AIR APPARENT
The BMW R90S was groundbreaking in 1973. That was a time when words like ‘heritage’ and ‘lifestyle’ belonged to country houses, and sporting motorcycles were about performance and looks. The R90S caused quite a stir, adding sparkle to BMW’s previously staid image. Indeed, I thought seriously about buying one instead of the modern R nine T which I purchased last year.
By happenstance, my pal Terry has an R90S and he was happy to swap bikes for a day. He has owned his boxer for around 30 years but its family history began in 1973 when a man, who later became Terry’s father-in-law, bought the BMW directly from the factory. Number 80 off the line in fact. He used it in Spain for a while, then as a DR bike in London, but at some point it developed a minor fault and ended up in a damp shed. Much later, Terry retrieved the bike, badly corroded but basically sound.
He rebuilt it with leading link forks, attached a double adult sidecar and used it with a trailer for family camping holidays as well as general transport. These days it is a solo machine with its original tele forks and has a gentle existence on local rides and VMCC club runs. Although essentially standard, it has less fussy Bing carburettors instead of Dell’Orto’s, a wider front tyre and the nose fairing sits on a shelf in Terry’s shed.
We met at The Barn Tearoom in Rockingham for coffee, bacon rolls, speedo and tacho providing the essential information. The original clock and voltmeter were of course in the fairing in Terry’s shed.
