re: Eric D. Brown of Chicago

[62315]

Hi,
I was looking at my membership card, # 62315, and thinking about my lifelong best friend, Eric D. Brown. He was the original incorporator and a founding member of the Chicagoland BMW Motorcycle Owners Association.
I am looking for any remembrances, stories or pictures. (He died 01/04/94.)
Thank you for any help.
Steven Shanin

[beemerred]

It is always inspirational and enlightening to hear old stories about good guys and gals who were "riders" and leaders for us in their lives. I didn`t know Eric so I`d like to hear a story or two from you. That`s why it`s called "CAMPFIRE".:lurk

[62315]

Thanks beemerred:

Eric, I called him E, went to pick up his first Beemer, a R50 from Mike Abt, in Chicago. It was 1968 and I drove him to Abt's and then followed him home after. I believe it was at that first left turn, from one main street to another, that he dropped the bike. I blocked traffic and got out to help him. As was his nature, he refused my assistance and I knew better than to argue. I went back to my car and continued blocking both traffic, angry drivers and blaring horns.
He got the bike up and running and we never mentioned the incident again until years later when he told me what had happened. Even though I was right behind him, I could not have known that when he put his left leg down at the stoplight, his prosthesis broke and the bike fell over on his shattered leg. E was an amputee, but he never let that stop him from a pretty fair bicycle racing career and motorcycling at speed from coast to coast and up and around Canada.
He put 50,000 miles (a lot of those were mine as well) on that R50, most of them after he had Abt convert it into an R50S. After the R50S came a R65 and then a couple of R90S's, silver smoke, naturally.
I hear about the R50S from time to time, it's still alive and well, although I haven't seen it since E sold it to his cousin in the early 1970's. If you ever come across a R50S with a Bavarian state medallion on the tool door atop the tank, please pause a moment and think of E.
Steve

[beemerred]

You just gotta "love" or more likely respect a man that will not let a disability effect his lifestyle. His picking up that bike with a crushed prothesis speaks volumes about the toughness of his character. Wish I could have met him and I would like to say I have met many like him in the BMW community. It must be in the gene pool. Ha! Thanks for the story, beemerred:clap

[larrydk]

Is Mike Abt still working at Chicago BMW? Because he does not seem old enough to be doing this stuff in 1968.

P.S. The Mike Abt at Chicago BMW is a great guy.

[62315]

It was Mick Abt's father, Mike, E bought the R50 from and who later converted it into an S. And yes, I agree; Mick is a great guy.
Steve