BMW R90S engines are hand-wound. However? It is funny how things get on the Internet by 'cutting and pasting' their truth. Even in the usually extremely correct BMW world. So had the first series BMW R90S pasted striping. And over the entire Internet, the number of 276 'stickered' R90Ses is mentioned. We recently had the honor and pleasure of speaking with someone who was allowed to extract his information from the source data.
264 Instead of 276
He said that there were no 276 BMW R90Ss with pasted striping, but that there were 264. And that the sticky stripes were actually not born because there were no longer any good rushes as the legend has it. According to our information, there were. It was a case like later, with the introduction of the K-line to replace the boxers, a case of a BMW decision that was reversed. But 'sticking' was simply cheaper than 'rushing'. The BMW clientele didn't like those adhesive stripes. And so BMW was forced to have the lines pulled out of hand again. With that the bottom is also covered by the endless discussion about the correct width of the striping: “It was done by hand and the sable hair brushes were done. So it is pointless to argue about tens of millimeters of line thickness. ” The photo shows the factory-original piping after 420.000 kilometers through all countries in Europe. And yes: red BMW R90Ss have been made.
In terms of originality, the bar is set high for classic BMWs
In Italy, for a perfect, but then to all decimal places, perfect BMW R90S paid about € 20.000. It is a pity that those copies go straight into a safe, but still.
A long time before that, BMW made the R68. That was the first really fast BMW after the war. The thing was actually a really high-quality, but bad machine. As with the Japanese motorcycles of about a quarter of a century later, the bicycle part could not compete with the violence of the block. And again the zepers from back then are the topper of today. And what amounts are asked for an original horn, an original air filter, an original rear light? A petrol tap? There are a few people who walk in on the fact that they know where BMW bought that stuff. Those suppliers also supplied to other brands. Just like the smart ones who once thought that Rolls-Royce and Austin ordered the same parts from Lucas. And then there are of course the Holander Books for Interchangable parts. But they give little information about the BMW R68. Looking beyond the brand broadens the search field considerably.
The parts supply
The parts supply for classic BMWs (also for the cars) is good. 'The factory' has decided to cherish its past. That working with apparently recovered very old press molds ensures that the fitting of mudguards, for example, requires some attention? Well: stuff comes from China that doesn't fit anything at all. But besides the fact that the stuff is there, there are still plenty of old school specialists for classic BMW motorcycles. People who really know and can do things. Funny thing is that even from that angle can still be learned. For example, the clutch plate of the R68 ordered by number turned out to be too thick in the photos (Price suggestion € 40.000-50.000). Nobody knew that. Fortunately, the problem could be solved. With an original BMW part, of course.
Is it possible for less than half a ton?
Yes it is. But the 'cheap' BMWs are also swirling in the rising price flow. Not so long ago, BMW R50s and R60 / 5types were worth very little. Even before that 'running' R50 and R60 models with Earles forks were viewed with mild interest at the most. And an R45? Until a few years ago you had a neat copy with maintenance history for € 1.500. The R65s weren't worth much either while R80s were just 'old bikes'. Meanwhile, the BMW K75 and K100 models are rocketing at their lowest point. For € 1.500-1.750 you can expect a very neat K75. K100s are currently often sacrificed to continue their trendy life with such a spring roll as a seat. Scrambler, brat style bike… You name the fashion terms. You should be able to find a good K100 in the region of € 2.000. And let's face it, those three and four cylinders are very classics. And they drive fine. Oh yes: BMW's other revolution, the K1? You really won't find that for € 3.500.
The Hobbyist is happy to supply BMW parts for older models as well.