On February 27, 2005, I received a phone call from BMW Owners News Editor Sandy Cohen . Would I, she asked, go to the BMW R1200RT/R1200ST press intro and report back to her for the magazine?

I have been riding BMW motorcycles for nearly 40 years, starting with my very first motorcycle, a 1966 R60/2, and have never gone to a BMW press intro. I have put well over 150,000 miles on a variety of oilhead RTs and about 25,000 miles on the earlier airhead RTs. In 1995, I bought one of the first R1100RTs brought in the U.S. I currently own two Biarritz blue 2004 R1150RTs and one black-and-white R1150RT-P.

Would I go to the R1200RT intro? Is the expression, “answer to my dreams,” too strong? No? How about, “something I would dearly love to do before I die?”

I decided I would go.

There is more than one story here. Reporting on the new BMW motorcycles is one thing (see story, May BMW ON issue). But what about the whole BMW motorcycles press intro scene? That is worth a separate story.

The RT/ST intro was to be held March 16-18 in Palm Springs, California, about 370 easy R1150RT miles from my home in Tucson, Arizona. It was to be at the ultra-luxurious Westin Mission Hills Resort Village, which is located on Dinah Shore Road. That runs parallel to Gerald Ford Road and Frank Sinatra Road, and intersects with Bob Hope Road. Got the picture? Pretty heady for a midwestern cheesehead hoping that someday the Pack will be back.

Some of the questions I ponder. How does a model intro work? What happens? Who comes? What kind of show does BMW put on? What does it do to impress the moto journalists in attendance? There will be a lot to observe!

I loaded up my Nikon D70 and Canon PowerShot S70, charged their batteries, packed my Dell laptop, and off I went. Sandy established a very demanding deadline to make the May issue: turn it in on March 19―the day after the intro concludes. Gute Himmel! She is hard taskmaster but this is the dream of a lifetime, right? Und so, habe ich keine Wahl! Ich muß sie tun!

About 30 moto-journalists were in attendance. Riding in, I noted brand new BMW motorcycles were scattered about the resort’s grounds, amidst numerous fountains and arcades. We members of the press were directed to a special registration room, where we were greeted by BMW Motorrad staff and there was special hotel staff there just to register us.

All the staff members from hotel and Motorrad were incredibly accommodating. I asked to be assigned a room where I could park my R1150RT right outside where I can see it. Would that be possible?

“Of course, sir! Just park it on the sidewalk outside your room. If anyone complains, just call me ― here’s my special number ― and I will handle it for you.”

When I got to my room, the phone rang almost immediately. I was asked if I was able to park my motorcycle satisfactorily. If not, I would be assigned another room immediately. No, I said, it was just fine.

And so was the room. High-speed DSL internet access right there. A knock on the door and ― presto ― a fruit basket and bottled water compliments of BMW. I had not even gotten out of my riding jacket yet!

“Is there anything else we can do for you, sir?”

Yeah, I didn’t say, let me get my coat off and wash my greasy face!

I hadn’t seen any of the newest BMW models yet, so I decided to ride around to see if I could find them. I mounted up and rode around the spacious ― no, very spacious ― resort grounds looking for them. I came upon the entrance to an underground garage guarded by “do not enter” yellow tape. So, of course, I ignored the tape and rode into the garage. There they were! One-hundred-twenty brand new R1200RTs and R1200STs, each with a hair over 600 miles on their odometers that were put there by contract riders for BMW. I was the only press rep sneaky enough to find them before the approved time.

That evening, events began with an open bar, a presentation by BMW Motorrad staff from Germany of the new models, and then a wonderful sit-down dinner on an outdoor patio.

Attending all this, I was like Alice in Wonderland, bug-eyed and amazed at everything I saw. So I asked other press reps there about BMW’s intros.

“Yeah, they do it up well,” was the response I got. “BMW does it the best of any manufacturer.”

But they were used to this treatment. I was just an over-aged kid in a candy store dazzled by just about everything,

The actual rides of the new models were very well organized, and run by Premier Events Management for BMW Motorrad. How would you like a job like that?

The 30 of us press guys were broken into three groups ― leisurely, standard, and sport ― presumably to face distinct challenges. Each rider was assigned either to an RT or an ST for the morning, and then directed to switch to the opposite model at lunch for the afternoon’s ride. Each group was led by an “out rider” on an R1150RT-P, although the tight groups rapidly dissipated, with riders following their own drummers and maps.

I was initially assigned an R1200RT, which was good because we rode into the mountains and it was cold in the morning. We eventually rode up Mt. Palomar, with its wicked hairpin curves.

That evening there was a sumptuous feast held at a nearby yacht club, and on display were the K1200S and the K1200R. This was the only time these two models were to be seen.

The following morning a breakfast buffet was the final official activity. Most press reps were then whisked away to the airport.

As I was about to leave the table, I heard a voice over my shoulder saying, “hi, Jeff.” I turned around and looked into the face of none other than David Robb, BMW’s head motorcycle designer. Good grief! What a capstone for a fabulous event. Even better, David pulled out the chair next to me to have breakfast. That was probably a mistake for him, because I peppered him with questions for the next half hour and the poor man wasn’t even able to order his breakfast. How often does an off-the-deep-end BMW motorcycle nut get to talk with The Creator?!

Thereafter, I packed up my R1150RT and rode home to Tucson, concluding a once-in-a-lifetime event that will remain fresh in my memory as long as I am riding the planet.

See Jeff’s article on the RT/ST intro in May’s issue of BMW ON!