Thinking about getting a 70's BMW motorcycle

[madjurgen]

Opinions? Are any of these good bikes to learn to ride on? Looking at a 1974 R60 right now. Do these require a lot of maintenence? Any other suggestions?

[Jordan]

I'd hold out for a better bike, like a R90/6

[madjurgen]

I'd hold out for a better bike, like a R90/6

But from just looking at pictures, those seem to be bigger bikes. Im small, 5'9" and it just seems like it would be harder to learn on a bigger bike. I dont wanna lay it down on my first ride. Plus theyre cheaper. Basically Im looking for a cheap BMW bike, not that hard to maintain, good for a beginner rider, while I take my e30 off the road for some work.

[ColdAccord]

i love bimmers, but for some reason beemers aren't appealing to me. maybe when I'm older and more into sport tourings. but right now their bikes just aren't sporty enough.

for a beginner bike, look for something small (engine/displacement, not just physically)

[Axxe]

find a good japanese bike for now, not something classic that is tempermental/rare.

[bmwmike]

yeah id go to japan. You can get a fairly new (as in like the last 15 years) small japanese bike for super cheap and their very reliable. Maybe look for a ninja 250 to start on, even the new ones are like 4 grand, one thats 7-10 years old will be like 500 bucks. But hey, if you really want a beemer go for it. Lets see some pics of these old bmw bikes!

Heres my most recent bike which I just sold a few months ago (ninja zx9r, 900cc, 145 hp, 350 lbs..)

[Rigmaster]

'70's BMW's are heavy, the technology is 40+ years old by now, some parts are $$$. But, they are great bikes, no harder to work on than an E30- there is alot of info out there about what breaks, and how to fix it or keep it from breaking. Not exactly the best beginner bike, but you can decide for yourself if you want to buy a beginner bike- something that you will probably want to sell in a few months to buy a bigger/faster bike, or just buy a good mid-size bike from the start.

Parts for the Mid-70's BMW's are readily available, though not quite as plentiful or as cheap as E30 parts.

Not sure why Jordan says that the R90/6 is "better" than the R60, other than the fact that it's got a bigger engine...... Jordan- care to expand on your comment????

I have a '74 R90s, it's an awesome bike, though I don't ride it much anymore for various reasons. One of the really collectible BMW bikes too, BTW....



Bret.

[hugh jass]

I would recommend something newer, like a K75 or early R1100. The older BMW bikes are cool, but pretty slow and not the best overall performers. The earlier ones with the drum brakes are downright scary (that said, I'm restoring a 65 R60/2, complete with drum brakes). If you're looking for a really great first bike, I would recommend a Ducati Monster or a Suzuki SV650. Both are great bikes that are a blast to ride and won't cost you $3000 if you tip it over.

[Hick]

I wanna fix up my dads Bike... 76 R90s Daytona Orange... super rare. Hes owned it since it rolled off the showroom floor, but for the past ten years is has sat

He remarked on day that he would sell his M [88 henna/black] long before selling the bike.

[bmwmike]

just found this pic on google of a 58 i think

lol, badass

[ColdAccord]

yeah id go to japan. You can get a fairly new (as in like the last 15 years) small japanese bike for super cheap and their very reliable. Maybe look for a ninja 250 to start on, even the new ones are like 4 grand, one thats 7-10 years old will be like 500 bucks. But hey, if you really want a beemer go for it. Lets see some pics of these old bmw bikes!

Heres my most recent bike which I just sold a few months ago (ninja zx9r, 900cc, 145 hp, 350 lbs..)

hmm. are you sure? did you weigh the bike? 350 sounds pretty light for a ninja, especially a 900. Especially with stock bodywork. I find that pretty hard to believe

As well as the 145hp claim. Is this at the wheel, or the crank? Did you dyno it? Actually, I guess that's more plausable, but I'm still pretty unsure about the weight

[kansas-ix]

I'd hold out for a better bike, like a R90/6

Exactly good call Jordan, and from what I hear the Moto Guzzi's of the 70's were the more maintenance free bikes. Ambassadors.

Go for a bmw with a toaster tank, they are nice.

[bmwmike]

hmm. are you sure? did you weigh the bike? 350 sounds pretty light for a ninja, especially a 900. Especially with stock bodywork. I find that pretty hard to believe

As well as the 145hp claim. Is this at the wheel, or the crank? Did you dyno it? Actually, I guess that's more plausable, but I'm still pretty unsure about the weight

Actually its like 410 or 420 lbs or something iirc. I never dyno'd mine but stock dynos and dynos with exhaust have shown 120 whp +. I had a filter, it was jetted, had an aftermarket sprocket and a full muzzy exhaust on mine. Stock is around 140 hp. Give or take any of the figures, the bike still runs a very low 10 sec 1/4 mile with a professional rider. Im sure I could pull off about 11.. And the bike can supposedly do close to 200 mph