1975 BMW R90S

The BMW R90S had been a smash hit in 1974. It immediately earned the reputation as one of the world’s best, or even the very best, all-around motorcycle. It was smooth, fast, comfortable, and trouble-free, not to mention very pleasing to look at. For 1975, the R90S adopted a few minor refinements. For one thing, the kickstarter was deleted. To address clunky shifting in the five-speed gearbox, a problem that was partly the result of higher final gearing, new shift forks were also implemented and brought about an improvement. Ergonomics were further revised as well with new switchgear, including a new indicator that worked on the vertical plane and a new location for the ignition key.

Otherwise, the bike proceeded as designer Hans Muth and executive Bob Lutz intended. The air-cooled, overhead-valve horizontally opposed 898cc twin had a bore and stroke of 90.0 x 70.6 mm, and compared to the R90/6, the 1975 BMW R90S had a slightly higher 9.5:1 compression ratio, high-performance camshaft, and 38mm Dell’Orto accelerator-pump carburetors. By late 1974, the carbs had chokes for cold starting. The output of 67hp let the R90S run from 0 to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds and surpass 120 mph. It now had a five-speed gearbox with the shift mechanism revised from R75 models, and of course there was shaft drive. Dual front disc brakes with frame-mounted, cable-actuated master cylinder helped to stop the bike with authority. Daytona Orange was now readily available along with the Smoke Gray paint job.