1973
BMW R90S
Colours used
in this example.
Smoke silver and graphite set the main colour direction. Softer background tones keep the motorcycle in focus.
Suggested pencil shades, not exact factory paint matches. Test colours on your paper before building richer layers.
Blend darker edges around a pale centre.
Keep pinstripes thin.
Keep the saddle centre lighter than its edges.
Reserve white strips for reflections.
Leave the mountain snow mostly white.
Look a little closer.
Explore the details from different angles.
Later R90S museum example
BMW Museum display motorcycle in the later Daytona Orange scheme. Use the silver palette below for a 1973 finish.
Photo: Jiří Sedláček · Source · CC BY-SA 4.0Right cylinder and carburettor
R 90 S engine detail. The photographer identifies the motorcycle as a later Daytona Orange example.
Photo: Lothar Spurzem · Source · CC BY-SA 2.0 deLeft cylinder detail
Later Daytona Orange R 90 S. Useful for alloy, black fins and polished surfaces.
Photo: Lothar Spurzem · Source · CC BY-SA 2.0 de1974 cockpit comparison
A 1974 R 90 S instrument view. Closely related to the early road model.
Photo: K1200RSRIDER · Source · CC01974 front wheel comparison
A 1974 R 90 S wheel, brake and fork detail.
Photo: K1200RSRIDER · Source · CC0Original factory colours
For a 1973 R90S, use Smoke Silver: pale silver fading into dark charcoal. BMW records Daytona Orange as a later introduction.
- Smoke SilverFairing, tank and seat cowl
- Smoke shadingSoft shaded edges
Screen swatches are a colouring guide rather than exact paint matches.
Daytona Orange reference photographs show a later scheme. The swatches simplify a sprayed gradient and are not paint formulas.
In the photographs
The bodywork photographs show the later orange-and-silver Daytona Orange scheme. BMW records Smoke Silver at the 1973 launch and Daytona Orange one year later. The engine, cockpit and wheel details remain useful references for materials.
- Orange-yellow, later scheme
- Silver
Visual colour guide only. These are not additional factory paint options.
In the coloured example
The silver-and-grey example is based on the launch Smoke Silver family. Its shading is a simplified pencil interpretation of the soft factory fade.
Make the details count.
Shade the tank and fairing from graphite edges into a silver centre.
Keep the windscreen pale enough to see its original outlines.
Leave white mountain ridges to separate the distant peaks.
Follow your curiosity.
Model history and further reading.