For those of you who weren't around back then, the 1970s were... special. Unlike today, when it seems the only color you can get is 50 shades of gray, vehicles came in all kinds of wild bright colors. Such is the case with this 1975 BMW R90S. If you look closely, you can see that the fade from silver to orange isn't just a trick of the light. That's the original paint.
At the time people saw BMWs as technologically advanced, but also boring and utilitarian. BMW created the R90S to change their minds, and the bright paint job was a big part of that. The first bikes from 1974 had a two-tone black and silver color scheme with adhesive pinstripes, but this was unpopular, prompting BMW to go big or go home with the orange/silver fade with hand-painted pinstripes.
Gallery: 1975 BMW R90S
Aside from the bright colors, the R90S became the flagship of BMW's /6 range. Its engine was based on the R90/6 but had a higher compression ratio. This boosted it to 67 horsepower and 56 pound-feet of torque. That may not seem like much today, but at the time it was enough to place first and second at the very first AMA Superbike race at Daytona International Speedway in 1976.
Although these classic BMWs can last for hundreds of thousands of miles, this particular example has just 14,128 original miles, 600 of which were put on by the seller since acquiring the bike in 2017. A fresh oil change is all it's needed in his care. It even comes with the original manual and tool kit. This is a beautifully preserved original example, though not quite perfect, with minor scratches on the fairing and gas tank. It also comes with Krauser panniers, a period-correct option. Krauser also made high-performance cylinder heads for the R90S, but this bike doesn't have them.
The 70s Are Back, Man:
Source: Bring a Trailer