The 18th Gathering of the Clans - 2010

[NC Steve]

Leaving in the morning, hope to hook up with the Roanoke boys and be established by noon or so.
Anyone still on the fence needs to get packed up and ready to ride!  [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

[marcmax]

Did anyone from here make it to The Gathering? I spoke to a couple of riders there that came on R65's but they didn't even know about this forum so we may pick up a couple of new members. I was camped down on the end farthest away from the showers but tried to meet as many people as I could. Not knowing what anyone looks like I may have walked right past and didn't even know it.

My R65LS made the trip without a hitch but I will say one thing. The cafe styling I did may look nice and be fun around town but its going to take a week to get the aches to disappear. Oh my aching _________ . You fill in the blank because no matter what you put in, it is sore.  

[suecanada]

Looking forward to reading about it......maybe next year we all can get there again. Maybe we could get enough of us there to need a wide angle lense on our group/flag portrait!!

[NC Steve]

I was there, and counted at least 7 R65s, only talked to one owner who had heard of the board here. Met a guy named Billy who was excited about signing up here. And I ran into Just Gus too, he was there in '08 for our group shot.

Was that your beautiful gray custom LS down in the bottom land? Gorgeous!
I'll have pics of the rally up in a couple of days.

[marcmax]

I just wanted to say that this was a very enjoyable event. Being my first BMW rally I don't have anything to compare it to but I will definitely do it again.

While I enjoyed the entire weekend the high point for me was when I was leaving on Sunday morning. I wanted to get an early start since I had decided to bypass the interstate and just travel secondary roads. That would turn a 6 hour trip into a 8-9 hour trip.

I packed everything Sat nigh except my sleeping bag and just spread out on a picnic table. Sunday morning when I woke you could hear the quiet sounds of people breaking camp and preparing to ride. Nothing like some other events I have attended with a lot of loud noise and engine revving.

It was something I will never forget. The sun was just starting to light up the valley and the mist was rising from the meadow. As I looked across the field I heard the soft pop-pop-pop of BMW exhaust and saw a string of about six headlights as a group of riders made their way out of the valley and on their way home. I just stopped and watched until they disappeared.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Nice imagery, Marc.  Thanks!

[NC Steve]

That is great imagery, Marc, and very glad you had a good time, but sorry we never caught up. Still hope you can get by Willville sometime this summer too.

Here's a few pics I took, including a few of (I hope) Marc's absolutely stunning LS. It's so nice I'm not sure I'd even ride this thing, just keep it under a soft cover at look at it on occasion.







Very nice 1980


The "crick", a great place to calm those hot, tired, stinky feet.


Some other very nice non-R65 bikes.

[Melena]

Marc,
Great description of the early morning.  Makes me want to go to a rally.      Glad you had a great time.  That looks like a really beautiful place.  Nice pic of Airhead Central!

NC Steve,
Thanks for the pics.  Some very nice R65's there.  

[SCJJR65]

Wow!!   You sure do have one lovely LS, Marc!   [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

[marcmax]

Thanks all for the nice comments on my LS but NC Steve it was meant to be ridden. I would feel awful if I just had it sitting there and looked at it every now and then. It is actually a treat to ride it and the more I ride it, the more I like it. This my first airhead.

I have been a "brick rider" for several years. My K75S is still my go-to bike if i know I am going long and fast. It is also my daily commuter. With a huge Shoei top case and BMW saddlebags painted to match the bike and the S fairing it is a pleasure to ride. I even do my weekly grocery shopping on it. I always love to see the look on peoples face when they see me pushing a loaded shopping cart to the K bike. They usually wait to watch and are amazed when I get it all loaded. Its all a matter of prior planning, even to the point of buying one brand over the other based on the shape of their package.

[suecanada]

That LS is beautiful Marcmax..possibly the best LS I  have ever seen So tell me how did you packed all the camping gear etc??? Without obvious bags and mounts? My LS always looks like a baggage car on steriods!!!

[suecanada]

Sorry to forget but what is the manufacturer of that 'S' fairing??? It looks high enough to actually shed the wind and yet very stylish!!

hard to say enough about the looks of your bike!!!

[marcmax]

Hi Suecanada. The fairing is a Piranha from Firth Design Group and was made in the 70's. It was a lucky find and has been sitting on a shelf in the garage for the last five years waiting for the right bike. They still pop up every once in a while on fleabay.

As for the camping gear I am a long time back packer so I have learned to pack light. Behind the LS is my hammock hanging between the trees. Also behind the LS you can see the soft bags I use hanging in the tree. Between the soft bags and a magnetic tank bag I can pack enough to last a week on the road.

Thank you to everyone for all the nice comments on the LS but I need to make one thing known. I have more time and money invested in this bike than I could ever hope to recover. I had an image in my head of how I wanted it to look and over the last few years it slowly took shape. It all started as a project to spend time with my young son to teach him the how's and why's of working on a machine. I am only the caretaker of this bike. It becomes his when he is old enough.

[suecanada]

How do you ensure that those soft bags don't rub the paint running along under the seat or interfere with the rear wheel? Also, I wonder how do you ensure that the over-the-seat rear strap doesn't contact the rear cowl paint, especially since the seat slopes down rearward? I guess the hump actually is to your advantage there.

What do you use when there are no trees for the hammock??? Bugs?

Inquiring minds, that want a light bike, need to know!! Love to hear about new approaches.

Cheers,
Sue

[marcmax]

Hi Sue,

The bags do contact the painted surfaces but there are neoprene pads on the inside surfaces of the bags and all of the straps. Very soft and they help stop the bags from moving around as they don't slide around on the painted surfaces. Just have to check them thoroughly before putting them on and make sure there is no grit on the pads. Also the bags have a stiff back on the wheel side. The brand is Cortech. If they have they at a local bike shop they are worth looking into. They are designed to fit a sport bike and are the smallest of three sizes.

As for the hammock, with a little imagination there is always two points to tie it to. I have even strung it between a sign post  and a picnic table. All else fails just lay it on the ground as a ground cloth and plop the sleeping bag on top.