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Tell us about yourself and your bike!

New Guy

I'm new to this forum and to BMW, but not to life -- I recently celebrated the 29th anniversary of my 39th birthday.

Got my first Motorcycle while stationed at Danang, RVN in 1970. It was a small Honda (I don't rmember the model) that a friend who flew to Okinawa regularly, brought me so I could get back and forth to China Beach. I flew at night, almost exclusively, and liked to spend the days on the beach. I enjoyed riding it so much that I bought another, little bigger, Honda when I returned. I then bought another, even bigger, Honda. I rode for about 15 years, total, and then, for some insane reason, quit.

Almost two years ago, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. That reminded me that I'm not here forever, so I decided to do the things I enjoy for the rest of the time I have and not worry about the risk factors.

I told my wife I was going to start riding motrocycles and getting recertified for SCUBA as soon as I recovered from the surgery. Bless her heart, she just smiled and said, "I think that's great." (I'm not totally sure she believed me.)

My son sold me his Harley FLHS at a "Daddy price" and I was off and running. I've put about 20,000 miles on it, but decided to retire it from any long distance riding so I started casually looking at other possibilities.

Stopped by BMW of Orlando because they're the local Schuberth dealer and I wanted to check out the Concept helmets. One thing led to another and, a week later, I had the new helmet and a new R1200CLC. I love it!

I still ride the Harley around town some, but the CLC is my travelin' bike.

That's probably more than you really wanted to know.

:bliss
 
Re: New Guy

helliott said:
I still ride the Harley around town some, but the CLC is my travelin' bike.

That's probably more than you really wanted to know.

:bliss

Not enough!

Lets hear more about your CLC. How do you like it?

MarkF

P.S. Welcome aboard
 
Thanks, Dave and Oilhed

The CLC is my favorite bike since my cousin's Indian that I used to get rides on at the tender qage of 10-12 -- almost 60 years ago.

For cruising, I don't think you can beat it. The only problem I've had is tire pressure. I have to check it daily and almost always need to add a couple of pounds. I've had NO surging, NO leaning to the right, nor any of the other compalints I've heard about the model on this forum and the BMWMOA forum. It may be that mine is a late 03 model and BMW have fixed the problems, but whatever the answer is, I couldn't be more pleased.

My first trip of any real distance will be to DC in early November. I'll post a short report of the bike's performance after that. I did the same trip on Memorial day weekend for the Rolling Thunder Ride to the Wall on my Harley. That's what prompted me to start looking for a more comfortable bike. My 68-year-old- bones deserve a little pampering.

Just got back from a little 130 mile jaunt over to Cocoa Beach, down AIA to Melbourne and back to Kissimmee. Hi yo, Silver!!

Hall
 
UPDATE

I've been asked for an update to my tale so here goes.

For those who didn't get a chance to look at my photo page, you may have to wait- Yahoo has just changed it around- scared me for a sec, thought they'd dumped all my stuff! Anyway, it is no longer publicly viewable, so I'll have to get in there and see if I can't fix it. At least I still have the original files.
Nothing else has changed since my original post in this thread, except that a user of another forum I participate in (www.boxerworks.com -*EXCELLENT* Airhead forum!) is interested in buying The Brick from me as he has the space and inclination to do something with it. Only trouble is the bike doesn't run, I can't deliver it, the cost of shipping is prohibitive against the bike's worth, and he lives 1000 miles away. But he thinks he can give it new life if we can work the logistics out. That will give me a down payment for the R100R I want, then all I'll need is a job (still hunting high and low) to pay for the rest. Although I am sorely tempted to commit some severe credit-card abuse and just go buy a bike right now! :lol
Doesn't look like such a bad idea after last night, when a friend related the story of another friend of hers who is 18 and dying of a previously unknown type of brain cancer. This has convinced her that the best philosophy is "have fun and get out there and do sh!t."
So keep pulling for me; sooner or later I'll be back and better than ever!!!!
 
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My name is Michael,I'm 33. I live in the Los Angeles area. This is my first post as I'm a new member. I just purchased my first BMW. I own a 1977 R75/7. It's black with what looks to be gold pinstripes. The paint is very faded and the stripes are nearly gone. While doing research on the motorcycle, before making the purchase, Iread two books:BMW Twins "The Complete Story" and BMW Motorcycle "The Buyers Guide". I've also looked through several other books at the store and none of these publications really go into depth about the R75/7. They treat it more as a segway from the /6 into the R80. Are there no real differences. Also I wanted to freshen up this great bike and wondered if anyone lived in L.A. or knew of a paint/mechanic for beemers in my area? Possibly even an MOA member! I don't know much about my bike or beemers in general,other than what I've read. I've just started to polish all the metal parts with some Brite Boy. It works well but the owners previously had spilled some battery acid onto the right hand exhaust pipe. Should/can I rechrome the pipe? If I do one should I do both? While they're off should I repack them? Would it be chaeper to replace with new ones if they're still available? Uh oh. The worms got out the can. I've got a lot of questions because I love old stuff and love to bring back to it's original glory. If I repaint should I just do the tank, fenders, and side covers or should I strip the bike down and start from the ground up? I live in a Condo so I cannot do the work myself. While the bike is being painted is there anything I should do while it's a part or semi a part? Is there a local club that I can visit one of the gatherings to see what others have learned from their trials and errors? Maybe there is some new technology that can be applied such as; flowing or any other new engineering solutions to old problems. Also I prefer to keep things more original than not will any upgrades such as different bars or new techs. destroy the value or strength of my bike. These bikes are supposed to be bullet proof so I would not want to do anything to weaken it. I've read almost every thread and reply in the las month and I'm honoredto be a part of such a diverse group of people who come together in the love of their BMW motorcycles and are proactive in the rights of all to enjoy the open road experience equally. Thank you again.
 
Hey, Michael! :wave

You should post those questions over in the airheads tech forum.

When Tina and I were dating in the late 70s, we toured on a bike like yours. It was blue and was beautiful. It's kind of unusual as they only made them for about 6 months or so.

Welcome to BMWs!
 
Michael, welcome aboard! I think you're going to have some great adventures with that bike!

I know how you feel about not having workspace. Have you looked into renting a storage unit, or do you know somebody who might let you borrow or rent space in their garage/toolshed/workshop/whatever? With any of these options of course you'll want to have your work planned ahead as carefully as you can.

I can also give you some resources:
Dealer:
Irv Seaver Motorcycles
607 West Katella Ave.
Orange, Ca 92867
714.532.3700
www.irvseaverbmw.com
I visited Seaver while in the area on business once and I was quite impressed, and was told that if my local dealer couldn't get me something then give them a call. They seem pretty committed to great service and they do support older bikes (check out the 'museum' in the showroom!).

Forums:
www.boxerworks.com
www.airheads.org
www.motobins.co.uk
Boxerworks is an aftermarket Airhead-specialist shop in Athens, GA and the forum on their site is really excellent- lots of very knowledgeable users (including a former dealer form the '70s) and almost no moderation, lots of humour.
I've heard Airheads is a great site too but I have yet to check it out.
Motobins is a parts supplier in England (see their ad on p. 97 of the October issue of BMWON), and I've heard they have a great forum as well. They also have been known to beat US suppliers on both price and shipping time!

Misc:
www.ibmwr.com
This is a great site on which you'll find lots of useful information including tech articles and probably the best online BMW classified ads. They also have an email discussion-list but I understand that the daily volume is high enough to be for diehards only.
There's more out there too if you just go looking for it. Have much much fun and keep us posted on the project!
 
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used parts source

check out re-pcycle parts, they specialize in older BMW bikes and the owner is a straight shooter about condition and fair with pricing. Welcom to the BMW community:wave
 
Thanks for the killer web sites and all your encouragement. I'm still looking for a mechanic a little clser to the westside so I can keep the bike closer to home. I'm also very surprised that a big city like L.A. doesn't have it's own charter. I'm thinking about visiting one of the South Coast events those guys seem pretty chilled.

Thanks again,
Michael
Black 1977 R75/7
 
Enjoyed reading everyone's posts.

I'm Wes Peterson. I currently live in Silver Spring, Maryland with my girlfriend, April. I'm a (happily) unemployed lawyer currently teaching part-time at George Mason University law school.

I ride a '98 R1100GS and a '77 R100S (my newest purchase). I've been riding since 1997 which I began while living and working in New York City as a way to escape on weekends. What began as solely weekend jaunts turned into camping trips, cross country rides and, finally, a six-month tour of Europe (Corsica is motorcycle heaven).

My girlfriend has tired of riding on the back and just recently purchased an old honda cb200 and is learning to navigate parking lots with skill. She hopes to master the small size and then pick up a F650GS in spring '04. Our aim is to ride on two bikes to next year's rally.

All the best.
 
CB200? Those things are totally cool. :thumb

CB200.jpeg
 
KBasa said:
CB200? Those things are totally cool. :thumb

Absolutely - though we are finding that obtaining parts is a bit of a struggle. She needs some new silencers.
 
Hello My name is Larry Carter, 55 years old, have been up on two wheels for more then 40 years now. Let's see. . .

First motorcycle experience was a ride on an old Triumph TRX Army bike, rigid frame, 500 flat head.

First motorcycle was a 61 Cushman Road King, I bought it brand new from Woodwards Chinook in Calgary in '62 for $625

Then it was a Vespa GS, a Harley 45 Servicar, bought from the Calgary city police for $325, which I traded on a 61 Duo glide.

Then I moved to Banff and bought a pre-unit Triumph 500, then a Honda super 90, then a Dream 305. then an old AJS 500, then a 53 Ariel square four. then another Triunph 500.

Moved back to Calgary bought another Dream 305, sold that and moved to London, after a year I bought a new Triumph TR6.

Then a 33 Indian scout, a 53 Cheif, a Kawasaki Mach 3, a Comando, a commando "S", a CZ 250 trials bike, then a Montesa 247 trials bike, a Bultaco Sherpa T, another Commando, a fast back, a Ducati 750.

Then I bought a part interest in a motorcycle shop and had any am0ount of bikes from which to choose,

Then I moved to B.C. and bought yet another Commando, and 850 this time, then a Yamaha TY250, then a TY175. then 2 more Montesa's, and an old Machless Typhoon. then a Yamaha SR 500E, then a Yamaha Vision.

By then my kids were riding age so I got a bunch of mini and bigger dirt bikes. I had a BSA 441, a Moto Guzzi V7, two more Triumph's, 2 more Nortons, one of them was a High-rider. then a Ducati 450 Desmo, a Yamaha 550 Seca, another Norton 850.

Then finally a BMW a 77 R100/7, which I put 7000 miles on thes summer. I now realisw that I have forgotten at least 6 or 7 bikes along the way, Honda's kawasaki's and British.

I surently work as an off-road logging truck driver, and have been doing that for 2 years, before that I was a Heavy duty Mechanic for 27 years working in the forest industry here on Vancouver Island.
 
I'm Back!!!!!!!!!!

Here's another update. The old K-Bike is for sale (find it at IBMWR.com), and despite still being out of work I've bought the Airhead I've been lusting for, and I have fellow members of this online community to thank for helping make it happen.
I'm now the proud owner of a 1995 R100R that was very well cared-for by its previous owner and in really great shape. It's black with white pinstripes just like in the old days and came with some nice extras including an S fairing. I flew to the east coast and picked up the bike on october 27th and spent the rest of thath day and most of the following two riding it back to Dallas, and it was a most enjoyable trip despite my brand-spankin'- new rainsuit self-destructing after 200 miles and all the saddle-soreness that comes with jumping on an unfamiliar bike and taking it on a tour.
I've been slow getting in local rides since bringing it home due to other priorities, but I've gotten a couple of miles in and I love it more with every mile. A big thanks goes out to KBasa for referring me to the seller and an even bigger thanks goes out to BMWGypsy for being willing to part with such a great bike!
That's about it for now. I'll see y'all out there on the Great American Road!
 
Congradulations! Glad things are looking up. I don't know much about K-bikes but I love my R. Maybe I'll get a chance too ride with you in texas next summer.
 
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