BMW Owners News March 2017

BMW OWNERS NEWS – A PUBLICATION OF THE BMW MOTORCYCLE OWNERS OF AMERICA

MARCH 2017

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MARCH 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS www.bmwmoa.org

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Inside features

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crossing over

By Steve Kohler #205022 Taking on the Missouri River by ferry and the Super Bridge opens the gateways to the American West; adventure by motorcycle awaits on both shores.

a unique form of mentorship

By David Grant #143166 This member profile of MotoAmerica racer Jeremy Cook shows how a rider can go from a just-out-of-the-military hooligan to a mentor we can all learn from.

nine days in paradise

By Geoffrey Smith #194955 Iceland may not yet be everybody’s idea of a motorcycling promised land, but if you go where Geoffrey went, you’ll quickly agree it should be on every rider’s bucket list.

western canada: america's best kept secret

By Victor Cruz #91428 There’s more to Canada than Ontario and Quebec, and starting in Seattle is a great way to explore the western end of a country filled with beautiful scenery and amazing roads.

ON THE COVER: A s Geoffrey Smith writes in his feature on page 66, Iceland offers amazing riding.

Photo by Geoffrey Smith #194955

Photo by Josh Withers

the club 4 Owners News Contributors 8 Headlight Shaking the Winter Blues, by Bill Wiegand 10 President's Column Ides of March, by Wes Fitzer 12 Shiny Side Up A Measure of a Motorcyclist, by Ron Davis 14 Picture This Spectacular Views 16 Rider to Rider Letters from our Members

discovery 48 Adventure Log Colombia, by Shawn Thomas

Member tested/ product news 20 BMW K 1600 GTL windshield comparision, stock v Ztechnik v

lifestyle 86 High Mileage Congratulations High Mileage Riders,

Wunderlich, RoadTripper app, AGV Sport Arc ladies textile jacket, Puig infill panels for 2014+ R 1200 GS Adventure.

30 REV’IT! Discovery OutDry boots, Scenic Wheels Motorcycle Tours offers discounts for BMW MOA members, RideConnected with Sena, MotoBrake BT deceleration-sensing taillight, Hex exCAN makes it easy to accessorize, BMW MOA Foundation announces the biggest raffle in the history of the world, take a picture with your BMW MOA Rally decals and win, MOA Getaway registration is open.

tech 42 Keep ‘em Flying Bits and Pieces and Losing Paul,

by Matthew Parkhouse

skills 82 Ask a Pro Difference between Good and Great,

by Lee Parks

84 Foundation News Superstakes Returns

by Jim Heberling

92 Mileage Slaves Time to Just Bag It,

by David Cwi

96 Jack the Riepe When the Smile does the Talking,

by Jack Riepe

events 98 2017 BMW MOA Rally Planning Update 100 The Snake River Ramble, the 2017 GS Giants Gypsy Tour 104 When and Where Places to go and things to see 111 Advertiser Index 112 Talelight

44 Nicht Uber Max Questions and Answers,

by George Mangicaro and Wes Fleming

March 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS

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CONTRIBUTORS 1. Steve Kohler is a relatively new member of MOA but has been riding motorcycles, off and on, for 50 years. He recently released an HP2 and a K 1600 GT and now rides an S 1000 R and an R 1200 GSLC as much as he can in the hills around his home in the Ozarks where the traffic is light and the roads are sinuous. With his wife, Peggy, he travels to ride in eye-opening environments elsewhere.

A writer, editor and publisher, he often attempts to translate medical research into everyday English for his readers. His book, Two Ozark Rivers, is a natural and human history of the nations' first protected scenic rivers.

2. Since 2003 Victor Cruz has written more than 20 articles for BMW Owners News. He’s a 15-year member of the Yankee Beemers, serving as Secretary and Editor and has organized group tours through Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Canada and Europe. He also contributes to Backroads magazine and is Principal of MediaPR.net, a tech marketing firm in Boston.

3. Tracy Novacich #123130 came to motorcycling in 2003 after impulsively purchasing a 650 GS. She is a founding member of the GS Giants and has dedicated herself to the group's ideal of fostering new adventure riders. As a mediocre off-road rider, she maintains that being a GS Giant is not about being the best, but having the spirit of an adventurer and the ability to laugh at one's self. Tracy loves to travel on her R 1200 GS and lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, Matt and their pit bull, Stoney.

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BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

4. Dancin’ Dave Cwi is a Life Member of the MOA as well as a Premier Member of the Iron Butt Association. He's owned every series of BMW motorcycle from the /2 to the modern RT, and has burned out his wife, who once loved motorcycling but sold her bikes after two trips with Dave. He pays for his riding addiction via marketing stints, including work in Power Sports. You will see him down the road.

5. Jim Heberling hails from the Land of Lincoln. He started riding his dirt bike in the old gravel pits there in the 60’s and rode various brand cycles for 25 years.

He spent the next 25 years fishing and enjoying quiet early mornings on the lake with coffee and a couple of Fig Newtons.

When Jim retired a couple years ago he purchased his first BMW, a 2013 R 1200 GSA and now enjoys traveling to rallies and volunteering wherever he can.

As High Mileage Coordinator he has the opportunity to speak with members across the country and share their riding experiences while helping MOA members navigate to the High Mileage Application on the BMW MOA website.

6. Shawn Thomas has worked for many years in the motorcycle industry and is currently a rider coach and guide for RawHyde Adventures as well as a trainer for BMW Motorrad. While Thomas lives in California with his wife, daughter and son, his work takes him across the globe and stories he brings back with him are priceless.

www.michelinmotorcycle.com

Adventure begins here

While riding with friends from the South Coast BMW Riders Club to the Wildrose Charcoal Kilns in Death Valley National Park, we pause to take in the beauty in the distance.

Photo by David Eastly #165937

March 2017  BMW OWNERS NEWS

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headlight Magazine of the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America MANAGING EDITOR

Bill Wiegand bill@bmwmoa.org

Shaking the winter blues

By Bill Wiegand #180584

ASSOCIATE EDITORS

Ron Davis • Wes Fleming • Joe Tatulli ART DIRECTOR

Karin Halker karin@bmwmoa.org CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

David Cwi • Marven Ewen • Deb Gasque Lee Parks • Matthew Parkhouse Jack Riepe • Shawn Thomas ADVERTISING

Advertising materials, including chartered club rally display advertising, should be sent to our Advertising Office. Please contact Chris Hughes for display rates, sizes and terms.

Chris Hughes chris@bmwmoa.org 11030 North Forker Road, Spokane, WA 99217 509-921-2713 (p) 509-921-2713 (f ) BMW MOTORCYCLE OWNERS OF AMERICA

640 S. Main Street, Ste. 201 Greenville, SC 29601 864-438-0962 (p) 864-250-0038 (f )

Submissions should be sent to the BMW MOA office or editor@bmwmoa.org. Submissions accepted only from current members of the BMW MOA and assume granting of first serial publication rights within and on the BMW MOA website and use in any future compendium of articles. No payments will be made and submissions will not be returned. The BMW MOA reserves the right to refuse, edit or modify submissions.

Opinions and positions stated in materials/articles herein are those of the authors and not by the fact of publication necessarily those of BMW MOA; publication of advertising material is not an endorsement by BMW MOA of the advertised product or service. The material is presented as information for the reader. BMW MOA does not perform independent research on submitted articles or advertising.

Change of address notification and membership inquiries should be made to the BMW MOA office or membership@bmwmoa.org. BMW MOA membership is $40/yr. and includes the BMW Owners News, which is not available separately. Each additional family member is $10 without a subscription.

Canadian members add $12 for postal surcharge.

The BMW MOA and MOA™ are trademarks of the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America.

OUR MISSION To foster communication and a sense of family among BMW motorcycle enthusiasts

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BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

ANYONE WHO ENDURES WINTER WITH SNOW SHOVELS AND A

ready supply of rock salt close at hand understands. These are the months when riding only happens late at night in our dreams and only if we’re lucky enough to remember them.

Years ago, my motorcycles spent the winter months in my basement as I couldn’t bear the thought of them shivering in a freezing garage.

Tempted by a refrigerator full of beer by the pool table, it was an easy job for three friends and a straight shot from the back door to the concrete

warmth below.

All of us did it and even if there were no mechanical benefits, I believed that the good karma shown our bikes would increase the likelihood of them doing the same for me. I attributed the fact that I never suffered a mechanical failure as good karma. I guess if I couldn’t ride my motorcycles, the next best thing was being around them, and I sure wasn’t going to do that in a frigid garage!

Times have changed. I’m older now and hopefully smarter. I realize that it’s a combination of good maintenance and good luck that gets you home. Besides, I don’t have a direct shot to the basement anymore and BMWs are heavy!

What we once called the winter blues now has the clinical name Seasonal Affective Disorder. Riders call it Parked Motorcycle Syndrome. Whatever you call it, the symptoms are the same: less energy, low productivity, depression, the need for more sleep and the inability to ride your motorcycle.

Hang in there. With the temptation of everything shiny on display at the Progressive International Motorcycle Shows as well as Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction of six more weeks of winter finally nearing its end, I know we’ll all be on the roads soon. In just a few more weeks, winter blues, SAD and that other syndrome will be but a distant and quickly fading memory.

Until that happens, belly up to your computer and head on over to the MOA’s website at bmwmoa.org. Once there, whet your motorcycling appetite with some of the fantastic events any rider is sure to savor.

MOA Getaway registrations are open and this year we’ve added new events in Colorado, Arizona, Wisconsin, Texas along with already popular locations in North Carolina, Idaho, Arkansas and Kentucky with more locations coming soon.

Registration for the 45th annual BMW MOA International Rally in Salt Lake City is also open, and if Rally Chair Greg Feeler has his way, it’ll be one of our best rallies ever. Sharing a border with Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada – not to mention New Mexico right there – Utah offers some of the best roads in the country. With more than 15 National Parks and Monuments in Utah alone, and others including Grand Teton, Yellowstone and Grand Canyon National Parks all less than six and a half hours away, this rally is sure to make a dent in any bucket list.

On top of that, the Owners News When and Where page count is quickly growing as MOA Chartered Clubs across the United States and Canada are planning their rallies.

Finally, the MOA Foundation has exciting news of their own to share. Detailed later in this issue you’ll find that the Superstakes is back and bigger than ever. According to MOA Foundation Executive Director Ted Moyer, this Superstakes just may be the “Biggest in the History of the World.” At least ten motorcycles will be given away, and the Grand Prize is any motorcycle in BMW’s current lineup.

It’s a great time to be a BMW rider. A better time to be a BMW MOA member!

PRESIDENTSCOLUMN

Ides of March BMW MOA OFFICERS

Wes Fitzer, President 918-441-2114; jwfitzer@yahoo.com

By Wes Fitzer #170126

Jackie Hughes, Vice President 509-928-3261; jhughes@bmwmoa.org Reece Mullins, Secretary 334-470-7770; rangerreece@mac.com Jean Excell, Treasurer 719-650-6215; jeanexcell@bmwmoa.org BMW MOA DIRECTORS

Sam Garst 414-704-7767: guanocave@gmail.com Stan Herman 719-250-4358; hermanhaus1@msn.com Lisa Malachowsky 925-759-4360; lisa.malachowsky@gmail.com Marc Souliere 613-828-1798; beemer1@sympatico.ca Chad Warner 614-735-8558; chad.warner@bmwmoa.org BMW MOA VOLUNTEER STAFF

Steve Brunner, Mileage Contest Coordinator 910-822-4369; steveb@bmwmoa.org Jim Heberling, High Mileage Coordinator 309-530-1951; jheberling@bmwmoa.org David Swider, Ambassador Liaison 415-479-8075; teamkbasa@comcast.net Lee Woodring, Consumer Liaison 770-331-2419; lee.woodring@bmwmoa.org Joe Leung, Consumer Liaison 403-689-9939; joe.leung@bmwmoa.org Greg Feeler, Pat Carol and Brian Burdette 2017 BMW MOA Rally Chairs 2017rallychair@bmwmoa.org BMW MOTORCYCLE OWNERS OF AMERICA

640 640 S. Main Street, Ste. 201 Greenville, SC 29601

Robert C. Aldridge, Executive Director bob@bmwmoa.org Ted Moyer, Director of Membership & Marketing tedm@bmwmoa.org Ken Engelman, Director of Business Development ken@bmwmoa.org Bill Wiegand, BMW Owners News Managing Editor bill@bmwmoa.org Karin Halker, Art Director karin@bmwmoa.org Ray Tubbs, Digital Marketing Manager ray@bmwmoa.org Wes Fleming, Associate Editor Digital wfleming@bmwmoa.org Lesa Howard, Membership Services lesa@bmwmoa.org Noelle Boiano, Membership Services noelle@bmwmoa.org

THE IDES OF MARCH IS A DATE ON THE ROMAN CALENDAR WHICH

corresponds to March 15, most notably the date Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 B.C. This was a turning point for the Romans, transitioning from a period known as the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire (more on this later).

Fittingly the Roman new year began with March (Martius), the Ides, which represented the first full moon occurring on the 15th of March.

The Romans did not number days of a month sequentially from the first through the last day. Instead, they counted back from three fixed points of the month: the Nones, the Ides, and the Kalends (1st of the following month). The Ides occurred near the midpoint, on the 13th for most months, but on the 15th for March, May, July, and October.

Most of us who ride motorcycles look to the spring equinox as our “new year,” which this year occurs five days after the Ides of March on the 20th. This is the time we’ve all waited for, suffering through the long winter solstice, our bikes quietly sitting, our gear collecting dust but our minds busily planning the year’s rides and thoughts of re-connecting with our motorcycling friends. Early March is the time I make my preparations, add farkles I’ve purchased through the winter, wash my gear and look through the ON and forum for any additions my wallet won’t let me live without or for routes I may wish to add.

“Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears” is probably the most attributable comment relating to Julius Caesar. This line was written by William Shakespeare in 1599 and was spoken by Mark Antony as he stood over Caesar’s lifeless body in the Shakespearian play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. I’m going to take a few liberties with that line: Friends, BMW Riders, MOA members, lend me your ears…the MOA is at a great turning point in our republic, and I’m asking for your help in building the next great empire, the MOA of 2017-2018. The MOA’s employees, volunteers and Board of Directors work tirelessly looking for new ways to attract members to this great republic. We all know in our heart of hearts the best way to recruit new members lies at the feet of our present members. If each of us were to bring one new member into the fold, we would go from 33,000 members to 66,000 overnight. The key to recruiting new members on a one-onone basis is to get out of our comfort zones, walk up to fellow BMW riders (most of us do that anyways) and at some point in the conversation simply ask if they’re members. Here’s the tricky part, as you’re talking to them about some of the great benefits of being a member watch for their reaction and concentrate on those finer points. If, as you’re talking to them about the Anonymous Book, they react in a positive way, concentrate on the AB benefits. Then, like any good salesman, you must close the deal by providing them with the information on the “3 For Free” trial membership and inviting them to attend the International Rally or one of our many Getaways. With your help, we can create the greatest BMW motorcycle empire in the universe!

I hope my discussion of the assassination of Julius Caesar is not taken to mean anything more than I intended; “What’s that, soothsayer? Beware the Ides of March?” On second thought I may not leave the house on March 15th.

Enjoy the motorcycling New Year!!

Wes 10

BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

Fitzer

www.progressive.com PROGRESSIVE.COM

1-800-PROGRESSIVE

Progressive Casualty Ins. Co. & affiliates. $75 per year premium excludes state fees and taxes, and is not available in AK, GA, HI, MA, & SC.

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shinysideup

A measure of a motorcyclist

By Ron Davis #111820 ON

MARCH

24,

1999, Italian Pierlucio “Spadino” Tinazzi mounted his BMW K75 and headed out to his security job at the Mont Blanc Tunnel, the passage deep beneath the highest peaks of the Alps that straddle the border between Italy and France. Part of Tinazzi’s job was to patrol back and forth through the tunnel, coming to the aid of motorists and keeping traffic moving through the seven and a half mile shaft.

The Mont Blanc Tunnel was an engineering marvel when it was finished in 1965 after four years of construction. By 1999 an estimated 5,000 cars, trucks and motorcycles were passing through the tunnel daily, saving the motorists at least seven hours of driving time through mountain passes when transiting from southeastern to northern Europe.

Tinazzi had been drawn to motorcycles all his life and had even turned down a promotion which would have had him riding a desk in the control room instead of a bike since he enjoyed riding so much. As he climbed the mountain to the tunnel entrance at about 4,500 feet above sea level, the sun shone brightly and a southern breeze, unusual for the area, carried the promise of spring. After making one of his morning runs, Pierlucio paused for a break just outside the French entrance.

At that moment, a white Volvo FH12 tractor trailer headed toward Italy was approaching the halfway point in the tunnel when the driver, Belgian Gilbert Degraves, noticed white smoke emerging from under the truck’s cab. Degraves pulled over

BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

and jumped down to grab his fire extinguisher, but almost immediately the underside of the truck burst into flames, and smoke began filling the tunnel. Degraves began running for the Italian entrance to get assistance.

What had seemed initially like a simple engine problem within minutes became a raging inferno, belching thick black smoke flowing toward the northern entrance and engulfing trucks and cars stalled behind Degraves’ semi. As the fire spread, exploding tires and gas tanks sent shrapnel rico-

Pierlucio Tinazzi

cheting off the tunnel walls. Melting wires doused the tunnel lights and the black, cyanide-laced smoke reduced visibility to zero.

Meanwhile, alarms at the French entrance began to sound. Pierlucio “Spadino” Tinazzi quickly grabbed his helmet and breathing equipment, started his BMW and began the three mile trek toward the tunnel’s center. As he encountered panicked drivers on foot, he directed them to stay low, take breaths near ventilation ducts, and use the tunnel sides to find their way out; others, too overcome to walk, he carried out on the back of his bike. Somehow threading his way through the smoke while dodging bodies and burning wreckage, Tinazzi made four trips in and out of the hellish

scene, but on his fifth trip in he discovered an alive but unconscious truck driver he couldn’t get onto his pillion seat. Tinazzi dragged the driver to “Niche #20,” a small, pressurized refuge compartment with a fire door designed to protect those inside for two hours.

The Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire burned for over 50 hours, reaching temperatures estimated at over 1200 degrees Fahrenheit and is estimated to have been equivalent to a blaze created by five to seven flaming fuel tankers. As Tinazzi’s BMW melted into the pavement, which itself had begun to burn, he and the driver perished. Of the 50 drivers and passengers who had found themselves trapped behind the burning tractor trailer, 37 died within the first 15 minutes (accounts of the number of deaths differ), but at least 10 survivors emerged, all claiming they owed their lives to “the man on the motorcycle.” While other first responders and fire fighters had tried to enter the tunnel, they were rebuffed by the fire and smoke, and none made more than one attempt. In fact, many had to be rescued themselves.

The day of the tragic Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire was full of sad ironies. Forensic investigators theorize that the fire in Degraves’ truck had begun before he even entered the tunnel, probably caused by a cigarette tossed from an oncoming car and sucked into the air intake above his cab, where it ignited the air filter. (All vehicles now pass through a thermal scanner before entering the tunnel.) Subsequent simulations of the tragedy indicate the conflagration could have been avoided if Degraves had never stopped, since by pulling over, the fire suddenly got enough oxygen to erupt, igniting his fuel tanks and cargo. Also accelerating the fire was the uncharacteristic southern breeze and an Italian control room operator’s decision to flood the southern half of the tunnel with fresh air to protect drivers he saw fleeing toward the southern entrance. The tunnel had effectively become a colossal

chimney fire. The trucker’s load of seven tons of margarine until then was considered to be a safe substance, but surrounded by the highly flammable polystyrene insulation of the refrigerator trailer, the cargo transformed into something akin to napalm. Also, though some of the drivers caught behind Degraves’ Volvo nearest the entrance did attempt to reverse or make u-turns to escape, vehicles closest to the blaze wouldn’t start because of the lack of oxygen.

What isn’t ironic is the way Pierlucio Tizanni’s bravery has been honored. He was awarded posthumously the Medaglia d'Oro al Valore Civile, Italy’s highest civilian honor for bravery, and a gold medal for heroism by Switzerland’s Federation International de Motocyclisme. A plaque commemorating Tizzani’s heroic act was also installed at the Italian entrance to the Mont

Blanc Tunnel. But the most impressive tribute is made every year by the hundreds of motorcyclists who travel to the Mont Blanc Tunnel on March 24 for the “Spadino Memorial.” With the tunnel closed to all traffic except motorcycles, riders of all types swarm over both lanes to ride from one end of the tunnel to the other and back in a somber homage to Peirlucio Tinazzi’s sacrifice.

Following the fateful day of the fire, France and Italy spent three years renovating the safety features of the tunnel. Instead of control rooms at each end of the tunnel, one central control room was constructed to avoid communication problems. Quarters were also built for a full-time fire crew in the middle of tunnel, and new exits for escape to a ventilated passageway under the tunnel’s surface were also installed, along with new, more protective safety

www.mortonsbmw.com

compartments.

Like it or not, when you choose to ride a motorcycle, you automatically join a community that is often judged by the non-riding world on the basis of the behavior of its most notorious members, whether engendering respect or contempt. As members of that community, we should be proud to be associated in any way with the motorcyclist Pierlucio Tizzani.

For more information about Pierlucio Tinazzi, I’d recommend reading “Backmarker: Searching For Spadino,” a poignant account

by Mark Gardiner, author of Riding Man. The article can be found at motorcycle-usa. com. For an excellent examination of the fire itself, search youtube.com for “Seconds From Disaster: Tunnel Inferno.”

www.mortonsbmw.com

March 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS

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Picturethis

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We asked MOA members to submit their photos showing

Spectacular Views 2 3

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BMW OWNERS NEWS  March 2017

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1. A view from atop Mount Magazine in Logan County, Arkansas.

Erik Willie #208606 Livingston, Louisiana

2. M y 1977 R 100 RS photographed while on a run through the Northern Cascades in Washington State last fall.

Keith Fitz-Gerald #181002 Anacortes, Washington

7. My K 1600 GTL photographed in the Cherokee National Forest near Parksville Lake, Tennessee.

Jay Powell #84137 Milton, Georgia

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3. A view while touring Spain on N-621, east of Puerto de San Glorio on my way to Bilbao in northern Spain.

Ricardo Villar #147046 San Francisco, California

4. L ooking down from Alaska’s Atigun Pass as our group of riders head north to Deadhorse.

David Hampton #22235 Vancouver, Washington

5. A photograph of my R 90/6 taken at Prospect Lake in Wheatridge, Colorado.

Frank Pons #125900 McMinnville, Oregon 7 6. An R 1200 GS Adventure rider approaches California Pass, elevation 12,960 feet, while riding the Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route.

Meryl Stoller #198430 Austin, Texas

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For June, send us your Best Shot. One photo may be submitted per member and the best selected for publication in the BMW Owners News. Send your high resolution image, image description and member number to editor@bmwmoa.org.

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RIDERTORIDER Send your letters and comments to: editor@bmwmoa.org

An amazing motorcycle

Last spring my wife and I took our amazing BMW K 1600 GTL on a road trip from San Diego to Yosemite and King's Canyon.

It was a 10-day tour. Before leaving, the forecast was for temperatures to be in the mid to low 50s. The first five days were awesome, but on our ride from Yosemite to King's Canyon, the weather started to change quickly with temperatures dropping from 56 degrees to 27 degrees in about an hour. Clouds darkened and snow started to come down. Two wheels, loaded down in the snow....not my idea of a good time.

started the bike to get the seat heaters started. Luckily, my wife and I had prepared for cold with our Gerbing heated liners.

I put my bike in Rain mode, changed suspension to 2-up Sport, said a prayer and took off down the hill. This bike is amazing! With these settings and riding safely we made it down the hill to solid dry ground without any issues. This bike stuck to the road and handled amazingly on snowy and slick roads.

BMW did it right when they designed this touring bike. My wife and I have logged over 10,000 miles on this bike, and it has always been a pleasure for both of us.

Bobby Rink #202582 Chula Vista, California

Not in my future!

We got to our cabin safely and waited for the weather to change, but the longer we waited, the more it snowed, and the colder it got. After the second day, the weather reports said a big storm was expected to hit the next day, so we decided we had to risk it and get off the hill before getting stuck there.

We packed our gear and went to load up the bike only to find all the locks and ignition frozen shut. CRAP! After thawing the locks and ignition with a hot towel, I

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BMW OWNERS NEWS  March 2017

BMW Motorrad's head of design may see the Vision Next 100 project as "especially exciting," but to me the vehicle described in the December Owners News just sucks all the fun out of what a motorcycle is all about.

The "zero emissions drive unit" powered by what, electricity? hydrogen? Donald Trump tweets? may have the silhouette of a boxer engine, but with no emissions it would presumably make no noise or vibrations, things that make internal combustion engines so appealing to the senses.

And you won't have the burden of going ATGATT, because the thing is incapable of crashing, even if you encounter gravel washed across a blind corner in the middle of a torrential rainstorm. It will even let you know via a set of magic

goggles what line to use in a corner, probably giving you little electric shocks through the handgrips and wresting away control if you try to get too creative avoiding that gravel. Forget about putting down the kickstand when you pull up at Starbucks. Not only is there no kickstand, the machine is incapable of falling over anyway!

So, none of the sounds, sensations and, if you're a vintage bike fan, smells of what we know today as motorcycling. No riding buddies laughing and trading stories about your pratfalls. The future as envisioned by Motorrad will allow you a few "analog experiences" when you want to leave your driverless car behind, but all in all, the digital overlords will still manage your ride.

I suppose we're well down the path already with ABS, ride modes, Dynamic Traction Control and various other electronic nannies, not to mention electric motorcycles. It makes me a little wistful for the 1975 R 90/6 I parted ways with a couple years back, until I throw a leg over my R 1200 GS and marvel again at how it works so well.

Matt Benson #44978 Kane, Pennsylvania

Significant savings

Wow. I just went to Office Depot and showed my MOA Store Purchase Program discount card and my $57 printing bill rang up as $17. You just paid for my annual membership!

I often roll my eyes at these types of programs assuming they are just disguised marketing promotions. However, this experience was a real and significant savings!

Thanks MOA. Keep up the great work!

Randy Mattran #138814 Chanhassen, Minnesota

From the MOA Facebook page...

Dave Cranston asked, "I'm looking to head to West Virginia at the end of May. Can anyone from West Virginia recommend some amazing twisties for us?"

Jeff Kernen

Not from WV but have been there many times! Just ride in the direction of the state. Once in state, ride! Everywhere you go is a great road! Follow the rivers, the railroads all are great!

Roger Pence

Rt. 219 runs north to south. All of it is great, as well as the many intersecting routes. Be sure to say hello as you pass through Lewisburg.

Steve McBrite

Love my K 1600 GTL

Last November I traded my 2012 Harley Davidson Road Glide for a 2016 BMW K 1600 GTL just to try something new after running Harleys all my life. I also tour a lot and read the K 1600 GTL is in a class of its own for comfort and handling for longdistance touring.

I am still a HOG member and will be for the next two years, and I have also joined the MOA. I received my first BMW Owners News in January and think it's great. I honored Harley as a great brand by getting a tattoo to show my appreciation.

Now, as a new BMW owner, to show my appreciation and love for this brand and machine, I went for my latest tattoo.

I don't know if this fits the criteria of the magazine, but I figure I'd sent it to you anyway and let you know I enjoy being a member of another great motorcycling group.

Gary Szilagyi #210375 Pointe Claire, Quebec

The BMWRT group has had many rides that use the Snowshoe ski area as a base, so you know there are excellent roads in that vicinity. Like most riders who have sampled WV's roads will tell you, it's one of the best states for two-wheel fun.

Rich Page

Search for Cass Rally WV here [on Facebook]. We have our rally in the heaRt. of some of the best WV has to offer. End of May, Memorial Day weekend. Just be aware that a good bit of WV is in the National Radio Quiet Zone, which will cause weak or no cell signal. However, a lot of the cafes have wifi you can connect to and make calls/send text.

Kevin Khan

Make sure to do Rt. 219 and Rt. 250!

Mike Butler

16 south from St Mary's on the Ohio River, then east 39.

Melinda Shipman

Had Too many to mention, but do not miss the New River Gorge, just off Rt. 19 at Fayetteville, and do the Bridge Walk, the catwalk under the bridge, if you are not afraid of heights!

Christopher Black

For those interested this is a great list: 1. US 250 Virginia, West Virginia 2. US 33 through the Shenandoah Valley, 3. Parkersburg-Clay-Harrisville-Loop WV 4. Southeastern West Virginia - Peterstown to Sweet Springs Virginia, WV 5. US 50 - The George Washington Highway, West Virginia 4.64 6. George Washington National Forest Hills Tour - Rt. 39, West Virginia 5.00 7. US 219 Elkins to Summerville, West Virginia 4.83 8.

West Virginia US Route 219 -north of Elkins, West Virginia 5.00 9. US Route 48, West Virginia 5.00 10. West Virginia 28, West Virginia 4.63 11.

The Highland Scenic Highway (SR 150) West Virginia 4.67 12. Virginia's State Route 16 Virginia, West Virginia 4.57 13. West Virginia 39 (West of US 220) Virginia, West Virginia 4.63 14. Winchester VA to Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia 4.67 15. 200-Mile West Virginia Twisties Tour, West Virginia 4.50 16. Route 20 from Buckhannon WV to Webster Springs, West Virginia 4.30 17. Covington to Pearisville Virginia, West Virginia 4.33 18. Rt. 16-Rt. 47 - Taste of Appalachian Foothills, West Virginia 4.25 19. Route 20's Twisties, West Virginia 4.25 20. WV State Rt. 9, Berkeley Springs to Paw Paw, West Virginia 3.86 21. Long way from Warrenton to Front Royal, Virginia, West Virginia 4.00 22. The Midland Trail West, Virginia 4.00

March 2017  BMW OWNERS NEWS

17

GET YOUR BAGS

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BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

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K 1600 GTL windscreen comparison: Stock vs Ztechnik vs Wunderlich

By John Fitzgerald #184610 and Sally Fitzgerald #193604 JUNE 6, 2014, IS THE DATE I

bought my K 1600 GTLE, the first new bike I’ve ever owned. To get that bike, I traded my beloved ’05 R 1200 GS, hoping the increased comfort and wind protection would allow my wife to ride with me a little more often. Historically I had always purchased lightly used but well-farkled bikes, allowing the previous owner to take the loss on the initial depreciation of the bike and the installation of farkles.

Although we test rode a K 1600 GTL prior to purchase, it wasn’t until we put several hundred miles on it and got used to the s***t-eating grins on our faces from the shear power, performance and comfort that we realized the wind protection could be better.

Always in search of motorcycling nirvana, I began researching on the MOA forum and decided to purchase the Ztechnik VStream Z2463 windscreen. At 5’11”, the Ztechnik VStream seemed to be the most often recommended windscreen for my size, while the Wunderlich product for the K 1600, though new, also seemed promising. The Ztechnik was the first windscreen I purchased for the K 1600 GTL and along with the stock screen, I have put on about 18,000 miles between them. A few months ago I was asked if I would be willing to test the new Wunderlich K 1600 GTL windscreen and compare it to both the stock and the Ztechnik.

Installation of the Wunderlich windscreen took nearly two minutes

BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

BMW K1600 GTL stock windscreen

and involved the removing and replacement of four #20 Torx screws. The Wunderlich tinted screen is a huge improvement in the looks department of my GTL. Ready to get our road test underway, we spent the next month riding more than 1,000 miles behind the Wunderlich and then culminated our comparison on a beautiful, calm Saturday afternoon riding the same 100mile loop behind each of the three screens.

Our testing protocol was to start out

with the screen in its lowest position and then raising it in small steps until both Sally and I were comfortable.

In Search of Riding Comfort

Sally: The stock screen was miserable for me. Even though I’m only 5’2”, John always had to set the screen to its highest setting for me to have a comfortable riding experience. With the windshield lowered to a level where John could look over and not

Wunderlich windscreen

through the screen, the buffeting and backpressure were extremely bad for me. God forbid he would lower the screen to its lowest setting while riding through town and forgot to raise it as we gained speed. Believe me, I let him know about that transgression.

John: Regardless of the stock windshield’s height, I always felt a great deal of turbulence on my shoulders and buffeting at all speeds over 45 mph. Riding two-up with Sally meant the windscreen had to be set to its highest setting for her to ride comfortably. As we all know it didn’t seem to matter what screen height I wanted, I lost all of those “discussions.”

K 1600 GTL Stock Windscreen

John: Nothing much changed here except I had forgotten how bad the stock screen is compared to a well-engineered wind management system. The turbulence on my shoulders and upper torso along with heavy buffeting was present at all screen settings. At the point I began to get some relief, my sight horizon was even with the top of the screen, leaving me to constantly

alter my position in order to either look over or through the screen.

Sally: Holy cow! John started out with screen in the lowest setting, and I immediately “encouraged” him to raise it quickly by screaming through our Comm system.

When John told me he was beginning to get some relief, I told him to keep raising the windscreen. It wasn’t until the screen was at nearly its highest setting that I felt comfortable enough to continue.

Wunderlich Windscreen

John: Despite the fact I had put only 1,000 or so miles behind this windscreen, it was certainly a welcome relief after spending over an hour behind the stocker. Even in its lowest setting I felt no turbulence on my shoulders and little buffeting. As I raised the windscreen to the point I had sufficient airflow across the top of my helmet I was able to cleanly look over the top of the windscreen with approximately three inches to spare. The design of the screen is a bit different than the stock and the Ztechnik; it’s flatter, with what can best be described as notches cut out of the upper

March 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS

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corners. I initially thought this would cause turbulence on my shoulders, but that was absolutely not true; the windscreen creates nice, calm air and can be adjusted to provide more or less airflow as needed. The only real complaint I had with the screen was a slight whistle from the screen. I usually ride with music played at low volumes through my Comm system.

Barely perceivable, it was so slight I had to turn my Comm system off to determine where the whistle was coming from.

Sally: Ahh, relief from the turbulence and buffeting with nice smooth airflow! Unlike the stock screen, when John started out with this screen in its lowest setting I didn’t feel like I was going to be blown off the bike. I appreciated the good airflow, given that the ambient air temperature was pushing 90 degrees.

Once John found the windscreen setting he was happy with, I felt improved stability and less buffeting, not that I had much even in its lowest setting. As I asked John to raise the screen a little higher to find the best position for me, it still left him looking over the screen with one to two inches to spare. I really like this screen, especially how it looks on his bike. I think it is by far the best looking screen of the three.

ZTechnik VStream

John: While I think the ZTechnik windscreen offers the best overall wind protection of the three, it’s only marginally better than the Wunderlich product. In its lowest setting, both the ZTechnik and Wunderlich windscreens provide the rider with nice clean air and adequate airflow.

The Ztechnik is a much larger, wider and taller than either the stock or the Wunderlich. The overall positioning relative to perceived wind protection is very similar to the Wunderlich, meaning when I’m looking over the screen with three inches to spare, the

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BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

ZTechnik VStream windscreen

wind protection is very similar. With the Wunderlich you just have to raise it more to get it into that position due to the fact it is shorter. Like the Wunderlich, I was most comfortable with it set where I was looking over the top with approximately three inches to spare.

Sally: Again, the wind protection offered by the two aftermarket screens was a huge improvement over the stock screen. When John initially pulled away with the ZTechnik windscreen at its lowest setting, I thought it was even better than the Wunderlich until I realized that at its lowest setting the height was roughly the same as the Wunderlich at the setting John liked. The best height for me left John looking over the screen with one to two inches to spare.

I also think this screen may offer slightly better overall wind protection, but with its size and extreme curvature, I didn’t find it nearly as good looking as the Wunderlich.

Conclusion

ZTechnik vs. Wunderlich: While both Sally and I believe the ZTechnik model slightly edges out the Wunderlich windscreen in the performance department, I don’t think you could go wrong with either. If looks are important to you, I believe the Wunderlich edges out the ZTechnik and will fill that bill.

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RoadTripper: the perfect things-to-do planning platform

By Matt DeWald #174635 FOR MANY RIDERS, WINTER IS

nothing more than a time of transition, a period of time bookended by two riding seasons. During this transition period, RoadTrippers provides an excellent platform to plan the next riding season or cross-country trip and to keep a rider’s appetite fresh with ideas.

Applicability

RoadTrippers (www.roadtrippers. com) is a free desktop website and mobile app (available for iOS and Android) that is rich with activities and things to see along any journey.

After creating a user account with RoadTrippers, simply enter points of origin and destination and RoadTrippers identifies all the fun things to do along the way. With a few setting changes and clicks, the user can

expand the range of search results, add waypoints, and save their routes. (For this test, I used the desktop version on a Mac and RoadTrippers’ app version 4.1.0 on an iPhone 6 running on iOS version 10.1.1).

While RoadTrippers does not navigate from point to point, each waypoint can be “pushed” into Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Waze. Alternatively, users can string together the ideal route in another app such as BaseCamp, Google Maps, or inRoute (tested in BMW Owners News, May 2016, page 22) by using the addresses of points of interest from RoadTrippers.

Design and Content

Upon opening the website or mobile app, RoadTrippers greets the user with a simple interface that displays a map of the current location and buttons for popular content, places to eat, and things to see “around me” or “along a route.” It also shows

RoadTrippers’ pre-populated nearby “Trip Guides,” featuring routes and points of interest for road trip ideas.

If a user is interested in creating his/her own route, he/she may click “Start a New Trip,” enter starting and destination locations, select the types of activities for the trip, and begin crafting the desired route.

RoadTrippers features seven general categories of content: Hotels, Things To Do, Food & Drink, Camping & RV, Outdoors, Points of Interest, and Amusement & Nightlife. Each of these general categories is further broken down into subgroups. For instance, Things To Do includes subgroups of Children’s Attractions, Museums, Offbeat Attractions, Top Attractions, Tours & Excursions, and Zoos & Aquariums. Users can choose whatever combination of general categories or subgroups they desire so as to narrow search results.

RoadTrippers’ content may include

critical information such as pictures, hours of operation, website and phone information, and customer reviews. Where any of this information is missing, users themselves can supplement it by uploading it to RoadTrippers.

Users can expand or narrow the distance away from the route that RoadTrippers searches for things to do. In essence, this setting helps a user determine how far off the beaten path he/she wants to wander in order to find something to do. With all these categories and options, users can easily identify dozens of places to experience during a road trip.

For a traveler who does not want to create his/her own trip, RoadTrippers provides prepopulated trip guides. With scores of available Trip Guides, such as a one-week trip from Boston to Key West (taking Route 1 instead of I-95) with 30 stops along the way, and the one-week guide along the Pacific Coast Highway with 55 stops between San Diego and Crescent City, California, users can spend days searching and planning rides for the upcoming season.

User Interface

With a straightforward interface on both the app and website, users without a high degree of tech savviness can navigate through the screens with relative ease. With its extensive library of content, RoadTrippers successfully organizes information and options so as to not overwhelm users. Additionally, with interfaces that are easy to follow and simple to use, users can load information into RoadTrippers’ platform to share their experiences or provide reviews.

When signed into a RoadTripper account, trips planned on a desktop will automatically sync with the phone app, and vice versa.

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The Path Forward

RoadTrippers is an excellent, no-cost choice for riders looking to enrich their routing options, have off-beat experiences, or take some extra time deviating from an ordinary route. There is no better time than now to prepare for the upcoming riding season and finding some solace during this time of transition.

March 2017  BMW OWNERS NEWS

25

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AGV Sport Arc ladies textile jacket

By Deb Gasque #182082 MY LIFELONG MANTRA: “YOU CAN

never have too many pairs of shoes.”

As my life has evolved over the past few years into the extremely passionate motorcyclist that I am today, I’ve added to that mantra: “You can never have too many pairs of shoes AND motorcycle jackets!”

Recently, I had the opportunity to give a fairly new jacket on the market a whirl. Think vintage, think comfort, think functionality. The AGV Sport Arc ladies jacket has all of those qualities. My first impression when I opened the box to reveal the new piece in my moto-wardrobe was “Wow! Stylish vintage with a little side of badass!” I immediately saw myself perched on one of our BMW

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BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

scramblers wearing this AGV Sport Arc textile jacket paired with riding jeans and sassy riding boots. The styling of the jacket was definitely something new to my collection of riding apparel, but upon first look, I was feeling it.

What about comfort, function and most important, safety? It didn’t take long after receiving this new jacket before I was out on the road putting it to the test. The AGV Sport Arc jacket was immediately comfortable and true-to-size for me. I wear a medium top/jacket, and it fit me perfectly.

The jacket has an adjustable waist which can be cinched or loosened depending on one’s preferred fitment. The mandarin collar is fleece-lined for maximum comfort around your neck. That particular feature is one that’s important to me—it’s so hard

to enjoy the ride when you’ve got something scratching at your neck.

Along the lines of comfort, the jacket, in my opinion, could perform well in three seasons. It has both a full-sleeve, quilted liner (with inner pockets for phone, etc.) and a separate, removable full-sleeve Reissa breathable waterproof liner. On super hot days, the under layers can all be zipped out, exposing a soft, fixed mesh interior liner, as well as two air vents at the front of the jacket and two at the back for maximum ventilation. Also, the Arc jacket features slight padding in the cuff and shoulder areas to give additional riding comfort.

My next concern was function. AGV Sport hit the mark on several areas. I loved the tabs on all of the YKK zippers which made it super easy to zip and unzip the jacket, pockets and

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Left, Hook and loop closures secure cuffs and offer easy adjustment in different riding conditions. Above, Vents on the front of the sleeves allow maximum ventilation.

vents with gloves on. I know many of you have struggled a time or two with zippers while gloved-up—think toll booth stops or days that started out cool and ended up warm. The collar and cuffs of the Arc jacket have hook and loop closures for ease of adjustment in different conditions, and the shoulder expansion ribs in the back of the shoulders allow for a great range of motion.

There is also a zipper in the bottom rear of the jacket to attach AGV riding pants.

As far as the safety factor, the AGV Sport Arc ladies jacket has an abrasion-resistant Polyester 600 Denier outer shell and CErated armor in both the elbows and shoulders. Thankfully, I didn’t need to put those features to the test! (One item to note is the absence of reflective material on this jacket.) I believe every rider has certain standards as to

protective riding gear which will always be factored into a purchase.

This jacket retails at only $169, offering moderately protective gear that is reasonably priced.

This is an all-around great, stylish jacket for short jaunts…or longer, depending on one’s preference.

Although it only comes in the gunmetal gray color, the women’s version of the AGV Sport Arc jacket definitely has feminine lines. As I previously mentioned, this jacket could be paired with a great pair of quality riding jeans and sassy riding boots (along with helmet and gloves, of course) to make a moto-fashionista’s ride complete! www.spectro-oils.com March 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS

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Puig infill panels for R 1200 GSA

By John Wetli #195304 I LOVE MY 2015 R 1200 GS ADVEN-

ture, I really do. For me and the type of riding I do (long-distance touring), the bike provides the ultimate all-day ride. Yet like most other BMW riders, I’ve found it necessary to make the bike even better by adding a few things that BMW Motorrad didn’t.

Seats and windshields always top my farkle list and are changed out as soon as possible. Once those things are done, the fine tuning begins with foot peg upgrades, bar risers and auxiliary lighting.

I had been a long-time RS rider but bought my first GS in 2008 and immediately found back and wrist relief with the upright seating position. The only thing I didn’t care for were the open areas under the seat which exposed both me and my wife to road dirt and debris. I could live with it, but it bothered Linda. On top of that, I always thought that the bike would simply look better with the gaps in the frame filled. Something needed to be done.

Over the past couple of years, I had seen frame infill panels but never found anything I liked. The ones I saw were unattractive and were fastened to the bike with ugly cable ties. Probably effective, but I wanted something worthy of the bike they would be mounted to. In the meantime, Linda and I put up with road spray and dirt.

A seemingly trivial problem in the grand scheme of things sure, but still it was something I needed to address.

I was mindlessly surfing the web when I found Hornig’s website. Based in Germany, Hornig has been supplying parts and accessories for BMW motorcycles since 2001. The company ships worldwide and had the set of infill panels for my GSA that I had

BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

long searched for.

To mount the panels to the bike, I simply needed to loosen the two bolts that attach the passenger peg mounts to the frame about a quarter inch and then slip a mounting bracket on both sides. Once attached, two tabs on the infill panels were positioned behind the upper frame members, and the panels pivoted onto the mounting

brackets, secured with durable rubber disks. The black plastic panels match the satin-smooth finish and color of my bike perfectly and look like OEM parts. I couldn’t be happier and I know Linda will be happy as well.

I bought my Puig Infill panels at Hornig from their website at mhornig.com. Cost was $156 plus shipping.

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March 2017  BMW OWNERS NEWS

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new

PRoductnews Rigg Gear Dry Roll bags

Nelson-Rigg USA’s new Rigg Gear Dry Roll bags are 100 percent waterproof and offer a lifetime warranty.

The bags are designed to fit perfectly atop the panniers of BMW’s GS models and are made from heavy-duty PVC tarpaulin material. The Dry Roll bags feature electronically heat-welded seams, a watertight roll closure with self-fastening webbing, and quick release buckles. A Tri-max 1680D ballistic nylon bottom panel offers durability, and the 30-liter bag includes adjustable and padded backpack straps. Metal D rings offer multiple attachment options, and the UV-coated outer material cleans easily and prevents slipping.

The Rigg Gear Dry Roll bags are available in two sizes, including a 30-liter model, measuring 19” long x 10.5” deep, and a 20-liter model, measuring 18” long x 8” deep.

For more information, visit nelsonrigg.com.

REV’IT! Discovery OutDry boots

REV’IT!’s new Discovery OutDry boots are designed for riders who need the stability and safety of off-road boots, the features and userfriendliness of a tour boot, and the comfort of a trekking boot.

A Vibram® Overland sole provides grip, stability and control, and a multi-density EVA layer absorbs shock, while the anatomic foot bed makes the boot comfortable. The Boa closure system significantly reduces the weight of the boot and creates a perfect fit with the twist of a knob. The laminated OutDry® membrane provides waterproofing, while the lining uses 10 percent silver thread 3D mesh to maintain a comfortable, antimicrobial interior.

Foot and ankle protection is provided by Seesoft-backed shin and tongue protectors, along with rubber-injected ankle cups, and thermoformed heel, toe and shin guards.

For more information on REV’IT!’s Discovery OutDry boots or to find a dealer, visit revitsport.com.

Scenic Wheels Motorcycle Tours Introduction

Scenic Wheels Motorcycle Tours, an Australian-based touring company specializing in BMW motorcycle tours and rentals, is offering BMW MOA members a $300 (AUD) discount for any 2017 Scenic Wheels tour. Additionally, Scenic Wheels will make a $200 (AUD) donation to the BMW MOA for each guided tour booked by BMW MOA members.

Scenic Wheels Motorcycle Tours specializes in on-road guided and self-guided tours and maintains a fleet of late model BMW motorcycles. The company also offers services for one-way travelers and provides free airport transfers, as well as a free itinerary planning service from their Melbourne, Australia, offices.

To take advantage of these special discounts offered to BMW MOA members, contact Scenic Wheels Customer Services Manager Annalisa Southby at +61 (0) 3 9310 3012. For a full tour list, visit scenicwheels.com.au.

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BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

RideConnected with Sena

Sena Technologies’ new RideConnected app for motorcyclists will connect multiple riders all over the world through their Sena Bluetooth headsets and mobile phone. The app, created for both iOS and Android phones, is free and available in the iTunes and Google Play stores.

According to Sena, not only will riders no longer be limited by range, but the number of intercom connections between riders is virtually limitless within LTE range of their mobile carrier. The app is compatible with all Sena Bluetooth headsets.

The RideConnected app allows riders to create rider groups and allows communication through SMS message and GPS while using the existing voice prompts of their Sena Bluetooth 4.1 headsets to operate the RideConnected app.

For more information on the Sena Technologies RideConnected app visit, sena.com.

MotoBrakeBT deceleration sensing taillight

Be safe and stay safe with MotoBrakeBT, the deceleration sensing taillight now offering improved tail, brake and signal light functionality.

A new processor uses new algorithms and senses deceleration conditions while filtering out false positives like road bumps, vehicle rocking and lean angles to provide more reliable deceleration signals to better communicate rider intentions to traffic behind.

MotoBrakeBT features, which include four sensitivity levels, modulation, brightness, strobe, taillight and more, are programmable using the device’s integrated Bluetooth connectivity with both iOS and Android apps.

The MotoBrakeBT is designed and assembled in Ottawa, Canada, and for more information, visit www.ohmics.com.

ezCAN makes it easy to accessorize

Available from the developers of the GS-911 diagnostic tool, the Hex ezCAN makes it easy to install electrical accessories on liquid-cooled R 1200 models. Simply plug the ezCAN into the RDC module under your seat, attach two leads to your battery and the ezCAN is ready for action.

Waterproof connectors allow easy installation of additional driving lights, brake lights, air horn or other accessories with no wire-splicing required. Mac and Windows compatible software allows users to customize features, including choosing a variety of flash patterns to an additional brake light, adjusting the intensity of auxiliary lighting with your Multi-Controller, or programing your driving lights to flash when applying the horn.

Default settings for plug and play operation can also be used.

The Hex ezCAN works with all liquid-cooled R 1200 R, GS, GS Adventure, RS and RT models. For more information, visit beemershop.com.

March 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS

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news

news

The biggest raffle in the history of the world is back!

THE SUPERSTAKES IS BACK FOR

2017, and it’s bigger than ever!

This year, the popular raffle supporting the BMW MOA Foundation will include a minimum of 11 new BMW motorcycles, including the choice a new R 1200 GS Adventure or K 1600 GT for early ticket buyers. To top things off, the Grand Prize winner will be given their choice of any motorcycle in the BMW lineup!

Got your eyes set on a new K 1600 GTL Exclusive? It could be yours.

But that’s not all. The BMW MOA Foundation is making the 2017 Superstakes even better by adding another new BMW motorcycle to the prize pool for every 1,000 tickets sold.

Eleven motorcycles are guaranteed to be given away, but the prize pool can grow daily with every 1,000 tickets sold, and based on previous Superstakes, the MOA Foundation will likely be drawing the lucky names of 20 new BMW motorcycles this July valued at more than $400,000 in prizes for BMW MOA members.

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BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

MOA members can purchase their tickets for $100 each between March 1 and June 30, 2017. Every ticket has at least ten chances to win, and ticket buyers purchasing a ticket before March 31 will be entered in a special early bird drawing for a chance to win their choice of a new R 1200 GS Adventure or a new K 1600 GT! The early bird drawing will take place April 15.

Don’t forget the grand prize. If your ticket is the final one drawn, you will have your choice of any new BMW motorcycle. Choose from a new R 1200 GS Adventure, R 1200 RT, K 1600 GT, GTL or Exclusive! Want a new S 1000 RR? It can be yours.

There is no limit to the number of tickets available, and the more tickets sold, the greater the number of prizes available. We’ll start with ten new BMW motorcycles and add one every time 1,000 tickets are sold! It’s called the Superstakes for a reason!

To purchase tickets and see the official rules, visit the BMW MOA Foundation website at bmwmoaf.org.

Prize List

EARLYBIRD: Winner’s Choice 2017 BMW R 1200 GS Adventure ($18,695) or 2017 BMW K 1600 GT ($21,995) DRAWING 1: 2017 S 1000 XR ($16,350) DRAWING 2: 2017 R 1200 GS Adventure

($18,695) DRAWING 3: 2017 K 1600 GT ($21,995) DRAWING 4: 2017 R 1200 RT ($18,145) DRAWING 5: 2017 S 1000 RR ($15,695) DRAWING 6: 2017 S 1000 XR ($16,350) DRAWING 7: 2017 R 1200 GS Adventure

($18,695) DRAWING 8: 2017 R 1200 RT ($18,145) DRAWING 9: 2017 S 1000 RR ($16,350) GRAND PRIZE: Any BMW motorcycle in the 2017 US model lineup ($30,355)

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HOPEFULLY

YOU'VE

ALREADY

found the sticker sheet included with this issue with a pair of “Crossroads of the West” stickers, the official rally logo for 2017 as well as a pair of “Find Your Crossroads” stickers which celebrate our greater common passion for riding and adventure.

Now, all you need to do is to place the stickers on your bike, take a picture and email them to us at crossroads@bmwmoa.org.

Once we receive them, you'll be entered in some exciting contests and each week, we’ll select the best photos to receive some cool SWAG including the MotoPressor Cycle Pump.

So what are you waiting for? Go place your stickers and send us a picture!

Can’t find the page? Email your photo to crossroads@bmwmoa.org and we’ll post it for you. Each week, we’ll select the best photos to receive some cool SWAG including the MotoPressor Cycle Pump.

Place stickers, take a picture and win Post a picture of your bike with a rally sticker on the MOA Rally Facebook page and WIN!

new

news

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BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

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BMW OWNERS NEWS  March 2017

Cozy Wrist Warmers keep the chill out. www.dwapickle.com www.dwapickle.com

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Safety straps for your tired Krausers

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GETAWAYS My Kentucky Getaway experience

By Ray Tubbs #58606 I’VE

RIDDEN

THROUGH

KENTUCKY

many times but never took the time to really visit. That reality was on my mind as I rode to the MOA’s Getaway in Pineville last year. Turns out, Kentucky is a beautiful, scenic state with a rich history that I never really took the time or effort to explore. I realize now there are a number of states in that category and maybe that is part of what these MOA Getaways are all about, getting a snapshot of places and people I've never truly experienced before.

Arriving a day early let me take in the beauty of Pine Mountain State Park. Developed as the first state park in Kentucky, Pine Mountain is a classic rural lodge with modern updates. Cabins, built from some of the original log cabins dating to the

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BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

origins of the park, cottages and lodge rooms were all completely booked for the Getaway, and I could see why as soon as I rolled in. Scenic views and tight, winding two-lane roads (well, lane and a half, mostly) marked the route to the main lodge.

Settled on 1,600 acres, the park is in the midst of the Kentucky Ridge State Forest and contains 14 hiking trails and dramatic overlooks that constantly draw your attention. The deer crossing the road reminded me that the park is teaming with wildlife as well. The roads range from classic narrow farm lanes to wide, well-paved sweepers leading into the many state and federal parks in the region. The Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, Cumberland Falls State Park, Lincoln Museum and even the

birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken were attractions for the 107 attendees.

Attendees at the Pineville Getaway represented 17 states as well as Canada, and ranged from 94-year-old Life Member John Myers to one of our younger Life Members, 24-year-old Adam Stewart. Mr. Myers had quite a few stories to relate when he and I spoke, and while he doesn't ride anymore, he wants to continue to be around riding and those of us that do. And I could see why during the course of the weekend.

Our hosts, Nancy and Bill Van Voorhis from the BMW Riders of Knoxville, did an amazing job. The detailed maps of the rides throughout the area, the receptions and food, the extra touches of cookies and soft drinks at check-in all spoke to their passion

4/21 - 4/23

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for riders. The personal touches extended to matching individuals in rooms with other individual attendees, which was needed to fit everyone in. At first glance, I was concerned that some people might not like the arrangement, voluntary or not, but I quickly realized that this turned out to be one of the major benefits to the entire weekend: people meeting people that they didn't know but had so much in common with.

I could go on with so many details of the weekend, but one word dominated my mind when I rode home Sunday: People.

We all come from different backgrounds, different places, different experiences; differences that normally keep us all apart. But like any great organization it's the people that make the MOA. It's John Myers driving up from Florida just to hang out. It's Adam Stewart being a Life Member. It's Nancy and Bill making us all feel like they just invited us into their home. It's the one member laughing Saturday night about his GPS taking his K 1600 down what's best described as a creek bed. It’s members rooming together to ensure we'll all fit in.

Now that I’ve checked Kentucky off my MOA Getaway bucket list, I’m looking forward to more this year. I’ve never been to Tomah, Wisconsin, or Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Maybe that’s where I’ll head this year.

DESTINATION: Eureka Springs, AR

DESTINATION: Sedona, AZ

Poco Diablo Lisa Malachowski ROOM RATE: $59 - $179 EVENT FEE: $129

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Pine Mountain Lodge Nancy and Bill Van Voorhis ROOM RATE: $90 - $135 EVENT FEE: $89

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Cranberry Country Lodge Sue Rihn ROOM RATE: $83 - $117 EVENT FEE: $89

DESTINATION: Kerrville, TX

YO Ranch Paul Mulhern ROOM RATE: $105 EVENT FEE: $89

Reserve your spot today!

To register, visit bmwmoa.org and click on the EVENTS tab or call 864-438-0962 and a membership associate will be happy to assist you. Contact host hotel for accommodations.

March 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS

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BMW OWNERS NEWS  March 2017

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Bits and pieces, losing Paul

By Matthew Parkhouse #13272 AS I WRITE THIS,

a few days past the Winter Solstice (a time of cold and darkness and very little riding of motorcycles), our local BMW club is mourning the loss of one of our longtime members. I got to know Paul Swenson in the late 1970s and early ‘80s when I settled into working at the original BMW of Colorado Springs. Paul was a stalwart at the local rallies from WAY back. He was one of the folks in the center of fun. I introduced him to the Pyrotechnic Guild International, and he attended several of the national conventions with me. More fun. Fireworks galore—a shared interest!

Paul was a skilled machinist. I own a couple of tools he made for me over the years, and he was the one who would rework my stash of five-speed gearbox output shafts that I then used in adding the “missing circlip” to airhead transmissions. On one of my last visits to see him in the hospital a couple of weeks ago, we had a discussion about what sort of clutch bolts to use in a pre-1970s BMW. I left him that day, just a little bit more informed on what to do if I ever install a Slash Five set of clutch parts in a Slash 2 twin. Maybe I’ll use that knowledge someday and maybe I won’t, but that was Paul—making sure I would have the right knowhow for an airhead repair procedure.

He lost a leg, secondary to a couple of bike crashes, so his last couple of decades were ridden on a K bikebased EML sidecar rig. It was invariably stuffed with beer and bike parts, and more than once I sourced a part

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BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

from him to get me or some other rider home from a rally when an airhead had a problem. He was a BMW man before the 1970 “airheads” came on the scene, and had restored a number of beautiful examples of pre-1970 bikes. On his lift when he passed away was a mid-1960s twin that, after his efforts, recently took “Best Bike” in a Denver area concours event. The bike hadn’t been completely finished and was back, after the show, for a bit of electrical sorting out so that it could be returned to its owner.

A couple of members of the local club have finished it up, no doubt talking about Paul and memories of him as the work was done.

Paul was a Vietnam combat vet, and his experiences colored the rest of his life. We were glad to see him get past his attitude regarding the military and allow the VA to Paul with his K-Bike/EML sidecar rig. He actually wore out a K-Bike engine travelling around in it. A "new" engine was procured and installed, with the help of club friends.

Paul at a Top O' the Rockies Rally, participating in the slow race, on an Indian he restored.

help with his missing leg. He ended up with a decent prosthesis and got around reasonably well. There will be a memorial in a couple of weeks. I’m sure it will be a good time, something that Paul would have enjoyed.

My big, slow winter project of straightening the Slash Five frame is under way. The original plan of having it done in Denver (using Paul’s BMW frame jig) was put to the side after I found out I would have to replace a good part of what I had just removed--engine, transmission, sub frame, front end, shocks and the wheels—in order for work on the frame to be accomplished.

Therefore, I have shipped it to an outfit in California and should have it back in a few weeks. As I wait, I’m cleaning and servicing as much of the bike as I can. After the wheels were cleaned up, for example, I mounted new tires, serviced the wheel bearings and balanced each wheel. Now they sit in my basement, waiting the rebuilding.

Also in the basement is my gas tank. I drained it and removed the petcocks to get any possible water out. After several days in direct sunlight, I put it away. The carbs were cleaned up and given a quick service. The clutch parts were cleaned up, and the clutch plate measured out at 5.6mm, indicating there is lots of life left there. The internals of the fork lowers were cleaned out. The triple tree (upper part of the forks) received one new bearing to replace a slightly notchy one (there are two). The brake assemblies, front and rear, were taken apart and cleaned, with the various pivot points cleaned and greased. After the handlebars were taken off, the mirrors were repainted and the hand controls cleaned up and greased. I’ve ordered a new wiring set from Todd Millican, who lives outside of Boise and is the Idaho Airmarshal, to replace the 44-year old assembly that has been cut into a number of times. The covering is brittle and flaking off as well. All the grease and road grime are being cleaned off the parts.

Replacing these parts will be a much cleaner and nicer bit of work than the removal!

Another of our local club members, Ralph, suffered a stroke a few days ago. He’s

home now but will be doing a few weeks of outpatient rehab. He lost sight in one eye and sometimes has trouble with words when speaking. He, his partner Helene, Susanna and I were planning on going to the Las Vegas motorcycle auctions in February (we did the same trip last year).

Between his need to recover and Paul’s memorial, now scheduled for the end of January, we’ve decided to not do the Las Vegas auctions this year. Susanna and I will add a few days to our Southwest tour instead.

Susanna and I are planning our tour for February and early March. If Strider (the Slash Five I’ve been discussing) is not back together, I’m checking over the Mexico Bike as my ride. Because I really went through it before the 6,000-mile trip to the Yucatan last winter, there is little to do in the way of repairs. It received new fluids before I put it

away last March after I returned home. The carbs were drained and the tank topped up.

The tires were new for the last trip and still show well over 50 percent of the tread. The battery holds a good charge. Really, all I need to do is give it a good check over and go.

I received a couple of calls and emails inquiring if I was anywhere near the fireworks disaster in Mexico a couple weeks ago. I appreciate the enquiries and concern over my well-being. This is the third time that the market in Tultepec (a town to the north of Mexico City) has gone up. I’ve been in that market when I have visited for the fiesta in early March; however, I was safely home in Colorado when the disaster occurred. Hopefully, the celebration of the patron saint, San Juan de Dios, will continue in its wild form. I do wish to return to Tultepec for the fiesta if that happens.

The remains of Strider, my Slash Five, purchased in April of 1972. While the frame is off being straightened, I've been cleaning and servicing the various parts. The gearbox, for example, got cleaned up with a toothbrush and carb cleaner. The clutch was measured (and found well within serviceable limits 5.6mm) and cleaned up. The brake shoes were pulled off and cleaned up. I removed the bottoms of the forks and cleaned up inside the sliders. The wheels had the bearings serviced, new tires mounted, were balanced and the drums cleaned up. The carburetors got taken down, cleaned up and new orings installed. I cleaned and painted the centerstand, starter, and the mirrors. The steering triple tree got cleaned up and one bearing replaced. I've put about and equal amount of time into the cleaning as I did into the "taking it all off" part of this undertaking. The Mexico Bike; sitting behind all this, is ready to be used for the planned February and March Southwestern riding we are planning.

March 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS

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TEC

nichtubermax

Understanding tire wear

By George Mangicaro #136221 and Wes Fleming #87301

Q:

Why does my 2005 K 1200 LT eat up rear tires?

-Matthew M. via email

A:

Even though it looks and acts like a luxury touring machine, your ’05 LT shares a number of characteristics with the K 1200 RS, including its torque rating of 85 foot-pounds.

Torque is what gets you up to speed from a dead stop. If you jump on that throttle, you’re going to wear out more rear tires than front ones.

It also depends on what you’re doing with your LT. If you’re pulling a trailer and all three cases are packed to the max with gold bars while your partner hangs out on the rear seat and has their pockets full of depleted uranium rods, you could be overloading the rear tire and causing it to wear out prematurely. As a side note, overloading your bike like this could also damage your final drive; in other words, it’s important to pay attention to BMW’s max load specification.

Your bike’s “wet weight” (all fluids on board) is about 860 pounds and BMW says the GVW is 1,323 pounds, leaving you a load capacity—which includes you and your passenger—of 463 pounds. Exceeding that amount significantly can damage components, including the tires, which have their own load ratings.

Without getting into a discussion about tire preferences, you should purchase a tire that is rated for your motorcycle and application. This seems like an obvious thing to say, but there’s a difference between “I heard these tires are great” and “This

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BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

Look at your tire’s sidewall to get important information, such as max load ratings. On this Metzeler ME880, which many LT riders use, you can see it is rated for 963 pounds at 50 PSI. Most riders don’t inflate their tires to 50 PSI, but how PSI affects load rating is a conversation for another time.

tire is rated for an 800-pound load.” Purchasing off-brand tires isn’t a great way to save money, largely because you end up replacing them more often than high quality (and more expensive) tires. In the long run, you’re likely to come out even in rubber costs, but you’re likely to install (or paying to have installed) more of the cheap tires, which eliminates any perceived savings on parts costs.

The tire that’s appropriate for a sport bike isn’t appropriate for a touring bike even if the wheel sizes are the same. It’s the application that is the determining factor, not the size.

Q:

George, I'm surprised at your response to Doug's question in the January 2017 issue.

Doug mentioned that the bike had ABS and that they had "blown out the ABS module," but you made no mention of the ABS module in your response. I know nothing of motorcycle ABS; however, ABS modules in automobiles include a pump that returns brake fluid released to control braking pressure into the pressurized system. That keeps the brake pedal from dropping out from under the driver's foot as a result of ABS activation.

Could it not be that something in the

ABS module has gone awry and that fluid is being pumped back to the master cylinder, creating the leakage that Doug comments upon? If that is not possible, would it not then be appropriate for your response to rule it out??

www.adriaticmototours.com

-Brant C. via email

A:

The R 1100 RT used an ABS pump that, when in ABS mode, shunts the flow from the master cylinder.

This prevents the lever from "going to the floor." If you stay in ABS mode long enough, eventually you will "go to the floor." Every time the pump cycles you lose a tiny bit of pressure until it reads wheel slip and reactivates. It has no way of pushing fluid back to the master.

Doug's complaint was during normal operation, not in ABS mode. During normal operation, his ABS pump is passive. If the pump were running when not needed, he would have heard it and lost pressure. I had an R 1100 RS that would go into ABS mode when not needed. The only way to stop the bike was to release the brakes, turn off the key and reapply the brakes.

If Doug had a modern, linked system (post IABSI), what you are describing is possible. In those models, a stepper motor is used to activate the caliper of the nonapplied circuit. This causes a slight push back at the non-applied lever.

If the lever was not adjusted correctly and the reservoir was overfilled, it would be possible to build pressure in the reservoir. Hope that answers your question.

March 2017  BMW OWNERS NEWS

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discover 48

adventurelog

COLOMBIA

By Shawn Thomas #91122 “WHOA!” I

YELL

into my helmet.

“Ha-ha, WHOA!” I’m laughing, at least on the outside.

Somehow I feel that making the frantic weaving through Bogotá traffic sound “fun” will have a soothing effect. It seems to be working on Hailey, who is sitting quietly in the passenger seat and listening to my comm chatter, but I’m nervous as hell.

Traffic in urban Colombia is intense.

People drive on the same side of the

BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

road and generally use the same street signs and lane markers we’re accustomed to, but where the good ol’ USA calls for strict adherence to road rules, in Colombia they’re more of a suggestion. We are leaving town, and the bumpy two lane road is stuffed with traffic four cars wide. We’re lane-splitting, but not by choice; no one lets a two-wheeled vehicle have a lane to itself for long. Any openings are quickly filled with moving metal. As the speed fluctuates between 5 and 40 mph, I look to find no more than six inches on either side of my bike. That’s a tight fit, hence my nervous banter.

It’s our first day in the country, and we

are exhausted from the flight in. Micho, our Elephant Motorcycle Tours guide, says into the Comm, “Normally, I’d give you a day to recover, but we’re on a tight schedule, and there’s A LOT to see!” Three years prior, I had met Micho at the MOA Rally in Salem, Oregon. He was peddling motorcycle tours for his company, and we became fast friends. He insisted I come to Colombia and see the sights, but I wasn’t convinced it was such a good idea. Colombia had a reputation for all manner of nefarious shenanigans, I had politely argued, and was probably not a good place to be on a motorcycle. “Nonsense!” Micho insisted with

Micho explains the impact of perpetually heat as we cross into the mild weather. “People living in places like dining area. It is 85 Alaska or Canada must prepare for the cold degrees and humid, and months. If they do not stock food and the cool air-conditioned wood, they will not survive. We do not need room is a welcome respite. this here. It’s rarely cold, and there is always Micho orders a selection fruit growing on the trees and fish in the of sweets, temping Hailey rivers. You can see how living in such a to sample each delight. I place affects the way a culture develops.” slump in my chair, craHis point is clearly made. Throughout the dling a cappuccino and trip, the Colombians I meet are relaxed and fighting jet lag. “We only unhurried. They conduct themselves in a have another hour or so, slow, methodical dance, mixing productivthen we will be at our ity and personal enrichment in seemingly hotel,” Micho assures me.

Little girls have their own language, and Hailey made fast friends equal measure. It is an appealing alternative “You can catch up on sleep wherever she went. to my workaholic methods. there, okay?”

The next day we head west, traversing a The next hour is a blur passionate Latin charm. “It is no longer the series of mountains and valleys. We find the of twisty roads and beautiful backcountry. place you know from the movies. It is a rainforest, a stunning mass of thick foliage We pass by a party carried on by locals, the beautiful and wonderful country!” and wildlife. The weather changes drastimusic flowing unabashed from large It had been years since that talk, and cally, temperatures dropping 30 degrees in wooden instruments. Broken asphalt turns Micho never stopped prodding me to go. the mountains, then rising again as we to dirt, then to cobblestone as we enter a When a California adventure tour with my descend into the valleys. The roads are small village. We pass the town square, a 10 year-old daughter Hailey was featured in expertly cut into the mountainsides, changhuge open space surrounded by chipped an Owners News article, the overwhelming from asphalt to dirt, then mud and back white buildings. In its center, a flowing ingly positive feedback got me thinking of again. Construction crews dot the landfountain stands adorned with lights and other tour opportunities. The Colombia scape, fighting an endless battle against a faux snow-laden Christmas trees. “I’ll never adventure started taking shape. forest intent on reclaiming its territory. We understand why Colombians see the need Sirens blare, and I look to see an ambustop in a tiny village, enjoying snacks and to use snowy Christmas decorations,” lance fast approaching. I look for a place to observing the lives of locals. “They are very Micho quips. “There is no snow for miles in get out of its way, but traffic is so tight there shy here,” Micho explains to Hailey as the any direction, and there is practically no is little room to maneuver. “Not to worry,” villagers give us a wide berth. “Colombia is winter here.” Indeed, a region so close to the Micho chimes in. “In Colombia, the ambujust starting to know tourism, and we are equator sees minimal change in the sealance finds its own way through.” Without very far from the places that travelers sons. As we continue through the village, slowing, the ambulance slides by, listing wildly as it traverses uneven humps in the asphalt. “If the person they are transporting In the larger villages, tarmac turned to cobblestone, making for a bumpy ride. is not injured,” Micho jokes, “they will be!”

I check in with Hailey, who offers a thumbs-up. “Traffic is kinda crazy here,” she says flatly as she peers about the city.

Placing a 10-year-old on the back of a bike is something I do not take lightly. Motorcycling is a dangerous endeavor, and while it takes mere hours to learn the fundamentals, true experience and proficiency require years of practice. I first took to motorcycling at 13, and 28 years later I am still learning how to be a better rider. Having Hailey on the back—in a foreign country no less— has me in an exhaustive state of heightened awareness. “Hey Micho, what say we stop and grab a cup of coffee? I’m dying for an authentic Colombian brew.”

We stop outside of town at a roadside cafe. Men with ragged red flags wave at passersby, beckoning them to stop for a snack. We remove our gear, taking in the

discovery

adventurelog

usually visit. Many of these people have never seen a blond-haired, blueeyed girl like yourself.” Hailey takes notice of another small girl about her age. They wave and smile, sharing the universal language of children. Soon the little girl has taken my helmet, and the two girls pose for photos as a growing group of locals cheer them on.

Our day ends at a small patch of dirt near a flowing river. We are directed to grab our gear, then follow Micho to a clearing where a small, narrow fiberglass boat awaits. We climb aboard and are ushered upriver to a small collection of bungalows.

The accommodations are wonderfully sparse; beds wreathed in mosquito nets, a bathroom and a deck with chairs and hammocks overlooking the river. The room is surrounded by stunning groves of bamboo, their bases the size of adult human legs.

The next morning we are whisked upriver through the rapids, landing at a rocky shore where a series of waterfalls await. We climb to the falls, traversing boulders and jumping into basin pools. The water is cool, the falls roaring and misting with immense power. A local directs us to stand under the falls, engaging us in a tradition of allowing the waters to “remove all negative energy and start anew.” The spiritual experience is lost on Hailey, who is content with splashing in the pools. We return to the bungalow and enjoy a tasty lunch of pork & beans before returning to our motorcycles. It was to be a short day of riding, but challenges were coming. “I’ve got a problem here,” I say to Micho over the Comm. “My front brakes are fading. I might have a fluid leak somewhere.” The previous day I had hit a boulder at speed. The impact was hard, and I was certain I had bent the rim. While there had been no visible damage, the impact had taken out my Anti-Lock Brakes, Cruise and Traction Control. The

Above, The accommodations were vast, ranging from upscale hotels to simple bungalows and beds with mosquito nets. This location was our favorite; a small riverfront villa surrounded by massive bamboo shoots. Below, Waterfalls are a common sight in Colombia. Locals believe that standing beneath the rushing water will cleanse both your body and soul. No word on whether it worked on Shawn!

electronics were of no concern to me, as I do not require them, but the brakes are another matter. We inspect the system and find no issue. We remount, and within a mile of riding my front brakes are completely gone.

“Without front brakes I’m down to onethird my stopping power, so I will need to ride at one-third the speed until we find a solution,” I tell Micho.

“No problem,” Micho assures me. “There is a town nearby. They are sure to have mechanics that can help.” We limp into town, Micho taking the lead and calling out potential hazards over the Comm. A motorcycle shop appears, and we ride in, the employees taking our gear and offering refreshments. Soon there are three mechanics surrounding my bike, diagnosing the problem. They bleed and refill the brake lines, which seems to do the trick. In less than an hour we are back on the road. “My electronics are still shot, but the brakes are tip-top,” I tell Micho. We head deeper into town, following cobblestone alleyways to a large wooden door. On cue, the door opens to reveal our hotel parking area. We ride through the threshold and shut down for the day, attendees providing fresh juice and seeing to our gear making us feel like rock stars. Hailey points out a swimming pool and promptly suits up for a swim. I supervise, taking advantage of repeated offers for beer and snacks.

It’s our last evening in Colombia. We are five days in and are riding a rocky mountain path. The rain is unwavering. Gravel gives way to patches of mud and puddles.

The GPS shows our altitude at 10,000 feet,

then 11,000 then 12,000. “We are almost there, just a few more miles,” Micho assures us.

“He’s been saying that for hours,” Hailey mumbles. The sun is dropping fast, the remaining light stretching our shadows into long, fuzzy pinnacles. The rainforest gives way to a vast open plateau, a small lodge nestled in the mountainside. Below, a nearby metropolis twinkles in fading sunlight. “This is it,” Micho says excitedly. “Hailey, I have a big surprise for you!”

We park and begin the methodical removal of riding gear. “Leave your gear on,” Micho says as he takes Hailey’s hand. “We have very little time to show you the surprise!” Our helmets off, we follow a walking path along the mountainside. To After hitting a large obstacle and taking out the front brakes, a local our left, the lodge reveals a repair shop was happy to diagnose the problem. series of steaming pools, each Suddenly, the air is abuzz with movement. with a smattering of occupants. “There is a A hummingbird streaks into view, landing hot spring nearby,” Micho explains. “The on Hailey’s hand and drinking from the lodge was built to harness the water and container. Soon, another bird joins the first, feed the pools. It has been here for nearly 80 then another. I stare, shocked by the years.” Micho guides us to a clearing, where development. an elderly man awaits. Without a word the “I’ve never seen hummingbirds act in man approaches Hailey, offering his hand this way!” I exclaim. and a smile. Hailey takes it tentatively. In “They are usually very shy.” Micho grips her palm the man places a small container, the elderly man’s shoulder. “My friend Jairo its lid emblazoned in the colors and shape here has spent many years training them to of a flower. He beckons her to stay very still. be comfortable around people.” Jairo places a second container in Hailey’s other hand, and a third on the bill of her hat. Soon she is covered in hummingbirds.

“This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” Hailey says with wonder, and I know this will be the part of our trip she remembers most.

We find our room and dress for a dip in the hot springs. As Hailey swims in the pools, I relax, thinking about what the trip has given me. At 10 years old, Hailey is in what many people have warned will be the sunset of happiness between a father and daughter, at least until the teenage years have come and gone. They say that as children become adults, it is in their biological makeup to rebel against their parents in

This was easily Hailey’s favorite part of the trip. Usually a shy animal, this Hummingbird has been trained to eat right from the human hand.

March 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS

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discovery

adventurelog

preparation for leaving the nest. I do not lend an excess of credence to this view, as I know there are exceptions to the rule. Still, it can only help to reinforce our bond through an adventure such as this. A final day of riding finds us back in Bogotá. We stow our gear, saying our goodbyes to Micho and stealing a quiet moment together for a father-daughter dinner.

We spend the time reminiscing, sharing stories of what has seemed a lifetime of experience in only a few days.

“The hummingbirds were the best. The waterfalls were cool, too, though,” Hailey says through mouthfuls of desert. “And remember that crazy traffic? I thought your head was gonna explode!”

We collect our luggage and head for the airport, a 17-hour trip home beginning with a late evening wait to board our flight. Hailey uses the time wisely, curling in a ball and sleeping, her head nestled on my lap. I hold her close, committing the tender moment to memory and hoping for many more to come.

Colombia is a place of incredible beauty and culture. The country and its people are very welcoming, and the experience will leave you with a new appreciation for this incredible part of the world. But the trip is not without challenge, and riders should be ready for the unique flow of life in this region of the world.

Think you have what it takes? Join Shawn and Micho in the fall of 2017 for a return to the country, where they will retrace their route and explore new regions of Colombia!

For more information contact Shawn, shawn@stromoto.com.

Small villages like this one, in the eastern mountains, dot the Colombian landscape. The locals are shy toward travelers, but in time made every effort to welcome us in to their country.

www.info@weisertechnik.com March 2017  BMW OWNERS NEWS

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BMW OWNERS NEWS  March 2017

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CROSSING OVER

By Steve Kohler #205022 Photos by Steve and Peggy Kohler

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I

’ve just eased my bike onto the Golden Eagle, the first of several ferries on this trip. It’s disconcerting standing on the open steel deck a few inches above the surface as we cross from Missouri to Illinois, solid ground has given way to shifting current underfoot. Moving at the Mississippi River’s three miles per hour instead of 70, I smell the water charged with topsoil and fish, feel the power, and know in my monkey brain that I wouldn’t stand a chance against the flow.

The great rivers are as vital to the middle of the country as any ocean is to its coast, and I’m out for a truer experience of them. Early civilizations flourished along their banks.

Intrepid Frenchmen floated down them to settle. Unimaginably, westward explorers pulled their keelboats up them. The rich bottomland that ultimately feeds so many is their gift, and material of every sort moves along them in incomprehensible quantities. But the modern pursuit of speed and convenience limits our contact with them. We largely ignore the great rivers except to zip over them at a highway pace.

That experience changes immediately on boats like the Golden Eagle, a true ferry that accepts the power of the river to angle slowly across the channel with only a small diesel tug to provide steerage. The tiny ferry is constantly out on the flow, moving a maximum of 12 cars at a time, usually fewer. Someone else on board kindly paid my five-dollar fare anonymously, so I feel welcome, if a little out of my element.

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To arrive at the landing, I’d come east on Highway 94, a premiere winery route and a serpentine Midwestern motorcycling road for those miles where it climbs up and drops off the bluffs along the Missouri River. Stopping early in Washington, I learned I was taking a break in the corncob pipe capital of the world. The Missouri Meerschaum Company, founded in 1869 by Dutch immigrant Henry Tibbe, still looks out across Front Street to the river and the town dock. Today, it produces about 3,500 funny pipes per day.

There are really two Washingtons: old and new. Like many American towns, development now takes place out along the big highways, leaving the old river village high, if not always dry. You could pass through what you thought was Washington without ever catching a hint that the funky river town even exists. The old one suits me better.

Washington’s cantilever truss bridge is nearly worn out. Crossing the Missouri, it’s spanning the continent’s longest river— about 2,500 miles from headwaters to confluence with the Mighty Mississippi just downstream. From the bridge, I got a snapshot of what some people call the Big Muddy. Others reserve that name for the Mississippi. In experience, both qualify. But

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the name “Missouri” may really derive from a Miami Indian word that means “people who have dugout canoes.”

My S 1000 R is certainly no canoe, and it might not be BMW’s designated tourer, but if the goal is getting down the road abruptly—curvy and hilly or straight as a levee—well, here’s the device. The pressure of the small pack against my spine tells me that back there I have everything necessary for a couple of days. The brakes are true one-finger binders, so strong that I have to check the mirrors every time I apply them.

Traffic closes up fast.

Hustling into St. Charles, I rode through not two but three towns in one. There’s the historic and touristy first capitol of the state, the rusty river town with boat services and dry docks, and finally the monstrous and Stepford-like St. Louis exurb. The three don’t appear to communicate. East again out of the confusion, I hustled into the bottomland to find my ferry landing.

Once off the Golden Eagle, I’m in that finger of land that is technically Illinois but trapped tight between the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. Birders love this place. It’s a favorite wintering area for Bald Eagles that perch, then dive, to fish the rivers with alarming effectiveness. Orchards surround the Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge

and its handy viewing stations.

In gagging, late-summer humidity, I want out. My best bet is the next ferry, the Brussels, across the Illinois River. The Illinois is way smaller than the Mississippi, making for a quick (and free) trip across slow water that delivers me to Highway 100, called “The Great River Road.” Ignoring the tourist lures of Grafton, Illinois, I ride just feet away from the Mississippi, now swollen to twice its earlier size. I refocus regularly on riding and try to ignore the mesmerizing river.

Clark Bridge is the largest landmark in Alton, Illinois, and it looms for miles before I get there. It sits near the starting point of the 1804–06 Lewis and Clark expedition that was charged with mapping the newly acquired territory, finding a practical way west, and establishing an American presence there. The bridge, often called “The Super Bridge,” was featured in a NOVA documentary of that name, which described the troubles of building it during the great flood of 1993. Its striking design uses more than 160 miles of cabling for support but suffers some of the problems of minimalist engineering. Just west, the Lewis Bridge spans the Missouri, a slab on stilts design that hands Merriwether Lewis the short end of the memorial-bridge stick.

Alton’s more intriguing landmark is the Piasa Bird (say “pie-uh-saw”), a Native American dragon painting on a limestone bluff over the river. The current mural is a recreation that must be refreshed regularly, and the actual date of its origin is in question. But it was there when the first European explorers arrived, and it may have been painted originally about 1200 C.E. An early diary describes the dragon this way: “as large as a calf with horns like a deer, red eyes, a beard like a tiger's, a face like a man, the body covered with green, red and black scales and a tail so long it passed around the body, over the head and between the legs.” The most likely answer to the obvious question: mushrooms.

Looking for a way south, I choose a short detour east to ride Illinois 4 between twin seas of corn and beans rather than navigate the East St. Louis snarl or fight St. Louis’ stop-and-go. The route is string straight and lumber flat, but calming and fragrant under an oversized sky.

Trying to find the eastern terminus of the Modoc Ferry, I’m lost. All around is bottomland in a maze of tiny, humpty roads.

Finally, by luck, I locate the so-called “French Connection,” the farmer-owned ferry to Missouri. Here, the Mississippi— what St. Louis roots musician Pokey LaFarge calls “the backbone of the nation”— demonstrates its strength, preparing to swallow the huge Ohio 85 miles farther downstream. White foam swirls up around the ferry as we pass. Logs the size of school buses share the channel and command the ferryman’s attention. Riding on the little boat, there’s no escaping the river’s increasing impatience, and any confidence I’ve gained from earlier ferry experience sweeps away on this very different river.

The Modoc drops me safely in Ste. Genevieve, the only original French colonial village left in the U.S. Here, houses date from the late 1700s, many built in the French style of vertical log walls on stone foundations with porches called “galleries” on three sides to provide a shady spot no matter the time of day. The town is artsy/ quirky with great places to eat and chill. If you want the region’s best onion rings, try to get a table at The Anvil on the town square. Pair them with the French dip sandwich—one step closer to France while seated.

There were just two of us on the Modoc

Ferry trip, but south a few miles, the Chester Bridge carries 25 or more times as much traffic. Finished first in 1942, the bridge was destroyed by a tornado just two years later, and it took another two years to reconstruct while residents were forced far out of their way to get across. On the east end of the bridge, a six-foot statue of Popeye now stands guard, memorializing Elzie Segar, the Chester native who was the sailor man’s creator. Around town, Wimpy, Olive Oyl, Alice the Goon and Popeye’s other peeps are recreated in gray marble on a character trail.

Following a U-turn to the Missouri side, I’m heading home but detour to Kaskaskia, Illinois, to see the Liberty Bell of the West.

Presented by Louis XV to the people of the Illinois Country in 1741, it’s been enshrined in Kaskaskia for centuries. It was rung there on July 4, 1778, when George Rogers Clark

rousted the Redcoats. Kaskaskia is also notable because it’s on the west side of the Mississippi but part of Illinois. Such are the vagaries of laying state boundaries along big rivers. Courses change unpredictably.

The river ferries won’t last. An upstream example closed down in 2014, and whispers have another one in fiscal trouble. Only 11 still cross the Mississippi anywhere along its length. The ferries’ slow pace, small capacity and big expense have doomed them.

New, 70-mph bridges—some architecturally beautiful and some just pavement extensions—will overwhelm them. Smaller, more characterful bridges may face extinction as well. When that day comes, it will end an experience both discrete and visceral. If you are intrigued by the notion of exploring all that it means to cross over with a great river’s blessing and at its speed, now is the time to put your bike out on the flow.

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A UNIQUE FORM OF

MENTORSHIP M EM B ER P R OFI L E:

JEREMY COOK

By David Grant #143166

J

eremy Cook is a Bob’s BMWsponsored S 1000 RR racer, S 1000 RR Ambassador, Marine Corps veteran, Boeing employee, dual master’s college student, Roger Lyle’s Motorcycle Xcitement track coach, Dead Presidents Racing team owner/manager, and MotoAmerica Pro Superbike/Superstock road racer. I met Jeremy at a Dover Air Force Base motorcycle safety day, and he was very engaging in that we were able to share experiences of being in challenging situations. For the average BMW MOA member, the member with some military time, and our current members still serving, he is a great example of perseverance. I sat down to talk with him about he’s done to overcome being young, dumb and full of enthusiasm.

Jeremy started riding motorcycles in 1999 at his first duty station, and his bike at that time was a 1996 Suzuki Katana 600, with a very ‘90s teal color scheme set off by a yellow, red and blue lightning bolt graphic.

“I was the only Marine at my station in

Arizona that had a motorcycle. I was lucky to escape with no nicknames because everyone wanted to ride it, and well, the ladies, well they loved it,” he said.

The first BMW Jeremy rode was a 2009 K 1300 S, and he found it fit in well with his aggressive, on-the-ragged-edge riding style.

“I didn’t get my knee down on the street,” he said. “I was just happy to be riding, to have that freedom—until it rained and I realized it was my only transportation, that wasn't much fun at all!”

He said his time in the military affected his motorcycle riding initially because the USMC forced him to take the MSF Basic Riders Course. “It also made me realize you do need a car sometimes. I felt invincible and had little regard for my own safety, but it [riding] gave me a calming outlet; just going on long rides and forgetting about the world is very peaceful,” he said.

He continued, “I received very little training, as the USMC was not really up-todate at the time with how to connect with sport bike riders. It was all forced fun and mandatory meetings that were boring and provided very little actual usable

information. Everything sounded and felt outdated. Plus, it seemed like the meetings were very biased and crotch rockets were looked down upon. The classes were always these really old guys telling us how to ride, but they were just Average Joe instructors. I like what the Marine Corps did recently when they created the Semper Ride program, partnering with California Superbike School (CSS), Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic, and other track days around the country. That was a smart program and talking to those instructors and Marines who did the program, they seemed to really get a lot of out of it. Having that much knowledge shared by a school like that with a successful reputation helps, and experienced coaches make even the most stubborn youthful rider want to listen.

“This was before 9/11 and the emphasis on Marines and motorcycle deaths. I went through MSF in 1999 and was licensed in 2000. The Marine Corps and really the military at large at the time only required that class.”

Jeremy got into racing motorcycles when he realized his riding on the street often

"NOW WHEN I'M HAVING FUN RACING ON THE TRACK, I'M USUALLY YELLING IN MY HELMET "WAHOOOOOO!!!"

WHEN I’M NOT HAVING SO MUCH FUN BECAUSE I MADE A MISTAKE, I’M USUALLY YELLING OTHER THINGS."

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bordered on inappropriate. He said, “I was pushing things too hard on the street and riding above my head and ability. I had just gotten into a bad wreck with a bunch of friends while out riding in Fredericksburg, [Virginia] luckily right after we had just finished our crazy 100-plus MPH backcountry riding because the accident probably would have resulted in a death. I figured I needed to take myself to the track to save my own life.

“I heard about a free half-day track session for the North East Sport Bike Association, which is unfortunately no longer around, on the Jefferson Circuit at Summit Point [in West Virginia]. It whooped my butt, and I was so exhausted, but very pumped at the same time. That was probably known by most around me on the track that day because I was yelling because it was so much fun. Now when I'm having fun racing on the track, I'm usually yelling in my helmet "WAHOOOOOO!!!" When I’m not having so much fun because I made a mistake, I’m usually yelling other things.”

Jeremy started racing on a 2006 Suzuki GSXR-1000 before moving to a 2010 BMW S 1000 RR. In addition to the ’10, he’s also raced RRs from 2011, ’14 and ’15, as well as a 2013 Yamaha R6.

When asked about the BMW, he said, “I felt more confident on it [the BMW]. I felt like I could get my body position easier, and I trusted it much more than my GSXR after almost losing my right arm in a crash at Virginia International Raceway in September 2009—one of my first races, actually.

After that wreck, I spent nine days in intensive care at Duke and six months in physical therapy. After rebuilding my GSXR and buying the first edition S 1000 RR in 2010, I went to do four days with CSS at VIR with both bikes to compare them and to help me overcome my fear of that track and learn, opposed to thinking I knew.

"It was at that time I felt at home on the BMW and sold my GSXR. I learned so much that when I came back to officially start racing the circuit in 2011 as an amateur with the Championship Cup Series (CCS) and the American Sportbike Racing Association (ASRA), I won a bunch of races and regional track and class titles. In 2012, I was promoted to Expert with the series and the same things happened; I won a bunch of races and won a few championships, including the AMA Grand National at Daytona.”

Above, Post-race analysis. Below, Staying cool on the starting grid at Road America.

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It’s difficult to race week after week when you’re in school and holding down a fulltime job, so Jeremy sought sponsorships to help him fund his racing endeavors. He said, “I bought my first BMW at Bob’s BMW, and I was actually the first to plate the S 1000 RR on the street in Maryland in 2010. I like Bob Henig’s business mindset but sought his approval of road racing as a key marketing venture, which at that time he was strictly against. I figured I could convince him that road racing was not dead in the U.S. I still have to get him to come to a race though! The dealership has been really good to me and has connected me with many of my other sponsors. The staff there is down to earth, and the fact that they were never a race shop has not affected their support for me or anyone I send there looking for race parts. At times, the dealership has even allowed one of their S 1000 RR Master Techs to come to the races, which is such a blessing even if they didn’t have to fix anything, because it gives me peace of mind.

“My sponsors are all companies I respect, and I enjoy their products first and foremost; I think a lot racers have to go where the money is and ride with gear that isn't the safest or the best out there. I get that, but I am glad that I have been blessed with some awesome companies to market for. My title sponsors besides Bob’s are the BMW MOA, Liqui-Moly, Dunlop, Schuberth and Held. My support sponsors are Andrew Swenson Designs, DrippinWet.com for decals, K-Tech Suspension, Chickenhawk Racing, Velocity Calibrations, Vortex Racing, SpeedMob, Arrow, Sidi, Steve Weir (a BMW Data Engineer), and Motorcycle Xcitement. I also get support and help from Veterans Empowered Through Motorsports (VETM) which is a 501(c)3 organization very dear to my heart.

“The BMW MOA race trailer has surely provided a ton of exposure while driving around to different races across the U.S. People are always honking and tagging me in photos.”

Coaching other riders at track days is an important way for Jeremy to be able to offer

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mentorship to younger or beginning riders, especially since he got so much from his track day courses once he transitioned to racing. “I was asked by Roger Lyle to come coach for him years ago in an effort to help me get more saddle time and present what I know from racing and riding to track day enthusiasts,” Jeremy said. “Now saddle time is always needed to prevent a road racing version of ring-rust, but I coach for Roger Lyle Motorcycle Xcitement today mostly because I love helping people improve and become safer and more proficient riders. I have ridden with many different organizations throughout my nine years in this sport, and I like riding with MX because of

the laid-back family atmosphere and because Roger’s biggest goal for anyone attending his track days is to have FUN! “It doesn’t matter if you ride a K bike or an R nineT. No matter what motorcycle a person is riding they can enjoy a track day.

At the same time while they are enjoying that track day they are secretly learning!

From braking to throttle control, the input concept of less is more, body position, it is applicable to ALL, and the most fun of all is being able to push you and your motorcycle as hard as you want, to test your brakes – late braking; testing your lean angle – how low can you go; testing your throttle response – how fast does your bike accelerate; and how fast does your bike go? Any bike can do all of this in a controlled and safer environment than the street, all while having someone with more experience and in some cases, professional road racers give you pointers. In the case of the R nineT there is the new 9T Racer that would be

awesome to take to the track. In talking with Nate Kern while coaching at the RR Fest at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, his modified “HP-T” would be the perfect bike to start up the Boxer Cup here in the U.S. again. I would surely be willing to race that series.”

Jeremy says that somebody with a “normal” bike, that is, not a purpose-built race bike, can easily attend a track day. “I wouldn't replace anything before going out the first time. I think getting to ride the bike the way you do on the street on the track is going to be an eye opener for those that come out. But to prepare, you merely need to ensure that the bike is not leaking fluids—especially oil and coolant—and then tape up ALL the lights. After their first day at the track, then they can talk with a coach or even the dealership and ask about increasing performance for braking, speed or suspension components.

“In addition, a military rider would benefit greatly from a class like Motorcycle Xcitement, off track and on track coaching, as much or as little as he/she would like.

Plenty of track time. A safe environment in which he/she can feel comfortable to practice skills he/she learned or was asked to try off track. Mentorship if so desired and time allows. An atmosphere that is strictly controlled (except on track riding) by how much or how little a person wants to be involved.”

Jeremy wrapped up our time together by saying, “I wish when I started that people cared or rather people knew how to engage sport bike riders as much as people do today. I wish I had the opportunities that service members have today to take advantage of track days and professional courses, but more importantly I wish young riders getting into sportbike riding came to the track or to schools to learn more about their bike and themselves. I’m tired of losing friends or friends of friends to careless cagers or street riding that’s too immature. The track is the place to go 150-plus mph on your bike, and I bet there is one within an hour of you.”

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Nine days in

PARADISE 66

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By Geoffrey Smith #194955 March 2017  BMW OWNERS NEWS

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The aggravating part of having a bucket list is that it never seems to get any shorter. For a while, I made some gains and actually thought that I might get to the end of it, but an article or YouTube video about some exotic riding location will always make me break out the list to add a ride. I have given up trying to control it!

Such was the case for Iceland. I planned on going by myself in the late spring, hopefully before too many tourists descended on the island, but after watching some videos on YouTube, it was apparent that it made much more sense to ride some of the roads with at least one other rider. Lifting my R 1200 GS Adventure by myself out of a riverbed killed the solitary instinct. When John Jesson sent an email inviting me to join Ayres Adventure’s inaugural tour of Iceland, I knew that this was meant to be.

Since I keep my bike in Germany, it was an easy ride to the top of Denmark to hop the ferry to Iceland. A two-day stop in the

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Faroe Islands proved a very worthwhile add-on. Eighteen hours after leaving the Faroe Islands, Iceland appeared out of the mist hovering over a calm sea. The ferry arrived on the east coast, and I was to meet the group in Reykjavik, about a nine-hour ride west. Being from Los Angles, my immediate thought was traffic, morning rush hour, evening rush hour, tour buses, trucks and endless cars. In those nine hours, once out of the towns, I doubt I saw 30 cars.

This solitary ride on the northern portion of the Ring Road set the tone for the next nine days of my amazing journey.

Reykjavik is in a boom phase.

Construction cranes are everywhere, and modern buildings rise alongside the older, traditional structures. The people are warm and friendly. I didn’t meet a local who didn’t speak perfect English, which was a major plus as the Icelandic language is a definite challenge. Our hotel was a new, small establishment with a staff who made us all feel welcome. The food at the restaurant for our kickoff dinner was superb. For some reason, I expected herring prepared 30 different ways, but I never saw it, and that evening meal set the standard for the rest of the trip.

One minute you are in Reykjavik and its suburbs and then almost instantaneously

you are out in this vast, cold and barren, mountainous landscape. In Reykjavik, some of the roads are two or three lanes in each direction, but with the city behind us, the Ring Road is two lanes and that’s pretty much as wide as it gets 99 percent of the time. On the first day, we headed for Tingvellir, the national park where two tectonic plates met, decided they weren’t compatible, and now eye each other suspiciously across a trench 50 feet wide. Mother Nature puts on a quite a display of her power for all to see. After that, it was off the main road into the back country on asphalt barely two lanes wide, filled with twisties. What a great start to the day!

The asphalt ended, and the road became hard-packed dirt and then gravel about a foot deep. Fun and games as we plowed through it, my bike (and everyone else’s)

wanting to drift to the opposite side of the road while I wanted it to stay in the right lane. Slither right, slither left, just stay upright! I was on the pegs for about 45 minutes, a good warm-up for the days ahead.

Each day brought more incredible visuals, as the treeless mountains continually altered their look due to the ever-changing light and shadows. The sky in Iceland is so blue, the clouds so large and white, the sea such a deep blue-gray and the cultivated green fields so acid green that the contrasts are sometimes overwhelming. The everpresent mountains were not mountains with a gradual ascent skyward; they rose from the flat plain almost straight up, the layers of volcanic strata clearly visible yet softened by the moss that clung to the cliffs.

There were endless fjords with sometimes just a few homes at the very end and other

times only a small, solitary church facing the elements. The changing lava fields were at times a plain of jagged black rock or a sea of soft, undulating mounds slowly being covered by some sort of green growth.

On Day Three we rode across the heart of Iceland from north to south. A single-lane dirt road with a myriad of surfaces kept us on the pegs. Huge glaciers in the distance provided an amazing sight. I think I saw one or two four-wheel drive vehicles as we made our way south. It was just Iceland and us! Sun one minute, threatening gray clouds the next, and temperatures all over the place.

Day Four is permanently etched in my mind. The day that John Jesson described as “potentially challenging” arrived. The road was designated F-26, but by the end of the day I referred to it as the FU-26 because

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at the landscape, I could have been on the it did all it could to beat me. The first hour moon for all I knew, and I could see the was fine, asphalt and then a good, hardroad stretch out for miles and miles ahead packed dirt road with occasional patches of of me as we rode into the hills. gravel.

When the clouds descended and the mist Then the first river appeared. came in, visibility went down to about 20 I estimated it at about 45 feet wide and a foot or more deep. The water just looked cold— very, very cold. Three of my companions went before me; one went down about a quarter of the way in, and he was much more experienced off-road than I. I was not feeling inspired or confident, but as there was really no other option, I went for it. Only when I looked at the Go-Pro footage later could I see that the riverbed was composed of baseball-size rocks covered with some sort of growth. The handlebars were all over the place and so was my language. I don’t know what I Seljalandsfoss waterfalls captured by drone. did right, or for that matfeet. I told myself I didn’t really need to see ter, wrong, but I made it across. where I was going, as I could follow the tire After that, my attitude went from “What tracks from the bikes in front of me. Then am I doing here?” to “Bring it on!” which is the rain started, washing away the tire exactly what FU-26 did. Eight or more tracks and fogging my glasses. It was about streams/rivers awaited us. The road went 38 degrees, and I had no idea where I was. I from dirt to rock to sand to mud and back started to wonder when it would end. I kept again as we climbed into the highlands of going, dreaming of a hot shower. I was Iceland. The vistas were jaw-droppingly doing okay (“fine” was on the back burner) beautiful, truly epic in their scope. Looking

until heavy, wet snow began falling—so heavy and so wet that it stuck to my visor.

The bike slid around under me as it tried to find traction going uphill, the back wheel acting as if it was on a trampoline. When I could get the snow off my visor, I could occasionally see one or two bikes ahead of me.

The temperature hovered around the freezing mark.

I gave up on the hot shower dream and totally focused on navigating that goat path.

After eight hours of being mostly on the pegs, my calves burned. The road started to descend. A long, steep hill lay before me, the mud of the road surface glistening in the rain. I could either ride down the hill or slide down the hill. I prayed for the former but was realistic about the latter. My predicament became more apparent as I went around a corner and found a rider down with what turned out to be two broken ribs and a broken collarbone. Along with two other riders, I helped get the bike off him and into the follow van. I slithered on at a snail’s pace through the rutted landscape until I saw an asphalt road in the distance. It’s amazing what a piece of tarmac can do to lift one’s spirits.

Crossing the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon.

I was a quarter-mile from the road when FU-26 got in her last licks. Over I went in the soft, thick mud. The right sides of the bike and myself were coated in the stuff. I returned to a state of humility and respect for FU-26. I did finally get my long, hot shower, and our rest day in Husavik was most welcomed. I reflected on the challenging (and slightly terrifying at times) day of riding I had survived.

On Day Six, we had the choice of going to the northernmost tip of Iceland (and thereby almost to the Arctic Circle) or going to see Dettifoss (the largest waterfall in Europe). Since I have seen some pretty incredible waterfalls in my life, I opted for the former, picturing soaring cliffs, crashing waves, a lone lighthouse sending out her beacon of hope to stranded mariners. What I got was flat land, hard-packed dirt roads, and what must have been a fully automated lighthouse, as one couldn’t even get to it!

More miles of dirt roads and several fjords later, we started to climb a hill with what seemed like a 20 percent grade and switchbacks. The bike came alive, I came alive, and we climbed up and up until I could see the crest of the mountain ahead of me. I reached the top and had one of those big moments. The panorama in front of me ranks right up there in the top five amazing places I have seen. The endless North Atlantic on my left, a black sand beach stretching for miles into the distance, snowcapped mountains in the distance and this immense, magnificent valley with a meandering river running through it dared me not to be in awe. It was what used to be called a Kodak moment—but on steroids.

The regret of not seeing the waterfall faded away, the lesson of snap judgment learned.

We made our way clockwise around the island the next few days. Waterfalls just as amazing replaced the one I missed. A wonderful aspect of Iceland is that you’re

allowed to enjoy nature as it is and at your own risk. No signs warning you to watch your step or to resist trespassing. No safety rails—just you and Mother Nature. A bay filled with huge chunks of ice broken off from the glacier provided a surreal boat ride; we stood next to mammoth pieces of ice that had made their way from the bay to the ocean, and all in view of the soaring cliffs.

An incredible final farewell dinner back in Reykjavik complemented all the great dinners we had on the trip. I had no reason to think of Iceland as a culinary standout, but I was wrong. We had incredible, imaginatively prepared food each night and stayed in excellent hotels, even in the more remote towns. The riding, with that sense of being removed from the safety and trappings of city or suburban living, was what made this journey phenomenal.

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WESTERN

CANADA

America’s Best Kept Secret

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BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

By Victor Cruz #91428

A tour of mountains, lakes, rivers and bears Last year my gang, Los Patos, rode a week around Breckenridge and Durango, Colorado. Apart from the majesty of those Rockies and summit roads like Berthoud and Loveland Pass that made the mercury drop by 20 degrees (not to mention a hail storm in August over Wolf Creek Pass), the big takeaway from that trip was the convenience of bedding down in a big house with all the amenities. You save yourself from restaurant burnout, but sometimes the area does not lend itself to a cloverleaf route plan.

This year we opted for a 10-day tour in British Columbia and the Icefields Parkway of Alberta, Canada. The territory is America’s best kept secret: light traffic, dry climate with light showers and pavement like shark skin. In nearly 2,000 miles we never saw so much as a tar snake. Instead, on Bow Valley Parkway south to Banff we saw bears three times, including a cinnamon bear on its butt gobbling a bush, a roadside elk and mountain goats. We saw glaciers, those massive bodies of retreating ice beds, and emerald lakes colored like turquoise stone, thanks to the limestone runoff that is highest in July.

Unlike Colorado, the Canadian Rockies lack the chill and thrill of climbing 12,000foot peaks. In their place are massive lakes and rivers that never run short. Imagine a giant claw that plowed up land into 100mile wide canyons, forcing up snow-capped mountains and leaving lakes and rivers in its wake as the glaciers retreated in the aftermath of the last Ice Age. As deep as the Eiffel Tower is tall, the Columbia Icefields have such a vast footprint of ice that they create their own weather. As you approach the icefields, gusts of ice particles floating in cold air pulled downwind by the summer heat peck against your face. Hundreds of people snake up a trail by foot to touch the edge of the icefields; some even pay to climb on top. Others pay $50 for the privilege of riding in a bus with balloon tires, empty water bottles in hand, ready to scoop up the runoff and drink million-year old water.

That’s what people on vacation do. They also drive RVs, and when you spot vehicles A group photo at Giant Cedars Boardwalk.

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pulled to the side of the road you quickly learn how to read the situation: it usually means there is wildlife present.

These glaciers run along a chain of mountains on a 150-mile stretch of toll road from Lake Louise to Jasper, Alberta. Spectacular Icefields Parkway should be on everyone’s bucket list. Not a technical ride, but it takes all day because you must stop (along with the tour buses) to snap photos of Bow Lake and at ten more turnouts. Start with a full tank, as there is only one gas station on the route.

We flew into Seattle, land of tasty Dungeness crab and Mt. Rainer cherries. We booked five Beemers from Eagle Rider six months in advance, but they were only able to deliver three 2015 R 1200 RTs. Previous renters damaged the bikes, having left the lock on the brake rotors, tearing off the calipers. The agent didn’t bother to notify us, so

two guys were left without, having to choose between renting a Harley or a Triumph Bonneville with purse-like saddlebags. The guys took the Brits. With zero wind protection at 75 mph your arms fly up, almost off the handles. Pretty-boy bikes for urban streets, on a multi-day tour the Bonnies cause pain in the neck and like old men, they must make frequent stops.

We spent our first night in the pinot noir vineyards of Chelan, Washington. We followed the Columbia River for most of the next two days. We averaged 240 miles a day and stayed in town center hotels that allowed us to retire the bikes for happy hour. An easy border crossing got us to a stay in Nelson, British Columbia, followed by nights in Vernon and Lake Louise. Traffic-wise, the busiest route was Trans Canada 1 going east to Golden. Low cloud cover mixed with a light rain and steep peaks

jutting out made the world look like a scene from The Lord of the Rings. There’s a lot to do on that stretch, like the summit road to Mt. Revelstoke, called “Meadows” in the Sky Parkway, and Spiral Tunnels, where you can see train cars high on the mountainside doing hairpin turns, disappearing and reappearing in the opposite direction. We stopped for a stroll on Giant Cedars Boardwalk and the twisty paved access road to the 833-foot drop of Takakkaw Falls (Native Cree for “it is magnificent”). Settling in at Deer Lodge, a short walk away from Lake Louise and its signature Fairmont Resort, was a major highlight. We ended the trip on a high note, riding the Sea-to-Skyway Highway (Route 99) from Kamloops to Vancouver, which was like being on a roller coaster.

If I did it all over again, I would begin and end in Vancouver to allow more time to explore that city, with its English beach surrounded by mountains, bays, great food and pretty boats.

Above, Stopped for the night in Chelan, Washington. Below, Johnston Canyon in Banff National Park.

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skills

askapro

Difference between good and great

By Lee Parks #162125

Q:

I’m always amazed at the skills and abilities of world champion riders. While watching Moto GP or even Supercross, I cannot even imagine how those guys can go so fast and not crash, let alone what makes one even better than another. Given that fact, it begs the question of what do you think separates the merely great riders from the true champions?

A:

This is a great question that has puzzled many an expert in different disciplines for years. In today’s hyper competitive racing atmosphere, it’s tough to gain an advantage. Those who manage to keep one become our modern legends. In an effort to unlock the secrets of human achievement, I have often interviewed champion riders for both personal and professional reasons. It’s fascinating to see what makes them tick and, of course, who doesn’t want the recipe of the Go-Fast Secret Sauce?

Three-time world GP Champion Kenny Roberts used to walk barefoot on the track to get the best “feel” of the traction conditions. World Superbike and 250 GP World Champion John Kocinski used to make sure every part of his racing program from his pits to his bike to his gear was perfectly ordered and maintained. There are many stories of him spending hours in his RV at the track meticulously cleaning every bug splat off his helmet and leathers. Even years later his OCD now helps him earn a living restoring and flipping French Country-style homes.

Another three-time 500 GP

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champion, Wayne Rainey, had learned to have faith that his tires would stick, giving him the confidence needed to, if I may borrow one of Ron Popeil’s catchphrases, “Set it and forget it.”

In the dirt world, other champions have credited everything from diet to divine intervention as the secret ingredient. The winning streaks of guys like McGrath and Carmichael are well known, but an equally impressive champion you may not be aware of is Mike Lafferty. His reasons for success were by far the most interesting and illuminating I ever received.

Lafferty won the AMA’s National Enduro series an incredible six times in seven years.

Equally noteworthy is that he has achieved all of his triumphs on the same brand (KTM) and virtually all of his sponsors have been with him for the entire ride. This kind of loyalty is part of what makes Lafferty such a unique champion, as well as one hell of a nice guy.

What makes Lafferty so seemingly unstoppable? In a word, “balance.” Lafferty attributes his success to cultivating the right balance of what he considers to be the five key attributes of a motorcycle racing champion. They are: 1) Natural talent, 2) Riding ability, 3) Training, 4) Determination and 5) Personal life.

“I’ve got a lot of natural talent, but I’m not the most naturally talented,” says Lafferty.

“I’m one of the better riders ability-wise, but I’m not the best. I’m pretty fit, but there are fitter riders. And I’ve got a lot of determination, but some of the guys are surely more determined. And I have a decent personal life. While some racers have no personal life, there are plenty who make that much more of a priority than me.

“I think it’s much more important to have a balanced amount of all these things as opposed to just concentrating on being the best at one. The purpose of the balance is to keep ‘hungry’ for racing and winning. If

you overdose in one area, you get burned out and lose the drive to compete. For instance, if you ride every day, you’re not always hungry for it. When you take a little time off and watch a race or two, you get real hungry to get back out there.”

So what’s the secret to keeping the hunger? “You gotta mix stuff up to keep it fresh,” says Lafferty. “For example, I’m switching back to the two-strokes for this year [that was 2004] even though I’ve had a lot of success on the fours. It will make every course brand new again, which is very exciting for me.”

Behind every great champion is an equally great mechanic, and Lafferty is quick to credit his mechanic and close friend Alan Randt with keeping his KTMs in top form. “The bikes are totally dialed in,” says Rafferty. “My mechanic makes the bikes work so well, it makes me want to ride more.”

While there is no single thing that makes riders into champions, it’s clear that they all figured out what specifically was needed to get the most out of their individual performances. Perhaps Zen master Basho said it best: “Seek not to follow in the footsteps of the men of old. Seek what they sought.”

Lee Parks (#162125) has been riding and racing motorcycles for well over 33 years. He has been the editor of both consumer and trade motorcycle magazines, manufacturers his own line of motorcycle gloves and is a WERA national endurance champion. His riding skills book Total Control has sold over 100,000 copies in five languages around the world. Lee’s Total Control Training company manages—and is the curriculum vendor for—the California Motorcyclist Safety Program as well as several large military contracts. If you have a question you’d like to him to answer in this column, send him an email at lee@totalcontroltraining.net.

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Join the BMW MOA FACEBOOK page today! Get the MOA Newsfeed via Twitter for more BMW and motorcycle news – www.twitter.com/bmwmoa

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FOUNDATIONNEWS

FOUNDATION OUR MISSION

The BMW Motorcycle Owners of America Foundation is dedicated to supporting motorcycling and its rich heritage for BMW MOA members and the motorcycling public by funding programs that advance rider safety, education and training.

BMW MOA FOUNDATION OFFICERS

Chuck Manley, President cmanley@bmwmoaf.org Mark Austin, Vice President maustin@bmwmoaf.org Bex Becker, Treasurer bex@bmwmoaf.org Greg Straub, Secretary gstraub@bmwmoaf.org BMW MOA FOUNDATION DIRECTORS

Vance Harrelson vance@bmwmoaf.org Randy Logan rlogan@bmwmoaf.org Will McHardy wmchardy@bmwmoaf.org Peter Perrin pperrin@bmwmoaf.org BMW MOA FOUNDATION HEADQUARTERS

2539 John Hawkins Parkway Suite 101-111 Birmingham, AL 35244 866-865-1055 Ted Moyer, Executive Director tmoyer@bmwmoaf.org

Are we betting on winning or surviving?

SUPERSTAKES IS BACK! THE POPULAR

Foundation fundraiser will give away at least ten new BMW motorcycles. Ticket buyers in the month of March will be included in the “early bird” drawing to win a GS or GT – your choice!

The number of prizes will grow with the number of tickets sold. For every 1,000 tickets, another motorcycle will be included in the prize drawings. Ticket holders have a guaranteed shot at ten motorcycles, but history tells us the number of motorcycle drawings will increase to 15 and maybe even 20. The odds of winning a new motorcycle have never been better. After all, it is the Superstakes!

As we reviewed the Superstakes promotion plan at a recent meeting, a new board member asked the question, “Do people buy tickets to win a motorcycle or to support the Foundation?” The answer is different for everyone, but as charitable as we might be, most of us buy tickets to win.

Rarely does a person drop the order blank in the mail box and shout, “I hope this $100 check saves someone’s life!” Instead, we probably look across the table and proclaim, “Honey, I just mailed in the winning ticket!”

The point is not to condemn anyone for their motivation to buy a ticket. To each his own. However, how powerful would the Superstakes be if we bought tickets to save lives versus to win motorcycles? Maybe we have done a poor job of communicating that fact in the Superstakes. After all, the administrators get caught up in the atmosphere of winning, just like the ticket buyers do. Don’t misunderstand, the

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Superstakes is a very effective promotion, and it provides significant charitable funding for the Foundation and its ultimate goal of increasing motorcycle safety. We have to wonder if we are as serious about surviving as we are about winning.

Along with a review of the Superstakes, the Foundation Board also reviewed the various training programs, including the Paul B. Scholarship Fund. In 2016, 50 people applied for $250 scholarships to fund the training of their choice. Only 50 people. Forty-six applicants were awarded scholarships, most at the $250 level. I have purchased plenty of raffle tickets for various charities over the years, but I can’t recall any raffle with a 92 percent chance of winning $250. Where do I buy those tickets?

The Superstakes directly funds the Paul B. Scholarship program. Every ticket purchase is helping someone survive the perils of riding a motorcycle. What if that person is you? Along with your Superstakes order, take a moment to find the training that appeals to you, apply for a Paul B. Scholarship and continue to refine your skills and ride as safely as you can. You can apply online at bmwmoaf.org/paulb.

I hope you will purchase a Superstakes ticket and dream of winning a new motorcycle. The odds of winning are better than ever. Apply for a Paul B. Scholarship, too.

The odds of improving your skills and safety through training are guaranteed to make you a winner on the road.

As always, we encourage you to ride safe.

Never ride alone With Platinum Roadside Assistance and Tire Protection added to your BMW MOA membership, you’ll never ride alone again. BMW MOA’s 24/7 Platinum Roadside Assistance gets you to a repair facility fast and will even replace a punctured tire for free! All that for only $79 a year, which includes the cost of your MOA membership. www.bmwmoa.org Join online at bmwmoa.org or convert your current BMW MOA membership by calling 864-438-0962. BMW MOA Platinum Roadside and Tire Protection, available exclusively for BMW MOA members.

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lifestyle

highmileage

Congratulations High Mile Riders

By Jim Heberling #191926 C O N G R AT U L A -

tions to everyone receiving awards last year for either joining the High Mileage Honor Roll or reaching a new plateau. 2016 was a record setting year, with just over half of the applications received from MOA members joining the High Mileage Honor Roll for the first time.

At the other end of the High Mileage spectrum, very special congratulations go out to Dave McQueeney for reaching the amazing milestone of 1.8 million miles.

Each month I receive email from members saying how much they enjoy reading what other members have to say about their adventures on BMW motorcycles over the years.

Happy riding to all!

100,000 miles Raymond Kaufman Paul Koontz Roger Haack Doug Vavrick Dwight Olson John Huebner Bill Lance Ray Bleckon Anthony Van Der Voorn

George Kuiper Gary Campbell

200,000 miles Thomas Gary Karen Cox Bill Gasque

300,000 miles

Muriel Farrington

400,000 miles Robert Hicks Todd E. Smith John Katics

500,000 miles Edward Silves

1.8 Million miles Dave McQueeney

Raymond Kauffman #84532 Carmel, Indiana 100,000 miles

“I didn’t begin riding BMW motorcycles and discover the joy of long distance touring until I was 46 years old and bought a new K 1200 RS in 1998. I put about 65,000 miles on that bike and replaced it with my 2012 K 1600 GTL. I truly enjoyed both bikes, but my favorite is the K 16 probably because it is a more comfortable touring bike, something that I appreciate much more in my 60s than I did in my 40s!

“Starting from my home near Indianapolis, Indiana, I’ve experienced a number of great rides during my first 100,000 BMW miles, including northwest Arkansas, the Cabot Trail

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Raymond Kauffman

of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, the Black Hills and Badlands of South Dakota, Bear Tooth Pass in Montana, and the backroads of West Virginia, Western North Carolina, and Tennessee (Tail of the Dragon).

“Far and away, however, the Rocky Mountains of Colorado is the destination that keeps drawing me back as my most memorable. If the mountain scenery and shear drop-offs of the Million Dollar Highway (Colorado Route 550 from Silverton to

Ouray) don’t take your breath away and leave you slack-jawed, you’re simply not alive and breathing, my friend! Additionally, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is a great example that the Rockies are not the only star attraction in the state. If you haven’t been there, I highly recommend you put this state full of eye candy on your bucket list!

“I like to combine my destinations, riding with loops from a base camp to experience a location more thoroughly. For

long-distance touring, I prefer to ride with a small group of 2-4 friends. I’ve certainly ridden with larger groups successfully, but the smaller size is my preference. It also helps to ride with good friends who have similar ideas about how to enjoy a 3,000 – 4,000 mile trip together.”

Anthony Van Der Voorn #184633 Wichita, Kansas 100,000 miles

“I’ve been riding my R 1200 RT since buying it new in 2012. Though I’ve been riding since 2000, this is my first BMW and by far my favorite motorcycle. My plan is to add another 150,000 or so miles on this bike and then trade for another RT. “My most memorable ride was probably up to New England to celebrate my oldest bother’s 50th wedding anniversary. After that, I sought the most entertaining roads in the Adirondacks, northern Vermont and New Hampshire. I’m also a member of the Iron Butt Association and rode a Butt Burner Gold (1500 miles in 24 hours) last spring.

“Usually, I ride loops on the most entertaining roads I can find around my home. I get my motorcycle serviced in Bentonville, Arkansas, another area where there is no shortage of entertaining roads. I always ride alone and like being able to instantly change my mind on destinations and roads to ride.”

Paul Koontz #109602 Medina, Ohio 100,000 miles

“While I rode my 2003 K 1200 LTE for more than 80,000 miles on my way to the 100,000 mark, my favorite of all of the motorcycles I have owned is my 2012 R 1200 GS Adventure Triple Black!

“One of my favorite rides was a cross country trip that took me from Medina, Ohio, to Parkersburg, West Virginia, to the Golden Gate Bridge. From there, I took the

Pacific Coast Highway to the Santa Monica Pier and then headed west on Route 66 as far as I could follow it and then back to Medina, Ohio. My rules on the trip were to wake up, book a room usually between 750 to 800 miles away and ride. I took this ride in mid-October, encountered temperatures that ranged from 17 to 97 degrees and loved every minute, including the ride in the back of a pickup after my K 1200 LTC suffered a broken shift linkage in Beaver, Utah, that locked me in the first gear.

Thanks to the awesome guys at BMW of Salt Lake, I was back on the road the next morning.

“While I ride both loops and destinations, I am fortunate enough to be able to ride to customer sites throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York regularly.

Though most of my miles are ridden alone, over the past two years I have started riding with a group from the BMWMOC (BMW Motorcycle Owners of Cleveland), tagged “The GS Black Sheep.” Our annual pilgrimage lands us at the annual MOA Rally.”

Doug Vavrick #127381 Lynnwood, Washington 100,000 miles

“I started riding scooters and motorcycles in high school and college but traded two wheels for four when skiing and hiking became priorities. In November of 2006, I commuted to downtown Seattle by bus.

One day, I noticed motorcyclists either passing the bus, or in the HOV lane with the bus. I envied them, with their freedom and their efficient commutes. Soon I was noticing motorcycles more and found I also worked with a guy who rode to work every day. Additionally, my next door neighbor, a sergeant with a neighboring county’s sheriff ’s department who commanded their police motorcycle unit, rode his police motorcycle every day for work.

“About that time, another co-worker decided it was time to give up on his project 1992 K 75 S with a fried wiring harness.

With a repair bill far higher than anticipated and stuck in a bind, he sold me the

bike, and I started riding to work in it in November of 2006. I rode the K 75 S through the winter until finding a 2002 BMW R 1150 RT with only 23,750 miles on Craigslist. Better yet, it had never been in police service. BINGO! Not long after buying the RT-P, I was contacted through the MOA Forum by a fellow MOA member responding to a post I had made about my RT-P. He introduced himself as the bike’s second owner and provided the bike’s history up to the owner I had purchased the bike from to explain its history.

“Turns out the bike was a demo for Beaudry Motorsports in Post Falls, Idaho, where Stephen Beaudry was intent on selling RT-Ps to every law enforcement organization in the United States. To do this, he trailered around to agencies considering the RT-P until the 2002-2003 model was replaced by the dual-spark 2004 model, making this particular demo yesterday’s newspaper. I’ve been commuting by RT-P to and from work ever since. At 40 miles per day and 200 miles per week, I’m averaging 10,000 miles per year just commuting, so my miles have added up quickly.

“My son started riding with me in 2012 and at that time bought an R 1200 GS Adventure after realizing it would be nice to have a bike that could get dirty, carry a lot of camping gear and could go off the pavement. I’m also his ride home from his various camps and sports programs in the summer, and we do at least one motocamping trip together each summer.

“Though I don’t have one ‘most memorable ride,’ the first overnight moto-camping trip with my then seven-year-old son ranks up there pretty high. Of course, the harrowing escapes and brushes with death are also memorable, including the time a van merged into me at 60 mph and his right side mirror got caught up in my left side mirror. We continued down the freeway connected by our mirrors for about a hundred feet before being magically disconnecting just as quickly as we had come together. I’ll remember that adrenaline rush for the rest of my life!”

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highmileage

Dwight Olson #146027 Enid, Oklahoma 100,000 miles

“I bought my first BMW, a 2002 R 1150 RT, in 2008. I was curious about BMW because I had always wanted one back in the days before kids. I rode it everywhere and was so happy to have such a fine bike.

“I promptly joined the MOA and started learning about BMWs and the wonderful people that ride them. The following spring I learned about the Iron Butt Association and went with a group of friends on a Saddle Sore ride of 1000 miles in 24 hours. I didn’t realize that I was also going to ride 500 miles the next day and get another award for riding 1500 miles in 36 hours. I was the only BMW bike in a group of Harleys. It was awesome to be able to ride that far in such a short time and do it with relative ease and comfort.

“The next year I rode 2,000 miles in two days, and the following year, 3000 miles in three days. I met another new rider named Gregg who had recently purchased a K 1200 S, and started riding with him and introducing him to BMW motorcycles. After I had accumulated 70,000 miles on the RT, a 2006 K 1200 GT caught my eye, and I changed steeds.

“My next big trip was a Coast to Coast IBA ride the following spring which took me from Jacksonville, Florida, to San Diego, California, in less than 50 hours. I wasn’t sure I could do it, even though I had read numerous articles from people that had. The first five hours of the trip were rainy, but it wasn’t cold in Florida at the time, and I stayed dry because of the aerodynamics of the BMW fairing and my Aerostich suit.

It was amazing to see our beautiful country and ride more than 1,200 miles a day for two days! All in all, I

BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

had an exhilarating experience with my bike and the challenge of accomplishing something that seems impossible!

“I also purchased a 2006 F 650 GS to romp around in the dirt. It is a fun bike to ride and throw around as compared to a heavy touring bike. However, my favorite ride is my 2012 K 1600 GTL. I have had it 18 months and love everything about it. It‘s more comfortable than I could have imagined, looks fantastic and has more technology than most cars on the road. This past summer I did a Mexico Border to Canadian Border ride with some friends and loved the whole ride. It was the easiest Iron Butt Ride I’ve done through some of the most desolate and beautiful scenery at the same time. I loved North Dakota especially and have to go back there.

“I routinely ride with friends but don’t mind riding alone either. I ride 15,00018,000 miles per year and ride year round if the roads are safe. There is something very refreshing about being in the ‘elements’ and clearing your mind of stress with the hum of the machine underneath you. BMW doesn’t make the only motorcycles, but the ones they do produce, make me want to ride them and ride them and ride them.”

Muriel Farrington

Muriel Farrington #89571 White River Junction, Vermont 300,000 miles

“Most of my miles were accumulated on my 2012 F 650 GS and in the fall, 2014, I made a 9,000-mile solo ride from Vermont to California and then back through Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and home through the mountains. I spent a lot of time in Utah and New Mexico in various national parks as well as Canyon de Chelly.

Due to road conditions, I did not get to Chaco Culture, so I’ll have to go back. Capital Reef and Escalante were some of my favorite spots along the way, though camping in the Mojave was pretty special too.

“I do have destinations, but I usually just follow the front wheel to get there,and unless I’m headed for a friend’s home, I usually don’t know where I’ll spend the night. I usually ride alone and find that people are more likely to talk to you when you’re alone. Another benefit of riding alone is if I see an interesting road along the way, I’ll take it. If the weather is bad to the left, I’ll go to the right. Life is an adventure.”

Dave McQueeney

Dave McQueeney #24244 West Covina, California 1.8 million miles

“I began riding in July of 1981 on a BMW US-spec model R 65 that I took delivery of in Germany. I ordered it through Iron Horse in Tucson, Arizona. Sadly, I understand that BMW no longer offers their European delivery option for their motorcycles. Over the years, I’ve owned 11 BMW motorcycles, and it’s been many years since I’ve owned a car.

“Since my last mileage award, I’ve accumulated nearly all of my miles on my 2013 R 1200 R as well as my 2002 R 1150 R. Though I don’t have a single “favorite” motorcycle, I’ve always enjoyed BMW roadsters and my two older R 100 GS models.

“Some of my most memorable rides have been the Iron Butt Association’s annual Memorial rides which have provided the opportunity for rides of remembrance of some of our deceased riders of the longdistance community. Though I usually ride alone, I often ride with friends to events.

“I’d also like to say I’m grateful for the service, support and friendship I’ve received over the years from Brown Motor Works of Pomona, California. For the past 30 or so years, they have enhanced my BMW riding activities.”

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www.edelweissbike.com

www.epmperf.com

www.twowheelsofsuches.com

www.bmca.com/moa

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mileageslaves

Time to just bag it

By David Cwi #28490 You’re in luck if you’re riding with Dave.

Here’s a no bounce hammer and wood enough guy. But block. And on and on and on. And did I sometimes an idea mention that a man needs a ball cap when comes along that he stops and takes off his helmet? gets me over-theSo let me repeat myself. Roll through top gleeful. And so your entire riding history. What did you it was when the wish you had, but didn’t? In my case that editor of this wonlist includes tweezers appropriate for derful magazine shot me an email removing a tick. I am not making that up, wondering what I had to say about as I also have bug spray. Create a list. Could packing a motorcycle. This is for sure you pack all that and still have a sport bike worse than asking the fox about how to flick in the twisties? best to secure the door on the henWhat if your bike also has a custom house. Me. Advice on packing a bike. made fuel cell that sits right behind you?

Oh, Ya!!!

NOW pack your bike. Okay, so what’s a Now, let’s back up a step. There rider to do? Well, here’s was a time when where I have ended up Raiders followed I WAS ROLLING IN A STATE THAT PILOTS when it comes to packing me with caution for and securing: fear of what was WOULD CALL “DC 10 HEAVY.” Keep the load 24 falling off the bike.

THAT IS, LOADED TO THE FREAKED OUT MAX! inches wide. If you ever Of course, that was had an old-school K bike, years ago and only you learned that any load behind you on tric gear off the bike and then in the spring at times when I was rolling in a state the seat wider than 24 or so inches blocked you forget to put it back on, when the night that pilots would call “DC 10 heavy.” the view backward as seen by those ridicutime temperatures turn cold…well, you That is, loaded to the freaked out lously stylish but essentially useless low would not want that to happen. So, let’s max for a long stay with tent, chair, mirrors. It’s the reason many K bike and make sure we are always packed for four cook gear and more, headed to a current R bike riders have GS mirrors seasons with at least the electric jacket liner rally, and planning to hang out. So I’d bolted to their handlebars. The 24 inch size and a couple of other layers. have my “normal” load and then limit gets me away from wide, massive dufAnd then of course you have to have that some. And if you have bag on top of fels and helps me avoid packing overload. full coverage bike cover. And to be efficient a bag clipped on to something else And it encouraged me to think about putyou want to be able to get off the bike and late in the packing…sometimes at ting one bag on top of another behind me go into a hotel room for the night without speed things, shall we say, “fall off.” whenever I did have to pack “big.” In fact, I having to unpack the bike, so everything My insistence on being “DC 10 designed my fuel cell to be wide but flat has to be in one saddle bag. heavy” was complemented by my and under four inches tall just so I could And what if you get hungry or need desire to still have a bike that hanuse it as a bag platform. hydration? Got to be a way to pack those dled well. So the push-pull of the But this width limit also hints at another peanuts, sport bars and fluids so you can desire to take along whatever I factoid. I may carry lots of different things stop, access, chew, gulp, and then roll. Wait wanted yet still be able to RIDE has but this does not mean that the whole setup a minute—photo op! Where’s the camera? made me pretty savvy at “securing weighs that much or that any one thing is Buddy have a flat tire? No problem. stuff to the bike,” which is different particularly big and bulky…hence the issue Where’s the air pump? His battery died and from “packing.” And that comment and challenge of adding on tents, ground he needs a jump start? Where’s that hi-tech starts to get us down to serious cloths, that chair and other bulky stuff to lithium ion battery jump starter gizmo business. an already established load. with the extra USB ports? Bent your rim?

Okay, let’s parse this problem into I’M A CHEERFUL

BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

parts. There is WHAT to take and there is HOW to take it. And the good editor thinks I have some insight into WHAT to take, being as how I have been packing stuff and schlepping it around for years. And that is the start of the joke.

Here in fact is the punch line: If I ever took a trip and during that trip discovered I left something home that I wished I had along, that “something” is packed for the next trip. Ditto if it is something I had to buy while on a trip to solve some problem.

You just never know. That problem may arise again. Better leave it on the bike. And of course cold weather is always a possible problem. So, if in the fall you take that elec-

Seats and luggage were among the two most common products once found at rally vendor booths. In that vein, Kermit Easterling, inventor of the Kermit Chair, also devised a type of soft luggage which, to me, is by far the best product of its type ever conceived. His “big” bag was just the right width and I had him make one just for me.

It is a somewhat bigger around version of his largest bag, allowing me to drop a computer case into the bag and have it sit on top of another bag so the whole thing could be zipped shut as one load. This strategy then used two “luggage inserts” one on top of the other.

What do I mean by “luggage insert?”

Well, now. These “duffle bag” concepts that are all the rage have no internal structure.

So rather than pack the bag, I pack the insert and put it INTO the bag. As it turns out, standard rolling airline overhead compartment bags are the ideal size. I am not talking the ones with pouches on the front and expansion zippers and internal frame handle structures. No, back in the day, those bags were created by taking a frame as a hoop maybe six inches wide, putting canvas around it, and riveting that hoop/ box to a rolling carrier with handle. You could drill out the rivets, throw away the rolling mechanism and were left with a zippered canvas “box.”

I am quite sure that a container store or Walmart has some sort of modern plastic equivalent intended for general purpose storage that can be packed and then bagged. You now have the ability to pack as you would for any trip. Because it has structure this also means you can strap it down or lean on it as a back rest and stack it.

Kermit’s bags were waterproof and had two zipper pulls which you could open half way from either side, making it is possible to open these bags even while they were strapped down. So snacks or a camera

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www.ayresadventures.com March 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS

93

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BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

mileageslaves

packed on top of the insert were in easy reach.

Finally, if you were stacking these you only really needed to strap down the lower of the bags. Kermit was smart and sewed loops to the lower portion of each bag. So when you strapped down the lower bag you could secure the upper bag to it. And unlike those goofy “water craft” bags with roll down tops, Kermit’s bags zipped open fully, One final note. Take a hard look at Roc Straps and cargo nets. And when it comes to cargo nets, recall that you can create your own net of any size by simply wire tying two of them together. I did that as I wanted ONE net covering the ENTIRE “big” camping load which means everything on the seat and everything on my luggage rack behind. A cargo net is your final safe guard, even if you don’t think you need it. And Roc straps are by far the best strapping system ever devised for a motorcycle, in my opinion.

Consider getting rid of your top box. I knew my K bike top box had to go the minute I actually took it off and carried it empty. The thing weighed a ton, had a useless internal shape, and was hanging off the back of the bike. I knew that a canvas bag with lots of stuff would weigh less than that top box empty. Toward that end, I had a shop fabricate an acrylic “rack” that I bolted to the platform left when the top box was removed, and the rest is history.

I’ve used that rack on every bike since. I am sure the aftermarket has a suitable variant of my creation, probably in aluminum.

I have a bag with tools and stuff unlikely to be used regularly sitting on this rack. On top of it sits some cold weather gear. Then, in front are the bag of clothes, computer, camera, “go food” and fluids, and whatever.

On TOP of all this goes the bulky stuff like my full size tent and so forth, but most times this is a fairly compact load, and the bag behind me serves as a back rest without which I could not in fact ride a motorcycle.

Pack your saddle bags the right way.

BMW bags are ridiculous. They present the ultimate challenge: how to precisely fill every square inch of a shape never intended to be useful but only graceful and stylish. I mean, the GS guys at least have a bag that looks like a box and not an out of kilter rhomboid where any square shape dropped into it leaves wasted space around it.

Naturally you bought a bag liner. And naturally you are screaming at it because once filled you can never really get it into the hard shell BMW side case. I can see you now trying to shut the freakin bag door while some part of the bag liner presses out somewhere and makes shutting the door a nightmare, especially if the bike is on the side stand. What’s the answer?

Well, Pilgrim…you already know the answer. Stop stuffing stuff into the bag liner. Drop in an insert and precisely pack smaller stuff around it, thus totally controlling the shape and making it easy to drop the liner into the hard shell bag. In fact if you have an R bike the near perfect insert is made by Sterilite and can likely be found at Walmart. Think 13 x 7 5/8 x 4 ½ with a snap shut lid. Two of these will fit into your bag liner. Put those usb cables and such in some ziplock bags or your cleaning cloths or socks or whatever and pack around them. Riders with cosmetics, contact lens solutions, medicines and assorted small stuff can thank me later when they put this container on the bathroom counter in their motel room.

Some final and probably obvious observations: If you DON”T need it or use it, don’t pack it. And, obviously, look for lighter weight versions of all your gear, for instance, micro fiber for blue jeans. Recall that compression is your friend, so those “roll out the air” compression bags are great for shrinking the size of bike covers and some other stuff. And you can make one out of any seal-able bag including those giant ziplock bags. Just nip a hole in the lower corner of the bag. (Little air comes back in once you’ve packed it shut.)

Looking forward to seeing you and your sweet load down the road! www.bohnriderprotection.com March 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS

95

lifestyle

jacktheriepe

When the smile does the talking

By Jack Riepe #116117 LAST

MONTH’S

column, “The Evolution of Motorcycle Camping,” drew some fire due to its singular perspective. A number of women riders took me to task because the female role in that story was consigned to the pillion. (The “pillion” is the open space on the seat behind the operator/rider.

Many guys seem to think it means something else.) For the record, every woman BMW rider I have ever met rides better than I do, is smarter than I am, and can beat me at Marathon Twister. (I invite all to try.) That being said, some of the comments I received from women regarding last month’s column were particularly biting.

They read: • “It is apparent you know a lot of women who are riders, and I am astounded that you have not yet succumbed to death by blunt force trauma.” — Angela A. • “I have a campsite you would love. It is 3 feet, by 6 feet, by 5 feet deep. I envision you in it often.”

— Kristin B. • “I now understand the reason why the baby harp seal is clubbed without remorse. It is because it is mistaken for you.” — Kimi C. Generally, I have to be married to a woman before she becomes this candid.

I sent last month’s column to an old flame for her evaluation. I have been chasing this flame for 40 years. (She is the “Dark Secret” described and idolized in my book Conversations With A Motorcycle.) There is no heat from this flame because she lives 400

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BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

miles away and will not give me an address.

I have learned to love her laugh…because that’s what she does…she calls me, laughs, and hangs up. She challenged me to write the same column as last month’s, but from the woman’s perspective.

So I decided to revisit “The Evolution of Motorcycle Camping.” This can’t be the same column, of course. But it is a different approach…

When The Smile Does The Talking…

By Jack Riepe #116117 She concluded that men and motorcycles had one thing in common: they both looked good on the showroom floor. New bikes sparkled under bright lights or in broad daylight behind plate glass. New men seemed interesting or even desirable in dimly lit bars, around smokey campfires, or in the “lost and found” gutters of the internet. You could test ride a bike for 50 miles or so, and usually walk away unscathed. But men are more like old bridges in modern cities. Their faults remained hidden until they are forced to carry a load. Sometimes it takes years to find the fatal cracks. Then getting rid of them isn’t always so easy.

Like now. In the middle of the desert.

He’d seemed like a good idea at the time.

He had a job, and he could ride well enough.

He had broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist, and the kind of butt that suggested he’d played football in college. He had six-pack abs. He had a square jaw and a simple laugh. His eyes shined pale blue. She recently discovered this was because there was nothing behind them to absorb the light. She had decided that he’d be good for heavy lifting and a couple of days on the road. But that was yesterday.

Parked side by side, their bikes were closer than anything she’d felt for him at the moment. Her German bike was older, had a mill that slanted forward and oozed

horsepower. His Teutonic machine was “iconic,” which was supposed to mean “more dignified” or something. It actually meant “hanging out the sides.” BMW had ceased production on her bike a year earlier.

It was the first time the Germans had built a bike whose horsepower matched its redline RPM. His bike had been in production since 425 B.C., with one engine modification. They were five miles off the paved road, surrounded by desert, on a flat little campsite that had once been an emerald mine or something. Surprisingly, the place had a name on a map that was mostly a blank page: “Tarantula Flats.”

He’d picked this spot based on the lyrics from the 1972 Eagles hit “Peaceful Easy Feeling.” He didn’t really know much about camping, and even less about camping in the desert. And that would be okay, if he’d admit it. He was of the thought that real men were born with the ability to camp, ride a horse, shoot a rifle, work a clutch, write a love letter and find the “G” spot.

(There was some evidence he could work a clutch.) A lot of his experience was based on what he’d read in moto magazines, and what he’d heard from other guys. Upon arriving at “Tarantula Flats,” his first order of the day was to change into flip-flops.

“Leave your boots on,” she’d said. “Leave the gear on the bike until you can put it into the tent.”

“I wasn’t going to set up the tent tonight,” he replied. “I thought we could sleep under a blanket of stars, like the cowboys.”

“This is the desert,” she said. “Everything here has thorns, fangs, or stingers—all dipped in poison. The cowboys never came here and the Indians left early. You pitch the tent. I’m gonna see what’s around.”

She walked down the trail they’d just ridden. Tire ruts indicated people came here, though not often. She found a few spent rifle cartridges, some broken bottles, and the desiccated remains of a desert hare, long

picked clean of anything edible. She’d been in places like this before. It was starkly beautiful in the beginning. There wasn’t much to see but nothing you wanted to miss. The brush was small, scraggly, and tough. The trail had been originally cut for wagons. Now it was groomed by the semiannual Jeep. It hadn’t been especially challenging for the two BMW street bikes, but you didn’t want to drop one in here either.

She didn’t expect to find much. She really wanted to just get far enough away to see how the guy could handle himself alone.

The tent was his. He’d gone on about it for a week. It was a radical rhombohedron design, with a trapezoid vestibule. It was made of a space-age polymer that kept moisture out and intimate thoughts in, or some nonsense like that. The sun was setting, and this place was starting to stir. She’d been gone about 45 minutes when she heard him calling.

The tent was sort of up. It was one of those springy tent pole arrangements where each fiberglass rod was 18 feet-long when joined and had to be threaded through the red sleeve into the blue sleeve, or the gray sleeve into the green sleeve, then bent double and inserted into badly-sewn cup attachments. When properly erected, the tent would have the tensile strength of a snare drum, providing plenty of interior room for three circus midgets to perform a trapeze act.

Naturally, this was the first time he’d had it out of the bag. The pole segments didn’t seem to fit anything, let alone each other.

He’d joined them with duct tape. The tent hung like a half-spent weather balloon. He was calling her to dinner, which was ramen noodles simmering in a pot. And also because he wanted her to do something about a huge centipede, which had been chasing him around the campsite.

She drained the simmering noodle pot on the centipede, which she kicked into the brush. She passed on the ramen noodles, going for a chicken wrap and a slice of lemon cake she’d tucked into a soft cooler earlier that day at a Starbucks. He was

shocked…more by the fact that there was no chicken wrap and lemon cake for him, than by the fact that she had it at all.

It would be one more long day before they got to the rally. It would take her a whole morning to lose him in the crowd.

The rally was like any other moto function dedicated to the exclusive adoration of German-built motorcycles. There were the usual sessions on maintenance, on riding alone, on riding through lava, and on riding in countries where the roads were paved with skulls. There was supposed to be a session for women “K” bike riders looking for “K” biker men who looked like baby harp seals…but it had been cancelled, as some thought the content “inconclusive.” And that was the one she’d wanted to attend.

Still, she was going to meet “the guy who wrote those peculiar stories” in the magazine. He was autographing copies of his new book, Fat And 62 Is The New Thin And 37. He didn’t look thin and 37. He looked more like half man and half eclair. He glanced up and locked eyes with hers. It was the damnedest thing. He did look like a baby harp seal. He smiled and extended that smile through his outstretched hand.

“Care for a bite of eclair?” the smile asked.

“My name is Jack,” is what she heard.

I hope this story satisfies the Ladies’ Anti-Pillion Society… I hope to see you at the Salt Lake City Rally.

www.epmwilbers.com

www.gotournz.com

Jack Riepe’s last surgery has left his head facing backwards. He can no longer tell if he’s coming or going. There is no book: Fat And 62 Is The New Thin And 37. However the revised edition of Conversations With A Motorcycle is out, and from a new publisher, too. The new edition explains douches in New Jersey and answers many questions about the Garden State. Want one? Email your name and address to jack.riepe@gmail. com. Put “Book Order” in the subject line. www.legalspeeding.com

March 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS

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RALLY

2017 BMW MOA INTERNATIONAL Rally

Rally planning in high gear

By Greg Feeler #2241 2017 BMW MOA Rally Chair IT’S JUST OVER FOUR MONTHS TO THE

“Crossroads of The West” Rally in Salt Lake City! Planning for the rally is going at warp speed and we have a lot to talk about!

Registration

Rally registration opened February 1st.

Register now and save $20 over the gate price and be entered in a bi-weekly prize drawing running through April! Your registration gets you into every prize drawing even if you’ve already won. Register early to get the most chances to win!

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BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

Rally Update Email

When you register, be sure to “opt-in” to receive our rally newsletter. With each edition, you’ll receive news and links about the rally, maps, schedules and other useful information.

Stickers

In this issue you’ll find a sheet with a pair of “Crossroads of the West” stickers with the official rally logo for 2017 and a pair of “Find Your Crossroads” stickers celebrating our greater common passion for riding and adventure. Place the stickers on your

bike and send us a picture to be entered in some exciting contests.

Contests

Starting early March, we’ll announce fun activities on the MOA web site at bmwmoa. org as well as on the MOA Facebook pages.

Some of these include sending a picture of one or two of the stickers mentioned above on your bike parked in an exciting location.

While these activities will be just a good excuse for a ride, others will offer cool prizes! Details are still being ironed out, so be sure to check the BMWMOA web site at

bmwmoa.org/rally for details.

Prize Bikes

Two lucky 2017 rally goers will win one of two brand new BMW R nineTs—and they get to pick the one they want! Yes, winners can choose any R nineT model, and they can wait for a new model not available at rally time (time limits apply, read more about this on our website and social media sites).

Bike Show

We are expanding our traditional bike shows, so if you have something you

consider a “custom,” be it a café, a GS variant, scrambler or something in between, bring it to show. This project is in process, so check our web pages, social media and forum for more information.

Entertainment

We’ll have awesome entertainment in Salt Lake City this July! The theme is “Rockabilly” with possible excursions into Swing, Country Swing, Bluegrass, or Roots Country. Many of those on stage will be original artists performing their own compositions to give you an exciting, foot-tapping and

dancing-feet experience!

Stay Updated

Go to www.bmwmoa.org/rally for detailed information including Rally FAQs, informational links, site maps and much more.

Rally content will grow as we get closer to July, so be sure to check back often to see what’s new, or sign up for the email newsletters when you register.

Find Your Crossroads whenever you ride—hopefully at the Crossroads of The West in Salt Lake City!

March 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS

99

RALLY

2017BMW MOA INTERNATIONAL RALLY

The Snake River Ramble: the 2017 GS Giants Gypsy Tour

By Tracy Novacich #123130 SPRING IS ALMOST HERE, AND

most of us in North America are making plans for the upcoming riding season. Hopefully, part of your plan is to “Find Your Crossroads” with your fellow BMW MOA members on your way to Salt Lake City, Utah, for the annual BMW MOA International Rally. This year, The GS Giants will uphold their tradition of a rally-before-therally and invite everyone to join them for their annual signature event July 9-12 at Mountain River Ranch nestled on the banks of the Snake River near Ririe, Idaho.

This may be our most perfect event location ever as eastern Idaho and western Wyoming offer some of the best adventure riding experiences.

Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Caribou-Targhee National Forest, Craters of the Moon National Monument and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, are all close by! Visit mountainriverranch.com for more information.

Michelin North America will once again contribute to making this an event to remember, and we are very pleased to announce that Klim will also be among our sponsors this year, adding an element of fun and excitement along with some great gear that could be yours!

Never attended a GS Giant event?

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BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

Don’t think your skills are up to snuff?

Intimidated by serious rock garden riders?

You don’t know anyone? Well, don’t let any of these excuses stop you. This event is not about being the best rider, and skill levels range from zero off-road experience to hard core adventure riders. Just ride within

your comfort level, and you’ll fit right in. If you’re interested, challenge yourself to become comfortable getting off the beaten path with the help of fellow Giants there to offer guidance and advice or to just pick you up, dust you off, and hand you a beer at the end of the day. While the GS Giants hold an affinity for dirt, our road warrior friends are also welcome and won’t be disappointed with the scenic byways found in Eastern Idaho.

The concept is simple: $125 gets you three nights of primo tent camping in the shadow of the Tetons, and RV sites and cabins are available by contacting the Mountain River Ranch directly. Start each day with a hearty, professionally catered breakfast and then

ride out solo or with old and new friends to spend the day exploring all that the area has to offer. Then, return later that afternoon and relive your adventure along with fellow Giants, a few icy microbrews and some good dinner grub. Don’t forget you’ll also get an excellent swag bag filled with coveted giveaways and raffle tickets for some awesome prizes from Sena, Klim, and more!

The Snake River Ramble concludes Wednesday morning with a gourmet breakfast to fuel more adventure and the three-hour ride to Salt Lake City, Utah. There, the madness continues with the GS Giants Part II at the BMW MOA International Rally where once again the Giants will build a custom adventure track suitable for anyone from novice to expert adventure riders. The track competition promises to be a show in itself.

More details will be available in the coming months, and for the latest information, visit the GS Giant’s website at gsgiants.com, and be sure to “like” THE GS GIANT Facebook page. Registration will open in April. Meanwhile, grab a permanent marker and put this one on your calendar. Just ask anyone who’s been to this event before—it’s EPIC! Lastly, we cannot hold this event or any other without the help of our GS Giant volunteers. We have a good core group but need your help to make this year’s events a GIANT success. Please contact the event organizers, Chairperson Tracy Novacich (tracy@novacich.com) or Co-Chair Mark Carrera (markcarrera@gmail.com), to learn how you can help.

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BMW OWNERS NEWS  March 2017

The

Benefits of

Membership

We have lined up some of the best discounts in the industry worth way more than $40 per year. Whether you need product discounts, travel discounts or specialized services, your MOA membership can save you thousands of dollars with our partners.

Product Discounts Butler Maps

Receive 15% off any map purchase!

BMW PERFORMANCE CENTER

The BMW Performance Center offers MOA members a 15% discount on one day on-road and offroad classes, as well as a two day off-road class.

Participants can ride their own motorcycle or rent a motorcycle at the Greer, SC facility.

The 15% discount will apply to motorcycle rentals and course fees. Provide your MOA number when booking.

Travel Discounts Compass Expeditions

5% off South America, Australia, Road of Bones, South America 360 and Cairo to Cape Town Tours.

Leisure & Lifestyle Discounts National Motorcycle Museum

Receive $1 off entry to the National Motorcycle Museum.

Retail & Shopping Discounts Bagel of the Month Club

Members can enjoy FRESH, authentic New York Bagels delivered to their door. 10% Off Your First Order!

Service Providers Massage Envy

Save $5 every month when you become a member. www.bmwmoa.org/discounts

www.bmwmoa.org/discounts For the complete listing of all member discounts, visit us online at bmwmoa.org/discounts

event

WHENANDWHERE

Email your event information to editor@bmwmoa.org

33 30 8

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March 1

Rally

3/30/2017 – 4/2/2017

March Moto Madness, Adventure

Location: Tellico Plains, Tennessee Contact: contact@marchmotomadness.com Come kick off the riding season and join the Madness with 700 plus friends, old and new!

It’s a gathering of Adventurous riders from across the world.

April 104

BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

2

4/7/2017 – 4/9/2017

Hill Country Hangout

Location: Kerrville, Texas Contact: Paul Mulhern 210-279-6074 pmulhern@swbell.net The best roads in Central Texas plus motorcycle museum, wineries, shopping, and more.

3

Saturday night dinner and awards with cash bar, $500 worth of door prizes, event t-shirt, special MOA gift and a silent auction to benefit the Motorcycle Relief Project. Event Fee does not include lodging. Visit bmwmoa.org/getaway to register for the event and contact Fontana Dam Village at 800849-2258 for room reservations.

4/21/2017 – 4/23/2017

MOA Getaway

Location: Fontana Dam, North Carolina Contact: bmwmoa.org/getaway Join us amidst the pristine beauty and fantastic roads of the Nantahala National Forest in the mountains of western North Carolina for an event you’re sure to remember.

An $89 event fee includes a Friday night welcome party and dinner with cash bar,

4

4/29/2017 – 4/30/2017

32nd Annual BMW Motorcycle MotoExpo and Flea Market Location: Pecatonica, Illinois Contact: Earve Brauer/Steve Frank rockbmw2000@yahoo.com Until 8:00 PM 815-962-8911/ 815-761-0048 Huge indoor BMW MotoExpo and Flea Market, open both Saturday afternoon and Sunday! We welcome buyers, motorcycle

Detailed information for all events is available online at: bmwmoa.org

andaccessorydealers,vendorsandenthusiastsellers.

May 5

5/5/2017 – 5/7/2017

3rd Hopewell Road Rally

Location: Logan, Ohio Contact: Sam Booth samrbooth@yahoo.com Join the Southeastern Ohio Beemers again for a weekend of early spring riding in the hills of southern Ohio.

6

5/5/2017 – 5/7/2017

The Original Mini-Rally, 45th Year

Location: Sturgis, Michigan Contact: Mike Hart 269-317-9951 bathartx46x@comcast.net Welcome spring with us in Sturgis, Michigan, at the Green Valley Campground, S/W of town on Fawn River Rd.

7

the event and contact Coeur d’Alene Resort at 855-999-7998 for room reservations.

9

5/18/2017 – 5/21/2017

European Riders Rally

Location: Burkesville, Kentucky Contact: ridersrally@bmwmcon.org We’ll offer a weekend of great riding for both the street and dual sport enthusiast.

Explore the area on your own, or stay onsite and enjoy seminars, movies, motorcycle games and more.

10

5/18/2017 – 5/21/2017

45th Moto MO “Crane Rally”

Location: Crane, Missouri Contact: Ken Foster 417-827-3198 kenandemmfoster@cs.com Join the Springfield BMW Road Riders for camping along a spring-fed creek, with plenty of shade and grass to pitch your tent and park your bike.

11

5/19/2017 – 5/21/2017

43rd Annual Great River Road Rally (GR3) Location: Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin Contact: rally@madisonbmwclub.org Join us for the 43rd Annual Great River Road Rally in beautiful Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin, located at the epicenter of the best riding roads in the state.

12

5/19/2017 – 5/21/2017

2017 DownEast Rally

Location: Phippsburg, Maine Contact: Sanford Peabody 207-272-2367 rally@bmwrsm.org Join us as we return to Hermit Island at the start of the New England riding season for another DownEast Rally! Enjoy three days and two nights of Oceanside camping at Hermit Island Campground.

5/5/2017 – 5/7/2017

Georgia Mountain Rally

Location: Hiawassee, Georgia Contact: Geoff Maffett president@bmwmoga.org This is a great venue for both street and dual sport riding adventures. Your rally fee includes two nights camping, chili dinner, steak dinner and two pancake breakfasts.

8

5/12/2017 – 5/14/2017

MOA Getaway

Location: Coeur d-Alene, Idaho Contact: bmwmoa.org/getaway There’s something magical about Lake Coeur d’Alene that’s hard to define, but it begins with the spectacular North Idaho sunsets and moonrises, the glowing lights of downtown Coeur d’Alene reflecting across its waters and the wonderful roads.

An $99 event fee includes a Friday night welcome party and dinner with cash bar, Saturday night dinner cruise and awards with cash bar, $500 worth of door prizes, event t-shirt, special MOA gift and a silent auction to benefit the Motorcycle Relief Project. Event Fee does not include lodging.

Visit bmwmoa.org/getaway to register for

www.blackhawkbmwclub.org

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event

whenandwhere

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13

5/19/2017 – 5/21/2017

Texas National Picnic

Location: Rusk, Texas Contact: Rich Barnhart 936-645-4549 detbmw@gmail.com Join us at the Texas State Railroad Park. This is a week-end campout with the Picnic being held at the Park Dining Hall around noon on Saturday.

14

5/19/2017 – 5/22/2017

32nd ABC Rally

Location: Ontario, Canada Contact: Rich Stevenson johnnydundas@gmail.com The Forest City Motorrad Club of Southwestern Ontario (MOA #159) will be hosting its 32nd rally at the Springwater Conservation Area, in S.W. Ontario.

15

5/20/2017 – 5/21/2017

New Sweden 450

Location: Cherry Hill, New Jersey Contact: Ron Cesaretti 856-425-4040 rcesaretti@comcast.net 450 miles of great back roads linked together in the tri-state area. The ride will take place over the course of 2 days, traversing some of the best roads in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York.

16

5/25/2017 – 5/29/2017

45th Annual 49’er Rally

Location: Mariposa, California Contact: bmwnorcal.wildapricot.org Join us for the 45th annual 49’er Rally at the Mariposa County Fairgrounds, Memorial Day weekend, 2017! Mariposa is the gateway to Yosemite National Park and located on scenic State Highway 49.

17

5/25/2017 – 5/28/2017

18th Annual ROK Rally

Location: Del Rio, Tennessee Contact: bmwrok.org It is our pleasure to host our 18th Annual ROK Rally in conjunction with an amazing synchronized firefly show

by Mother Nature at T.W.O. Creeks

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Camp area in Del Rio, Tennessee, Memorial Day weekend!

BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

5/26/2017 – 5/29/2017

2017 BMW Motorcycle Owners of Alabama Rally Location: Dunlap Tennessee Contact: bmwmoal.org Come join us at our Memorial Day Rally in the beautiful Sequatchie Valley in Dunlap Tennessee. Situated just west of, and close to Chattanooga, Tennessee, we’ll have some great suggested rides for you to explore the area. The rally grounds are the historical Coke Ovens Park and Museum.

June 19

6/2/2017 – 6/4/2017

MOA Getaway

Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Contact: bmwmoa.org/getaway Sitting at the eastern foot of the Rocky Mountains and within sight of Pikes Peak, Colorado Springs offers a delightful mix of western charm, sunny skies, crisp mountain air and wonderful roads.

An $89 event fee includes a Friday night welcome party and dinner with cash bar, Saturday night dinner and awards with cash bar, $500 worth of door prizes, event t-shirt, special MOA gift and a silent auction to benefit the Motorcycle Relief Project. Event Fee does not include lodging. Visit bmwmoa.org/getaway to register for the event and contact Hotel Elegante at 719-576-5900 for room reservations.

6/2/2017 – 6/4/2017

20 2017 Land of Oz Rally Location: Atchinson, Kansas Contact: Don Hamblin bmwscooter@gmail.com, 256-479-5606 Treat yourself to a weekend the whole family can enjoy at beautiful Warnock Lake, Atchison, Kansas! In the heart of the “best kept secret” of the midwest, you can enjoy scenic touring roads, ADV riding with the GS Giants, Championship KC BBQ (with special kids meals), Field Events, an Old School Bike Show, Live Music, Door Prizes, Awards, 24 hour gourmet coffee or explore historic sites in the most haunted city in the state.

21

6/2/2017 – 6/4/2017

43rd Annual Square Route Rally

Location: Sabillasville, Maryland Contact: Bruce Dimon president@bmwbmw.org Join us at Camp West Mar in the Catoctin Mountains of Maryland. There are a lot of twisty roads in the surrounding hills, field events, seminars, self-guided & guided guides (adventurous and paved), and an optional (extra cost) professionally guided tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield.

22

6/8/2017 – 6/11/2017

41st Annual Iowa Rally

Location: Middle Amana, Iowa Contact: purestodge.org, Steve Carson 319-330-2844, psta.rally@gmail.com Hosted by the Pure Stodge Touring Association. Enjoy shaded camping at the Middle Amana Community Park or nearby hotels.

Enjoy area Amana shops, hospitality and restaurants.

23

6/9/2017 – 6/11/2017

15th Annual Laurel Highlands BMW Riders Campout Location: Somerset, Pennsylvania Contact: George Blackham IV or Jason Kaplitz (gsjay@kaplitz.com) gjbiv1stsgtusmc@yahoo.com (814) 615 9138 We return to Pioneer Park Campground located in south central Pennsylvania. Pioneer Park is a terrific full-service camping resort with excellent showers and facilities.

24

6/9/2017 – 6/11/2017

25th Gathering of the Clans

Location: Ferguson, North Carolina Contact: Charlie Smith 276-628-3251 bmwcharlie@embarqmail.com Airheads and other members of the motorcycling community are cordially invited to join us for this weekend of celebration at High Country Motorcycle Camp. Roads for any style of riding, plenty of shaded creekside camping, clean hot showers, tech sessions, Friday and Saturday evening meals.

25

6/15/2017 – 6/17/2017

17th Annual Red Rock Rendezvous Rally Location: Panguitch, Utah Contact: beehivebeemers@hotmail.com The Rally site is the gateway to Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef and Grand Canyon

National Parks; plus there are 10 additional state parks within one hour riding! Make plans to attend the best little rally in the west.

26

6/18/2017 – 6/23/2017

Appalachian Mountains and Music Motorcycle Tour Location: Front Royal, Virginia Contact: Tamela Rich tamela@tamelarich.com Luxury tour includes accommodations, meals, and two private bluegrass concerts!

In addition to these iconic roads, the tour itinerary celebrates Appalachia’s rich history, its fusion of musical genres and dances, its distinctive cuisine, and its oral storytelling heritage. Begins at Front Royal, VA on June 18 and ends in Little Switzerland, NC on June 23.

27

6/23/2017 – 6/25/2017

The BMW Riders of Oregon Chief Joseph Rally Location: John Day, Oregon Contact: Doug Tewksbury 541-543-7320 bmwro.rallymaster@gmail.com The fairgrounds has it all - green grass camping, hot showers, clean restroom facilities, a large pavilion building for meals, improved Wi-Fi connections and an RV park.

July 7/13/2017 – 7/16/2017

28 BMW MOA International Rally Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Contact: Greg Feeler 2017rallychair@bmwmoa.org Utah is a rider’s wonderland with 21 national parks and monuments, 40 state parks, and seven national forests. Easy day rides from the Fairpark will take you into the mountains to Park City, the Utah Olympic Park, and the year-round resorts of Alta, Solitude, and Snowbird.

7/20/2017 – 7/23/2017

29 46th Annual

Top O’ The Rockies Rally Location: Paonia, Colorado Contact: Matt Baroody matthewbaroody@msn.com The Paonia area boasts some of Colorado’s best riding, both on and off road. Your rally fee includes three nights shaded camping, Saturday meal and two nights live entertainment. Great place to stop after the MOA rally!

7/20/2017 – 7/23/2017

30 45th Annual Cascade Country

Rendezvous

Location: Republic, Washington Contact: wsbmwr.org Join us for the 45th annual Cascade Country Rendezvous in beautiful Republic Washington. Camp at the Ferry County Fairgrounds or stay in a local motels.

August 31

8/5/2017

18th Annual 100,000 Ft. Ride

Location: Lakewood, Colorado Contact: Carl Thomte 303-753-662 rcarloski@msn.com Ride enough mountain passes in a day to equal 100,000 ft.! This ride can go from 300500 miles depending on the final route.

32

8/11/2017 - 8/13/2017

40th Annual Daniel Boone Rally

Location: Boone, North Carolina Contact: rally@carolinasbmwmoa.org Join us for the 40th Annual Dan’l Boone Rally at the KOA Campground in Boone, North Carolina. Some of the best motorcycle roads east of the Mississippi River with three states in easy distance. Ride the Blue Ridge Parkway, High Country of North Carolina and much more.

33

8/17/2017 - 8/20/2017

Nakusp Hotsprings Rally

Location: Nakusp, British Columbia, Canada Contact: Grant Fengstad nakupsrally@beeceebeemers.com The areas around Nakusp, BC boasts some of the best riding roads in all of British Columbia. Whether you come for the workshops, talks, camaraderie, riding or to relax

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www.johnstownthunder.com

whenandwhere

in this picturesque location you will not regret your visit.

8/17/2017 - 8/20/2017

34 19th Beartooth Rendezvous Location: Red Lodge, Montana Contact: Charlie Greear/Carla Tooth registrar@beartoothbeemers.org (208) 661-5639/(406) 696-2114 You can’t ask for a better view! Join us at the Lions Camp located 10 miles south of Red Lodge, Montana. Ample camping space is available in and around the camp and there’s even a mountain stream nearby.

35

8/18/2017 - 8/20/2017

MOA Getaway

Location: Eureka Springs, Arkansas Contact: bmwmoa.org/getaway Nestled in the Ozark Mountains of northwest Arkansas and surrounded by rivers and lakes, Eureka Springs is known for its healing waters and ribbons of highway curling around majestic bluffs and over hills revealing the area’s breathtaking scenery.

An $89 event fee includes a Friday night welcome party and dinner with cash bar, Saturday night dinner and awards with cash bar, $500 worth of door prizes, event t-shirt, special MOA gift and a silent auction to benefit the Motorcycle Relief Project. Event Fee does not include lodging. Visit bmwmoa.org/getaway to register for the event and contact Inn of the Ozarks at 800-8148307 for room reservations.

September 36

9/8/2017 - 9/10/2017

MOA Getaway

Location: Pineville, Kentucky Contact: bmwmoa.org/getaway Set in the Kentucky Ridge State Forest and surrounded by mountains, this secluded resort offers peace and tranquility and is the perfect place for fun and great riding.

A $89 event fee includes a Friday night welcome party and dinner with cash bar, Saturday night dinner and awards with cash bar, $500 worth of door prizes, event t-shirt, special MOA gift and a silent auction to

www.twistedthrottle.com/mydealer

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BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

benefit the Motorcycle Relief Project. Event Fee does not include lodging. Visit bmwmoa.org/getaway to register for the event and contact Pine Mountain State Resort Park at 606-337-3066 for room reservations.

37

9/8/2017 - 9/10/2017

MOA Premier Getaway

Location: Sedona, Arizona Contact: bmwmoa.org/getaway Surrounded by red-rock buttes, steep canyon walls and lush pine forests, the Sedona area offers some of the most scenic rides in the southwest through postcard perfect rock formations and beautiful landscapes.

A $129 event fee includes a Friday welcome party and dinner, Saturday dinner and awards, $500 in door prizes, polo shirt, special MOA gift and silent auction benefitting the Motorcycle Relief Project. Visit bmwmoa.org/getaway to register for the event and contact Poco Diablo Resort at 928-2827333 for room reservations.

9/15/2017 - 9/17/2017

38 8th Annual Twin Valley Rally Location: Meadows of Dan, Virginia Contact: Seth Pagani seth@twinvalleyrally.org Imagine the perfect motorcycle rally. You put it in an area renowned for amazing roads and sublime scenery. You host it in a clean, intimate campground with proper amenities. You make it small enough to get to know practically everybody there, but large enough to broaden your friendships.

You have music, door prizes, and possible test rides of fine new machines, amazing food, vendors and fun events. That’s what Twin Valley Riders, the sport-touring and adventure-riding club of Southwest Virginia has done with the Twin Valley Rally.

9/22/2017 - 9/24/2017

39 31st Annual Hoosier Beemers

Rally

Location: North Vernon, Indiana Contact: www.facebook.com/hoosier. beemers Join us for great riding in scenic southern Indiana. Rally fee of $30 includes two nights camping, Friday night gourmet hot dog roast with all the fixins’ and live bluegrass band, Saturday night dinner, door prizes and awards.

9/22/2017 - 9/24/2017

40 14th Thunder Mountain

Rendezvous

Location: Hotchkiss, Colorado Contact: Gary Campbell 970-210-2604, gcampbell44@yahoo.com Come join the 14th Thunder Mountain Rendezvous hosted by the BMW Riders of Western Colorado! We will be at the Delta County Fairgrounds in downtown Hotchkiss on Color Weekend on the sestern Slope of Colorado and once again offering great camaraderie, a beautiful venue, and the greatest riding in Colorado.

41

9/29/2017 - 9/30/2017

Oklahoma BMW Rally

Location: Talihina, Oklahoma Contact: Mike Truel, mtruel1@cox.net Come join the Central Oklahoma BMW Road Riders for this multi-club camp out in southeast Oklahoma! The Talimena State Park marks the Oklahoma entrance to the Talimena National Scenic Drive, a winding road through the Winding Stair Mountains that is known for spectacular foliage.

42

9/29/2017 - 9/30/2017

Gathering of the Clams

Location: Wakefield, Rhode Island Contact: Carl A Saccoccio 401-447-7114 carlsaccoccio@verizon.net Join us at Camp Fuller YMCA on beautiful Great Salt Pond in Wakefield, Rhode Island.

Enjoy three days and two nights of oceanside camping or sleep in a shared cabin at no extra charge.

43

9/29/2017 - 10/1/2017

MOA Getaway

Location: Tomah, Wisconsin Contact: bmwmoa.org/getaway Experience a unique combination of quiet Midwest charm in an area untouched by glaciers. The Driftless Area is characterized by its beautifully sculpted topography, forested hillsides with valleys cut into limestone bedrock by cold-water trout streams.

An $89 event fee includes a Friday welcome party and dinner, Saturday dinner and awards, $500 in door prizes, t-shirt, special MOA gift and silent auction benefitting the Motorcycle Relief Project. Visit bmwmoa.org/getaway to register for the event and contact the Cranberry Country Lodge at 608-374-2801 for room reservations.

www.tristedthrottle.com/sw-motech March 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS

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9/29/2017 - 10/1/2017

44 2017 Rams Rally

Location: Parker Crossroads, Tennesee Contact: Spencer Bennett 901-626-2831 spencer14554@gmail.com Friday and Saturday nights tent camping, pancake breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, Saturday evening dinner, endless Coffee, Lemonade and Ice Water at Rally Central, live music, and Legendary RAMS Door Prizes.

November 11/10/2017 - 11/12/2017

45 16th Swamp Scooter Gumbo Rally Location: Carencro, Louisiana Contact: James Carpenter president@swampscooters.net Everyone is welcome at our Annual Gumbo Rally so come pass a good time and laisser les bons temps rouler (let the good times roll) at Bayou Wilderness Rv Resort near Lafayette. Rally fee includes great food Friday and Saturday nights as well as breakfast on Saturday, bike games, shaded camping, a great location to camp and enjoy the bonfires.

11/10/2017 - 11/12/2017

46 MOA Getaway

www.bluerimtours.com

Location: Texas Hill Country, Texas Contact: bmwmoa.org/getaway Join us this November in the rumpled terrain of Texas’s famed Hill Country, an area laced with endless miles of appealing twolane blacktop running through wooded canyons cut by spring-fed rivers.

A $89 event fee includes a Friday night welcome party and dinner with cash bar, Saturday night dinner and awards with cash bar, $500 worth of door prizes, event t-shirt, special MOA gift and a silent auction to benefit the Motorcycle Relief Project. Event Fee does not include lodging. Visit bmwmoa.org/getaway to register.

Join the BMW MOA FACEBOOK page today! Get the MOA Newsfeed via Twitter for more BMW and motorcycle news – www.twitter.com/bmwmoa

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BMW OWNERS NEWS March 2017

advertiserindex Abus Security............................................... 83 Action Stations/Bohn Armor.......... 25, 95 Adriatic Moto Tours................................... 45 Adventure Designs.................................... 94 Adventure New Zealand Tours............. 97 AeroFlow....................................................... 36 Aerostich-RiderWearHouse.................... 83 Alaska Leather............................................. 23 Alaska Motorcycle Adventures............. 23 Ayres Adventures....................................... 93 Beach’s Motorcycle Adventures........... 90 Beemer Boneyard...................................... 41 Beemer Shop, The...................................... 54 Best Rest Products..................................... 93 Bing Agency................................................. 94 Blackhawk BMW Club............................105 Blue Rim Tours...........................................110 BMW of Pensacola..................................... 23 BMW MOA Foundation......................76-81 BMW of Southeast Michigan................. 54 BMW Performance Center...................... 40 Boxer Works Service................................102 BullRack......................................................... 18 Cardo Systems............................................. 34 Cee Baileys Aircraft Plastic............... 29, 91 Colorado Tourbike Rentals..................... 25 Continental Tire.......................................... 37 Corbin Pacific............................................... 55 Cyclenutz.....................................................102 DMC Sidecars............................................... 47 Don’t Want a Pickle.................................... 37 Dubbeju Motorcycle Rentals................. 27 Edelweiss Bike Travel................................ 89 EPM Hyper Pro..................................... 23, 90

Euro Moto Electrics................................... 45 First Gear......................................................IBC Geza Gear...................................................... 23 GS-911 Diagnostic Tool............................ 37 Global Rescue.............................................. 40 GSM Motorent............................................. 46 HanniganMotorsports............................. 90 Haynes NA/Clymer Manuals.................. 93 Helmet Sun Blocker................................... 18 HEX-ezCAN.................................................102 Ilium Works.................................................102 IMTBIKE TOURS................................... 25, 33 Johnstown Thunder................................107 Kermit Chair Company............................. 27 Lee Parks Design......................................101 Legal Speeding Enterprises................... 97 M4Motorcycles..................................36, 101 MachineartMoto........................................ 41 MC Wheel Repair........................................ 46 Michelin Tire....................................................5 MOA Member Benefits..........................103 MOA Platinum Roadside Assistance... 85 Morton’s BMW Motorcycles................... 13 Moto Aventura..........................................101 Moto-Bins...................................................... 83 Moto Machines........................................... 47 Moto Machines/Capital Cycle............... 18 MotoDiscovery............................................ 47 Motonation..................................................BC Motorcycle Releif Project - psa............. 55 Motorcycle Travel Network.................... 23 Motorex USA................................................ 29 Motorrad Elektrik....................................... 23 Motoskiveez................................................. 47

Mountain Master Truck Equipment...... 18 MTA Distributing/Olympia Moto Sports..IFC Overseas Speedometer........................... 23 Palo Alto Speedometer............................ 47 Parabellum................................................... 18 Progressive Insurance.............................. 11 Ray Atwood Cycles..................................102 Redverz........................................................101 Remus USA................................................... 19 Rider Magazine..........................................110 RTW Moto Tours......................................... 41 Russel Cycle Products.............................102 Saddlemen......................................................9 Sargent Cycle Products............................ 46 Scenic Wheels Motorcycle Tours........102 Spectro Oils of America............. 23, 25, 27 Spiegler.......................................................... 46 Stop ‘n Go...................................................... 18 Street Eagle Motorcycle Rentals............. 37 Suburban Machinery................................ 83 TecMate......................................................... 45 Total Control Training............................... 54 Touratech.........................................................1 Touring Sport BMW................................... 33 Twisted Throttle.............................. 108, 109 Two Wheels of Suches.............................. 90 Venture Heat................................................ 21 Weiser Technik............................................ 53 Westco Battery............................................ 33 Wheels of Wonderment M/C Camp.... 18 Wilbers USA........................................... 46, 97 Wolfman Luggage..................................... 25 Ztechnik......................................................... 35

BMW ON (ISSN:1080-5729) (USPS: 735-590) (BMW Owners News) is published monthly by BMW Motorcycle Owners of America Inc., 640 S. Main Street, Suite 201, Greenville, SC 29601. Periodicals postage paid at Pewaukee, Wisconsin and additional mailing offices. Opinions and positions stated in materials/articles herein are those of the authors and not by the fact of publication necessarily those of BMW MOA; publication of advertising material is not an endorsement by BMW MOA of the advertised product or service. The material is presented as information for the reader. BMW MOA does not perform independent research on submitted articles or advertising.

POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO BMW ON, 640 S. Main Street, Suite 201, Greenville, SC 29601 © 2017 by BMW Motorcycle Owners of America Inc. All information furnished herein is provided by and for the members of BMW Motorcycle Owners of America, Inc. Unless otherwise stated, none of the information (including technical material) printed herein necessarily bears endorsement or approval by BMW MOA, BMW NA, the factory or the editors. The editors and publisher cannot be held liable for its accuracy. Printed in the USA. Volume 47, Number 3.

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talelight

A long and lonely road Photo by Michael Martin

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BMW OWNERS NEWS – A PUBLICATION OF THE BMW MOTORCYCLE OWNERS OF AMERICA

MARCH 2017

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MARCH 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS www.bmwmoa.org