Triumphrat

LoVel

After riding a loaner BMW for a week and seeing the Beemer guys out on the road I have a question.

Do BMW riders have fun or do they just feel superior?

I know the question would probably be better asked on a BMW site but I know you guys wouldn't lie to me like they might.

bonniegirl

my most constant ridng buddy is a beemer guy. he has 3 (and a husquvarna). he just loves them all and has boat loads of fun riding...and is fun to ride with.

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wag more, bark less.

3Moons

Bought an R60/5 BMW from Stan's in Doylestown, PA, in 1973, and rode it for 13 years on local and long (14 hour) rides with two other guys on BMWs. We weren't snobs then and aren't now. Two of us are now riding Triumphs (T100 and Thruxton) and the third is riding a Honda Helix. That's OK cause he's 82 and frequently jaunts down to Atlantic City at 75 mph on his 250cc scoot.

My wife's three cousins all have a bevy of BMWs, and they are working stiffs who have done west coast and European tours, always waving to others as they have a ball on their bikes.

Most of the BMW riders in my tri-state (PA, DE, MD) area initiate the waves.

R100Pilot

Hey! As an airhead rider, I resemble that remark! :

Actually, within the BMW-niverse, you'll find all kinds. Generally speaking, those riding the K-bikes are indeed snobs (you readin' this, Dennis?) Those riding oilhead boxers tend to view themselves as moderately superior (tempered, of course, by the fact that while they paid close to $20K for the bike and accessories, they'll still get smoked by any kid on a beater Ninja).

Airhead riders, however, are a quirky and hardy bunch, very similar to the kinds of folks who ride old Triumphs (well, except that the Airhead riders do not leave oil spots in their wake - only clouds of blue smoke from the left hand cylinder, and only then when the bike was parked on the sidestand rather than the centerstand, and if you ride an airhead you know what I'm talkin' about, Willis). Like vintage Triumph afficionados, they are generally mechanically adept by necessity, and due to years of having to compensate for the vague handling and poor power output (not to mention the rocking from side to side), they mature into exceptionally good riders.

But no, airhead riders are not snobs. :

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"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me."
— HST

LoVel

Thanks for the replies. I really was wondering if they had any fun riding because the one I rode just seemed to be kind of lifeless. The bike worked great and ran great, it just didn't do it for me. Maybe after riding a Sprint I was looking for more.

I also had a Bonnie loaner and it had a lot of personality. Really enjoyed riding it and if I bought a second bike it would be a Bonnie.

I guess I could have left the superior comment off. I have a habit of opening my mouth and sticking my keyboard in.

Wow another civilized reply. I may have to take it back and buy all you guys a beer.

:

R100Pilot

What did they give you as a loaner? One of the F-series twins? I can see how that mighta been a little boring. Next time, grab the keys to one o' these:

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"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me."
— HST

LoVel

Don't remember the exact bike but it was a very bland very white bread bike. If they gave me the keys to one of those you mentioned I may have kept it. I've heard that bike is a beast.

Ricochet_Rabbit

BMWs tend to be ridden by a wide variety of people. I used to own one, a K75RT, and don't miss it at all. Nor do I miss the "BMW experience". My wife and I each rented a BMW 650 single last summer on an Edelweiss trip through the Alps - good in the really tight stuff but horrible on the autobahn - and we will rent 800 twins next summer. I have BMW riding friends who are regular guys, anothers I know are a bit snobbish, but I think they'd be snobs anyway.

bobbo

They always make me smile over here in Bavaria with their shiny GSs and all in their matching BMW gear and lids. Bad as Harley riders. I know it's the local brew round here, but for god's sake, it might be nice to show a little originality. I'm originally from Leicestershire and it's certainly not the case that everyone round there rides Triumph. I think it's that weird German belief that if it was made in Germany, then of course it's superior to anything else. Poor deluded sods. 8-)

HiDesert

They sure are thick (as in frequently seen, not stoopid) over there in the alps. Too big, heavy and expensive for me.

A buddy and I once fell in with a quartet of BMW riders up in Colorado. We were on a YZF600R and a Kawi ZR7S, and they were happy to ride with us. They were nice guys, very easy to get a long with. No snobbishness at all.

How's life in Bavaria treating you, Bobbo?

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I won't stop riding because you tell me about someone who died in an accident, just as I won't stop eating because someone died of e.coli.

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