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The Internet BMW Riders, or IBMWR, is an international BMW motorcycle club that meets 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on the Internet. Most of the action happens on our email mailing lists.

How does it work?

Our website, marketplace and email are maintained by a group of volunteers. When a member sends a message to a mailing list email address at ibmwr.org, our service provider automatically forwards it to all other members of the group. So everyone who subscribes to a mailing list receives every mail sent to that list.

These mailing lists are semi-moderated, meaning that the list owner/administrator can control the messages that pass but usually don’t. Moderation tends to remind people to be moderate: to keep discussions on-topic, and not to take themselves, their email, or others’ email too seriously.

For example, every member is a President of the IBMWR.

Other services

Our web site is full of information that is freely available to all. We have links to BMW dealers and independent mechanics, providers of equipment and services, other clubs, and most importantly, our tech pages and our marketplace. Here you will find many dozens of articles on how to maintain and upgrade your BMW motorcycle, and hundreds of listings for bikes, parts and apparel for sale.

How did it start, and who is in charge?

The IBMWR mailing list was started in 1993 by Joe Senner. At first, just a few dozen folks participated, but the number of subscribers grew quickly. The club started soon after, and is chartered by both the BMWMOA and BMWRA. As of 2018, there were about 1200 Presidents scattered all around the world, and membership has been as high as 2700 over the years.

No one is really “in charge”, but all services are maintained and run by a group of volunteers. If you want to help, and have some web site administration skills, please let us know!

Operating costs and donations

There are NO DUES OR FEES for using the list. Joe and our volunteer administrators are personally responsible for all the costs involved with providing the list. It is, as Joe says, truly a labor of love. However, you are welcome to help out with the expenses associated with running these lists and web site. As a club, we maintain a checking account. This account is used to help cover the cost of running the lists, provide seed money for club projects (T-shirt printing, for example), and make occasional donations to injured bikers, memorial funds, and stuff like that. These lists and web site cost about $90 per month to operate.

If you would like to make a donation to the IBMWR account, you can make an online donation, or send your check to:

Internet BMW Riders
c/o Tom Keen
3261 South River Rd.
South Charleston, Ohio 45368