Post pictures of fun you had this summer on your bmw:

Yesterday I met a Biker Gang!

9/12 still counts as summer, doesn't it? It was 85 degrees and in Michigan that is summer.
I was on my way out to cover the NMRA Ford National event at the US 131 Motorsports Park and came across this gang of hell raisers tearing up a county road.
There were four couples and they ride together every Sunday. They started out with 10-15 mile jaunts and worked up to 100 mile loops on their 49 cc scooters. (Our kinda people huh? Increasing their milage all the time.)
I learned a lot about scooters and the laws that apply to them in Michigan and enjoyed meeting these people. (Now I never would have met them if I was a slab riding kind of guy on account of they are not allowed on the freeway.)
One of the guys confessed to hopping up some of the scooters so they will exceed the legal limit of 40 mph in Michigan. (Sorry Dan Z, but none of them had Screemin' Eagle kits installed yet - so I told them to call my dad!) These cruise at 35-40 mph and get around 100 mpg so they ride their ride on a gallon of gas.

Ended up writing a story for the local paper:

We first encountered this gang of two wheeled riders just south of Shelbyville on a sunny Sunday. There were eight of them rolling along in formation and we pulled in behind and tailed them until they pulled into a gas station in Martin for a break.
They rode similar looking vehicles but there was no evidence of ÔÇ£colorsÔÇØ in their outfits because no two of them were dressed alike. Some wore helmets and some didnÔÇÖt ÔÇô which is okay according to Michigan law because they were riding 49 cc mopeds or scooters. The gang was made up of three couples from Shelbyville and a couple from Caledonia. Leading the pack was Jim Magee with his wife Linda falling in behind. Also from Shelbyville were members Dwight and Anna Bixler and Bob and Mary Schwab. Stan and Bel Bogus are from Caledonia ÔÇô and this ride was their initiation. (It was rumored that their initiation involved buying gas for all the members that day, but like most gangs this one was somewhat secret about the inner working of the organization.)
The group was on their way to Paw Paw on a trip that would be about 100 miles total for them. When four of them first went out for a Sunday ride it was about 10 or 15 miles, but they have worked their way up to being quite comfortable handling 100 miles in a day. They have taken similar Sunday trips to Hastings, Saranac, and Saugatuck.
As with most gangs, they have had scrapes with the law. Earlier this year they were stopped by an overzealous, and somewhat uninformed, state trooper because she noticed some of them were not wearing helmets and none of them had license plates.
ÔÇ£We got pulled over for impersonating motorcycle riders,ÔÇØ joked Dwight Bixler. She received her scooter education and let the group off. Moped, or scooter, riders are not required to wear helmets and they operate legally on ORV stickers not license plates.
We received our education about scooters from Jim Magee. Jim owns a small engine repair business in Shelbyville and sells the vehicles. He went on to tell us other facts that make owning and riding a scooter very attractive:
ÔÇó The scooters cost between $1,000.00 to $1,500.00
ÔÇó They get up to 100 miles per gallon.
ÔÇó Scooters have lots of storage.
ÔÇó You can ride legally on any road except the freeways.
ÔÇó Drivers 19 and older need only a regular driverÔÇÖs license.
ÔÇó Those 15 to 19 need a permit and a helmet.
The gang loves their scooters. Their favorite roads are the better county and state ones because they have a nice shoulder for them to ride on. The law states they need to stay to the right in the lane, but when there is a shoulder they ride on them. Mary Scwab was quick to praise Michigan motorists. ÔÇ£Everyone is friendly and courteous to us,ÔÇØ she said. ÔÇ£Most everyone waves and we have never had any problems with other drivers.ÔÇØ
This has been a good summer for the Shelbyville Gang. The excellent weather has allowed this group of grandparents to make many similar Sunday excursions and they have put 1200 or more miles on their bikes.
They keep an eye out for each other. Jim watches his mirrors and keeps count of the group and Bob Schwab brings up the rear of the parade. Sometimes the group splits up when the ladies want to concentrate on garage sales and they all carry cell phones in case of an emergency.
Like any good reporter would, we kept asking questions until we got to the heart of the story and uncovered the real reason the group was riding all the way to Paw Paw. The art fair was part of the motivation, but the clincher for the deal came from MageeÔÇÖs brother in law, Lionel Haskins, who operates a food concession. He promised the group they would eat for free ÔÇ£if they made it all the way there.ÔÇØ
The promise of free food as a reward for a ride on a perfect sunny day would make anyone ride a scooter for 100 miles or so, wouldnÔÇÖt it?

so Cliffy, how long before they left you in the dust?

to tell the truth

I stalled packing up my cub reporter notebook and super keen camera so they got bored and left first to save me the humiliation of getting left behind.....

Crater Lake, Oregon on my way up to Spokane!

Crater Lake

is ab-so-lute-ly gorgeous. Wow.

Calnalu said:

Crater Lake, Oregon on my way up to Spokane!

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Everyone should go to Crater Lake!

Great picture.

Ian

KBasa said:

Probably my favorite photo this year.

Arches National Park at dawn. That's Chacifer down there in the front.

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This one's a keeper. Great light, setting. The whole bit.

Ian

Got it in June.

Congratulations, Win3855!!! Nice pictures everyone!

Can I wait to post until after summer's over???

BG,

Post early, post often

ian

boxergrrlie said:

Can I wait to post until after summer's over???

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Exactly. I'm going to the Beemer Bash in Quincy, CA, this weekend, lots of Sierra riding to get there and back, too. Heck, even the MOA mileage contest has another month to run.

Meanwhile... In April, I held an Airheads/Vintage Tech Day at my house.


Then I went to Europe to go to one of the biggest vintage swapmeets in the world, Veterama:


Sadly, my old R1100RS that I keep in Germany broke down, but I was able to get it fixed.

Even so, I was lucky enough that a friend in Germany let me ride his vintage Zuendapp in a couple vintage rallies. This is a 1938 Zuendapp K500, 4 speed handshift sidevalve hardtail, making about 18 hp.


In May, I went to the Village Idiots' Lost Coast Luau in Eureka, CA. CA-1 was looking mighty fine...


...and the weather really cooperated!


In June, the Vintage BMW club had it's local Vasona Park Picnic.


I also got to ride my repaired RS around in Italy, and specifically, in Tuscany. Oh, the food, the wine, and the roads are great!


July was the MOA Rally in Spokane, of course. A friend from Germany came over and we made a 4,000 mile tour. We started by heading south... to meet some friends for lunch at the Far Western Tavern in Guadalupe, CA for a BBQ steak brunch.


Unfortunately, after riding through the Sierra on the way north, the R1150RS had a problem.


But Ozzie's BMW of Chico fixed it immediately. Even though the bike was out of warranty, and they've never seen me before, they got a partial refund from BMW NA for me. The rest of the trip was, fortunately, mechanically uneventful. The rally was fun...


...and then we rode to Seattle with some friends, through Mt. Rainier park.


On the way home we rode through the Avenue of the Giants.

Summer fun

One of the several trips to Gold River this summer


A nice weekend ride to the Sunshine Coast of B.C.

There are sure a lot of great pictures here!

I really enjoyed seeing this Zuendapp. Great picture.

Ian

Dang Darryl, you get to have too much fun! I spend most of my time looking through a big glass windshield wishing I was on my bike.

Jeez, l love a picture thread.

My favorite from this summer.....



Red canyon hwy12 in Utah taken during the Red Rock Rally

DarrylRi said:

Exactly. I'm going to the Beemer Bash in Quincy, CA, this weekend, lots of Sierra riding to get there and back, too. Heck, even the MOA mileage contest has another month to run.........

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Dang, dude you need to get out more often!

Great shots!

RM

rocketman said:

Dang, dude you need to get out more often!

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That's not what my wife says.

Besides getting off to the Central Cal Autumn Beemer Bash today, I hope to make the California Coast Campout & BBQ vintage rally on one of my older bikes. So there's definitely still some summer left!

Molly's Reach, now theres a picture that only us Canadians might appreciate. Way cool, I'll have to get up there someday myself.