The BMW Motorcycle Owners of America (BMW MOA) is a private, nonprofit membership association for owners and admirers of BMW motorcycles. It has nearly 40,000 members, and “has grown to be the largest brand specific independent motorcycle club in the world. The BMW motorcycle is a bike that engenders fierce brand loyalty.”
The BMW MOA organization is based in a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. It publishes a monthly magazine, BMW Owners News and an annual Anonymous book to assist touring riders in difficulty. Though founded and based in the United States, BMW MOA has members around the world.
BMW MOA was founded early in 1972 in wintry 13°-below-zero Chicago by five determined BMW motorcycle enthusiasts — left to right in the photo below — Vern Hansen (Detroit), Jeff Dean (Madison, WI), John Moore (California), Charlie Smith (New York), and Frank Diederich (Chicago).
