So, I think it's time we hear from Koppa and his (mis)adventure.
And, most of all did he ride perch on a Wing, did his beloved ride in a trailer or truck (or worse yet, both)
Inquiring minds want to know.

I apologize for not mentioning this at the finish yesterday: Wayne Koppa and Howard Hein, two of our friends from Michigan, called me on Saturday from southwest Iowa. Evidently the clutch on Wayne's BMW R850R seemed to be on the verge of total failure. I believe they stopped at the BMW dealer in Sioux City for help but there wasn't much to be done. When they called from somewhere near Moorhead, the plan was to get to the Interstate and head straight for Michigan. If Wayne's clutch crapped out completely, Howard promised to send a photo of Wayne on the back of the Wing.

Sunday, I received a call from Wayne; he was holed up in Des Moines and hoping to have his bike hauled to Gina's BMW in Iowa City. That was my last report on his status. Wayne's bike has about 125,000 miles on it so he seemed to be taking it all in stride. I'm sure he'll update us when he can.

I had the clutch on the R100 completely overhauled this spring at the 145,000 mile mark. I wondered if it was really necessary afterward - it was still working fine - but now I'm thinking, maybe it was prudent after all.

Bart,
Talked to Wayne last night. He is now holed up in Iowa City, waiting for dealer to open tomorrow. His bike is at the dealers already, as there was someone there yesterday to at least put it in the building.
There is an old pilot saying, the most useless things to a pilot in an emergency are runway behind you, and altitude above you.
The clutch parts that Wayne has in his garage also would fall into that category.
We should hear from him soon. I know he is lurking on the site from his hotel room.
And he did NOT ride on the back of the wing. I think he would have pushed the BMW to Michigan before chancing that Kodak (or Polaroid) moment.

Just after the War Eagle Monument, where Howard and I discussed the advantages of spending our Rest Bonus at a nearby Casino instead of a motel, the clutch play increased significantly on the 850R. I have a new clutch and seals on the workbench and thought "should have done this before I left on the trip". On our next stop the clutch would not disengage. I adjusted it out as far as it would go and it seemed to work for awhile. At the next stop the clutch would not disengage again and I knew it was time to head for the barn. I urged Howard to head out and we could link up later. He didn't want to do that and stuck with me. I think in retrospect he should have snagged some bonus points and finished. We were running a pretty good pace. He said "you would do the same for me?" I just smiled. We spoke to a tech a couple times at Leo's and he was very helpful. Long distance diagnosis is not easy. We called Bart - wished everyone well and headed East. I would park on a downhill section, get it rolling, start it in gear and ride it. I called Gina's BMW (and it was after hours) but Julius answered (Gina's husband). He gave me his secret cell phone number and said to call him on Monday (although they are closed on Monday) on my plans. If I was coming his way he would try to get me to the front of the line. In Des Moines the bike would not turn over enough to start as if it was bound up. I pulled out the BMW Anonymous Book and started calling BMW owners for help. Everyone was out riding and it was late that Don and Craig showed up and trailered the bike to a motel for me. It was the first time she had been on a trailer at 122,000 miles. They called another BMW guy, Rich Konen, that had technical capabilities. Rich called in the morning (Sunday) and he came by after teaching a morning MSF course. We went to his house, put her on the lift and determined there was something more than clutch problems. He offered to let me have his pick-up Monday and we could go riding that afternoon. I mentioned that I would still have to get his truck back from Iowa City so maybe we needed to do that today. Did I say that he loved Brett's "Loud Pipes" sticker. In a couple hours we were off to Gina's in Iowa City where we planned on leaving the bike outside the dealership for Tuesday. One of the techs was at the dealership working on his BMW track car and we pushed the 850R inside. I called Julius on Monday and he was evidently at the shop trying to get caught up, seen the bike, and had already pulled the parts. Tuesday morning the tech, Jared (rides trials - knows Ben Winterer) , ripped into it and discovered that the input shaft bearing on the transmission was gone and the clutch rod end had broken. We needed a new clutch rod and transmission input shaft ($$$$$$$). These parts were not in stock so it would be Wednesday morning. Clutch was fine but we replaced it anyway. Universal was good. Mike ,the service manager, pointed me towards a good place to eat that night, Gina, Julius and Anna (daughter) put me on a RT and I dig in for another night. They worked on it most of Wednesday. The word had gotten around back home that I have bike problems and my neighbor calls about borrowing some tables and cheers me up by saying that even a thoroughbred needs a rest once in a while and many times they come back stronger than ever. Jared takes it out for a test ride and proclaims it to be fixed and a good ride for the miles on it. I leave Iowa City at 4:45 PM and pull into Grayling eight hours later. It ran as good as it ever has on the way home.

If you do have to break down with a BMW in Iowa - I recommend the Don, Craig and Rich of Des Moines and the fine people at Gina's.

Wayne Koppa
Grayling, MI

Gina and Julius are pretty great people. My first memories of them are when I was young and getting hauled around to BMW rallies by my parents. Good Times, Good Times.

Good to hear you and the bike got back home, Wayne. And I thought I was sending all this good karma your way by putting a pie bonus at Lange's in Pipestone on the route sheet...

Everybody's got their own opinion about dealerships, but the only time I ever had service done at Gina's, they treated me very well.

Hope to see you and Howard next summer,

Bart

It makes me wonder what would have happened if we hadn't had the cream raisin pie at Lange's?

It probably saved my final drive.

Wayne Koppa
Grayling, MI

<<http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/R1200GS3.html>>;

Not being of that "ilk," I've never been to Gina's. But Vladimir, that deaf guy from Belarus who got semi crushed by a semi in Illinois some years ago, he had some repairs done and Gina's and they treated him quite well.

They even gave him a pretty good discount, as I recall. So I suppose if you want a good deal, pretend you are a deaf person from Belarus and see how it works.

This spring I sent Vladimir his '09 Minnesota license tabs (for his F650) to where he was staying for a bit in Taiwan, and as best as I can guess he's currently heading west "underneath" China. He wanted to head toward home directly through China but China wouldn't let him in.

Maybe it was those Minnesota license plates.

Jim

Panniers by Igloo...

The wife and I just spent the 4th celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary in Lake Placid, watching the fireworks, and absorbibg the local culture. There is a skating rink here named after a hockey coach that would make a great bonus site.

Wayne Koppa
Grayling, MI

how many wanna bet Wayne has a Polaroid photo of it already. Always thinkin' that Wayne fellow.