Hello everyone my name is Rick and last Saturday I purchased a 1976 R90/6 with 35,500 original miles. Owned by the same family since new and in near perfect condition. It is white with Krauser bags/trunk with a Luftmeister fairing. I've been away from bikes for 30 years so just getting back in the game. I have to get my license and insurance but hope to be up and running in the next few weeks. I'm in Marietta GA. and looking forward to some mountain rides. I'm sure I will have lots of questions for the forum. One right off the bat how do you post pics on this forum ?
Welcome. Common story. Myself, I was away for only maybe 15. It would be nice if I hadn't stopped riding but it's still great to be back ain't it ? Oh you gotta get the license yet? As in drivers license? This is a little more difficult game than when we were kids. In fact I never had a motorcycle drivers license when I was younger I only rode with a learners permit. Now I don't know about Georgia but here in Maryland you can get a learners permit but that only allows you to ride with other riders. Like the car learners permit you have to have a licensed rider either on the back or another motorcycle with you. It may not be as difficult in GA but I'll wager it's not what you remember from 30 years ago. OK, so just take the test? I tried that on my R90/6. Aside from an older guy that hasn't ridden in ages the R90/6 is not the easiest bike to make U-turns with and the rest of the test? Nothing that is scarey but I was not prepared. Weaving in and out with cones, straddling a narrow line, emergency stops. Some of the directions I did not actually understand. So I eventually got enrolled in a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course (that's the MSF). They do this all over the country in most states. I don't know if they do GA tho. The deal is you take a course. It includes riding their bike and when you graduate you get a certificate to show to the DMV. Pass the written test again and you get the license. So I recommend this. An alternative would be a friend that has a license and knows the routine to teach you enough to pass the test. I could pass that test today with my R90 I bet but I have been riding it now for more than ten years. And if this friend has a 250cc bike see if he will let you use it for the test.
Yeah, even think about buying a smaller Japanese bike to practice on and take your test with. For sure the MSF course - today's traffic is something you really need to be prepared for. Have fun!
Yes I am going to do the MSF course there is one available in Marietta. From what I'm told pass the MSF and you show your certificate to the license office and they upgrade your license no additional testing required. And they provide a small CC bike to use so it's a win win. I've been riding the R90 in the backyard now that's funny to watch . Between the rust of 30 years being away and a yard that is not level and the 400 lb. + bike = a wobbly ride. But I'm sure it will all come back to me in no time.
I cannot say enough good about the MSF course... I was away from bikes for thirty-plus (or was it forty??) years, until my kid got me interested in riding againl.... We both took the MSF course together, and between the small 250cc bike and the "start from scratch" approach of the course, it was a piece of cake to take the course... I did it in FL, where, if you pass the course, you show the certificate to the DMV and they add the endorsement to your regular DL. The MSF course also helped in getting insurance, a small break, but a good one. I really appreciated the emphasis on defensive driving, for my son's sake... look at everything going on around you, and assume the worst.... DO IT! There is some "book learnin'" for a couple of evenings, then a two-day, all day weekend. They literally start you off by walking over to the bike and throwing a leg over, then balance with feet on the ground, then walk it forward and put on the front brake, then walk it back... and by the end of the second day you will be doing panic stops, s-weaves, u-turns in tight spaces. Great confidence builder, and you graduate as a "parking lot ninja (!)".
Call them to see how long the waiting list is. Here, in Maryland, you have to register in February to get into the August class. Call a day later and you may be waiting till next year. If they are filled up try to get on the alternate list. Find a friend with a small bike and someone who has taken the course can show you what the test involves. With the right bike it's not hard to pass the test with a bare minimum of preparation. We can describe all the hard parts for you if it comes to that. Really. I almost passed the test at DMV with no preparation on my R90. But they only allowed so many points off and the test stops. Come back next month. I then got in the MSF course next year.
Welcome! I grew up on Yamahas and bought my first BMW nearly 4 years ago. My '87 R80RT is the best handling, most comfortable and enjoyable ride I've ever been on. I concur with taking the MSF course - good training is critical to staying alive. That course has replaced the road test here in Texas.
In my early years I had a Yamaha DS7 then a RD400 they were fun bikes. Also had a 175 enduro my last bike was a Suzuki 1000 it had triple disc brakes, shaft drive with magnesium wheels it was a very fun machine. Then started a family and thought it would be good to get out of bikes. Family all grown up and long gone out of the house so time to get back on the horse. We started young so I'm only 54 so still a pup . Really looking forward to rides on the R90.
Hey, welcome to crazy town!!!!! As far as MSF in GA goes, it has now been condensed into 2 days. I wasn't happy about that as it gives no time to talk much, and the riders at times feel like they're being pushed through. If you can spare the coin, look into a Riders Edge course. You aren't as "hurried" along, but they are more expensive. I guess Earl Small's HD is closest to you. Summer is the worst, so be prepared you're going to be very HOT! The state course in Roopville and Acworth have good instructors. Waiting list isn't too bad anymore, and if you have time you could get your learners permit which lasts for 6 months, no HWY, no night riding, no passengers. A written test is all you need. Good luck and keep us posted on the bike.!
Yes I want to do the 2 day course and get it over with I'm OK with the heat, I used to do autocrossing in Orlando FL. in the summer so the heat here is nothing . I may be rusty but have not forgotten what to do and I don't plan on going on any highways until I am really feeling comfortable in doing so. Ditto on the passenger the wife is not joining until I feel that it is safe. And Earl Small's HD is the closest for me.
Nice bike !.. You're going to love it.. Just take the MSF basic course... I took the advanced course on a K1200LT... \ Since you're not really a beginner.. Maybe the advanced course.. It's really easy and you do all the same stuff in the basic except for the beginners lecture on how a bike works...That's really what the first day is about.. "This is the clutch lever, This is the throttle." kind of thing... Did everything just fine except for the box... It was a hella windy day 45mph sustained.. Blew the LT over in the box during practice... The instructor took me aside before the "real" test and said.. "I have no doubt that you and that monster could take the box if the wind wasn't blowing like this...So here's some advice.. If you go out of the lines in the box, It's a couple points off.. If you fall over in the box you fail... I went outside the lines a little.... Good Luck, Have fun.. That's a gorgeous ride.. Many folks do away with the fairing... That's a bunch of weight on the front end...I've got a Vetter in the shop that came off my '82 R65.... John
Handsome bike... very elegant in white. Fairings, well..... some love 'em, some don't... I would vote for taking it off, iff'n you were to ask, but hey, it's "period correct" and retro, and somewhat practical (....summer in Georgia?.....) Keep us posted, we all like to see what "happens".......