BMW Full Custom Build - R90/6 Airhead Rebuilt from the Crankshaft UP!

Grab a snack 'cause this is a long one! This 1975 BMW R90/6 was an ideal candidate for a complete custom transformation. It was a solid runner and in good shape overall, though it was far from a perfect specimen. With over 53,000 miles, the engine was in sore need of a rebuild and had received some suspect work in the past. Additionally, the paint job looked good from afar but was far from good, with plenty of chips, small dents and some wobbly pinstripes. Some overspray had made its way onto the engine and frame as well. This video shows the enormous effort that went into turning this staid old-man BMW into a hopped-up custom done in the popular euro-bobber style.
If you'd like to see more about the work that went into this bike, there's twenty additional videos breaking down each phase of the build, where I explain the what and why of each modification and restoration process.
R90 Playlist: • BMW R90/6 Custom build
Custom touches:
⦁ Complete crankshaft up engine rebuild featuring a Seibenrock 1000cc power kit
⦁ Rebuilt heads with dual-plug conversion and larger exhaust valves
⦁ Brand new clutch kit
⦁ Lossa Engineering stainless steel cone mufflers
⦁ Refreshed front forks, cut down 100mm with new progressive-wound springs
⦁ New 420mm rear shocks hung from custom fabricated shock mounts
⦁ Refreshed final drive and new driveshaft U-joint
⦁ Custom fabricated subframe and solo seat
⦁ Single-wire dual LED taillights
⦁ Cognito Moto LED headlight modified to accept OEM BMW key switch
⦁ Motogadget Bar-end turn signals and Mirror
⦁ Motogadget M-unit Blue control unit
⦁ Motogadget Chronoclassic Tachometer/Speedometer combo on custom mount
⦁ TheMotoworks 3-button handlebar switches (designed and manufactured by me!) shop.themotowo...
⦁ Renthal 1 1/8" Fatbar handlebars with custom CNC machined clamps
⦁ Brembo brake master cylinder and clutch lever with custom stainless brake lines
⦁ Domino single-pull cable and custom 1-into-2 throttle splitter
⦁ Dyna 3 electronic ignition and Dyna dual-output ignition coils with custom plug wires
⦁ Complete scratch-built wiring harness
⦁ Cognito Moto tachometer drive block-off plug
⦁ Heidenau K60 Scout tires
⦁ A fine, fresh coating of black paint, powdercoat and grey cerakote
⦁ Much, much more!
I'm on Instagram @roodlum / roodlum

[@jaedong87]

I would totally watch the 2 hours extended version, no background music, only tools clanking, ASMR version of this! 🔥🔥🔥

[@rogerramah1754]

exactly, the music is ass I had to watch the whole thing on mute

[@viktordanisovic9520]

@@rogerramah1754 ll,l,o 9 o 9

[@viktordanisovic9520]

oò

[@viktordanisovic9520]

@@rogerramah1754 oll,,o, 99o9 lo

[@viktordanisovic9520]

l

[@Chg294]

คุณคือจิตรกรเอกของโลกในด้าน จักรยานยนตร์ ตลอดกว่า 30 นาที ที่ผมใช้ในการดูคลิปนี้ มันช่างเป็นช่วงเวลาที่ผมมีความสุขมากครับ และผมได้กดติดตามคุณแล้ว และหวังว่าจะได้รับชม ความเป็นเลิศของคุณอีกครับ

[@roodlum]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@jenkukkim8441]

Good engineer

[@onemaxlight]

the cure on detail and the job you have done give me shivers.. Compliments from italy

[@robertocentonze9653]

Complimenti! Sei molto bravo, ho 79 anni,, mi hai portato in dietro di circa 52 anni quando acquistai una BMW R 75/5 che la modificai completamente, (allora non esistevano freni a disco e montai anteriormente un tamburo a 4 ganasce) montai un serbatoio in vetroresina, una mono sella montata su piccolo telaio imbullonato sullo stesso punto dell'originale, montai una carenatura, marmitte a tromboncino, mezzi manubri, cercai anche di alleggerirla più possibile il risultato fu eccezionale (chiaramente per quei tempi che non esistevano BMW sportive), me la sono goduta per circa 5 anni, è stata la moto che mi ha dato più soddisfazioni di tutte quelle che ho avuto...Un saluto da Roma👋👍👍👍

[@cspark9186]

This guy is incredibly talented and must have vast experience working on BMW racing machines. Whether you like Cafe racers or not, you have to appreciate this level of skill.

[@paulmorris4773]

Totally agree

[@tibosalgosse940]

Kikou

[@notjoeyg666]

I like them alot they look sweet

[@janheidrich5453]

I have no idea about motorcycles nor do I consider myslef crafty in terms of motorcycles or cars. But this is impressive and looks super nice. If I ever get a motor licence I will surely try to get my hands on such a bike to ride. Well done.

[@RubiconDONN]

This was mad wizard skills and knowledge on the build. Much respect

[@danielriv4532]

FRIEND...CAI I SEEN THAT YOU KNOWS A LOT OF MOTORS AND BIKES. BYES SINCE ARGENTINA. CONGRATULATIONS.😊❤

[@JamesCouch777]

For once the KZbin algorithm suggested a top notch video! I've done lots of builds over the years and this one is amazing!

[@roodlum]

Wow, thanks!

[@questioneverything1123]

What beautiful lines as finished!!! That is / would be my dream bike, to go out and rip on the pavement for brief periods. I love that era of BMWs, I marveled my mothers' boyfriends late 70s, R90 completely factory tricked out. I used to just stop and stare at it... like a fine sculpture. In hindsight they "look so dated" to me. Then BAM, your EPIC CREATION, nip tuck, super clean chassis, everything caressing the frame closely while cruising, the country roads would be such a blast. KUDOS MAN!!! I do not ride motorcycles at this point in life. Neck and shoulder issues, make riding (even an upright cruiser) bicycle challenging for me. Living isolated, on gravel roads, in dense country, there are too many deer that influence driving on 4 wheels.

[@mooman351]

Awesome, got an r100 I have lost motivation on consider it regained!

[@flashkendall]

The subtle M division stitching on the seat 🤌🏼

[@Paradigm1976]

Great work. I love learning from folks who know what they're doing, hands down.

[@sebastianbunea5174]

Generally scared to death by motorcycles, but this BMW and generally the Cafe Racer style makes me wanna get one in the near future. I've subscribed, cannot wait for more videos like this.

[@rustynuts82]

The hours and skill required for this level of rebuild is immense. Nicely presented too.

[@Tod_Unctious]

Hi Rusty Nuts, I just checked your channel and was looking at your videos. I saw you have a review of the multistrada 620 and 1000. I will be watching this later. I had a 620 and absolutely loved it. Not a very good looking bike. I toured for nearly 2000 miles from the UK to Mulhouse and Geneva and all around the area. The bike never missed a beat. It was so comfortable, I loved it. New subscriber and catching up with your videos later 👍

[@rustynuts82]

@@Tod_Unctious my sons bike, he likes it too. The looks divide, but it was the first performance adventure in 1000 spec.

[@elfenomeno9244]

how many fields of knowledge you have to have to build something like this. hats off man.

[@Mapandacompass]

Love the Harbor Freight lift. Not greatest but the very best for restorations. Bravo Zulu

[@roodlum]

Thanks! I agree, my lift has done me well over the years. Perhaps they're not great for massive bikes, but the largest things I ever put on it are airheads or my ironhead so I've not had any trouble. Cheers!

[@barextoyogon9422]

the music gives a "how did they do it?" vibe love it. great build!

[@philtobin9510]

I'm in the process of a full transformation project at the moment, I couldn't afford an R90 though and as it's my first project of this type I've gone for a Dnepr 650, remodelling to get as close to the Rennsport RS54 only with 19" wheels. You videos have been a huge inspiration, Thank you.

[@Tod_Unctious]

Super video, super impressive build. I like it a lot. I will be watching the other individual vids you made as well. I have an R65LS from 81 which is in great original condition. Watching videos like yours make it harder to keep it original. Thanks for sharing your content and subscribed ready for more content. 👍👏👍👏

[@roodlum]

Thanks man welcome to the team!

[@GarthGoldberg]

If you ruin that R65LS then there is a special place for you. You could go for a custom paint job, but otherwise you'll ruin a bike that is very fun to ride as is.

[@haru_kitsune_shiba]

0:03　it's mint Condition! 　I can't believe you destroyed your precious and very beautiful BMW R90.

[@jeremyfreeman78]

The bike was far from being in mint condition, many parts were not original to the bike.

[@ADDvanced]

This is awesome. Dude we are now friends.

[@nikolajskrabelj]

Young boy , brilliant work .

[@fortismonsadventures]

So glad I found this - well done! Subscribed.

[@markocernic8659]

You are the MAN !!! Insane work. Wonderful bike. I wish . . . .

[@schlappimichael8351]

Amazing. What a craftsman! I wish I had such marvellous skills! Thanks a lot for sharing.

[@paulmorris4773]

Awesome video, just aquired a 1980 r100. Farthers old bike stood for 23 years. I was thinking of what to do with it, I now know what I am going to try and do with it. I think I am watching all the other vids, great work.

[@benitopussolini544]

Yes, totally butcher your dad's old bike that probably meant a lot to him.he,d probably be heartbroken.dont do it!

[@Lux-Exterior]

Please consider just getting it up and running properly. Then ride it! Bit by bit do Minor performance mods like upgrading suspension, brakes, fork brace and maybe exhaust. Then ride it some more! Too many of these airheads are getting hacked up. They’re great bikes as is. I regret selling my r90/6 almost everyday

[@paulmorris4773]

@@benitopussolini544 I hear you but, the bike need to be ridden and this is the only way its going to see the light of day with me on it. I think he would be more heartbroken with what I am doing to the ZZR1100, thats another story.

[@CaseyAcaster]

woah...right when I thought I might keep my R80 rebuild stock I find this. Very inspiring and excellent work on this build and video. Stoked to see what other machines you've built 👏

[@roodlum]

Thank you! Take that bike and make something cool!

[@imsgoalie1]

That motor looked pretty clean coming apart, tbh. Somebody gave a damn about that bike. I ride an old ass 1100 Shadow that I'm doing a little this and that to in order to make it less Chrome Boat-y. The motogadget led lighting, grips and mirrors looked familiar. But now that I saw what a cool thing you did with the ignition switch...I'm tempted to bust out the step drill and take apart my little cheesy chromed stock one... That was a slick touch!

[@zacharias_b]

damn the algorithm, this is a top notch video! Great music selection too

[@GeorgiyMorozov77]

Замечательный, отлично реализованный проект. Ребят, вы - молодцы!

[@filipshulikov143]

I am absolutely envious of people with your talent. One day! Amazing work bro

[@Hawk7886]

Keep working and practicing, dude! Talent is found through repetition.

[@Walrus647]

Wonderful job man. Fantastic fab work!

[@TechnMoto]

Dam dude. Job well done!

[@torokun]

Beautiful work

[@MonoStev]

I love this kind of videos, your work its great so here you have a new subscriber. I hope you get beter numbers, your work deserve it

[@roodlum]

Thank you so much!

[@elcin1229]

Very nice performance

[@chrisstclair3954]

That's a piece of art.You did an amazing work . What a beauty.

[@IASONASful]

Excellent work!!! Congrats!!!

[@kryptotrader4699]

What a bike! nice job bro!

[@agussugiarto3488]

Nice build...

[@konstantinosampatzidis9856]

CONGRATS ! THE BEST MECHANICAL BUILDER EVER ! I LIKE TO SEE YOU WORKING AND BUILDING THE BIKE !

[@davilozada]

I’m from Brazil, great job man, i’ts a perfect bike.

[@robertcondra1920]

Very talented guy

[@fryhy7724]

I'm taking off my hat. Absolute beauty and great professional work!

[@nikolajskrabelj4503]

Young boy , very good work.

[@fruityloop_8]

Wicked tattoo man! Nice bike too :)

[@roodlum]

Hey, thanks!

[@flashkendall]

Your shop is sick

[@croracer1987]

Thanks for this awesome video, i was spellbound. Amazing work dude, big big respect. Crazy looking bike

[@mohamadzaidi6378]

great job

[@AlphaMachina]

Sub-freaking-scribed! Beautiful, man. You're a damn wizard. Such a clean bike to start with, too. Someone took care of it.

[@agussugiarto3488]

Genius man rebuild bike.....wonderful.

[@manfredbock2929]

Super

[@mabrouk5058]

Mechanical mastery. What a fantastic looking bike. Sounds awesome 👍

[@gregd.88]

Love this bike. I would put some mud guards front and back but cool bike man.

[@meliquidlightning]

you did such a great work with that motor, holly molly, honestly, such a talent!!

[@martinberger9975]

Wow....and you did it all by yourself, no help? SUPER!

[@BossRosterGhostGamer]

Superb💓

[@malcolmmathers2690]

good stuff interesting ive justed on a r65 not really sure wich way I'm going with it yetill just run with the flow i think

[@ughidontcareok]

Beautiful bike dude!

[@roodlum]

Thanks!

[@benjaminday5238]

Such an awesome video

[@roodlum]

thanks!

[@alexwotherspoon5630]

What an amazing build 👍 Fantastic work

[@sinushkin]

you are the first who started correcly (withoug dragging legs)

[@jeffreylindop5782]

great talent, and great work.

[@monty00701]

Great job brother!!

[@motosviejas6380]

Killer BMW clasic

[@leopan723]

Great Job！👍🏻How much for the bike and how much for custom it？😮

[@saintjackass6445]

I never skipped this video! Good job!salute! I just subscribed btw👍🏻.. u deserved it!

[@Llamadosalvaje]

Cool! Congrats from Chile!

[@Hunterhere2959]

Awesome work bro

[@Ammon6]

Wow great stuff man

[@ВладимирИльин-ш1б]

Новая жизнь старой техники! Здорово!

[@vargasmax]

That thing is nice af

[@ShinmenTakezoVgbnd]

Wow! Nice build!!!

[@roodlum]

Thanks!

[@waldi2302]

You got me I subcribed. You did a great job, plus you are the first one I saw do the electric stuff right.

[@roodlum]

Thanks, welcome!

[@jochenwagner5170]

K like your Loft. Someday I’ll come over.

[@johnwest7233]

Mate, your a pleasure to watch 👍🏼

[@Maciste982]

Fantastic!!! Monster!!!!

[@samirsomos171]

Great job, man. 👌👌👑🥰

[@geebee1689]

Awesome vid, came across you whilst watching cafe racer garage, subscribed instantly.

[@ashernaeem7722]

What a beautiful and skillful build where you got the exhaust from?

[@roodlum]

Those are OEM pipes ceramic-coated and a pair of cone mufflers from Lossa Engineering

[@betod63]

very good result. One thing that strikes me about this type of modification is the drastic change in the working angle of the rear shocks: it feels very stiff to ride?

[@roodlum]

The shock manufacturer design the damping and spring rates in order to work at this angle. In fact, it's a lot like the factory shock placement on the later monolever R80's and R100's (Like my R100GSPD)

[@Nicolchu_]

What a splendid looking machine / work of rolling Art & Design... Couldn't help focusing on the tattoo you got, inspired by De Stijl? Thanks for a wicked video dude👍

[@TheGorillafoot]

It's sweet man. Love the horizontally opposed piston motor.

[@TheHamnicam]

星間 is very good name!!! I like it!!

[@eskanderx1027]

Pure art.

[@scottgibbs5903]

Respect

[@godsangryhands4499]

I enjoyed this! Great Job!

[@LoganFan]

Excellent job!

[@denisokhrimenko8078]

Дуже гарно виглядає! Але я не можу не думати про шанс впасти жопою на колесо на такому мотику. Може є якась амуніція з посиленим захистом жопи для такого типу мотоциклів?

[@wuttmodel3232]

So cool sir

[@PauloMartins-pt3bh]

Estou daqui do Brasil acompanhando seu trabalho! Parabéns , sucesso!

[@paulmcb9070]

That will be sweet when you finish it.

[@semihbas2262]

Çok güzel yaptı ya

[@petebike]

Every time a vintage R bike gets crapped into a cafe bike, the world becomes a little less awesome.

[@mberrey45]

Agreed. Turning it into a Cafe racer ruins the history and character of the machine. Unfortunate.

[@TomSarros-bj2mq]

I agree was a beautiful bike now a junker!!!

[@lpalokan]

A good reason to have two of them!

[@GarthGoldberg]

It wasn't an ideal candidate for a chop and bob job. Why couldn't he find a bike that actually was in need of a full restoration, maybe a neglected barn find? Not a nice and mostly complete R90/6 with a custom two-tone paint job and a dual disc conversion. It looked like this bike needed nothing other than a couple pairs of side covers and knee pads to be a really nice machine. It's now one of these nearly unrideable, mostly useless two wheel sculptures that will never be ridden farther than to the nearest wheels and coffee. Such a waste.

[@bogdangrishchuk6607]

That’s entirely subjective. It could also be argued that a boring 40 year old bike was transformed by a very skilled craftsman into a work of art. And art is subjective, you don’t have to like it. but you should be able to appreciate the sheer amount of effort that was put in

[@Thewatson77]

Very nice work and such a pleasurable video to watch. Thank you for the video. You’ve got a new subscriber here.

[@roodlum]

Thanks and welcome aboard!

[@selcukyilmaz4884]

you are genius ! 👏👏👏

[@roodlum]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@dozer877]

Amazing content!

[@chil5150]

Awesome!!!