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Say what you will... Try to spin it that there is Super Tenere "kool-aid" and the like... Doesn't matter.
There definitely is close to a cult when it comes to the vast majority BMW owners and shops. After all, the term "drinking the kool-aid" was literally coined to describe BMW ownership.
Allow me to relate my own story of how pervasive that BMW mindset can be if left unchecked.
Years ago, when I owned a BMW "Oilhead" 1150 I got hooked up with a large group of BMW riders, almost by accident. Now I had always been an equal-opportunity motorcycle brand owner, having owned American, Austrian, British, Czechoslovakian, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Swedish, etc. marques over the years, enjoying most of them immensely, often despite their quirks... Yet I was totally unprepared for what I encountered from this group of Beemer fanatics. This was actually my second BMW, but I had somehow managed to totally avoid any of the devout Roundel Rangers during the ownership of my "Airhead" years before.
Anyway, when I got the "Oilhead" there was no dealer within 180+ miles of me, but that wasn't a problem because I have always done all my own motorcycle wrenching. Hence, I began frequenting some Beemer forums, got some manuals, and quickly learned my way around the 1150's architecture. So much so that a number of BMW owners began seeking me out to work on their bikes or answer their questions about why the bikes did this or that. Slowly I also began getting questions about why the bikes broke so much, why parts cost so much, and why many of the dealers were such a**holes. I didn't know the answers to those questions, and at first I was very upbeat, trying to tell them that all mechanical devices can have problems, stuff made by man can't be perfect, etc., etc., and that if a man can build it, a man can fix it. But as time went on I began to notice there were sure a lot more questions, a lot more problems, and a lot more frustration among these owners than other brands I had owned or worked on... But at the same time they were convinced they most certainly were riding the "best bike in the world" and wouldn't even consider anything else.
I had also never encountered a group who were as arrogant and condescending when it came to describing other brands... Often times they would ask where I learned to work on motorcycles, and I would mention that I cut my teeth working on British bikes, then working in Jap bike shops for years. Literally any time this was mentioned I would hear something like "Well, at least now you've seen the light and got a good motorcycle", etc., etc. Sometimes it was tongue-in-cheek, but always with a cutting edge to it where you knew they were serious. Most times I let it slide, but sometimes I would toss back something like "I never saw idiotic engineering like this when I worked on Honda's..." or "Even the British could be more logical than BMW..." These kind of come-backs would usually get me a slack-jawed look of amazement and some muttering about how there was no way the Japanese or British could be better than the Germans. I always found it funny how these people could make derogatory comments about my motorcycle wrenching background while I was helping them with their busted BMW.
But the real demonstration of their BMW fanaticism was yet to come...
Much like I did with the recent Texas Hill Country ride here, I organized first a Texas Big Bend ride, and later a Texas Hill Country ride for these folks, as well as others.
Now please make important note here - these rides were *NEVER* promoted or denoted as "BMW Rides". Far from it. I invited any and all brand riders, and from all over the country. The first ride was pretty small, with only about 15 riders. IIRC, 5 of the bikes that showed up were BMW's (including mine), and we actually met 2 other Beemer riders there in Alpine that had nothing to do with our ride. They joined right in with our group, and one of them became a very good friend, who unfortunately recently passed away. But there were other brands there, too. A couple of Harley's, a Triumph, a couple of Honda's, a Yamaha, an Aprilia, etc., etc. this ride was so well received it was decided to try to have another one the next year, and we did, with over twice as many in attendance. More importantly, the second one was even more balanced and diverse when it came to brands.
That second year we added a Hill Country ride to the mix, too. Again, I did all the organization and administration, and the invite list was just as diverse and non-brand specific as the Big Bend rides. More and more riders came from all corners of the country, too. It would also be the last event I had a BMW at. I actually rode my new Yamaha FJR1300 at this event, but I brought along my BMW R1150R to this ride as a spare for anybody that might need it. There were BMW's in attendance, but their percentage of the total of bikes was dropping. That said, it didn't stop the BMW contingent from trying to monopolize the proceedings, as well as try to segregate the group, which drove me nuts. Even more disconcerting was the fact the only people complaining at these rides were devout BMW owners (including one who used to be a BMW dealer). They would complain about the most trivial and mundane stuff, and more and more they monopolized my time dealing with their "issues".
But then things started getting really weird... with like at each of the next Big Bend and Hill Country rides the BMW contingent trying to literally "take over" the organization of the event, first finagling a move from our former base hotel in Alpine to a different one, despite the fact the management at the original hotel treating us like family. It just wasn't "nice" enough for the Beemer riders so I consented to a move to newer hotel property. The rates were higher, and it was newer, but we were never treated as well as at the previous hotel. At Hill Country event the BMW riders put together many of their own activities, not even bothering to tell anyone else about those sideshows, preferring to keep them "BMW Only" affairs. They also started something that seemed innocuous at the time, but grew into something really insidious... They started referring to the ride as a "BMW Hill Country Event", first in correspondence, but then when it was discussed in person with anyone who asked, like with restaurant owners, etc. that inquired as to what the group was.
Mind you, these were rides I organized, arranged, and administered, with not one nano-whit of help from any of these BMW folks. I made the posts on the forums, I made the hotel arrangements, the arrangements with parks and museums, laid out road routes, etc., etc. As the rides grew I even arranged for different prizes for folks who had traveled the farthest, were voted as having the trickest bike, etc. In other words, there was no "BMW Ride" about any of them. They were intended to be group rides for anybody and any brand. Despite that, the more the rides became more diverse and less brand-centric the more the BMW Squad wanted to make them BMW-Only rides.
At the next Big Bend ride it looked like we were going to have about 70 to 100 riders, and I was bringing a large, enclosed trailer (and would be riding my Ducati Hypermotard, and friends in my truck whose bikes in my trailer were a Triumph, a Kawasaki, and a Honda)... One, to bring a large selection of repair necessities (full tool assortment, air compressor, tire repair and changing capability, spare parts, etc.) for any brand, but two, to also act as a "bar" in the parking lot for after ride hours festivities. I also brought in case we needed a crash retrieval vehicle (as we had the year before). In addition to this, a good friend had arranged to bring his motorhome and BBQ trailer to park in the parking lot, both to aid in the party atmosphere. He was also an Aprilia dealer, and as a favor had agreed to bring along a bunch of Aprilia demo bikes as well as four-wheel ATV's for rides in designated areas of the park. he was doing this all free of charge, and we had cleared it all with the hotel, who seemed to be glad to have the motorcycle group moved out into the parking lot and out of the lobby area in the evenings.
Anyway, the Aprilia contingent was arriving early on Thursday, and I would be arriving Thursday afternoon with a group... But interestingly enough, *ONE* particular BMW rider got there on Wednesday afternoon, and thanks to his ministrations the first thing my friend providing the free Aprilia's saw, and that I saw when I drove up, with the hotel marquis sign with the message:
"Welcome BMW Event Big Bend Riders"
Needless to say, the Aprilia dealer was a bit surprised, and I was thoroughly pissed off. I simply couldn't believe it, and if nothing else, it was rude to do to the Aprilia folks. Understand, everyone knew the Aprilia guys were coming, so it wasn't a misunderstanding or anything. Nope, that particular BMW rider, and later I found out a few of his BMW buddies, had decided they wanted the event branded as a "BMW Event". Within minutes of my arrival I had the problem corrected, and had the sign changed to say something more appropriate... And the hotel staff were happy to tell me who instructed them to place the BMW message on the sign. When I confronted the BMW guy in question he feigned ignorance, saying he never told them to say anything about BMW, but later some of his cohorts told me that they had planned for some time to have the event become more BMW-centric, and the sign was the first step.
That was the beginning of the end of my involvement in the event... Much of that event became segregated, with the Beemer contingent even parking in a separate area of the parking lot and not joining in with many of the rides and festivities, though all of them took advantage of riding literally every single Aprilia demo they could! ::025::
I never organized another one of those events... A couple of the BMW guys tried to keep the events going, but slowly they shrank, finally dying away from lack of anyone doing the work to organize them and lack of attendance.
And all because the "Roundel Rangers" had to try and make them each a BMW-centric, kool-aid drinking, Bavarian-bonding-only show.
Funny, too... How at all these events I had organized, from the very first one, there were riders of many different brands, including other "lifestyle" brands like Ducati and Harley, and not once did any other brand-group try to take over the events. In fact, they all seemed to enjoy the diversity of machines and riders. It was only the BMW riders that wanted things all their way, and for the events to be their own. They were the only ones that ever bad-mouthed other brands, or tried to segregate the group. They were also the only ones who ever complained about anything.
Dallara
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