First Annual Spring Equinox BMW K1200RS Ride

It's Thursday, March 23, 2000, 10:30 AM and I am on the Net looking at 4 different weather sources, Yahoo, NY1, NY Times and Weather.com. I need to make a decision about the upcoming First Annual Spring Equinox K1200RS Ride that is to take place in Connecticut. Time is running out, we have people riding from as far South as North Carolina and North as Canada and they need to know if we are "on" this Sunday, March 26 or the following Sunday (the mandatory rain date at this time of year). Of course all four sources show completely different forecasts. Yahoo, predicts a rainy day which confirms my own dream the night before (I saw all of us stuck indoors at Marcus Dairy, a famous bikers meeting place, with the bikes neatly parked outside, and those weren't what I'd call friendly glances K12ers were throwing at me), and the other forecasts range from overcast with scattered showers to mostly cloudy. The good news is that there are no major storms in the forecast and because 3 out of 4 predict at least a semi-decent day I (with my fingers crossed) send a group e-mail and make it "official."

The e-mail and the Net are what made this historic ride happen. This truly was a 21st century organized gathering, almost entirely done through the computer and the World Wide Web.

· I got the inspiration out of a very active and excellent K12RS Internet forum maintained by Vic Salemme that I frequent.

· The initial 40 registrars came from the forum.

· Almost the entire communication was done via group e-mails, (I made very few actual phone calls, maybe 3 or 4 at most).

· Riders used primarily the group e-mail list to communicate with each other.

· Almost immediately after the ride, digital pictures taken from that day were posted on Vic's forum.

· Within 24 hours after the ride the web site that I setup for the gathering was updated with a bunch of pictures copied and pasted from the forum. (Since my own 3 rolls of old fashioned films, had not been developed yet.)

So as you can see, this was purely a cyber gathering. And the truth is that it would have never happened without the conveniences of the digital age. Frankly I tried to organize this ride with the least amount of effort possible, since we all have busy schedules. The shear enthusiasm of the brave few from the start is what kept us going. "Only K12RSes, you've got to be kidding, why not LTs or K11s too?" that was the most common reaction at first. You see, It's one thing to bring motorcycle riders together, or to gather those who ride the same make, but to bring 60+ regional riders of one specific expensive European model that has only been around for a short couple of years would seem near impossible. The initial estimate of the number of riders was under 15. As I began dreaming this up the number 20 somehow seemed like the Holy Grail. "Wow, what if we actually get 20 riders, that would be amazing," how little did I know.

That Sunday, March 26, we had the first great Sunday riding weather of the year. Perfectly clear skies in the 60's. The meeting place was packed with all brands of bikes. When I got there at 11 (about an hour before show time) there had already been more than a dozen K12s gathered in the far corner of the lot (a chunk of the place all to ourselves). Right then I knew it was going to be big.

Here are some facts about our ride:

Number of pre-registered riders: 58

Number of K1200RSes at Marcus Dairy, "About 70" (one person actually counted over 70)

Number of K12RSes in the group ride 50

Number of K12RSes in the photo shoot 35

Number of riders and passengers at dinner 28

Number of riders at the cigar bar following dinner 11

Number of dealerships involved 5

Number of female pilots 2

Number of BMW NA representatives 1

Most common bike color Dakar Yellow

Least common color, Night Black (1, custom painted)

Furthest rider from the
North came from Canada
South came from North Carolina
West came from Ohio

With all the hoopla surrounding the new BMW Comfort Shield for K12RS (the shield was sold out within days) only about 10% of the bikes had non-stock shields.

Overall the reactions about the ride have been very positive, although the weather gets much of the credit for the high turnout.

I strongly recommend the model specific gatherings. There is an immediate sense of unity. There is no feeling of "mine is bigger/more expensive/faster/better designed/corners quicker," etc. You become a part of an instant family. The most memorable moment for me was when we took a flock of 50 K12s out on the road. I can still feel it, the energy of the group rolling into a focused, tangible force. Everything and everyone got out of our way.

There is something special about being a part of history. Being the first in anything brings even more a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. I felt good about this ride. Many thanks and garlands of gratitude to all those who volunteered their time and effort to the First Annual Spring Equinox K1200RS Ride.

Shahram Shiva

April 5, 2000, NYC