Affiliated Organizations


Our Origin

The “Long Level Beemers,” officially known as “BMW Motorcycle Club, Long Level Beemers, Central NY ”, is a group of motorcycle riders and enthusiasts who share an interest in BMW motorcycles and riding. At monthly meetings, we share stories, tips, and suggestions; rides are planned, events and activities are scheduled.

Five BMW motorcyclists who saw a need for a BMW motorcycle club in the central region of NY State first chartered with the BMW Riders Association (club #333), in July of 2010. At that time we called ourselves the Central Empire State BMW Motorcycle Club. As membership grew, officers were elected and a constitution and by-laws were drafted and approved. One of the club’s first action items was to adopt a name that better reflected the geographic region of the group and was consistent with BMW’s corporate guidelines. A significant level portion of the old Erie Canal runs through Central New York. Tying our club to that historic and geographic identity was attractive. Hence, Long Level Beemers, replete with a BMW approved logo depicting an Erie Canal packet boat being

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Why Long Level

Construction of the Erie Canal began at Rome on July 4, 1817, to take advantage of the "long level". That portion of the canal between Utica and Salina (now Syracuse) was planned first because there were relatively few obstructions and because the level surface required no locks. In October, 1819, the 98-mile section between Utica and the Seneca River was completed, and the first boat traveled from Rome to Utica.

The state-financed Erie Canal was constructed by local contractors who used their ingenuity to build a canal across New York, then largely a wilderness. The 363-mile canal was 40 feet wide and four feet deep: 83 locks took it over different land levels. The canal was hailed as the foremost engineering achievement of the time.

When finished in 1825, the Erie Canal became the main route between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. Western New York flourished with cheap, new transportation. The canal insured the place of New York City as the nation's greatest port and city, and it hastened development of the Mid-West. The modernized State Barge Canal System, consisting of the Erie, Champlain, Oswego and Cayuga-Seneca canals was completed in 1918.