BMW R90S 1974

GND888N is a first series BMW R90S. This means that. compared to similar bikes made after 1974. she is fitted with slightly smaller front caliper pistons. solid discs. a smooth seat. alloy indicators. a kickstart. a chrome centred horn. an alloy petrol cap. Magura “dimpled” brake and clutch levers. /5 style switchgear and larger markings (indents) on both speedo and tacho. Additionally the tacho says “UPM” instead of RPM. These bikes were only available in “TT Silberrauch” and the pinstripes were tape. not paint. For me these differences make these early bikes a little bit more special than the '75 and '76 bikes. and it was partly these differences that meant I kept this bike and sold my '76 R90S when I had to choose between them.

The mileage is genuine. I know this because I traced every previous owner (apart from the very first one) and spoke to each of them at length. Interestingly. the second owner was a Ferrari mechanic who used to work on the first owner's cars. He also got the job of servicing this bike. and liked it so much he ended up buying it.

The motorcycle itself has been highly modified. though it's not really apparent. The obvious difference is limited to the later style driveshaft. which has an in-line shock absorber for smoother gear changes. It's the engine on this bike that makes it really special. The guy who owned this bike between 1991 and 1996 decided to spend a small fortune on making the engine smoother. better breathing and producing a lot more power. He sent the cylinder heads off to the legendary George Mansfield at MEZ Porting (http://www.mez.co.uk/mezporting) where they were gas flowed. dual plugged and had oversize valves fitted. The squish bands were set to 40 thou. He then had the crank dynamically balanced and about 5lbs of metal taken off the flywheel by Basset Down Balancing (http://www.bassetdownbalancing.co.uk). The engine was reassembled with a “Sport” 336 cam. post '84 rocker gear (much quieter). and lightweight gudgeon pins. What's remarkable is that this work has made the bike much nicer to ride – smoother and more tractable. yet with quicker acceleration. The top speed has been raised. I'm told. and the bike will now rev to the redline in fifth gear. but I am unable and indeed unwilling to confirm this.

The rest of the bike is in excellent condition. The owner before me had the tinware resprayed by Dream Machine but the fuel tank was leaking badly when I got the bike. and required replacing. The exhaust is a stainless Keihan system. the wheels have been respoked with stainless. new BT45 Bridgestone tyres were fitted for the last MOT (July 2013) and the bike is taxed until December 2014. The bike comes complete with its original handbook. pristine original toolkit. original cycle lock and original tyre pump. There are a couple of small scuffs on the seat. but I refrained from replacing this as the seat is original. and the wear is minimal.

In conclusion this is a fine example of an early (and more collectible) R90S in exceptional condition. It has been improved using mainly period upgrades and as a result is a much more enjoyable bike to ride. I've owned several twin cylinder BMW motorcycles and this is certainly the best one I've ever had. Unfortunately she's just not getting the attention she deserves (with four other motorcycles in the garage. ) and I've decided to let her go to a new. and hopefully more appreciative owner.