I was lucky enough to buy this motorcycle from a really nice guy in my old neighborhood. Even though it wasn't quite running when I bought it in December 2002, everyone with whom I spoke advised me to go for it because the 90/6s were really great bikes.

The motorcycle had not been cranked for the better part of a year, so the first thing I did was strip the bike down. I sold the unwanted Vetter fairing and Krauser cylinder guards, and I pulled the tattered bench seat and broken pannier racks off the frame. Because of the fairing removal, the motorcycle was missing some key parts to the turn signals and headlight bucket, which would require ordering. The front fender was cracked, so I tossed that too, reserving the hardware for resale. I also removed the tank and drained it of fouled gas, as I did for the carburetor float bowls. Then I changed the oil.

With the help of my friend Howard, in May 2003 I installed short-shroud shocks and the /7 subframe, as well as alloy-body rear turn signals. (The front of the bike still lacked blinker stalks!) I also found a pair of oversize 898cc high-compression pistons (ratio = 9.5:1 as per the R90S engine) on eBay, for about half off the list price, which I boxed with my 33/11 final drive, awaiting future installation. My penultimate major coup in the process of parts acquisition was the double disc front fork and brakeset (i.e., everything but the rotors) in June 2003. With all the 90S bodywork save for the fairing shell awaiting paint renewal, I lacked only the quirky Dell'Orto carbs for my complete mechanical upgrade to 90S spec.

As spring 2003 transitioned into summer, I had my first real "catostrophic" maintenance issue on any of my Airhead bikes; with relatively little warning the transmission input shaft on this motorcycle gave up the ghost, apparently stripped, leaving the engine purring beautifully but transmitting nothing to the rear wheel in any gear. As a result, the bike was laid up for and largely neglected for the better part of a year! With some luck I was able to source a reliable replacement five-speed transmission from a 1978 /7 bike at a very reasonable price from a local enthusiast.

With other bike projects and more practical matters at hand, the drydock for the R90/6 that started as weekes and turned to months ended up being a full year, including a rainy winter parked (covered) outside on the street before I finally hauled it to my mechanic, Mick Vallantine, in August 2004 for major service, which included engine upgrades, a new front fork to cure the tracking problem, and dual front disc brakes, in addition to a new gearbox.

During the bike's time in drydock for the transmission trouble, I successfully sourced an NOS fibergalss replica S-style bikini fairing and an original R90S sports tank (with the correct raised gas cap). The tank wasn't as cost-effective as the lookalike /7 tank I had found at the start of the year, but as the scope of my restoration had grown from a cosmetic upgrade to a virtually complete match of the original 90S equipment, the proper tank bacame a more appropriate choice. I even found a pair of refurbished original R90S handlebar mounts in satin black with polished stripes at Joshua Buck's