long-distance touring, I prefer to ride with a small group of 2-4 friends. I’ve certainly ridden with larger groups successfully, but the smaller size is my preference. It also helps to ride with good friends who have similar ideas about how to enjoy a 3,000 – 4,000 mile trip together.”
Anthony Van Der Voorn #184633 Wichita, Kansas 100,000 miles
“I’ve been riding my R 1200 RT since buy- ing it new in 2012. Though I’ve been riding since 2000, this is my first BMW and by far my favorite motorcycle. My plan is to add another 150,000 or so miles on this bike and then trade for another RT. “My most memorable ride was probably
up to New England to celebrate my oldest bother’s 50th wedding anniversary. After that, I sought the most entertaining roads in the Adirondacks, northern Vermont and New Hampshire. I’m also a member of the Iron Butt Association and rode a Butt Burner Gold (1500 miles in 24 hours) last spring. “Usually, I ride loops on the most enter-
taining roads I can find around my home. I get my motorcycle serviced in Bentonville, Arkansas, another area where there is no shortage of entertaining roads. I always ride alone and like being able to instantly change my mind on destinations and roads to ride.”
Paul Koontz #109602 Medina, Ohio 100,000 miles
“While I rode my 2003 K 1200 LTE for more than 80,000 miles on my way to the 100,000 mark, my favorite of all of the motorcycles I have owned is my 2012 R 1200 GS Adventure Triple Black! “One of my favorite rides was a cross
country trip that took me from Medina, Ohio, to Parkersburg, West Virginia, to the Golden Gate Bridge. From there, I took the
Pacific Coast Highway to the Santa Monica Pier and then headed west on Route 66 as far as I could follow it and then back to Medina, Ohio. My rules on the trip were to wake up, book a room usually between 750 to 800 miles away and ride. I took this ride in mid-October, encountered temperatures that ranged from 17 to 97 degrees and loved every minute, including the ride in the back of a pickup after my K 1200 LTC suf- fered a broken shift linkage in Beaver, Utah, that locked me in the first gear. Thanks to the awesome guys at BMW of Salt Lake, I was back on the road the next morning. “While I ride both loops and destina-
tions, I am fortunate enough to be able to ride to customer sites throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York regularly. Though most of my miles are ridden alone, over the past two years I have started riding with a group from the BMWMOC (BMW Motorcycle Owners of Cleveland), tagged “The GS Black Sheep.” Our annual pilgrim- age lands us at the annual MOA Rally.”
Doug Vavrick #127381 Lynnwood, Washington 100,000 miles
“I started riding scooters and motorcycles in high school and college but traded two wheels for four when skiing and hiking became priorities. In November of 2006, I commuted to downtown Seattle by bus. One day, I noticed motorcyclists either passing the bus, or in the HOV lane with the bus. I envied them, with their freedom and their efficient commutes. Soon I was noticing motorcycles more and found I also worked with a guy who rode to work every day. Additionally, my next door neighbor, a sergeant with a neighboring county’s sheriff’s department who com- manded their police motorcycle unit, rode his police motorcycle every day for work. “About that time, another co-worker
decided it was time to give up on his proj- ect 1992 K 75 S with a fried wiring harness. With a repair bill far higher than antici- pated and stuck in a bind, he sold me the
bike, and I started riding to work in it in November of 2006. I rode the K 75 S through the winter until finding a 2002 BMW R 1150 RT with only 23,750 miles on Craigslist. Better yet, it had never been in police service. BINGO! Not long after buy- ing the RT-P, I was contacted through the MOA Forum by a fellow MOA member responding to a post I had made about my RT-P. He introduced himself as the bike’s second owner and provided the bike’s his- tory up to the owner I had purchased the bike from to explain its history. “Turns out the bike was a demo for
Beaudry Motorsports in Post Falls, Idaho, where Stephen Beaudry was intent on sell- ing RT-Ps to every law enforcement orga- nization in the United States. To do this, he trailered around to agencies considering the RT-P until the 2002-2003 model was replaced by the dual-spark 2004 model, making this particular demo yesterday’s newspaper. I’ve been commuting by RT-P to and from work ever since. At 40 miles per day and 200 miles per week, I’m aver- aging 10,000 miles per year just commut- ing, so my miles have added up quickly. “My son started riding with me in 2012
and at that time bought an R 1200 GS Adventure after realizing it would be nice to have a bike that could get dirty, carry a lot of camping gear and could go off the pavement. I’m also his ride home from his various camps and sports programs in the summer, and we do at least one moto- camping trip together each summer. “Though I don’t have one ‘most memo-
rable ride,’ the first overnight moto-camp- ing trip with my then seven-year-old son ranks up there pretty high. Of course, the harrowing escapes and brushes with death are also memorable, including the time a van merged into me at 60 mph and his right side mirror got caught up in my left side mirror. We continued down the free- way connected by our mirrors for about a hundred feet before being magically dis- connecting just as quickly as we had come together. I’ll remember that adrenaline rush for the rest of my life!”
March 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS
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