Ride The Revolutionary 1974 BMW R90S

It’s not everyday you can ride a legend that was created by Hans Muth, but that’s exactly what you get with this 1974 BMW R90S. Fast, good-looking, minimalistic, and yet surprisingly comfortable, it was the bike people gladly scooped up and rode hard. Now, thanks to Motorcar Gallery, you can relive all the excitement again and again.

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After a thorough refurbishing, this BMW R90S is in fantastic shape. A Smoke Black paint job with gold pinstripes presents incredibly well, preserving the original look and feel of this motorcycle. The brightwork is also quite presentable, while the saddle is free of tears and cracking.

Most exciting about the R90S is the 898 cc four-stroke twin. While that might not sound like much, BMW engineers turned to high compression pistons, Del Orto carburetors, plus a free-flow exhaust to extract a shocking 67-horsepower. That was enough to propel the bike to a top speed of 125 mph. The speed and overall handling capabilities of this bike were on full display when riders on the R90S grabbed first and second place in the Superbike class at Daytona in 1976, then Reg Pridmore snagged the championship using an R90S. You’ll appreciate that performance when riding on twisting, winding country roads, as well as the fact that everything mechanical is in excellent condition, so you don’t need to worry about becoming stranded.

The R90S really put BMW on the lips of motorcycle enthusiasts when it launched in 1974, making the brand feel youthful and relevant again. Not only was the bike fast, it was comfortable enough to take on long excursions. Produced from 1974 to 1976, BMW made 17,378 of these motorcycles, with many not surviving into the 21st century, making this particular one an excellent find.  Grab it now before prices shoot up again, as they surely will with the march of time.