BMW Owners News November 2017

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

NOVEMBER 2017

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Inside features

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riding between central california's famous valleys

By Bill Reeve #194988 Charles Kuralt said, "Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anythng." Our intent was the opposite, to spend a week riding two of California's most famous valleys while avoiding the interstate.

our epic alaskan motorcycle adventure

By Paul Phillips #189196 When used in the same sentence, how can the words Alaska and motorcycle mean anything but epic adventure. Photojournalist Paul Phillips takes us along on his first visit there..

Rebuilding a first year r 100 rs

By Brook Reams #114474 In the classic Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig stated: "The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called yourself." Following that advice, Brook Reams began rebuilding not only BMWs, but himself as well.

a friend on the other end of the line

By Ken Frick #199204 Seeing my Ohio plate, they knew I had been on the road for some time and invited me to join them at a California cafe for a bit of air conditioning and conversation on what would become a long afternoon.

ON THE COVER: A team of riders struggle to pull their R 1200 GS from a creek at the BMW Performance Center in Greer, South

Carolina. The riders were competing in the eastern GS Trophy regional. Full coverage of the event will be published in the December issue. Photo by Bill Wiegand #180584

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BMW OWNERS NEWS  November 2017

the club 4 Owners News Contributors 8 Headlight Time to put down the phone by Bill Wiegand 10 President's Column Happy Thanksgiving by Wes Fitzer 12 Postcards from the Road 14 Rider to Rider Letters from our Members Member tested/ product news 16 REV’IT Sand 3 Adventure Suit, Weiser Technik 2-in-1 LED driving/ turn signal lights, Wunderlich ERGO seat for R 1200 GS.

24 Make hotel reservations from the MOA website and save money

with Priceline, Stay comfortable with Touratech Primero Base Layers, New LED lighting options from Denali, ADVance Guard adjustable hand guards from MachineartMoto, Moto-Skiveez Traveler Shirt, MOA Board proposes bylaw change.

tech 28 Keep ‘em Flying Thinking of Europe again,

by Matthew Parkhouse

discovery 38 Long Distance Syle AIMExpo 2017: Change is Good, by Deb Gasque

skills 74 Foundation News Street Strategies, by Roger Wiles 78 Ask a Pro Buying New versus Used, by Lee Parks lifestyle 84 Jack the Riepe Dealing with the Great Mystic,

by Jack Riepe

86 High Mileage Voni Glaves among members reaching new milestones, by Jim Heberling

88 Dealer Profile CalMoto, by Bill Wiegand events 92 When and Where Places to Ride and Things to See 95 Advertiser Index 96 Talelight

34 Nicht Uber Max Suspects for a dead battery, by George Mangicaro and Wes Fleming

Carving the scenic roads north of San Francisco.

Photo by Bill Wiegand #180584

November 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS

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the club

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CONTRIBUTORS 1. Paul Laramée has been a motorcycle rider, on and off, for the past 45 years. He worked first as a fishery biologist in his role as a consultant in Canada and Africa and then for Environment Canada in Québec. In the last 20 years, he has been a freelance writer and photographer in the field of tourism as well as a fineart photographer. Paul is also a motorcycle instructor and bought his first brand new BMW, an R 1200 GSA in 2011 He currently rides more than 15,000 km each year.

2. Paul Phillips #189196, is an endurance sports photographer most often found sitting backwards on the back of his BMW F 700 GS and shooting Ironman and other triathlon events around the world. Although he’s been shooting from a motorcycle since 2002, Paul has only been riding since 2010, when, after getting a taste of track time, he was hooked. In addition to a weekend with the California Superbike School, this year he spent a fortnight sharing the energy and excitement of the 2017 Isle of Man TT.

3. Brook Reams started riding in 1970 when he fixed his father’s Vespa scooter and road it illegally to high school (Dad never found out). In 1975 he bought his first BMW, an R 75/6, and he and his wife currently have six BMW motorcycles parked in their garage and work shop. Brook and his wife have ridden all over the world as well as the most challenging third world traffic conditions of all, the George Washington Bridge in New York City on a hot, humid Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. Brook started rebuilding airheads in 2009 for mental health reasons, and to date he has worked on four rebuild projects. Unfortunately, his wife says there has been no improvement in his sanity during his eight years of “hands on” therapy.

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BMW OWNERS NEWS November 2017

4. Ken Frick is relatively new to BMWs and his '05 RT is one of the seven motorcycles he’s owned since his college years back in the '70s. A retired freelance photographer, Ken now spends much of his free time writing stories to accompany the photographs he takes on his motorcycle travels, about his family, long-distance running and the 1953 MG TD both he and his wife claim as their own.

5. Bill Reeve is currently a Technical Program Manager at Google in Mountain View, California. Before taking this position, he retired from Lockheed Martin after 28 years as a Program Director, managing the development of satellites and science instruments for NASA. Previously, he was an Engineering Director at DeWalt Industrial Tool Company, and prior to that he worked as a geological engineer in Colorado. Bill has Masters of Science degrees in geological, mechanical and electrical engineering.

Restoring electrical test equipment, wrenching on motorcycles and riding on- and off-road are his long-term passions.

6. J im 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.

www.weisertechnik.com

Long Gone

Just off Highway 14 along the scenic Poudre River west of Fort Collins, Colorado, the Kinikinik Store stands forgotten and deserted.

Photo by Dean Mickelson #80636

November 2017  BMW OWNERS NEWS

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headlight Magazine of the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America MANAGING EDITOR

Bill Wiegand bill@bmwmoa.org

Time to put down the phone

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 November 2017

THEY ARE AS EASY TO SPOT AS A SINGLE OAK TREE TOWERING HIGH

above an open prairie. Oblivious to the world around them and usually moving slower than the surrounding traffic. Maybe even weaving left and right to avoid invisible obstacles.

As you ride past them, your suspicions are confirmed. The erratically moving vehicle is being controlled by a driver looking down at a phone, their thumb bouncing over its face.

Already dealing with the supposedly focused drivers who don’t see us, roadway debris, animals darting into our paths, riders face many dangers every time we pull on our helmets.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2012 more than 3,300 people were killed in crashes involving distracted drivers and an estimated 421,000 more were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. At any given daylight moment in the U.S., approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating other electronic devices while driving. The odds are definitely stacked against us.

While distracted driving is categorized as driving while doing any activity that takes your attention away from driving and includes things such as using a navigation system, eating or even talking with a passenger, the vast majority of distracted driving incidents includes the use of a cell phone.

Texting while driving is especially dangerous because it involves all three of the primary types of driver distractions, including taking your eyes off the road, taking your hands off the wheel and taking your mind off of driving.

News broadcasts regularly carry stories of crashes caused by distracted driving, and none of them more vivid than a crash last March near San Antonio, Texas. Captured by a motorist trailing a white pickup truck, the 14-minute video showed the pickup truck crossing the double yellow center line 19 times, the solid white shoulder line 37 times and the grass shoulder at least five times.

Sadly, before the driver of the pickup could be intercepted, he crashed head-on into a bus carrying adult members of the First Baptist Church of New Braunfels, Texas, killing the driver and 12 passengers. An NTSB report indicated the driver told investigators he was checking his phone for a text when the crash happened and also stated he was using prescription drugs.

Another deadly crash that shouldn’t have happened.

Research performed at the University of Utah found that because of the degree of cognitive distraction cell phones cause, the behavior of drivers using mobile devices is equivalent to the behavior of drivers at the threshold of the legal limit for intoxication. Yet despite laws in nearly every state prohibiting the use of a cell phone while driving, the practice remains common.

More must be done to stop this dangerous practice.

I was excited to learn that Apple recently announced an app bundled with their iOS 11 named Do Not Disturb While Driving. Working whenever the phone is connected to a car via Bluetooth or cable or in a moving car, the app will withhold notifications including text messages or news updates and automatically respond with a message telling the sender that you are driving and can’t respond right now. Additionally, the iPhone's screen will also be locked to prevent drivers from using their phones. Sadly, iPhone users will have the option to turn the app off.

Is it a step in the right direction? Yes. Is it a big enough step? I don’t think so. I look forward to the day when apps like this are built into the operating systems of our cell phones and by default make them unusable when moving. While nobody likes Big Brother looking over our shoulders, protecting those around us from ourselves sometimes is in the best interest of all.

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.

PRESIDENTSCOLUMN

Happy Thanksgiving BMW MOA OFFICERS

Wes Fitzer, President 918-441-2114; wes.fitzer@bmwmoa.org Jean Excell, Vice President 719-650-6215; jean.excell@bmwmoa.org Reece Mullins, Secretary 334-470-7770; reece.mullins@bmwmoa.org Sam Garst, Treasurer 414-704-7767; sam.garst@bmwmoa.org BMW MOA DIRECTORS

Deb Lower 719-510-9452; deb.lower@bmwmoa.org Tracy McCarty 913-238-3182; tracy.mccarty@bmwmoa.org Marc Souliere 613-828-1798; marc.souliere@bmwmoa.org Roger Trendowski 732-671-0514; roger.trendowski@bmwmoa.org 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 Sue Rihn, Ambassador Liaison 262-424-2617; sue@beemerhill.com Lee Woodring, Consumer Liaison 770-331-2419; lee.woodring@bmwmoa.org Joe Leung, Consumer Liaison 403-689-9939; joe.leung@bmwmoa.org Brian Hinton, 2018 BMW MOA Rally Chair 2018rallychair@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 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 Leopard, Membership Services noelle@bmwmoa.org

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BMW OWNERS NEWS November 2017

By Wes Fitzer #170126 EACH YEAR AROUND THIS TIME, I LIKE TO TAKE A FEW MOMENTS

to think about some of the wonderful things in my life that I’m thankful for.

If you’re reading this in the United States and enjoy the greatest individual freedoms of any industrialized country in the world, thank the members of the armed services. Without their sacrifices, both our world and our lives would be a much different. I take every opportunity to thank past and present members of our military for their service to our great country. They have given so much for all of us, and a simple thank you is the very least we can do for them.

Secondly, if you can sleep at night knowing your home and community are protected by local police and fire departments and that emergency medical services are just a phone call away, be sure to thank these first responders when you can. These men and women work tirelessly protecting all of us not only from the things that go bump in the night, but those dreaded motorcycle accidents as well.

Because you’re reading this, be sure to thank a teacher. Some of the most influential people of my youth were my teachers and that includes my parents. Because of my mother, I’m able to type this column without looking at the keyboard. Thanks Mom! My father taught me, or tried to teach me, calculus and I can still vividly remember listening to him drone on and on as he worked to prove a theorem and then said, “Son, if they print these wrong, you’ll never get the right answer.” Thanks Dad! Next time you’re at an MOA event, be sure to thank your fellow MOA members who volunteered to host and work the event. Our volunteers are the people who make the MOA the greatest motorcycle club in the world, and if you haven’t taken the opportunity to list yourself in the Anonymous Book or volunteer at an event, I encourage you to do so—it’s a great way to meet fellow members.

As we all grow older it’s always good to be thankful for our health. Despite finding myself just a little sorer after each long ride, I always try to remind myself that at least I’m still healthy enough to ride. In my travels, I often meet current and former members who aren’t as lucky. I know firsthand how important our health is since I recently moved my elderly mother into our home to help care for her after watching her health decline over the past two years to the point where she can’t do the things she once enjoyed.

Finally, as a member of the MOA I’m guessing you own or have owned a motorcycle, which to many people is a luxury item. Often in my travels by motorcycle, I’m approached by people at gas stations, outside restaurants or many other places by people coming up to me to admire my bike and reminisce of a time when they had the money, time and the health that allowed them to ride. As I ride away from those conversations, watching people I’ve spoken to watch me ride away and long to be in my place, I realize yet again just how lucky I am.

I think its human nature that as we get older we become a bit cynical, believing things were better in our youth—cars were better, music was better, BMW motorcycles were better, etc. While I can’t disagree completely, I believe it’s always important to be thankful for everything good in our lives.

Wes

Fitzer

www.michelinmotorcycle.com

Postcardsfromtheroad

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Each month we publish great images sent in by BMW MOA members captured as they tour the globe. Send us your best images and you could have your work published in our Postcards from the Road pages as well.

Email your high resolution images, image description and contact information to editor@bmwmoa.org.

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1. H annagan Meadow along Highway 191 in Alpine, Arizona.

Bob Boucher #49694 Austin, Texas 2. T he Paris, Texas, interpretation of the Eiffel Tower.

Rich Hannasch #129139 Garden Ridge, Texas 3. A n image from a ride with my son along the California coast between Fort Bragg and San Francisco.

Daniel Doyle #199852 San Jose, California

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4. T he view from Highway 89A in the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in northern Arizona.

Maurits Larson #197634 Winnipeg, Manitoba 5. A view of the Hudson River from Bear Mountain State Park in Rockland County, New York.

Steve Levin #207504 Bridgewater, New Jersey 6. E njoying the wildlife in the Elbow River Valley along Highway 66 in Alberta, Canada.

David Hardy #195252 Calgary, Alberta

7. A still image captured from my GoPro camera during a night ride in southern New Hampshire, Daniel Weier #172124 Nashua, New Hampshire

8. T he Hamden Bridge over the Delaware River in south central New York.

Dean Richardson #191553 Syracuse, New York

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

Oh, deer!

My brother, Doug Kaechele, and I took our vintage BMWs to display in the Vintage Display area, and we enjoyed the entire weekend at the National Rally at Salt Lake City, Utah.

Doug brought his R 75/5 in 1971 at Selby Motors in Redwood City, California. That same year, I had a 750cc Norton Commando, and we decided to take a trip around the world together so I replaced the Norton with a 1973½ R 75/5 delivered in Munich, Germany. Doug had his BMW shipped to Frankfurt and then to Munich.

We rode through ten European countries over four months and then Turkey, Iran, Kabul, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and then to Madras. Other stops included Malaysia, Singapore and finally Sydney, Australia, where we shipped the bikes back to San Francisco. My bike had 28,000 miles on it when it arrived home.

Now, to the crux of this story. In all those miles and years, my brother never had a wreck or ticket on his BMW. At 4:30 a.m. Sunday morning near Snowville, Utah, while on his way home from the BMW MOA Rally, he hit a deer. In the dark morning light, two truck drivers stopped when they saw the bike, my brother and the dead deer lying in the roadway. Doug was taken by life flight to McKay-Dee Hospital in Odgen, Utah, where he was diagnosed with a broken left clavicle, left scapula, eight broken ribs, a punctured lung and concussion. He got fantastic treatment at the hospital and is almost fully recovered. He was the third rider in the past three weeks to visit the hospital after hitting a deer or elk. All riders had protective gear on and suffered only broken bones.

Doug’s helmet and riding gear did protect him but were completely destroyed.

The bike was in quite good condition considering what it had been through, and I am repairing it so it will continue to give Doug pleasure.

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As all of us who enjoy riding motorcycles know, there are risks we take while riding, but the focus remains on the pleasure and enjoyment we receive participating in motorcycle events such as the National Rally. Life would not be as enjoyable without our motorcycles and our community of friends.

Dave Kaechele #4562 Sandy, Oregon

The edge of 17

Thanks for printing Duncan Holaday’s “The Seventeen Year-Old Motorcycle Boy.” I found it completely compelling. I’m not a higher power guy, but there are certain moments in one’s motorcycling life, and Duncan nailed ‘em for all of us.

David Brick #33158 Santa Cruz, California

He's only 17

I am writing about Duncan Holaday’s very powerful article in the August issue. It was one of the greatest articles I have ever read in BMW Owners News. I am sure it touched more than a few of us when speaking about how God has touched our lives and how the freedom of riding and looking at something like the Grand Canyon makes you feel so alive David Oldemeyer #141568 Royal Oaks, California

It's hammer time

I read the article by Lee Parks “Avoiding the Dreaded Driving Award” and smiled all the way through it. Lee really hit the nail on the head.

As a retired Law Enforcement Officer, a Police Traffic Radar Instructor, and writer of many tickets, as well as giving tons of

warnings, I can attest to his pearls of wisdom in this article, and have even used a few gems he mentions to get out of my own “driving awards” more than once.

As he mentions, the traffic stop and side of the road is not the place to argue the ticket or to have an attitude with the Police Officer. I’ve accumulated some tickets driving my car, but have always managed to sway the Officer toward a written or verbal warning when riding my motorcycle. Go figure?

I always remove my helmet right away to reveal by full face, I never dismount until asking first, I smile a lot, and I apologize like crazy and always remark about being distracted by the beautiful scenery and fresh air of the officer’s work environment. You will always be asked, “Do you know how fast you were going” and/or “Do you know what the speed limit is here?” Your answer must always be “No” to both questions, and perhaps, politely explain how you were paying attention to a strange noise coming from the engine or crankshaft, and “Is there a MC repair shop anywhere near here?” Ask the Officer if he owns a motorcycle himself/herself. Most Officers love speaking about their own bikes. I always did!

In short, Lee Parks gets five thumbs up for the strategies he mentions, and avoiding the “Riding Award” is a very big deal.

Steve Bartley #122983 Colorado Springs, Colorado

Ralf and his award(s)

They say, the first step in solving any problem is defining it. If you’ve been contacted by law enforcement while operating a motor vehicle that didn’t involve a collision, congratulations!

If you divide the number of licensed drivers (and unlicensed drivers for that matter) in your jurisdiction by the number of traffic officers who work there, you can

begin to calculate your odds of being stopped in the first place. You should do your own research but depending on your locale, I expect your results will land deeply in the traffic violator’s favor.

If you are a special case like Ralf and have “four” driving awards, you are what high risk insurance companies refer to as an “unlucky driver,” and you should seriously reconsider giving other vehicle operators’ advice.

Instead, understand that finding yourself on the shoulder with the big red cherry illuminated just behind you is very much like standing in quicksand. Recognize you’re in it and quickly try to determine how deep. Know that quicksand has no respect for patronization but considering quicksand for what it is can’t hurt any either. Going down kicking and screaming should be frowned upon. Know trying to make quicksand feel bad about being quicksand is in bad taste, particularly under these circumstances.

Should you be astride your S 1000 RR in full track day regalia and have your R.A.D.A.R. detector prominently displayed between the grips, take these last few moments to jot down some important thoughts to loved ones.

Know that being patient, staying calm and using your head can get almost anyone out of almost any situation.

Consider using those first critical moments to build a positive and more fluid relationship with quicksand. Most importantly, know building any relationship on a lie is never a good idea, quicksand or otherwise.

Shawn Crady #85073 CHP (Ret.) Barstow, California

I had to Ralf

In response to Lee Parks Case Study #2 detailing how to get out of a speeding ticket, I must express my disappointment and sadness at the current state of affairs encapsulated in this “advice.”

Initially, I was heartened by the response where “Ralf,” a fictitious character I can only surmise as being the author himself, said he responded to the police officers question of how fast he was going with, “I don’t know officer, but I know it was too fast.” Had the response ended

there I would have been uplifted and would have admired the author’s honesty and willingness to accept the consequences of his actions. Sadly, it did not end with these noble and excellent words.

Instead, an elaborate fabrication followed wherein the author proudly describes how “Ralf’s” quick thinking and dishonesty allowed him to evade financial penalties. I would submit that while “Ralf” may have not had to pay for his speeding with cash, he instead chose to pay with something far more valuable, namely his words, his character, and his integrity.

Frank Norris #204290 Buckhannon, West Virginia

How about a post-ride

Good advice from Marvin Ewen in the August Owners News on a pre-ride checklist. Let's alter some of this slightly and perform a POST-ride checklist.

At the end of the day’s ride, I’ve learned to run through all my lights, horn and wheel bolts, and then spin the tires looking for foreign objects. My thinking is, whatever I find can be corrected at my leisure in the afternoon as opposed to the next morning when I'm anxious to get under way. Changing a bulb or plugging a tire is more enjoyable while having a drink, versus in the morning with other folks waiting on me. Yes, I've found a bulb or two that needed changing and more than my share of rear tires that needed plugging. Then, in the morning all that's left is checking air pressure on cold tires and cold oil level.

I'm not the Einstein that came up with this. My guru, Ron Schmidt, taught this at a seminar in Panguitch, Utah.

John Chicola #118557 Cuba, New York

Cwi made me cry

What are the odds that the August Owners News arrived exactly when I had some free time on a beautiful summer afternoon?

What are the odds that I turned to Dave Cwi's latest “Mileage Slaves,” starting from the back of the magazine as I never usually do? Further, how do you explain the

fact that I actually followed his sometimes-stream-of-consciousness style for a change? Then, can you explain the coincidence that I had just returned from visiting my best friend fighting off an ugly form of cancer?

What are the odds that reading a motorcycle magazine in a hammock can make you cry?

Thanks, Dave.

Paul Bates #30139 Allison Park, Pennsylvania

Riepe: young and stupid

I think that the masses would settle a bit with a simple retitling of Mr Riepe's column to "When we were young and stupid." It is quite entertaining when viewed through that lens.

Katherine Helmetag #196517 Troy, Michigan

Happy to be a member

Jack, thank you for your articles each month in the BMW Owner News. Please ignore the naysayers in Rider to Rider— your writing style is great and I just ordered your book online.

I just completed 3,400 miles over seven days on my R 1200 RT. From Salt Lake City to Yellowstone, to Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park, through five fires surrounding Missoula; over to Spokane where the local BMW dealership let me to remove a part from a showroom R 1200 RT to keep me on the road; through Winthrop and Cascades National Park, to Vancouver where I met up with some Harley friends, Victoria and San Juan Islands, to viewing Total Eclipse with new friends in a McDonalds parking lot, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Reno and Ely and then Salt Lake City.

I’m glad to be a member of the BMW MOA. Dwayne Dyer #199935 Highland, Utah

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REV'IT Sand 3 Adventure Suit

By Christopher P Baker #126077 BROWSING THE BOOTHS AT THE

annual MOA rally is always an invitation to break out the wallet, and the REV’IT Sport International stand hit my weak spot this year more than ever. The eye-candy, new-for-2017 Sand 3 Adventure Suit caused a double-take. I was thrilled to return home from a recent tour of the Scottish Highlands by—sorry guys! —Indian Roadmaster to find a Sand 3 jacket and pants awaiting review.

This third generation of Netherlands-based REV’IT’s best-selling garment is competition for BMW’s superb EnduroGuard suit. BMW gear sets the gold standard, but $1,600 is major change. At half the price (jacket $500, pants $360 SRP), I wondered if the Sand 3 could compare for fit, features. and functionality More importantly, I wanted to know how it rates on its own merits.

Jacket

“Handsome and sexy” describe the European-style jacket, available in four color options (black, silver/ anthracite, two-tone-sand/black, and dark blue/black) and in sizes from S, M, L and extra-large all the way to a triple-cheeseburger size 6XL. I’m a 40-inch chest, and REV’IT jackets are famously slim across the chest and shoulder, as I prefer. The large shell fit like a glove—not too loose nor too snug—across the back, with just enough room in the seamless armpits.

The midriff, however, flared like a tent. Fortunately, twin adjuster straps (upper and lower) on each side permitted me to tighten the waist to a more satisfying fit. The position of the upper strap can also be customized up and down via a rail-mounted

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glider. The hem can be drawn around the hip with elastic pull-cords to help shut out wind. The sleeve fit can be tightened or loosened using a sewn-in strap at the forearm and twin-position press-stud straps on the bicep and wrist. The unfathomably long arms reached to my knuckles and wearing the shell alone made me feel like an orangutan. With the waterproof and thermal liners bulking things up, the effect isn’t too bad, but I concluded that a medium might fit me better. Sure enough, when I finally tried on a medium, the fit was perfect through and through, providing a close-to-the-body sense of security.

REV’IT claims the shell is breathable,

and it is to a degree. I live in the California desert and tested the suit at a toasty 98 degrees Fahrenheit. I was pouring sweat before I even let out the clutch. I normally ride at temperatures over 100 in a BMW Airshell jacket with Rallye pants without any such problem. Short vents at the back help wick off a bit of body heat. The twin chest vents run an impressive ten inches (longer by a stretch than the Sand 2), but they didn’t seem effective until I tightened the upper waist adjusters, which helped draw the vents open. No doubt fold-back flaps would be better. The Sand 3 earns brownie points for vast arm vents with double draws that run a full 18 inches up to

the shoulder and scoop up air in gulps.

The Sand 3 features two huge external waterproof cargo pockets with press-stud and hook-and-loop-secured flaps, plus separate fleece-lined hand-warmer pockets beneath. Inside, twin chest pockets run deep. A full-width waterproof pocket— also secured by a hook-and-loop and pressstud combo—at the base of the back is big enough to store the jacket’s waterproof and thermal liners. There isn’t the de rigueur exterior left-side placket pocket for a license, registration or wallet, which I consider a big omission The collar flap closes to the right with an adjustable “flexisnap” clasp system, but it

November 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS

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can be folded back and secured to the left if desired on hot days. Speaking of closures, REV’IT uses sturdy YKK Vislons with a robust main zipper pull, but the vent pulls are remarkably flimsy. Flexible elongated attachments make it easy to grab them while riding, however, and otherwise, the Sand 3’s rugged construction and quality stitching impress.

The shell is made of abrasionresistant polyester ripstop, with impact zones of polyamide Cordura and a large-mesh polyester liner. The Sand 3’s silver reflective strips on chest and back blaze nicely. The shell comes standard with comfortably seated CE Level 2 shoulder and elbow pads, an upgrade from the Sand 2’s feeble Level 1 pads. The Sand 3 has no back pad, but a built-in pocket fits an optional REV’IT Seesoft Type RV insert. REV’IT has clearly evolved the Sand 3 with dual-sport riders more in mind, as shoulder straps serve for action-camera attachments, and multiple sewn-in black straps serve to attach a neck brace.

This being virtually rainless Palm Springs, I tested the suit’s water-resistance with a spray-gun. Yup, it appears that the shell can wick away short bursts of light rain.

Membrane And Liner

The Sand 3 is designed to be light and versatile; it comes with both waterproof and thermal inserts, which can be added or removed as weather conditions dictate.

The three-layer polyurethane/ polyamide waterproof membrane (which REV’IT warrants to be “100% waterproof ” and features a left-side inner pocket) zips securely to the main shell. Arms connect by pressstud buttons at the wrist and the collar connects to the shell collar by a single loop with press-stud—a flimsy affair best replaced by a zippered

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BMW OWNERS NEWS November 2017

collar. The quilted cold-weather liner connects to the membrane collar in similar fashion. The thermal layer zips to either the shell or the waterproof membrane, as you choose.

Attaching the two items to the shell separately proved a palaver. I found it easier to wed the two items first and then attach the combo to the shell collar. Then I donned the membrane/liner combo, slid my arms into the shell, secured them, and zippered the combo to the shell. It felt comfily snug until I felt the cuffs bunch up and the membrane and liner press-studs (which overlay one another) press annoyingly into my wrists. Larger, elasticated wrist bands would do away with the need for studs and be an improvement.

Inclement weather usually means reduced visibility, and I believe in being seen. Hence, I’d rather dispense with the liners and stick with my own ad-hoc layers roomy enough to put over the shell.

Pants

I’m a 33- or 34-inch waist, depending on how much I’ve been hitting the ice cream.

REV’IT supplied me a medium pant.

REV’IT’s size charts quote hip, not waist

measurements, so snug at the waist it certainly was, reminding me to quit on the extra scoop – and that was without the two liners zipped in. The loops inside the band to haul up the pants seemed a tad flimsy.

Instead, I gripped on the thick side adjusters, breathed in, and danced up and down to wriggle the pants over my hips. Truth be told, I’d been a bit sedentary the past few months. Three weeks later, after some exercise and clean living, the pants fit as if cut by my personal tailor.

I loved the closed fly zone with its Vislon zipper topped by a sturdy slide-lock waist clasp, the 10-inch-deep twin thigh pockets, the inch-wide reflective strips down the calves, and how the zippered, nine-inch front thigh vents opened up wide when I sat in the saddle. Opening and closing them while riding proved a challenge, though. An additional zippered stash pocket on the right thigh is a bit too tight for easy access, however, and the Vislon zipper running horizontally along the pocket edge scratched my metacarpals.

I quickly discovered the protector pads hanging below my knees. I pulled the pants inside out, removed the CE Level 2 pads, then realized that parallel hook-and-loop

strips inside the protector pockets allowed me to customize the pad position. A bit of cushion between knee and pad would be nice; mid-way into my 400-mile-ride to the Horizons Unlimited California meet, the hook-and-loop strips began to cut painfully into my knees.) I’ll be switching out the Sand 3’s CE Level 1 thigh protectors, however, for CE Level 2 ones.

Made from the same tough polyester ripstop and Cordura material as the jacket and with the same large-mesh lining, the Sand 3 pants weigh in lighter than BMW’s equivalents and lack the latter’s extra cushioning around the knees, including leather inner-knee grips. However, two small “sure-grip” synthetic leather strips on the derriere help prevent slipping around in the saddle. The pants are available in black or silver/anthracite.

The Hydratex waterproof membrane zips in easily around the top of the waistband and the base of the legs; the fly secures to the pants by a loop with push-stud button. A thermal liner also zips effortlessly to the pants on a parallel Vislon zipper, allowing the waterproof and thermal liners to be worn independently. A second zipper to the rear is tailored to connect REV’IT’s Strapper suspenders, but the hook-andloop connectors to the front seem like a poor man’s option. Long and short Vislon exterior zippers on the rear of the pants permit connecting to any jacket in the REV’IT stable.

Verdict

The Sand 3’s strongest selling point is the jacket’s looks, but high marks all round for the suit’s fit, features and functionality. The Sand 3 offers great value in the mid-level market if you don’t want to spend far more for a dedicated waterproof GORE-TEX™ suit. Asking if it’s worth spending double for a more refined BMW rig is like asking if you’re content with a Mazda or if you must put out for a Porsche.

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November 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS

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Weiser Technik 2-in-1 LED driving and brake light-turn signal upgrades

By Chris Hughes #33373 IN THE NOVEMBER 2016 ISSUE OF

the BMW Owners News I reviewed the Weiser Technik UltraBrights LED turn signal upgrades. At the time I was very impressed with the units in quality of construction, ease of installation and operation. Now Weiser Technik has improved on their original offerings.

I met Sue and Mark with Weiser Technik in their booth at the MOA Rally in Salt Lake City this year.

What really drew me into the booth was watching them demonstrate their new LED light systems. While their current Weiser LED turn signal upgrade is a great item, the new systems enhance that dramatically—at both ends of the motorcycle.

First the front: The new 2-in-1 LED Driving Light/Turn Signal upgrade incorporates high intensity white LED running lights for enhanced daytime visibility plus the very bright amber turn signals, all within the existing turn signal bodies. No additional lights need to be mounted. I installed them on an F 800 GT, and on this bike they provide that triangulation of white light that is sought after for daytime visibility. Then as you activate the turn signal, that light blinks normally as a bright LED amber turn signal. The system eliminates the need for extra brackets or modifications to mount additional lighting; you simply replace the reflector and bulb in the turn signal housings with the Weiser LED panels and connect an additional wire for the running lights.

For the rear, the new LED Brake Light/Turn Signal upgrade adds additional brake lights at the rear,

BMW OWNERS NEWS  November 2017

and again without any additional light units or mounts needed. The Weiser LED panels that are installed in the rear turn signal housings include high intensity red LEDs that are activated along with the regular brake light. Use the brakes and both rear turn signals light up as bright red brake lights. Then, if a turn signal is activated that side blinks normally in amber while the other side continues as a red brake light. Having the two additional brake lights to the sides provides a wide effect and gives dimension to the rear while braking.

Weiser has made the installation quite simple. The kits include all the needed items along with clear instructions. Each kit (front and rear are sold separately) includes precut wire with the connectors installed, a relay and the necessary connectors for tapping into the motorcycle electrical system. On the F 800 GT I was able to wire both ends in without the use of relays. The front running lights can be wired to come on when the key is turned or, as I did, they are activated by the headlight (so that the LEDs are only on when the engine is running). The rear is wired into the regular brake light bulb system. The turn signals use the existing wires on your BMW and simply plug-in at the turn signal housing. Your wiring may vary with your particular model, but everything is there to make the installation. Additional instructions and installation videos are also available on the Weiser website.

The enhanced lighting at both the front and rear is not only impressive but is reassuring, and the ability to do so without changing the esthetics of your BMW is a

plus as well.

The Weiser Technik 2-in1 LED kits are available for a wide range of BMW models from 2005 and newer. Prices are $249.00 per set. Call (831)713-4365 or go to www. weisertechnik.com for more details including videos demonstrating the systems.

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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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Wunderlich ERGO seat for water-cooled R 1200 GS

By Kurtis Minder #141660 THIS SPRING I PURCHASED A

used 2014 R 1200 GS. The previous owner was based in San Antonio, so I arranged a "fly and ride" transaction, planning to ride to Daytona Beach, Florida, to watch a colleague compete in "American Ninja Warrior," then to Atlanta for some meetings, and finally on to the bike's new home in Arlington, Virginia.

I had test-ridden a water-cooled GS at the dealer and knew that BMW had made significant improvements to the OEM equipment on the bike. The stock seat was much better than my previous generation (hexhead) GS. I put the OEM seat to the test on this 3,000mile journey, and it was satisfactory for the first couple hundred miles each day. The later miles were challenging. I was going to need a replacement if I was going to tour on this bike.

This summer I was gearing up to ride to Las Vegas for the annual BlackHat and Defcon hacker conferences, in which I am a participant and regular attendee. Two weeks before launching for Vegas I remembered that I needed to replace the seat.

I had replaced the seat on my earlier

BMW OWNERS NEWS  November 2017

GS with a Sargent and was very happy with that choice, having put well over 50,000 miles on the seat. Naturally, I looked at the Sargent seats that fit the water-cooled bikes.

I had recently purchased some protective parts from Wunderlich and took a look at what they offered from a seat perspective. I saw they offered an "ERGO Seat, Active Comfort." The seat looked great. I reached out to Wunderlich America and asked if

they could have it to me prior to the trip.

Sure enough, a few days later I was snapping the seat onto the bike. I grabbed the matching pillion seat, too.

A few stats, as things like seats are definitely subjective and can be impacted by any number of variables: I have the ESA GS, set primarily on Road and Auto suspension throughout the review, a few exceptions when I went off road.

I am 5'10� and around 140 pounds with a thin build. I was wearing Under Armour HeatGear underwear and Taichi DryMaster waterproof armored pants.

At first sit, the Wunderlich seat seemed firm compared to the gel-heavy OEM seat. I was concerned about the breathability, given the near 100-degree days we were experiencing in the D.C. metro area, and the 100-plus-degree days I was sure to experience in the desert on the way to Vegas. The fit and finish of the seat were top notch.

The stitching looked high quality and the shape of the seat did not detract from the aggressive lines of the water-cooled GS. The pillion seat looked great, too, and when both seats were installed, it actually addsed to the overall design of the bike.

For the long trip, I removed the pillion seat in favor of a Wunderlich gear mounting plate that snaps into the OEM seat attachment. I wasn't planning on picking up any

strangers, after all.

Fingers crossed, I and a coworker launched on a hot, rainy day toward Pennsylvania, knocking out a quick 200 miles after our work day. The seat was perfect, not too firm or hot, and wicked away the rainfall. The next few days we rode through temperatures ranging from 54 degrees in the mountains to 104 degrees in the plains and valleys. We did mileage ranging from 200 miles in day one to occasional 800mile days. Granted, any day where you sit on a bike for 800 miles is going to challenge your butt a bit, but the Wunderlich did not draw my attention. This is what you want in a good touring seat. It saw its share of off-road action in Wyoming, Colorado and Utah and absorbed the bumps for the parts where I was seated.

After the conference, I needed to get home quickly. I did 2,700 miles in two and a half days from Vegas back to Arlington, and the seat had my back...side. I rolled into my garage in the afternoon in the pouring rain, just as I left, with no thoughts toward discomfort.

Following the trip, I took the Wunderlich gear rack off the back and popped on the pillion seat. I didn't dare ask Erin her weight; I would describe her as "petite."

She and I rode out to Skyline Drive and had lunch over a weekend. Temperatures were in the 80s, and the whole trip took around two hours each way. Erin described the seat as "very comfortable.� Since then we have taken several longer, multi-state trips, and the pillion seems to match the pilot seat in comfort and breathability.

Overall, I am impressed with the Wunderlich ERGO Seat. It can hold its own with some of the leading seat manufacturers and looks great. Obviously, seats are a very subjective accessory that depends on the rider, the bike, the type of riding, gear, etc. As a result, it is difficult for manufacturers to please everybody, but in this case, Wunderlich has certainly pleased me.

PROS: Breathability, good for long days

www.edelweissbike.com

CONS: none

November 2017  BMW OWNERS NEWS

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Book your hotels from the MOA website

The BMW Motorcycle Owners of America is constantly working to bring new benefits to its membership and is pleased to announce its newest member benefit, a discounted hotel booking site powered by the Priceline Partner Network that can save MOA members up to 60 percent on their hotel bookings throughout North America.

MOA members can access the booking site from the "Book Hotels" link off the menu bar on bmwmoa.org or visit our member benefits page. The service is easy to use. Simply enter a travel city and the dates you wish to book, and the system will return all the available hotels in the area and the rates. Members can then book their favorite hotel property and room type.

This is a major benefit similar to the MOA's Roadside Assistance Program. There are lots of sites that offer hotel discounts. Prices and rates can vary across sites, but now the MOA's website is the place to book all your hotel needs and get a competitive price simply for being an MOA member.

New LED lighting options from Denali

Stay comfortable with Touratech Primero Base Layers

Touratech’s new Primero Base Layers are thin, comfortable and effective undergarments designed to keep motorcyclists warm and toasty or cool and dry in all weather conditions.

All Primero base layers use a seamless design to insure maximum comfort for long days in the saddle.

For warm weather riding, the Primero Allroad features a contoured and snug fit to provide moisture-wicking and breathability, keeping the rider cool in the heat. Anti-microbial and anti-odor materials stay fresh for days, and the Allroad garments are easy to wash by hand and dry quickly.

The Primero Alpine is the perfect base layer for fall and winter riding and provides comfort and breathability under a wider range of temperatures and conditions. The Primero Alpine combines flex zones and high-tech insulating materials to provide the ultimate motorcycle base layer.

Touratech’s Primero Allroad and Alpine base layers will enhance any riding experience, regardless of the weather.

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BMW OWNERS NEWS November 2017

The new DENALI 2.0 auxiliary lighting system offers greater performance and flexibility along with bike-specific applications for a broad range of motorcycles.

DENALI 2.0 lights are 20 percent brighter than the first generation by using new Cree High-Intensity 10-watt LEDs. These high-efficiency lights also produce more lumens without increasing power draw. Additionally, a new LiveActive™ heat management system combines cutting-edge LED drivers with specially designed heat sinks to keep lights cool to maintain maximum output.

All DENALI 2.0 light kits include wiring harnesses designed to run at a single intensity, but are easily upgradeable to dual intensity by replacing the relay with the optional DataDim controller™.

The HotSwap™ modular wiring harness, included in every kit, enables a simple switch from the standard single-intensity relay to the dual-intensity controller.

The new CANsmart accessory manager, currently available for BMW R1200 LC-series models, allows plug-and-play installation of up to four electrical accessories, enabling dozens of customizable settings that can be controlled through the existing handlebar switches, including the rotary multi-controller.

The new Impact PC™ bezels are built to withstand the most extreme environments without cosmetic damage. Molded in 100 percent polycarbonate, the bezels won’t rust, fade or corrode, even after repeated impacts from debris.

All DENALI 2.0 light kits include light pods, four lens options, HotSwap wiring harness, low-profile hinge mount, DrySeal switch, and a convenient tubular handlebar switch mount.

DENALI lights and accessories are available to U.S. riders at twistedthrottle.com.

ADVance Guard adjustable hand guards

MachineartMoto’s new ADVance Guard multi-functional aluminum hand guards allow riders to adapt to a variety of conditions and fit most ADV and dual-sport motorcycles.

ADVance Guard uses an adjustable, sliding airflow shield that increases front surface area 150 percent to allow adaptation to prevailing conditions and increase comfort without the need for tools.

The ADVance Guard design also enables removal of a snap-in plastic insert at the front surface, as well as the sliding shield, to provide full airflow in hot weather while retaining its wide protective frame.

The wide aluminum frame provides impact protection during tipovers, crashes, or hazards off-road and covers the hands as well as hand levers and bar switches. Used by itself without the Insert or Shield attached, the open center permits cooling air flow.

In its fully extended state, total vertical coverage is 142mm taller than any OEM hand guards. In its open front configuration, the ADVance Guard's height is 98mm.

ADVance Guards can be purchased from www.machineartmoto.com or authorized dealers and carry an MSRP of $249.

Moto-Skiveez® Traveler Shirt

Designed with the motorcyclist in mind, the MotoSkiveez® “Traveler Shirt” addresses a rider’s needs for function and comfort while using little space.

Constructed using a lightweight, yet durable fabic, the Traveler Shirt can be compressed to the size of a rolled pair of socks.

Designed like a traditional button front shirt, the Traveler Shirt uses micro-snap closures instead of buttons to avoid snagging on protective riding gear. Two horizontal chest pockets secure personal items with the left pocket using magnetic closure tabs. The right pocket is secured using a horizontal zipper with a pull tab. Both pockets are usable with gloved hands.

Additionally, a two-inch, four-way stretch panel down both sides of the shirt allows for increased flexibility of movement and better overall comfort, as do vented panels on the back of both sleeves which also increase air movement.

Visit motoskiveez.com for more information.

MSRP for the Traveler Shirt is $60.

November 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS

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news

news

From the Board

By Reece Mullins #143779 THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAS PROPOSED THE FOLLOWING BYLAW CHANGE TO SECTION 3 OF THE CURRENT BMW MOA

Bylaws: In Compliance with Article V. Amendment of Bylaws Section 1: “The Secretary shall cause such a motion to be published in BMW Owners News not less than thirty (30) days prior to the meeting at which the vote is to be taken.”

Background: The following proposal brings section three of the bylaws up to date with other portions of the bylaws that facilitate the use of the BMW MOA’s digital media properties as an “official” means of communication to the members.

Current

Section 3. Publications of BMW MOA 3.1 The official publication of BMW MOA shall be BMW Owners News. BMW Owners News shall be published on a monthly basis in a printed format, and shall be a primary means of communicating information regarding BMW MOA to the members.

3.2 BMW Owners News shall be sent to all individual members, except as otherwise provided in these Bylaws.

3.3 The Board of Directors ("Board") may establish other publications, in printed format or otherwise, as deemed appropriate. The Board has the sole authority to authorize BMW MOA publications.

www.bmwusrideracademy.com

Proposed

Section 3. Publications of BMW MOA 3.1 The official publications of BMW MOA shall be BMW Owners News and the officially authorized BMW MOA website bmwmoa. org. BMW Owners News shall be published on a monthly basis in a printed format. Both the BMW Owners News and the BMW MOA website page bmwmoa.org shall be the primary means of communicating information regarding BMW MOA to the members.

3.2 BMW Owners News shall be sent to all individual members, except as otherwise provided in these Bylaws.

3.3 The Board of Directors ("Board") may establish other publications, in printed format or otherwise, as deemed appropriate. The Board has the sole authority to authorize BMW MOA publications.

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TECH

keepemflying

Thinking of Europe again

By Matthew Parkhouse #13272 their bikes. I did this myself the first time I set my valves back in 1972. I carefully found weather! It is a real the top dead center (TDC) mark on the flypleasure to be outwheel and then proceeded to set the valves side and working at their proper clearances ON BOTH on a few airheads. I SIDES! One side will be at the correct clearredid a four-speed ance (0.15mm intake, 0.20mm exhaust) but Slash Five transmisthe other side will be wildly out of spec. sion, the first one in Usually, this will only happen once, as one a while. Now I’m inside the original then learns to rotate the engine 360 degrees box from my Slash Five Mexico Bike. before setting the other The five speeds are side. Remember, when the quite a bit easier to engine is at TDC, one side work on; the fourwill be ready for adjustspeed ones are almost ment—you can usually feel clock-like in some the loose rocker arms and ways. The shifting you can always spin the parts are built into pushrods. The wrong side the case and are more will be immobilized and intricate than the locked up. If you set that removable cassette of side in error when it is at the later five speed TDC, the rockers will have boxes. In the course about two millimeters of of ordering parts for looseness. The bike will this bit of work, I run, but with lots of noise. found that one of the The Great American springs goes all the Eclipse was my second way back to 1948. such event. In 1979, I and That’s one reason seven other folks drove my why those four’65 Microbus up to Miles speeds seem so rugCity, Montana, to observe ged; they have been that year’s total eclipse. slowly improving in model after model The shifting system of the four-speed gearbox hasn’t really changed since the 1940s! The Utterly fantastic! When this one came along, I while keeping the heavy spring on the left side of the assembly is the broken one. made plans to get into the same design. path of totality. I rejected the idea of headgaskets and the spring remain available Like the old Model T, if something ing north to Wyoming, even if that distance through BMW parts channels. This project breaks, that part is made stronger. was the fewest miles. I read and heard sevis slowly proceeding as I work on other The parts that do seem to be weak eral predictions that sounded like there folks’ bikes first, repair our rental house points include the shifting spring that would be an awful, huge mob of people, after some horrible tenants and travel to goes back to the 1940s and the kickespecially as everyone would be headed rallies and other destinations. start idler gear. I’ve written about it home to and through Denver after the One of the airheads I’m working on is an before; it is the gear on a shaft that eclipse. I decided that somewhere in R 100 R with a sidecar mounted. While setcan loosen up in the cover and fall Nebraska would be more reasonable. ting the valves, I came across one side that into the interior of the gearbox. The There really isn’t any large population was REALLY open and loose. It was about fix for that is LocTite and adding a center in western Nebraska. I felt things the right clearance to indicate a mistake washer to the outside of the shaft. I would not be completely overrun. I started made by folks who are first getting to know have seen the shifting spring failure GLORIOUS

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BMW OWNERS NEWS November 2017

FALL

maybe three times over the years. The transmission still works and shifts, but the foot level has a limping feel to it and has to be reset by the foot of the rider. I rode the Mexico bike into Mexico and beyond for maybe eight trips before I swapped the original gearbox for another one. After fixing the shifting spring and the loose kickstart gear for this other fellow, I decided to finally go after mine as well. All the seals,

prepping the bike a week before. Along with checking oil levels, clutch cable lubrication and so on, I washed the bike. I’ve mentioned that a good bath will often reveal problems before they lead to serious damage or failure. That was the case this time.

As I cleaned up the rear wheel, I noticed a definite rattle. The rear axle nut was a bit loose, and when I tightened it, the rattle went away. Just to be sure, I pulled the wheel and extracted the rear wheel bearings to check for possible damage. There was enough grease present, but it was dirty and due to be replaced. After cleaning the assembly, I checked for adjustment—it was just fine. I packed the bearings and the assembly with AMSOIL synthetic grease. I was planning on departing in the dark of night and DID NOT want to be thinking about my rear wheel bearings. Everything else checked out okay on the bike. I set up several plastic bottles full of gas and filled the right-hand saddle bag with them. This gave me about a 200 mile reserve. I tossed a couple MREs in the other saddle bag, along with warm weather clothing. I would be wearing a lot of layers for my nighttime departure. My 20-pound traveling bag of parts and tools went over the rear seat.

I took off at 3:30 a.m. Monday morning.

One rather weird thing I had never seen before: all the many wind generators on the prairie each has a red flashing light. The weird part is that they all flash in unison!

The effect was that of an alien landing field.

The sun rose as I rode through Brush, Colorado, and picked up I-76. This would take me up to I-80, where I entered Nebraska. I had about 60 worrisome Colorado miles as I rode through serious fog and drizzle. I certainly did not want to be in this sort of goop as the eclipse unfolded. Fortunately, as I entered Nebraska on I-80, the clouds started to break up and blue sky appeared. In about 40 miles, I came to Ogallala and turned north. My target area was the small town of Arthur, Nebraska.

There was a steady flow of traffic on the pleasant two-lane road leading to Arthur, but everyone was moving right along.

About a mile from Arthur, we ran into a roadblock run by the Arthur Volunteer Fire

November 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS

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

Safety straps for your tired Krausers

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TEC

keepemflying

Department. They diverted us onto the Arthur Cemetery road as the town was full. The cemetery road going up into the rolling hills of the Sandhill area was a nice viewing spot.

I quickly settled in between a couple of cars and got to know my neighbors.

It was perhaps 45 minutes before the beginning of the eclipse. It seemed like a “Woodstock for bright people,” with

maybe 200 folks strung out along the cemetery road. As I walked along the road, I noticed that just about everyone was from Colorado. I also noted that there was but one Porta Potty to serve the entire crowd.

Everyone had their special viewing glasses; I had purchased several welding lenses (#14 arc welding) a few weeks earlier and passed them around as the moon started taking a bite out of the sun. As it approached totality,

These are the guts of the four-speed. To set up one of these takes a bit more time than the equivalent work with the five-speed.

The various pieces of the shifting system. They are built into the gearbox, with the foot shifter lever on the outside. The broken spring, along with its replacement, is at the far left of the line-up.

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BMW OWNERS NEWS November 2017

it definitely became chillier and the wind picked up. As the sun winked out, a cheer went up. It really is an otherworldly feeling during one of these events. As the eclipse ended, the sun appeared as a very bright point of light. As it emerged further, things quickly returned to normal. Most of the folks, including me, started loading up.

There was a lengthy line of cars leaving, but we all moved along at a good speed.

Upon returning to Ogallala, I pulled into a gas station and filled up. Plenty of gas and no waiting. I dropped back on I-80 and headed for home, discovering that the frame straightening I did last winter eliminated the twitchiness that showed up at 80 mph. I stopped somewhere in Colorado and poured all my emergency gas into the tank. I guess there were a few areas that did end up having supply problems, but my route certainly was not one of them. The Slash Five just cruised along as it is supposed to, no problems at all other than a loose wire at the gearbox neutral switch. I didn’t bother looking into that until I was home and simply rode without the green neutral light. I arrived home around 7:30 p.m. to be greeted by Susanna, her daughter, grand-daughter and the triplets. It was a good time to take a day’s ride to the eclipse!

I’m thinking of Europe again. Jake, a fellow who has had me service his R 75/5 since the days of Doc’s BMW of Colorado Springs in the late 1970s, called me to offer me his bike. He just turned 70 and feels it is time to hang it up. He lives out on the Colorado prairie, so I’ll go out there and look at it. I’m feeling like I might have been a bit premature in selling off the pair of Europe bikes that Susanna and I rode around Europe and North Africa back in 2006. As you may remember, I got whacked at that hospital in 2008 and for several years felt I didn’t have the endurance for another adventure like riding around Europe. Things like the 630mile run to Nebraska and back just now have me thinking “maybe not.” We shall see.

It took a couple of years to set up the last trip over there. Stefan Knopf is still running his tours and shipping bikes. If I do buy Jake’s Slash Five, I’ll start watching eBay for a second one for Susanna.

www.epmperf.com

www.tourbikes.com

I’ve seen this before a few times. The other side was very close to proper clearances (0.15mm and 0.20mm). The first time was when I put the engine of my new Slash Five at Top Dead Center (TDC) and proceeded to set the valves on BOTH sides of the engine! The bike will run but boy is it noisy! This usually only happens once and then we know to rotate the engine around 360 degrees before setting the other side.

The parts of the rear wheel bearing system. I’ve cleaned it up and will now check the spacing of the bearing preload. It was right where it should be, so it goes back together with the application of the grease.

Everything is back together now. The assembly, mounted on an axle with a pipe spacer, will go in the freezer for 30 minutes or so. I'll then heat the wheel hub and this assembly will just drop in. It gets a small tap with a rubber mallet to seat it and then the seal carrier goes on and it is ready to return to the bike.

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nichtubermax

Suspects for a dead battery

By George Mangicaro #136221 and Wes Fleming #87301

Q:

I've had multiple professional mechanics look at this, and it just keeps happening. Unless I ride my bike every three days or so, my battery dies to the point where it won't even take a charge. Except for the clock, I don't think there's anything pulling from the battery when the bike is off—it’s a pretty stock setup as far as I know.

This will be my eighth battery replacement in four years. It's a 2004 R 1150 GS. Any ideas on how to fix this?

–Ben W. via Facebook

A:

You either have a parasitic draw that you don’t know about, you’re buying crappy batteries, or you’re not preparing them properly for installation.

One way to figure out which of those three is the culprit is to grab a good digital volt-ohm meter (DOVM). With the ignition turned off, disconnect the negative battery terminal and set the DVOM to read in milliamps DC. Place one lead of the DVOM on the negative terminal of the battery and touch the negative battery cable to the terminal. Take the other lead from the DVOM and touch it to the negative cable. Remove the negative cable from the terminal without disrupting the DVOM leads.

The draw should be only a few milliamps; if your clock is indeed the only thing drawing on the battery, it may only read three milliamps.

Your battery has a rating in amphours, something like 14 amp-hours.

This means if there’s a one-amp draw on the battery, it will discharge in 14 hours. There are 1,000 milliamps in

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one amp, so if you have an ignition-off draw of only three milliamps, your battery should be able to last quite some time before it goes dead. However, if you have a parasitic draw of, say, a half an amp (500 milliamps), then your battery will die in about 28 hours, just over one day.

Check your accessory sockets and make sure they’re free of green fuzz. Corrosion acts as a filament and will drain your battery; I’ve seen this happen on more than one occasion, as the accessory sockets are often exposed to the elements. --GM

Q:

Your article about battery technology is a masterpiece of information, but during the winter months I take care of a friend’s Yamaha FJR, and I just checked the owner’s manual, and it says the FJR uses a VRLA or Valve Regulated Lead Acid battery. How is this different? Or is it the same as the ones you

described? The bike has been on a Battery Tender (not Plus) these few years, and doesn't seem to have any ill effects.

–Tom B. via email

A:

Thanks for the praise, Tom, it’s much appreciated.

With regards to your friend’s FJR, the valve-regulated lead acid (VRLA) title is one of those things where the industry uses vague, techy-sounding language to make the consumer think they’re getting something that’s more special than what they really have.

A VRLA battery is a normal lead acid battery, but a VRLA has one or more special one-way valves that let gasses – and if necessary fluid, – from inside the casing. A traditional flooded lead acid battery just has simple vents that allow gasses (and fluids) to pass freely between the atmosphere and the interior of the battery. A VRLA uses

what’s called a recombinant reaction to manage the balance of oxygen and hydrogen inside the battery, with that pressure release valve present to allow for overcharging, overheating, etc. as necessary. A vent is indiscriminate, letting anything in or out with little or no control over the process.

The electrolyte solution in traditional flooded batteries can easily spill out, damaging clothing and paint, if the battery is tipped over or installed and used in anything other than a fully upright orientation.

The VRLA, with its one-way pressurerelease valve, can be installed sideways or even upside down, though I don’t know what application would require that. Additionally, the VRLA is safer in case of a major crash or collision, as it won’t spill if the vehicle is tipped over as long as the case of the battery remains intact. This is especially important in the context of motorcycles, which sometimes find themselves on the ground in a less than upright position.

It gets confusing in that a VRLA can be wet (fluid electrolyte), gel (silica paste electrolyte) or AGM (electrolyte absorbed in a fiberglass pad) battery. Unfortunately, then, I can’t truly answer your question. Having said that, I did some digging around on the internet and it looks to me like most of the standard batteries offered up by companies like Duracell, Odyssey and Yuasa for the FJR are AGM batteries. If I had to guess what’s in your friend’s bike, I’d guess that it’s AGM. According to Deltran’s documentation, you should switch to a Battery Tender Plus for best results in charging an AGM battery, as the Plus is designed to hold the absorption voltage longer. See Deltran’s FAQ at batterytender.com/faq/products.

--WF Have questions for Nicht Uber Max? Send them to TechQuestions@bmwmoa.org. www.aeroflowscreens.com

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BMW OWNERS NEWS  November 2017

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Longdistancestyle

AIMExpo 2017: Change is good!

By Deb Gasque #182082 CHANGE.

SOME-

times it’s necessary, sometimes it’s difficult, but often it’s good. In order to evolve, to truly transform, change is of the essence.

After four years stationed in Orlando, Florida, the AIMExpo (American International Motorcycle Expo) moved to Columbus, Ohio, for 2017.

With just over 40 percent of motorcycle dealers in the U.S, located within a 500 mile radius of the Greater Columbus Convention Center, it was

BMW OWNERS NEWS November 2017

a change that echoed the objective of AIMExpo’s inception. According to the Motorcycle Industry Council’s web page, “The American International Motorcycle Expo's (AIMExpo) purpose is to serve as the catalyst to bring together industry, press, dealers and consumers in a single arena that creates a grand stage for motorcycling and powersports in the U.S. and North America, and delivers an efficient and energetic market-timed expo platform…” The show certainly didn’t disappoint.

On day one of the expo, eight of the powerhouse motorcycle manufacturers, including BMW, revealed their newest motorcycle models either in the Media Hub or through

more personal unveilings in their booths.

The industry focus this year seemed to heavily weigh on entry-level motorcycles as well as expanding demographics of rider types. That theme was apparent with the three models BMW Motorrad showcased in the Media Hub (G 310 R, C Evolution electric scooter and the K 1600 B “Bagger”) through a great presentation given by Brian Carey, BMW Motorrad USA Product Manager. Also following suit in presented models that seem to be aggressively seeking demographic expansion were Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha - each brand revealed models that were “commuter-friendly,” high MPG and moderately priced.

PALO ALTO Included in the lineup of new motomodels were a few electric-powered bikes and/or scooters. With the technology of electric-powered vehicles in a constant state of growth, in unison with the increasing availability of charging stations, slowly but surely there are more and more motorcycle manufacturers getting in on the electric revolution. BMW Motorrad announced their first electric bike, the C Evolution electric scooter, which has a maximum speed of 80 mph. The C Evolution will travel 99 miles with a full charge, has 48 horsepower, includes reverse assist, has four riding modes and torque controls, an LCD display, and will charge in nine hours with a 110-volt household socket or less than four hours with a 220-volt charging station. The C Evolution comes standard with a five-year battery warranty, ABS, 30.1” seat height, power adjust windshield, heated grips and a top case. It’s the first large electric scooter in the market.

Another launch that completely intrigued me was a brand new name in the U.S. twowheeled world, Tacita, which has an assortment of Italian-made motorcycles that also happen to be electric (several dirt models, a police bike which is actively used in Italy, and the newest cruiser model). What sets this company apart from the moto-electric surge is that Tacita’s motorcycles, along with the newest T-Cruise model, have gearboxes with hydraulic clutches. The newly launched five-speed T-Cruise has a range of up to 170 miles with a charge time of 40 minutes with their fast charge unit. Additionally, the T-Cruise has back-up assist along with many other cool features that just might prompt some of the most discerning traditionalists to sample the “newby” in town.

Day two at AIMExpo began with promise for launches of products and in-depth presentations on varied aspects and levels of motorcycling. While I was slightly disappointed in the scarcity of big-name apparel brands in the mix of new launches, there were many general items presented which may be of interest to our MOA community.

Be sure to watch for several of those items which will be highlighted in upcoming issues.

November 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS

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For my fellow women riders, the Motorcycle Industry Council presented for the second year the Powerlily “Gas Tank” program, which features innovative female entrepreneurs in the moto-world who are standing tall. Down a few finalists this year, but socking a powerhouse offering, the Powerlily presentations featured Ginger Damon of Gigi Montrose Moto Couture, a fashion-forward line of women’s motorcycle apparel, and Pat Jacques of ADVWoman, a full-service training and riding experience for women who want to experience the off-road adventure. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing the details of how both women were making a difference in the women’s segment of motorcycling. Additionally, on Saturday when AIMExpo was open to the public, the Motorcycle Industry Council’s Cam Arnold hosted “Get Inspired by Women Who Ride,” sponsored by Rider’s Garage, which featured four women in varying segments of the industry who shared their beginnings and individual inspirations in motorcycling. Cam did a fantastic job of not only encouraging women to step up

and share their stories, but also to collaborate and cheer each other forward.

Day three and four (Saturday and Sunday) of AIMExpo are the days where the convention areas come alive with motorcyclists from every walk of life. You can truly feel the excitement from so many twowheeled enthusiasts in that huge space. The atmosphere transforms from the Thursday

and Friday of serious launches, negotiations, and media interviews with tons of cameras everywhere to the public opening on Saturday and Sunday, complete with huge smiles and wide-open, eager eyes searching for the newest and most exciting models and products…it’s at this point, in the short two years I’ve covered AIMExpo for our BMW MOA Owners News, that I get it. In the history of our two-wheeled world, we’ve developed, we’ve progressed, we’ve changed. Difficulty has been present at times, but I see the good and the evolution and revolution of motorcycles. I believe that as motorcyclists, we come together in spaces such as AIMExpo with appreciation for our shared love of motorcycles. All other boundaries, whatever they may be, come crashing down. No matter what brand we ride or what style we gravitate towards, we all belong to one community, a community that happens to travel on two wheels and stay constant…through necessary, difficult and even good change.

The AIMExpo 2018 will be held October 11-14, 2018, in Las Vegas.

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BMW OWNERS NEWS November 2017

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Riding Between Central California’s Famous Valleys

By Bill Reeve #194988

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Morning fog lifting off the Almaden Valley hills.

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"Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything."

O

ur intent is the opposite, to spend a week traveling between two of California’s most famous valleys—while avoiding the interstate highway system.

Our plan is to travel from Silicon Valley to Death Valley on picturesque country roads, then back home through the fruit orchards of California’s Central Valley.

It is early on a foggy and drizzly midFebruary morning. Laura’s Triumph Bonneville and my 1985 R 80 are idling in our driveway. Canadian geese honk as they fly unseen above us in the fog. We flip down our visors, ease out our clutch levers and roll onto the street, heading through the fog for the Almaden Valley.

The Almaden Valley is a scenic escape route out of Silicon Valley. Of course, most people take Highway 101 to drive south out of the Bay Area (just like most people travel north-south through California on Interstate Highway 5). That is what is known as a “drive time wasted”—an experience to be endured. We are beginning a journey, an experience to be enjoyed.

We stop to enjoy the morning fog lifting off the Almaden Valley’s oak-dotted hills.

Historically known for its mercury (quicksilver) mines, Almaden Valley was optimistically named after Almadén, Spain, home of the world’s largest cinnabar (mercury ore) deposits. Mercury mined from Almaden Valley was used in the 1800s by California gold rush prospectors to collect river gold “fines.” This, of course, was long before mercury was understood to be horribly toxic.

The last Almaden Valley quicksilver mine closed in the 1970s, and the largest mining site was converted into Almaden Quicksilver County Park. A legacy of Almaden Valley’s mining history is that the Almaden Valley lakes have a catch and release policy, because mercury from the mine tailings remains in the soil, water and fish.

Our trip continues south, past the deep blue Calero and Uvas reservoirs. Every sweeping turn reveals its own pastoral view of sparsely wooded ranchland and

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-Charles Kuralt

winter-brown vineyards. The Almaden Valley takes us south, then California Highway 152 takes us east through the farm town of Gilroy (the “Garlic Capital of the World”).

We drop south again when we reach the center of a large swath of ranchland between Highway 101 and Interstate 5.

US Route 101 and Interstate Highway 5 (I-5) run north-south through the southern half of California; they parallel each other about 50 miles apart; we choose to split the distance between them. These freeways bound a huge, unpopulated expanse of rolling hills, Central California’s “slow country,” containing some of its most pleasant and leisurely roads.

Before heading south through the almost uninhabited 100-mile stretch of land between Hollister and Paso Robles, we stop for breakfast at Hollister’s Cozy Cup Cafe.

Frank, the owner, founded the Cozy Cup in 1985. He still waits tables alongside his coworkers because Frank enjoys personally greeting his customers.

After breakfast, we ride south from Hollister following State Route 25, also known as the “Airline Highway.” Long before electronic navigation, pilots followed this road as a visual guide when flying north-south between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Highway 25 leaves civilization at the tiny town of Paicines. From there on south, it follows Bear Valley through rolling hills of oak savanna. Now in February, the grasscovered hills are green, but in a few months they will turn brown in the summer sun.

Blue lupine and orange California poppies intermittently brighten the green space between the majestic live oaks, so called because they are an evergreen oak and appear “live” all year.

Bear Valley was formed by the San Andreas Fault. On its own journey south, the San Andreas Fault makes landfall in San Francisco and sweeps inland to Hollister.

The fault line then turns south, paralleling the coast. Here the earth's two largest tectonic plates (the Pacific Plate to the west and the North American Plate to the east) are grinding against each other. This pulverized rock is easily eroded and creates a

series of valleys running down the southern half of Central California, a natural route for Highway 25.

We pass just to the east of Pinnacles National Park, home to some of the few remaining California condors. Their story is a rare and inspiring example of humanity’s ability to protect and preserve the other animals with which we share our planet.

When highway 25 ends, we continue south down Peach Tree Valley; through open-range cattle country alongside scenic

Laura riding past massive, old growth live oaks on Highway 25 near Pinnacles National Park.

highlight is Slacks Canyon. We have not seen any traffic since Pinnacles National Park, and we don’t see another vehicle going in either direction until we get to the town of Paso Robles.

The day ends for us in Paso Robles (pronounced by long-time locals as “Pasa Rowbls”). Once a small cowboy town known for its natural hot springs, Paso Robles has been revitalized by developing a local wine industry. The downtown, still only a few blocks square, is bustling with art galleries,

restaurants, tasteful shopping, antique stores and (of course) wine tasting. We enjoy windowshopping and then dinner at a restaurant called Fish Gaucho, reputed by locals to serve the best Margaritas in town.

We concur. Also, the food is excellent.

Paso Robles is situated above a geologic hotspot from which artesian hot springs once rose to the surface. The Salinan Indians regarded these hot springs as “Heaven’s Spot.” The outlaw Jesse James recovered from two bullet wounds in his chest at his

uncle Drury James’s ranch near Paso Robles.

In the 1920s and '30s the Paso Robles hot springs and mud baths were a fashionable driving destination for the Hollywood glamorous. However, after World War II, America became obsessed with modern suburban life, and hot springs fell out of favor. They no longer drew tourists, and locals complained about the pervasive sulphur smell. In 1973 the Paso Robles hot springs were plugged with concrete.

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Exploring Badwater salt flats while 95 degrees with February snow on the distant Panamint Range.

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Riding through Searles Valley Monday morning on the way to Death Valley.

On Sunday morning we load our panniers and duffle bags onto the bikes before dawn. The air is cool and the sky is clear, bringing the expectation of a beautiful day to come. We are parked next to a decorative fountain, and as I cinch down the duffle on the back my bike, I notice a whiff of sulphur. That makes me smile; geothermal hot springs still percolate under Paso Robles.

Shortly before eight in the morning we stop at the memorial near James Dean’s fatal intersection on Highway 46 (formerly 466).

Here is a chance to stretch our legs and read the memorial plaques. From the memorial to James Dean’s death in his Porsche 550 Spyder, we backtrack westward about a mile, to turn south on Bitterwater Road, a true California back-road treasure. There is no traffic; the only encounters we have on this 32-mile road are a few free-range cattle resting under some trees. Bitterwater Road is well paved, traverses scenic, open country, and is possibly the most relaxing riding one can experience. We pull over at a hilltop

to enjoy the sweeping vista.

Eventually, Bitterwater Road descends out of its rolling hills and ends at Highway 58. We take 58 east, swooping up and down, rollercoaster-like, through expansive cattle ranches and beside one of the largest solar energy farms in the world, the 550 megawatt Topaz Solar Farm. As Highway 58 winds up and over the Temblor Range, a heavy fog engulfs us, and the road steepens and twists. Our visors film over, and we flip them up out of the way. The cool mist sprays our faces. Visibility is limited to about 10 feet, and consequently, our speed slows to less than 30 miles per hour. Fortunately, since it is Sunday morning on an out-of-the-way route, there is no other traffic.

We descend out of the fog as the road straightens and passes through fields of oil pumpjacks, like enormous rusty birds, dipping and raising their heads as they extract crude oil from sandstone layers deep underground.

More spectacular riding lies ahead on this Sunday afternoon as we follow Highway 178 up the steep-walled and rocky Kern River Canyon. Riding beside the Kern River, roaring with this winter’s El Niño rains, is a memorable experience. At the top of the canyon, we pass Lake Isabella.

Remarkably, as soon as we crest Walker Pass and descend onto the Sierra’s dry, eastern side, the flora changes, and we are in the desert. Yucca cacti spread into the distance

The coyote that lives behind our campsote at Furnace creek. He regularly starts valley-wide howling each morning before dawn.

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James Dean memorial.

on both sides of the road. We sense Death Valley approaching. Sunday ends for us in the desert town of Ridgecrest, California.

With only enough remaining energy for a microwave-warmed grocery store dinner, we collapse into exhausted sleep.

Monday morning dawns clear and cool.

Our route takes us up the desolate Searles

Valley where Searles Valley Minerals still processes brine for sodium salts and borax.

A few wild burros, descended from early gold prospectors’ pack animals, make a life in the desert here.

We gas up at the Stovepipe Wells entrance to Death Valley and hear that the Furnace Creek station ran out of gasoline yesterday.

We are arriving at the end of the President’s Day weekend, and this is the year of a much-publicized wildflower “superbloom.”

Death Valley is everything we could have expected. It is 95° F (35° C) at our campsite (remember, it is February 15th). Remarkably, we are immediately welcomed by the local residents. As we set up our tent, a coyote walks past, panting in the heat. Shortly afterwards, a roadrunner trots over and gives us an inquisitive look, before running off into the brush as if hurrying to an appointment. A few photographs, rather than a written narrative, tell a better story of our adventures over the next three days in Death Valley.

On our last afternoon in Death Valley, high clouds blow in from the west. The wind picks up, and a sandstorm blows from south to north through the valley. That night, each approaching gust of wind starts as a distant jet turbine-like sound, rising in volume until it becomes a roar as it hits the Furnace Creek date palms. Then the gust wrestles with our tent as if it were a large animal trying to lift the tent off the ground.

This repeats for hours. At about midnight it starts to rain—hard.

We don’t get any sleep that last night in Death Valley, but the rain and wind subside just before dawn.

Using headlamps, we pack the tent and stuff the sleeping bags. There is a long day ahead of us, as we have a reservation for the night at the highly recommended Naylor

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Family Organic Farm near Fresno. Our route takes us back through Ridgecrest and over Tehachapi Pass. We then follow country roads north, through fruit orchards in full bloom. Tens of miles of back roads are lined with blooming almond, peach, nectarine and plum trees, each with its attendant pallet of honey bee hives.

We arrive at Mike and Nori’s small farm at about six o’clock Thursday evening, almost twelve hours since leaving Death Valley. It’s been a long day, and we are both ready to get off the bikes. Our guest bedroom is beautifully appointed. That evening consists of hot showers (much appreciated after three days of camping), a makeshift dinner and an early bedtime.

Before we wake on Friday morning, our host Mike Naylor is up on a ladder, picking softball-sized oranges from a front yard tree

to make a pitcher of fresh-squeezed orange juice for breakfast. Nori serves delicious scrambled eggs, home-fried potatoes and fresh-baked muffins. We have coffee, tea, and of course, fresh-squeezed orange juice.

After breakfast, Mike offers to take us on a walking tour of their farm. He and Nori are a third generation family of Central Valley farmers and ranchers, and the pride at what his grandfather, his father and he have accomplished on this land is evident. Mike’s father’s farm equipment, old tillers and discs, decorate the yard behind his house.

He explains that equipment of this vintage is relatively rare in the Central Valley because most of it was melted down to make tanks during the Second World War. His father’s was still in use. The farm’s irrigation ditches were dug by hand about a hundred years ago. Mike fondly recalls he

Peach blossoms at the Mike and Nori Naylor's farm.

Mike and Nori Naylor's lush organic peach tree field on the right, and an adjacent, non-organic orchard on the left make a striking comparison.

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BMW OWNERS NEWS November 2017

Mike Naylor explaining to Laura why some nectarines blossoms are especially sensitive to frost.

and his brother swimming in these ditches during breaks from farm work on hot summer days.

Mike is proud of the fact that his farming is organic, although it means significantly more work for him. The contrast between his field, and an adjacent orchard weeded with herbicides is striking.

One of the more interesting aspects of Mike’s organic gardening is that he uses barn owls for gopher control. Wooden boxes, mounted high up on poles, serve as barn owl nests. His experience with gopher

snakes is that they can eat about one gopher per week, whereas a barn owl can eat a gopher per day—certainly a good value.

After our walk, Mike apologizes because he has to leave to help one of his sons who is having trouble with his pickup truck. It is also time for us to leave, but we are sad to ride away from such a beautiful place.

We start up the bikes, flip down our visors, ease out our clutch levers and head down the farm’s gravel driveway, riding north toward home, memories of the previous week swirling in our minds.

Central California with our journey indicated.

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Shortly after I met Philippa and she saw a photo of my F 700 GS, her first question was, “Is there room for two on that?” At that time my two-up experience was limited to short rides here and there or having a passenger on my 170cc scooter, both of which were a long way from a seven-day, 1,000-mile ride in possibly the most unforgiving part of the country.

For almost three months I traded emails with Nancy Hull who, with her husband Keith, runs Alaska Motorcycle Adventures.

In addition to renting us the bike, Nancy set up our route for us and even offered accommodation suggestions along the way with phone numbers and websites.

In planning our adventure, traveling together on the F 800 GS was our way to really experience all that Alaska had to offer as our trip wasn’t only about the ride.

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It was also about having an adventure together and as close to the environment as possible. With .2 percent of the population and 17 percent of the landmass of the total United States, Philippa and I often found ourselves imagining what it would have been like to have lived in Alaska 10,000 years ago. When riding here, one immediately senses the primitive and unforgiving nature of the Alaskan landscape.

As a photographer, I want photos that will be memorable and at least significant to me. There are times when it’s simply enough just to see and marvel at the landscape, knowing that you can never convey the expansiveness in a single photo.

One of the most striking images was on our late afternoon bus tour of the six million-acre Denali National Park. Looking across the valley glowing in the late

afternoon sun with the mountain range in the distance, a bright rainbow sliced through the middle.

Almost every moment of the ride, even the rainy ones were inspiring and many were breathtaking and upon reflection made us recognize our personal insignificance in the universe.

Some of the riding was easy, through valleys with mountain ranges on each side, and some were great fun leaning into the twists on Highway 1. Nearing the final stretch we encountered the most challenging ride I have ever experienced when we had 40 miles to ride to catch the 7:30 a.m. daily ferry from Valdez to Whittier. Not a problem except for the six miles of single lane construction and pilot car we had to follow. Our goal was to get there before 6 a.m. when they started working.

Fortunately, we arrived exactly at 6, and the pilot car was waiting for us. Normally this doesn’t sound like much of a problem; however, we were on the downhill side of Thompson Pass and even though sunrise was at 5:20 a.m., on this morning it was still dark, 38 degrees with pouring rain, and we were riding on gravel with no markings on the road. I was grateful not only for the pilot car, but for all of the time I had spent at Advance Riding School and the great and trusting passenger who was able to relax no matter where we were.

We made it to the Valdez ferry with just enough time to get loaded and strapped down. The ferry ride was relaxing and even through the mist the views were amazing.

We saw Stellar Sea Lions and otters in on the trip, but and mostly, the unforgiving presence of Alaska came through.

Our destination was Whittier, whose 220 annual residents are referred to as “Whitidiots” by the guidebooks. Whittier was the site of the World War II Whittier Army Port, which was later rebuilt to house 1,000 personnel.

Whittier was a critical military port and railhead and is still a key port.

We did not have a lot of riding, but headed up to Alyeska Resort for our final night. Alyeska is a major ski resort, perfectly groomed with several great restaurants. After dinner, we took the ski tram to the top and then a short but wonderful hike with a view of seven glaciers.

Our tour of Denali gave us a quick look at some wildlife from a distance, and the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center gave us the opportunity for a closer look at caribou, brown bear, moose, musk ox and

wolves.

It was only early August, and yet the weather was already starting to get cool.

On our final night we saw some “termination dust” in the mountain, which is what they call the first snowfall in the mountains because in the heyday of Alaskan mining, it was with the first snowfall that the mineworkers would be terminated for the season. It was bittersweet to leave the Conservation Center and head back to Anchorage.

Our days in Alaska were filled with wonderful sights, experiences and thoughts of the next adventure. With a 6 p.m. return time, we made it back to Alaska Motorcycle Adventures with 10 minutes to spare, and Nancy graciously took us to the airport.

Denali National Park.

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Denali National Park.

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K2 Tour of Triumphant Glacier.

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Top to Bottom: Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center showing Alaska the way it used to be.

Sheep Mountain Lodge.

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Photo courtesy Will Guyan #56198

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BMW OWNERS NEWS  November 2017

Rebuilding a First Year

R 100 RS Part 1: How I Got Started

The first in a three-part series documenting the restoration of a 1977 R 100 RS to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the introduction of this iconic BMW motorcycle.

By Brook Reams #114474

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IN 2009, I WAS WORKING IN TECHNICAL

down and not rush things. I grew comfortable stopping work because my mind was not focused on what I was doing and waiting to complete that task until I was no longer distracted and completely attentive to the work at hand. I found a joy that comes from doing work one task at a time, slowly and thoughtfully without distraction, and no set time to be done until I was done. This

marketing and growing uncomfortable with the verbal jujitsu that permeates tech sector marketing. I needed “honest” work with real things that you can’t verbally convince to do your bidding.

In the middle 1970s I was strongly affected by Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig, who just passed away in April, 2017 at the age of 88. In that book there is a now famous statement: "The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called yourself."

I decided to follow his advice and work on rebuilding a bike and myself. So in October 2009, I started taking apart my first BMW, a 1975 R 75/6, which had faithfully carried me 103,000 miles.

At the same time, I started a blog, “Motorcycle and Other Musings” (http:brook.reams.me), to document my project and share it with … well, I wasn’t sure who, but blogging was the new thing and I wanted to try my hand at it.

I finished the rebuild The 1977 R 100 RS before restoration. on Halloween, 2010. This way of working was diametrically opposite bike had great sentimental value to me, and to the demands of my job, and I looked forworking on it in my unheated garage over ward to “hands on therapy,” as I came to the winter found me reliving many of the think of my time rebuilding the bike. trips and adventures we had together, which was an unexpected bonus beyond the goal of uniting my hands with my brain in Why the fuss over the '77 RS? meaningful work.

I’ve always wanted an RS ever since I saw a Due to limited space, whenever I worked picture of one in Cycle magazine in 1977. in the evening after dinner or on the weekWhat caught my attention? I’ve thought end, I would pull the car out, move the bike about that, and I believe this bike is an out from the wall, and then work on the example of what happens when a single next thing I needed to do, often in my down mind creates a balanced expression of how jacket as it was cold with no heat in the a high performance motorcycle that is comgarage. When I finished for the evening, I fortable to ride should look. It’s an intewould put all the tools back, move the bike grated, consistent form that is moving even against the wall, box up the parts I had when parked. It makes you excited from the removed, make a note in my work journal anticipation of riding it anywhere, any time. about what I needed to do next, and then For me, that’s the essential joy I seek when I pull the car back in the garage. I learned ride. What’s a mystery to me is how somepatience, perseverance and how to slow one creates a tangible product from inert

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aluminum, steel and plastic which generates such a strong emotional connection with its integrated, flowing shape. As Pirsig notes, we may not know how to define or articulate what quality is, but we recognize it the moment we see it.

BMW was the first manufacturer to sell a motorcycle with a factory designed full fairing. Up until then, folks who wanted fairings bought them from the likes of Craig Vetter of Windjammer fame or the BMW dealer that sold a clone of the Windjammer made by Luftmeister.

Hans Muth described the look of these aftermarket fairings as, “added-on, strange-looking, ugly massive and boring. They looked weird with their rough shells surrounded by a flexible black molding—like a consolation letter stating someone’s death.”1 That’s certainly not an endorsement of third party fairings at the time.

Muth’s quest for the RS was focused on producing a distinctive fairing that integrated with the classic BMW airhead engine and frame to replace the traditional “engineered motorcycle” the company was known for with one purposely designed to challenge the existing BMW norms to successfully compete with the Japanese domination of the motorcycle market. A prototype was tested in the Pininfarina wind tunnel in Italy to get the aerodynamics correct. Most existing fairing designs created lift on the front wheel at higher speed and lost stability in cross winds. The Muth-designed RS fairing generated down force and maintained stability in a cross-wind. When I saw pictures of the RS, it was a beautiful sculpted shape that changed a BMW from a utilitarian, daily rider into a modern, high performance, functional work of art. It was a shape that said “go fast and go with confidence.”

The RS motor is the same air-cooled boxer configuration BMW was known for, but the engineers tried to wring all the

horsepower and torque they could from a naturally aspirated, air-cooled twin. The /6 series engine had a maximum displacement of 900cc. The 1977 R 100 RS had a 1000 cc engine that produced the most power of any air-cooled motor BMW had built to date. It was the appropriate answer by Hans Muth, who had designed the highly successful R 90 S superbike in 1974, to “What’s next from BMW?” Part of the magic of the RS performance are the 44 mm intake and 40 mm exhaust valves combined with 9.5:1 compression pistons, a revised frame that stiffened the chassis, and of course the fairing, which had a lower coefficient of drag than the R 90 S and almost all the aftermarket fairings.

The 1977 engine was not going to meet the impending EPA pollution requirements, and with no-lead gas replacing leaded fuel, the high compression was prone to pinging. Since the BMW model year starts September first, they installed the same high performance engine in about the first 250 1978 models sold in the U.S. But starting January 1, 1978, a modified engine was installed that met the EPA regulations with a modest reduction in horsepower and torque.

However in 1977, three states already had more stringent pollution regulations: California, Florida and Oregon. To sell bikes in those states, BMW supplied a “CFO” version of the RS engine stamped with CFO on the left side of the engine block near the VIN number (Note, the exact location of the CFO stamp varied on the two CFO engines I’ve seen). My RS is a CFO, but I have not been able to find out how many CFO engine bikes were sold in the U.S. The CFO engines use the same heads with the 44 mm intake and 40 mm exhaust valves, but the headers are 38 mm and the Bing carburetors are a different model of the type 94/40 series. The result is slightly less horsepower, but one benefit is peak horsepower occurs at lower RPM and so becomes more useable at sane speeds.

The 1977 RS has a unique paint finish that departs from BMW tradition. Instead of a choice of colors, only one paint color was available, and it wasn’t black. The clear coat is matte rather than gloss, and the front brake caliper, which is aluminum, is anodized blue and not painted the typical black as found on the /6 and all the other /7 models.

With details like this, Muth was confidently leading the BMW motorcycle division in a new and nontraditional direction that caused the motorcycle press and BMW aficionados to sit up and take notice. This was not your father’s conservative “Black Mit White” BMW motorcycle.

In May 2015, I thought I’d found my bike when I bought a neglected 1983 R 100 RS. But, in April 2016 someone posted a Craig’s List ad for a 1977 R 100 RS. I fought the temptation to look at it, as I already had the 1983 RS. The logical thing to do was ignore the ad. In the end, logic lost, From top to bottom, Cracked and faded front fairing, cracked and discolored windshield, corroded motor.

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and the allure of having a first year RS won. I bought the bike.

The odometer showed 37,300 miles and was what I call a “10 Foot Bike;” it looked okay from 10 feet away but was “cosmetically challenged” with lots of damage to the fairing panels, and the original gas tank had been replaced with a dented blue one. The axles were rusting, and I suspected every seal was leaking. There were signs of someone investing in it early in its life, but the rust and heavily corroded engine covers showed it was neglected for some time.

After I bought it, I rode it about 150 miles to get a feel for how it ran and to note things that needed attention. Then I parked it while I completed my current project, a “refresh” of my first bike rebuild, the 1975 R75/6 so I could correct some mistakes and oversights from the rebuild.

In the summer of 2016 I heard about Todd Trumbore’s plans to hold a 40th RS anniversary rally in September, 2017, in Pennsylvania. The designer of the RS, Hans Muth, was coming from Germany to attend. Hans Muth joined BMW Motorad in 1971 after working for Ford as an interior designer. In his tenure at BMW he was lead designer for BMW’s legendary R 90 S, the R 100 RS and R 100 RT models, the G/S (later renamed GS) and the R 65. In addition, Suzuki asked him for assistance in designing the Suzuki Katana.

It was clear what I needed to do. Despite the short timeframe, I had to rebuild the ’77 RS and ride it from my home in Denver, Colorado, to the anniversary rally. On September 1, 2016, I started removing the fairing and cataloging parts for refinishing, repairing or replacement. My goal was to finish the rebuild no later than one year later on September 1, 2017. As I dug into the bike, it became clear this would be the most ambitious project I had tackled so far.

Next month: Getting my hands dirty taking the RS apart down to the frame, learning what I don’t know, and putting it all back together again.

I document all my builds on my site, (brook.reams.me). I spend about twice as long documenting the work as I take to do it, but I find satisfaction in taking detailed pictures and writing about how I did the work. My hope is this “how to” content will encourage airhead owners to be more hands-on with the maintenance and repair of their machines. To be clear, I’m an amateur wrench, not a professional, so caveat emptor applies.

By the time I finished building this RS, my website contained a little over 100 technical publications covering the work I’ve done on four projects: a 1973 R 75 /5, a 1975 R 75 /6, this 1977 R 100 RS and a yet-to-be-completed 1983 R 100 RS. People from over 100 countries have accessed the content over 350,000 times. These are not high numbers in the world of social media, but I never guessed there was this much interest in how to work on BMW airheads.

Top and middle, Signs of wear and abuse needing to be addressed include cracked and fade fairing paing, extensive corrosion.

Bottom, CFO markings indicate the bike built to comply with California, Florida and Oregon's more stringent pollution standards.

A line of beautifully restored RSs at the 40th Anniversary rally. Photo by Phil Sikora #09135.

www.cardosystems.com

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A FRIEND ON THE OTH

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BMW OWNERS NEWS  November 2017

HER END OF THE LINE

By Ken Frick #199204

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A

t first they were but two specks, way down the highway. Even from a distance, I could tell the bikes were Beemers. As the distance between us narrowed, I could tell that they were loaded down, much like mine was. It wasn't much of a stretch to guess they'd also been to the rally in Billings, Montana.

With me riding just a bit faster, I eventually eased by them, giving each rider a warm wave. With their California plates I knew they must be close to home. There was no doubt in my mind they'd noticed my Ohio plate, so they knew I'd been on the road for some time.

We were riding south on I-5 in California's Central Valley, where it had already reached a hundred degrees. Except where fields were irrigated, everything looked either parched, dormant or dead. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and beyond the freeway, nothing was moving. On I rode.

Then from out of nowhere I heard a

The only cloud Ken saw during his time in California hung over the Golden Gate Bridge on the day of his race. In the years to come this race will always be among his favorites. Running the bridge in both directions covers almost 3.5 miles.

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whooosh, then gears quickly changing.

Slipping in next to me were the two bikes I'd passed earlier with one of the riders motioning for me to pull over. I'd experienced this before when some of my gear was loose and dangling off the back of my bike. But I soon learned this time there was no reason for concern.

The rider closest to me, Chris Weld, introduced himself, he being from San Francisco, and his riding buddy, Alberto Sevilla, also of the Bay Area. They told me that at the next exit was a place called Nancy's Airport Café which was famous throughout all of California for their great pies and desserts. They invited me to join them for a bit of air conditioning and conversation on what had become a rather long afternoon.

But the time wasn't right. I had obligations for that evening and any delay might put those plans in jeopardy; however, I did stop by Nancy's for a minute to thank them and to wish them well.

That was a few years back, I was now on the road again, and San Francisco beckoned. My plan was to attend the BMW MOA Rally in Salt Lake City and from there keep heading west. I'm a long distance runner, always looking for different events to race in when I'm on the road, and there was a event there I wanted to run. Over the years I'd run in really interesting places, and a half marathon in San Francisco, one that would take me over the Golden Gate Bridge, had been on my bucket list for many years.

Family matters preempted my being at the rally, so my goal was to simply enjoy the long ride to the Bay Area and to run my race. I'd done my homework and had found a number of places within walking distance of the race's start line for my stay, but with security concerns, I called Chris for his advice.

In no uncertain terms he told me that there was only one place where I should aim my RT– his home. As uncomfortable as

I was in accepting his gracious offer, he made it abundantly clear he wouldn't allow me to go anywhere else.

He lives a bit to the south of the city, he told me, only 11 minutes from the race's starting line. Accepting an offer like this was something I'd never done before. It's just not in my manner. I could never have guessed that staying with Chris, and his wife Pat would lead to one of the most enjoyable three days of my being on the road.

When I arrived the first things I saw inside their garage were two BMW's, an RT similar to mine and a GS model. When the dust had settled a bit Chris showed me the rest of his collection. His other motorcycles there were a '48 Sunbeam S-7 and a BMW Sidecar set (one using a '68 frame, '76 R-90 engine all mated to a '61 BMW Special sidecar, the last year they were sold he told me) plus under a car cover was a beautiful classic white XJS Jaguar.

I'm something of a regular guy, fitting in

well wherever I might be. As are most of us, I'm a pretty responsible person. To be a bit more blunt, my life has been devoid of what you might think of as any kind of real trouble.

In every way I think Chris led a lifestyle similar to my own. Beyond that, Chris' life couldn't be more different. Chris had retired from the San Francisco Police Department as a lieutenant after 30 years and two days (he made a big deal of those two days).

My staying with Chris and Pat opened conversations I could ever have imagined. My run-ins with the law had never gone beyond speeding tickets or running a stop light when I was in my teens, a matter that still festers in my memory. To this day that infraction, where there was no guilt, still colors my opinion, attitude, viewpoint and—right or wrong—my temperament toward law enforcement.

So there I was, staying with a man who had served in many of the San Francisco

Police Department's divisions. If there was an expert in the law, it was Chris.

Somewhere from eons long ago a line had been drawn. On one side are the people who protect and serve. On the other are those of us who are protected. On both sides of that line are attitudes, very different perceptions of those on the other side.

Being with Chris opened a window for me to better understand and to come to grips with what it's like to live a life I could never imagine.

After 30 years of service, Chris' attitudes on the law, police work, policy and application are firmly entrenched in his being, his opinions flowing easily. For people like Chris, in a spiritual sense at least, there is only the law. But by necessity he also understands there are also day-to-day realities. There are and always will be politics and policy, where somehow the law gets weighed down with the day-to-day murkiness of government give and take. Much of what he explained to me was about policy in the metering of the law in San Francisco.

It was fascinating, this man who had dedicated his life to law enforcement, sharing the ins and outs of his work. Nothing of what he shared with me had occurred to me.

There are people who are born to do the work he chose. Without going into detail here, he told me about some of his “firsts,” the times back when he was new to the force, experiencing the grittier times members of a police force deal with all the time.

I could never do the work he chose. For me he put his face on matters none of us in civilian life would ever want to experience first hand. It takes someone special to follow his career path.

Chris had found his following early on.

He absolutely loved what he did for a living. With the recent attacks and current attitudes toward the police, I asked if he as a young man would go into law enforcement today. Without hesitation he replied with an enthusiastic “Yes!” On a wall in his living room were some of his awards and the special commendations he received during his time with the department (as well as recognition for his other efforts on behalf of motorcycling).

Oher than what I saw during our time together, unless that was the direction of our conversation, I would never have guessed his occupation. But at our last

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dinner together, while we waited for our meals to be served, the conversation went to those we saw around us.

There was a well-grounded suspicion when Chris pointed to those at other tables or in the lobby. He singled out people he thought might be drug dealers or those who might make their living in other underhanded ways. All of this would have gone right over my head. But this is what he did.

His job required he be an observer; it's what he had become and still is. In our time together it became clear that to be in law enforcement an individual needed a true sense of commitment, a developed sense of empathy, self-reliance, wit, a calm demeanor, the ability to use force of will, a sense of humor, patience, and an unbelievable knack for attention to detail. Maybe what we can't under-estimate, it also takes someone who can walk into any situation where rage fills the air and with their own sense of presence or maybe the subtlety of their demeanor, and defuse what was in front of them. I should add brains as well.

He added that it helped to have a great partner, something he'd had the good fortune to have over his years on the force. All I know is that when it came time for me to head for home, I'd formed a different opinion on what it's like to enforce the law.

Sometimes it's easy to forget there's a person on the other side of that star.

On Sunday morning I was up early for the 5:30 start of my race. I returned back at Chris and Pat's place to clean up and to pack for home. I didn't want to be caught in early Monday morning Bay Area

Above: Unlike most police departments where officers receive new stars as they are promoted, those in San Francisco keep their star number throughout their career. In San Francisco an officer's star number becomes synonymous with the officer. On the other side of the flap is Chris' Miranda Rights card, something every police officer is required to carry.

Left: Chris' 50-year pin (he was a charter member of the BMW Club of Northern California) is worn on his cycling jacket. You can see it in his photograph with the two bikes.

traffic. Chris made it clear that I was welcome back any time. He made certain I knew that the car he drove me around in or any of his cycles would be available should I want to use them.

Mmmm, I thought, and I mentioned my wife, a woman who prefers being on four wheels.

With a smile on my face I told Chris that maybe some day we'd come by, and maybe we'd take him up on his offer, if it was the Jaguar he would make available.

He smiled, and for the first time, what I saw in his eyes was the look of a police lieutenant. I wish I knew what that meant.

Left: Chris with his '05 GS and '11 RT. He spends much of his riding miles with a like-minded group of enthusiasts who call themselves the Mid-Week Riders, who explore and re-explore many of central and northern California's back roads.

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Street Strategies

The Root Cause of Motorcycle Crashes

By Roger Wiles #32797 …AND CLOSE CALLS, AS WELL. IN FACT,

the researchers’ term of art is Near Crash.”

Philosophically and morally, near crashes are as bad as crashes, although from a practical standpoint, riders would much prefer a close brush with disaster to a crash under most any circumstance. After all, the same failures that lead to crashes also lead to near crashes, and luck probably plays a part in changing a crash into, “Whew! That was close!” We’ve all heard someone say they would rather be lucky than good, but Lady Luck’s razor cuts both ways, and I suspect that riders would much prefer that luck play no part in having fun and reducing risk while riding. In any event, wouldn’t it be nice if we could discover the root cause of motorcycle crashes and near crashes, and address that root cause in our day-to-day riding activities. So, what IS that root cause?

Well, let’s go exploring.

Those who study such matters tell us that the primary or single cause of a particular crash is normally difficult to determine; usually, there are multiple risk-factors that converge, accumulate and interact with one another in unpredictable ways that produce either the crash we all try to avoid or the pucker-moment of a near crash. Take a peek at this scenario: Clarence and Ty were enjoying a midmorning ride through some winding mountain roads. The weather was clear, comfortable and dry, and the pavement was in good condition; since it had been recently repaved, there were barely visible temporary centerline markings. Clarence and Ty were riding in a staggered formation, with Clarence in the left-hand portion of the two-lane road, close to the centerline, and Ty’s position was about fifty feet back in the center portion of the lane. They were riding just a tad above the posted speed limit. This section featured a tall cliff on the left verge of the road, and a gently

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descending hillside just past the roadside ditch on the right verge.

Clarence was riding a nearly new motorcycle which was professionally serviced only two days previously, while Ty’s machine was not only well-used, but sported a worn rear tire.

As the duo approached a left-hand curve, a compact car appeared suddenly around the blind curve, about two feet over the centerline and drifting even further into the incoming lane. Ty was interested in viewing the scenery off to the right and failed to notice that he was creeping up on Clarence’s bike as Clarence rolled off the throttle prior the curve. Clarence, however, was looking toward the curve as the car appeared, and realized that a crash was imminent; he caught a glimpse of Ty’s bike in his right mirror, very close, and knew that he would likely collide with Ty if be moved to the right, but had no other escape route. By this time, the collision had occurred, with Clarence’s machine striking the middle of the auto’s grill head-on, while Ty managed to lock the rear brake on his motorcycle and low-side into the soft ditch at a low speed without colliding with any object.

Clarence was thrown violently into the ditch on the right, and suffered a compound fracture of his left leg, a broken arm and multiple contusions; he was conscious when citizen first-responders arrived. Ty was dazed; his helmet came off during his low-side crash, and he had scratches on the side of his head, as well as road-rash on the uncovered parts of his arms. Neither rider had been drinking, and both were wellrested. Both riders had temporary motorcycle permits that had been renewed multiple times. The driver of the compact car suffered a broken arm, and said that the power steering on her aged car had failed last week, and it was ‘hard to steer.’

What was the cause of this crash? The defective auto? Was there more than one cause-factor that contributed to the crash?

Did too many factors accumulate, so many that Ty and Clarence were overwhelmed and had no responses left? How many riskfactors were present, and how did they interact with one another to produce this horrific event? What errors, if any, did Ty and Clarence make? What do you think Clarence or Ty would say caused their crash? What could have prevented this crash? As an aside, The Lovely Norma and I were some of the initial citizen firstresponders at this crash scene.

You may have a different count, but I find about six risk-factors in this sad tale, maybe more. Some risk-factors are moving, some are stationary, some appear in the moment, and some risk-factors beginning sometime in the past. Some are under the control of the rider, and some aren’t.

However, all the factors arrived at the scene of this crash together. But have we discovered the real root cause of crashes within this story? What do you think the real root cause might be?

Certainly, if Clarence and Ty had advance knowledge that an auto with defective steering would appear suddenly in their lane around a blind turn, they both would have taken action to reduce the risk and eliminate the likelihood of this crash happening, right? Unfortunately, the driver of the compact car neglected to first ring up Clarence and let him know that she was coming towards him in a car that maneuvered badly: “Watch out, fellas! I’m headed your way, and this thing steers like a pig!”

Risk-management folks tell us that there are few true “accidents;” rather, events like this are predictable. If you or I can predict a crash, we then have the means to prevent it, despite the absence of prior detailed, certain knowledge that a broken auto would soon be in our lane. Were there visible clues to this risky situation present, clues that could have given Clarence and Ty some specific advance warning of a possible threat? Sure! See how many of them you can identify.

Let’s then consider the root cause of

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skills

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motorcycle crashes and close calls.

Perhaps it is a lack of awareness of nearby converging, accumulating and interacting risk-factors and clues.

So, how can we defend ourselves?

Well, by actively searching and scanning the situation for the visible clues that indicate hidden risks as well as spotting clearly visible risk-factors, and actively and consciously thinking about and creatively predicting how the visible risk-factors, as well as the clues that point to the crash-traps in hiding might come together at the wrong time and the wrong place and produce a dreaded crash, or an embarrassing near crash. Then, of course, we take some actions early that mitigate or eliminate the risk in the potential crash-chain.

Many riders learned the strategy of Search, Evaluate, Execute (SEE © MSF) from rider education classes and literature. Pretty easy to do, right? Well. yes, it is a relatively easy task to perform, given these conditions: • The rider has undergone education of some type; the rider is informed.

• The rider has competent maneuvering skills, and maintains these

regularly.

• The rider uses past experience to expand his or her personal knowledge-base.

• The rider is actively and consciously involved, mentally, in the riding-task.

And the last bullet-point is the lynchpin of the entire process, isn’t it: Keeping our brain/mind “on-task” while riding. Our minds have a voracious appetite for engagement and content. It’s likely that few, if any, humans are actually able to “think of nothing” while awake and conscious. Try it, see if you can think of “nothing.” Go ahead, we’ll take a few minutes off…

How did you do? Likely, you were actively involved in thinking, “nothing… nothing…nothing,” weren’t you? And that’s thinking about something—it’s not nothing. So, without some conscious mental oversight of what you, the rider, are currently taking on as a current thinking-task, our content-hungry minds can become subject to daydreaming, searching for an interesting, engaging thinking-task. Let’s define “daydreaming” as any thinking-task that does not involve the business of actively searching and scanning, and evaluating all sensory input for possible threats and risk. We can become blissfully unaware of the threats posed by these multiple

risk-factors that are continually milling around us, accumulating, forming up, dissipating, appearing and disappearing, changing, getting closer to us, dissolving, and so forth, the endless ribbon of roadrisk as it presents itself to us.

This business of active mental self-oversight is possibly the second-highest order of mind/brain activity after self-awareness.

It is an active process of CHOOSING what to think about, how long to continue on that thinking-task, what task should be next, and what mental task is the most the important in one’s life at that moment. Or, what SHOULD be the most important.

Do you know how you or I can improve our attentiveness? If so, write Street Strategies with your thoughts. Clearly, as a wellknown Hurt Study Finding states, “Lack of attention to the riding task is a common factor for the motorcyclist in a crash,” and that makes you and me, riders, one of the constant potential risk factors. If it is indeed true, the root cause of motorcycle crashes is “A lack of awareness of converging, accumulating and interacting risk-factors and clues,” consider how you might address this issue within yourself. Street Strategies very much would like to hear from you on the subject!

Ride fun, ride often, ride safe…

Think!

www.spieglerusa.com

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askapro

Buying new versus used

By Lee Parks #162125

Q:

I’ve been riding an R 1150 GS for the better part of decade and am ready for an upgrade. I love the adventure genre, so I’m sticking with a GS. My buddy has a used R 1200 GS with a lot of aftermarket parts on it that I’m considering purchasing. What advice do you have for purchasing new versus used?

A:

Without more information, it’s impossible to give you a definitive answer, but I’m happy to go through the thought process with you. The first question is what year is your buddy’s GS? That model has had several iterations through the years, though all are a huge improvement over the R 1150 GS. Personally I would stay away from the original 2004 series that had power-assisted brakes. They were an unnecessarily complicated solution to a problem no one seemed to have encountered.

The next generation was a mild update with improved power and other enhancements. Many of these models are still happily running around today. In 2010 the last of the air and oil-cooled models were released with multiple small improvements. The next step was in 2013 with the introduction of the water-cooled (known as the wasserboxer) engine.

That bike received a nice horsepower increase and feels lighter, although it

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BMW OWNERS NEWS November 2017

isn’t on the scales. With the wasserboxer providing momentum and a more efficient chassis, the original adventure tourer really hit its stride. I would be proud to have one of these babies in my garage as you can do almost anything with it. Keep in mind, like with many things in life, it’s a jack of all trades but master of none.

By the time the current model came along, BMW added a very trick electronic package including sophisticated traction control and shift assist. This last iteration is worth considering as it comes with features you cannot add in the aftermarket. It should be noted that most versions of the R 1200 GS also came in an Adventure model

tended to favor the “buy a stock bike and make it my own” strategy. It is fun to create a unique moto-expression of yourself, but lately I’ve had a 180° turnaround.

Early this year, when purchasing my first sports car (as opposed to pickup truck) since 1989, I chose the 292 hp AWD Volkswagen Golf R. The 2017 models were going for around $45–$50,000 out the door, depending on the dealer. I already had a list of modifications I wanted to make to it, so when I found a 2016 model with only 2,500 miles on it and about $10,000 of upgrades for only $39,000, I knew I had found my slice of Valhalla. For a practically new vehicle—now with

IF YOU’RE NOT SURE ABOUT A PARTICULAR BIKE, HAVE A QUALIFIED MECHANIC YOU TRUST CHECK IT OUT AND GIVE YOU AN OPINION. with significantly increased gas capacity and longer travel suspension. Unless you’re planning on doing really long rides inbetween gas stops, the extra weight and girth of these models are probably more trouble than they are worth. As I rarely do that kind of riding, I typically prefer the standard models for everyday use and bring an auxiliary fuel tank when needed.

Now that we’ve overviewed the GS landscape, let’s figure out what your plans for the bike are. If you plan on doing a lot of upgrades for things like luggage, seat, suspension, GPS, auxiliary lights, etc., you could be looking at an additional $5–$10,000 in modifications. On the other hand, a used bike may already have all or most of the mods you desire on it already.

This could save you an incredible amount of money that could be spent on actual riding adventures. For much of my adult life, I

around 400 hp—for way less than doing it myself, the solution seemed obvious.

You may remember from a previous column that I took up downhill mountain biking last year and proceeded to dislocate my shoulder on my second ride. This was a result of my not understanding the difference between cross country, trail and downhill bikes, and doing the equivalent of trying to ride a sportbike on a motocross track. After buying a good one-year-old used trail bike for $2,450 ($4,200 new), I then put another $3,500 of upgraded parts on it and ended up with a used bike that I could have bought new for the same price.

After scaring myself with this bike on everincreasing-sized double jumps, I realized I needed a full downhill bike. This time I did it right and found a 2017 top-of-the-line barely used model for $6,200. The seller had paid $10,800 for it just eight months

ago. Talk about depreciation! There are literally no better parts available for it which will help keep me from modifying it any further—I hope.

If you are in shock that a bicycle could cost as much as a motorcycle, the reason is that in bicycling you can literally buy the exact same bikes/parts as the best racers in the world. By contrast, the motorcycles we ride are very different from the ones Valentino and friends ride. In fact, factory MotoGP racers can be two orders of magnitude more expensive than their similarlooking start-legal brethren.

I will close by mentioning that the kind of life a used bike has had is more important than its age, within reason. For example, a 2010 model that has been babied and kept in a climate controlled garage with low miles can be a better vehicle than a 2015 model that was repeatedly ridden hard and put away wet. If you’re not sure about a particular bike, have a qualified mechanic you trust check it out and give you an opinion.

It may cost a few bucks, but it’s cheap insurance in the long run.

Buy safe!

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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. www.bingcarburetor.com

November 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS

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jacktheriepe

Dealing with the Great Mystic (the moto mechanic)

By Jack Riepe #116117 LIFE IS ONE GRIM

reality after another.

One day the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, your paramour is looking more beautiful than ever, your motherin-law is missing in a hot air balloon over an active volcano, and your motorcycle is humming. Then 24 hours later, everything changes. The sun is blocked by locusts. The birds have turned into vampire bats. Your paramour has found something of questionable interest on your cell phone. And the front lawn is littered with burnt wreckage of a hot air balloon—from which has emerged one survivor. Guess who?

To make this scenario worse, the hum of your motorcycle has been replaced by the chatter of mechanical teeth chewing through valve covers from the inside out. Nearly all of the other hellish qualifiers can be reduced to nothing by a timely escape on your motorcycle. But what happens when the motorcycle itself is stricken?

There comes a time when the most obscure, the most expensive and the least available part on your motorcycle will give up the ghost. Your bike will simply come to a dead halt. This is most likely to occur the day before your first long distance ride in 20 years, or at the far end of the first long-distance ride you have taken in 20 years, or when you have no money.

First there is the shock that this has happened to you. Then there is the sense of betrayal: that a machine that you have pampered could have let you down so badly. Finally, there is

BMW OWNERS NEWS November 2017

outrage, when you discover what it is going to cost to put this rig back into factory spec.

Consider the reasons why motorcycles break down. According to figures compiled by the Association of Statistical Support, based in Stoß Gesicht, Germany, the most common causes of motorcycle mechanical failure are: 1) The part that broke has just been discontinued. (46 percent) 2) You attempted to fix something on the motorcycle yourself. (23 percent) 3) You rode the bike too hard. (18 percent) 4) You didn’t ride the bike hard enough, and various parts are suffering from ennui. (13 percent) Nearly all moto mechanical failures of the most serious nature begin with a strange noise. I was once on a ride to Centralia, Pennsylvania, in the mixed company of 20 K and R bikes, when a rider pulled onto the shoulder, pulled off his helmet and began to listen intently. Above the trademark sewing machine twicking of his boxer engine, could be heard the sound of a parakeet in its death throes.

“What does that sound like to you?” asked the rider, speaking to the crowd, which had gathered in wild speculation.

“It sounds like $1800 at the nearest dealer,” said Horst Oberst, a master mechanic whose roots go back to the Fatherland.

The sound test is an established way to gauge the cost of anticipated repairs. One shop posts a sign reading, “Price List, if your motorcycle is making these sounds: a) Sound like a window shade flapping - $400 b) Sound like a rabbit screaming - $650 c) Sound like tap… tap… tap… boing… boing… moose flatulence - $900

d) All other sounds: $1400 and up.

Many modern motorcycles have computerized diagnostic systems that pinpoint why the machine is off its oats. A technician simply plugs the motorcycle into a computer— which is never wrong—and reads the result.

This $300,000 machine is patterned after the fortune cookie. Typical readings from the computer are: • The Zindal Sputz balancer is out of alignment.

• The molecular structure of the Spedelz Ring, which holds the Zindal Sputz balancer, has changed.

• The $2 filter in the onboard expresso maker was not changed, causing the $486 brake seal to blow.

Experts argue that there is always something wrong with these components, and that readouts of this nature just give “Old Bob” more time to listen to the engine. The computer will then systematically locate all the replacement parts, which can usually be found on Level 9, in the Vatican vault.

A huge number of BMW riders do their own work. This is not surprising, as the average BMW rider is generally an engineer for the nuclear energy industry, an aerospace firm, a defense contractor,or some huge manufacturer of top secret stuff. They have garages like a hospital operating rooms, with their own diagnostic machines, every conceivable tool (including selfadjusting torque wrenches sensitive to the mood of the metal they touch), and a lathe for making parts.

These guys astound me. I routinely run across their Facebook posts, showing transmissions, gearboxes, Hall sensors, piston rings and internal chain tensioners spread all over the garage floor. They ask questions like, “The Pitzmeyer retaining ring on the

number two slide hammer valve is showing wear. I have a three-inch length of 16mm Durillium bar stock in the garage. Should I mill a replacement wafer or just pour Lourdes water over the original?”

These are the same guys who routinely rewire their 20-year-old, $40 laptops, just to prove they can.

I take a more basic approach to moto repairs and patronize a local BMW mechanic. We have a great relationship. He is the high priest of mechanical mystery, and I am the supplicant who has caused some near incomprehensible mechanical failure through sheer ignorance or apostasy.

I arrive early for my appointment and kneel in silence in piles of snow, volcanic ash, knots of snakes, or nests of spiders, whatever it takes to show my humility and penitence. I am dressed simply, in sackcloth and ashes. The mechanic appears at the appointed hour, resplendent in the robes and trappings of his office. His voice resonates with the passion of Moses.

“Why do you grovel before me?” he asks.

I complete the opening ritual by saying, “My motorcycle is making a troublesome noise, Exalted One.” It is important that I do not try and replicate this sound as it will not be useful to the mechanic, who thinks I am an idiot already.

But it is equally important to call him the “Exalted One.” And if he turns and bends over at this point, it is an indication that I should kiss him on the part that fills the horizon.

The mechanic will then look at me and ask the question that makes my blood run cold: “Didst thou attempt to adjust anything on this motorcycle yourself?”

I will look at the floor and say, “No,” with my voice trembling.

“Looketh me in the eye and repeateth what you just said.”

And when I do, he can read the lie in my eyes and will bellow like the affronted.

“What did you touch?” he will press in a voice like thunder.

I will eventually show him, and there is no sound as terrifying as that made by his eyes rolling around in his head. At first, they roll in the same direction. Then they roll in the opposite direction. And then they roll against each other, like the cylinders in the motors of ancient Egypt.

“And are you expert in the function of the

part you touched?” the mechanic will ask.

We both know the answer to this and it is no longer necessary for me to say anything.

I will crawl away and wait 48 hours in the shadows, eating little and drinking lots, in anticipation of the summons.

When it comes, my motorcycle will be running flawlessly, with every nut and bolt adjusted to recommended Teutonic perfection. The fluid levels will be perfect and the battery will have invisible strength to power everything. The mechanic will stand there, arms folded, waiting for the tribute due him. I kneel with a flourish, and summon the carts of gold that justify his sacrifice.

For his alone is the ability to understand the crumbling texts and service bulletins, written half in German and half in dollar signs, that explain how my motorcycle was built.

There is no greater satisfaction than leaning into a curve at 97 miles per hour and knowing that the brakes work, the forks are perfectly adjusted, the splines are lubed, and whether you have to slam on the binders or twist the throttle in the next 300 yards, this machine is going to do exactly what you want… because a guy who rides

like you do, and knows who you are, has been over this machine with a fine tooth comb. I trust the expert, and I have yet to be sorry. For the record, my lawyer, my accountant, my attorney and my cardiologist all ride BMW’s, and I met them here. I put my mechanic in that same category of professionals, until I can get a psychiatrist who can change the oil on a K75.

The long, hot days of summer have gone and fall is upon us. There is no greater pleasure than to sit back and read moto stuff that will make you laugh… and sometimes conspire.

Riepe’s two books, Conversations With A Motorcycle and its sequel, Motorcycles Speak Louder Than Words, are the best way to say goodbye to the riding season. They also make great Christmas presents. Order both from Zadic & Deverelle at jackriepe.com. Now shipping to Canada and worldwide. (Extra charges apply.) Find out why readers are talking about Jack Riepe… each book purchase changes a life. Naturally, it is Riepe’s life. But it matters to him.

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November 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS

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highmileage

Voni Glaves reaches 1.1 million miles

By Jim Heberling #191926 THIS MONTH WE

offer a special tip of our helmets to Voni Glaves for reaching the incredible plateau of 1,100,000 miles ridden on BMW motorcycles.

Way to go, Voni! Congratulations to all members listed below for reaching their individual High Mileage levels and thank you to all members who offered insight into their riding accomplishments.

Riding here in central Illinois is done for the year as the road crews have been preparing area roads for the snow and ice that is sure to come.

As you put your two-wheelers away for their winter hibernation, be sure to organize your log books and complete a High Mileage Application for your next high mileage level.

Voni Glaves #13337 1,100,000 miles

The bike I’ve ridden the most on the way to 1.1 million is my 1994 R 1100 RS that everyone calls Big Red. The name she told me is Ruby B. Goin’ Y’all. Her odometer shows more than 400,000 miles, so I’d expect I’d call her my favorite, though I do love my K 75 S, my F 800 S and my TW200.

I’d believe my most memorable ride was rolling into the Red Mountain Overlook on the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado on August 12 of this year as it was the same place Ardys and I celebrated becoming the first two women to reach the Million Mile Milestone. I was really anxious, maintaining my accident free status on that mountainous and animalridden road!

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BMW OWNERS NEWS November 2017

1,100,000 mile Voni Glaves

800,000 miles Larry Troutman

700,000 miles Skip Boyd

600,000 miles

300,000 miles Bob Lilley William Swift Jr

100,000 miles

200,000 miles Terence Hamill Stephen Silsz J. Andy Fountain Bill Wallace Perry Linn

Jude Wagner Tom Van Horn Rob Feurer Toby Cole Gregory Sowka Barbara Allen Robert Haines

Blain Paulus

I ride both to destinations which include buying groceries at our closest grocery store 53 miles from our Adobe, and on loops. The Cenizo Journal featured a story I wrote about my favorite loop, “Riding Around the Block in the Big Bend.” It can be found here (insert link).

Since we retired, I ride mostly with my mechanic, Paul Glaves, and I couldn’t have done all of these miles without this genius keeping my fleet running in top shape. He learned a lot by taking apart the first BMW

he bought me for Mother’s Day way back in 1977. I made him promise not to disassemble it until after our long, snowy Iowa winter!

Bob Lilley #106590 300,000 miles

Bob Lilley has been riding motorcycles since he was eight and cut his teeth riding in the black silt around the hard coal strip mines of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania.

Bob believes he’s ridden well over one million miles but only began documenting his mileage after acquiring his second or third BMW. To surpass the 300,000-mile plateau, Bob competed in three Iron Butt Rally events, managing to finish in the top 10 three times.

Bob also makes his living selling BMW and Triumph motorcycles at Hermy’s in Port Clinton, Pennsylvania, and makes the 100-mile round trip to work each day aboard one of his bikes. Bob usually rides with his girlfriend, Maureen, and believes he is blessed that she loves riding as much as he does. Bob’s favorite bike is his 2016 R 1200 GSA, and it was aboard that bike and his 2011 R 1200 GSA that he accumulated the majority of his last 100,000 miles.

Terence Hamill #14629 200,000 miles

Almost half of my mileage was done on my 1971 R75/5, which I bought almost 40 years ago and was my only means of transportation for many years. I don’t ride my /5 as much anymore, but still take it out on the road. My favorite bike is my 1987 K 100 RS—other K-bike riders will understand!

My most memorable ride was to the 2013 MOA rally in Salem, Oregon. I’d always wanted to ride to the west coast since I first owned a motorcycle, and this trip completed that dream. Riding through the western states for the first time was something I’ll never forget. I’ve since been to the MOA rallies in Billings, Montana, and Salt Lake City, Utah, but that first trip to the west was memorable.

Although I sometimes ride to regional and national rallies as destinations, most of my riding is done on the roads through the great riding areas of eastern Pennsylvania with no particular destination in mind.

Most of my riding is done solo. Because I generally don’t plan my rides, it’s easiest to just get up and go when and where I want. On longer trips to rallies I like to ride as part of a small group and share the experience.

Stephen Slisz #96137 200,000 miles

I was a Japanese sport bike rider until I rented an R 1100 RT from San Antonio BMW in the summer of 2001. I fell in love with it and am sure BMW RTs were designed just for me.

In 2001, I bought myself a Christmas present and picked up a spanking-new 2002 R 1150 RT from Perry and Merry Bushong at BMW Motorcycles of Fort Worth, Texas.

Perry even let me help uncrate the 1150. Try to get a modern age cycle shop to let you do that!

That 2002 RT is the bike that clicked off the

most of my first 200,000 miles.

During the next 10 years, my red 1150 RT has been all over the country and has stepped over the Canadian and Mexican borders a couple of times.

The one trip I speak of the most was a solo trip I took to the MOA Rally in Spokane, Washington. I squeaked a three-week vacation out of my employer and spent it all riding the Rocky Mountains from New Mexico to Glacier Park in Canada. Along the way I hit the Top of the Rockies Rally, a BMW Sport Touring internet rally, and then the big MOA rally in Spokane, Washington, before spending several days in Glacier National Park. The Northern terminus of US 287 is just outside of East Glacier, and it runs through my hometown on its way to the Texas coast.

Ron Feurer #162200 100,000 miles

Ron had never ridden a motorcycle until 2003 when his wife, her interest peaked by the 100th anniversary of another brand, asked if they could get a motorcycle. Ron’s answer was an emphatic, “NO!” At the time, Ron was involved in SCCA sports car racing and didn’t believe he needed another expensive hobby. Nevertheless, both Ron and his wife enrolled in an MSF class and before their graduation, both were the new owners of motorcycles. Ron only raced one more time after that class saying, “Motorcycling was just too much fun.”

In 2010, Ron “graduated” to BMWs with the purchase of a 2009 R 1200 GS. After about 76,000 miles on that bike, a K 1200 RS and an F 800 GT, he passed the 100,000-mile marker riding to various MOA rallies or traveling to Maryland for many of Jim Ford’s Riders Workshops.

Some of Ron’s favorite rides have included the “invisible” roads of the Appalachian Mountains. An MSF Rider Coach for the past 11 years, Ron hopes to cut down on those hours so he can “get out and do some riding.”

Tom Van Horn #51550 100,000 miles

Part of that vacation’s claim to fame is that I rode US 287 end to end on my way home to Texas. Speak to any Texas motorcyclist, and they try to avoid US 287! In 2012, I retired the 1150 with about 190,000 miles and bought another new RT. I am currently the Tourmeister for the Dallas/Fort Worth BMW Motorcycle Riders club (BMWDFW.org) and have a great group of riders that are crazy enough to follow me anywhere. We have four multiday “signature” rides each year as well as dozens of ad-hoc overnighters and daytrips to really roll up the odometers. That doesn’t count the numerous invasions of other BMW events we can squeeze in.

My 2012 R 1200 RT has more than 90,000 miles on it, and I’ll soon be applying for my 300,000-mile award!

Tom rode most of his miles on two RSs, a 1983 R 100 and a 1995 R 1100, although a 2004 K 1200 GT added a few miles as well. A 2010 R 1200 GS is now front and center and has taken him east and west in the last couple years.

Memorable rides include his first 1000in-1 aboard his R 100 RS, from the Connecticut coast north through Canada and ending in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Other great rides include two-laning from the Ohio River to New Orleans, Colorado 550, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Ohio 555, Alabama 25, Michigan 26, the Mark Twain Forest in Mississippi, and the nearby Wisconsin Driftless Area. Tom said, “A lot of great rides there and I’m not finished.” He added, “Long ago, I was told that, new riders choose a destination and go; old riders choose a direction and go. Either way, it’s all good!”

Tom usually rides with one companion.

“I’ve found that the longer the distance, the smaller the group. My current and forever riding companion is my wife, Sue. We’ve had grand rides, and we’ll have many more!”

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dealerprofile

Sharing the experience at CalMoto IT’S ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT THE

experience at California Motorcycles.

The dealership’s origin can be traced to the late 1970s, when San Francisco’s independent and highly successful BMW Bavarian Cycle Works caught the attention of BMW Motorrad, who in 1980 lured Kari and Gail Prager away to found California Motorcycles. As a man of many talents and a gifted rider, Kari was blessed with the gift of easily connecting with anyone who walked into the shop. The business soon began to grow.

Meanwhile, in 1981 Mike Meissner was a 19-year-old kid working in his father’s automotive business that just happened to share the same building as CalMoto. It didn’t take long for Kari and Mike to discover that they not only shared common walls, but common interests as well. Mike and Kari soon became fast friends. During that time, Kari even taught Mike how to ride and sold him his first street motorcycle, a K 75 S Ten years later, Mike bought his father’s business, including the building from which the two businesses

BMW OWNERS NEWS November 2017

operated. Sensing Mike’s unhappiness with the automotive business, Kari offered him a partnership in his growing motorcycle business.

With a management degree and CalMoto in need for operational help, the two men came to an agreement. Mike would join the dealership and if “We didn’t hate each other after three years, I would stay,” he said, and become a ten percent partner in the business.

It was a risky move for Meissner, who would be starting a new career if things didn’t work out. If things didn’t work out, Mike would walk away and Kari would pay for him to go to business school to pursue a Master’s degree.

The business flourished and before long, Prager and Meissner soon opened a second location in Livermore, with both men equal partners.

According to Meissner, Kari was gifted in that he could talk to anyone about anything and able to strike up conversations with customers regardless of topic. Most of all, Kari made customers feel special through the personal attention he showered upon them.

“He was the face and the voice of the business and I was

in back pulling levers,” Meissner said. “I was very comfortable doing that and the relationship worked very well together.”

As Kari and Gail Prager were in the process of selling CalMoto to Mike and Anya Meissner in 2010, tragedy struck: Kari unexpectedly passed away from complications following a motorcycle accident. The Meissners lost their business partner, but more importantly, their dear friend. They were devastated.

It was the tail end of the recent recession, and managing the two shops hard on Meissner. Staff reductions meant everyone was doing multiple jobs to keep the business afloat. “I was trying to save the company and couldn’t relax because of the damage done by the recession,” Meissner said.

Through all his behind-the-scenes effort to make things work, it bothered Meissner that customers didn’t know he was the owner of the company. He simply didn’t have the time.

“That was a wakeup call,” Meissner said.

Working behind the scenes didn’t allow him to interact with customers on a personal level and consequently, they didn’t recognize him as the owner of the company. “At

the time, I didn’t understand the added panache our customers felt when interacting with the owner,” he said.

“Kari was so good at doing that,” Meissner said. “It came more difficult for me.”

It was about that time that Mike recalled what Kari told him regarding the reasons people go into a motorcycle shop. According to Kari, they either go in to throw their weight around like a badass motorcyclist, to visit the shop hoping to bench race and talk a little bit, or they’re a new customer looking for information and a friendly face. He said, “If they’re a new customer they’re probably intimidated as hell and we can’t let the badass intimidate the new riders just coming into the sport. Our job is to be approachable and welcome questions.”

For CalMoto, that is where the motto Experience Shared originated. To accomplish that, Mike insists that all CalMoto employees are, or are training to be, riders. All employees are invested in the sport and bring that experience with them to work each day.

“We are not a volume-driven business,” Meissner said. “It’s all about value.”

Rider engagement has always been the key to CalMoto’s success. Shop rides open to riders of all makes on the first Sunday of every month have been a long-standing tradition at CalMoto. In the past 17 years, only one ride has been cancelled because of weather.

That consistency gives the shop a reputation as being part of the community, Meissner said. “People connect with us and when they’re ready for another motorcycle, we come to the top of their minds.” Additionally, customer loyalty programs like that of REI where customers receive redeemable vouchers based on what they’ve spent at the shop are another way CalMoto differentiates themselves from the competition.

“Our job is to make our customers as excited about motorcycles as we are,” Meissner said. Their continued success is a testament to the values they hold dear.

CalMoto offers two full service locations offering parts, sales and service for BMW and KTM motorcycles as well as Vespa scooters.

The Mountain View store is at 2490 Old Middlefield Way, and the Livermore shop is at 952 North Canyons Parkway.

Left, CalMoto’s Mountain View location. Above, CalMoto is a full-service dealership offering BMW, KTM and Vespa sales as well as a full line of clothing and accessories.

November 2017 BMW OWNERS NEWS

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WHENANDWHERE

Email your event information to editor@bmwmoa.org

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Map courtesy of

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5

3

4

November 1

11/3/2017 - 11/4/2017

47th South Central BMW Owners Reunion Location: Fayettville, Texas Contact: Gene Ronchetto vp@bmwclubofhouston.com Enjoy tent and RV camping, guided road rides or GS rides, social events, Texas cooking, awards, and great fellowship on the shore of Lake Fayette. All in a pleasant wooded lakeside park, with hiking and fishing opportunities as well.

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11/3/2017 - 11/5/2017

Middle of the Map Rally

Location: Mansfield, Missouri Contact: Brad Calbert skunkwerksadv@gmail.com Unique off-road ranch nestled in the beautiful Missouri Ozarks. The venue is a 750 acre riding resort 5 miles south of Mansfield Missouri. There’s easy highway access from US 60. 40 miles of trails are offered on site with everything from challenging wooded and rocky hills and valleys, to fire roads, to twisty single track.

3

11/10/2017 - 11/12/2017

16th Swamp Scooter Gumbo Rally

Location: Carencro, Louisiana Contact: James Carpenter president@swampscooters.net

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BMW OWNERS NEWS November 2017

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.

4

11/10/2017 - 11/12/2017

MOA Getaway

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 two-lane 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

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

American Made Deerskin Gloves Soft as silk, tough as nails.

The incomparable Lee Parks Design DeerSports gloves provide iconic good looks, legendary durability, and world-class performance and comfort. See for yourself how the same gloves are just as at home leading the International Iron Butt Rally as they are winning the WERA National Endurance Championship. It’s no wonder so many pairs are still on the road with 5–10 years of adventures behind them. Feel the difference American hand-craftsmanship makes on your next ride.

www.boxerworks.org

!"

800.943.5638 •leeparksdesign.com www.leeparksdesign.com

www.cyclenutz.com

www.epmwilbers.com

www.euromotoelectrics.com Motorcycle Relief Project. Event Fee does not include lodging. Visit bmwmoa.org/ getaway to register.

January 5

01/12/2018 -01/14/2018

BMW Motorcycle Owners of Northeast Florida 35th Annual Winter Rally Location: Starke, Florida Contact: William Botkin, Co-Rally Chair wfbotkin@comcast.net Camping, door prizes, local rides, seminars and much more. Enjoy camping along the shores of beautiful Kingsley Lake, a roaring campfire and camaraderie with like-minded riders. All riders are welcome.

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www.bluerimtours.com

www.m4motorcycles.com

www.iliumworks.com

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 November 2017

United States Postal Service STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION

advertiserindex Abus Security............................................... 77 Action Stations/Bohn Armor................. 27 Adaptiv Technologies............................... 21 Adriatic Moto Tours................................... 36 ADV Depot.................................................... 27 Adventure Designs.................................... 85 Adventure New Zealand Tours............. 83 AeroFlow....................................................... 35 Aerostich-RiderWearHouse.................... 37 Alaska Leather............................................. 27 Alaska Motorcycle Adventures............. 32 Ayres Adventures....................................... 73 Beemer Boneyard...................................... 19 Beemer Shop, The...................................... 39 Best Rest Products..................................... 32 Bing Agency................................................. 79 BMW MOA Foundation............................ 80 BMW Performance Center...................... 26 Blue Rim Tours............................................. 94 Bob’s BMW...................................................IBC Boxer Works Service.................................. 93 British Motorcycle Gear........................... 77 BullRack......................................................... 83 Capital Cycle................................................ 37 Cardo Systems............................................. 67 Clearwater Lights....................................... 37 Colorado Tourbike Rentals..................... 31 Continental Tire.......................................... 21 Corbin Pacific............................................... 41 Cyclenutz....................................................... 93 DMC Sidecars............................................... 83 Don’y Want a Pickle................................... 29 Dubbeju Motorcycle Rentals................. 29 Edelweiss Bike Travel................................ 23 EPM Hyper Pro..................................... 31, 79 Euro Moto Electrics................................... 93 Geza Gear...................................................... 79 GS-911 Diagnostic Tool............................ 91 Global Rescue.............................................. 73 GSM Motorent............................................. 19 Helmet Sun Blocker................................... 83 HEX-ezCAN................................................... 77 Ilium Works................................................... 94 IMTBIKE TOURS................................... 29, 75 Kermit Chair Company............................. 39

Kinekt Gear Ring......................................... 83 LD Comfort................................................... 83 Lee Parks Designs...................................... 93 Legal Speeding Enterprises................... 21 M4Motorcycles........................................... 94 MachineartMoto........................................ 19 Michelin Tire................................................. 11 MOA Gear Shop.......................................... 82 MOA Member Benefits............................ 90 Morton’s BMW Motorcycles................... 36 Moto Aventura............................................ 32 Moto-Bins...................................................... 75 Moto Skiveez............................................... 32 MotoDiscovery............................................ 27 Motonation..................................................BC Motorcycle Releif Project - psa............. 91 Motorrad Elektrik....................................... 32 Mountain Master Truck Equipment...... 77 MTA Distributing/Olympia Moto Sports..IFC Overseas Speedometer........................... 32 Palo Alto Speedometer............................ 39 Parabellum................................................... 83 Paradise Motorcycle Tours...................... 79 Progressive Insurance.................................9 Ray Atwood Cycles.................................... 29 Redverz.......................................................... 32 Re-Psycle BMW Parts................................27 Rider Magazine............................................ 93 RKA Luggage............................................... 37 Rocky Creek Designs................................ 33 Russel Cycle Products............................... 91 Sargent Cycle Products............................ 32 Scenic Wheels Motorcycle Tours.......... 91 Spectro Oils of America............. 27, 29, 31 Spiegler.......................................................... 76 Stop ‘n Go...................................................... 75 Suburban Machinery................................ 21 Total Control Training............................... 39 Touratech.........................................................1 Touring Sport BMW................................... 75 Twisted Throttle.......................................... 41 Weiser Technik...............................................5 Wilbers USA........................................... 27, 93 Wolfman Luggage..................................... 19 Ztechnik......................................................... 32

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 11.

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1. Publication Title: BMW Owners News 2. Publication Number: 1080-5729 3. Filing Date: 09/18/17 4. Issue Frequency : MONTHLY 5. No. of Issues Published Annually: 12 6. Annual Subscription Price: $13.00 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: 640 S. Main Street #201, Greenville, SC 29601 Contact Person: Ted Moyer Telephone: 205-821-7205 8. Complete Mailing Address of the Headquarters or General Business Office of the Publisher: 640 S. Main Street, Ste. 201 Greenville, SC 29601 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor and Managing Editor: Publisher: BMW MOA, 640 S. Main, Ste. 201, Greenville, SC 29601 Editor: BILL WIEGAND, 640 S. Main, Ste. 201, Greenville, SC 29601 Managing Editor: SAME AS ABOVE 10. Owner (Do not leave blank. If the publication is owned by a corporation, give the name and address of the corporation immediately followed by the names and addresses of all stockholders owning or holding 1 percent or more of the total amount of stock. If not owned by a corporation, give the names and addresses of the individual owners. If owned by a partnership or other unincorporated firm, give its name and address as well as those of each individual owner. If the publication is published by a nonprofit organization, give its name and address.)

Full Name: BMW Motorcycle Owners of America Complete Mailing Address: 640 S. Main, Ste. 201, Greenville, SC 29601 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages or Other Securities: NONE

12.

Tax Status (For completion by nonprofit organizations authorized to mail at special rates.) The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes: HAS NOT CHANGED DURING PRECEDING 12 MONTHS. 13. Publication Name: BMW ON 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: October 2016 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation Average No. Actual No. CLUB MEMBERSHIP BENEFIT Copies Each Copies of

Issue During Single Issue

Preceding Published

12 Months Nearest to Filing Date

a. Total Number of Copies (Net Press Run) 32,186 32,573 b. Paid and/or Requested Circulation (1) Paid/Requested Outside-County Mail Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541 (Include advertisers’ proof and exchange copies) 29,570 29,922 (2) Paid in-County Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541 (Include advertisers’ proof and exchange copies) — — (3) Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Non-USPS Paid Distribtion — — (4) Other Classes Mailed Through the USPS — — c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation [Sum of 15b(1), (2), (3), and (4)] 29,570 29,922 d. Free Distibution by Mail, (Samples, complimentary, and other free) (1) Outside-County as Stated on Form 1,017 1,201 (2) In-County as Stated on Form 3541 — — (3) Other Classes Mailed Through the USPS — — (4) Free Distribution Outside the Mail (Carriers or other means) 1,221 1,000 e. Total free distribution [Sum 15d, (1), (2), (3),(4)] 2,238 2,201 f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15e) 31,808 32,123 g. Copies Not Distributed 378 450 h. Total (Sum of 15f and g) 32,186 32,573 i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (15c, divided by 15f, times 100) 93.0% 93.1% 16. Electronic Copy Circulation a. Paid Electronic Copies 0 0 b. Total Paid Print Copies (Line 15c) + Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a) 29,570 29,992 c. Total Print Distribution (Line 15f) + Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a) 31,808 32,123 d. Percent Paid (Both Print & Electronic Copies (16b divided by 16c x 100) 93% 93.1% 17. Publication of Statement of Ownership. PUBLICATION REQUIRED. Will be printed in the November 2017 issue of this publication.

18. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner: Ted Moyer, Associate Executive Director Date: September 18, 2017 I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleadling information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including multiple damages and civil penalties).

talelight

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BMW OWNERS NEWS  November 2017

Sun worshipper

Paul LaramĂŠe #208229, photographed his wife Diane enjoying the warmth of the sun at the entrance of Parc national de la Mauricie du Canada.

www.bobsbmw.com

www.olympiamotosports.com www.bobsbmw.com