All set to go. Oil changed, gassed up, recently cleaned idle jet! (snug battery cable connections!) I will be leading the caravan this time since Mike Self has something urgent to attend to on the home front.

Got it, Jim. Thanks. Larry

Hi Larry: Yes! Jason Gipson is heading up a drive on April 29th. We will meet up at the old Fuel Coffee location on Riverside Drive in Cincinnati. (2726 Riverside Drive) It is now known as Ta'bogo Cafe. After the drive, there will be dinner at the Hofbrau Haus Restaurant in Newport, KY. Meet up time: 9 AM-ish to 10 AM-ish.

Meet at my house (3840 Robertann Drive, Kettering, OH 45420) at 10:00 AM on Saturday, June 17th. We will take off on a Self-led drive through Greene County, including several covered bridges. We will return to my backyard for a cookout. BYOB (alcohol). We will provide the rest. If you wish to bring something, that is fine, of course. (but you don't need to)

Does RGB have a Spring Drive on April 29? If so, will someone be so kind as to send me details, either here or via email. Thanks. Larry Gray ldgray@fuse.net

Did we have fun? Yes, we did.

Join me on February 11th, 2023 at Eudora Brewing Co. It is on Wilmington Pike. Drop by at 4:30 PM or sometime after that for beer, pub food and fascinating car geeks. There is plenty of room inside and also plenty of parking spaces on site. It's a good excuse for me to celebrate my retirement from nursing as well. See you there!

Well, Vintage 2022 has come and gone. It was so great to be back. I hadn't been there since 2019. The RGB was well-represented by: Me, Mike Self, Dirk Rasmussen, Jake Metz, Wil Tinker, Jonathan Tinker, Dohn Roush, Scott Aaron, Chris Allen, Ben Younce, John Blake, Reggie and Stephanie Stewart. The BMWCCA Foundation exhibit: The Power of M was a great pleasure to experience. (Thanks to Lance White, Michael Mitchell, Jackie Jouret and many, many others!) The drive to and from the event in the Self-led caravan was picturesque and fun. (and free of any mishaps) Our excursion to Buc-ee's was, well, freakin' weird in a flag-waving 'Murrica sort of way... The Vintage itself on Saturday was an ideal opportunity to view the super abundance of cool BMWs and to catch up with friends made at the Vintage and other BMW events. I certainly made the rounds, visiting a plethora of good friends. (I even made a few new ones.) The parking lot socializing was in full swing each evening, including the installation of a turbo setup in a 2002 by flashlight. Of course, Paul Wegweiser had to prank Rob Siegel or it wouldn't be Vintage at all. Thank You to Scott Sturdy and his many proficient volunteers who made the event proceed so smoothly for folks like me.

Well, that was certainly an underwhelming response. See you guys, I guess. Eventually...

Anybody have a set of non TII calipers for sale. Preferably plug and play not needing a rebuild. PM if you can help. THX Walter

Hey all, I've been MIA the last year and half, but have plans to be a bit more involved going forward. (Spent some time with Larry Gray recently, and he has me excited about doing the things I've put off for the last year!). That said, I'm buying some tires for a non-BMW ride and wondered if any of you fine folks have ever used ASAP Tire (TireRack's mobile install company) to mount the tires, and if you have, your thoughts on them. Looks like they can do all the balancing, etc. in the back of the van and come to you. Hope to see some of you soon. If any of you know Brian Aylor, he's got a new E21 that looks like a beauty. May try to get a drive happening in October.

We reunited three 1973 Sahara sunroof 2002's today: Mine, Mike Self's and Javier Gutierrez' cars. A good time was had by all and fair weather just made things even better.

Announcing a Grill Out at my place on September 5, 2021. NOTE: I HAVE CHANGED THE DATE. Sorry, but the weekend of August 14th got too busy for a gtg. SO: I LOVE BRATWURST. But, I am sure that we can throw some other items on the grill too! Time: Still starting at 3:00 PM and on into the evening Place: 3840 Robertann Drive, Kettering, OH 45420 BYOB, BYOBMW

Great fun as always--Jason keeps coming up with all these (nearly) traffic-free twisty back roads--but challenging enough that it's hard to enjoy the scenery and stay on the road at the same time. Lots of curves posted at 25, 20, 15 and even 10 mph! I put more miles on my '73 (280) during the drive than I did in all of 2020 (238). Great roads, great camaraderie, and everyone kept the shiny side up. Now there's Mid America to look forward to. mike

A great day and excellent roads! A few new faces among the the familiar group of friends.

A great day and excellent roads! A few new faces among the the familiar group of friends.

There was definitely a pent-up demand for a vintage BMW event featuring fair weather, good friends, classic BMWs, open country roads, good food and your choice of spirits; in other words: FUN. Jason Gipson supplied the route and the plan. RGB folks showed up at the Speedway station in Wilder, KY like we have for years now. We had so much catching up to do on the parking lot, that it pushed back our start time a bit. No worries... Conditions were ideal: sunny, cool weather, dry 2-lane roads, well-maintained BMWs and an eager sense of adventure. Along the route, we saw folks stopping what they were doing to wave at us. Thankfully our drive was free of the random packs of hound dogs that sometimes rush out to greet our caravan in the middle of the road. We enjoyed a late lunch at the Blue Licks Battle Park lodge. Later, we made our customary visit to see our friends Jennifer and Jim at Sunflower Sundries in Mt Olivet, KY. They greeted us like we are family, which is so very pleasing. As the sun dropped lower, a few of us headed north to have dinner and a few brews at the Hofbrau Haus in Newport, KY. Andrew Wilson boldly drove Vern the 73 tii down from Brunswick, Maine to join the fun. My daughter, Veronica, was my copilot for the first time on an RGB drive. Mary was Andrew's copilot all day and they got along famously. Liz Metz was hoping to show off her new-to-her E21, but a breakdown en route to our initial rendezvous point nixed that plan. She and Jake were assisted by Ben Younce, Dirk Rasmussen and Michele Rasmussen, so that their day was not ruined. There was some minor wrenching done on the drive, but everyone was able to keep on going thanks to Jason and the other volunteer mechanics. We all needed this day so badly and for so many reasons. We are all so thankful that we could get together and renew our bonds of friendship. 2020 was clearly a disaster, but we are hoping to have a much more rewarding, more normal 2021. Yesterday was a mighty good start. THANKS to Jason and to everyone who was part of the fun during this event.

Photos from yesterday's drive.... Thanks to Ben Younce for being the brave one to pull the trigger and organize the event for us. Cleves wasn't my favorite, but the rest was super!

I have listed this event on the FAQ RGB calendar for October 24th. Ben Younce is finalizing the details. We will meet up at 10:00 AM. The drive will be approximately 190 miles in total. We will be driving the back roads of southern Indiana, stopping in places like Madison, IN and Oldenburg, IN. For those of you using Facebook, the event is featured on the RGB page. Many of you have been asking about the schedule for the RGB Fall Drive 2020 on Saturday October 24. #1 Eat a hearty breakfast. The 10AM meetup and departure point will be Anderson Ferry on the Ohio side (near the Airport,) One Anderson Ferry Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45204. From there we rather unnecessarily set sail across the Ohio (Bring $5 cash!) to the great state of Kentucky for our first driving stint that includes a brief stop at the Markland Locks and Dam. From there we head north to the completely acceptable state of Indiana for a drive along the river’s scenic byway with a brief stop in Madison, IN to check out the Lanier Mansion Historic Site. Our planned lunch stop is the Stream Cliff Farm Winery where you can taste/buy wines, order food from their restaurant to enjoy in their outdoor space or packaged “to go” anywhere on the grounds. You’re also welcome to bring your own picnic lunch if you prefer. From there we venture to the ruins of a historic mill and then up to the Oldenburg Brau Haus for a Spaten on the back patio. From this point it’s a choose your own adventure for the route back home. If you’re headed back to Cincinnati or Northern KY, IN 1 back SE towards Lawrenceburg is the suggested route. Others headed east to Dayton/Columbus can depart in that direction. If there is sufficient interest, we’re working on a few primitive campsites in the area that can accommodate socially distanced overnight accommodations. If you’d like to stay overnight and camp, please message Ben Younce asap. The long-term weather forecast looks sunny and in the 60s. This is a family friendly event and we hope there is a little something for everyone to enjoy on what will be one of the last good driving days of 2020. 7You, Dirk Rasmussen, Scott Aaron and 4 others 7 Comments Like Comment

I have a 185/70x13 Toyo tire with about 10k miles on it--the problem is that my '69's front end alignment was off and the tire is quite worn on its outer edge--still has tread--but practically unworn on the other side. Suitable only as a spare, but I hate to pitch it if someone can use it for a spare or to roll a restoration project around (I have a second, even worse worn for that purpose; it's still round and black. And holds air.) It's (they're) here in Dayton--not worth shipping but if someone wants it (them), let me know and we'll figure out a way to get it to you that's either cheap or free... mike

Yesterday (5-23-20) was epic fun all around. We had a huge turnout, wonderful weather (mostly!), great roads and a great group of RGB'ers. We welcomed new members such as Javier Gutierrez and his new-to-him 73 Sahara 2002. There were others that we hadn't seen for a while (John Harvey, Mike McCarthy & Kevin Funk come to mind) and die-hards like Jason, Jake, Scott, Wil, Jonathan, Dirk, Charlie and me. We wish we could do without masks and social distancing, but despite that, we had a great day. We also could do without the downpour afterward, but we did fine regardless. I need a count. How many cars? How many people showed up? So pleased that so many of you were there. Feel free to add photos to this post!!

Dene did the hard work, I just consulted and pitched in when it took 3 or 4 hands to complete a task. mike

The RGB was well represented on the back roads of Greene County yesterday. We met at Mike Self's house and drove to the house of the previous owner of Dene Berman's 2002. Dene and Mike have just recently completed a comprehensive restoration of Dene's 1975 Fjord 2002. The car had been sitting still for more than 20 years. (16+ on the previous owner's driveway and then about 4 years of work by Dene & Mike) It took some rust repair, a respray, new carpet, new upholstery, extensive repairs to the badly cracked dashboard, new tires, new hoses, new gaskets, etc. Anyhow, the previous owner and his wife were amazed to see the restored 2002. It was his primary vehicle when they met in 1980. Both had driven it, but it eventually got set aside and was mostly forgotten. It's come a long way since Mike first gazed upon it, sitting by itself, neglected. Anyhow, we hit the back roads on a clear, cool, sunny Spring day. Very few other cars were on the road, the pavement was dry and we enjoyed the sharp curves and some beautiful scenery. We crossed the Little Miami River eight times, I think. After the drive, we pulled into a park. I got out my cooler and we walked over to the creek and popped open some adult beverages to toast Dene and Mike's success in saving one more 2002 from the crusher. Congratulations!!