For two wheeled BMW men.

Omar Sayied, the owner of MotoGhost is not only a fine mechanic, he is also an astute businessman, putting his MBA to good use in running a successful business. That business caters to BMW motorcyclists who either own older machines in need of repair, ones which the factory dealers long ago abandoned, or newer motorcycles where the often outrageous dealer pricing is to be avoided. Omar ministers to my two airheads (BMW bikes with air cooled two cylinder motors and shaft drive, last made in 1995) when specialty tools or specialty expertise reside outside my garage.

Today saw the MotoGhost Open House and some one hundred machines were already there when I pulled up at noon, eagerly searching out the free bratwursts! Needless to add, I was one of the youngest riders there. Honest!

I rode my 1994 R100RT, a fully faired machine perfect for the 16 mile freeway trek north, the motor humming along happily at 70mph and 4000rpm in fifth gear. This is very much the sweetspot for the 1000cc shaft driven, air cooled twin, with vibes at a minimum and everything as it should be. The machine has been trouble free and its relaxed seating position and big fairing make for fine long distance touring, pannier bags and top case attached.

There was a broad variety of machines to be enjoyed:

If you are a Phoenix area resident, MotoGhost is unreservedly recommended for your two wheeled BMW needs.

All snaps on the Panny GX7 with the 12-35mm pro zoom; the interior images all at the f/2.8 maximum aperture.

Not half bad.

Having last ridden here in 1992 on the old bike, my 1975 BMW R90/6, some 460 miles from my home in Encino in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, I recall arriving well and truly broken. The hot spa at the motel helped!

This time the ride was less onerous on a machine better protected from the elements, my pristine 1994 R100RT, although anyone riding the 40 miles from Sedona to Williams on I17 will learn how truly atrocious is the state of repair of our interstates. Posted for 75mph it was all I could do to hold on to the handlebars at 65.

Williams is the last town to be bypassed by Interstate 40, and is now a minor tourist mecca. It’s the self proclaimed ‘gateway to the Grand Canyon’ but there’s lots of ’50s Americana to be found here and that is a ton of fun.

The town has awoken to the nostalgia craze and it’s impossible to avoid the ‘Route 66’ signs everywhere, 66 being the mother road from Santa Monica to Chicago before Ike commissioned the freeways.

Panny GX7, kit zoom, with the last snap on the iPhone6.

A master craftsman at work.

One of the perils of moving is breakage and it’s something which invariably seems to find my 1975 BMW motorcycle the victim. This time it was the center stand tang, which is a small steel protrusion used to deploy and stow the centerstand.

Given a choice between using the side stand, easily deployed, and the center stand, almost as easy with these light, well balanced machines, most riders will opt for the latter as it’s more stable and prevents oil dribbling down past the piston rings into the head, avoiding a smoky, polluting start. On hot asphalt the center stand distributes the load over a far larger area, and once you have seen your machine gently tip over as the asphalt gives way, you will understand. Don’t ask, the pain – now 20 years old – remains.

The protruding tang, then, makes it easy for the seated rider to deploy the center stand to its down position, whereupon he dismounts, puts his foot on the big plate you see below, and gently rocks the 500 lbs. of German alloys and steels onto the center stand. While I was away when my machine was delivered to Scottsdale, evidently the mover used the tang as a load bearing point, placing a foot on it while rocking the machine back. Snap!

The tang, snapped off.

A call to the mobile welding shop saw Jeff the owner and Donny the welder turn up with their beautiful Miller MIG portable welding rig. We take welds for granted yet our world could not exist without them. Every vehicle, fence, gate, door – you name it – is replete with them. The process used here, MIG or Metal Inert Gas welding, is exactly what it says. The welding torch feeds a line of steel through its tip whose burning gases expel oxygen at the point of contact making for a properly melted junction, free of impurities which would threaten integrity.

While Jeff is a Harley man, which is the default for most riders here in AZ where helmets are not mandated (testimony to the contents between most Harley riders’ ears) Donny the welder turned out be a BMW man himself, which makes for a better weld!

The fire of the sun. Way to go, Donny! Not a good idea to stare at this arc too long.

I learned a lot from Donny about tuning motors and shared with him my passion for the old BMW airhead twins. A good time was had by all and now I can again easily deploy and retract my center stand from the seat.

The job completed, new paint applied.

iPhone6 snaps.

With the Airheads..

I have long been an Airhead, meaning a devotee of air cooled BMW motorcycles, a design last manufactured in 1995 but dating from 1923. Derived from an aircraft engine, air cooling was a natural and the longevity of the design is reflected in the unusually long life expectancy of the motor. Indeed, the BMW blue and white quadrant logo is an abstract representation of an aircraft propeller turning against an azure sky.

I have owned mine since 1990, the second owner, and you can read more of that experience here.

Most major US cities have at least one expert mechanic devoted to airheads and in Phoenix that man is named Dave Alquist. (The factory, criminally, wants nothing to do with its heritage. How many of the pigs cutting you off in traffic in their BMW cars even know of that heritage?). After getting his contact information from the Airheads club I dropped by with my carburetors, sorely in need of an overhaul after 60,000 miles untouched. Dave, who has been working on airheads some three decades, immediately puts one at ease with his gentle charm and boyish enthusiasm for the marque. It did not take much time to know that that this was the right man to entrust with my work.

As luck would have it Dave was holding a tech day this past weekend, a free session during which machines are brought in by their owners for free surgery and advice, overseen by Dave and others like minded. Use of the several motorcycle lifts is free, tools are generally provided by the owners as the kit which came with the machine is sufficient for almost any task, and the abundant coffee and snacks on hand are happily paid for by an unsolicited donation in the adjacent jar. The day started at 8am but much exchange of war stories was called for first, so much so that the first wrench was not wielded with intent until mid-morning! Here are some snaps from the day, one of quite extraordinary friendship and satisfaction from watching experts at work:

All snaps on the Panny GX7 with the kit zoom, mostly at ISO1600.