Here I am, rolling into Red River, N.M., for the BMW Riders Association rally in July, 2002. It was my last transcontinental ride on the bike.
It's time to say goodbye to what's left of my 1991 BMW K100RS.
It's been more than a year since I last Ebayed any parts from this fabulous bike that I had to retire because of a terminally expensive engine problem.
I started disassembling it just before Thanksgiving, 2003, with 160,124 on the odometer and I ended up selling $3,504.92 worth of parts from a bike that my dealer guessed was worth less than $2,000 intact.
Three weeks from tomorrow, a work crew will rip down the main garage where the bikes live as well as another ramshackle garage-like structure. They will clear the way for a glorious heated and air conditioned two-car, two-motorcycle garage with a second-floor office/photography studio that should be completed by the end of April.
So it's time to clear out the garage and that includes the old K-bike. There's still a fair amount of parts left - the engine, frame, fork, front wheel, centerstand/sidestand assembly and driveshaft with rear brake disc.
I called friend Galen Perry, who runs Perry Beemer Exchange near Americus, Ind., the other day and offered the remnants to him for $200 on the condition that he come and get it. He jumped on the deal so fast I wondered how much more he would have paid for a perfectly good K100RS frame and a 16-valve engine. The last time we spoke, he was going to try to get down here tomorrow. Since it only has one wheel, he was thinking about bringing a spare K100 wheel with tire so we could roll it to his trailer rather than giving ourselves hernias and heart attacks by trying to carry it.
It was a great bike - the first one I ever bought new - and it changed my life in ways I'm still discovering.
I like my 2003 K1200GT, but I loved the K100RS.
My neighbor Larry, who rides a BMW R1150RT, has agreed to let me stash my bike and Maria's '94 K75S in his barn while the garage project is underway.
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