R Gruppe in Central Oregon?

[jaudette3]

Was there a group of R Gruppers driving in a, um, spirited manner around Fossil, Oregon today (Saturday, June 2)? BMW bikers want to know.

Thanks,
John Audette

[Jeff Higgins]

I bet it was these guys. I spent the first day (Friday) with them and then had to return home. They were planning on being in the north-central Oregon area on Saturday.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showt...hreadid=333927

[jaudette3]

Looks like that's who it was -- there are some pictures of the cars in Shaniko. I was in Shaniko that day with a group of 20 Porsches from the High Desert PCA. We had stopped in Antelope on the way there and a group of BMW bikers came into town after us. One of the guys in their group came up and said he liked our cars but he would really appreciate it if we would drive on our side of the road. He said that one of their younger drivers almost lost it avoiding a Porsche.

None of us could recall passing a bunch of motorcycles going the other way, and we asked him where they had seen us. He said just outside of Fossil. We had been moving east on 218, but we turned left to Antelope and hadn't been to Fossil. Then I realized that he must of been referring to another pack of Porsches.

So, we took the heat -- and you guys probably had more fun.

John Audette

[Jeff Higgins]

Too bad about the encounter with the Beemer guys. I tagged along on Friday because I know several of the Puget Sound area guys that were going. They are all pretty responsible drivers, and I drive with them regularly. There were, however, quite a few guys I had never met before. I've grown increasingly leery of those kinds of loosely organized group drives. "Fortunately" for me (and I'm being facetious) I wound up spending most of Friday helping one of my buddies getting his recalitrant 914 up and running so he could limp it back from Yakima to Seattle. As a result, I missed most of that day's driving.

I guess I'm not all that surprised that they wound up being, shall we say, a "concern" to other drivers. When the 914 gave up (heat related electrical issues) it was a good opportunity to both help a friend and to bail on the drive. I had fallen in with their lead group earlier in the day, and while the leader himself seemed capable enough, the guy between us really was not. We have all seen this group drive dynamic play out, with the fast guys, well... going fast, and some trying to keep up that really should not. That's why I've come to prefer the more organized drives, with "known quantities" around me. Close friends, fellow Pac West-er's, and such. Oh well; I'm sure they had a lot of fun; it sure sounds like it.