A common question in new Airhead ownership is what should be done in putting one of these sleeping beauties back on the road.  Whether you’ve just inherited your father’s old motorcycle or jumping in the world of vintage bikes, there are some things you should know before trying to start up a bike that has been dormant for some time.  The reason of course is there can be a lot of unknowns in how the bike was stored, how dirty the internals were, what critters decided to make the bike their home, all things that can cause a lot of damage if one were to simply put new gas in it and charge up the battery and have a go at it.

We’ve just acquired a 1975 R90S that had been in storage for the last 20 years and thought this would be a good opportunity to show how to get one of these bikes running without causing any damage.  The basic goal at this point is to get the bike to where it is running well enough to ride it around to be able further assess other minor issues at a later date.

Here are the basic steps we use here.  It’s not meant to  be the definitive guide, but rather an example of the process.  Each section can be elaborated upon by clicking on it;

1. Getting Ready
2. Inspection of the bike
3. Change all oils (engine, transmission, final drive and driveshaft oils)
4. Adjust valve clearance / torque cylinder head bolts
5. Set static Timing for both cylinders and adjust points gap
6. Set initial carb settings

This covers the basics.  Once the bike is running it is easier to find little issues that might go unnoticed when the bike is just sitting there.