It was another splendid summer late afternoon walk to Skinner Butte; this has been the nicest summer in recent memory: cool, fresh and brilliant clear air. So what would greet Lil’ Man and and me as we arrived at the top? The smell of pot wafting from numerous cars, which were a diverse melange. Here’s a Monte Carlo, next to a Prius, next to a Jeep next to a VW T2 bus. Recreational marijuana is legal in Oregon, but technically it’s not legal to smoke in public, hence the popularity of this spot for the purpose. But there was more than pot heads here today.
This fine BMW R90/6 is one of the most desirable airhead Beemers ever.
Of course lovers of this breed will debate endlessly as to which one was the best. The 900 (and 1000) was never quite as smooth as the 750 and the even smoother and smaller 600 and 500 (less reciprocating mass). But it sure brought a new measure of power to the family, given its 60 hp and only a bit over 450 lb weight. Of course 60 hp seems like a joke nowadays, but it was a big deal in 1973 for a BMW, as was the five speed transmission and disc brake.
That’s only some 7 hp less than the 2.0 L airhead boxer four in this late T2 VW van. Too bad I didn’t hear it laboring up the steep road to the summit. Not that it wouldn’t have made it; VW buses have been climbing very steep roads in the Alps since the beginning, with all of 25 hp. It’s all in the low gearing (and low expectations).
I didn’t get a shot of it, but the VW logo has been replaced by a Grateful dead logo. Naturally.
Here’s a crop.
So not the most stellar finds ever on Skinner Butte, but it seems like there’s always something worth shooting here, never mind the views.
Grampa; why do all these folks come up here anyway? Couldn’t they just smoke their pot at home? And I don’t see any view.
Two airheads at the same time (actually 4). Great find. Both have great memories for me.
Last time I was up at Skinner Butte I parked my ’65 Chrysler Valiant Custom 200 (per se) next to a beautiful old Mercedes fintail station wagon with 4-on-the-tree. That was over two decades ago. Now get the hell offa my lawn! Damn kids got no respect…grumble…
The R90/6 is a great find. Just needs paint and would be perfect.
I’ll bet this location was the inspiration for the Simpson’s Seymour Skinner’s name.
Yup, Eugene Skinner founded the place, and we’re just across the river from Springfield. Most Simpson regulars are named after place-names around Portland.
I had that exact same R90/6 back in the early 80’s. Still have very fond memories of it.
The gen4 RAV4 on the other side of the bike is truly a bellybutton car (“everybody has one”).
Never even noticed it…..
Just like the 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 my brother has. Drove it for the first time this past Tuesday, and there will never be catalogs of restoration parts published for it. Trust me. The most bland, personality less vehicle possibly ever made. And no real truck has a knob on the dash to shift the transfer case.
Sure, the T2s made lots of climbs in the cool Alps, but on Interstate 5, just south of hot, dry Bakersfield, CA is a VERY long, steep climb to Frazier Park (known as the Grapevine). This grade is notorious for killing T2s……too much gradient, too little cooling air from the side intakes…..bingo, cracked cylinder head!
I though the Grapevine was gonna kill the overloaded and tired Freestar I as driving too. What stinks is that truckers use the shoulder as an extra lane so pulling over is hard to do.
Lil’ Man is looking fine. Nice shiny coat and happy tongue.
I was barely a teenager in the early 70’s. There was a motorcycle gang in my town, and of course they all rode chopped Harleys, except for one very classy guy who rode a stock BMW 750. I loved how quiet those bikes were.
It may have influenced my taste in motor vehicles because to this day, I can’t stand the sound of a loud Harley, or the typical lumpy V8 rumble. I prefer Tesla like silence or at least the mechanical sophistication of a high revving 4 or 6 cylinder engine.
You my friend, simply do not like engines….
Always amazes me what still exists in other parts of the country. I don’t know how Joseph Dennis finds all his classics here in Chicago (and he does a heck of a job writing them up too.)
I have a theory on this area. In ’77 there was a huge blizzard and Mayor Bilandic was seen as not responding enough with salt and plows, and as a result he lost the next election to Jane Byrne. Ever since, Chicago responds to the tiniest snow with a metric ton of salt and and a million plows, lest the same electoral demise befall the mayor.
You should check out Montana or deep in Appalachia for odd ball and/or tired vehicles still puttering along.
My brothers 2008 Dodge, in its defense, has been a wonderfully reliable rig. He bought new, now has 143K on the clock. But after driving it this past Tuesday, there is nothing memorial about it. It has been just a couple of days, and the only thing I remember is the gauge faces are white. It might as well said “Wonder Bread” on the steering wheel
Back from the late 1940’s through the early 1980’s Dodge trucks were mostly sold on reliability , not the flash offered by GM and to a lesser extent , Ford trucks….
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I seriously miss my 1980 D150 short bed Dodge , properly equipped it was a beast , I overloaded it constantly and all I had to do was drive slower…
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Those BMW R/6’s were very nice indeed but the front brake master cylinder being hidden under the tsnk and cable operated was a serious failure in safety ~ the previous /5’s dual leading shoe front brakes worked far better .
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-Nate
Forgot to add this $150 gem I recently found in the Desert , 1975 , no body wants to save it =8-( .
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-Nate