old BMWs and some philosophy

OK, I have always told everyone that I could never ride a motorcycle - on the street anyway. Too scary, too much to lose.

Gramps and Gram were EMTs and told me all about what was left over.

Dad rode until he stood it on its front wheel trying to not plow into little 'ol lady.

Drove by right after the ambulance started with the white sheets after a lady took a right-on-red directly into 6 riders, killing at least two. Cried, literally.

Plus, most of the time my commute is shared with two kids at the very least.

It makes no sense.

NONE.

I have no money, can't enter Lemons again for lack of time and cash.

BUT I WANT ONE OF THESE.

Tell me all about them. Are they stupid? I hope not, they are so drop dead gorgeous, it's like I am looking at the two wheel equivalent of the Cobra Daytona Coupe or something.

They are not stupid.

That's a little earlier than pushes my buttons. You'll note the rear suspension is more Morgan than Shelby, and the riding position is a little Massey-Ferguson.

But there is a spectacular elegance to that era BMW. Am I abusing the term Art Deco?

I've read a lot of books on riding, but have just started one which I read a lot of recommendations for over at advrider: Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough. One of the interesting pieces in it is its analysis of the Hurt Report. Motorcycling occupies a spot further along the continuum of risk than driving a car, but it's really quite stunning what proportion of the people who make up the bulk of the statistics do little or nothing to avoid that situation. People who take bikes seriously certainly do get hurt and killed, but at nothing like the rate of the general population who regard them as toys, don't get training, don't wear gear, let lone those who ride them mostly to pose at the bar for three or four beers before heading home. It skews the perception of danger.

I have a bike and am constantly working on trying to be objective about the calculated risk. I am definitely swayed by years of hearing about how dangerous they are, and I'm very much aware that the risks are real. But I also think they're remarkable machines, and given my fascination with that sort of thing, it would be sad to skip them completely.

Anyhow, you didn't ask for that sort of diatribe, you asked about early boxers. I don't know much about the early ones, but I have a link to a really amazing project based on a somewhat later boxer which you might find enjoyable: the Team Incomplete Boxer.

If you just like the look of the BMW, you should look into CJ750's like the one below:

It's an evolution of the old bimmers for a fraction of the price. It's a very antique driving experience. Like driving a '32 Ford model B (I'm assuming here because I've never driven a model B).

This is one bike that I would never drive in a situation that would put me in close proximity to little old ladies in land barges. The drum brakes are pathetic.

I totally understand your situation. I test drove a CJ750 last summer because I was convinced I wanted to get back on bikes. Then I remembered that because I don't want to take any risk of leaving my kids without a dad, I only ride on little back roads for fun. Never on the highway or in town. It's not the bike that's dangerous, it's the oblivious morons you have to share the roads with. The less there are around, the safer you are. That also means that the last summer I had my bike, I rode it a total of 4 times.

I suggest you try it out by taking a Motorcyle Safety Foundation (MSF) basic rider course. You do not need any previous motorcycle experience to take one.

They will teach you the basic skills correctly to get you started off learning and practicing good riding habits. They will teach you low speed control and basic emergency maneuvers that will make you a much safer rider.

Most importantly, they will discuss very frankly and in good detail what the biggest danger factors to you as a rider would be. They will talk about how to actively search for, recognize, plan for, and act when a hazard occurs. The Hough book mentioned above is excellent also and a source of many of their lessons and philosophy.

If you decide it is not for you, you will at least have had a fun weekend building some skills that you can apply to your regular street driving. If the bug bites you, you will be ready to go.

When I took the MSF course they stated that 40% of motorcycle fatalities involved alcohol consumption by the rider. I thought that was interesting along with my observation as ransom said that people who are serious about bikes seem to stay out of trouble for the most part. I commute by motorcycle and have kids, but I also have a fairly dangerous job so my threshold for acceptable risk might be a little different from yours. Riding is something I love and think about a lot, I am always trying to get better.

Read the Proficient Motorcyclingbook; it's excellent.

I do a lot of reading at ADVrider and it's amazing to me how many guys put tens of thousands of miles on bikes over there and rarely crash (and often, it's just dropping the thing while off road). It is possible to motorcycle with vastly increased safety if you're armed with knowledge and use common sense. I love beer, but I never, ever consume when I'm riding. The increased brainwork required to operate a bike simply should never be compromised. Lots of good riders will disagree with my stance, but that's their choice.

How you ride and where you ride also make a huge difference. I don't ride motorcycles to go fast; I am completely the opposite than I am in a car. Also, I tend to ride on roads that have far less traffic, because that's where the cool stuff to see is. Few cars = less liklihood of having a SMIDSY.

If you like the BMW look, but don't want to pay the price (or ride something from an era where oil leaks were expected) you may want to look at a Royal Enfield. 2010 and newer I believe have the 'new' engine, and they can be found used for a very reasonable price. This is a 2012:

I'll second you can go miles and years without going down but even the most aware go down. My old man went down after 35 years, not much he could have done about it.

Traveling down I-75 to work (he was and still is an ATC, so he practices and preaches situational awareness) a transfer shovel came off a landscapers trailer in front of him and came skipping down the road towards him, sped up and changed lanes in front of a semi and moved over to the far left side of the lane with as much room as he could between the semi and himself without competely tailgating the car in front if him. Someone else decided in front a big rig was a great place to hide from a skipping spinning shovel and swears he never saw my dad on the goldwing. It was the wing that saved him though(that and an aware truck driver that immediately started jamming in the brakes), heavy enough that he was "only" sideways after getting some air from the rear hit, and he was able to adjust his leg so he wasn't pinned under the bike while sliding down the road on the crash bars. Walked away with a sprained ankle, and a little less dignity with some road rash on his right leg. Oh and up until about 4 years before the crash he was one of the guys who taught the basic and advanced motorcycle safety classes on the various bases we've lived on.

40 years and not even a near miss, but that's a whole 'nuther thread.

I'm told that some folks buy the old R-50 frame (shown above) and put a later model R-90 engine in it. Sounds like fun!

Start with an MSF Course, buy $500 of UJM and ride for a season or two. When you get confident, then go buy the expensive Bimmer.

As always, pictures are required!

Dan