Welcome New Members (and old) - Introduce Yourself!

[R1150R in Africa]

Hi Guys/Girls

I'm Gary, currently living/working in Lagos, Nigeria on a 2 year contract (well only 20 and a half months to go now !). The real place I call home and to where I'll be returning when I'm done in this hell-hole in Dec '06 is Johannesburg, South Africa. My wife of 8 years and 3 daughters have now joined me here in Lagos until next year Dec which is a big improvement over the last 2 years when they stayed in South Africa and I only got to see them for a week or so every 5 to 6 weeks.

In my locked garage in SA, under a nice cozy "Skinz" cover patiently awaits my '05 Dark-Ferro Metallic R1150R "military issue" R1150R (I've been toying with the name "GI Jane" but I think it sounds a bit wimpish for such a bad @ss machine !!)

I traded my F650CS (which I also loved immensely but grew out of) in for my R in October last year and have been the happiest guy on this earth ever since. The best decision I've ever made. I would not get rid of her for anything (although the new ST is really growing on me day by day - they will only be in SA around July!!). My time in Nigeria between trips home (once every 3 to 4 months now) seem to take forever knowing that my R is sitting in the garage at home just waiting to be fired up ! The R is the most easy bike to ride I've ever ridden. I'm no professional rider by any means but my R really makes me feel like I am !

I came across this board just after I bought my R and have never looked back. Living in Nigeria for most of the year this message board has been a life saver and constant source of knowledge, entertainment and, for me, more importantly humour.

Have done a couple of reasonably long rides on my R over Christmas and Easter and, once I sort out the attaching of photos on my threads, I will do a small write-up with photos (as I'm sure that I live in one of the best riding countries in the world and I would really like for you all to see the scenery over here as well as my R with the std muffler removed and a beautiful short stainless steel end-piece in it's place - the std muffler is now in mothballs and will definitely not be re-fitted unless I decide to sell the R one day which is very doubtful!!).

Good job on the new board guys, it's great !!

[Moinks]

I have been riding bikes for about 24 years now, and have had a few different makes B4 I bought my first BMW .

It was the 02 650CS, it was good for 2 years but I found it to small. I got my 04 Ferro Blue in Jul of last year, and have only not been able to ride it for 2 weeks (Jan) when we got Snow here in Victoria.

This board is a great place.

dano in Victoria

[PearlyWhite]

"New Member" - That sounds funny, like someone had an operation.

Anyhow, been checking this site out since I bought Mr. White in '03. I don't have a significant amount of techy know-how so was reluctant to join - didn't feel that I had anything substantial of value to bring here.

But, thought you all should know that this board has been of value to me and I appreciate other's work and contributions. After typing this, I'll figure out how to pitch into the kitty as a "thank you."

I have always wanted to contribute to the "which color is the best" debates - because I know my white R is - and that noone else here has one so I can't be proven wrong !!!

I did go check out the new ST. Awesome beast - but I feel that maybe I haven't exploited the capabilities of bike at 2yrs and 11,250 miles. Will excercise some self-control and wait a year and re-evaluate.

Once again - to all I say thanks for adding to my enjoyment of owning such a fine piece o metal.

[srosenfeld]

My name is Steve, and I am 36 years-old. I have been a member here for about a year, but I haven't posted much as I am not all that mechanically-inclined. I have tried to post whenever I can offer insight into my riding experience. I recently came back to motorcycling after a hiatus of 18 or so years. In addition to my silver R1150RA, I have a Harley-Davidson VRSCA, which I use primarily to cruise around town.

I am an attorney specializing in intellectual property and information technology litigation. I travel quite a bit for work, and I try to bring my bike whenever I am going to be in a place for a while. Last year, I had two 6-week trials in Denver and was able to spend a great deal of time riding in the Rockies.

Other than motorcycling (and work), I try to spend as much time as I can with my wife and three kids.

[BMWChef]

Aloha everyone,
BMWChef here and as you might have guessed I am a chef. I oversee 11 restaurants under 4 concepts here in San Diego and I do a little consulting work for JAL Corp. when time permits.
I grew up in Colorado and began riding bikes in the summer of '67 by stealing one of my older brothers enduros and promptly crashing it into a tree. Not one to be deterred I kept at it until I got a better hang of it. I got my first BMW in 1974 ( a wrecked R69 which I rebuilt). I have degrees in philosophy ( did I hear a snicker) and finance. Left for Europe in '78 and completed 2 culinary apprenticeships ( one in France and one in Switzerland)...I'm a glutton for punishment.
My career has offered me a great meny opportunities. I have lived all over Europe, the Med, South Africa, and the Far East. My heaven is still Hawaii ( Kauai to be exact).
I have a beautiful 10 year old daughter ( 10 going on 25) who keeps me laughing at myself.
I've had the great fortune of meeting a few of the outstanding members of this board and can't wait to meet more of you in Torry, UT in May.

Aloha pumehana,
Chef

[SLEDGE]

Hi everyone been reading the site for the last 4 mounths. I've been away from motorcycling for 30 so I thought that at 54 years old it was time to start agan. I bought my beak about 2 weeks ago, it is a 98 r1100r, it's teal green, has 25000M and looks like it is 1 year old! I am very happy with it and just competed a 12,000M sevis on it. I am ready to go. Love the site and have gained much info on the beaks. Hope to see ya all on the road. R.D.

[PeterB]

Hi folks, I've been lurking here for nearly a year and felt it was time to check in. I'm 74 and on my 3rd BMW. Had a 95 R1100R, a 2000R1100R and my current ride is a 2004 R1150R. I bought the new bike last May and just turned over 17,000 miles. My wife of 51 years rides a 650 Suzuki Savage and we get to ride year round because we summer in Kansas and winter in Florida. My love affair with motorcycles goes back to my childhood. I grew up in Laconia, NH, home of the longest continuously run motorcycle race in the U.S. I spent 23 years of my life in the Army spanning the Korean and Vietnam Wars. I left the Army in 1972 and owned a Yamaha dealership for a few years in Leavenworth, Ks. Fully retired in 1986 and moved to Wichita. My Florida digs are near Tampa. The mileage on the new bike reflects an attempt last Sept to hit the 4 corners of The lower 48. Got the western portion completed but had to cancel the eastern half because of the hurricanes. Will do this part in June. I really enjoy the board for it's information and entertainment. I'm facing some medical issues but hope to put at least 100K on Black Beauty before I'm forced to park her. Hope to see some of you on the road sometime. Be safe, it's a jungle out there

[sweatmark]

"Just the facts, 'mam":

Mark, 41, aka "Sweatmark" - Oregon (Willamette Valley, launchpad for many a fine ride)

Technical sales - degrees in mechanical (BS), chemical (MS), maniacal (PMS) engineering.

(re)Married to young hottie, with turbo-step-daughter. Wife is learning to ride after completion of MSF-equivalent course last fall, er, Autumn.

Current inventory: '02 R1150R, '98 R1200C, '03 Buell XB9SL (for the Mrs.)
Future inventory: R1200S if it appears or other sport-focused bike, K1200R (for the Mrs., seriously... that's her "must have" bike)

I'm a long-time crotch rocket rider since first new bike in 1984 (VRF Interceptor, learned to ride on trip home from the dealer). Several CBRs & GSXRs; luckily, not many squidly scars. Eventually bought 1st Beemer ('96 R850R) and grew to appreciate the utility of Teutonic Twins. Love the R1150R Roadster - best Renaissance bike I've owned/ridden to date, intend to keep it a very long time.

Hope to (finally) meet some of the other West Coast board members this year during much-needed road trips west of the Rockies.

This is a great message baord.

[1MPH]

The members and I would like to wish all newcomers a warm welcome to our little r1150r mecca. We had a post on the old board with many replies about who people are and it fun to read. It really helps everyone meet eachother and share interests too.

Hello All, I'm Jack from Phoenix, Az. I've been riding for about 5 years.
I learned on a Honda Magna 700VF, moved up to a Honda Shadow 1100,
then a 99 BMW R1100R. In september I bought a new R1150R because
I wanted ABS. Most of my riding is in Calif. DV, Utah torrey, Colorado
Milliom dollar highway, New Mexico Silver city and Trinity site and of
course Arizona. I'm retiring in July and hope to ride to many more states.

I'm married, 39 years, have two children a son that lives here and a daughter that lives in Mill Valley, Calif.

[flying_hun]

Hi all,

My name is Kurt, and the username comes from a nickname I picked up from my youth as a street racer and later a dirt oval driver (we're talking cages here). It's a play on my very germanic name.

I recently bought a black 2002 Roadster with the little fly screen, a StainTune pipe, head protectors and the BMW cases. It's a bit of a contrast to the K1200LTC that preceded it! The Roadster is loads of fun and sounds suitably snorty with that pipe. Most of the miles so far have been commuting, but I have been able to get to some twisties, where it has really been great.

The bio stuff is 49 years old, married and divorced twice, 2 kids aged 20 and 17. I started riding at 11, and have had a number of bikes over the years of various different makes. This is my 3rd BMW, though there are lots of other bikes I find desirable. I work as a manager in a high tech company in Northern California, and while I'm at it let me put in a good word for riding here. It's the third state I've lived in as a licensed motorcyclist - the others were Washington and Connecticut - and the conditions for riding here are very nice. Nothing against anywhere else, I just like it here.

Activities in addition to motorcyclinging include skiing (I love it even more than motorcycling, actually ), bicycling, and the occasional trip to the local indoor karting track.

This is a great resource, and thank you to all who have contributed to the collective knowledge.

Cheers,

Kurt

[bimrluvr]

Hi All,

I was very glad to find this board when I first found it before the move from EZboard, and even moreso since then. Tons of good info here and plenty of fairly interesting/entertaining personalities.

I'm a patent lawyer by trade, father of three, just coming out of my mid-life crisis and fortunately survived with my motorcycle, my sanity AND my marriage in tact.

Canadian-born, I hold 3 passports (US, CA and Israel) and have lived in all of those places...mostly in the NorthEast US...but now, permanently I hope, living in sunny SoCal.

Got back into riding after a 20 year hiatus...started back in with an MSF Basic course and then picked up an R850R, which has just given way to a new R1150R! Such a Deal!!

I had been struggling for months with what to upgrade to. RT, ST, RS, ST4S, Sprint all made final list. Roadster wasn't even on the list! But then I found this group. and after lurking for a bit, I realized that I already had a good thing going in the Roadster and "why switch?".

I've added stuff to this great all-rounder bike to build on its inherent flexibility and now I can do practically any kind of asphalt riding, short or long, fast or relaxed, cold or warm, wet or dry. No reason for me to look elsewhere.

Anyway, regards to all on the board...I look forward to our exchanges and future meetings.

Look me up if you're in my neighborhood and I'll do the same!!

Mort

[Lion_Lady]

Hi. I've been hanging out for about a month. Just bought one of the last 'dealer new' R80 - Rocksters (#196).

I'm moving up from an f650CS, and I loooove the Rockster. Picked up the new bike about 10 days ago and will be going in for the 600 mile service on Tuesday, likely.

I'm the Safety Chair for the BMW Bikers of Metro Washington (http://www.bmwbmw.org) I live northwest of Baltimore, MD and have been really active in two other clubs in my area.

I donated to this site last week (after the bandwidth problem) and am still waiting for access to the members only sections.

P

[boxermania]

Hi, I'm boxermania and have been hanging around for a couple of years, actually since I met Sam Hallen at the LookOut on Deals Gap.

I'm a Physicist/Engineer by trade and have been into rotating equipment for as long as I care to remember. I have been fortunate to have "de rigour" stints with auto racing, karting, boats and the like. I can't leave a piece of rotating equipment alone I need to "experiment" with it, maybe that's how I mask my other shortcomings.....

A self proclaimed gearhead that roams this board trying to help my fellow riders with their problems/questions and educate the new/unnitiated. I think one of the pleasures of riding is the intimate bond with one's ride. I also have my days where I clown around and make fun of whatever the topic is ......the devil made me do it.

Have established good friendships with some of the residents of this board through the fortune of being in attendance at the East Beakster Bash I and II. The main thing that keeps me around is that the people, at least those that I have met, are genuine and have a passion for ridding and their mounts.

[Doug]

Welcome everyone, old and new! I really enjoy reading these, keep 'em coming!

Peter, wow 74 glorious years! Very impressive and hope that your medical issues subside long enough to hit 100K.

[Slipstream]

Hello from Alabama, where I'm stationed while in the USAF. (Originally from Cleveland, but don't hold that against me.)

Came into the world of BMW motorcycles after being stationed in Germany--bought a 2000 R1100RT factory-direct.
Loved it, but after getting out and being hired by an airline, then being furloughed (fancy word for being laid off) after 9-11, I was forced to sell it to support the family.

Got back into the USAF, and here I am. Just bought a 2003 R1150R from Husker Red and absolutely love it. Love the 6 speed tranny (the 2000 RT had a 5-speed) and the new look.

I am happily married to a beautiful woman, and have three awesome girls--13, 10 and a 5 year-old.

Other than the motorcycle cops, haven't seen too many other BMW riders here in Montgomery, but hoping to find others to ride with.

[stratus]

Hello to all the members from the previous board and to the new members here. My name is Charles and I used to go by the member ID stratus8.

I am a manager with a logging contractor on Vancouver Island. I have been riding for over 20 years. My street bike history consists of a 1986 Yamaha Radian 600, 1998 HD Sportster 883, 1999 HD Road King Classic, and my current beloved 2002 R1150R (Piedmont Red).

I moved to Vancouver Island last year after four great years living in Georgia. Sure do miss the weather and the proximity to Deal's Gap. However, I must admit, there sure is some great riding here on the Island.

By the way, I want to give a shout-out to all the guys who I met at the Deal's Gap Beakster Bash in 2004. For those of you who remember, my daughter was born that weekend, and she is now walking and keeping me busy chasing her around. I have started shopping for a sidecar so she can ride with the old man

Charles

[jrc]

My name's Jay. I live on Vancouver Island, off the West Coast of Canada -- a land of twsities! I rode dirt bikes as a teenager, then blah blah blah. For the last couple of years, I've been looking at bikes. Finally took a couple of safety courses and bought a bike. I'd been interested in a cruiser, but when I saw the r1150r, my biker-wanna-be dream died and I became a rider! I love this bike. I've put about 1000km a week on it for th epast six weeks -- commuting, light touring, and so on.

I am interested in learning all I can about maintenance, safe riding, and so on from this forum.

[yjleesvrr]

I've been a member of this board since June, 2002, the same month I took delivery of my black Roadster. I first threw a leg over a motorcycle in early 1998 when I bought a very, very used '86 Honda CB 450 that I puttered around town with. It really wasn't until I bought a Suzuki SV650 in January of 2002 that I was equipped with a machine that could take me far away from home without the fear of breakdown. The Roadster soon followed after I gawked at a R1150R sitting on a showroom floor and ordered one to my liking (no ABS). I've been logging about 12k miles per year, a lot less than Sir Pat, but more than the average rider. I am hooked on BMW both for cars and motorcycles. I hope the bikes don't go the way of yuppies and wannabes. Regardless, as long as the Bavarian marque remains true to hard core riders, I'll keep riding their machines.

I majored in math and physics at Virginia Tech, worked as a systems engineer for six years, and finally decided to start my own business almost three years ago in technology consulting. I've done all this in Blacksburg, VA, a college town sitting on a plateau between the Blue Ridge and Alleghany Mountains in Western VA. Because of my business, I spend a great deal of time on the road - mainly to the New York metro and the Washington, D.C. areas. I incorporate riding my R1150R with my business trips as much as I can.

During what little time I have for liesure, I find myself reading non-fiction - mainly history, economics, and business literature/books. I also enjoy hiking, hunting, playing classical and jazz piano, and photography. In the fall, I enjoy attending football games to watch my alma mater beat up on our in-state rival (UVA) whom VA Tech people like to call "The French."

[mungo spudpower]

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself. I bought a new silver 2004 R1150R (ABS) last week and will be picking up the bike (hopefully) this Saturday if the weather permits.

I'm still in shock that I sold my VFR800 and bought a BMW instead.

The reasons seem pretty clear: I wanted a bike that was comfortable for short and long distances, had good pillion accommodations, great low speed handling and was practically bulletproof. As much as I like sportbikes, I never really gelled with them and often reminisced about my Nighthawk 750. It was a bike I could go anywhere with (and did) and never tired of riding. With my CBR929 and even the VFR, after a long ride, I just wanted to get off and stay off.

I've always harboured a secret liking of BMWs but the bikes always seem to stir up some contemptous slag from sportbike riders about obsolete technology, old people's bike, ugly looks, price gouging, elitism and general it's-a-piece-of-junk put-downs.

But my list of requirements pointed to the Beemer and what's more, I really like the R11050R design. When BMW offered it's 0.9% financing, I jumped! I'm having second thoughts at the moment because it's a heck of a lot of money and seems a crazy purchase when compared to the FZ1s, Z1s and FJR1300s out there so here I am looking for a few more reasons to feel good about my purchase.

OK, that's all for now. Oh yes, I also have an SV650 which is a dedicated trackbike.

Looking forward to contributing to this forum (and learning from it too!).

mungo

[Another Lazy Old Fart]

Howdy everyone.....

I'd like to introduce myself, if I may........My name is Ed and I'm retired now living in Tucson, a city famous for year round riding and crazy traffic. I've been riding motorcycles some 40 years beginning on Philadelphia's wet cobblestone streets and trolly car tracks. I started with an old Zundapp 2 stroke, then a 150 Honda, which I traded for a Honda CB 450, then a BSA 500 BB-33, a 1966 HD XLCH, a Triumph 650 was next, then a Yamaha XS650.

One day I rode a BMW motorcycle. Damn, I was hooked, in fact I still own that 1977 R75. I've since owned a 1984 R100RS Last Edition, which I sold--yeah I know--DUMB! A 1985 K100RS was next, then a 1986 R80, then a 1987 K100RS on which I ran up lot's of mileage before I traded for a 2002 K1200RS with POWER BRAKES. By this time the "Flying Brick" had evolved into an over priced, top heavy, over tech motorcycle--IMHO, so I wasn't too pleased with the ride.

About a month and a half ago I chanced to ride a new R1150R twin spark. After a 35 mile test ride I was in love again. This Roadster is fast, lighter in weight, soooo easy to ride----and it doesn't have no stinkin' power brakes or ABS. None of that $$$$$$$ tupperware either, thank you!

Immediately following the test ride, I traded the K12 for that '05 R1150R loaded up with lots of accessories. I've heard it said the Roadster is BMW's best bargain motorcycle.

Well I certainly won't disagree with that!

See ya' in Torry........