BMW
1976 BMW R75/6 Cafe Racer
Previous Incarnations of this bike:
Lester Mags w/Avon's, CC products fork brace, /7 front fender, S-Fairing with home made wind shield, SWB /5 Corbin gunfighter, home made 'fender eliminator',
Lockhart turn signals.
This was my first BMW. Here is what the bike looked like when I bought it (ugly):
I removed the back rack and added bags shortly after buying it:
The guy I bought the bike only had it for about a month. He had a slow speed fall on it, evident by the slightly bent handlebars and scraped valve cover. He sold it to me cheap, and it was in good mechanical condition. However, I did not realize that
he did not have an overflow tube in the battery. I bought it at the end of the season and it sat in an unheated garage over the winter and then was stored outside for the first 3 months of the following season. The acid from the battery caused surface rust on the swingarm and frame. I drove it around like this until I bought the 1980 R100T and
then decided it was time to clean it up.
I touched up the frame & subframe with spray paint. It actually came out pretty well and has lasted. I painted the bodywork myself with spray paint in the garage. Though not bad, it did not quite work out as planned (Picture below). After trying to do this myself, I would suggest having it done professionally. With a compressor and better quality paint, it is possible to do a good job at home, I have seen stuff done by a local guy in his garage and backyard and it is impressive. I picked up a rat seat cheap at a local dealer. Up close it was not pretty, but better than the King and Queen monster that was on there.

I picked up a large tank from a local BMW mechanic. I had the paint professionaly done. The color is 2000 BMW automobile Steel Gray. I picked up and almost new /6 seat at a swapmeet. It was not chaep. Replaced the exhaust, took off the bar end mirrors and put on an origianl stem mirror and grips, new foot rubber, headlight bucket, and so on.
I also had the small 'sport' tank painted:
I got a good deal on a R90/6. I swapped out all of the nice body work that I had on the R75/6 with the body work that was on the R90/6 as well as the orignal chrome turn signals, fork tube caps & shock covers. Seat is repro stock seat from Eurotech Motorsports.
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