R90/6 questions

[bluecycle3]

just picked up a barn fresh R90/6 and i have a few questions about the bike.

the bike came with white top loading hard bags made of plastic, cant find any names on them, any ideas as to what kind they are and what they are worth?

bike also has a white fairing on it , i know its not a windjammer or a luftmeister, any ideas as to the brand and value of this?

petcock on left side is leaking, bike has been setting for about 10 years so im thinking maybe the gasket to the tank is bad. am i on the right track?

any good upgrades that are worthwhile that are still available? pipes, tires, etc...

anything that i should look for considering the length of time the bike has sat?



thanks in advance for any answers

[dbrick]

just picked up a barn fresh R90/6 and i have a few questions about the bike. Excellent! I had a barn-acquisition experience of an R-69S back in 1975. It was a lot of fun.the bike came with white top loading hard bags made of plastic, cant find any names on them, any ideas as to what kind they are and what they are worth? Buco? Wixom? How about a picture? bike also has a white fairing on it , i know its not a windjammer or a luftmeister, any ideas as to the brand and value of this? As above...a picture would help.
petcock on left side is leaking, bike has been setting for about 10 years so im thinking maybe the gasket to the tank is bad. am i on the right track? No. The internal packing gives up; you can rebuild the petcocks, but they'll leak again. Replace them.any good upgrades that are worthwhile that are still available? pipes, tires, etc... It's likely that the tires are junk from time, not wear; the rubber hardens and can't conform to the road, and traction suffers. Even if the tread looks good, if they're more than five years old (learn how to read the DOT date code on the sidewall), replace them and the tubes. anything that i should look for considering the length of time the bike has sat? You might hang around the Airheads site and list for more info.

[BubbaZanetti]

anything that i should look for considering the length of time the bike has sat?


depending on your climate, look at the electrics, esp under the tank, i had many little intermitent faults (my 84 sat outside for 10 yrs) till i went under there with some sand paper and dielectric grease and cleaned things up

[James.A]

Your under the tank front brake master cylinder is almost certainly ruined. The bore gets pitted by vile, nasty brake fluid.
You would want to lube the transmission and rear drive splines.
You ought to change all the oil, from the motor to the final drive. If the gear lube smells like dirty diapers, it's past due.
The forks will probably start leaking after you get to riding.
The carbs need a good cleaning at the very least, fuel tank too. Drop a float bowl and smell for varnish.
After you get it running, figure on a couple rounds of valve adjustment until the settings stabilize.
New choke cables are always a nice touch.
If the throttle cables are not silky smooth in operation, lube them or replace them. You don't want to injure the bevel gears in the throttle hand set. I'm sure they would appreciate a little dab of grease as well.
Please don't be discouraged by the seemingly large list of items that will form under this inquiry. I helped a friend re-hab a neglected R75/6 last year. doing all the work ourselves, the total cost was less than $1000 including tires.

[peteremsley]

I bought a /6 about a year ago and it came with bags that had no markings. Here's a link to my post requesting help:

http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/showthread.php?t=4297

[bluecycle3]

thanks guys for all the replys. so far i have put tires on the bike, rebuilt the master cylinder which really wasnt in bad shape but had lost all of its fluid, had the local airhead guru fiddle with the carbs and have just been riding it. i cant believe how well the bike works for its age. the bags i have dont look like the ones in the attached thread, they are more rounded with a smaller opening then the others.

anyone ever added a exhaust that wasnt to loud but had a little more sound to it?

what are the recommended tires for this vintage of bike?

does palo alto still refurbish the speedo's on these bikes? can you get white faces?


thanks greg

[manicmechanic]

Palo Alto did a set for my /6 about a year ago, work fine. Don't know about the white faces. If you can get to a dealer that utilizes Parts Unlimited, you'll find there a complete exhaust that looks stock, and goes from the heads back, for under $400. I think it's by Mac's, but don't quote me.

Perform a spline lube at the clutch before going too far. I just did one while mine was down for paint and am impressed how much smoother the shifting is.

Have you been under the front cover yet? Check out the condition of the points, etc. They're pretty cheap to replace.

Enjoy the ride!

[pmdave]

PICTURES! We want pictures.

If your bags are fiberglass, flat sides, rounded edges, and the top has about a 2" raised center, they could be Calafia.

pmdave