The one BMW thing I miss

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RBEmerson

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In a sense, BMW riders are relatively rare, or well down on the percentage of bikes on the road. There is, snob factor aside, a certain amount of connection simply by virtue of having that little blue and white disk on your ride. And there's MOA, who makes a big splash of being the mother BMW owners' organization. The BMWON magazine is interesting and occasionally downright useful. MOA puts out the Anonymous Book, literally a directory of people who will, at the least, lend you a phone to call for help when your cell phone is dead or no signal. Some people will supply tenting space, or maybe a guest room. Services, as it were, range from "we have a carport" to comfy garage to a workshop. Some folks will use a flatbed trailer to bring you in, and maybe even help fix whatever ails your Beemer. But MOA is incredibly rah-rah. Thanks but no thanks. NTL I do miss that "we're all in this BMW thing" sense.

Obviously there are a lot of Yamahas on the road. But I rarely see another FJR, parked or on the road. Which, based on what I see here, means that if you have hexagonal panniers, you're part of a select group. So... is there anything vaguely like BMW MOA for FJR folk and, if so, I hope, less rah-rah?

 
Plenty of group rides to join and meet folks. EOM would be great for you to attend if you could make it. That would be the one with the most attendees this side of the Mississippi.

Dave

 
Many FJR riders have also had Connies.... the C10 or C14 Concours.

Look up www.cog-online.org and join another great group of sport-tourers. The moto is 'Join for the bike... stay for the people'.

We don't care what brand you ride, just ride. Most regions have at least a ride each month, and some many more.
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My favorite thing about the BMW is that now I have a motorcycle trailer. Before I got the BMW I never needed a motorcycle trailer.

I only take it on short trips though. Just to the dealership and back. And only 3 or 4 times a year.

Time on this forum cultivating friendships and positive relationships will develop a network of support wherever in this country you may ride. Many of us make it a point to contact our Forum Friends when we know we will be riding close to their location. That can be invaluable.

 
My 1st BMW was a 2004 1200GT and decided I would try a ride with a BMW group. I show up with a Kawasaki jacket, Triumph boots, Nolan flip up helmet and do not remember what kind of gloves and was asked to find my own kind to ride with plus I had to be the youngest person there.

I never tried to ride with a beemer group again but that did not sour me on a beemer

 
Many FJR riders have also had Connies.... the C10 or C14 Concours.
Look up www.cog-online.org and join another great group of sport-tourers. The moto is 'Join for the bike... stay for the people'.

E

We don't care what brand you ride, just ride. Most regions have at least a ride each month, and some many more.
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Way back when, I was listed in the world of COG with my C10. I even have my COG pin somewhere. I know I went to at least one gathering. BTDT - still have the shirt (an Andretti dealership). When I was debating Connie v. FJR, I looked around at different web sites. It looked as though there'd been some sort of schism in the Connie religion, second only to Catholicism and the Episcopalian Church. I still don't understand the Connie schism.

 
My favorite thing about the BMW is that now I have a motorcycle trailer. Before I got the BMW I never needed a motorcycle trailer.
I only take it on short trips though. Just to the dealership and back. And only 3 or 4 times a year.

Time on this forum cultivating friendships and positive relationships will develop a network of support wherever in this country you may ride. Many of us make it a point to contact our Forum Friends when we know we will be riding close to their location. That can be invaluable.
ROFL about trailers. Aside from the ABS disaster, trailering was never a major threat. Well, OK, I let Hermy's BMW truck my K1200RS to the shop for some routine work (rebuild the motor, rebuild the tranny, something easy like that...), but only because the winter weather was the pits and I draw the line at riding on ice covered bridges.

Um, I don't bite unless bitten. Indeed some count me among the jovial and clever sort. The counting being done by those both deaf and blind... Moving on...

 
My 1st BMW was a 2004 1200GT and decided I would try a ride with a BMW group. I show up with a Kawasaki jacket, Triumph boots, Nolan flip up helmet and do not remember what kind of gloves and was asked to find my own kind to ride with plus I had to be the youngest person there. I never tried to ride with a beemer group again but that did not sour me on a beemer
I don't doubt there are still BMW (never, ever Beemer) riders (cognoscenti?) who probably ...um... eliminate in white and blue. Fortunately, most of the people I met were good people to know. Which, in fact, is the thing I do miss. It's very weird to ride past the dealership (Hermy's, Port Clinton) with no real reason to stop. At least folks on RT's and GS' return waves. And I keep in touch with a MSF training center owner who owns a GS. :)

 
A few years ago there was a ride organized by Beemerdons which he called the Colorado Cluster. It was mostly a BMW group but included FJRs. I attended and met a bunch of very friendly BMW riders. Some expressed brand loyalty, but most were open minded and interested in the other bikes. There was also a Victory and possibly some other brands there as well. Partly because of the great people, partly because of the ride being in Colorado, and partly because of the format of the ride, it was my favorite group ride to date.

 
Ah... not End Of Management, End Of Month, or End Of Mortality then...
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ADDED: Oh snap! I'll be cruising the Chesapeake Bay then.

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One learns to cope... ('85 34.9' Baba 35, lying in Jackson Creek, Deltaville, VA - extensive details available at the requester's peril). That's me, at the bow, bringing the anchor chain in. Those who know me, will recognize me in a heartbeat. Hah!

 
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The fact that there isn't such well organized manufacturer supported organization and self support/help group is probably driven by the fact there isn't need for one. In other words, FJR you ride instead of fixing
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I used to have an BMW R1150GSA and there was always something to be done with it... Cool ride but that's one part I surely don't miss at all.

You need a spot in PNW, let me know.

 
It's interesting that BMW ON magazine spends pages on how to fix... whatever. To be fair, most of the fixes apply to (relatively) ancient bikes. OTOH, I've seen pictures of "banjos" literally melted (banjo - where the shaft means the rear axle via gears in the banjo). Aside from the ABS module, the alternator was replaced (IMNSHO a missed diagnosis), and the rear brake system was worked (not missed diagnosis). It's instructive to read BMW sites. The number of problems with all models is not trivial. I'm somewhat surprised that there are comparatively few "grease the splines quarterly" admonitions, and lists of leaking water pumps, or (honest) recurrent tank gauge sensors.

PNW... sampled it twice (Portland to the coast and north to Astoria and back) and Seattle (no real wandering outside of the city) - all on four wheels. With a fair wind or good luck or both, you might get a knock on the door. Do I get points for at least our boat being designed by Bob Perry, who hangs his shingle out in Tulalip, WA?

 
Got a good idea from FJRay the other day, good guy by the way. Guy he knows replaced the Yamaha tuning fork symbol on the gas tank with a couple of BMW roundels
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which I might try if I can find one the right size. Then go to a BMW group thing where I'm sure everyone will have a good laugh. Well, maybe. More than once a stranger has come up to me and complemented me on "my nice BMW". I just agree and point out their error and it never fails to surprise them.

Kind of off topic but just got through with about 800 miles with my new rear shock for a 2017 on my '10FJR and all I can say is: WOW, well worth it. I was solo with GIVI V46 and saddle bags and she handled like a different machine especially in the curves. Ride smoothness was also improved and I can definitely tell a difference between the hard/soft rear shock setting now for sure. Worth the 350 bucks and a whole lot cheaper than a new bike.

 
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