So, here we are, six months later, and we are finally settled enough to have purchased a "replacement" for Big Red. With the space limitations, there was really only one workable solution. But before we get to the "what," the "why" is a good story too...
I've always loved cars, trucks and motorcycles. I told the story of my Fathers old Mustang in the first ever post on this blog, and there are several other stories about cars and trucks from him. He's owned several over the years, and we've always enjoyed going to car shows. There are just a few motorcycle stories, but those are the ones to focus on here.
Growing up, there was a neighbor just a few houses down we called Big Jim. I remember him for two reasons - he had a big satellite TV dish that I remember going over to watch a couple times (this was in the early '80's before cable was big), and he had a motorcycle. It was a big Honda Goldwing and he parked it in his front yard all summer long. I even got a ride on it one day:
Riding with Big Jim - 1980 |
I remember walking to school past that bike in the spring and fall. A couple years after that ride, my father made his one and only jaunt into the world of motorcycles, taking the safety class.
Dad at MSF class - 1982 |
That all has now changed. About two months ago, while at work (yeah, moving across two states and finding a new job, which included a career change has kept us busy, but we're good - and gainfully employed!), I saw a BMW motorcycle. Now, I'm sure I've seen BMW bikes before, but this one really caught my eye, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. Now, I'm not positive, since I couldn't stop and look, but I'm fairly certain the bike I saw was this - a cream colored R1200:
Definitely not a Harley |
Surely you can see where this is going, right? I have signed myself up for the local MSF class, but have to wait for spring since they have shut down for the fall. Last season, they started in April, so looks like 6 months before I can get on a bike... Or is it?
After looking nearly every day at the local ads, Craigslist, Cycle Trader and the like for two months, the "fall pricing" BMW motorcycle of my dreams appeared (and it being Red made it all seem perfect)!
Behold! A 1985 BMW k100rt - and in my price range! |
Tight knees, but it fits! |
I also like that BMW has always done things a bit differently, mechanically, when it comes to motorcycles. Their old two cylinder motors were horizontally opposed rather than the Harley V-twin most people think of, with the cylinder heads jutting out the side of the bike into the flow of air as it rushed by. Those were known as "airhead." In the early '80s, BMW unveiled a series of motorcycles that were a cross between touring bikes and sport bikes (the first was the garish k1, then they moved on to the k100 series - my bike!). They took the four cylinder concept introduced by Honda in the early '70's (note the cylinders all running vertically across the bike), flipped it and turned it on it's side. The resulting motor - dubbed the "flying brick" - is legendary as one of the most reliable ever made, with countless reports of bikes lasting 200,000 + miles.
Front wheel to the left front, rear wheel to the right rear. Different - effective |
It's going to be a long winter, waiting for that MSF class...
Which brings me back to this blog. I wanted to update it on getting a replacement for Big Red, but I don't want to diminish what I started by starting up talking motorcycles. I also need (maybe? maybe not) to come up with a nickname for my new bike. Little Red makes sense, but I'm not sold just yet.