Top 3 BMW R90 Cafe Racer Build

• Table of Contents
• 1. BMW R90 Motorcycle
• 2. BMW R90/6
• 3. The Difference Between the BMW R90/6 and BMW R90 S
• 4. BMW R90 S Motorcycle at First Glance
• 5. BMW R90/6 Motorcycle at First Glance
• 6. Top Three BMW R90 cafe Racer Builds
• 6.1. The BMW R90/6 Cafe Racer Build by Renard Speed Shop
• 6.2. The BMW R90/6 Cafe Racer Build by CRD
• 6.3. The BMW R90 S Cafe Racer Build by Sébastien Beaupère
• 7. Takeaway

BMW is well-known for manufacturing motorcycles that can be transformed into café racers. The older BMW R models are easily available and cheap, making these models a good option for customization. One of the classic BMW models that is always in demand for customization is the BMW R90.

1. BMW R90

The BMW R90 is a sports bike launched in 1973 and was discontinued three years later after its introduction. The BMW R90 S is powered by a flat-twin 898 cc engine capable of producing a torque of 76 Nm and a horsepower of 67 hp. This motorcycle is equipped with a five-speed transmission and can attain a top speed of 124 mph. This motorcycle was well-known for its powerful performance and balanced handling. The BMW R90 S has a seat height of 32 inches and a wet weight of 215 kg.

2. BMW R90/6

Later, BMW launched the BMW R90/6 model which eventually became a flagship model. The BMW R90/6 proved to be a good touring and sports bike. This model is a popular motorcycle base that is highly used by builders to create café racers. BMW motorcycles are one of the most popular choices of custom builders. Other BMW models that are transformed into stylish cafe racers include the BMW R65 and BMW K100 .

3. Differences Between the BMW R90/6 and BMW R90

The BMW R90/6 and BMW R90 only had a few differences between them. Both the BMW R90/6 and BMW R90 had a bore x stroke of 90 mm x 70.6 mm. However, the BMW R90/6 can produce a horsepower of 60 hp and a torque of 72 Nm in comparison to the torque of 76 Nm and horsepower of 67 hp of the BMW R90. The BMW R90/6 is also 5 kg lighter than the BMW R90.

4. BMW R90 S at First Glance

Photo Credit: @motorcyclistonline

5. BMW R90/6 at First Glance

Photo Credit: @re-psycle

6. Top Three BMW R90 Café Racer Builds

6.1 The BMW R90/6 Café Racer Build by Renard Speed Shop

Photo Credit: @bikeexif

Andres Uibomäe, the owner of the Renard Speed Shop, has been customizing motorcycles for about six years. His best-customized café racer so far is the vintage-styled BMW R 90/6. What makes the BMW R90/6 Café Racer distinct is its sleek and slim aesthetics. Uibomäe wanted to build a BMW R90/6 Café Racer that was simple and easy to ride. The base BMW R90/6 model chosen by Uibomäe was in good shape, but he still had to remove most of the parts to transform the vehicle into a café racer.

This café racer build’s fuel tank came from a Moto Guzzi V7 with a few modifications, including stretching and narrowing its shape to complement the café racer’s design. Uibomäe slimmed down the sub-frame to make the modified fuel tank fit perfectly.

Photo Credit: @bikeexif

The custom-made fiberglass tail cowl installed had a small LED tail light fitted into it. A perforated leather seat with lining was also installed on this café racer build. Its aggressive look was achieved by reducing almost two inches from the front forks. The rear shocks fitted on the cafe racer build came from the CZ Motocrosser.

Uibomäe converted the rear drum brake into a rear disc brake, which required a lot of effort. The cafe racer build’s rear disc brake came from the KTM, the caliper came from a BMW R1200S, and was also fitted with Firestone tires. The wheels were replaced without removing the swingarm which helped save time and effort. Every part of the BMW R90/6 was overhauled, including the engine which was rebuilt with new gaskets, seals, and rings. Also, the carburetors were rebuilt and the cylinders were refined. To complement the stock airbox, Uibomäe designed two velocity stacks to allow for better air intake. He also had two old-style mufflers installed on both sides of the café racer build.

Photo Credit: @bikeexif

Uibomäe’s cafe racer build also comes with a new speedometer by Motogadget and an updated electronic ignition. To hide the battery, Uibomäe designed a custom-made box and placed it behind the gearbox.

New clip-on handlebars with side mirrors were used along with Beringer controls and clamp-mounted switches.

6.2 The BMW R90/6 Cafe Racer Build by CRD

Photo Credit: @bikeexif

The BMW R90/6 Cafe Racer by CRD had a sleek black and brown paint job. CRD used a 1974 BMW R90/6 as the base for building this stylish café racer. Designed for José Martín, a renowned individual in the Spanish fashion industry, CRD’s BMW R90/6 Cafe Racer build became one of the best-looking custom bikes.

The height of this café racer build’s front forks was reduced to enhance the aggressive riding ergonomics and its rear suspension was switched out with the shorter suspension by Hagon. The sub-frame was trimmed and modified to fit the custom-made light brown seat and handlebar grips. This cafe racer build does not have a tail cowl, so its battery is placed underneath the swingarm.

The front and rear stock fenders changed places, being modified to fit on the opposite ends. The fuel tank and fenders were painted with a sleek black color scheme with subtle white borders.

The tail light was attached to the rear fender along with a license plate holder. The rear turn signals were mounted on the subframe along each side of the seat. The café racer build was fitted with Firestone Deluxe Champion tires, and crash bars, and was painted with a black and brown color scheme to enhance its vintage aesthetics. The low handlebars, headlight, and mufflers on both sides of the cafe racer build came from CRD. The headlight was modified to make it possible to install a Motogadget speedometer on top.

CRD’s BMW R90/6 Café Racer was designed to have a simple design with less complex parts that were both stylish and functional.

The Story of the BMW R90/6 Cafe Racer Build by Renard Speed Shop

6.3 The BMW R90 S Cafe Racer Build by Sébastien Beaupère

Photo Credit: @returnofthecaferacers

The BMW R90 S Café Racer by Sébastien Beaupère has a minimalist and unique design, with its fuel tank, headlight, and fat tires being the most prominent parts. Beaupère’s cafe racer build did not share the traditional look of most café racers.

Beaupère used a BMW R90 S as the base and completely stripped it down of all its parts. He modified the BMW R50’s frame by fitting plunger-styled rear shocks, a custom-made smaller seat, and a W&W springer front forks. This cafe racer build’s custom-made fuel tank has a huge fuel storage capacity of 8.5 gals. To complement this massive fuel tank, bulbous Avon Mk2 tires were used. Both the headlight and tail light are located on the left side to keep the front and rear ends free of clutter. To complement the fuel tank’s red headlights, red spark plug leads were used on both sides of the cafe racer build.

Photo Credit: @returnofthecaferacers

The Story of the BMW R90 S Cafe Racer by Sébastien Beaupère (Video Link)

7. Takeaway

The BMW R90/6 is a popular model used by custom motorcycle builders. Both the BMW R90 S and R90/6 have a good frame that can be easily transformed into a cafe racer. With minimal modifications and parts, the old BMW R90 models can be transformed into modern-looking café racers.

With different LUGGAGE options available at Viking Bags, these stylish cafe racers can be used for both light touring and city travel. The options include SADDLEBAGS, TANK BAGS, BACKPACKS, and TAIL BAGS to improve the storage capacity of your cafe racer.