight.
I prefer the switchgear on the ’74 but if I had another, I might be tempted to put the drilled discs of the ’75 on it.
The only other bikes I’ve coveted were a Moto Morini 3.5 Sport, a Moto Guzzi V50 and a Ducati Pantah 600. I’ve also owned and enjoyed a Honda 305 Superhawk 6:40 and a 1988 vintage Matchless G80 with the Rotax engine.
Interesting list of scoots that you covet. I had 2 X Moto Morini 500 Sport (the only sporty thing was the look). 1 X Moto Guzzi Lemans 850 Mk II and 1 X Moto Guzzi Le Mans Mk iii. Currently using a 78 BMW R65. I also had an Italian AMF Harley Davidson 125 two stroke at some stage. I had a 50 CC Suzuki and I once owned an Kawasaki 250 scrambler. Big twins are my thing. Guzzi V50 and Ducati Pantah are wet dream machines
I‘d also be interested in hearing your view on the successor K100 RS, as they were the first bikes with ABS
that faded paint job is spectacular
Back in the day I couldn't afford a R90s. In the 80s. Bought a73 R75 and S fairing, euro bars and i was king. Grenada red, toaster tank, ha
(5:15) The gentleman pictured was actually John Z. Delorean, not Bob Lutz; Delorean is seen in the driver's seat of the eponymous named vehicle, made famous by the Back to the Future movies.
Now your talking the R90S is an awesome bike so lucky to still own one its a 76 model been in the family for years ,
Bart , your narration is so good !. From a good chap; we can tell !!!
Its true: The R90S singlehandedly made Airheads cool in my eyes way-back-when. Up to that point, Beemers were merely curious-but quaint (unless you added two more wheels and called it a 2002). Between the R90S and Moto-Guzzi's LeMans, serious riders had lots to choose from, from many parts of the world.
When I rode an R75/S I was horrified at the performance, fuelling, comfort, weight, vibration & cost compared to my CX500. Compared to my Maggot, the BMW was a dog and would actually run out of fuel on long uphill stretches flat-out (the carbs couldn't cope). The R80 did the same. The R100 was marginally faster, maybe a match for the 500. They had wildly optimistic speedos that weren't even close. It was the K100 that made BMW an option in my mind.
Had a built 600 Norton back in the days of “fast” BMWs of the day. Most of them could barely keep me in sight. Ran out of steam around 90. I kept running past the ton.
My Norton never gave me problems, as long as I kept a couple of spare Zener diodes in my kit to outfox the Lucas electrics. Prince of Darkness.
That's cuz the CX500 was one of the best bikes ever made.... extremely reliable.... very smooth... not many bikes could compare to it, in what it was designed for....
The K75 was great , mine 'wasted' K100's if I ran 100-octane-fuel , that plus the-handling, made it a cracker of a bike , Worlds-apart from the old air-heads .
Hard to beat a well-set-up Norton .. Dave NZ@@mattgoodmangoodmanlawnmowi2454
@@PRH123too bad none of the CX500s could handle…interesting engine design, though.
6:35 my dude just evaporated
I have ridden and owned a R100RS since '84. My only motorcycle, with over 275000 miles and have ridden the Alaska Highway 5 times.
Very nice vid, Bart. Great detail. The hand airbrushed paint scheme and pinstriping makes every 90S unique. Not a good mass production move but highly desirable.
I bought an R75/6 in 1992 for $1500 because I was about $1000 short of a similar vintage R90S. It doesn't have the 2nd front disc (and it needs it) and about 10HP less than the 90S but is otherwise identical. I still have the bike, 265,000 mi on it, mostly in the US but it went to Europe with me in 1994 and finally to Australia in 1996, where it remains with me. Never rebuilt but hardened valve seats pressed in the heads to cope with unleaded without adjusting valve lash every 2000mi. Luftmeister fairing and top box, Krauser detachable panniers. I don't ride it enough!
I had a ‘76 R75/6 for 10 years and 50,000 miles. Miss it still. I feel like my ‘99 R1100S is a modern interpretation of the 75/6. Not the pinnacle of the sport like the R90S, but does all the things well.
Its the bike that got me onto motorbikes for 45 years now 🙈😂😂😂 best thing i ever did
In 1975 the bank refused to lend me the money to buy a new R75/6, I was devastated. The following year I had enough money to buy a used R90S, in that gorgeous smoke colour, what an amazing machine that was. I was the envy of London motorcycle police who at that time were wanting to exchange their old Triumphs and Nortons for BMWs. I got stopped so often because they wanted to look at my bike, very annoying.
Remember a guy rode a R-60 I believe in the late 70s, with 220,000 miles . Cars usually didn't last that long back then.
I'm a fan of Hamilton watches, but if you like the retro racing style, you owe it to yourself to check out Dan Henry watches. I recommend the 1962, 1962, and 1972. Dan Henry is a prolific, some say ridiculous, watch collector, and he of all people knows classic watches!
My 1972 R75/5 was a great bike but my only complaint was it needed that 5th gear once out on the highway , 4 just made it rev too much at 60mph/100kph.
My dad has a R90S... Hans (cool guy) flew over from Germany a few years ago to hang out at a local BMW meet up. My pops got signatures from the BMW race team manager and the rider that rode it to victory, Reg, (I think my dad's bike got 2nd place in "best in show" or whatever) but he didn't have time, or probably forgot, to get Hans' signature. I asked "What's wrong with you?" and said "Go back!" when he got home, for not getting his bike signed by Hans. He hand waved me off and went out to go do whatever he was doing next that day, so I asked my neighbor "Where's the guy's house where the meeting is?" then I hopped on pop's freshly polished R90 and raced about 20 minutes straight to the spot, where I saw Hans about to hop into a truck to head back to the airport, paint pen in hand! The guys at the meet looked at me like I just killed someone as I pulled up on my dad's bike, I was thinking something really bad might have happened going by the looks I was getting. One guy asked me "Does your dad know that you're riding his bike?" I said "No" and laughed, which clearly concerned most of the old guys hanging around, so I said "It's cool though, he said I can ride it whenever I want" (which is actually true) Half of em looked confused with the other half looking at me like I was BSing them. Right then, the guy that owned the house came out of nowhere calling my name and said "Hi how's it been? Unfortunately you're a little late and we're already packing up." Needless to say, I got Hans' signature and crept the bike back into the garage. The signed fearing is still hanging in his basement today and Hans' signature is still under the seat on the frame.
Superb.
Dude I got to keep my friend's R100S for a year; I loved it. Great great bike.
Thanks for the video. I am NOT a BMW fan. I find them boring to ride . The classics, I mean. But the R90S looks awesome. I like the paint and the fairing. And,.... I once had the chance to ride a R100S tuned by the crazy swedish engine builder Åke Johnson. THAT is one of my biggest motorcycle experiences ever.
OK... By the time the R90S was introduced, the /5s had pretty much saved the motorcycle division. The R90S and its successors never sold in sufficient quantities to "save" BMW. It and they were halo bikes, and they each generated buzz in the buff books. Winning Daytona did the same. FYI - The R75/5 didn't cost $2200+ at introduction. I bought one in 1970 and paid list, $1846. Still expensive for the time, but you got a bulletproof, low maintenance machine built like a Rolex watch. Also, you mention Bob Lutz but how photos of John DeLorean and Carroll Shelby...neither related to BMW motorcycles!
Hi there, well that was good I’ve always loved my British motorcycles I’m afraid to say and ashamed to say that was ashamed of the British industry. The bike I absolutely adore is my old series 6 600 Air called BMW I had my old one for 65,000 miles too 195,000 miles and moving house I just had a part with it you broke my heart I put it on eBay and a fellow from Poland came over all the way on the transit to take it back home. He said is what I’ve been looking for, that is a motorcycle with 195,000 miles. Mine was green and just so nice. I had some amazing rides on that. Unfortunately BMW have lost their direction totally now and nowhere near as good as what they used to be i.e. as a mechanic are you speed rebuild and restore My own motorcycle nowadays is all plastic. Fantastic on a computer that’s not motorcycling. Keep going. Enjoy your program . Michael
SUZUKI GSX1100S KATANA is designed by target design & Hans Muth. It is great work, too.
There was a significant glitch that affected the initial R90s: handling problems partly due to the flimsy front fork tubes. Before they learned that higher handlebars had a negative effect on high speed handling, the Americans wanted their traditional 'sit up and beg' bars. Buffeting at high speed was transmitted to the forks, often resulting in a very frightening tank slapper. BMW solved the problem by fitting lower bars that reduced buffering. Stouter fork tubes would have helped, but would have added to the price tag.
The BMW oil head boxer twin engine platform are well known for lasting 200k miles. I knew a guy that put over 225k on his and the only complaint was that it burned a fair amount of oil. Maybe due to the layout of the engine not allowing oil to completely drain from the heads. Which might cut down on wear that vertical engines get on cold starts. Just a theory. Great channel
I've owned several Airheads and oil consumption was not a problem. That engine probably just needed a top end refreshment - had worn valve guides/seals, stuck ring, something.
And yet for all the naysayers BMW still makes a flat twin today and despite their flaws people love them.
Beautiful bike and great video! 👍
As a 15 year old new rider with a '76 KZ400, my riding buddy's sister had a boyfriend with a beautiful orange BMW R90S. It was our dream machine. I ended up getting a '77 KZ1000 at the age of 17, becoming a Kawasaki loyalist, and forgot about BMW for 45 years.
After nine Kawasakis, I'm now considering a 2002 R1150RT, as the price of one I've found for sale is a great value. I still want the last bike I plan to buy to be "a baby whale with a rocket in its tail," as MotoJitsu described the ZX14R, but that will take some more time to accomplish.
16:15 he speaks truth.
I daily rode my cb750 for a year and a half and it's incredible how an antique can run alongside a modern 900cc cruiser or a Harley. I beat the snot out of my bikes, and my CB750 is my favorite. I've gapped every single Harley I can find to play with. On an antique
Wow , I didn't know Bob Lutz looked so much like John Z and Carroll Shelby!
Had a '74 R90... thing lived forever, my father still has it... but... the d@mn thing wouldn't start unless the battery was at peak charge. Then the kick starter would wear a hole in your shoe trying to kick start it. Sometimes the carb bowls had to be dumped to clear the flooding.
Would never buy another one. Was a total PITA.
OTOH my Honda CB400F would start with just enough water in the battery to make a circuit, with the kick starter. Granted chain drive sux... but sorry to say, the Japanese bikes had the electrics figured out much better.
Took at least two years before BMW updated the electrics on the R90 from the R75 specs and these problems were sorted out.
That said the 250 from the 1950's is a bike I'd like to have, LOL!
BMW made a few other interesting designs for the airhead engine: the R100RS with that sharp edged sports fairing and the R80GS that started a brand new bike class. The big enduro's. They won a few Paris-Dakar desert rallies with it.
There was also the R65LS which had a bikini fairing that looked a bit like the Suzuki Katana's
I've only ever done a test ride on an R80RT. Which was nice. But couldn't match the Suzuki GS850G.
Many European police forces used BMW airheads R80RT and R100RT. Great bikes.
John Delorean and Carol
Shelby - how could you not recognize them?
The R90S and the R100RS two of the best BMWs motorcycles every...
Bought one from irv server in so cal. Rode hell out of it, then traded for 1977 r100s. Put 400,000 miles on it, trouble free! Sold it to buy r80gs, then r100gs.
Hey Bart, where can I find that BMW-factory footage from INA/France that you used. Awesome stuff as I have a 100/7 from 1977. I'd just love to see the whole production footage.
Great clips you do, keep up the good work!
Ride safe, Hardy/Germany.