I’m not sure why I was inspired to take my BMW R1100S out for a ride this weekend but it ended up being quite apropos as there were multiple generations of BMW boxer motorcycles at the Rock Store for everyone to enjoy. Come check them out with me!
In fact, the BMW goodness started even before I got to the Rock Store. I got gas on the way and was pleased to see this 2002 pull up to a nearby pump.
Let’s start with the oldest of the group, which also happened to be my favorite – a 1952 BMW R67/2.
The R67 was BMW’s first postwar bike that displaced 600cc. There was some criticism about the power of the front brake when hauling a sidecar so BMW came out with the updated R67/2 in less than a year – it got upgraded brakes and two extra horsepower for a total of 28.
Top speed (sans sidecar) was claimed to be 89 miles per hour.
I didn’t get a chance to meet the owner at the time but I later found out this is my buddy Eugene’s bike! I loved seeing that he had a YOM (Year of Manufacture) plate on it, just like I do on Vy’s little Honda S90.
He later told me that it was restored in 2012 and the odometer was reset to zero at the time, so it’s nice to see that this bike is getting regular usage.
A little newer was this lightly customized R60/5.
All hail the peanut valve cover!
We jump ahead quite a bit to a 90s R1100RS. I never cared for the styling of these but my old BMW mechanic used to swear by these, they were his favorite of the oilheads.
This one also had been getting some regular usage.
My steed for the day. It’s not the fastest bike (and it’s definitely not the lightest) but I do enjoy its versatility.
My friend George was also at the Rock Store on a R11S, but he had the much cooler Boxer Cup Replika version (1 of 300). Upgrades over the base model included the special livery with Randy Mamola’s signature, Ohlins suspension, and Laser exhaust. Though it might look sportier with the paint, you can easily put factory bags on this like mine has above for some quality sport-touring.
The ubiquitous BMW R1200GS makes an appearance.
And we end up with in the modern era with a R1250RS.
In the world of non-BMWs, my business partner Adam just picked up a Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP and he is loving it. He did a track day with it at Laguna earlier this month and I believe this was his first proper street ride with it.
He plans on giving it a new paint job as a tribute to Mick Doohan’s 1994 Honda NSR500 GP bike, which I’m pretty excited about!
In the world of non-motorcycles, our buddy Steve showed up on an interesting custom – a “Retrovette Convertible” from Classic Reflection Coachworks. Basically, it combines custom bodywork meant to look like a 1958-1960 C1 Corvette with the chassis from a C6 Corvette for a blend of classic style with modern convenience. It appears that they made 225 of these (including a ’61-’62 version) over 16 years of production but are no longer in business.
After staring at bikes for a while, it was time to actually ride them so my buddies Mike and Matt joined me for a ~80 mile loop out to Point Mugu and back through some twisties.
We stopped for a quick photo break on the coast and a stranger came up to me asking if I spoke Spanish.
“Un poco.”
He asked a few questions about displacement and top speed which I answered (poorly), and then he said, “those two bikes are pretty.” Seeing as there were three bikes, I asked him to confirm if he said “two” bikes. He did, and when I asked him to specify which two between my BMW R1100S, Matt’s Kawasaki ZX-4RR, and Mike’s Ducati Streetfighter V4S he specifically called out the Ducati and the Kawasaki…ouch.
We ended our loop at The Old Place, where things switch and the focus is on cars with the occasional interesting bike coming through. I liked this Harley with the tank from an older model:
And boy, there were some pretty incredible cars this time around, like this beautiful Alfa Romeo:
Or this even more beautiful Bizzarrini. I could have stared at this for hours…
I could have also stared at this for hours but only because I have no idea what it is! I think it’s some sort of kit car, can you identify it?
I’ll end with some wild ones – first, a very cool replica of the Big Oly Bronco racer.
Second, something I had never heard of before: a Czinger 21C. Czinger is based in Los Angeles and they plan on making 80 of these cars, which cost north of $2M, make 1,250 horsepower, and have a claimed top speed of 219 miles per hour. For you 3D printing fans out there, this is claimed to be the “world’s first additively manufactured production vehicle.”
After a great morning of riding bikes and staring at some crazy cars, I headed back home. The R11S showed off its versatility by doing some 2-up duty as Vy wanted to try a Thai place called Ban Ban Burger.
I approved!
Till the next time…
