I purchased a 2007 Sprinter the week before last. It’s got some sort of sheep’s head on the front and back. I’ll need to get rid of that in preference to the Benz tri-star. I do a lot of motorcycle stuff – vintage racing, dirt bike, rally-moto, adventure touring. I’ve wanted a Sprinter for a really long time as my friendly BMW dealer has several Sprinter vans for bike transport. I was competing in a rally-moto event in South Carolina earlier this year. One of the other racers had his new Sprinter. That thing looked really nice and the perfect setup for this kind of event (travel and race).
Sal’s Sprinter in SC.
I must say, I became a little obsessed with the Sprinter idea. I had been driving a Toyota Tacoma for five years. Sure, it carried a bike in the back; it was reliable; it was comfortable. But it wasn’t a van. I also had an enclosed trailer. Do you want to talk about heavy when I moved it in the yard at home? When towing the trailer, the Tacoma would achieve about 12 miles per gallon.
On my way to Pike’s Peak to race the hill climb in 2010.
Well, I couldn’t get the idea of a Sprinter out of my head. I started scheming of ways to get one. I thought if I could sell the Tacoma, the trailer, and the ’66 BMW motorcycle, I’d be close to the price of a new Sprinter. But wait! What?! Sell the ’66 BMW? No way. When I posted the for sale ad, it made me realize that I would really miss that thing. It was something Jen and I bought together and had restored together. Jen even wrote a children’s book about it. I can’t sell that!
So, I started to look around for a used Sprinter. What eventually popped up was a van at the local Mercedes Benz dealer. I had already contacted the dealer about getting a new one. So I got back in touch with the salesman to find out more on this used one. I took it for a drive and the rest is history.
It’s a lot of fun to drive, actually. I’m enjoying it. The high vantage point is great in traffic. The windscreen is HUGE.
I have installed a wheel chock for transporting a motorcycle. This was the quickest and easiest solution to get something in there. There are other solutions available that I may investigate further.
I went up north in the van last weekend for some hiking. It was super convenient to be able to put on boots, jacket, and backpack while inside the vehicle and out of the weather. It was even better to get inside after hiking.
I’m seeing a trend starting and I’m part of it. I recently downsized my BMW R1200GS Adventure for a BMW F800GS.
From this…
To this…
I did this because I found the R1200GSA to be a wonderful bike, but it was a little too big for some of the woods roads that I often find myself riding. I wanted something a little more nimble.
The mid-sized today are a lot more powerful than they used to be. The F800GS that I now have has all the horsepower that my 2004 BMW R1150GSA had (~85 HP). And it’s 100 pounds lighter. As it seems to be the case with many motor vehicles, size and engine displacement creep upward. Just look at the Ford Mustang in 1964 compared to 1973. Why do they presume bigger is better? Is that the only option? I don’t think so.
Reverting back to a reasonable size makes sense; especially with better technologies available today. I think we’re starting to see a movement away from the latest, largest things. People are starting to be aware of our own excesses and make more moderate choices. This mid-sized F800GS gets me down the road just as well as the R1200GSA did. It gets better fuel economy. I can handle it better when riding woods roads. It is every bit as comfortable to ride. The only negative issue against the 1200 is the fuel capacity (8.9 versus 4.2 US gallons). But that is something I can live with.
Perhaps all of this is driven by the economic conditions. People may not want to spend quite as much money on the biggest bike out there. We could be in more reasonable times and excesses are fewer and more rare. Maybe it’s due to competition in the motorcycle marketplace. Manufacturers are trying to find niches that were previously unfulfilled. Are they going for a younger or more cautious rider? I don’t know. All I know is that the F800GS is the better choice for the majority of my riding. I’ll be riding it into the deep, dark woods of Canada this Summer. I’ll be glad to be without the extra 100 pounds that I had with the 1200 last time.
ALTrider put on a riding event for the benefit of the Seven Mountains Conservation Corp. It was called Conserve the Ride and held over the weekend of 24-26 June 2012 near the Woodward Caves in Central Pennsylvania.
The whole weekend turned out to be a lot more fun than I anticipated. I knew that I would have a good time and enjoy the riding, but it went far beyond my expectations. The folks at ALTrider (Jeremy, Brianna, Nancy, and Erik) ran a very well organized event from all aspects. The Seven Mountains crew were super hosts.
Before I left New Hampshire for Pennsylvania, I had made plans with Paul to meet at the border of New York and Pennsylvania at a diner for lunch. Paul and I hadn’t met before, but we saw in a forum online about the event that we were both riding there from the east. So, we met up in the Village Diner in Milford, PA. It’s just a nice little diner I like to stop at whenever I’m passing through that area.
Paul and I met and had a nice lunch. It turns out that we both wear the identical watch and have the same Aerostich riding suit. Go figure. Anyway, we decide that our original plan of taking state routes to Woodward Caves will not get us there before registration closed at 5 PM. We are forced to climb on the Interstate and hightail it for the campground. The great thing about the big dual sport bikes built by Germans and Austrians is that they are made for the Autobahn as well as the woods roads. I ride a BMW R1200GS Adventure and Paul has a KTM 990 Adventure R. We got caught in one heavy summertime rain shower while on the super slab. It soaked us really good, but we pressed on through it and were dry again by the time we got close to camp. The rain actually felt really good as it was well over 90˚F that day.
We arrived at the campground at the very end of registration time. It left us with just enough time to get our tents set up in daylight before heading over to the location for dinner that night. It was a short ride through Amish Country and dinner at a VFW hall. The hall put on a great spread and, of course, they have the customary bar that has reasonably priced beer. And since it was Pennsylvania, “lager” simply means Yuengling beer. I’m all for that! Just like the old time movies where the cowboys walk into a saloon and just say, “Give me a beer.”
Jeremy:
After dinner, the SMCC put on a really nice little show for us. They had a small track in someone’ s back yard. Several of the SMCC club riders had a friendly competition on the track. It was really enjoyable to watch the guys hit the obstacles and show their skill. And these guys are good! Aaron Kopp was there, and his dad, Ed. These guys have been part of the International Six Days Enduro. If you don’t know what that is, you ought to. Aaron represented the USA on the trophy team 3 times. He was one of six riders from the USA to compete against the world. He’s that good. And a super nice guy, too. I was lucky enough to have Aaron as the group leader the following day.
At the Friday night ‘races’:
Saturday morning brought the sunshine and a great catered breakfast.
And then the ride was organized and we were off. The riders were broken up into smaller groups of 5 or 6 riders each with a guide from the SMCC club. My group was led by Aaron and included Peter, Ed (not Ed Kopp), and Paul. The first hour or two was spent on some really scenic farm roads.
A little later in the morning, we got to the dirt roads. There were some dusty open roads to start with. It was a benefit to be close to the front of the line of bikes just for the benefit of less dust from the sandy roads.
Just before the lunch stop, we hit Option 0. This was the first taste of more rugged terrain and a flavor of what was to come after lunch.
Here is Aaron helping Ed straighten up his fork tubes. Ed had a little more speed going into a corner than traction would allow. Ed had a fantastic attitude the whole day. He allowed his bike to come to a stop in unconventional ways a couple of times. There was some damage done to the bike, not to Ed. But he kept smiling and carrying on all along. His Triumph was very much the worse for wear after it all, but Ed seemed to have a grand time.
Lunch was another fully catered affair at a state park in the mountains. It was a great location and we had a pavilion all to ourselves. Another great result of the planning and forethought by the organizers.
After lunch, our small group chose to take Option 1 and then Option 2. Riders could choose to bypass the optional sections on the ‘scenic’ roads, but we as a group decided to go for it. As I believe Samuel Clemens had said, “Regret the things you do, not the things you don’t do.”
Well, the route got pretty tricky quickly. Ed Kopp said that he reckoned it was 1,300 feet of elevation drop in a few miles along the route. These can be imagined as Jeep roads that were probably cut into the woods many years ago. I put the electronic suspension adjustment of my BMW GS Adventure on its mightiest off road setting. And I needed it. The road was rough.
I guess you’re going to have to refer to the video at the start of this post to see how rough it was. I don’t seem to have any still photos from that section of road. It was challenging and a really great demonstration of how the big GS, and Paul’s KTM, can handle the rough stuff.
Aaron putting a mend to Ed’s rock stricken Triumph Tiger:
Option 2 was completely different. It was a mud bath. It, too, was a lot of fun. We went through the deep puddles and then turned back again for more. The trick of riding big bikes in tricky conditions is to keep momentum and stay on the gas. Once you’ve lost the drive, the bike is done. Let it track where it wants to and keep up a little bit of speed for momentum. The bike wants to stay upright on its own. Don’t fight it. It was a total blast in that section.
Peter splashes through one of the puddles:
Dinner at the campground that evening was another great meal. Here’s Nancy and Brianna setting up the food and making sure everyone is well looked after.
Here’s Paul putting more air pressure back into his bike’s tires for the trip home. We had aired down some for the off road riding.
A close up in case you missed it in the prior photo…after all, it was day’s end.
For an added treat, Aaron gave a talk and slideshow presentation about his ISDE experiences. It was inspiring.
It really was a highly enjoyable weekend. Not only was the riding and scenery great, it was the people that made it special. The ALTrider and SMCC crews were extremely helpful and gracious hosts. I made a couple new friends that I have kept in touch with since the event. I’m certain I will ride with them again in the future. And that’s what it’s all about…community. The bikes bring us together, and then it’s the people that make an event great. I give big thanks to ALTrider and the SMCC for organizing and hosting the event. It was a winner in all respects.
I had a reasonably successful outing at the last event. It was the Vintage Grand Prix at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) on 11 June 2012. I had the old BMW R75 /5 gearbox repair and shifter arm modified. So this was the first proper race day where I could race the bike in all the events that I entered. During the practice session first thing, I noticed the shifter lever was still not working properly. I did a little modification in the garage and it seemed to get the bike able to shift gears. I competed (using liberty with that word) in three events – Euro Cup, Open GP, and Heavyweight Super Vintage. I think I finished last in each event. However, I did finish…and I did enjoy it.
Max (owner of MAX BMW) saw and heard my bike going around the track. He rightly noticed the lack of performance. The bike went back in one of his Sprinter vans to get some performance attention. I’m not completely sure what bits will be swapped out, but it should be more respectable for the next races. I’m looking forward to it.
Here are a couple of photos taken by Chris Otte. It was very kind of him to share them with me.
It was the Vintage Racing Celebration at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) over the weekend of May 12 & 13, 2012. The track hosted motorbikes and cars. The United States Classic Racing Assn (USCRA) and Vintage Racing Group (VRG) were the organizations that took part. The weather was perfect. The crowds were enormous.
There were a lot of very interesting vintage cars. This is the only event on the calendar where the cars and bikes share the track. It’s good fun to watch the other races if there isn’t any work to do on your own machine.
I was able to get started on Saturday afternoon. I went out on track for practice and one race.
My weekend wasn’t as productive as I had hoped it would be. My bike had a little issue with the shifter arm that is part of the gear changing mechanism. During the race on Saturday afternoon, I was having a lot of trouble shifting gears on the bike.
A small problem with that developed into a larger problem with the gearbox. The shifter arm began to lose its grip on the gearbox shaft. It caused very strange conditions when trying to shift gears on track. In an attempt to diagnose the issue, we started to remove the shifter arm from the gearbox shaft.
Photo credit: Marvin Emerson
Since the gearbox was still very warm from riding, I had a lot of difficulty getting it off. In fact, it wouldn’t come off. And it wouldn’t go back into place either. I went so far as to use a rubber mallet to get it back into its place. I believe that is where I compounded my problems. Pounding on the shaft dislodged components inside the gearbox. I didn’t know it Saturday evening, but then discovered in Sunday morning practice that I had only first and second gears. I missed out on the two races that I was signed up for on Sunday. Oh, well. That’s racing. It was the very first time out with the bike. I will chalk it up as a practice session. I really enjoyed the weekend at the track. The bike has been repaired and improved. The shifter arm has had an added bolt inserted.
Here is the gearbox opened up at MAX BMW. Dave is figuring out what is out of place.
I’m really looking forward to the next race day in a week’s time. I have also heard of a place that might be a good practice ground for testing. Unless new issues are discovered with the bike, I hope to have a more successful outing. I’m signed up for three races – Open GP, Heavyweight Super Vintage, and Euro Cup.
All of my pictures from the Vintage Celebration are on SmugMug. Click here.
My very clever wife has created a children’s book. It is a story vaguely based on the purchase and restoration of our 1966 BMW R60 /2 motorcycle. The book is called Max the Motorcycle. It’s a story about a motorcycle that comes to the USA and ridden by its owner with enjoyment for several years.
The bike, Max, is eventually put in a barn when his owner can no longer ride. Some time later, a younger couple finds the bike and has it restored. I won’t give away too much of the story.
This book was originally intended as a gift to Max and Katie Stratton in celebration of their first baby. It is available on Lulu.com and Amazon.com so that a wider audience can enjoy it. Jen had a lot of fun creating the book. The illustrations were done by a local artist, Jason DeBow.
I enjoy old motorcycles. I’ve done work on a couple old BMWs. First was the full restoration of a 1966 BMW /2, and then a mechanical refresh on a 1983 BMW R80ST. I also enjoy some amateur motorcycle racing. I suppose it wasn’t much of a stretch that I have now combined the two interests.
In 2011, I watched a few of the vintage races organized by USCRA at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire, USA. I took a lot of pictures and enjoyed watching the races.
Having acquired the desire to go vintage motorcycle racing, finding a bike was next. My friend, Marcus, had put a bike partially together from a variety of parts. I decided to purchase this ‘bike’ and complete the remainder of the assembly. It was just after Christmas in 2011 that I picked up the parts and components that would be assembled into my racing bike.
And then the work began. The motor needed cylinders and pistons. The gearbox needed servicing. The frame needed painting. And myriad other things to make a racing bike a racing bike. I brought it over to MAX BMW as I have done with my other bikes. MAX BMW is a great source for the parts and service work.
In my basement I painted the frame with POR 15 Bare Metal coating.
The motor was assembled with used parts and expert workmanship.
I had a couple of components made, such as a top brace for the forks done with the MAX BMW Motorsports logo…
Here is the bike in my garage for the final adjustments and preparations.
And here it is in nearly final state…
I’m sure further changes, upgrades, and improvements will be done. It’s a work in progress. But this will get me out on the track for this year. I’ll learn a lot about the process and the organization of the races. The further plan is to run this bike at hill climb events in New England and possibly Pike’s Peak in a few years.
I had the opportunity to visit Motorcyclepedia Museum in February, 2012. It’s a motorcycle museum in Newburgh, New York. I spent a couple of enjoyable hours there. The principle brand themes are Indian and Harley Davidson, although there are other makes on display. There is also areas for choppers and bike roles in the movies. There is a lot of motorcycle history in this building. I would recommend a visit if you’re in the area.
I have all my photographs at my SmugMug gallery. Here are a few…
It’s still the middle of Winter in New Hampshire, but the weather has been mild this week. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to take my BMW R80ST out for the first real ride. Since I bought it last July, I hadn’t ridden the bike. The fuel tank had holes that needed repair right away. Then the bike was at MAX BMW for all of its refresh work. All the mechanical and paint work was completed a few weeks ago. The bike is finally at home in the garage along side our other BMW bikes: R60/2, R1200GSA, and G450X.
Here is the bike on that first ride on a mild early February day.
I am extremely impressed with the way this bike rides. It has great balance, good power, and surprisingly good brakes. The motor is so smooth. There is virtually no engine vibration through the chassis. This bike is superb!
Here’s the list of items that were done on the bike. This comes from the MAX BMW repair order. I’ll try to summarize…
Valve adjustment
Changed all fluids
Rebuilt carburetors
Replaced all rubber hoses and tubes
Replaced all control cables
Inspected/lubed splines – great condition
Inspected clutch – 5.5mm (4.5mm minimum requirement)
Replaced leaking rear main seal
Replaced input shaft seal and oil pump cover seal
Replaced starter battery
Replaced steering head bearings
Changed handle bars from American version to European (lower, narrower)
Rebuilt front suspension – Progressive springs, 7.5wt oil
Bead blasted fork lowers (cleaning)
Replaced rear suspension with BMW OEM shock
Replaced 18 year old tires with Lasertec tires
Cleaned drum brake and shoes
Removed crash bars and side stand
Installed front cowl
Replaced mirrors
Replaced red reflectors on rear fender
And just for the fun of it, I added a reproduction British road tax disc from 1983.
And it now runs great! I am really looking forward to riding this bike more. It felt like such a fun bike on my inaugural ride. It bends into and powers out of corners exceptionally well. It’s just the right balance between old school Airheads and the more modern machinery of today. I’m really pleased with it. And I am confident with the work done at MAX BMW so that I have a reliable, safe machine to ride for a long time to come.
aphillips66 