World's First Superbike

[funhouse]

In '79 I was working for Butler & Smith, the then BMW importer. I was sales manager for S.Cal. and a hardcore BMW fan--been a dealer and had seen the R90S Superbikes dominate the first year's AMA Superbike Championship ('76).
In '77 Butler & Smith sold the three team bikes, one of which ended up in Bakersfield at Johnny's BMW. He'd repainted the bike red (to look like the '77 R100S) and won the bike's second AMA National at Laconia -- the bike's first win was the very first AMA Superbike race, the '76 Daytona event. Anyway, by the time I discovered the now-tired old bike in the back of Johnny's shop, it didn't look much like it had when last I'd seen it at Riverside in '76. By '79 the Japanese fours had taken over American Superbike racing, the euro-twins handling advantage no longer able to stave off the Japanese horsepower advantage. I knew that if this piece of BMW racing history was broken out for another couple seasons of Battle of the Twins racing that nothing would remain for future enthusiasts to look at. Luckily, my wife understood my enthusiasm and she and my daughters bought it for me for Christmas '79 for the then-princely sum of $5000. This is what it looked like when I fetched it from Bakersfield. Johnny had sold off various pieces like the Koni monoshock, all of which I had to track down and reaquire before starting the restoration.

[funhouse]

Originally Posted by funhouse

In '79 I was working for Butler & Smith, the then BMW importer. I was sales manager for S.Cal. and a hardcore BMW fan--been a dealer and had seen the R90S Superbikes dominate the first year's AMA Superbike Championship ('76).
In '77 Butler & Smith sold the three team bikes, one of which ended up in Bakersfield at Johnny's BMW. He'd repainted the bike red (to look like the '77 R100S) and won the bike's second AMA National at Laconia -- the bike's first win was the very first AMA Superbike race, the '76 Daytona event. Anyway, by the time I discovered the now-tired old bike in the back of Johnny's shop, it didn't look much like it had when last I'd seen it at Riverside in '76. By '79 the Japanese fours had taken over American Superbike racing, the euro-twins handling advantage no longer able to stave off the Japanese horsepower advantage. I knew that if this piece of BMW racing history was broken out for another couple seasons of Battle of the Twins racing that nothing would remain for future enthusiasts to look at. Luckily, my wife understood my enthusiasm and she and my daughters bought it for me for Christmas '79 for the then-princely sum of $5000. This is what it looked like when I fetched it from Bakersfield. Johnny had sold off various pieces like the Koni monoshock, all of which I had to track down and reaquire before starting the restoration.

The restoration took the better part of a year.

[funhouse]

Originally Posted by funhouse

The restoration took the better part of a year.

Getting close

[funhouse]

Finished and took the bike to a local motorcycle show in Ojai, California. Without the numbers on the bike, most viewers thought the 90S was a normal street bike. Luckily, the judges knew what they were looking at and my family, who supported the entire project, were rewarded with a cheezie silver plate!

[funhouse]

A year's work and the battle was now to begin.....all my BMW buddies now started harping on me to go vintage racing, people at BMW meets told me I was a weenie for not riding the bike to the shows, etc.....little did they know that all I was doing was acting as care-taker until the bike could go home.....back to BMW.....this possibility was first mentioned by a BMW employee the day the K75 was intro'd in the US at a dealer show in San Diego....he told me to contact BMW if/when I ever sold the bike....I didn't want to let it go then, but filed the notion mentally.....as for riding the old dear, it had to be bumped, would not idle and got toasty hot when sitting still...shifted better than anything BMW ever built and was so noisy you couldn't hear......I rode it to Santa Paula from Ojai a few times but was never a good enough rider to push it....the team riders were never too enthusiastic about the handling so who was I to weigh in on the arguement?

[funhouse]

The two previous show pictures were 1981.....we moved to Santa Barbara from Ojai in '87 and by then was deeply into things BMW although I never broke down and made the jump to water cooling or OHC's.....

[El Hombre]

I saw the article in Cycle World a couple of years ago about you and this bike. With the race poster on the wall.

You should get in touch with Ken Augustine up in Marin county. That was his bike to wrench on. He told me some interesting stories about what they did and how he would do it better today.

Bike's back in Munich, isn't it?

Where did you find a Michelin PZ-2 front tire?

[funhouse]

Originally Posted by El Hombre

I saw the article in Cycle World a couple of years ago about you and this bike. With the race poster on the wall.

You should get in touch with Ken Augustine up in Marin county. That was his bike to wrench on. He told me some interesting stories about what they did and how he would do it better today.

Bike's back in Munich, isn't it?

Where did you find a Michelin PZ-2 front tire?

I wrote the CW piece......and Michelin got tires and the needed stickers to me during the restoration-- and Ken's likely just as interested in talking about old BMW race bikes as I am.....building wooden boats is more interesting now......Bruce

[Bigger Al]

Thanks for sharing this story, Funhouse. I'm a great admirer of what the American BMW race team was able to do with an anvil like the R90. The story in Cycle World left me wanting much more info on the bike and the way in which it "went home" to Germany, and this thread had made the light shine brighter.

[gweaver]

I don't know anything about vintage racing or BMW bikes, but that was beautiful. Always a good thing when something with history is saved, restored and preserved for the future. Well done!

Side note- I've seen it from the other side of the fence- with far less history. My first bike was an 83 Interceptor 750. Ran in to cam chain problems (again) after I'd put 40K miles on it (bought it with 12K). I sold it to buy a ZX-9R, and didn't look back until I visited the Barber Museum. They had a restored Interceptor there, and I've been kicking myself ever since. Last I heard, the guy I sold it to rode it for a couple of years and got rid of it. No idea what happened to it. Wish I could track it down and restore it.

G

[Jeffro115]

Cool tale

[supershaft]

Originally Posted by El Hombre

I saw the article in Cycle World a couple of years ago about you and this bike. With the race poster on the wall.

You should get in touch with Ken Augustine up in Marin county. That was his bike to wrench on. He told me some interesting stories about what they did and how he would do it better today.

Bike's back in Munich, isn't it?

Where did you find a Michelin PZ-2 front tire?

I haven't thought of Kenny Augustine in so long. I suspect I have gotten Augustine's and Axtell's name mixed up a few times telling stories. Is Augustine still porting heads? I hope so!!

[Hawk Medicine]

Thanks!

That was a nice read!