Wilsons Sandbox

I own two BMWs. I have owned 5 total. I have owned lots of other bikes over the years as have most of you. I do not and have never understood the defensive zeal that so many BMW owners take when comments they perceive negative to the marque are made. Excuse me gents but it's a machine,not a God or an Icon. It is aluminum and plastic and steel assembled in a manner some what unique. Exceptional? I can not agree.A1980 BMW is not a better machine then a 1980 Yamahaor Suzuki , Honda of similar size.. The Yamaha was cheaper and sold many more and consequently was purchased by people who had less invested and road the hell out of them. So Yamaha's had second gear problems,,,many BMWs needed valve jobs and top ends at 30,000 miles. BMW has had a lot of other problems...so has every other manufacturer. A friend of mine has a 1980 Yamaha XS1100 with 247,000 miles on the clock and yes it has been maintained and overhauled.........just like any BMW or Moto Guzzi with that many miles. I have a R1100R. It is a nice bike with some unusual features like telelever,BIG DEAL!! Some one on a VFR with the right skill could smoke me,heck some one with 600 could smoke the R11 on many roads. There are cases of owners getting 100,000+ out of almost any bike made especially late model ones. Yes BMW was first to offer ABS,SO WHAT !!!! You like it,,great, I could not care less,,but don't get all bent out of shape over accurate reports about the most current system. Heck no one insulted your mother !! And guess what? As the market has demonstrated it viable many other manufacturers offer and will offer ABS. Yamaha had it in 1990 on the engineering marvel the GTS1000. They also had it on the FJ1200,,,,,and nobody cared. So lets just calm down, chillout and not get so personally offended when some body says some thing bad about BMW. Ever since Nikasil they all last. I like my non-ABS R1100R but this week I rode my KLR and my Concours and you know what? THEY ROCK!!!!!!!. Tom Baumen .