1975 BMW R-Series

4980125

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BMW R90S 4980125………. Latest Restoration by the R90SdocThank you for looking at my triple matching (frame, motor, head stock plate), fully restored 1975 BMW R90S. This is among the nicest restored BMW R90S motorcycles anywhere in the world. My pictures do not do this R90S justice. It must be seen in person to see how detailed it truly is. Every item on this machine was restored to like-new condition.My passion is finding these old BMW R90S motorcycles unloved, unridden and in terrible condition, and then restoring them back to their iconic glory. After that, I sell them for others to enjoy. I can also restore your R90S for you. If you have a R90S that you no longer want, contact me about buying it.I focus exclusively on restoring 1974 thru 1976 R90S classic motorcycles, and I have completed many, so you are assured the highest level of restoration accuracy. My restorations are very thorough as you will see from my photos and read in my lengthy ad, which aims to provide as much information as possible. You can follow my restorations, including this one, on Instagram under R90Sdoc.HistoryThis R90S was assembled in Germany in September 1974, placing it at the very beginning of the 1975 production year. As such, it retains many of the unique traits of the 1974 R90S, including aluminum fork tube caps, chrome acorn nut for right side lower shock mount, 74 sub-frame, rear brake rod with spring, front fender and chrome front fender brace. In total, there were 1,738 U.S. spec R90S motorcycles produced in 1975.This R90S was rescued from a back yard in the Southern CA desert (San Bernardino) where it had been laying since 1982, its last year of registration. It has always been a Calif R90S. It has never been wrecked. The frame is perfectly straight.Acquired on March 18, 2017 and the restoration was completed July 4, 2017, fitting for the R90S’s new independence from a life of neglect and decay.The odometer showed 21K+ miles on it when I acquired it, but I never believe odometer readings for obvious reasons. Anyone skilled at looking at these machines can judge the approximate mileage based on the motor internals and running gear wear. When I went through these components, I was convinced this is truly a low mileage R90S.The motor internals were the cleanest I have come across. The oil clearance between the crankshaft main bearings and main journals was center of the BMW specification. Connecting rod bearings were the same. Each cylinder’s measurements (std bore) showed no appreciable wear, no taper, no rust and no ridge at the tops of the cylinders. There was zero play in the drive shaft universal joint. Rocker assemblies showed no wear. Push rods were perfectly straight. Lifter faces had no wear. And last, the final drive splines corroborated the low mileage with better that 90% splines left, making this bike a very rare find. PricingYou can buy an un-restored, driver condition R90S for about half my price, but to upgrade driver-condition to show-quality is quite costly and labor intensive. A proper restoration of a BMW R90S back to factory showroom condition can easily cost $10,000 to $12,000 above the cost of the R90S and this excludes the hundreds of hours in labor costs...and that's if you do the work yourself and have the tools, knowledge, systems and industry contacts in place to do restorations. If not, expect to spend more. Between just paint work, wheel work and tires, BMW parts, powder coating, metal work (plating, aluminum, chrome) and machine shop work (cylinder hone, valve job) alone, I have over $12,000 invested in hard costs, excluding the cost of the bike, excluding a bunch of other smaller costs that I did not tally and excluding my restoration time. All in, I have approximately $14,500 into this R90S (incl bike) and well over 300 hours. You are getting my R90S at my cost and paying me for my restoration time at $25 per hour.My investment in time and money has resurrected this iconic road warrior for a savvy collector who wants the best from an appreciating BMW motorcycle asset.Work CompletedBelow is a listing of the major work performed to complete this restoration. There are hundreds of additional items that I don't mention, but they all are additive to this stunning restoration. Nearly all new items purchased for this bike were ordered from MAX BMW, a terrific group to work with. NO non-BMW factory parts were used in this restoration, unless otherwise noted in the bullet points below. Body· Daytona Orange Glasurit paint purchased from Holt BMW. Sprayed and striped by Rob Miller Customs of San Diego. · Original gas tank has perfect rust-free interior with near-perfect factory red liner. Small paint scratch from seat that I touched up on rear tank seam. Does not show when seat is down. See last photo· Original Karcoma straight fuel taps were disassembled and rebuilt using new BMW gaskets, strainers and ON, OFF, RES caps· Original chrome gas cap disassembled, re-chromed and reassembled with a new BMW gasket and correct BMW rivet (aka notched nail), not with a screw like some use. I do not drill out my rivets and then re-tap the hole with a screw replacement.· Choke lever assembly disassembled, cleaned, painted and re-greased; new BMW choke cables installed· New BMW tapered roller bearings and bearing seals throughout: Front/rear wheels; upper and lower steering head and swing arm· New correct R90S seat from Siebenrock in Germany; metal pan and the 10 aluminum pieces that are riveted onto the metal pan to hold the seat vinyl, which is exactly how original factory seats were assembled. Other German seats are not correct· Headlight assembly disassembled and cleaned; bulbs checked· New complete Keihan stainless-steel exhaust system. Keihan is an excellent upgrade from the factory exhaust. It fits perfect, looks identical compared to the factory Zeuna steel/chrome system and will never rust out.· All aluminum castings professionally cleaned and tumbled to produce that “just cast” appearance: engine case, both timing covers, valve covers, front fork sliders, air filter covers, oil pan, starter motor cover, front rotors, and front and rear hubs. · All original metal hardware re-plated: nuts, bolts, washers, fasteners, brackets, brake rod, coil mounts, kickstand, pushrod tubes, seat hinges, etc, etc, etc.· Re-chromed rear turn signal stalk, faring mounts on fork tubes, Neiman fork lock cover, lower left shock mount bolt, rear axle, correct exhaust clamps· Original valve covers are very nice, but still have several small nicks and dings, but no road rash. Replacement was not warranted as they are very nice.· Aluminum wheel rims front and rear were polished and re-laced with polished stainless-steel spokes to better represent the factory chrome spokes. This is a lot more expensive but produces a beautiful result. Wheel work by Buchanans· New period correct front and rear Continental tires/tubes/ tube bands. Continental (OEM supplier) still uses the same tread pattern from the day. · New BMW front foot peg rubbers· New BMW negative battery cable· New BMW left / right combination switches on handle bars· New BMW S handle bars· New BMW faring windscreen. Attached with new BMW black nylon screws for easy removal and cleaning. New windscreen edge protection· Original BMW BOGE shocks disassembled, cleaned, springs painted gloss black, and spring covers polished. · Powder coated gloss black: Frame, sub-frame, trailing arm, headlight ears, headlight bucket, battery box, battery hold-down, center stand and license plate bracket· New BMW badges (3) and (1) R90S emblem on seat cowl· Reproduction stickers applied (NLA from BMW): Brake fluid warning; tire pressure and "Inspection" stickers under seat on rear fender· New BMW rubber hand grips and new BMW throttle cam· Clutch and brake perches re-finished in semi-gloss black lacquer paint· New BMW rubber bits throughout. In fact, if its rubber, it likely got replaced· New correct BUMM thin stalk, curved stalk R90S mirrors· New BMW chrome seat cowl grab rail· New BMW tool box, BMW full tool roll, tire pump (works), owner’s manual and original BMW shop rag· Two keys. Same key operates all locks; ignition and fork and seat lock Mechanical · Original standard bore cylinders honed & painted with black high temp engine paint· New BMW standard size piston rings; new BMW head gaskets· New BMW rod bearings, although these were not necessary· New BMW valve springs and valve guides followed by 3 angle valve job· New BMW engine seals/gaskets throughout, including front/rear main seals· New BMW timing chain· New BMW push rod tube seals· New BMW transmission input and output shaft seals. Transmission is smooth and shifts up and down as it should. Input shaft splines lubed with moly 60 and are in excellent condition. The transmission has no leaks.· New BMW BERU spark plug wires with correct 1k ohm plug caps· New BMW oil pressure switch· Final drive resealed using BMW seals / gaskets & final drive splines lubed· DellOrto carburetors rebuilt using DellOrto parts incl. new accelerator pumps· New BMW reed valve for crankcase ventilation· Oil pan is aftermarket deep sump (more oil is better). Pan came with bike· Front forks rebuilt with new BMW bushings and seals· New clutch disc· New front brake caliper rebuild kits· New BMW left and right front brake pipe (connects brake lines with calipers)· New BMW ATE brake bleeder valves and caps· New BMW master cylinder rebuild kit· New German Spiegler front brake lines· Steering damper assembly disassembled, cleaned and re-greased. Works great with nice solid "clicks" forward and backwards· All gauges cosmetically restored / mechanically repaired as needed· MotoMeter white face clock converted to more reliable quartz movement· Volt meter disassembled and internally calibrated to bench volt/ohm tester· New BMW cables throughout: Speedometer; tachometer; 2 throttle; 2 choke; front brake & clutch cables· New BMW braided cloth fuel lines; correctly routed to carbs· New BMW ignition points and condenser· New aftermarket Gel battery· All electrical functions are working properly; charging system is strong· Ignition timing reset, heads re-torqued and valves re-adjusted after the first 20 mile drive heat-cycle. · 30W engine break in oil was changed after 41 miles. Replenished with new 30W oil. This should be used until 500 miles, then dumped and replenished with 20-50W oil. RPM’s not to exceed 4,000 first 500 miles. Performance AssessmentThis R90S runs terrific. I have now put a little over 40 miles on this machine to sort it out. Starts instantly on choke, idles without grumpiness just a block away, runs very smooth, pulls strong, has excellent front and rear brakes and shifts up and down through all five gears smoothly. All the electrics work and the stock charging system is strong. I have hundreds of photos documenting the acquisition and the restoration of this R90S. If you want to see any particular view of the bike before or during the restoration, please ask.The SaviorI have no doubt that the BMW R90S motorcycle will continue to increase in value due to its iconic status as the “Savior of BMW’s motorcycle division”, its success on the raceway via Butler & Smith and Reg Pridmore, and extremely limited production quantities with U.S. spec R90S's.“This is the fascinating story of the motorcycle that changed BMW’s image in the motorcycle world. The R90s was the most significant model BMW produced after the war, winning fans both at the superbike races and in the showroom.” – Author Ian Falloon. Ian Falloon’s book entitled “The BMW R90S” is a must-own publication for those interested in vintage BMW motorcycles.“To me, the R90S is arguably one of the most significant motorcycles ever made. It may be egotistical to say this, but I believe I am the founding father of the idea behind the R90S. The S made BMW motorcycles respectable again! Not only outside the company, with the magazines, and with buyers, but within the company too. It proved to BMW it could compete and make money in the bike business, and the money the R90S made helped pave the way for future motorcycles, many of which are iconic themselves.” Bob Lutz, Former BMW Marketing Executive.Selling DetailsThis R90S is ready for a new owner and a new life.I highly encourage you or your designate to inspect this beautiful R90S in person. Absent that, I have done my best to accurately represent this motorcycle to you. There should be no surprises...just joy! That said, I am obviously not able to offer any warranty on this restored R90S.I require a $250 non-refundable deposit to be paid via PayPal within 48 hours. The buyer is responsible for securing and paying for shipping/transportation arrangements for the motorcycle. I will work with the buyers transportation company to ensure a smooth and safe loading of the motorcycle.Feel free to call me with any questions you might have. If you are a marketing firm, please respect that I do not need or desire any help selling my R90S. Thank you in advance for not calling!Next up for restoration: A 1974 R90S sold new at Reg Pridmore's shop in Goleta, CA (Santa Barbara) in August 1974 (RPM BMW Specialists). 2 owner bike, including me, and original blue and gold CA license plate. Follow restoration on Instagram R90Sdoc.Mark Francois (R90Sdoc)858 775 0359