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Musings of a BMW Owner

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sminn560sl
Posts: 143
Joined: Wed Apr 13, 2011 8:05 pm

Musings of a BMW Owner

Post by sminn560sl »

Submitted merely because I wrote it and want to share it:

Musings of a BMW Owner

Is it possible to have a spiritual attachment to a motorcycle? Based upon my personal experiences, I would say that it is.

A motorcycle is nothing but a collection of parts that work together to carry a human being from one point to another. A motorcycle has no inherent intelligence, can’t think, and can’t relate to its owner/pilot. Or does it?

In 1977 I bought a BMW R90/6 that was sitting in a gas station parking lot in Pensacola Florida. I had reported for duty in the Navy at NAS Pensacola the previous year and had been riding an old Honda CL350 as my only transportation; my wife was using our only car for her job. A year or so later, the Honda was completely worn out and in need of a complete overhaul. While contemplating the overhaul bill I drove past the BMW and turned around to inquire about it.

My stop was somewhat of a turning point in my life. The bike was a 1974 R90/6 in Bol d’or Red. It was in good running condition and the owner wanted $1400 for it as he was reporting to the Air Force in a week and had six motorcycles to sell. The bike also came with Krauser bags and a Pop Dryer fairing (the likes of which I haven’t seen since). I paid his price without negotiation and began an affair with the bike that would last for three years. The love of motorcycles and this bike in particular would last the remainder of my life.

The BMW was a huge transition from the Honda 350. Compared to the Honda it was a veritable Panzer. It was heavy, solid and dead reliable. I truly enjoyed the instant gratification every time it started, settling into its slowly popping cadence so familiar to me now.

The BMW became my main transportation for three years. That bike reliably carried me back and forth to work, to college, on necessary errands and social meets through summer thunderstorms, blazing hot summer days, rain, fog, sleet and every other form of challenge that Mother Nature can dish out in Northern Florida. If you’ve never lived there you cannot imagine how cold a humid 38 degrees can be.

As part of the maintenance crew, I worked the evening shift, which got off at 11:30 PM. I lived on the opposite side of Pensacola from the base so I often passed through downtown on my way home as one of the few vehicles on the road. I have to say that those rides were nothing short of magical. The traffic lights down Garden Street in those days were timed after 2200 so that they changed in sequence if you were riding the speed limit. If my timing was right, I could ride all the way from the gate of the base to Scenic Hwy without stopping. No matter the weather, the BMW ‘ticked’ through town like a Rolex watch, never missing a beat. I remember one night that I passed the main bank on Garden Street, seeing the temperature on the bank’s display as 18 degrees. I was chilled but the BMW’s persistent heartbeat somehow kept me warm. I knew the ride was only about 20 minutes and that the BMW would get me there. It always had and always did.

As I worked evenings, I attended college in the mornings. The BMW was my only transportation for most of my college sessions as well. The BMW was a regular in the parking lots of the Pensacola Junior College and the University of West Florida.

In 30,000 miles of riding over a three-year period, the BMW never let me down. I was often sweaty, wet from rain, or shivering from cold, but the old BMW always got me to work and always got me home. It became a trusted friend. I never doubted its reliability and never had reason to doubt it.

This period in my life was one of the best parts of my life. I was newly married to the love of my life, had a great job in the Navy as a flight simulator technician, worked with some wonderful people, and lived in a great town on Florida’s Gulf Coast. I was going to college and riding a great motorcycle. Weekends often included cross-country rides with some of my “shipmates.”

It was also during this period that I read “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.” Any who have read this book know that it is a very spiritual book, linking Buddhism, Zen spiritualism and motorcycles into a single work. Many a night I thought about passages I had read that day while the BMW ‘clicked’ along under me on the way home. Which brings me back to the original question posed at the beginning of this article.

Is it possible to have a spiritual attachment to a motorcycle? I think that anyone who has spent practically every day of three years on a motorcycle can understand when I say that it is possible. One becomes familiar with every nuance and peculiarity of a machine when used so frequently and consistently. After a tiring evening of work, there is something very gratifying about mounting a motorcycle at 2330, pressing the starter and having the bike immediately fire and settle into its typical cadence. One also becomes familiar with every sound and vibration the bike makes, instilling an intense familiarity. Performing every maintenance task: replacing points, plugs, condensers, setting valves adjusting carburetors and effecting minor repairs adds to such a familiarity. One begins thinking of the machine as a trusty friend, even talking to it at times (“come on sweetheart, please start…”)

Does a motorcycle have an inherent ‘intelligence?’ Does it ‘relate’ to its owner? In an oblique way I contend that it does. Every nuance of a motorcycle is attributable to the engineers and technicians who built it. Every engineering design parameter results in a particular running characteristic of the machine. The characteristics of frame stability, suspension response, torque effects, acceleration, braking, and the sense of vibration and sound are all the result of a lot of thinking on the part of the design engineers that manifest themselves in the ‘character’ of the motorcycle. So is the durability and reliability. The ‘intelligence’ of the machine is built-in. When in a good state of repair, a motorcycles character is directly tied to the ‘intelligence’ built into it by its designers.

Can a motorcycle ‘relate’ to its owner? Obviously a motorcycle doesn’t ‘think’ (at least I don’t think it does). However, I firmly believe that a motorcycle does respond to the care and maintenance that an owner provides. Did my BMW serve so reliably because I tended to its maintenance? I think that it did. Without the attention I paid to tires, battery, lights and routine maintenance I think the bike would not have been as reliable as it was. A lot of its reliability can be tied to the design, but neglect would likely have result in a different outcome.

The BMW R90 is not a fast machine. It’s not a sexy ‘sporting’ machine. It’s not the best highway machine, it’s not the best ‘handling’ machine and it’s not the most attractive machine. However, in my opinion, the R90 balances all of these factors in a way that no other machine does. And…it does it with rock solid reliability.

Today the BMW R90/6 is a special bike for me. I currently have around a dozen motorcycles in my garage. Six are BMW’s. One is an R90 and I’m building another for friend who also cherishes them. Clearly the old 74 made a distinct impression on me. Perhaps even a spiritual one.


Steve in Kentucky
91 BMW K1 (caretaking); 87 BMW R80 (RS); 61 BMW R60/2; 66 BMW R27; 74 R90/6; 59 NSU Maxi; 71 Norton Commando; 71 BSA 250 GP; 66 Triumph TR6R; 61 Norton Manx; 59/61 Triton; 14 Triumph Thruxton

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stagewex
Posts: 460
Joined: Sun Oct 26, 2014 8:18 am

What can I say other than

Post by stagewex »

What can I say other than "nice".

I read "Zen" in my 20's. It was so boring and made no sense to me. I read it again in my 50's and miraculously this time it all made perfect sense to me. Go figure.

I also believe you can be spiritually connected, absolutely. But maybe that is just being superstitious? Like if you are working on and riding one particular bike in the garage but you can feel the eye's of another one watching you.

Did you sell the r90 you are writing about?
mike wex/stagewex
1969 BMW r60/2, US Model, 1995 BMW K75, 2006 Yamaha TW200, 2007 Ural Patrol, 1991 Honda XR250L

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sminn560sl
Posts: 143
Joined: Wed Apr 13, 2011 8:05 pm

Regrettably, I did sell it

Post by sminn560sl »

Regrettably, I did sell it when I left the Navy in 1980. I regretted it soon after selling it. However, I have another one now!
Steve in Kentucky
91 BMW K1 (caretaking); 87 BMW R80 (RS); 61 BMW R60/2; 66 BMW R27; 74 R90/6; 59 NSU Maxi; 71 Norton Commando; 71 BSA 250 GP; 66 Triumph TR6R; 61 Norton Manx; 59/61 Triton; 14 Triumph Thruxton

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jrapose
Posts: 260
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 5:26 pm

I read your comments and I

Post by jrapose »

I read your comments and I think you are spot on... I too have a bike that talks to me.... it's funny....it's not a BMW.. and I have lots of BMW bikes in my shop... it's a 1989 Honda Transalp.. I am not a fan of Honda but this bike talks to me..it likes me and never ever fails me...it is amazing.... I have sold this bike several times and each time it goes to another state....and each time I miss it and buy it back when the owner gets tired of it... for the same money I sold it for... my wife now says I can never ever sell it again, even if I get to old to ride it needs to be in my garage... it's just sorta me...what a great bike...everything just works perfect, balances perfect and feels like it is part of me when I ride it... I do love my R69S but it is just metal and rubber...does not talk to me...just runs well and looks neat... but that Honda...just that one.. is me.

Joel Rapose
Chester Kalifornia
Joel Rapose
Powerdynamo Importer USA
http://rapose.biz/

Gritzmore
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2015 6:59 pm

This is awesome. Thanks for

Post by Gritzmore »

This is awesome. Thanks for sharing it.

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sminn560sl
Posts: 143
Joined: Wed Apr 13, 2011 8:05 pm

Thanks Gritzmore.

Post by sminn560sl »

Thanks Gritzmore.
Steve in Kentucky
91 BMW K1 (caretaking); 87 BMW R80 (RS); 61 BMW R60/2; 66 BMW R27; 74 R90/6; 59 NSU Maxi; 71 Norton Commando; 71 BSA 250 GP; 66 Triumph TR6R; 61 Norton Manx; 59/61 Triton; 14 Triumph Thruxton

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