SuzukiSavage.com - Bmw R90/6, anybody have expertise or experience?

heroicseven

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Bmw R90/6, anybody have expertise or experience?
11/02/12 at 17:26:58

I'm helping a friend get a bike and of course he wants a cafe. I told him to get a savage so that I would know more about it but he insists on a 74 or 76 bmw. He is barely inclined to change a lightbulb let alone be able to refurb a classic moto. So I will be doing most of the work, or he will have to pay a garage. anyways, Anybody have any experience with them?

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Cavi Mike

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Re: Bmw R90/6, anybody have expertise or experienc
Reply #1 - 11/02/12 at 17:50:59

Oh jeez. This is someone that you really should help him by NOT helping him. What you're doing right now is known as "enabling" him. Don't tell him he's awesome because you don't want to hurt his feelings. Telling him what he wants to hear is only going to make the situation worse. Tell him what he needs to hear and that is simply to stop being a hipster.

Then again - if you're afraid to tell him NO because you're afraid of losing his friendship, you may be in need of an intervention as well.

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Serowbot

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OK.... so what's the
speed of dark?

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Re: Bmw R90/6, anybody have expertise or experienc
Reply #2 - 11/02/12 at 18:41:27

I've done a little on Beemers from the 60's 70's and 80's...
My buddy is restoring a 1966 r69s right now...

... but I have to know the question before I'll know if I have an answer... Huh

...

The throttles are wicked stupid design... points are often a problem... coils are usually bad at that age...

.. and remember to teach him the Beemer rider code...(hand over heart)..
"I will only wave to other Beemers"...
Grin

...

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Ludicrous Speed !... ... Huh

...

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Charon

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Re: Bmw R90/6, anybody have expertise or experienc
Reply #3 - 11/02/12 at 19:24:51

I've never really had much to do with BMWs, but when someone thinks he wants a bike 35 years old I'd suggest to him he make sure of a parts source. A small consolation would be it doesn't have any electronics to speak of, except perhaps a voltage regulator. I'd ask whether the fuel system can handle ethanol. I'd also point out the virtues of 35 years of advances in suspensions and brakes.

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Eschew obfuscation.

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Cavi Mike Serious Thumper Offline Thumper n00b Posts: 1005 Rochester, NY Gender:	Re: Bmw R90/6, anybody have expertise or experienc Reply #4 - 11/02/12 at 19:36:34 He wants a vintage cafe beamer even though he can't turn a wrench. All of this is gonna go right over his head and he prolly doesn't care as long as his Atari t-shirt and WWII bomber jacket don't get stained in the process.
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Serowbot YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline OK.... so what's the speed of dark? Posts: 28669 Tucson Az Gender:	Re: Bmw R90/6, anybody have expertise or experienc Reply #5 - 11/02/12 at 19:44:55 Yup,.. if you're going to own and ride a bike that old,.. you should be able to rebuild a carb or set point gaps on the side of the road... ...
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v-pilot

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Loud bikes rule!

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Re: Bmw R90/6, anybody have expertise or experienc
Reply #6 - 11/02/12 at 20:10:40

I did a '73 R75/5 back in the day...frame off...parts are costly. Basically what the others have said is spot on. They are reliable though. Make sure the valve guides are converted to run unleaded gas. And you'll need to be able to do valve adjustments regularly...the valve train is noisy...push rod air cooled like my Guzzi's. He'll also have to get used to hot feet 'cause they're right behind the cylinders. For a second bike it would be fine.

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heroicseven

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Re: Bmw R90/6, anybody have expertise or experienc
Reply #7 - 11/02/12 at 20:26:37

Cavi Mike wrote on 11/02/12 at 19:36:34:

He wants a vintage cafe beamer even though he can't turn a wrench. All of this is gonna go right over his head and he prolly doesn't care as long as his Atari t-shirt and WWII bomber jacket don't get stained in the process.

Laughed my tushy off! You are spot on.

I told him the pitfalls of buying a bike of this age but he looked at me blankly, pulled out his iPhone 5 and showed me a picture of a beautifully (professionally built) minimalist cafe bike and said "I want it to look like this!" I'm excited about seeing the insides of a different bike but not about his attitude.

Ill have to look into a therapist for my intervention, he's hell bent on buying the bike tomorrow.

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Cavi Mike

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Re: Bmw R90/6, anybody have expertise or experienc
Reply #8 - 11/02/12 at 20:52:37

Make sure it never works properly until he eventually gets sick of it and wants to get rid of it for cheap. Give him the old "I'll take it off your hands..." proposition. They get sick of things pretty quick when they don't understand them and they don't work. You're in the prime position as long as you play your cards right.

And trust me, when you get it running and give him that other old "Oh, turns out it was just..." he won't say a word because a hipster can never allow himself to appear defeated.

He'll always secretly hate you anyways, might as well benefit from it.

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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Bmw R90/6, anybody have expertise or experienc Reply #9 - 11/02/12 at 21:19:43 Atari t-shirt and WWII bomber jacket don't get stained in the process. Head shot!
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heroicseven

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Re: Bmw R90/6, anybody have expertise or experienc
Reply #10 - 11/02/12 at 21:44:23

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 11/02/12 at 21:19:43:

Atari t-shirt and WWII bomber jacket don't get stained in the process.

Head shot!

Still laughing about that. Might amuse ya'll to mention that he cant stop talking about the awesome leather jacket ($400) and super sick custom handmade handpainted helmet he wants to get. ($600) money doesnt really seem to matter with him, he gets it off the books in large amounts if you catch my drift.

@cavi, excelent idea Grin

I'll "do everything I can to get it running"

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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Bmw R90/6, anybody have expertise or experienc Reply #11 - 11/02/12 at 21:48:51 So, he wants a minimalist bike, & a bling helmet, with a leather jacket? He wears long sleeves & shorts with boots, right?
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heroicseven Full Member Offline oops, I broke it. Posts: 245 San Diego Gender:	Re: Bmw R90/6, anybody have expertise or experienc Reply #12 - 11/03/12 at 00:59:30 Lol, na he isn't that bad, but its definitely an image move. Well he just put a deposit down on the bike. It is actually looking like a good bike, he's buying from the second owner, maintinence records with receipts. So we will see when we get it down from LA to SD What it needs
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engineer Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 872 Gender:	Re: Bmw R90/6, anybody have expertise or experienc Reply #13 - 11/04/12 at 17:45:59 If that second owner BMW is in good stock condition it will be worth a lot more down the road if he keeps it stock. BMW collectors like them stock.
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Charon Serious Thumper Offline Posts: 1811 Harvard, NE Gender:	Re: Bmw R90/6, anybody have expertise or experienc Reply #14 - 11/04/12 at 18:05:13 I know the subject is BMW, but... A co-worker and Harley aficianado once told me the secret to Harley ownership. One who buys a new Harley has to immediately customize it and "make it his own." One who buys an old Harley must immediately "restore it to original condition."
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