R90/6 Back on the road=))

[tenni128]

Hey all,
After sloooow progress on the BMW due to having a kid, work getting crazy, so on and so forth, I finally got my R90/6 back together. In short, I fitted the entire front end off an '85 K100RS on, wired up a /5 tach/speedo (don't worry, I did it with the stock harness, so it's all plug and play), replaced the rear shocks, cleaned/lubed/oiled everything, replaced all the corroded wiring, bypassed the crappy stock fuses with some water (and vibration) proof minibus holders, re-built the crankcase breather, added a 3/4 fairing, bags, and a trailer hitch, and generally just went through everything. So, I took the first ride today. Forks feel pretty good, having guessed on the spring rate. Brakes are waaaaaay way better than the stock ATE, which was the point of all of this, but the cable still needs a little adjusting. I still have to fab a couple brackets for the panniers, dial in the carbs, and finish the housing for the speedo, but it's off the stand and on the road.

[Airbear]

Well done Tenni. The bike looks great. I can tell from here that you are grinning.
I am tempted by the thought of a K front end for my old girl.

[StephenB]

Nice one! I was thinking of a S-fairing with the stock /5 instruments as well. Do you have a shot from the rider's position forward to see how that looks?

[tenni128]

Yes, but be gentle...I haven't finished the housing for the speedo yet, nor finalized the bar selection. The K100RS bars are on it now, and so far seem to feel OK.

[lomax]

Very nice job. That is looking great.

Marc

[tenni128]

So before dinner, I picked up a buddy and had him follow me down to a local watering hole for a quick pint. In all, it was maybe 25 miles. Not much, but enough to verify that all of the important parts are working. Initial thoughts are that this was a "Good Idea". I had heard how the K100RS was a poor handler, and that may be. But, the front end is definitely tighter than the stock one was, and the bike feels rock-stable up through 85-90 MPH. No weave, wobble, or death shakes. Maybe the spring rates aren't at ideal sag specs, or the geometry isn't as per something important, but it seems to handle OK to me. And the brakes! The brakes are just wonderful after f*&!ing around with that ATE single setup. I ended up using the stock M/C (which I did rebuild) figuring if it was too far off I'd deal with it later. Turns out it works fine. Maybe there could be more power there with a dual port M/C but there is certainly plenty of braking power for what I need. Obviously not as strong as the goldline 4-pot Brembos on my Guzzi V11, but then I don't expect them to be...I just want it to stop when I need it to, and it now does just that. I'll be futzing around with mounts, brackets, and that last 10% for awhile, and the damn float needle keeps sticking on the right side since it's been sitting so long, but in all I'm pretty happy. Hope to get a more detailed ride report up as soon as I get some time for a longer trip.

[Jean]

Put some REAL HORNS on it...

[tenni128]

What's wrong with my horn?

[Chuey]

What's wrong with my horn?

Dual Fiamms are a blessing when you need a horn. Great looking bike. I'm glad to hear the fork worked out. I was looking in on that thread.

Chuey

[Sam LP]

It looks great Tenni

I know how you feel, it was a revelation to me when I rode my 1974 R90/6 after installing the K front end and Brembos. I also kept the under-tank master cylinder, keeping the 1974 throttle and switch; which is much nicer looking than the later ones (IMO).

Sam