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Tell us about yourself and your bike!

Just another BMW Nut's story.....

OK, we'll keep it short and sweet.....

My name's John, and I've been riding since 1971. At the tender age of 16, within a month after buying my first bike (a Suzuki 90 Savage Steet/dirt), a car pulled out in front of me while I was going 45 mph and I went right into the guy's passenger door. A broken left leg, broken left arm (in 2 places) three broken ribs, a collapsed lung and a concussion had me in the hospital for a month and in casts for about six more. However, you can't keep a good (or stupid) man down, and within two years bought another new bike, a 1973 Honda CB 450.

Since then, I've had about a dozen bikes, all the Japanese makes, and have just enjoyed riding in general. Having kids made it difficult to do any serious touring, but I'd get out on the odd weekend and ride all day on a Saturday to get my fix.

I joined the MOA in 1996, just before buying my first BMW, a 1981 R65, which I kept and enjoyed for two years before financial difficulties forced me to sell it. I regretted that move ever since. I decided to find another R65 last year, and found what I was looking for in the MOA "Flea Market", a 1984 R65 owned by a retired German Butcher living in Lynchburg, VA. I got a good deal on it and have been replacing this and that on it as needed. I named her "Britta" and she has been a good companion so far. I've even convinced my girlfriend to take up riding, and even though she doesn't ride a Beemer yet (she still is enjoying her first scoot, a '98 Suzuki 650 Savage), I might get her to "come over to the Deutsche side".

I'll figure I'll keep Britta at least until I can afford my "dream bike", a R1200C Classic. Then again, I may just keep her after I can get my "dream bike". It'd be a kick to have more than one bike in the stable!

Now that my kids are older (one is finally in college), it's a bit easier to get out and go places. Maybe I'll get to a few rallies this year. Hope to see you on the road!

Gute Reisen!
 
its all about me

Hello everyone! Im Gene Sly (the computer guy). I am 42 going on 21 and here is my story.

In 1971 i got my first bike a 1970 honda trail 50 (hard tail). 2 weeks after my 16th birthday I got my cycle endorsment and didnt own a bike, but I knew that one day I would. In 77 i got my first real bike a 1973 CT 175 (yamaha). In 78 i joined the marines and moved my bike to Beaufort SC (MCAS Beaufort) After a very short time I relised that taking my 175 off road in the salt water marshes was not a good idea. The salt water trashed the bike... oh well lesson learned. So i picked up a 1973 honda CB 175 for a song. rode it to the beach and around town but getting on the highway was not a good idea.... so in 1980 i sold it and bought a 79 KZ650 basket case (no frame). Got a frame and assembled the bike on a sunday and was riding it before dark. I put 26,000 miles on that bike from november to june the next spring. Including a trip to michigan in feb. ( a story in its self) Had a couple of very close calls on the highway and lost my nerve and desier to ride on the street and sold the bike. In 1985 I bought a 84 CAN AM 250 ASE. and put plates on it. Rode the 6 days of michigan in 1987 (750 miles off road in 6 days) and broke my frame on day 5. Sold that bike and bought another just like it with no miles on it. In 94 i traded it for a Yamaha 850 spec. with 8k miles on it. In 99 my wife left me and i lost intrest in the bike and riding (no one to share it with), so it sat. one day i pushed it to the curb with a sign "free to a good home" and it was gone.

in 2000 i got the bug for snowmobiling and bought a Ski-doo! Met a wonderful woman and we began snowmobileing togeher! I have some one to share with! So... we are sitting around with no snow and i said we should take a trip to key west. She said that was a great idea.... i said well if you want to make it a trip you will never forget we should do it on a bike. She explained that she had only riden once back in collage and the guy scared the crap out of her and she didnt think she could enjoy it but was willing to try. So we took a drive to the BMW dealer in grand rapids. (what great ppl). We took the 2003 K1200LT for a test drive. she said " i never knew it could be so fun! I smelled horses!" She was hooked! Well the K1200lt was just a little to heavy for me and so the sales person interdused me to a guy that had a K1100LT, and soon we will have a 93 K1100LT! :D .

We both learned very quick that the BMW comunity was one that we wanted to be a part of. So... Key West the end of the month... rally in july. Ski-doo factory in CAN in aug. are our planed trips so far and we havent even seen the bike yet ;)

Look forward to meeting new friends and volunteering at the rally!

Gene
 
new

I'm 43, divorced, been living in the SF Bay area for most of my life. Got into riding as a "mid-life" crisis :).....
Started riding 2 years ago, for commuting to work. With the help of some friends at work, got into a MSF class and learned how to ride. Got a F650 GS (1998) used and put about 6K a year on so far. Been a lot of fun riding but haven't taken any long trips anywhere. Not geared up for that yet.

Got 2 dogs (see Campfire) live in a house near the SF airport. Just a beginner and still learning. Taken some nice rides out to the coast, but with my job taking me to Asia 40% of my time, I get limited weekends to ride.

Mainly communte on the bike as often as I can, up and down 101 or 280.

I'm looking to get a R1150RS...will be interesting how this differs from the F...besides having more power and being heavier. Thank you for all the information in the Oilhead Forum. I'll keep reading and learning.
 
Hi, my name is Ed Frajer, and I'm more a forum reader than a poster....I took an early retirement in September while living in MT, hopped on my Heavy Cruiser and set a roundabout six week course for OH, while visiting friends along the way...I've ridden on and off since the early 80's around the country...got away from it while raising a family....then came back several years past....I had always wanted a BMW GS (especially when riding in the MT, CO and NC mountains)...so, I picked up a 2004 R1150GS when spring finally got to OH...since I've had it, I've wondered why I waited so long? What a machine! So I guess better late than never...I'm looking forward to attending rides and ralleys in the future and getting good info from the other members.
 
Hey Byrd

Welcome to the mostest funnest forum on the net. Is this your first beemer? Did you post a picture?
 
Thanxs for the kind words....yes, this is my first...I've owned American, Italian and Japanese iron and years ago took out an airhead but it didn't take...after laying down many street miles..I began to see the limitations of the experience while yearning for the freedom of a dual purpose ride...the GS (for me) just gave me more smiles per mile than any other......I'll have to post a pic as soon as I can figure out the process (still new to posting + chatting).....edf:snore
 
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Another FNG!

Hello all, from a brand new BMW owner/rider.

I'm a retired aircraft mechanic, and live in North Idaho, just a few miles east of Spokane. I started riding motorcycles nearly 40 years ago, and my first bike was a well used and abused 1965 Ducati 250CC single. I've owned several other bikes over the years, but this is my first BMW.

MY S.O. and I wanted a bit more long distance touring capability than my metric V-twin cruiser offered, so we went with a new 2004 K1200LT. We're hoping to take several 1000 mile weekend rides this summer, and maybe a longer trip in the fall. We'll definately be at the rally in Spokane.

See y'all there!

JetDoc
 
Hidy ho. I don't think I ever properly introduced myself so here goes....

My name is Rob English and I live in Sheldonville, Mass with my wife, two children, five horses, one dog, two barn cats, and countless unidentified four legged creatures. I'm an AARP member (over 50) and have been riding dirtbikes all my life and am a member of two off road bike clubs, one of which I serve as the "public relations officer" for; King Philip Trail Riders .

I grew up in Conowingo, Maryland and left there in '72 for the great beyond. After a calamity of events I ended up taking a sales job in '74 with a chemical manufacturer and covered New England and New York. I moved to the Boston area from Hartford in '79 and have been here ever since. I had a ski place and season's pass in Killington Vermont from 1975 - '89, skiing in excess of 50 days/year for all of those years. While skiing was a big part of my life for many years, life demands have limited my skiing to an occaisional weekend or trip west for a few days now. Skiing is a natural compliment to a dirt rider and both use the exact same skills IMHO.

I have been an antique vehicle enthusiast all my life and have had more old cars and trucks than I can count; in excess of 60 at least. My interest of the last dozen or so years has been focused to a narrow bandwidth of vintage GMC haulers. I run a website and forum for old GMC trucks and serve as a technical advisor for vintage GMC trucks for a national club and GM Media Archives department. I also write a vintage GMC column for Vintage Truck magazine.

My personality is one which generally has about 30 projects running simultaneously. For my paying job, I run a wholesale distribution company which I founded fifteen and a half years ago. I am a strong believer in supporting clubs and organizations that advance things that I'm interested in, like MOA among others.

My biggest kick in life is resurrecting an old vehicle that has been given up for dead, and helping people. Most evenings in summer you'll find me skinning my knuckles in my garage on an old GMC or tapping away responses on my keyboard to questions from people around the globe on vintage GMC trucks. I have assembled a large library of vintage truck reference materials and "automobilia" relative to old GMC and my goal is to take over our horse barn and convert it to a musuem pretty much identical to the one featured in the ON a few months ago which the vintage BMW enthusiast had built in his backyard on Long Island. That is the ultimate dream for me. Right now though, horses have the superior position but that novelty will wear off as my kids are now teenagers and soon (5 years?) the barn will be mine...mine...all mine! Muuuh-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
:lol
I bought my '96 RT used in '01 from my buddy and business associate, Russ Freed of Houston TX, who is fanatical about care and maintenance of his stuff; he gave me a binder and an Excel spreadsheet with the total history on the bike of everything from the original dealer papers, maintenance records, to parts and accessory purchases. I would meet up with Russ at conventions around the country and we would usually arrive a day or two early and rent bikes and tour the area we were visting. That gave me a great exposure to a lot of different riding (and bikes!)

Russ took a year off from life and spent a summer touring. He rode up from Houston in '00 and we took a week long tour from Boston to Canada by way of Vermont back roads and after switching off my H-D Road King on to his RT for a few hours, I was totally hooked on the two wheeled gyroscope! I told Russ that if he were to ever think about selling the bike, to please call me first. He called 18 months later to report he bought a new K bike and a Ducati 900 monster and he needed to unload the RT. A deal was struck, the bike was delivered, and the rest is history.

I don't have a picture of me on the Beemer, but here's my smiling face after returning from a day of playing in the mud!
KooknMud.jpg

Do I get the longest story award?
 
Guten tag....
My name is mark, 33, living in the wonderful state of Wisconsin. Married with a 3 year old girl. I can still remember my first motorcycle ride at the age of 5 on the back of my uncles bike. I was hooked from the get go. He used to take me to get ice cream on the back of it.
I learned top ride on my grandfathers bike at 15, and got my first ride shortly after. I had the choice of a bike or a car, and chose the bike. It was a 1975 Honda hawk 450, and I thought the world of it. Rode it until winter, and then walked. Sold it after a year or so for a Suzuki 1100 GS, way to much bike for a 17 year old kid. Road that for a while, then moved up to a Honda VF1000F interceptor. Road that all through college, and then I saw a K1.
That changed everything, fell in love with beemers.
I bought a '93 K1100LT (Big Blue) 9 years ago. Bought because the wife was tired and scared of riding on the interceptor. She's ridin on the back of it once. She decided it wasn't the actual bike that scared her, but all bikes. Should have bought the K1.
The second BMW was a kids peddle GS, bought for my daughter when she was 6 months old. She is looking forward to when she can get a big bike, she wants a red one, or a vintage black one. She never complains when we go to the Dealer to look at bikes, also she agrees with me that harleys are just to loud.
Mark
 
Hi...I'm Cathy McCorkle and I live in Columbia, SC with my best friend and companion, Gus. I have a daughter 24 and a son 20, who both live in Chester, SC. I have had my K12RS for a year now and I love it. I have only been riding (single) for about 3 years; started out on a 1500 Kawasaki Vulcan Classic, but was quickly converted to the BMW and a much more fun ride.

I put 38,000 miles on my K12 in the year that I have had it and in the process managed to take 2nd place in SC in mileage (lost 1st by 15 miles) and placed 16th in the Womens National ratings.

We have had some great journeys to wonderful destinations. Many, knowing where we were intending to end up, but not exactally how we were going to get there. Never knowing what was around the corner and we found some pretty interesting stuff. Believe me, with my partner riding a GS I was into a lot of precarious situations....mud, water, gravel, sand.... While attending the Winter Rally in Florida, we managed to get off the beaten path a bit...Gus said I looked as if I were in the Paris Dakar (there was so much sand flying) That's when I found that sand doesn't hurt (actually, it was a good cushion):p

But it has all been great. We have been to wonderful places and met alot of neat people. We are heading out to Spokane for the National this year and plan to do some major touring in the 2 1/2 weeks that we travel. We are going after our 1500 miles in 36 hours too. We did 1000 in 24 last year on our way to Sturgis and Wyoming and Montana, but did not document it, so we decided to do it right this time and get them both.

Hope to meet some of you guys at the rallys this year. Be safe and look us up...:wave
 
I was just sitting here reading this thread, greywolf from SC, kook from MA and MarkLT from WI and was thinking about how cool it is that there are people all over the country who now know a little more about each other. I don't know about you guys, but I'm really looking forward to putting some faces with the names at the national.
 
KBasa,
It is awesome when you get to places, whether its rallies or just on the road, and start talking to other riders and find out that you have already been talking to them off and on for awhile.

Hope to meet you at the National and I'm sure that I will meet alot of new people.

Be safe....
 

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My introduction (a copy of reply "H-D to BMW switch"

As you can see, my first post on the board.

My experience is the reverse. It has been BMW to H-D. After riding BMW for about 15 years I switched to H-D for the simple reason that NA and my good local dealer parted company in about 1995. The result was the prospect of at least a 80 mile ride for routine service, something I did not want to do. I remembered how it was when I had to take the day off to drive to Indianapolis to have my old 356C Porsche serviced. That was for the birds and I vowed never to have to do that again.

The other problem I had was the styling of the "new" bikes. IMHO they looked like copies of what the Japanese were producing. They still do. So I'll still be "out of the fold", so to speak, unless we get a dealer in Terre Haute and we get distinctive styling from BMW (Yes, I know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.)

The local H-D dealer is, of course, a boutique, just like the excellant dealer, Revard, in Indianapolis. More's the pity. I wish there was a place to kick back and argue bikes, politics, religion and smoke cigars but I guess those days are gone forever.

Retirement just provides too much time to think and rant. Maybe I'll relent and find me an old airhead and maybe Revard's will service it.

For your interest, my mileage log on BMW reads 180,000 and on H-D 90,000. The BMW roster has included :
'82 R65
'84 R80RT
'86 R65LS
'85 K100RS
'88 K100RS
'90 K100RS
'92 K100LT
'64 R69S
'85 R80/EML sidecar in both RS and RT configurations
'90(I think) K75C

The Harleys have been relaxing to ride and trouble free. Sure, they "appear" to be archaic in styling and engineering but I can tell you they are not. I still ride through all types of weather and ride all through the winter months and the bikes suit me. Still would like an old airhead in the stable, though.

Take care and ride safe!
 
I went from Japanese bikes, to British bikes had a couple Harleys, a '69xlch (possibly the worst motorcycle ever produced in the modern era) and a 48 45cuin. I should have never sold that bike. It was slow as hell, but ran like a top and was fun to ride. Went back to Japanese, then to BMW. I like my bike because of its great torque, stunning brakes, and the most advanced suspension system designs in the industry. Plunk 300 pounds of rider and camping gear on an R1 and see how much fun that is after about 800 miles.
I do a fair amount of 2 up riding, and the R1150RS is great for this. I may not have the fairing of an LT, but I normally have no use for it. Take off the bags and crank out the rear preload and it is plenty sporty for me. I hope the engine will last like the old bikes do, time will tell. I picked it up on Jan 14, and I have 5k miles so far. I have 0.9 financing, and I have yet to make a payment. (with BMW's permission, of course:D ) I have been totally satisfied with my bike and the service from my dealer. If I had a crystal ball though I have a feeling the RS would get some company in the near future.
 
Tell us about yourself

My name is Paul Craven, I'm 53. I started riding when I was 16 on a Honda 305 Scrambler. Over the years I've owned a BSA, Ducati, a '52 panhead and a couple others. Bought my first beemer in 1979, an R80/7, and never looked back. Took that bike cross country for 3 months in the summer of '79. That was the best thing I ever did for myself. Rode it year-round in Rhode Island until my first child was born and my wife made me stop riding. It was a hard day the day I sold that bike, 32,000 miles in 2 years.

Every summer after that I would point out a beemer to my wife while we were in the car. Amazingly 2 years ago, she looked at me and said, "You really want another bike don't you." She relented and the next day I bought a 1981 R100RT with 36,000 on it. I guess she figures the kids are old enough now and I have enough life insurance.

The RT didn't have a fairing, so I pieced together parts on eBay and other places, had the fairing repainted black. Gary Van Voorhis, Yankee Beemers, worked on it for me. The bike was originally from California so it had all the emission control stuff on it. Gary removed that, adjusted the valves, balanced the carbs and it has run like a dream since.

I've added 10,000 to the Odometer over the last 2 years. This winter I'm planning a top end and tranny rebuild, maybe get the tank etc repainted. She's not the prettiest R100RT you'll ever see, but, she is a joy to ride and looking good for a 23 year old bike.

I work in Wash. DC but still live in Rhode Island. I fly home almost every weekend. Three weeks ago I rode the Beemer down here so I can explore the VA and W VA rodes. Did a weekend camping trip to the Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Pkwy two weeks ago and had a great time.

Hoping to meet up with some riders in the DC metropolitan area, joined the local club.

Stokes
 
My name is Chris Holt and I'm 39. I'm married with 2 cats and live in Scotch Plains, NJ (about 20 mins west of Newark Int'l). I grew up in south Jersey and in 1977 got my first bike--a '75 Honda XR75. My friend Darrin and I beat the crap out of that poor machine. It was alittle on the small side for us, but neither of us could afford the YZ125 that we dreamed about every night at the time! When I was 17 I bought a Yamaha QT50 (Yamahopper as it came to be known) during the moped outbreak of the early 80's. In 1984, my friend John Brenner bought a Honda Nighthawk and I got my first taste of true road riding. I'll never forget that summer day in June when he let me ride for an afternoon and I found myself on I295 doing 100mph before I realized how fast I was actually going.

Fast forward to March of this year. Springtime is upon us again, and the yearly nagging of yearning for a bike starts in on me. I haven't ever owned a street machine. My co-worker of 6 years, Rob Lurz, owner of a '97 Yam YZ650, begins his annual heckling of me for not buying a bike and whining about it all the time instead. This year is gonna be different I tell him. I'm getting one. "Yeah, Ok.", he says.

Well, I did it. And I not only bought a bike...I bought a BMW, I told him. An '02 R1100SA. So there. What's more, I made Rob take me in his pickup for a 2 hour ride to pick it up!!

Then started the NJ "motorcycle permit to license" quest. Holy cow, what a pain in the butt it is getting a license in NJ nowadays!!! I have to constantly prove with 7 id's that I'm not a terrorist everytime I go to the DMV!!

I'm legal now, and even taking the safety course this w/e sponsored by the NJ Div of Highway Safety.

I'm getting to know my Beemer(thanks Cliffy!!) alittle more each time I ride. I hope to log lots of fun, safe miles on it. We bonded last Saturday night as I changed the oil for the first time!!! Soon, I'll take it down to Metuchen to Cross Country BMW for it's 6,000 mile service.

I hope to ride down to Pot-Nets Delaware (near Rehobeth) this summer to visit my Pop at his bay house and even on down to Virginia Beach to visit Mom if I can manage. Those will be my first real road trips!

Sorry this pic has me missing half my head...I'll take a better one later and replace it.....
 

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Cool bike Foo

Good story. Nothing like making your first road bike a really nice freakin' bike. Might as well start on the good stuff, huh?
Good idea to take the safety course. Most of us on this forum are strong believers in wearing ATGATT (All The Gear All The Time) in refernce to helmets, boots, jackets, gloves. and such like. It is a pain in the ass sometimes to get all dressed for around town errands, but it sure paid off for my sister-in-law last fall when she swerved to miss a cage that "didn't see her." Even though it was a low speed crash, her boots, jacket, and full-face kept her pretty as ever!

FYI - "bimmer" is usually referring to the cars, while "beemer" is the motrocycle side of the family. Remember - they made motorcycles BEFORE they made cars!!
Happy Trails, enjoy that cool bike.
 
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