BMW Motorcycle Owners of Alabama

ABOUT THE CLUB

The BMW Motorcycle Owners of Alabama is chartered club #5 in the BMW MOA and #107 in the BMW RA. We are a statewide club but our membership also includes riders from many other states....

Latest Events

The members of BMW Motorcycle Owners of Alabama hold formal meetings each month. Check out our events calendar or watch the website for event announcements.

HOW TO JOIN THE CLUB

Primary membership shall be open to any individual over the age of 18 who owns and rides a BMW motorcycle. Membership shall also be open to any BMW motorcycle enthusiast when recommended/sponsored by a current...

CLUB NEWS

Two Successful Rides

We had a respectable turnout for April's 2nd Sat R2E at the Bright Star, century-old restaurant in Bessemer. The food...

2nd Saturday Ride to Eat Rock House Eatery

Twelve folks gathered at the Rock House Eatery 2nd Saturday R-2-E. In an action item from the January meeting, Jim...

MOAL January Meeting Summary

The club held its annual January planning meeting in Moody, AL on 27 Jan 24 with only twelve members attending....

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMNT

This is a special announcement section.

NATIONAL NEWS

Feelings are not facts

Different types of psychotherapy place various levels of emphasis on feelings (as opposed to thoughts or behaviors). In general, however, there is an attempt to...

BMW Motorrad Unveils 2026 R 1300 RT and RS

BMW Motorrad USA introduced the 2026 R 1300 RT and R 1300 RS, motorcycles designed to elevate touring and sport-touring experiences. Both models feature BMW's...

2024 Kawasaki Ninja 7 Hybrid Motorcycle First Ride Review

2024 Kawasaki Ninja 7 Hybrid Motorcycle First Ride ReviewThe Best of Both Words? It's interesting to consider what the book on the electrification of motorcycles...

BMW R12 G/S Stokes an Icon’s Enduring Spirit

2026 BMW R12 G/S Stokes an Icon's Enduring Spirit The 2026 BMW R12 G/S is a new motorcycle that continues the legacy of the original...

FEATURED VIDEO

Have you seen THE FIRST RT? If not, tune into Ep 51 of the SWB today!

The annual homecoming for the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America happens June 17-19, 2027 in Great Falls, Montana.

Beemers and Blue Sky, the 2027 BMW MOA National Rally

In this episode, Chuck Pryor is back to share his restoration of the first ever R100RT to roll of the line at BMW. Don't miss this chance to get up close and personal with this iconic machine!
The origin story of this R100RT (Ep 26 of this show): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD33bihGo3w
Find Chuck on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chuckpryor/
Get your FREE BMW MOA's Membership. Use activation code "airheads247":
https://bmwmoaf.givingfuel.com/memberforces
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Want to share your Airhead story on the SWB? Tell us about it here:
https://form.jotform.com/260226621684153
Submit your Airhead for #followerFriday:
https://form.jotform.com/230266576711053
Find Nick on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/airheadmisfits/
Keywords:
#motorcycles, #BMW, #Airhead, #garageupdates, #bikemaintenance, #motorcycleculture, #featuredbike, #motorcyclecommunity, #podcast, #bikewalkaround, #r100rt, #firstever, #collectorbike

SWB Ep. 51: Restoring The First R 100 RT

Chad Garcia, President of the BMW MOA's Board of Directors, fields questions and concerns about the National Rallies in this inaugural episode of the MOA's newest video podcast. Email Chad with your questions and we'll do our best to get to them in future episodes.
To find out more about the BMW MOA: https://www.bmwmoa.org/
To find out more about the Rallies: https://rally.bmwmoa.org/
Timeline
0:00 Chad's Introduction
1:40 Understanding the logistics of the Rally
5:00 Why volunteering is so important
7:18 How and why rally sites are chosen
13:45 Why is the rally still in the summer?
16:40 Plans for future events
20:10 The Board's expectations of themselves for the Rally
23:30 Changes in the Rally over the next few years
26:55 Wrap-up and Goodbye

Campfire Chats with Chad, Episode 1: The National Rallies

Welcome back to another MOA Garage BMW motorcycle tech video. We hope you'll like, comment, ask questions, subscribe, ring the bell and continue supporting the MOA with your membership.
Here's a simple maintenance task almost anybody can accomplish with just two tools and the key to the motorcycle. BMW Motorrad specifies replacing the air filter every 20,000 kilometers/12,000 miles. If you ride in a particularly dusty/sooty/smoggy environment, you may wish to change your air filter more often.
Tools needed:
* Key to remove the seat(s)
* T25 and T30 drivers
Parts/supplies needed:
* New air filter, BMW p/n 13 72 7 726 799; MSRP (Aug '26) $44.63
* rags to spread the upper panels apart and for cleanup
This air filter is specified for the following BMW motorcycles, listed by *build date*, not model year. The process for replacing the air filter in any of these motorcycles may differ from the process depicted in this video.
R 1200 GS 10/11 to 07/18
R 1200 GSA 09/12to 07/18
R 1200 RT 01/13 to 09/20
R 1200 R 11/13 to 07/18
R 1200 RS 06/14 to 07/18
R 1250 GS 09/17 to 07/23
R 1250 GSA 10/17 to 05/24
R 1250 R 11/17 to 06/24
R 1250 RS 03/18 to 06/24
R 1250 RT 11/19 to 06/24
Thank you for visiting the MOA Garage. Find out more about BMW motorcycles at https://www.bmwownersnews.com and learn more about the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America at https://www.bmwmoa.org. If you're an MOA member in the general Washington, D.C., area and would like to see your bike featured in an MOA Garage video, contact us through the MOA website.

Air filter replacement for BMW R1200GS (liquid cooled)

Oilhead 259 Podcast host and Boxerworks owner Chris Ory upgrades his 2004 r1150R Rockster and shares a shortcut to replacing the plastic cam chain guides on an Oilhead.
The Oilhead 259 Podcast hosts noted BMW Oilhead enthusiasts, aficionados and industry professionals discussing all things related to the BMW motorcycles known as “Oilheads.” Chris Ory, owner and proprietor of Boxerworks in Watkinsville, Georgia leads the conversation.
Stream the Oilhead 259 Podcast completely free!
Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/oilhead-259-podcast/id1874625942
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/080Fba8obnVykFFY371u0I
Soundcloud:
https://on.soundcloud.com/IjEX3szJVk7e1T1lTV
Join the BMW MOA for FREE!
Use this code-- OILHEAD259 --in the link below:
memberforces.bmwmoa.org
Drop us a line:
oilheads259@gmail.com

Oilhead 259 Video - Rockster Upgrades & Cam Chain Guides Shortcut

It's never too early to register for next year's rally! The sooner you register, the more you save.

Register Now for the 2027 MOA Rally!

Welcome to the BMW MOA's Motorcycle Test Kitchen, where we try out gear, accessories and other products for motorcyclists of all kinds.
In this video, the MOA's Wes Fleming unboxes, installs, sets up, connects and goes over the basic features of the RiderNav R7M 7" Display for BMW motorcycles. According to RiderNav, the R7M is "a smarter replacement for the stock navigator." To use an R7M, you must already have (or install) the "Nav Prep" package that enables you to use the BMW Nav V or VI. This covers a lot of motorcycles, including liquid-cooled R 1200s, 1250s, the S 1000s and more. RiderNav further states that the R7M is waterproof (IP69K) and the display "stays clear in harsh sunlight." This unit supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. RiderNav recommends adding a MicroSD card to facilitate over-the-air firmware updates.
Wes will be using the R7M in place of his usual Nav V, which he uses as a trip computer/display anyway rather than for navigation. For mapping tasks, he uses a Garmin 590 attached to the left handlebar.
For more info on this device, visit https://www.ridernav.com/. MSRP as of publication in July 2026 is $389.99.
Visit http://bmwmoa.org to find out more about the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America. Thanks for watching! Be sure to subscribe, like, comment and ask questions!

RiderNav R7M 7" Display - Unboxing and Overview

Ted Moyer and Wes Fleming are here to fill you in on all the goings-on at the MOA, from a change/update in how members are getting their rebate money, what's going on at MOA HQ to include the Historical Archive, the new Adventure Crown ADV competition that's open to all brands of motorcycles and of course a little bit about the next MOA Rally in Great Falls, Montana in June 2027.
To find out more about [this thing], click on [that link]:
BMW MOA: https://www.bmwmoa.org/
Rebate Program: https://bmwmoa.org/news/moa-members-saved-over-110000/
The Historical Archive: https://bmwmoa.org/foundation/moaf-historical-archive/
The Adventure Crown: https://advcrown.com/
MOA Rallies: https://rally.bmwmoa.org/ Chapters
0:00 Intro
2:20 Update to payment system for the Rebate Program
6:00 The Traveling Office at MOA HQ
8:00 More about HQ
10:00 Info on the Historical Archive
12:24 The Adventure Crown
22:22 Rally Registration deal for July 2026
25:33 Closing

The MOA Today, Episode 13: Rebate payments, MOA HQ & the Adventure Crown and more!