BMW MOA

[Cap]

14 hours ago, szurszewski said:

…imagine the "strapper" as the stereotypical old curmudgeonly BMW owner…

 Wearing a faded Aerostich coverall…

[RadioFlyer]

Information on the candidates' positions on this and other important issues can be obtained on the MOA's Election 2023 Discussion Forum.

 

[RadioFlyer]

Be sure to vote in the current BMWMOA Board of Directors election. The turnout in recent elections has been abysmal. This can be a detriment.

 

From ChatGPT:

 

"What is the impact on the quality of governance and member representation in an organization in the circumstance where leadership election voter participation is habitually in the order of 10 percent?

When leadership election voter participation is habitually in the order of 10 percent, it can have a negative impact on the quality of governance and member representation in an organization.

Firstly, a low voter turnout may result in the election of leaders who do not truly represent the views and interests of the majority of members. The small group of members who do vote may have different priorities and preferences than the broader membership, leading to a leadership that does not effectively serve the needs of the organization.

Secondly, a low voter turnout can create a perception of apathy and disengagement among the membership, which can lead to a lack of confidence in the leadership and the organization as a whole. This can result in reduced participation in organizational activities, lower morale among members, and difficulty attracting new members.

Thirdly, a lack of engagement and participation can make it difficult for the organization to identify and address important issues, leading to a lack of responsiveness to the changing needs of members and the broader community.

In summary, a consistently low voter turnout in leadership elections can undermine the quality of governance and member representation in an organization, leading to a less effective and less responsive organization overall. It is therefore important for organizations to encourage greater participation in leadership elections, through outreach, education, and other efforts to engage members and build a sense of community and shared purpose."

[RadioFlyer]

A question for those of you who may be longtime MOA members.

 

This is from a ChatGPT conversation. Does anyone recall if the BMW MOA was amongst the clubs that expressed concern over the possibility of losing the boxer engine? I am wondering if there was a time in the past when the MOA acted in an open advocacy role on behalf of its members in the face of BMW policies or practices having a negative impact.

 

 

[Red]

Been an MOA member since 96.  Don't remember any move by BMW to ditch the boxer.  If I recall it was the 'brick' that got dropped.

[RTinNC]

BMW was about to ditch the boxer and then I believe after the pushback from owners they released the '96 R1100 series and the newly designed RT. 

[szurszewski]

36 minutes ago, RTinNC said:

BMW was about to ditch the boxer and then I believe after the pushback from owners they released the '96 R1100 series and the newly designed RT. 

So they were planning to only have the oilhead GS and then drop the essentially new boxer drivetrain?

[RTinNC]

32 minutes ago, szurszewski said:

So they were planning to only have the oilhead GS and then drop the essentially new boxer drivetrain?

Honestly that was before I moved to BMW ... I bought my first new to me BMW in 2000 and it was a '97 R1100RT.  My understanding was they went from air head to oil head but the move to oil heads was not in the original plan.  I am sure one of the more senior guys on this site know more of the history and how that all occurred.  I just recall that BMW had planned to discontinue the boxer but there was a huge push back from BMW loyalists. 

[EdM]

My understanding is that BMW intended to drop the boxer with the K75 and K100 engines being the new format. The push back to keep the boxer resulted in the development of the oilhead.

[szurszewski]

1 hour ago, RTinNC said:

Honestly that was before I moved to BMW ... I bought my first new to me BMW in 2000 and it was a '97 R1100RT.  My understanding was they went from air head to oil head but the move to oil heads was not in the original plan.  I am sure one of the more senior guys on this site know more of the history and how that all occurred.  I just recall that BMW had planned to discontinue the boxer but there was a huge push back from BMW loyalists. 

My understanding based on nothing but things I’ve seen online, is that is basically correct. But the RT angle doesn’t makes sense as the 1100gs came out prior to that. I think early 90s for Europe and mid for us here. 
 

ETA - R1100RS seems to actually have been the first bike launched on the oilhead platform. 

[RTinNC]

33 minutes ago, szurszewski said:

My understanding based on nothing but things I’ve seen online, is that is basically correct. But the RT angle doesn’t makes sense as the 1100gs came out prior to that. I think early 90s for Europe and mid for us here. 
 

ETA - R1100RS seems to actually have been the first bike launched on the oilhead platform. 

Yes ... all that is my understanding as well.  I do know the '96 RT was the year they introduced the oil head into the RT line.  And I think I did read the RS came first. 

[RTinNC]

1 hour ago, EdM said:

My understanding is that BMW intended to drop the boxer with the K75 and K100 engines being the new format. The push back to keep the boxer resulted in the development of the oilhead.

Yes ... that is my understanding as well.   The place where I lack the details is what years and how / what models was the oil head introduced. 

[roadscholar]

The 1100RS was the 1st oilhead, introduced here in '94, probably a year earlier in Europe. The R and GS came in '95 and RT in '96, the last airheads were 1995's. In about '93 a buddy and I drove up to the Parkway on a Sunday morning in a Porsche Speedster and while at an overlook a BMW engineer from Germany pulled in on a bizarre looking black BMW, he didn't want to talk about it much, it was a prototype 1100GS.

 

About 5 years before the K bike Porsche was in a similar situation and considered killing the (aircooled) 911 in the early 80's while substituting the 928 and 944 because they could see it would have trouble meeting noise and pollution standards down the road.. Luckily they'd recently hired an American CEO to run the company, Peter Schutz, who realized the loyal following it had in America and changed course. Turned out to be a fortunate reversal in both cases.

[JamesW]

Hello Bill,

You are absolutely correct in your BMW production timeline for model introduction.

 

[roadscholar]

There’s a good thread about the MOA National coming up in early June over on Advrider if anyone’s interested.

 

https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/bmw-moas-50th-national-rally-doswell-va-june-8-10.1641467/