This is a WTB with rant dressing.
Over the weekend I planned a roundtrip drive from WV to Denver to pick up a mint 1967 BMW R60. Machinery like that is scarce in these parts and while I didn't really want to do the 3000 mile, non-stop, 40 hour drive, I wanted to have done it. Does that make sense? Unfortunately, the only way to have done it is to do it first. Plus, my Dad was going along, so it wouldn't have been that bad. Trips like this were pretty common for us 30+ years ago.
Recently though, we've not had much luck successfully completing one of these runs. The issue is unscrupulous sellers. A year ago he bought an "original" 1957 Thunderbird. We'd planned to drive from WV to Alabama to get it, but he decided to have it shipped. A poorly-built, plastic replica showed up. I'll skip the hassle of recovering his money, but he learned his lesson. I always personally inspect my purchases before buying and now he does too. Over the summer we planned to go get an MGTD in Arkansas. The evening before our trip, the seller backed out in order to sell it for more money to someone else. In late summer, I drove 500 miles to Pittsburgh (a town I hate anyway) to buy a sailboat. The seller confirmed the hulls were not soft several times; I asked specifically. I arrived to find soft hulls. Got back in the truck and left.
We were supposed to leave WV last Friday at 4am and meet the BMW seller in Denver Saturday morning. The deal was agreed upon earlier in the the week and after attempting to confirm several times on Thursday, the seller finally texted that evening to say he's selling it to someone else for $500 more. At least he let us know before we showed up in Denver, but what a jerk.
So, any leads on a pre-1969 BMW motorcycle around the east coast are appreciated. I drove 1100 miles to get my '71 R60. Incidentally, I made a 300 mile detour on that trip to also pickup a solid MGBGT. I arrived to find a rotted out car. I'd prefer to not have to go that far again, but I've never been to California, so anything is possible. No bums, please.
