The Long Ride Home
By Randy Hone, Photos by Vince Winkel
On an overcast and cool spring morning, Arnold and Elizabeth Tunaley arrived at the BMW MOA offices with a mission.
This youngish 80-something couple had placed the winning bid on the 1993 BMW K1 with EZS Sidecar. It was time to collect their bounty.
This pristine Silk Blue BMW K1/EZS Sidecar conversion was built and donated to the BMW MOA Foundation by noted sidecar enthusiast and safety-writer David Hough. 48, 200 miles, complete sub-frame conversion, leading-link front fork, EZS alloy wheels and rims using 15-inch sports-car radial tires, convertible top and flat tonneau cover. Steering geometry optimized for sidecar handling. The motorcycle features custom adjustable windshield with electronics shelf and 12-volt power, relocated handlebars, footpeg lowering kit, relocated radiator-filler for ease of maintenance, and much more. Sidecar features custom rear-rack and vintage Craven top-box, and dual rear-brake pedals for coordinated braking. The car has adjustable ride-height controls, and several nice custom options. The original K1 seat-cowl/back-rest assembly, with passenger grab-handles, is available.
Mr. Hough donated the bike to raise funds for the BMW MOA Foundation’s projects, Camp GEARS, Experienced Rider Course offerings, and Seasoned Rider Seminar to mention a few.
Arnold and Elizabeth were the fortunate couple that placed the winning bid.
Elizabeth will be 80 years old in December of this year, and Arnold will be 85. They have been married 60 years, and Arnold has been riding motorcycles for 66 years. This K1 rig is the 44th motorcycle Arnold has owned in his life.
They have five children that live all over the country. Their oldest daughter, Allison, lives in Northern California and she is the only one of their kids who rides motorcycles. She rode her 900 Kawasaki Vulcan from her home in California to Gillette, Wyoming, to spend some time with her parents during the BMW MOA Rally. They had a wonderful visit and all enjoyed the rally. They look forward to going to Johnson City next year together on their motorcycles.
Arnold and Elizabeth were both raised in England before moving to the U.S. via Canada. Arnold worked as a mechanical engineer for Rolls-Royce during WWII in their aviation division. He also rode as a dispatch motorcycle rider for the National Fire Service during the bombing of England by the Germans. They would monitor the bomb activity and report on areas of the cities that were going up in flames as the results of the bomb attacks. The fire fighters were then dispatched to those areas reported by the dispatch riders.
They were married in 1948 and Arnold continued to work for Rolls-Royce until 1957. At that time, they moved to Canada and Arnold spent 10 years as a mechanical engineer before moving to Seattle in 1967. There, he continued as an engineer until his retirement in 1987. They spent a number of years living in Nevada near Lake Tahoe and eventually moved to Nixa, Missouri in January of 2005.
Arnold has a 1985 BMW K100 with a custom built sidecar that he has personally ridden over 250,000 miles. Now that they have their newer K1 rig, he hasn’t decided what to do with the old K100/sidecar rig. Admittedly, the K1 out-performs the older rig in every way, but Arnold is not ready to give up on his trusty companion of so many memorable miles. They both admit that the K1 lacks nothing when it is time to make a pass at speed. They said that most of their trip to Wyoming was at a leisurely pace with many trucks passing them on the Interstates. But when they had to pass a truck at some point, Arnold was pleasantly surprised at how easily the K1 handled a very quick pass.
I reminded Arnold of something he said to Ray when they came to pick up their new rig in St. Louis. After acquiring the K1, Ray said that Arnold told him he felt 10 years younger. When I mentioned this quote to Arnold, he said... “Oh, more like 20 years younger.” His proper English accent reminds me of the Gecko on the Geico Insurance advertisements we see on TV. They are both very charming and delightful people to be around and we are glad that they are now a part of our BMW family.
Ride safe, you two!
Download the article from the BMW MOA Owners News October 2008 Edition
Elizabeth and Arnold Tunaley pose with the K1 at BMW MOA Headquarters.
 |
 |
Arnold reviews the K1 paperwork with BMW MOA executive director Ray Zimmerman |
Always the safe rider, Arnold checks the air pressure before heading back home on the K1. |
Arnold mounts his new bike.
Arnold heads down Old State Road, looking forward to the many miles that are ahead for him and Elizabeth on the K1.