But producing machines without charm and allurement almost drove the BMW motorcycle division to bankruptcy. Many of us saw beauty in form and function and didn’t care about style and elegance. ![]() BMW had been making motorcycles since 1923, the majority of which were R-model two-cylinder, horizontally-opposed, air-cooled boxer engines in bikes that were black, well-engineered, dependable, and not very pretty. Most BMW owners and riders admit, some, like me, only begrudgingly, that Richard’s 2003-04 model BMW K1200GT is the prettiest, sexist model BMW ever produced. Richard, Jim, and Don, the Grey Grizzlies: Departing for Alaska, June 2019. I guess it was the latter, because Don and I agreed to Richard’s request and within days we were disassembling his K-bike to replace the engine seal and clutch despite the fact that none of us had ever done anything like this before. Spending that much time together in very close quarters you either decide you don’t want to spend another day together if you can help it, or you become even closer and look for more opportunities to hang out. We were the trio that rode to Alaska and back for seven weeks during the summer of 2019. The Gray Grizzlies Richard referred to included Don, me, and himself. But I have an idea: how about I bring my bike to your barn and the Grey Grizzlies will replace the engine seal and clutch?” My phone was at my ear, but I didn’t reply for what seemed like a long time. “ In any case, that’s going to cost you a pile of hundred-dollar bills to get that fixed.” “You are right about the hundred-dollar bills,” he replied, “probably around $2,500, maybe more with parts. “However, the way you normally wind that engine up it could be a worn clutch plate”. ![]() “Sounds like a failure of the rear engine seal oiling a clutch plate that is supposed to be dry,” I said. Richard and his BMW K1200GT on the Blue Ridge Parkway with a slipping clutch. “Oh, yeah, did I mention that that oil has been dripping from the bell housing between the engine and transmission?” Richard asked, as though his question just might have something to do with his problem. He had called me a couple of days ago and mentioned that he thought the clutch of his BMW K1200 GT was failing but would take it for another ride to confirm. My phone rang: “Hey Jim, I’m up on the Blue Ridge Parkway yeah, the clutch is slipping really bad.” That was my buddy Richard, a forty-year friend and riding buddy.
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