Jim Seiler:

In the mid ’60’s, 1967 I think, I lived near Sacramento, rode a ‘64 R27, and met another guy with the same bike (Hayden, if you should read this, it  would be great to hear from you after all these years at jim(put the at sign here)myakkacityfl.com). He wound up owning both R27’s when the cylinder on mine cracked and I couldn’t find an affordable replacement, but before that happened we took one ride with the BMW Club of Northern California that I have never forgotten.

There were probably twenty or twenty five of us and we stopped for lunch at a really out of the way smorgasboard place which I certainly would not be able to find today, and there was only one car in the front parking lot (a green ‘54 Mercury if memory serves) when we arrived. As we were pulling into this lot in the middle of nowhere Ronald and Nancy Reagan walked out of the restaurant and headed across the lot toward the car, so we naturally formed a circle completely around the “law and order” governor and his missis, a couple of dozen black motorcycles ridden by people in black leather jackets, and revved our engines a bit. It kind of spoiled the effect when we all got down, shook his hand, and told him what a great job he was doing, but I imagine he remembered the experience for a while. Does anybody else remember this?