My friend and colleague Sam Smith recently bought a very special vintage BMW “airhead” bike and he is in the process of riding it from Arizona to Seattle. This afternoon, he sent me some photos from the road, which I’m sharing with you along with the rather interesting story of the BMW R90S.
The R90S was BMW’s take on a Seventies sportbike, offering 67hp and 125mph from an aircooled 900cc flat-twin.
With a 13.5-second quarter-mile time, the big BMW was able to stay within sight of the mighty Honda CB750, if not the CBX or CB900 that followed.
Sam’s bike is Daytona Orange. I suspect he paid the same kind of money that would buy me a new ZX-14R. But I didn’t ask. What’s important is that he’s enjoying a 1,500-plus mile ride on a bike that is personally important to him and that he expects to own for a long time.
You can find out more at the R90S Site. Those of you who are bookworms will remember that Robert Pirsig’s companions on the road had a BMW; it was the substantially less powerful R60/2. I was poking fun at Sam Smith that he owned basically the same bike as Oliver Sacks, but I think that a recent comment on Sacks applies to Sam as well:
The qualities that made Oliver Sacks a natural motorcyclist, an essential paradox of a person—he who heads out in order to head inward, who by binding himself tightly to the earth through every sense seeks the frisson of escaping it—are those that made him a great neurologist, thinker, friend, and writer. He is ambitious yet prone to the vagaries of luck.
Now, you see, that’s some deep philosophical shit right there. But that’s how Sam is. I’m wired more simply, me and myself. I ride a motorcycle because it gets places faster than a car and it is easier to park and because I personally demand that all of my experiences be delivered to me in as unfiltered a form as possible, blood and sweat and scent and pain and ecstasy and crippling depression and technicolor highs, the hot wire to the amygdala, the risk of death triumphant over the certainty of boredom otherwise.
I hope that Sam finds what he’s looking for on that long ride, and I hope the same for you, dear readers, and I hope to see some of you out there on that road.
Gorgeous. We had several of those come through the shop during my tenure, for service and as trade ins, at least one was Daytona Orange. Equal parts simple and capable, they were a joy to ride.
I read Pirsig during that time as well. Back then I was envious of his introspective journey. Now I just think he was kind of a terrible dad.
He was a TERRIBLE father. I would no more let my kid ride on the freeway behind me on a 305 Super Dream than I would let him run around on the lawn while I threw Jarts in his direction. It upsets me to read that book now. But remember — he’s mentally ill, that’s the point.
Well, if you remember, early in the book he described a previous journey with his kid on a 6.5HP bike, which he admitted was “no touring bike.”
I’m currently reading it for the first time. I’m not that far into it, and, while I like some of his insights, the (un)healthy dose of mental illness is hard to ignore.
THAT’S RIGHT! I’d forgotten. He basically says, “well, we almost died a few times, but NOW we have a proper bike,” that bike being a Honda 305.
Maybe, just MAYBE, I’d take my son along on a Wing or FJR. But never on something that can barely climb a hill on Western freeways (which, admittedly, ran slower back then).
Never could finish that book. Got as far as the chapter with the first cold morning ride and decided that the author didn’t know what he was doing/talking about…
“risk of death triumphant over the certainty of boredom”
Brilliant!
Although I must say that I walked away from redlining a Ninja 250 at every shift for a decade in my 20’s without ever laying it down - DC traffic and all. Luck, skill, and horsepower appropriately scaled to the street all served me well.
Now, with kids - hooning in a Miata around town and track seems more responsible but no less fun. Risk management.
Local dealer, Blue Moon Cycles, had one sitting in his showroom/museum for a good while around 10 years ago. Same color, 179 original miles. At the time he was asking $17,900 for it.
I once saw one that was blue instead of orange or silver. Made my pants get tight.
I kind of want a sportier second bike after I unload the v-star 250, but don’t really want to associate myself with the stereotypical 19-year-old douchenozzle who rides a Japanese sport bike. Has there been any grumbling a about pricing on the G310R? Hopefully they’ll have something at the motorcycle show in Cleveland this weekend.
Honda CB500F. They can be had for $4500 brand new, they have no fairing to speak of, and they’ll stomp an Indian Beemer.
I’ll check that one out, thanks. will probably try to find a decent used one from a private seller. I hate “Powersports” dealerships, they cram so many bikes into the showroom you can’t even stand one upright to sit on it, they have a high-pressure “buy something or get the f— out of here” atmosphere, and how knowledgeable can you expect the salesperson to be if he/she is selling everything from cruisers to sportbikes to ATVs to snowblowers? I’m not kidding about that last one, I was at Macomb Powersports this afternoon and they had a frickin’ Honda snowblower for sale in the showroom.
If you’re leaning towards a BMW, I would suggest a couple of older ones; R65LS, or K75S. Either can be had fairly cheaply, still have excellent parts availability, are reasonably sporty and are as dependable as gravity. Plus you won’t be mistaken for a squid.
Get an RC51. Cheap, beautiful, quick, sound great, and mostly adult owned.
absolutely not. I still consider myself a “new” rider, I’m old enough where I learn slowly and it takes me quite a while to get comfortable with stuff. I am not getting anywhere near a 180 mph bike.
A Good attitude there .
I’m an old rider and not overly proficient but I always have fun riding my plodder Motos up the hill and passing the kids & squids in their technicolor day glow matching color riding suits that cost more than any Moto I’ve ever owned .
It’s not always about having the smallest dick , er I meant ; the biggest Moto , often it’s about riding consistently .
I get passed all the time by guys (Steve , I know you’re reading this) [Gals too FTW !] who have nice mid sized Motos and simply work hard at being good riders plus of course , they have nothing to prove , they like me just love the road on two wheels .
-Nate
yep. I ride to ride, not to impress people.
Last year during lunch in Kooskia, ID (the point at which one jumps onto the incredible Lochsa Trail), I met a guy who’d ridden from CA on one of these.
He must have been pushing 80 years old or was just an amazingly weathered 70 year-old. It was nearly 100F in Kooskia, and I said something about his bike and the heat. He responded, “oh the heat isn’t so bad, it was the several days of hail and torrential rain on the way up here that was a little uncomfortable.”
My 12 year-old Kawasaki looked like a spaceship next to his R90, but damn if I didn’t have a brief feeling of wishing I’d arrived on the antique instead (in truth about thirty minutes later, an accidental third gear power wheelie out of a corner put those thoughts to rest again).
This whole episode, which you can also follow at Sam’s IG, makes me long for my 99 R1100RS. I rode that bike all over Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona as well as Oklahoma until some clown decided to steal it last March.
As one who began riding air cooled Beemers a few years before this R69S was minted I can attest to how they sort of grab you .
I had no idea old Beemers were worth anything ~ just over a year ago I sold all mine off (I had a yard full of /5’s and one R75/7) to a local restorer for $500 each , he had to take them all and the truck loads of spares too .
Anyway , even when new the R90’s in any form were stellar Motos , I’ve never wanted one of this particular Model although I was offered one just like it in a tiny shed in the middle of nowhere , Az. for $1,000 about 18 years ago , guess I should have bought it to re sell , it was a one owner always shedded and looked just like this one .
Pretty much any old air cooled Beemer will be a sturdy and reliable Moto and parts either Dealer or reproduction are easily available .
Older ones and non /S models are not made to ride sportingly however , one can wind them up and make very good time indeed , I often surprised squids on the ACH on my 1960’s vintage R69S’ and 1970’s vintage R75/5’s too .
The best thing about riding an air cooled Beemer is : you arrive refreshed,not tired and sore =8-)
Great article jack , Mr. Pirsig’s travails were tough , I felt badly for his Son but that’s life in a nutshell : it’s not fair and unless you learn to roll with it’s punches it’ll chew you up and spit your out .
The 305 Honda was a _Super_Hawk_ , not a Dream , BIG difference and one up they’re still fine to ride in to- day’s busy traffic or across America , just not at warp speeds .
-Nate