36654
New member
Well, as of tomorrow midnight, I will have completed 35 years of MOA membership. I joined
at the recommendation of the salesman when I bought a left-over 1984 R80ST in 1985. The
dealership was Sholley's in Harrisburg, PA and the salesman was a member of the Dutch Country
Riders. A year or so later, that club hosted the MOA rally at the York PA fairgrounds.
In those days, the MOA was my only source for information on my bike and it's replacement,
a 1986 k75c. Paul Glaves, Rob Lentini, etc. provided a steady stream of tech info. Especially,
with the "brick" K-bikes, that was critical. Many dealers were struggling and couldn't keep up
with the technology for the new bikes. The Airhead vs Non-Airhead rivalry was real in those days,
but the K-bikes were game changing for BMW. Bullet-proof reliability with excellent brakes.
In those years, I attended a few rallys, York PA, Morganton NC, Moodus CT, Missoula MT,
Rhinebeck NY. At that time, it seemed you could build a complete airhead from the array of
parts that Bob's BMW brought to any national rally.
At the end of the 1999 riding season, I purchased a new R1100RS and discovered the benefits
of modern suspension technology and the annoyance of balancing throttle bodies. In most
regards a great bike, which I owned for 17-years, it never really melded with me. It's mirrors
vibrated, those of the old K75c didin't. That annoyed me, even with the 25 additional horsepower.
During the ownership of the Oilhead, I bought a house, got married, became older and didn't
attend as many rallies; Trenton ON, Midland MI, Bloomsburg PA and St. Paul MN. Most of my
interaction with the MOA in these years and later was via the MOA Forum. The magazine had
become something I didn't even remove from the wrapper. It was pretty, but the info was dated
or available elsewhere. I think I was one of the early members who asked Ted to keep my copy
of the magazine for dealership distribution.
My last bit in this journey was the purchase of a new R1200RS LC in 2016. The front suspension
and throttle by wire took some adjustment on my part, the lack of engine vibration reminded me
of my K-bike. In addition, being lupin and metallic grey-white, it's very pretty.
2016 was also the last MOA Rally I attended. Contrary to my assumptions, the Hamburg site was
pretty darn good. Of course, in 30-years, the MOA rally's have evolved and the old "vendor" event
is long gone. Just like the Mall is dead. However, you can take a BMW motorcycle tour almost
anywhere. And, yes, I do feel quilty for all those free espressos I sampled at the Columbian
Motorcycle Tour booth. For some reason, being shot in a Civil/Drug War outweighs my interest in
riding a motorcycle in a country with great coffee.
So, that bring us to today. 35-yrs is a pretty long trial period and I've met a number of nice folks.
I've always treasured of our Canadian members for providing that mirror on our self-obsessed (i.e., insane)
American ideas. I've also enjoyed the folks that attempted to bring humor to the club and forum. We've
been in short supply of that for some time. Hopefully, someday, someone will do a demographic study of
the membership to see who they are. And, someday, I promise, I will stare at Visian's triangle diagram until
I see the pinwheels he describes.
So, be safe, best wishes and good-bye. I'm off to adventures elsewhere, but still riding my R1200RS.
Miles of Smiles as Mrs. Glaves would say (I think)
at the recommendation of the salesman when I bought a left-over 1984 R80ST in 1985. The
dealership was Sholley's in Harrisburg, PA and the salesman was a member of the Dutch Country
Riders. A year or so later, that club hosted the MOA rally at the York PA fairgrounds.
In those days, the MOA was my only source for information on my bike and it's replacement,
a 1986 k75c. Paul Glaves, Rob Lentini, etc. provided a steady stream of tech info. Especially,
with the "brick" K-bikes, that was critical. Many dealers were struggling and couldn't keep up
with the technology for the new bikes. The Airhead vs Non-Airhead rivalry was real in those days,
but the K-bikes were game changing for BMW. Bullet-proof reliability with excellent brakes.
In those years, I attended a few rallys, York PA, Morganton NC, Moodus CT, Missoula MT,
Rhinebeck NY. At that time, it seemed you could build a complete airhead from the array of
parts that Bob's BMW brought to any national rally.
At the end of the 1999 riding season, I purchased a new R1100RS and discovered the benefits
of modern suspension technology and the annoyance of balancing throttle bodies. In most
regards a great bike, which I owned for 17-years, it never really melded with me. It's mirrors
vibrated, those of the old K75c didin't. That annoyed me, even with the 25 additional horsepower.
During the ownership of the Oilhead, I bought a house, got married, became older and didn't
attend as many rallies; Trenton ON, Midland MI, Bloomsburg PA and St. Paul MN. Most of my
interaction with the MOA in these years and later was via the MOA Forum. The magazine had
become something I didn't even remove from the wrapper. It was pretty, but the info was dated
or available elsewhere. I think I was one of the early members who asked Ted to keep my copy
of the magazine for dealership distribution.
My last bit in this journey was the purchase of a new R1200RS LC in 2016. The front suspension
and throttle by wire took some adjustment on my part, the lack of engine vibration reminded me
of my K-bike. In addition, being lupin and metallic grey-white, it's very pretty.
2016 was also the last MOA Rally I attended. Contrary to my assumptions, the Hamburg site was
pretty darn good. Of course, in 30-years, the MOA rally's have evolved and the old "vendor" event
is long gone. Just like the Mall is dead. However, you can take a BMW motorcycle tour almost
anywhere. And, yes, I do feel quilty for all those free espressos I sampled at the Columbian
Motorcycle Tour booth. For some reason, being shot in a Civil/Drug War outweighs my interest in
riding a motorcycle in a country with great coffee.
So, that bring us to today. 35-yrs is a pretty long trial period and I've met a number of nice folks.
I've always treasured of our Canadian members for providing that mirror on our self-obsessed (i.e., insane)
American ideas. I've also enjoyed the folks that attempted to bring humor to the club and forum. We've
been in short supply of that for some time. Hopefully, someday, someone will do a demographic study of
the membership to see who they are. And, someday, I promise, I will stare at Visian's triangle diagram until
I see the pinwheels he describes.
So, be safe, best wishes and good-bye. I'm off to adventures elsewhere, but still riding my R1200RS.
Miles of Smiles as Mrs. Glaves would say (I think)
