I have an R90/6 that I’ve been putting a lot of miles on lately. The other night I was walking out to my bike from a pizza place in a shopping center and a drunk 25-year-old came running out of a TGI Fridays yelling at me. I have a soft spot in my heart for immature drunk guys in their 20’s because I unfortunately was one for about 10 years. I also can’t be too hard on him, it’s the exact same bar my parents met at 35 years ago this December. We exchanged pleasantries, and he said, “bro, that’s a sweet R90S”. I said thanks, but if the guy had any idea what he was actually talking about, he would have spotted a number of clues that mine was a run of the mill airhead that has dual plugs and a mediocre knockoff R90S fairing. I have single disks in the front, bing carbs, and my bike doesn’t have a fade paint job that could have only been popular in the 60’s or 70’s. No, mine is white. About the only thing my bike has in common with the R90S is the displacement, which is prominently displayed on the battery covers. I’m guessing this is why he thought it was an R90S. I didn’t bother to correct him, as I learned the hard way trying to have a conversation like that with a drunk person is like pissing into the wind. I guess Bob Lutz knew what he was doing.
The point here being that somehow the R90S has exploded in popularity to the point that it’s trickled down to guys that use the word ‘bro’. Buyer beware.
Anyway, with an increase in demand, and a supply that is slowly dwindling means prices obviously go up. I saw this bike and thought it might be a good buy for someone that’s always wanted an R90S, but didn’t want to invest over $10 grand. For all intents and purposes, it is an R90S, just one with a slightly larger engine and (I think) the better looking snowflake wheels. The bike has 17,000 miles, and seems to be very well maintained. Last, I have to admit I love this red paint so much more than the Daytona Orange.
Find this bike in Marietta, Georgia for $6,000 here on Cycle Trader.