Springfield BMW Road Riders was formed as a club in 1971. In 1972, it joined with other clubs around the country to help form the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America (BMW MOA) earning us Chartered Club #8 in the MOA roster. One of our original members (Gary Vass) served on the first BMW MOA Board of Directors. A few years later another of our members (Andy Decker)
was President of the BMW MOA.
On the weekend of June 29 - July 1, 1973, the Springfield BMW Road Riders held their first rally at Shadow Rock Park in Forsyth, Missouri. The rally was called the Ozarks Hillbilly BMW Rally and Tour. Two years later, with the St. Louis Gateway Riders club, the Road Riders hosted the 3rd annual BMW MOA national rally in June 1975. The 1st MOA Rally (1973) was hosted by the 49'ers club in northern California and the 2nd (1974) was at Table Rock State Park in South Carolina - not to be confused with Table Rock State Park just south of Springfield.
The 1975 MOA Rally was called the Ozarks Hillbilly National BMW Rally. The Rally took over the entire Jellystone Park near Branson, MO. Attendance was 2,096 rallygoers on 1,432 bikes of which 1335 were BMW's.
Springfield BMW Road Riders was incorporated on 04/17/1975 as a not-for-profit corporation with the stated purpose: This group is formed to provide a friendly association among owners of BMW motorcycles, regular passengers, and enthusiasts, with the stated intention of promoting fellowship and goodwill.