BMW R90S

1 / 5
BMW R90S
BMW R90S
2 / 5
BMW R90S
BMW R90S
3 / 5
BMW R90S
BMW R90S
4 / 5
BMW’s air-cooled twin has a legendary — and deserved — reputation for reliability and economy.
BMW’s air-cooled twin has a legendary — and deserved — reputation for reliability and economy.
5 / 5
Almost tame by today’s standards, the R90S was radical stuff when BMW introduced it in 1973 for the 1974 model year.
Almost tame by today’s standards, the R90S was radical stuff when BMW introduced it in 1973 for the 1974 model year.

BMW R90S

Years produced: 1974-1976
Total production: 17,378
Claimed power: 67bhp @ 7,000rpm
Top speed: 125mph
Engine type: 900cc, two-valve, horizontally opposed twin
Weight: 215kg (474lb) wet
Price then: $3,430 (1974)
Price now: $3,500-$7,500

The speedometer shows a steady 80mph on the BMW R90S as the road ahead unwinds from a gentle curve. I’m sitting comfortably, leaning slightly forward to slightly raised handlebars, my chest and head protected from the wind by a neat half-fairing that also contains a clock and voltmeter.

The big orange fuel tank on this classic BMW motorcycle is full, giving the prospect of 200 miles of nonstop, high-speed riding. Below the tank I can see the engine’s cylinders sticking out either side, their gentle rustling almost drowned by a throaty twin-cylinder exhaust note. By modern standards the mechanical and exhaust sounds are loud, but they do nothing to mar the aristocratic air of the BMW R90S.

Nor does the bike’s stability as I bank through a series of gentle curves, suspension soaking up the bumps efficiently, the tall-geared engine feeling unburstable. Never mind its generous fuel range; this bike gives the impression that it would cruise at speed and in comfort forever.

  • Published on Aug 21, 2009
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