Why BMW?

[tmfirestone]

I'm curious how everyone first got interested in BMW's? I know they are the best, most comfortable, most reliable and etc. but I would like to know what specific experience made you want a BMW?

[bimmerguy]

For me at 57 yrs old, I'm done with my crotchcrocket days, they were fun, but I am amazed how much beautiful scenery I missed doing 100+ mph all the time.
Why BMW? I love the boxer motor because it's bulletproof, very tractable power and no surprises with mid turn throttle changes.
Germans over engineer everything they build, hence the paralever shaft drive and turn signals on each bar, moveable seat position, abs, oil cooling , not just air cooling.
You can get more power with same goodies{ concourse, FJR1300} but BMW bikes are BUILT TO RIDE, not just to sell.
Borrow a friend's and spend a day on it and you will see why were are crazy about them.
I'm on my 9th bike[second BMW] and 9th BMW car, this one with 200k on it and you can see why BMW folks are so loyal.
They are odd, a little quirky but I have always thought the blue RT is always the most gorgeous bike I have ever seen.
Some BMW folks may buy them to be part of a squid group , to just impress each other with their dangles.
Then there are those of us who want a bike we can ride to another state for lunch because you don't have to worry if your trusty steed will get you home. We actually look for more roads to hit before going home.
I have met several couples on a cross country tour on RT1100s out in the middle of nowhere and they had big smiles on their faces.
Now I know why...

[ka5ysy]

A long time ago in a place far, far away.....

I discovered a much abused R60 something that between the GI riders and local "mechanics" was about the most reliable thing around the place. Besides, being a pilot long before I ever got sucked into the Army, the boxer engine looked a lot like a Continental or Lycoming airplane engine, so life was good. That old Airhead ruined me on anything other than BMW's forever.


If you need the answer to your question, go find a R1200R and take a test ride. Pay attention to my signature line however....

If you think it is a joke, ask how many of us fell victim. Hey everybody: If you are a Test Ride Victim, raise your hand and let him know !

[dbrick]

What Bimmerguy said. I've only had two of their cars, but I've had 9 BMW bikes over 38 years of riding.

I had one non-BMW in there: a lightly-used FJ1200. Great condition, comfortable, fast. I just hated it.

[sweatmark]

Why BMW:

Needed a two-up bike in mid-90s. The H-D thing was already absurd (e.g. waiting lists, selling for more than retail), and I was tired of crotch rocketing. Found a barely used oilhead with System cases, windshield, comfortable rider and pillion seating... 15 years and 7 BMWs later, I'm still a fan of the marque but quick to dispel any notions of "best, most comfortable, most reliable, etc"... these machines (both BMW bikes and cars) are a mixed bag, but a better option than most others.

[Shakey]

I rode it - simple as that really

[Woland]

Two things:

ABS

I´m 6'4" so I need a bike not built for the average Japanese male.

(Besides that I´m also a fan of german engineering.)

[bimmerguy]

If you are tall like me, then go for R or RS model and you can put ext footrests on the heads.
Also, since BMW's last almost forever, there are lots of new and used parts.
Ck out beemerboneyard.com an A&S cycles.com

[AllanCook]

I was having coffee one day with my Harley buddies (I was riding an FXDX at the time) and a dude pulled up on a glossy black R1150R. It was the most beautiful machine I'd ever seen. About a week later I rode the Harley to a BMW dealer in Boston and took an R1150R for a test ride. Rode home on the Beemer. No regrets.

[fastdogs2]

I took the Harley Rider's Edge (MSF) Course and fully intended to purchase a Softail Deuce. Unfortunately, the local Harley dealer was selling bikes at $3,000 over MSRP, with no negotiations, period. The used bikes this dealer had in stock were priced even more higher than the new ones. When I asked the salesman why the high prices, he replied, "Supply and Demand."

I decided to take my demand elsewhere, so I visited the BMW dealer and discovered a used R1200C cruiser with about 5,000 miles. Not only did they give me a $995 discount from their selling price, but they offered me an additional two year warranty. I have purchased two other BMW bikes, since the R1200C - a 2005 R1200RT and a 2009 R1200R.

What keeps me on BMW's and off Harleys is what the BMWs offer; anti-lock brakes, the boxer engine, feet under the seat foot peg positions (not feet forward looking like you are in some absurd LazyBoy recliner, as you ride down the road), good fuel mileage, quality, reliability and my local dealer (Capitol BMW in Raleigh) is great.

I have also owned three BMW automobiles (Z3 M Roadster, 530xit Sport Wagon, currently drive a 2010 535i Sport Wagon).

Bill

[bmwk100]

In 1991 I took the MSF beginner's riding course and my instructor rode a BMW. He highly recommended them and 20 years later and 4 bikes later I'm still a fan.

[Boxerpunk]

It's not just BMW, but the BMW R-series
I love the boxer engine and the shaft-drive

[rockbottom]

When I started riding a little over three years ago, my first stop was the Harley dealer. It was the closest and my boss and riding mentor is a big Harley guy. I hung around for around half an hour just realized I wasn't one. It just didn't click--the country music in the background, the tattoos that every customer and member of the staff had, the pickup trucks with NASCAR stickers in the parking lot. All of that is fine--my background is pure blue collar. But it just wasn't me now. Plus, I didn't like the idea that 75% of the bikes on the road around here were Harleys.

I then went to the Honda dealer that was a few hundred yards further down the road. None of the Hondas moved me: all that the dealer had in stock was sports bikes and cruisers (which seemed like Harley wannabes to me). But the Honda dealer also happened to be a BMW dealer. I hadn't even thought about them before, but I wandered down to that end of the showroom and it all seemed right. I could see myself as a BMW person. So four days after beginning to think about learning to ride, I owned a BMW.

So, bottom line, I guess I had multiple reasons. 1) A BMW 3 series I'd owned in the 90s was the best driving car I've owned; 2) the reputation for top flight engineering; 3) the fact BMWs were uncommon, but not so rare that it would be impossible to get parts or service; 4) geography. I would have also considered Triumphs, but the Triumph dealer was 35 miles away and the BMW dealer was 5. Huge difference in convenience for service.

BMW almost lost me after a couple of years. I started with an F800ST. I loved the bike. When it was running. In two years, I had six major warranty repairs and had used roadside assistance three times. From May to June 2010 it was in the shop more than on the road, awaiting parts from Germany. I was afraid this would continue and would all be out of pocket once the warranty expired. I was close to just giving up riding all together. But I harangued BMW about all the trouble I had until they gave me $1800 credit toward another model. I hadn't ridden an R1200R but had already decided that would best fit my needs. My dealer happened to have one configured the way I wanted. So I leaped.

Now I've had the R for one year and one week, and passed 21,000 miles today. It's my favorite thing I've ever owned.

[Patch]

I rode it - simple as that really

Yup... me too! Actually i never felt that i could "afford" a BMW and never really seriously considered them while I was looking last year. Happened to stumble upon a 2009 R1200R leftover (this was last year) and it struck me as exactly what i wanted... standard, nekkid, and freaking gorgeous!! Happily, the dealer offered a ride right away and i was hooked. Even came back with the Mrs. and tried it again.

I spent the next year riding everything i could find (new and used) and stuffing pennies in a jar. Every ride was compared to the BMW... bigger, slower, faster, lighter, seating position, etc. I read, asked, learned and just knew it was the bike for me.

I emptied the jar last May and brought home my 2011 R1200R ... and i couldn't be happier. 3k miles so far!

So yes... as Shakely put it - i simply rode it!!

[towerworker]

I bought my first R (2003) because I had wanted one since I was 17 (1972). Enthralled with the looks of the Boxer twin and the perceived idea of shaft drive reliability.
I now have a 2004 R and love it. BUT if I were shopping for a bike today based primarily on reliability.........I'm afraid BMW would be down the list a ways.

[rockbottom]

While I had boatloads of problems with my F800ST, the only issue with my R so far has been one fuel strip.

None of the marques I'd be interested in if I left BMW--Triumph, Ducati--are high on the reliability scale. Japanese motorcycles just don't speak to me.

[deilenberger]

Had a BMW car ('87 535is) and figured the engineering appealed to me, so I needed a project, which presented itself in the form of a '79 R65 that had gone swimming in the Atlantic (during a hurricane..) The project took about 3 months to a riding bike, and I was hooked. Never looked back - not only for the engineering, but also the people I met.

[Caol]

Hmm....

Now that I think about it, my first highway machine was a 10 year old R75/5 ('73) that I got in 1983, it had a Vetter Windjammer III (w/lowers) on it and I added the BMW side cases. Rode that until the spring of 1989 when I picked up a 1987 (but new) K75T with screen/bags. Was looking for a replacement for the K75T as I wanted the new bike to be paid for by the time I retired in 2010. Looked at the BMW's but the R1150R only had 10 more hp than the K75T and I was headed for the mountains of BC, wanted some (but not a lot) extra soup! Oh yeah, wanted bare bike with screen/bags. Didn't want a full fairing. At the time that would have meant the K1200R, at waaayyy more power than I need. Then they announced the R1200R would be available in Canada in the spring of '07. Ordered one. No test ride, no nothing.

As some have mentioned before me, I find the sitting position of a cruiser to be very uncomfortable. I even sit in a kitchen chair with my feet under me, rather than in front, so that is a major consideration. Also, I'm not a light weight person and I don't want 'me' to use all the payload available! BMW's consistently have higher payload to GVW ratio's than most other marques as well as being lighter, overall, for their performance levels.

So, all of that, going back to '83 when I picked up the R75/5 in a four vehicle swap (no money changed hands!) sort of set the pace.

I figure this one will be good until I need my electric scooter!

Kyle

[Jed]

As some have mentioned before me, I find the sitting position of a cruiser to be very uncomfortable. I even sit in a kitchen chair with my feet under me, rather than in front, so that is a major consideration.

I've been watching this thread, reading what others have said while thinking of my own answer to that question. Kyle's comment above struck a chord with me. I always "sit forward" on any perch. I hate the "oh poo" feet-forward seating of cruisers. I don't even sit back in my office chair.

I've always had the vision of an old airhead rider as a long-distance vision of a real rider. I've loved the look and longevity of old BMW's since I first noticed motorcycles. Previously I never had the money to invest in a BMW. Too many orthodontic, mortgage and other bills to consider such a purchase for just my personal use. A couple of years ago, my wife's friend lost her husband who was much younger than I. Long story short, I was rapidly running out of excuses for why I never bought myself the BMW I always wanted. My wife finally talked me into it.

The R12R isn't my first bike, but it's the first one that I ride this much and this often. We've got a short (6 month) riding season up here and my 2010 R12R has 17K miles on it. The motor is everything I want in a motorcycle - power and torque everywhere I need it and in greater supply than I can legally use. I love not having to deal with chain maintenance. The only thing I don't like about the R12R are the performance citations that I keep being awarded, but I guess no motorcycle is perfect.

cheers,

[Bigg-Brother]

Originally, when I was "ready to grow up" and switch from CBRs to something new, I was looking at another sport bike. Looked at Ducati 1098 and BMW S100RR. My wife and I went to Cycle Werks (local BMW dealer) in March of this year and was close to order S1000RR but "accidentally" I sat on R1200R. I took it for a spin and my wife new before me I was going to buy it... She said I looked like a zombie when I got back from the test ride - I just walked right past her, straight to the salesman... I actually bought demo I rode (2009 with 300 miles on it) for $11Ks.
I don't care most of my friends think it is ugly - I really like the muscular look of the bike. This thing is solid and as a mechanical engineer I can appreciate the way it works, technology and how safe this bike is with ABS and ASC.
I guess the bottom line for me is - overall package is hard to beat. And riding it is always rewarding. Always.