Readers Share Motorcycle Collections

Reader Contribution by Mc Staff
Published on July 31, 2013
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Riders: Peter Koerber (left) and Rich Ruggiero.
Occupation: Pete and Rich are aerial firefighters for the US Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, respectively.
Rides: Pete’s 1987 BMW K100RS, Pete’s 1976 BMW R75/6, Rich’s 1967 BMW R50/2.

Pete’s story: Pete’s gone through a number of bikes over the years including a Honda CT90, a Honda CB160, a Honda CB750 and a Yamaha XS850. His first bike was a Honda 250 Dream. “When I was 14 I noticed the 250 Dream under a tarp in someone’s yard and asked about it. The owner let me have it for $25. I got it running and rode it until it seized and sold it for scrap. Similar story for the CB160. Its piston rings were shot and it burned so much oil that it smoked like a 2-stroke. I’m glad that my mom doesn’t read your magazine, because to this day she still doesn’t know that I was riding around on beater bikes without a license when I was 14 and 15 years old.” Pete adds: “As I got older and I had more resources, I acquired better bikes. My first really reliable cross-country bike was a 1976 CB750. My girlfriend (now wife) and I took many trips around Northern California on it. We’ve also toured Western Europe on a rented BMW R100GS. Currently, the R75 is my around town bike and the K100 is my long distance and commute bike.”

As for Rich, his /2 BMW has won several prizes for best original/unrestored BMW at a variety of shows. His first bike was a 1950s Zündapp scooter.

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