The time has come....
Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2010 4:46 am
G'day folks. A newbie here - from Sydney, Oz.
I've just dragged my old R90S frame out of the basement.... inspired, would you believe, by six weeks riding around Vietnam on a Zinda (China Honda... a whole 107cc's of fun).
Charlie - you've seen her when you called through a while back. She's one from the original shipment of '73 bikes - solid discs, nice old switchgear. I've had her so long, I can't even remember when I bought her. Some time in the late 70's - to replace a Honda 750 that I used to thrash up the Bells Line of Road to just beyond Orange every weekend - having got sick of the hinge in the middle of the Honda's frame. I know I had her for the World's End Rally in '78... so, it was '77 or '78.
I shouldn't be too hard on the Honda - because the R90S nearly spat me off up near Bathurst the first day I had her. Yep, a 200kph speed wobble... using all of two lanes until we got things sorted out. A new valve in the front tyre, straightened forks, new steering head bearings and a change of underwear sorted that little problem out. She'd had a hard life before I got her. I probably wasn't kind to her either - fitting air shocks and a 2>1 exhaust system - neither of which will be used again. Hell, I even gave my tank and other panels to a guy who needed them more than me.... although I ended up with a nice set of R100S tank and panels back.
Speaking of not being nice to her - I've got R100S slugs in her jugs - and the last time I rode her, apart from taking her to 210... I blew her up. We are talking a tad over 30 years ago... Anzac Day 1980... on the Federal Highway. I had a Carerra 3.0 behind me (right behind me).... I dropped to 3rd, screwed the throttle to the stop, dropped down on the tank behind the screen.... and the clutch let go. By the time I sat up and wound the throttle back, I saw an AWFUL lot of revs on the tacho. My brother - who was behind the Porsche - said he missed me by inches. The little old lady I was overtaking hit the brakes - and I had to outbrake her, because a car came the other way.... Anyhow, after a couple of minutes, the clutch cooled down a tad and I got mobile again. Caught and passed the Porsche - but he wouldn't play any more. Checked the pushrods when I got to Canberra and hadn't bent them, but I only made it as far as Young before she clagged. Big ends.
A mate of mine - known to a few around here - Henning - rebuilt the engine and before I could get her back together, I was married and transferred to NZ for a couple of years. I'll admit, it was me that dropped the instruments and broke the glass, but I'd love to get my hands on the scumbag that stole the Dellorto's. Why the centrestand and battery box never made it over to NZ is another mystery. Anyhow... that put paid to the rest of the rebuild back in the early '80s
This is a bike that's probably been on dirt roads on most trips its ever done.... so its no concourse candidate. I'm not overly inclined to rebuild her as stock. I'll probably pick up some new Dellorto's... having been talked out of even thinking fuel injection by my mechanical engineering student son. I'm seriously tempted to do a couple of frame mods... a swing-arm bearing to steering stock strengthening bar on each side... which, of course, means mods to the loops so the engine can come out the bottom. I'm trying to track down tube joiners that allow the loops to remain structural... time will tell, it may end up stock.
As the years have gone by, I've become addicted to decent brakes... and just fitted Brembo brakes to my E34 M5. I don't recall being particularly impressed by the R90S brakes, so that might be something else I'll look at.
I'll drag the camera out and get some shots of the pile of bits sometime soon.
I've just dragged my old R90S frame out of the basement.... inspired, would you believe, by six weeks riding around Vietnam on a Zinda (China Honda... a whole 107cc's of fun).
Charlie - you've seen her when you called through a while back. She's one from the original shipment of '73 bikes - solid discs, nice old switchgear. I've had her so long, I can't even remember when I bought her. Some time in the late 70's - to replace a Honda 750 that I used to thrash up the Bells Line of Road to just beyond Orange every weekend - having got sick of the hinge in the middle of the Honda's frame. I know I had her for the World's End Rally in '78... so, it was '77 or '78.
I shouldn't be too hard on the Honda - because the R90S nearly spat me off up near Bathurst the first day I had her. Yep, a 200kph speed wobble... using all of two lanes until we got things sorted out. A new valve in the front tyre, straightened forks, new steering head bearings and a change of underwear sorted that little problem out. She'd had a hard life before I got her. I probably wasn't kind to her either - fitting air shocks and a 2>1 exhaust system - neither of which will be used again. Hell, I even gave my tank and other panels to a guy who needed them more than me.... although I ended up with a nice set of R100S tank and panels back.
Speaking of not being nice to her - I've got R100S slugs in her jugs - and the last time I rode her, apart from taking her to 210... I blew her up. We are talking a tad over 30 years ago... Anzac Day 1980... on the Federal Highway. I had a Carerra 3.0 behind me (right behind me).... I dropped to 3rd, screwed the throttle to the stop, dropped down on the tank behind the screen.... and the clutch let go. By the time I sat up and wound the throttle back, I saw an AWFUL lot of revs on the tacho. My brother - who was behind the Porsche - said he missed me by inches. The little old lady I was overtaking hit the brakes - and I had to outbrake her, because a car came the other way.... Anyhow, after a couple of minutes, the clutch cooled down a tad and I got mobile again. Caught and passed the Porsche - but he wouldn't play any more. Checked the pushrods when I got to Canberra and hadn't bent them, but I only made it as far as Young before she clagged. Big ends.
A mate of mine - known to a few around here - Henning - rebuilt the engine and before I could get her back together, I was married and transferred to NZ for a couple of years. I'll admit, it was me that dropped the instruments and broke the glass, but I'd love to get my hands on the scumbag that stole the Dellorto's. Why the centrestand and battery box never made it over to NZ is another mystery. Anyhow... that put paid to the rest of the rebuild back in the early '80s
This is a bike that's probably been on dirt roads on most trips its ever done.... so its no concourse candidate. I'm not overly inclined to rebuild her as stock. I'll probably pick up some new Dellorto's... having been talked out of even thinking fuel injection by my mechanical engineering student son. I'm seriously tempted to do a couple of frame mods... a swing-arm bearing to steering stock strengthening bar on each side... which, of course, means mods to the loops so the engine can come out the bottom. I'm trying to track down tube joiners that allow the loops to remain structural... time will tell, it may end up stock.
As the years have gone by, I've become addicted to decent brakes... and just fitted Brembo brakes to my E34 M5. I don't recall being particularly impressed by the R90S brakes, so that might be something else I'll look at.
I'll drag the camera out and get some shots of the pile of bits sometime soon.
