The new-to-me BMW strikes a pose atop a favored section of the Pacific Coast Highway.

Northern California?s Pacific Coast Highway might be the best use of asphalt anywhere. From expansive ocean views to the west, to often fog-shrouded hilltops to the east, this north coast section of the roadway splits coastal prairies, tunnels through cypress groves, twists into stream gullies and, around turns, repeatedly prompts an involuntary ?Oh, my!? no matter how many times I?ve ridden it.

This day, I?m heading south from Point Arena astride a 1986 BMW R80RT I?d just inherited. My brother had injured his throttle hand in an industrial accident and his bike needed a home. I volunteered. That?s what brothers do.

Weathered barn / building at Sea Ranch, California.

I?d been smitten with this model since 1983 when I was offered use of the brand-new RT for the day while my year-old bike was in the shop. I remember an irrepressible grin as I sampled a curvy road just out of town. I liked the slightly taller saddle, roomier accommodations, breeze protection and space-age look. Not available 12 months earlier, I remember thinking, ?Why couldn?t I have just waited a year and gotten one of these"?

Fast forward 35 years, and one falls into my lap.

The first order of business for this new-to-me old bike was a visit to Point Arena?s Zen House, the place for ?the art of motorcycle maintenance,? for a professional service and safety once-over. While I viewed some of the c...