made LC boxer transmissions? While I’m at it, why did they ditch the TL
that works so much better than conven- tional forks on today’s mostly badly paved and bumpy roads on their latest R and RS boxers? But please don’t give me that B.S. with the radiator. The radiator on the R is bigger and wider than the two little ones on the GS. Getting off the soapbox and looking
forward to interesting stories and answers.
Chris Geuting #73588 Durham, California
This scooter is no toy I just wanted to say I enjoyed John Flores’
“Daytona or Bust” article in the July issue; I’m glad he’s spreading the word about the terrific capabilities of the C 650 GT. Last year I did the Saddlesore 1000 Iron
Butt ride with four other “real” motorcycle riders (all BMWs). At the end, two of them told me that when they saw me on the scooter 22 hours earlier they thought it was some kind of a joke, but now they wanted to buy one for themselves. With all the performance one could need on normal roadways, and ergonomics that lead to apparently infinitely better com- fort, the C 650 GT is really a sleeper. Seems to me the word “scooter” con-
notes toy-like mental imagery in most folks, who thus dismiss this powerful machine, but I think many would be quite pleased if they took a test drive on one. As for me, I’m considering doing the
Bunburner Gold ride next... Bob Fately # 192461
Van Nuys, California
Shame on Don Questionable reliability? Really, Don? I
ride an R 1200 RT, and it’s by far the best bike I’ve ever owned. It’s my second BMW, after owning Hondas, a Suzuki and a Kawasaki. All of these bikes have had some problems, but show me a motor vehicle that doesn’t. Don, if you’ve been riding BMW motors
since 1975, maybe you should go ride some other make. You’ll be back! I love all motorbikes. My BMWs have been the
most comfortable, best performing, and by far the most reliable of all the bikes I’ve owned. Plus, they are way cool There’s nothing “perceived” about BMW crafts- manship. If your knowledge comes from the reviews you read in other magazines, you should have already noticed that those articles are mostly news copy. Same article in several magazines. My vote goes to BMW for the top bike on the market. I’m loyal to the brand only after personally testing several other bikes over 40 years.
David Barnes #192942 Grants Pass, Oregon
Right on Don This concerns Don Walter’s letter in the
July issue. You go, Don! I’ve been riding BMWs continuously
since 1970. I’ve owned four, three of which I still own (1960, 1972, 1974). The “newest” BMW I’d consider owning would be an R 100. For decades, BMW was synonymous
with steely reliability. My R 75/5 is my workhorse travelling bike. I’m sure BMW “sold out” for reasons of
marketing, and I’ll admit I’m “old school” about almost everything (paper maps), but I still think it’s too bad. A few months ago somebody sug-
gested that Matthew Parkhouse start to instruct us on working on the newer models. Leave Matthew alone! The man’s a god—undoubtedly a superb mechanic, and he actively and very adventurously rides the oldies, even abroad. You go, Matt! Also, I like the new Inherent Vice column.
Woody Roll #98786 Henrico, Virginia
Ken to the rescue Big hat’s off to Ken Engelman, MOA’s Busi-
ness Development Director at the Couchi- ching Getaway. I had a little bounce and scrape incident with some unexpected sand in the road. They dragged my sorry butt off to the ER, but I’m healing the scrapes now. Ken stepped right up to help out any
way he could. Checked on me at the inter- minable ER visit, brought me a burger,
and hauled me back to the Getaway site. The bike was ride-worthy, but I wasn’t. Ken drove me about eight hours out of his way—all the way to my home in Ohio, then turned around and drove himself home to Connecticut. Medjet is bringing the (undamaged) bike back to me. I don’t know how to thank Ken enough. By the way, I thought the Couchiching,
Ontario, Getaway was a total success. Bill Hooykaas did a seemingly flawless job of organizing the event and making over 100 riders glad they came. Lots of interesting seminars, plenty of sunshine, many very friendly Canadians and Americans, good affordable food and accommodations, and the camp staff were really glad to have us. I believe these Getaways are an impor-
tant and essential part of MOA’s future— for a lot of good reasons.
Jim Shaw #61722 Hinckley, Ohio
Alpine Annie breakdown Riding home from Americade on “Alpine
Annie,” my 2003 K 1200 RS, I simultane- ously lost my clutch while hearing crunch- ing noises from the rear. After a tow home and service from Heid’s Hodaka and BMW, I have a rebuilt final drive and rebuilt clutch slave cylinder. The thing is my bike had been making a
“thump-thump” noise for a few days. I sat on the garage floor and did the 12-6/9-3 rear wheel push-pull test many times and could find nothing wrong. I attributed the noise to a worn front tire and possibly missing wheel weight and kept on riding. Big mistake. I let my desire to attend
Americade affect my better judgment. With shaft drive bikes you can’t see when something is about to go bad, so learn from my mistake—if there are any strange noises or feelings, get it looked it asap. Big props to AMA membership—their
free towing service is a very nice benefit, and to the fine folks at Heid’s Hodaka and BMW in Johnsburg, New York, (nobody takes care of old BMWs better). Now to get back to racking up miles for
the MOA riding contest. Frank Palmeri #95891
Schenectady, New York September 2015 BMW OWNERS NEWS 15
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