Ken Morris’ 1976 BMW R90S

A pharmacist’s obsession

Owner Ken Morris restores motorcycles as a way to relax from his demanding job as a pharmacist. He concentrated on restoring /2 and /5 BMWs from the 1960s and 1970s until he saw an R90S and decided he had to have one.

“My grandparents and parents were riders,” explains Morris. “From the time we were very young, they would take me and my brother on rides on the back. Besides several minibikes, my first bike was a Honda 90cc scrambler at the age of 8. As a young teen, I was involved in motocross and desert racing, often night racing three to four times a week. When I got a little older, my brother and I befriended Malcolm Smith and were introduced to Baja California. Malcolm and his son, Alexander, got us hooked for life on the amazing experiences, people, and riding in this beautiful land.

“The problem is, as you get older, it’s not as much fun to fall down, especially at speed, so I started getting into the restoration of vintage and antique motorcycles. I’m a pharmacist, which means that I pay acute attention to detail. I can be obsessive. I have been restoring one or two motorcycles a year now for the last 15 years.”

Morris began his focus on BMWs when he bought a 1969 R60/2, the last year for the traditional black and white tourers from Munich. “I wanted to get it running, but ended up very impressed by the precision engineering and quality, and thus began my first BMW concours-level restoration. My father built VW-based dune buggies when I was growing up, and they have the same dry clutch and horizontal engine as the BMW. My brother and I used to see who could remove and disassemble my dad’s VW engines the quickest when he would bring them home blown after a long weekend off-roading. I guess this love of the boxer style engine has carried over for me today.”

In 2019, Morris met Mark Francois, a fellow BMW restorer who was showing his bike at The Quail – and competing against Morris for the same awards. Despite mutual jockeying for prizes, the two became good friends. “We have the same obsession, although I restore /2s and /5s and he restores R90s. We often share our tricks and learnings. Mark and I accumulated a stash of the original BMW Chrome Clover spokes, which have been very difficult to find lately. We share the stash. Francois knew I loved the R90s and found and offered one up to me. It was in rough shape – the bodywork was either missing or broken.” Ken Morris and Mark Francois collaborated on the rebuild, which was envisioned as a show-quality restoration.

Journey to sportiness

The R90S was a major step in the evolution of BMWs. Before World War II, the company had a well-regarded race team and was known for its state-of-the-art machines. After the war, BMW, like most other European motorcycle manufacturers, concentrated on economical transportation, but BMW, being BMW, turned out reliable two-wheelers that had more advanced features than the competition. The small coterie of post-war North American long-distance riders had become acquainted with BMWs while in the Army overseas and wanted to buy them. To meet demand, Max Hoffman started a business importing BMWs in the 1940s. His import arrangement was taken over by Butler and Smith in 1954. The company’s racing history was forgotten or unknown, and Americans viewed BMWs as touring bikes.

The 1950s saw improved roads and the building of the interstate highway system in the U.S. Touring on two wheels became more popular, and a BMW is what you bought if you wanted to head out from Seattle and end up in New York’s Finger Lakes with a minimum of fuss, repairs or vibration.

Back in Germany, BMW management felt the motorcycle division of BMW needed to be more profitable. The company pushed the engineers to change the design to something more contemporary. In 1968, the company built “U.S.” models with telescopic forks instead of the iconic Earles forks and removed the sidecar lugs. The next year saw the announcement of the /5 series, which upset the traditionalists, but motivated a lot more people to buy a Beemer. The /5 series came in different colors, had shell-type journal bearings, an electric start and a lower center of gravity.

Kent Holt: Master BMW Painter

It’s not always that old race bikes get the respect they deserve. Especially when racing formulas are changed by sanctioning bodies, or a model simply becomes uncompetitive – as the BMW R90S did against the onslaught of bikes like the Kawasaki KZ1000. Switching brands, Pridmore took a second AMA Superbike championship in 1977. There are likely some tales as to how Reg Pridmore’s factory BMW languished, but eventually, the BMW Archive acquired it and carefully restored it to its 1976 Daytona Orange racing glory.

But if you’ve been around BMW’s paintwork over the past 50 years, you know that what looks straightforward, is not. Enter Kent Holt, long-time painter for BMW, and for many BMW owners and restorers for decades. As a youth, Kent and a buddy built scale model cars, which led to greater things. They became inspired to try new things, like reduced pearlescent fingernail polish as a trick finish for model cars.

Things got serious for him when his family began shopping for a used car in the early 1960s. They spotted a custom-painted candy apple red 1957 Chevy on a used car lot. After much discussion, the Holt family had a sharp second car. Around that time, Kent worked in a couple of sign shops, knew graphics and learned screen printing and finishes on the job. He learned spray painting from his dad. With Kent’s repaint, the Chevy became what Kent described as candy bluish-red. Driving the newly refinished ’57 Chevy, Kent and a buddy attended a custom car show in Indianapolis in the 1960s and even met Ed Roth. More inspiration.

Over time, Kent painted many cars and won trophies with an Austin-Healey Sprite. From his hometown of Cincinnati, Kent moved into a house in Athens, Ohio, and his next repaint was his Fiat 124 coupe, which is when things turned a corner. A guy rode by and saw Kent performing the pea green to orange repaint at his house. A BMW rider, he asked if Kent would repaint his bike in BMW’s tricky Dover White. Kent hand-mixed the special color at the local Sherwin-Williams auto refinishing supply as there’s no real formula for the color. One thing led to another, and Kent, trading a rifle for a 1968 BMW, wound up a motorcyclist for the first time, and on his way to the National BMW Rally in Tennessee. Over time, his connections made at Rallies got him work and he gained expertise in color matching. “What looks like black, for example, TT Black, BMW called it, on the ‘smoke’ black/silver early R90S, TT Black isn’t so simple to mix. Spraying a typical thinned black over the silver, you get an undesirable brownish color, so it took some experimentation to get that black.” Holt says even brand new factory-sourced parts were inconsistent at the time.

Growing into a bit of a paint-mixing scientist, Holt also mentions that for a variety of reasons, paint manufacturers change their paint systems and their paint chemistry, forcing painters like him to evolve their formulations of paints as used on old BMWs. Holt uses one of the very best automotive paint systems and keeps up-to-date with the chemistry and application equipment. “I’m sure I have spent 5,000 to 10,000 hours mixing and matching paint in my shop,” says Holt.

The Pridmore race bike’s Daytona Orange paint and special lettering from the time was hand painted, so correctly, no computer-cut vinyl is in evidence on this concours restoration. “When I did that restoration paint job about ten years ago for team manager Udo Gietl, I was in a pinch for getting the right lettering paint brushes, ran out of time, and wound up at JOANN Fabrics as a source for lettering quills. But I made BMW’s deadline. Since then, for pin-striping, I’ve graduated from slow-drying One Shot enamel sign maker’s paint to lacquer. Though lacquer is tricky to work with as it dries quickly, that’s ultimately its benefit.”

Likewise, the Daytona Orange/silver paint on our featured bike, paint formulator Holt had a hand in making happen. Holt is known across the country for his fine work in mixing colors and getting them applied to look at least as good as they did originally and remain much more durable. Model cars, a ’57 Chevy, meeting California custom car cognoscente and making a green Fiat orange brought Kent Holt to where he is today.  — Mark Mederski, Editor-in-Chief

Shifting gears with the /5 series

While significantly upgraded, the new /5 machines were still lacking in the fun factor, and Americans (the largest market for large displacement machinery at the time) still saw BMWs as boring touring motorcycles. At this point, BMW hired an American named Bob Lutz, who owned a Honda CB750. Lutz, the newly minted VP of sales, convinced the rest of management that BMW needed a sporty machine that could compete with the big-bore Hondas, Kawasakis and Ducatis of the time. He also convinced them that they should bring in an outside stylist. They hired Hans Muth. At the time, Hans Muth was designing interiors for BMW automobiles but had interesting and exciting ideas for motorcycles. The first bike he designed was the R90S. Hans Muth hit it out of the ballpark.

At the late 1973 introduction of the R90S, journalists zeroed in on the double disc front brakes and bright headlights. 898ccs, Dell’Orto carburetors, the 9.5:1 compression ratio and a five-speed gearbox added up to a claimed 75 horsepower at 7200rpm and a top speed of 123mph. The tank, tailpiece and sporting fairing were all painted pearl gray, gradually fading to almost black. Cycle World wrote a list of the excellent features of this BMW and added, “And on top of everything, styling is superb, right on the verge of being a traffic stopper.”

Complaints included the less than smooth gearbox, soft suspension and the pinstriping, which was tape rather than paint. According to BMW chronicler L.J.K. Setright, many of the early 5-speed gearboxes were faulty, and Cycle World‘s test bike may have had one of the bad transmissions. He also says that all gearbox issues were fixed under warranty. Contemporary magazines were astounded by the $3430 asking price ($22,773.57 in 2024 dollars) which was actually not unheard of, since a new Harley-Davidson FLH then cost $2995, not including accessories. They were also astounded by the fact that the importer expected to sell out of 1974 R90S machines.

Despite the pinstriping issue and complaints about the price, Cycle World summed up by saying: “Here is a motorcycle that offers plenty of power, which delivers not only superbike speed and acceleration, but operational economy as well. Simplicity? Yes, that too, and reliability besides.”

In 1976, the R90S came in two colors: candy orange fading into silver if you wanted to announce your presence to the world, or the original black fading into silver if quiet elegance was your thing. Tape pinstripes gave way to better painted pinstripes. After numerous complaints about the disc brakes not working in the wet, there were new drilled rotors. A new seat sparked happy prose from testers. The gearbox had lost its clunk, new carburetors added to the smoothness of the ride, the starter motor was stronger and a kickstarter was only available as an option. Changes to the clutch turned the previous forearm builder into a two-finger pull. The 1976 version had a stiffer front end.

For model year 1977, BMW replaced the R90S with two new models, also designed by Hans Muth: the 980cc R100S and a new top-of-the-line machine, the R100RS, the first fully faired production motorcycle.

That year, Road Rider magazine published a survey of R90S and R90/6 owners, explaining that although the model was no longer being manufactured, it was expected to hold its value on the secondhand market. Owners felt that the bike was relatively free of bad features, although quite a few objected to the pinstriping. Others complained about low rpm engine vibration, and still other owners did not like the wobbly kickstand. One wrote that, “The only time a R90S is unstable is when it is parked!” Finally, complaints were lodged against the Varta battery, which not only required repeated maintenance, but also had non-standard terminals, making replacement with an aftermarket battery difficult.

Owners rated the R90S as highly reliable. They liked the R90S seat, which was comfortable with one or two aboard through long days in the saddle. They liked the fact that the bike did not wear them out and they appreciated the shaft drive. The performance of the R90S got high marks, as did the handling. Ease of maintenance was often cited as a best feature. One respondent to the survey stated that the R90S had a “low bother-to-mile ratio.”

Despite the well-deserved reputation of the Beemer for reliability, several issues tended to recur. The most common was weeping rear main bearing seals. Other problems included weeping camshaft/points seals and issues with the hated Varta battery. Some people experienced split wheel rims and broken spokes. Apparently, some R90S touring riders in the 1970s insisted on packing too much gear and passenger weight on their bikes. They sometimes grew irate when dealers tried to point out that the bike’s maximum load had been exceeded and they would not replace the wheel under warranty.

As Road Rider predicted, the R90S stayed on the road. People who continue to want to ride their air-cooled BMWs are numerous enough to have their own club, the Airheads (Airheads.org), their own magazine and their own rallies. Many parts are available, and there are several shops in the U.S. that specialize in the care and feeding of the air-cooled BMWs built from 1969 through the mid-1990s, including the R90S.

Building the ultimate R90S

Francois and Morris’ first step was to disassemble the entire motorcycle and inspect each part. Francois often buys parts from contacts in Europe, as well as sources in the U.S. The European parts sometimes come from the NOS part stashes of police departments. Apparently, the R90S was popular with the gendarmes and the Autobahnpolizei, and the mobile units had their own parts stashes. Francois, a perfectionist, spent over 300 hours rebuilding the R90S. The restoration went smoothly, with no holdups due to unobtainable parts, unforeseen calamities and all the other issues that can make a project go bad. “This restoration went quite smoothly. No grief or extraordinary events to speak of,” says Morris.

The pair spent time locating original and restorable parts, including NOS control switches, the correct decals, the correct (original) rearview mirrors, original chrome spokes, original tires and the properly replated original fasteners.

“Getting this unique paint applied just right on these Daytona Orange bikes takes planning and expert application,” says Morris. He thinks the paint application, by Brad Diez of Speedzone Paints in Santee, California, is completely indistinguishable from factory. “Brad is the best I’ve seen at applying the Daytona Orange paint layout and finish properly.” The cockpit of the R90S has a clock and an ammeter in addition to the speedometer and tachometer, and all four dials had to be fully disassembled and restored. “Mark has gotten quite good at this. So many details to mention for a 100% concours restoration,” says Morris. “It now runs beautifully and could be ridden across the country.”

Morris has decided to put off seriously riding his new bike in order to take it to shows. So far it has gained 100 points in Antique Motorcycle Club of America judging this past June and The Quail Motorcycle Gathering in Carmel, California, awarded the R90S “Best European Motorcycle.” “As soon as I get done doing shows, I am going to put a bag rack on it and bags and ride the bike with my brother, who owns a 1974 R90S.”

From experience with other R90Ss, routine maintenance is simple: changing engine, transmission and final drive oil as directed by the manual. Spark plugs and ignition points and the condenser need to be tested and replaced if needed. The fluid for the front brakes needs to be flushed on a regular basis. One special item is the need to lube the transmission input shaft splines and rear final drive splines. “I can’t think offhand of any items that tend to go wrong. These motorcycles are just so reliable,” says Morris.

“It’s the best feeling in the world. The R90S was such a milestone bike. It handles extremely well – it’s a real sport touring bike. I’ve run the bike to 80-90mph and it just loves it. It’s very smooth with virtually no vibration. The fairing does its job in slicing through the wind and it really takes corners well. This BMW is not a bike to ride aggressively. It’s a bike to ride smoothly.” MC

Reg Pridmore and BMW Win the First AMA Superbike Championship

In 2024, BMW is firmly entrenched in road racing. As of this writing, three of the top ten racers in MotoAmerica Superbike racing and two of the top ten in World Superbike racing are riding BMWs. No one doubts that Beemers are fast and capable.

Before the introduction of the R90S, most Americans thought of BMWs as stodgy touring bikes. At the time, the cool kids rode Kawasakis, Nortons, Harley Superglides and choppers. While Hans Muth made the R90S beautiful, a road racer named Reg Pridmore proved that it was fast. Very fast. Fast enough to win the first AMA Superbike championship in 1976.

Pridmore gets  started on BMWs.

Pridmore, an expat Englishman who moved to Los Angeles in the early 1970s, started racing BMWs in 1971, sponsored by Butler & Smith, the U.S. importers. His first BMW racer was an extensively modified 1971 machine with drilled wheel hubs, shorter connecting rods moving special pistons in shorter barrels, and modified suspension. It won 15 races in two years of racing under the Formula 1 rules.

1976 – First AMA Superbike Race

Before the 1976 season, the American Motorcyclist Association Grand National Championship was contested on a variety of courses, from road races to TT courses. The Daytona 200 was run on full-tilt racing machinery, with the Harley-Davidson, BSA, Triumph, Honda and Yamaha factories contending for the prestige of a win. The late 1960s and early 1970s saw an increase in large displacement street motorcycles with impressive horsepower, and interest grew in having a National road racing series based on stock “serial production” motorcycles. When the first AMA Superbike contest began in 1976, Pridmore was on the starting line for Daytona with two teammates, Steve McLaughlin and Gary Fisher. Their bikes were based on the R90S, but were prepared to the limit of the rules using American hot rod ingenuity, and as a result, produced about 105 horsepower while weighing only 370 pounds.

The three bikes were built by Udo Gietl with assistance from Todd Schuster. The connecting rods were titanium, part of an effort to shorten the barrels to improve ground clearance, and the bore was increased in compensation to just under the 1000cc displacement limit. The motor was raised and moved forward. An all-metal dry clutch, stainless steel valves, titanium pushrods and a special camshaft were only a few of the special parts that went into the engines of the three racers.

One item that caused controversy was the monoshock rear suspension on the three racebikes. The frame appeared to be stock, with added bracing. The BMW race team insisted that the rules stated that you could modify the swingarm and relocate the rear suspension, and the team claimed that was all that they did. BMW was not alone in stretching the new rules like a rubber band: most of the top teams were doing the same thing.

However, while everyone was testing the elasticity of the rules, BMW was doing so most effectively, and the BMW riders were the ones getting the most out of their rides. Steve McLaughlin won Daytona in a photo finish with Reg Pridmore second by inches. After Daytona, there were only three more races in the 1976 Superbike series and Pridmore won two out of the four and the championship.

After Pridmore’s championship, Butler & Smith decided they didn’t need to spend any more money on racing. The BMW Superbike team was disbanded and the motorcycles sold off. It was several years before a BMW rider again stood on a Superbike podium.