[speedybrother]

Hi all

I am curious, when did you first ride a beemer and which one?

For me it was 1981 when the NSW Police adopted the BMW R100RT (replacing the Kawakaki 1000) as the issued Highway Patrol motorcycle. Initally, I didn't get it, limited hp and qurky shaft drive biase to the right. Hence, I kept my Kawasaki for as long as possible, eventually, I was required to ride one of the new RT's to escort the state Govenor. On this particular day I had a filthy hangover (thank you Mr J Walker), it was only then that the RT made total sense.......relax and go with the flow, as opposed to the aggressive manner used for the Kawasaki (not inducing to hangover cure).

At any rate, that was when I first became a fan of the `spinning propeller'. :bmw:

Your turn, what year and what BMW?

Cheers
Speedybrother
Sydney Australia
2010R1200RT
2011 R1200R

 

[Liv2Ride]

Haven't yet but first will be 2011 R1200RT that I am renting in Vegas April 3rd. I know I will love it.

 

[beech]

Late 1972, got a letter from the State of California. The Governor said if I did not mend my ways and stop accumulating points against my drivers license he would take it away for safe keeping. I was riding Harleys and with a bad crowd to boot in the Oakland, California area. Well I bought a nice black 750, parked the hog in the back of the garage. My friends called it the sewing machine. Funny thing though, I rode it harder, faster and without care and did not get any more tickets!

 

[ipokebadgers]

In 1988 I purchased a used 1978 R100S without having ever rode a BMW. I never looked back. It had 60K when I got it and 180K when I sold it. I rode a lot of those miles with a friend who had a HD 78 FLH. He passed away a long time ago but I still remember all the miles following him so I could pick up his parts. Good memories.

I got off bikes for a while for several reasons but when I decided to ride again I didn't look at anything else. BMW may not the best (?) and certainly not the cheapest but the are my favorite. I really like our flying sofa (LT) but I really love the boxer.

 

[GUNTER1100]

Was on active duty US Army in Georgia, in spring of 1970. Had a fellow instructor that used to work for a BMW dealer in PA. He was a mechanic before he got drafted, & loved BMWs. He talked me into buying one of the new R75/5 models that were being introduced that year. We drove up to New York to meet the bike when it was unloaded off the ship from Germany. Uncrated it, did the set-up on the pier, then I took off. We stopped at 600 miles on the way back to Georgia to do the 600 mile check & valve adjustments. He told me to open it up now, which of course I did. Am on my 5th BMW now, & will not switch.

 

[12R12RT]

It was 1978. I was fresh out of school, footloose and fancy free and master of my own destiny. Didn't answer to nobody nohow.

Coming off of a Honda 350, a CL175 and an AMF Sportster (ewww), I decided that the new R100RT was just the bike for me, so I marched myself right on down to the BMW store to fetch me up one.

GAD! They were $7,000!

I did get to sit on one, just before going over to the Honda dealer and getting a CX500 Deluxe with color matched Vetter and Samsonite bags (remember those?) for all of about $3,000.

The first BMW I ever rode was my '12, and I never even took it for a test ride prior to buying it. Didn't need to; I'd been jonesin' for one since 1978. Just told the dealer to uncrate a grey one and get it ready.

There I was, the wife looking on in fond affection, the sales lady looking with a quizzical look and a fistful of dollars, and I throw my leg over, fire her up, and stalled on take off. And six more times on the way home. Damn dry clutch...

Tom

 

[jrhSeattle]

I think it was 974 in Seattle. Had ridden a 350 Honda a a few years before in the Navy but had always liked the idea of BMW. Durable, low maintenance shaft drive etc. Was looking in the paper one day when I saw a sweet deal on an R 60 US (I think a 63) up in Vancouver Canada.

Called up and then went up to pick it up. A Swiss kid had shipped it over from Europe and ridden it across Canada. His plan was to sell it in Canada, then use the money to fly home. Problem was, Canada was then in the British Commonwealth and since the bike came from Switzerland, he was going to have to pay a tremendous import tax if he sold it there........and wouldn't have enough money for plane fare. So he sold it cheap to a Yank (me) who drove it across the border.

I didn't pay any import fees, if there were any...............but the statute of limitations has to be long gone. Somewhere, someone is riding on a smuggled classic Beemer. These days homeland security would have me locked up forevever.

 

[dadicool59]

1982 R100RS. It replaced my Suzi GSX1100 and was a little disapointing.
It was soon followed by a 1986 K100RS. In those days, MAN, was that bike Smoooooth!!

 

[New2rt]

A 1985 K100RS, light mint green color, put 39k on it with no issues.
I still see them for sale every now and then.

 

[jkriner]

A white 1985 K100RS. Bought from the original owner with 36,000 miles. I figured I couldn't go wrong...I knew two other gentleman who had accumulated over 500,000 combined miles on their RS's. Talk about the "LEGENDARY MOTORCYCLES OF GERMANY". I still regret getting rid of it. :bmw:

 

[jzeiler]

1985 - I had my 1974 Suzuki GT-750 stolen out of my driveway in Camarillo, CA. They left the 1978 BMW R80 (it had a chain and lock on it) that I was storing for a friend that was in the Phillipines. He wanted to sell and I needed a bike. I was a bit dissapointed as I expected the BMW to be smoother than my Suzuki. I only put about 20K on the R80 before I sold it in DC in 1991(did not want to ride in that traffic). Next one was the LT in 2004... nuff said!!! I was hooked.

 

[hschisler]

I had been thinking about Beemers since high school (1970s); in fact, two teachers (husband and wife) at our school both rode BMWs. That really intrigued me. (This couple has an LT today.)

Fast forward to 2005, when I resurrected the dream of (a) having a motorcycle - any motorcycle, and (b) zeroing in on Beemers. I bought a Honda Shadow 650 (ugh) and took the MSF basic rider course. A month later I went to the local BMW dealer. Not knowing what I wanted or where to start, on that same Saturday I rode an RT (too buzzy), a GS (too tall!) , a GT (holy cow this is too much power for me!), and then an LT. I call this my "first BMW motorcycle experience" because that little test ride had me hooked right there.

We bought the LT, put 120k miles on it, then traded it in last September for an '09 LT when we were on vacation.

 

[JayJay]

I grew up in the Berkeley, CA area in the 50's and 60's - "counterculture" is a conservative description, more like whacko. In the '60s there were a few funny motorcycles running around that had cylinders out the sides and funny driveshafts. Much cleaner and quieter than the leaking oil British twins then common. Since I leaned a bit to the left of center myself I vowed that someday I'd have one, if for no other reason than thumbing my nose at convention.

Fast forward to early 1980s and I had centered (politically and socially) a bit. My air-cooled Hondas had a high rpm vibration that bothered me, so I bought a water-cooled Gold Wing for the sake of smoothness (I also owned a Subaru station wagon at the time, recognizing the inherent smoothness of the pancake engine. Best car I ever owned.) Couldn't justify the cost of a BMW so I never even test-rode one. In spring 1983 I was on the GW on a trip from California to Arizona and camped overnight in Death Valley. I met up with a guy riding the opposite direction, and he was riding a BMW. Don't remember what it was (R100? - it was either red or orange, and had a fairing), but he offered to let me ride it for a few miles. That thing vibrated like crazy, but boy did it have character.

When I went shopping for a big bike again in 2008 I was concerned about what I remembered as excessive vibration. I test rode the R12RT and could not believe that it was the same basic engine I'd ridden in 1983. I also rode a K12 and it was even smoother, but no character at all.

Have never regretted buying the R12RT. That particular childhood fantasy fulfilled (many more still to go...).

JayJay

 

[tsperez]

I was looking for a touring but got a 1982 CBX in the crate in 1984 at 1/2 price. I liked that bike a lot but it was not what I wanted for long rides. Shortly after that purchase I found a used 1982 R80RT at the BMW dealer that still had factory warranty outstanding. Test drove it and I liked it (even though it was so different compared to the CBX).

My funny story dealing with this bike is that when I rode it home and my wife looked out the door of the house she asked "Is that a different motorcycle?". For a few seconds I thought about say "no!" but the CBX was pearl while and the R80RT was red! How long could I fake her out?!?! LOL! Shortly after that I got a 1976 R75/6 from my bother for basically free, That bike was black. I liked riding all three but my long haul bike was the RT.

tsp
Blog: swriding.blogspot.com

 

[mwnahas]

I had a Suzuki 550 GT, great bike but just went on short day rides. Sold it to my Brother-inlaw. Then he bought a K75 and let me try it. Hooked! So in 2004 I bought an 87 K100RT. Smooth but got hot in the summer and no back rest for my wife so she wouldn't ride 2 days in a row. Then he bought a K1200GT and his friend bought a 99 LT the said wish I had one of those. Then my wife sat on an LT and said you can get one of these! So I got a used 2003 K1200LT with only 1300 miles on it in 2005. Been touring ever since.

 

[gfspencer]

17 years ago - after sometime without a bike - I wanted one again. I went to the local Honda dealer and looked around. A salesman tried to make a sale but I told him that what I really wanted was a BMW. I thought that would give me a safe exit from his store. However, he told me that he just happened to have one in the back. It was an old R65 that had been stored in a barn. I told him that if he could clean it up I would buy it. He did and I did. I've been a happy BMW owner since that time.

 

[XMagnaRider]

Riding my first BMW motorcycle home was a terrifying experience for me. A longer version of the story was published in the BMWMOA magazine a couple years ago in the "First Bike" section. Here is the gist of the story, sans photos:

http://www.k-bikes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17113

 

[hallzee]

I learned to ride on a 1972 R65. It was my dad's. That was in 1974, and my friends were always pissed that I wouldn't let them touch it!

 

[dave39]

I had ridden small bikes in the past. Bought a 2005 Rebel to relearn after being off for many years. Then moved up to a 2001 1100RT in 2008 and, riding it home the first time, the first day it blew my mind. I had no idea a motorcycle could feel the way it did after a lifetime of riding 250's and smaller.

 

[DaveDragon]

My first BMW was the 2002 K1200LTe, and I fell in love with the bike. Put 100k plus on it and sold it to Steve Rowe, who ended up replacing the engine.
For a bike with a car motor in it, it was pretty nimble considering the weight/balance.

I decided the R1200GSA was a better fit for me and purchased a new one in 2006 from Dusty Miller (RIP) in Tallahassee, and still loving this bike. Approaching 100k on this one as well.