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JUNE 2020 BMW OWNERS NEWS www.bmwmoa.org

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Washington Pass on State Route 20 in the North Cscades mountains of Washington State. Photo by Shelly Salehi #199055.

INSIDE

JUNE 2020

FEATURES

46 PUTTING BMW'S F 850 GS TO THE ULTIMATE TEST BY PAUL GUILLIEN #179473 Paul Guillien has spent more time on a BMW F 800 GS than any other motorcycle. While Paul thoroughly enjoyed his initial experience with the F 850 GS a year and a half ago, last September he had the opportunity to put the bike through a real test spending 11 days riding the North East Backcountry Discovery Route.

56 ADOPTING PASSION BY HIYORI YOSHIDA Five years ago, Hiyori Yoshida thought motorcycles were taboo and affiliated with Japan’s Yakuza gang. That all changed when she was adopted by Sam Fleming and Melissa Berkoff, captains of the national champion endurance team Army of Darkness! ON THE COVER: While some BMW Motorrad aficionados will love the new R18, others will wonder what BMW is thinking. Only time will tell how BMW’s newest model will be accepted. Photo courtesy BMW.

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

64 MY ROAD TO BMW BY CHROISTOPHER ROSS #130595 When he was 10, Christopher Ross would mooch as many rides as he could from his neighbors. With the motorcycling seed planted, it wasn’t until Ross got out of college that he was finally able to begin his journey to BMW and scratch his longdistance touring itch.

A picturesque view from Colorado's Pikes Peak Road. Photo by Allen Faber #98879.

4 HEADLIGHT Better Days are Ahead by Bill Wiegand 8 PRESIDENTS COLUMN

What in the World happened to my Riding Season by Wes Fitzer

10 POSTCARDS FROM THE ROAD

12 RIDER TO RIDER Letters from our Members 16 SHINY SIDE UP Shaping Up for Summer Riding

34 MEMBER TESTED Transitions face shield for Klim Krios helmet by Doug Christensen

36 MEMBER TESTED Carry More Stuff with MotoPOCKETS by Jocelin Snow

38 KEEP 'EM FLYING Airheads in the Time of Plague by Matt Parkhouse

by Ron Davis

42 TORQUE OF THE MATTER Brakes by Wes Fleming 70 FROM THE FOUNDATION Improve your Skills with a

26 BMW MOA RALLY NEWS 22 NEWS BMW MOA Motorrad Fest coming in September,

72 RIDER SKILLS Three Capabilities by John DelVecchio 74 FINAL JOURNEY Remembering Michael Friedle

Congratulations to Fritz Spokas of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, for winning the MOA Foundation's Completely Vintage Raffle, MOA Advertisers offer Special Deals and Discounts, Will BMW Kill the Motorcycle Trade Show?, Please Welcome our New BMW MOA Members.

32 MEMBER TESTED For a Good Night's Sleep on the Road by Dave Grider

Paul B. Scholarship by Tom Wilmote

by Susanna Parkhouse

76 78

MOTOGRAPHIES Breakfast in Flagstaff by Paul Phillips Riding Through the Pandemic by Stuart A. Kirk

84 WHEN AND WHERE Rally listings 95 ADVERTISER INDEX 9 6 TAILIGHT June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

HEADLIGHT

The waiting is the hardest part

I’VE BEEN A TOM PETTY AND THE

Heartbreakers fan since I first heard Every day you see one more card “American Girl” back in high school. Since time, it seems there’s always been a You take it on faith, you take it to the heart that Petty song for whatever mood or difficult time I found myself in. Whether it was “I The waiting is the hardest part Won’t Back Down,” “Learning to Fly,” or “Room at the Top,” his music has helped me -from “The Waiting” by Tom Petty get through. With the changes and uncertainty forced upon us by COVID-19, “The Waiting” has been running on a continuous loop in my head. No matter where we live, work or play, all of us have been affected by this hideous virus. Perhaps the only positive to come out of all this is that it’s made us realize what is most important in our lives: our family and friends. Both our BMW MOA family and Chartered Club families have postponed or rescheduled summertime rallies until the danger of gathering in groups has passed. While social distancing is easy while on our motorcycles, it’s the fun we anticipate after many miles of riding that’s verboten. As you know, the 2020 BMW MOA National Rally set for later this month has been rescheduled for June 24-27, 2021. The good news is that we’ve been able to keep the event at the Montana ExpoPark in Great Falls, Montana, and that Rally Chairs Corey and Becky Smith will continue as our hosts. Additionally, any MOA members and guests already registered for the 2020 Rally can choose to carry their registration over to the 2021 date. “If you plan to come to Great Falls next year, you don’t have to do anything with your registration,” said MOA Executive Director Ted Moyer. “Your tickets, t-shirts, RV space, anything you registered for in 2020 will remain set for the new date.” Members who cannot attend Great Falls in 2021 have two options for refunds. By completing an online refund request form, members can either receive a full cash refund or receive an event voucher, which includes a 20% value bonus. This voucher can be used for any BMW MOA event, including the National Rally, an MOA Getaway, or a Premier Training event. To receive a refund or event voucher, members should visit rally.bmwmoa. org and complete the Refund Request form by December 31, 2020. By Bill Wiegand #180584 While there won’t be a National Rally this year, the MOA still has 11 Getaways scheduled for the latter half of 2020 for all of us itching for a ride destination. But wait, there’s more! While not a replacement for our National Rally, Moyer and MOA President Wes Fitzer recently announced a new, three-day festival open not only to MOA members and guests, but any motorcyclists wishing to attend. The new event is called “Motorrad Fest” and is set for September 25-27, 2020, at the Wilson County Fairgrounds in Lebanon, Tennessee. If that location sounds familiar, it was the site of the very popular 2019 BMW MOA National Rally and is just a few miles east of Nashville. According to Fitzer, “The virus has certainly changed things for us this year, but I’m proud we’ve been able to respond and think a little differently by shifting some events, creating a new destination event and placing members first in our refund policies and the options they have for the future.” While I’ve been waiting anxiously for the rally in Great Falls for more than a year, I guess waiting yet another year will be a little easier knowing the opportunities that await all of us on the road ahead.

BETTER DAYS ARE AHEAD

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

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Whitehorse Station Ahead! Ken Frick pauses to admire a mural by artist Lance Burton on the RBC Royal Bank building in Whitehorse, Yukon. Photo by Ken Frick #199204

June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

PRESIDENT'S

COLUMN

I’M GOING TO OPEN THIS MONTH’S COLUMN WITH A SINCERE HOPE—

WHAT IN THE WORLD HAPPENED TO MY RIDING SEASON?

By Wes Fitzer # 170126

no, desire—that each and every one of you is healthy, both physically and mentally. I know everyone’s disappointed we’ve had to reschedule our 2020 BMW MOA National Saddle up & Ride Rally initially scheduled for later this month in Great Falls, Montana. Believe me, this was not an easy decision for the Board, staff, or our dedicated Rally Chairs, as all of us have all looked forward to another great rally put on by our dedicated volunteers and staff. For the last few months, I’ve spent hours researching possible routes, camping spots, points of interest and out of the way diners, drive-ins, and dives I was hoping to visit. No matter where you fall within the spectrum of the COVID-19 response, I think all of us can agree that this virus has drastically changed our riding season. In March and just as state and local governments began to initiate social distancing protocols, we traded my son’s BMW G 310 R for a new F 850 GS Adventure. With his school closing its doors and transitioning to a distance learning model and with my time away from work, I had planned several options for a moto-camping trip. Then we found out all the state park camping areas were closed for the foreseeable future. Because Oklahoma lacks vast expanses of National Parks allowing us to “cowboy camp” and because of our fears of returning home from an out-ofstate trip and being forced to be quarantined, we canceled our moto-camping trip. The disappointment in my 17 year old son’s face when I told him we wouldn’t be taking a camping trip was almost more than I could bear. I assured him there would be other trips and that we would fill our time with shorter day rides until it was safe and we could enjoy a trip without fear of COVID-19. I could feel that same disappointment among our members when the MOA announced the rescheduling of our Saddle Up & Ride Rally to 2021. I’ll offer the same advice to MOA members as I did my son. There WILL be better days ahead when we can ride, camp, gather and enjoy each other’s company again! I’m also here to offer a few possible solutions. Motorrad Fest, set for September 25-27, is an exciting new event for the MOA. Motorrad Fest will be an outdoor festival with music, libations, vendors and who knows, maybe even a tattoo artist for those who want to vow their dedication to the MOA permanently! If you’re looking for something to replace our annual rally, this may not be the event for you as we’re planning for something completely different, something harkening back to our youths. If that isn’t enough, we still have 11 Getaways scheduled for the latter half of the year. Los Osos is the first scheduled for July 24-26. There are also Getaways scheduled in the Poconos of Pennsylvania, Eureka Springs, Arkansas; Copper Mountain, Colorado; Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; and Fontana Dam, North Carolina, plus others. To see the full lineup, visit bmwmoa.org. If you haven’t attended one of these events, I highly recommend trying out at least one. Stay safe and healthy out there. I’m looking forward to the day we can once again get together and celebrate with hugs and high fives all around.

Wes Fitzer 8

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

www.araiamericas.com No helmet can protect the wearer against all foreseeable impacts. Nothing is a substitute for safe riding practices. ÂŠ2020 Arai Helmet

POSTCARDS

FROM

THE

ROAD

Above, While not the normal bike profile image, it struck me that the GS, with its LEDs, can look like a mean-eyed cat! Photo by Mick McCrary #148315. Below left, My first ride after an extensive refresh of the /5 I've owned since 1978. I believe the bike looks and rides better than the day I bought it! Photo by Terence Hamill #14629. Below right, With directives to shelter in place and maintain social distancing, what could be better than to pack a lunch and take a solo ride on the back roads of New Hampshire to the Mount Washington Hotel at Bretton Woods at the base of Mt. Washington and the Presidential Range in the White Mountains. Photo by Richard Jacques #215072.

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

Left, In front of a mural celebrating the old west found in Benson, Arizona. Photo by Dave Danks #196918. Below left, A stop in the historic Tampa, Florida, neighborhood of Ybor City during a quiet solo ride. Photo by Clifford Fowler #215509. Below right, A stop with my ebony RT along Highway 101 in Oregon near the Heceta Head Lighthouse. Photo by Keith Wilson #217122. Bottom, A photo from a ride through the Oregon wine country on my '65 R 69S. Photo by Todd Weber #120833.

Each month we publish the great images sent to us by BMW MOA members from their travels around the globe. Send us your best images and you could have your work published in our Postcards from the Road pages. Email your high resolution images, image description and contact information to editor@bmwmoa.org.

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

I sing the Riepe electric

Jack, you are the leader of current events with your daring expose' of the foment in Bavaria. The conductance of electric twowheel research will certainly overcome resistance to silent motorcycling once they are finally able to cut the cord. Since non-bike society sees motorcycle travel as a downhill pastime, perhaps the potential energy stored in this attitude can be tapped to extend a battery pack’s mileage range by offsetting normal friction losses. Promising tech has been rumored from a secret research station at the South Pole where room-temperature superconductors (-40C) have been used to create motor stator fields when powered by three series-connected potatoes embedded with platinum electrode grids. Frozen potatoes last longer, but large potatoes are required to generate sufficient current. Mutant potato research is ongoing underground near Boise. This may be the breakthrough that the Bavarians need. I see that their present solution to cooling the battery packs is shown in the picture that Joseph Orr took in Bavaria, published on the “Taillight” page of the April 2020 issue. Andrew Allan #1446 Vermilion, Ohio

Let's all get along

I’ve been an MOA member for 38 years now and have always read the magazine cover to cover every month. It’s something I look forward to always. I currently have four BMWs, but I also have two Triumphs, one Guzzi, one Vespa, and (Heaven Forbid) one HarleyDavidson. I’ve been riding my Airhead since 1979 and my HD since 1988. They have both rolled the odometers over once. I must say that the HD has been the lowest maintenance, most reliable motorcycle I have ever owned.

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

There is only one thing I don’t like about the MOA. That would be the attitude of some (thankfully, it is a minority) of the members such as Chris Geuting. His letter published in the April issue demonstrates the kind of BMW snobbery that puts a lot of people off. A lot of current HD riders probably would not consider the R18 for fear of being branded a “BMW Snob.” In this day of waning motorcycle sales and ridership, we cannot afford to be elitist. We motorcyclists need to stick together. Just my two cents worth. Bob Lower #28322 Casper, Wyoming

Preparation is key

As I am self-quarantining due to COVID19, I have had plenty of time to catch up on some reading that I have been meaning to do. I have been a MOA member for going on 10 years and have a lot of back issues of the Owners News lying around. An article caught my eye in the May 2019 issue entitled “A Primer for Spending Weeks or Months on Your Bike” for motorcycle travel. Being a veteran of at lease six long-distance tours around the U.S. of two to three weeks and 5,000 to 6,000 miles, I agree with the author that preparation is the best way to minimize issues far from home. I especially appreciate the part regarding personal preparation of mind and body. An unprepared body and mind make it difficult to do those 900 mile days on a 2004 K 1200 GT, say between Champaign, Illinois, and Wall, South Dakota. I was very glad that my body was prepped with pre-tour body and mind workouts when I did that one. Then there was the leg of my western trip between Norfolk, Nebraska, and Denver, Colorado—only 500 miles, but a workout with a bottle of really good rye

the night before really messed up the latter part of the leg. The beauty of that one was the guy I met at a food/rest stop in North Platte, Nebraska, and struck up a conversation with—a Native American fishing guide that fly fishes the Platte River, a nice guy and a hoot to talk fishing with. I think that bottle of rye had him in mind. The reasoning of my tales of conquest and woe is that preparation is the solution to many, if not all, ills that may befall you in your motorcycle travels. That being said, the nicest people that I have met were the ones who gave assistance willingly when things did go wrong, at times with an offer of a cold drink along the way while assistance was given. Like the guy in Garberville, California, that owned the Chopper Shop and offered to help me change a tire on my Aprillia RST1000 Futura. He had no clue on how to do it, so I googled the process on my iPhone, and the instructions came up and allowed me to use his lift and tools to change the tire myself. Then we sat down on the floor of his shop, had a cold drink and talked for an hour before I had to go. I paid $30 for the “service” and left, but not before he gave me his card to look him up in the future. Preparation is the best way to ensure that your long distance trip is successful, but I have found that even the best preparation can’t prevent problems and there is usually a really nice soul there to assist. Richard Mead #144691 Frederick, Maryland

The Sky Really isn't Falling

It’s bad enough that we are bombarded with all of this drivel regarding climate change from the same news sources that a few years ago were spreading fear because “Science” was absolutely convinced that we were quickly heading toward a “Nuclear Winter.” But now we have to read about it

in our MOA magazine, too! Back then our scientists were loaded with facts regarding the nuclear winter “Theory” also. Yes, temperatures are changing. They have always changed from time to time because of many factors. Yes, we should be mindful of damage we do while we are fortunate enough to be here. But those who will keep an open mind and will dig a little deeper instead of taking everything modern science says as unequivocal”Gospel Truth” will find that science has made many claims over many years that are absolutely false. There has not been a new “Natural Law of Science” discovered in over a hundred years, yet we have many more scientists today than we did a hundred years ago. Why is that? Because instead of starting with a theory and ending with a truth like scientists used to do, Modern Science’s end game today is just another unprovable “Theory” that they now teach as fact. Wisdom dictates that we should dig a little deeper and stop believing every “Theory” that scientists today are now teaching all of us as fact. Today’s scientists come out of school having been taught the same “Theories” they are now teaching us as fact. We should all question everything, with an open mind! If politically charged nonsense like the recent climate change article are what’s to be expected from the MOA magazine from now on, please cancel my membership and refund my money. The sky really isn’t falling! Ron Parsons #94152 El Segundo, California

Two Things

First, I know we are all trying to work through these tough times with the COVID-19 pandemic. I wish I could send you warm thoughts and beautiful images from Hawaii right now, but I can’t. However, I have a few statistics and thoughts I’d like to share. Within the span of 1,600 years (2nd century to the mid-19 century), humanity had experienced two pandemics. That equals one pandemic each 800 years. Within the span of the last 168 years (mid 19th century till present) we have experienced eight pandemics equaling one

pandemic every 21 years. When Greta Thunburg spoke at the UN Climate Summit in 2018 and expressed her outrage at what we are doing to our fragile environment, calling out the most powerful nations in the world to “Do something,” it became apparent to me to contemplate the direct connection between the environmental degradation we have created and the pandemic footprint that is occurring. In my opinion, the appearance of this novel virus is just one of nature’s many ways of restoring balance from the contamination of air, water,and soil, the deforestation, the saturation of herbicides and pesticides, the contamination of our food sources, the human overpopulation that evicts animals from their natural habitats, and the excessive use of non-renewable resources for which humans are responsible, just to mention a few. It is past time to get serious about our relationship with the Earth, if not for the ethical imperative of care for it and each other, but for our very own simple, selfish survival. When will we finally “step-up?” Secondly, and I realize this may be very unpopular with many of my MOA members, I am, and have been for some time, concerned about the focus on the BMW MOA Mileage Contest. Don’t get me wrong, I love motorcycles and motorcycling, exploring the world on the best form of transportation on Earth. I believe it is time for all of us all to reconsider the environmental impact of the mileage contest: riding for the sake of riding (and I understand many use their bikes for purposeful transportation). What if we could focus on the quality and purposefulness of the ride, having a reason to ride more than just racking up miles, for the sake of racking? I hope others agree with me. I wonder how we could devise a contest that focuses more on the aesthetics and joy of riding? Surely, this would be a more responsible approach to supporting our motorcycle community. My intentions are to suggest new ways of being, rather than to criticize. Brian Higgins #212821 Hawi, Hawaii

Come On BMW!

For many years, BMW Motorrad seems to have been on some kind of peyoteinduced vision quest. It all started with the F 650 Funduro. Casual observers were a bit taken aback by its production. The next trip to the circle resulted in the R 1200 C. Said to be drawing on heritage and to bring in “new” buyers, the comparatively low power and lack caused lackluster sales. Today the R 1200 C has more of a cult following. It is affordable, easily maintained, reasonably reliable and has enough of that “old” look to make up for its shortcomings. As the years passed, other offerings were brought forth: F 650 CS (I own one), R 1200 CLC, G-bikes, and scooters. Sales for all seemed lackluster. BMW riders, it turns out, like to ride BMW motorcycles. That is to say, motorcycles with a linear and logical connection to past models. BMW riders do not, for the most part, want to ride a bike that, if one were to remove the roundel, could be mistaken for a UJM or Harley clone. From their latest trip into the wilderness, BMW has returned with the R 18 line. The first prototype gave hope that the gods had smiled upon our weary traveler. The production models seem to indicate something else. Much like “New Coke” did, the R 18 misses by just enough to be another soon-to-discontinued model. Split-screen the R18 with a 1937 R5. That old R 5 has spent too much time on the couch stuffing its face with Bonbons and chips, not unlike most of us. Gone are the light and airy lines. The free-flowing, understated bodywork replaced with uninspiring take-offs from a ‘90s-era Royal Star. It tips the scales at 761 lbs., which is a lot of bike! Sure, it has an 1800cc motor, but the R 1250 RT makes 50 percent more hp. I know “power cruisers” are all about torque, and yes, 116 lbs.-ft at 3000 rpm is gobs of the stuff. But again, BMW riders don’t want low revving torque monsters. It will score points with some for having a reasonably low seat height of 27.2”; I’m just not sure if it is enough of a selling point. Is it time for BMW to spin off some of the bikes into a “new” brand? Think Honda and Acura. Keep the water-cooled boxers, R nineT and K 1600 GT/GTL as

June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

EXPLORE YOUR NEXT MOA GETAWAY MOA Getaways continue to grow in popularity, and this year weâ€™re offering more than ever before. Spread across the United States in bucket list locations, each Getaway provides a unique opportunity to ride some of the best roads and spend time with fellow BMW riders. Be sure to register early as many locations sell out. Register for more than one Getaway and receive a discount! MOA Getaways â€” great rides and great friends. We look forward to seeing you at a Getaway this year!

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BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

RIDER

BMWs, and all the rest go to the new brand. Yup, ALL the rest. With a clear separation, the design teams can take the concepts to their logical conclusions. No one likes to compromise, and let’s face it, the current lineup is full of half-answers. Imagine a world where a lightweight HP2E-framed camhead 750cc boxer GS could roam among the leaves, its journey free from the encumbrances of ESA and traction control. Now, park it in your garage next to a K 1600 GT that came stock with a 10-gallon tank and an array of lights that would make the sun blush. In your neighbor’s garage sits an R 18 H-D (call it what it is) with some of its amenities, including saddlebags that can fit a megapack of Cottonelle in each, fully valanced fenders and chrome so lustrous you can shave in it. It is parked next to an S 1000 RR—they did get that one right. In the trailer next to the garage is an F 850 GS with enough suspension travel and strong enough frame to be ridden anywhere an Africa Twin is willing to follow you. George Mangicaro #136221 Manassas, Virginia

Goodwill Opportunity

We are all working hard to cope with and adapt to the COVID-19 situation. Those of us in business roles are also working hard to stay close to our customers, offer unique solutions and maintain customer loyalty. We believe that if we do a good job through the crisis, we might actually exit the situation with better business potential and customer sentiment than when we entered. I want to suggest an idea to BMW Motorrad that might be a creative offer that helps them achieve the same. One of the reasons I feel comfortable buying a technically complex BMW product is the warranty. I know that if the cam chain tensioner in my 2009 K 1300 S, or the water pump in my 2014 R 1200 or the shift cam technology in my 2019 R 1250 fails, BMW is/was signed up to cover me. I haven’t needed it much, but my

awesome dealer, Moon Motorsports in Monticello, Minnesota, has advocated for me and been more than fair when I needed warranty or recall support on these first-year models. If I head out on big trips on a modern BMW, I definitely feel better if it is under warranty. The warranty is three years with unlimited mileage, so (and this might just be me) I usually ride away from the dealership with fantasies of chucking it all, becoming a rally rat and seeing how many miles I can squeeze out of that warranty. It never happens, but I know I could if I wanted, and it adds to the ownership experience. With COVID-19, we can still ride, but most of the rallies are being postponed, the restaurants we ride to are closed, campgrounds and national parks are not open, and the hotels we want to stay in might not take us. In addition, some people are worried about the risk of needing emergency medical help due to a riding incident while COVID-19 is stressing the medical system. Net net, this is likely to be a lost summer. We won’t have the same opportunity to do the same types of riding and travel we dream to do. While BMW has no obligation to do this, how cool would it be if they extended warranties by one year for those motorcycles still under warranty during quarantine! Financial exposure from warranty claims is a function of time and miles, and if we aren’t doing the miles this summer, BMW should see a windfall from paying out on fewer claims. I don’t have access to the data, but I suspect that BMW could offer extensions at no material cost. What a great chance to build loyalty, let some of us make up for lost time, and provide a great incentive to offer those contemplating a 2020 purchase. I hate to put Motorrad on the spot, but I’ll bet they are thinking about this already. Hats off to BMW management if they roll this out! Randy Mattran #138814 Chanhassen, Minnesota

June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

communication in motion

www.cardosystems.com

SHINY

SIDE

Shaping up for summer riding By Ron Davis #111820 WHEN MARCH FINALLY

arrived in Wisconsin last year along with the growing urge to get out on a motorcycle, I found a winter of binge-watching, junk food and beer had done an excellent job of reducing me to a quivering ball of flab. I hadn’t been a total slug, doing a little yoga to remain flexible and letting my lab Penny tow me around the block once a day, but as far as cardio, there was practically none. I’ve been a bicyclist all my life and figured as soon as the ice disappeared, doing a few miles each day on an old ten-speed would get me back to some

E-bikes like this 2019 model from BMW can go at least 60 miles without a charge.

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

semblance of fitness, at least enough to comfortably and safely use my motorcycle. Then a friend let me try his e-bike. Here was a novel way to get some exercise in a city of steep hills that was low impact (a blessing for my bad knees) and that I could adjust to my needs. Obviously being a fan of the marque, I first looked at BMW’s e-bikes. Yes, BMW makes bicycles, with three models that offer pedal-assist motors. As you might expect, BMW bicycles are long on elegant design and quality components and have had good reviews, though of course they’re little on the high side of comparable market pricing. They are currently marketed in the U.S. through some BMW auto dealers as “Lifestyle Accessories,”

though you may find that’s a surprise to salespersons. (Visit shopbmwusa.com/ LIFESTYLE/ACCESSORIES---GIFTS/ BICYCLES for a view of the complete line.) No BMW auto dealers in my area handled bicycles, but a local bike shop was offering a deal on a popular model from Trek which uses components similar to those of BMWs, so I pulled the trigger. A little about e-bikes: The first thing to recognize is that most e-bikes aren’t like scooters or motorcycles. The majority of e-bikes are “pedal-assist,” which means you still have to burn some calories to get around, but a battery and a cunning little motor (barely visible on BMW models) can give you the boost you need to climb

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hills and extend your riding time. Is an e-bike “cheating?” I don’t think so, at least no more than using a five-pound, carbon fiber 18 speed with pencil-thin tires is cheating. Riding an e-bike in a mid-range boost setting vs. a conventional bike has been compared to running vs. brisk walking. Yes, riding an e-bike is still work, but most importantly, e-bikes enable decrepitude-battling people like me to become or continue to be bicycle riders. A couple of boomers I know who bought e-bikes said they literally giggle their way up hills. And I’m not alone. Market research indicates e-bike sales rose over 90 percent in the last few years, and in the Netherlands, probably the most bike-happy country in the world, sales of e-bikes came close to surpassing that of conventional bikes last year. Wisconsin-based Trek claims e-bikes now make up more than a third of their sales and offers an e-version of practically every model they make. Who’s buying them? As you’d expect, e-bikes are popular with the 40s plus segment, but who’s buying e-bikes may be more a reflection of who has the most disposable income than who’s just looking for a less taxing ride, since decent e-bike prices start around $1,500. According to dealers I spoke with, in addition to commuters, more and more bicycle road racers are also using e-bikes for training because of their lower impact on knees and hips. He added that some bicyclists also buy e-bikes so they can keep up with a faster biking partner. The increasing demand for e-bikes has of course spawned a bunch of brands, and price depends on the options you want and the style (mountain, street, cargo, folding, recumbent, trike, etc.) Many different brands use the same battery and motor, and distance before charging depends on which of usually four levels of boost (or none at all) you select. E-bikes

typically can go 35 to 100 miles without recharging. The most popular (and bike path legal) e-bikes assist up to 20 mph, so good brakes are essential, and a bit wider tire width is usually recommended. Class 2 e-bikes can have a throttle, which allows a rider to maintain a speed without pedaling and can go up to 28 mph; however, they are not legal on most bike paths. One drawback to e-bikes is their weight. Because of the battery and motor, an e-bike can weigh 50 pounds or more, which not only means they’re heavy to lift, but it also means a regular bike rack just won’t do. I found a hitch mount rack I’m happy with for about $230. Many riders will also want to “spring” for a better seat, since like motorcycles, most stock ones are typically poor, though BMW does claim its customdesigned Selle Royal saddles are exceptionally comfortable. Also, as with motorcycling, a good helmet is an essential accessory. To make my bike a grocery hauler I added a rear rack and a trunk. I’m now thinking saddle bags for an extended trip, maybe camping; with pedal-assist you can carry a lot of stuff! As soon as weather permitted this spring, I charged my e-bike battery and set out to get my creaky body back into shape. At the time this column was due, Covid-19 had reared its ugly head, and I was conflicted about riding my motorcycle, and while riding an e-bike is obviously no substitute for motorcycling, I felt confident I could cruise safely enough on my e-bike to be physically ready when I could again saddle up my beemer without any qualms. Watch future issues of Owners News for a possible “Member Tested” story on a BMW e-bike.

June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

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"SADDLE UP & RIDE" MOVES TO 2021 Facing uncertainty in the recovery effort from COVID-19 and possible regulations associated with large group gatherings, the BMW MOA National Rally has been moved to new dates in 2021. The Saddle Up & Ride event originally scheduled for June 25-28, 2020, has been rescheduled for June 24-27, 2021 at the Montana ExpoPark in Great Falls, Montana. Rally Chairs Corey and Becky Smith will continue to guide the largest event of the year for BMW motorcycle riders, and its features and attractions will remain essentially unchanged. “It’s a tough call,” said BMW MOA President, Wes Fitzer, “but without a crystal ball, I think one year from now gives us the best opportunity to offer our members a rally environment that is healthy and safe, where they can join their friends and feel comfortable that it’s OK to have a good time.” Members and guests already registered for the 2020 National Rally will remain registered for the 2021 dates. “If you plan to come to Great Falls next year, you don’t have to do anything with your registration,” said MOA Executive Director, Ted Moyer. “Your tickets, t-shirts, RV space - anything you registered for in 2020 will remain set for the new dates. According to Moyer, alternative dates for the rally were considered, but the schedule at the ExpoPark is full for the

remainder of this year in Great Falls. “The season is very short in Montana, and we couldn’t find a date before any potential snowfall,” said Moyer. “It seems odd to most of us outside the northwest, but any travel plans for September or later could be affected by snow in Montana, and the ExpoPark has a full schedule with smaller groups that make an alternative date this year impossible.” Fitzer understands members will be disappointed by the decision to change the dates of the rally. “I think this is the best decision based on the information we have today,” said Fitzer. “Eventually, we will see some loosening of the current social distancing restrictions, but it will be unlikely that a group of 5,000 or more can gather in any kind of small space without significant risk.” Although the date of the National Rally is changing, there are still opportunities for MOA members to ride later this year. The MOA Getaway series has eleven events scheduled for the latter half of the year, beginning with Los Osos, California on July 25. Other upcoming Getaway locations include the Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania; Eureka Springs, Arkansas; and Copper Mountain, Colorado. For the latest rally and event information, please visit bmwmoa. org.

20% RALLY REFUND BONUS AVAILABLE TO RALLY REGISTRANTS MOA members registered for the 2020 National Rally in Great Falls, Montana, are automatically registered for the new dates with no changes to their registration. Members who cannot attend Great Falls in 2021 have two options for refunds. By completing an online refund request form, members can either receive a full cash refund or an event voucher which includes a 20 percent value bonus. “We are working to make it as easy as possible for MOA members to keep their existing registrations for the new dates in 2021,” said Ted Moyer, MOA Executive Director. “However, if a member can’t attend the National Rally in Great Falls next summer, we will refund their purchase in full or create an event voucher worth 20 percent more than the price the member has already paid for 2020 Rally registration.” The event voucher is a coupon code that can be used for any BMW MOA event including the National Rally, an MOA

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

Getaway or a Premier Training event. “We have some great riding opportunities this year,” said Moyer. “If a member is considering attending one of our Weekend Getaways or Premier Training events, this is an added incentive to get out and ride.” Event vouchers including the 20 percent bonus will be valid for all MOA events through December 2022. To receive a cash refund or an event voucher including the 20 percent bonus, members should visit rally.bmwmoa.org and complete the Refund Request form online by December 31, 2020. Completing the online form allows the MOA staff to efficiently process refund requests as quickly as possible. Members who complete the Refund Request form should expect confirmation by email within ten days. Beginning January 1, 2021, refunds for the National Rally will be available in accordance with the MOA’s regular refund policy.

Ready to Ride We get it. You just need a destination. That’s why we created MotorradFest – a destination event that celebrates everything about motorcycling – the bikes, the people, the passion, the experience. It happens September 25‐27, 2020 in Tennessee. Come for the day or the weekend. It’s your reason to ride. Register at mfest.bmwmoa.org

NEWS

Fritz Spokas is the winner!

Motorrad Fest coming in September BMW MOA Executive Director Ted Moyer and MOA President Wes Fitzer are pleased to announce MOTORRAD FEST, a brandnew, three-day festival style event open to MOA members and their guests, along with all motorcyclists and anybody else wishing to attend. Motorrad Fest will take place September 25-27, 2020, at the Peyton Road Camping Area of the Wilson County Fairgrounds in Lebanon, Tennessee. MOA members who attended the National Rally in 2019 will remember this was the RV area during the Lebanon Rally. "Motorrad Fest is the weekend before the AIMExpo in Columbus, Ohio, and we expect many of our regular exhibitors will make a combined trip to both places," Moyer said. "We are also looking at some local vendors to bring a bit of Tennessee flavor to Motorrad Fest." Registration for Motorrad Fest will open on May 1. Passes for the entire weekend will cost $69; adding a camping pass adds $30 for a total of $99. Day passes will be available from $19. RV spaces will cost $349 and will include two tickets for the entire weekend. Full details will be available on the MOA website on May 1. Registration specials will be available for a limited time. Wes Fitzer added, "We want members to know we're thinking about them and trying to work through the situation. These are our friends and we're most concerned for their health and well-being. The virus has certainly changed things for us this year, but I'm proud we've been able to respond and think a little differently by shifting some events, creating a new destination event and placing members first in our refund policies and the options they have for the future."

Congratulations to Fritz Spokas (#52672) of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, for winning the beautifully-restored 1977 R 100 RS in the BMW MOA Foundation Completely Vintage Raffle! Highlighted in the February issue of the BMW Owners News, the restoration was the result of six months of hard work and dedication to detail by MOA member Dutch Lammers. His work represents a true 100-point restoration that any BMW enthusiast would be proud to own. MOA Executive Director Ted Moyer, along with MOA Foundation Directors Vance Harrelson and Keith Foster drew Spokas’ name on April 25th in Birmingham, Alabama. The drawing was initially meant to take place at the MOA’s Getaway in Fontana Dam, North Carolina, but was relocated and rescheduled because of COVID-19. In all, more than 7,200 tickets were sold for the Completely Vintage raffle, netting more than $85,000. The proceeds will be used to support the Foundation’s support of rider training and education.

Congratulations Ken Frick! Congratulations to Ken Frick #199204, of Columbus, Ohio, for winning the June BMW Owners News photo contest. Ken sent us the image appearing on pages 6 and 7 of this issue. For his efforts, Ken will receive a MotoPressor Puncture Repair Tool courtesy of Rocky Creek Designs. To enter the monthly BMW Owners News photo contest, simply send your best shots to bmwmoa.org/photocontest with your contact information and photo description. The contest is open to all current MOA members. Good Luck!

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

Special offers from our MOA advertisers Let’s give them our support! With all of the chaos we’ve encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic, the advertisers and vendors who support the MOA year after year and rally after rally have reached out with special deals and additional discounts on their products and services. Now is the time to book your next tour or get that riding gear, shop manual, emergency coverage, those parts and accessories and just about anything else you can dream of. While many deals are reserved for MOA members only, some are available to anybody who rides! To view the available deals and discounts, visit bmwmoa.org and sign in with your username and password and then check the “All The News” feed on the homepage. While nonmembers may see some of the deals, only MOA members will be able to access all of the discounts available. Action Athlete Supply actionathletesupply.com Special close out deals for MOA members. Adriatic Moto Tours adriaticmototours.com 200 EURO signing bonus for tours booked before the end of July 2020. AeroFlow aeroflowscreens.com 15% Off and Free UPS Ground Shipping on orders over $200.00! Alkemist Adventures alkemistadventures.com 10% discount for the bookings made before December 31. Bob’s BMW Motorcycles bobsbmw.com 15% OFF BMW Parts, Accessories, & Apparel with promo code BMWMOA15. Bohn Body Armor bohnarmor.com 15% OFF all items on website with code BMWCV15 good until 7/15/2020.

DENALI Electronics twistedthrottle.com/DENALIMOA FREE DENALI B6 license plate taillight and SoundBomb Compact air horn with qualifying purchase! Diamond Gusset jean Company gusset.com 20% off Defender Moto Jeans! Dubbleju Motorcycle Rentals dubbelju.com 20% discount on rental rate for BMW MOA members. Dunlop Motorcycle Tires dunlopmotorcycletires.com Up to $60 per set at your local Pro Dealer. EPM Performance Imports epmperf.com 15% discount on any item ordered from the Wilbers, Hyperpro or YSS product line. Haynes Repair Manuals haynes.com All online manuals at 50% off regular price.

Bullrack Pannier Wall Mounts bullrack.com Best BMW MOA sale ever! 25% off everything until it’s gone! Use code BMWMOA. Capital Cycle capitalcycle.com 5% off on all orders until the end of June.

Magura USA magurausa-shop.com 30% OFF using discount code BMWMOA on Magura Products!

Continental Tire totalconfidence-plan.com Complimentary flat change or towing up to 150 miles for tires purchased after March 1, 2017. Costa Rica BMW Tours costaricabmwtours.com 10% off for bookings by November 30, 2020 with promo code BMWMOA20.

MachineartMoto machineartmoto.com 15% off any listed Bundle of 2 products.

IMTBike Tours & Rentals imtbike.com Sign up in 2020 for any 4 Day Getaway and get a free motorcycle upgrade and rental motorcycle gear for your Getaway.

Medjet Medjetassist.com/bmwmoa BMW MOA members have exclusive discounted rates on Medjet membership. MotoAventura Chile motoaventura.cl We are offering a 10% discount on all bookings made until July 31st. Moto Machines motomachines.com 5% off and free shipping on all orders over $149.00.

Motonation motonation.com Exclusive importer and distributor of Sidi boots, Forcefield Body Armour, Motonation Apparel and Trilobite apparel. No-Mar Tire Changers nomartirechanger.com To purchase a No-Mar Tire Changer or accessories please call for details. Redverz Gear redverz.com Enjoy a free Sleep Area Groundsheet with every tent purchase and free shipping. RKA rka-luggage.com 15% off all luggage products plus free ground shipping. Rocky Creek Designs rockycreekdesigns.com 15% off all products during June and July. Parabellum Windshields parabellum.com Free shipping on all products through July 4th! Paradise Motorcycle Tours NZ paradisemotorcycletour.co.nz Free motorcycle upgrade for every booking on guided and self-guided tours taken in 2021. Rusmototravel rusmototravel.com 5% discount for the Moscow-Vladivostok 2021 tour. SkyMed International, Inc. skymed.com/chrisdurgin Contact Chris Durgin for $1,000 off a five-year plan! Touratech-USA touratech-usa.com ‘Spring Cleaning Deals’ on closeout items. Weiser Technik LED Lighting weisertechnik.com 10% off all products and free shipping.

June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

NEWS

Will the R 18 and BMW kill the motorcycle trade show? By Wes Fleming #87301 IN THE SPACE OF JUST A FEW HOURS ONE DAY IN EARLY

April, BMW Motorrad may have upended the motorcycle trade show. They did two things, seemingly unconnected by anything other than the calendar: launch the production R 18 to the world and cancel their 2020 appearance at EICMA, arguably the most important powersports trade show in Europe and possibly the world.

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

We who follow the industry know BMW has been drawing back from U.S. trade shows in recent years. At last yearâ€™s AIMExpo in Columbus, Ohio, BMW sent just four bikes, and three of them were GSes. The fourth was the R 18 Concept, and it was absolutely glorious, set off from the rest of the floor by a rustic yet dazzling booth complete with velvet ropes meant to keep grubby fingers off the beautiful metal-flake paint.

When it comes to the Progressive International Motorcycle Show series every winter, BMW has been steadily drawing down its presence, and while they might send a few bikes and some personnel to the Long Beach or New York shows, in the 2019-20 IMS season, they were no-shows everywhere else. A few local dealers bought booth space here and there, but BMW themselves did nothing organized. Motorcycle fans were understandably upset about that development, but it’s hard to say BMW’s decision is wrong. The motorcycle industry continues to suffer from the 2008-09 sales plunge, and even though sales are gradually rising for many manufacturers (including BMW, though not in the USA), they have not recovered to the level of the heady days before the Great Recession. This means money continues to be tight as manufacturers have to do more with the same (or less) funding. With consumers constantly demanding more power, more technology and more models, motorcycle manufacturers face the unenviable decision of trying to trim any expenses they can. Enter the BMW R 18. There are plenty of people wondering what BMW is doing with this bike, what market they’re going after and why, and maybe more importantly, why now? Harley-Davidson is bleeding sales like a gut-shot bank robber, and though Indian keeps posting solid numbers every year, they’re not getting double-digit sales increases over and over and over. Eventually Indian will reach their saturation point and stop taking additional sales from Harley. Perhaps the most ironic and amusing thing about these three manufacturers coming up with new bikes is how they are emulating each other. BMW’s R 18 is an air-cooled heavy cruiser like nearly everything in the Harley and Indian lineups. Harley’s Pan America is a big-bore adventure bike aimed squarely at taking a chunk of R 1250 GS market share. Indian’s FTR 1200 is a barebones standard not unlike—outside of styling cues—the R 1250 R. Normally, BMW would wait for the worldwide attention at EICMA to debut the production version of the R 18, relying on hype and the international motorcycle press to do the heavy lifting of promoting the bike for them. Instead, BMW chose to launch the bike seven months ahead of EICMA, then bow out of EICMA entirely. It would be negligent not to mention the role of the COVID-19 pandemic in BMW’s decision. As of this writing in April, motorcycle manufacturers all over the world (even in India, where most of the world’s motorbikes are made) have shut down, some saying the shutdowns will last two weeks, others refusing to offer any sort of timeline on when they might reopen. Harley furloughed nearly its entire manufacturing staff, preserving their healthcare benefits, thankfully, and Polaris (Indian’s parent) shut down its U.S. plants nearly across the board. The virus is pounding Brazil; BMW’s plant there halted operations after the government closed the country to all land and air travel. BMW’s plants in Europe and India are also shut down for a minimum of two weeks, and though nobody knows for sure yet, industry analysts are predicting manufacturing will remain shuttered for most, if not all of April

and possibly May as well, as various regions attempt to control the spread of this deadly disease. BMW could likely have been discussing pulling out of EICMA before the pandemic; these decisions are not made hastily nor capriciously. The best evidence of this is a YouTube series called “A Bavarian Soulstory.” BMW released the first of the nine Soulstory videos in September 2019, laying the groundwork for the production R 18’s eventual debut. The Soulstory series follows Tommy Kerns from a hotel in Munich to the launch in South Africa, building hype and revealing tiny details all along the way. The thing is, Kerns isn’t a motorcycle industry guy. He’s a menswear consultant. His shop, Butterscotch, sells clothing and cool stuff for those we might refer to as hipsters. Their aesthetic clearly rolls along on two wheels, and Kerns certainly has deep knowledge of bikes, his love for motorcycles obvious throughout the videos. From skintight tapered-leg jeans to painfully retro helmets, there isn’t much on the website cooler and more hip than most of us have ever been in our lives. Choosing Kerns for this video series was, in a word, brilliant. This above all other things is a clear indication BMW Motorrad is looking to move beyond their established market and start capturing new motorcycle buyers. Kerns has credibility among an entire generation of possible (or even probable) motorcycle owners who are not already jaded by or committed to any one brand, and BMW was smart to engage him to build hype for the R 18. Starting the push away from motorcycle trade shows with the R 18 is equally brilliant. The Soulstory series of videos are incredibly well done; be sure to check out BMW Motorrad’s YouTube channel to see all nine of them at bmwmoa.club/BMWMCYT. A video like each one of those in the series could cost upwards of $100,000, so it’s not beyond the realm of reason to think BMW dropped $1 million on producing those videos. Between paying for booth space, covering employee expenses for the better part of two weeks (salary, food and lodging for setup, the week of the show, breakdown and transportation to and from Milan) EICMA could well cost as much or more. Yet the EICMA experience is, by its very nature, limited to those fortunate enough to be able to attend the show. The Bavarian Soulstory videos will live on the internet forever, creating visibility for years and vastly improving BMW’s return on investment for the money spent creating them. Plus, they capture Kerns at his influencer height. He will always be that young, that good-looking, that cool, that excited about the R 18, and BMW captured the lightning in a bottle. When it comes to the R 18 itself, BMW isn’t creating an all-new category of cruisers; they’re adding the R 18 to the Heritage lineup. Until now, all the Heritage bikes have been variations on the R nineT. The modularity of the 9T series speaks volumes to the bike’s adaptability. There used to be a time when a single BMW motorcycle could be all things to all riders. Take the R 75/5 or R 90/6, for example. Go to any gathering of BMW or vintage motorcycles and you can see examples of those two bikes especially decked out for any and every possible use—café racers, open road touring, off-road thrashing, around town posing, coffee fetching—you

June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

NEWS

name it, those bikes can do it. They were the German versions of the Universal Japanese Motorcycle so many of us loved in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s. In my mind, the primary functional difference between a 1978 Honda CB750 I used to own and a 1976 BMW R 90/6 I’d like to own is the number of carburetors I need to synch during routine maintenance. The R nineT has a similar aesthetic and world of possibilities. BMW has simply done much of the work for riders interested in a plain bike, a race bike, a scrambler, a vintage-looking bike with all the modern accoutrements—you name it, there’s a 9T for you out there. The R 18 is coming out of the gate in a similar fashion, and BMW has already swung for the fences.

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

Go online and visit BMW’s Build Your Own motorcycle site (bmwmotorcycles.com/en/models/build-your-own.html) and select the R 18. Note the starting price of $17,495 (any color you want as long as it’s black) and check out the Premium Package (+$1,450). That’s how you get hill start control, headlight upgrades, reverse assist. Add $225 to get an anti-theft alarm, lockable fuel filler cap and heated grips. Don’t forget the non-negotiable $695 delivery/processing/assembly cost they leave off the list price but mandate you pay for every new bike. Your list price then is $19,865, entirely reasonable for a bike like the R 18 and comparable to other basic heavy cruisers like the Indian Chief Dark Horse ($18,499) or a Harley-Davidson Fat Boy 114 ($20,599). Of course, the Japanese

versions of these bikes cost thousands less, but they also carry less panache in the market. More important than the packages you can get is the already extensive list of parts available to customize an individual R 18. Seats, mirrors, mufflers, clutch and brake reservoir covers, cylinder head covers, chrome parts, wheels, windshields and more. In other words, if you don’t want your R 18 to stay stock, there’s no reason for it to do so. If you want a bobber, BMW has you covered. If you want a chromeblinged bike, you’re good. If you want every surface on the bike to match, BMW has made it easy for you to do so. I’m sure it won’t be long until substantial saddlebags are available; right now, all you can get is some cool-looking but small (16 liters each) squared-off

panniers. There are rumors and accompanying spy photos showing BMW is working on a proper bagger/tourer version of the R 18; it could be out as early as next year, but that is a subject best saved for another time. When it comes to power, it may appear at first blush BMW skimped in this area. BMW claims 91 horsepower at 4,750 rpm and 116 foot-pounds of torque at 3,000 rpm as the bike’s max ratings at the crank, so figure 10 percent less on each spec on the street. Compare this to the S 1000 RR (205 hp at 13,000 rpm) or the K 1600 GT (160 hp at 7,750 rpm) and the R 18 comes up woefully short. If these are the numbers dissuading you from R 18 ownership, you’re making the wrong comparisons.

June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

NEWS

Compare the R 18 not to BMW’s rocket ships, but to heavy cruisers made by Harley-Davidson and Indian, because these are the bikes the R 18 is competing with, not the inline four or six found elsewhere in the lineup. The engines the R 18 compares favorably to are Harley’s Fat Bob (82 hp at 4,660 rpm, 111 ft-lbs at 2,260 rpm) and Indian’s 111 cubic inch V-twin powering its heavy cruisers (84 hp, 110 ft-lbs). Note these HD and Indian numbers are where the tire meets the ground, not at an unloaded crank able to give unencumbered readings like with the R 18. The math of thousands of motorcycles of this style shows a consistent 10 percent loss between the crank and the street once a drivetrain, whether it is belt, chain or shaft, is introduced along with a wheel, a tire and all the other unsprung weight involved in keeping the back of a motorcycle up off the ground and moving you forward. Indian’s new (for 2020) 116 CI traditional V-twin will up their specs a little, but not enough to take their bikes into another class compared to the R 18 and Harley’s 114 Milwaukee Eight. I’ve mentioned in these pages in previous months the inevitable comparison of the R 18 to the R 1200 C and CL/CLC, which were similarly “underpowered” for their day yet compared favorably to contemporary cruisers, so I’m not going to beat that horse here. The thing many detractors neglect is the near cult-like loyalty to those cruisers shown by their owners and those who seek them out. If nothing else is clear at this point, it’s that BMW Motorrad hasn’t given up on the cruiser market, so don’t make the mistake

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

thinking the R 18 is yet another feeble attempt at gaining a foothold on the American motorcycle market. BMW is of course hoping to sell a lot of R 18s in the U.S., but the market they’re going after is younger riders eager for a bike they can easily customize to their taste and with growing amounts of disposable income and the desire to use it. Another market they no doubt hope to tap into is riders who love the Western aesthetic of the cruiser, but don’t want to actually buy an American bike, whether it be for economic reasons or their own senses of patriotism. What is of no doubt is BMW’s warning shot across the bow of the massive cruise ship that is the power sports trade show. BMW has shown they can build hype and excitement without ever putting a production bike in a booth and what’s more, they can do it while fully controlling the schedule and the release of information and leveraging the power of the internet and social media in doing it. For all of those who are focused only on the retro looks of the R 18, they are missing the real point of this new motorcycle from BMW Motorrad, which is at least in part to prove BMW’s innovations aren’t only in the realm of the vehicles they build and continue to sell to an eager public.

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Peter Hans Lattman MOA # 97545

Call, Text, or Email Peter for all of your Real Estate needs

Cell: 208-664-0101 | www.hardworkingpeter.com www.HardWorkingPeter.com E-mail: Peter@HardWorkingPeter.com I’m Peter Hans Lattman with Professional Realty Services Idaho in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho. Long time MOA member, and life long motorcyclist. Let me show you why I live here. If you’d like to invest in a second home, or escape the big city for good, I’m here for you! Call, text, or email me for more information or just the scoop on the best twistie roads in North Idaho!

Why not live where people vacation? Beautiful Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho! Put my lifetime of negotiating experience to work for you!

www.imtbike.com

NEWS

Welcome our new MOA Members My wife and I retired a year ago and now travel full-time with our RV, motorcycles, mountain bikes and backpacking gear. I joined the MOA for all the great perks and love the magazine and forums and am looking forward to meeting fellow members at some of the upcoming Getaways! David Green #217687

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For a good night’s sleep By Dave Grider #47339 AMONG MOTORCYCLISTS THERE ARE AVID CAMPERS, FAIR-

weather campers and non-campers. It always makes for a lively discussion when discussing motorcycle camping with non-campers who claim the lack of creature comforts is their primary reason for not sleeping under the stars (or the rain clouds). For those who feel that anything less than a Best Western or at least a motel with hot running water is unbearable, you may want to skip to the next article. Once upon a time, I could do most of the work necessary to keep my BMWs in good repair. That was one of the features that kept me loyal to the brand. That time has passed. Now, rather than continuing to ride historical machines, the new technologies have successfully seduced me, and my mechanical expertise has not kept pace. Camping, however, helps me keep a foot in the more primal times of yesteryear. What started long ago as an inexpensive way to spend a night is now my preference. Like my BMWs, camping gear has also evolved. Beyond the improvements in physical comfort, I also take psychological comfort in knowing I don’t have to worry if the inn is full, as a room and bed are always with me. My first night of motorcycle camping was spent with my first wife in 1971. We had ridden a terribly underpowered R 50 from Phoenix to a National Forest Service campground north of Durango, Colorado. Once there, I erected my surplus pup tent, and that evening we retired to equally inexpensive sleeping bags. After a fitful night of sleep, we awoke finding ourselves half out of the floorless tent with a couple of inches of wet snow on our bags and temperatures in the mid-20s. That was all she needed to swear “never again.” Eighteen years later, I took my second wife motorcycle camping for the first time and having learned my lesson, we traveled with quality gear, and it paid off. She still enjoys camping from the motorcycle today and has also been patient with my search for constant improvement. How to stay dry while tent camping is a question I have many opinions about, but this product evaluation is about our bed away from home. Specifically, it concerns the application of a layered sleeping system and a way to pack it. Sleeping bags and pads can be uncomfortable, especially as one gets older. Users must be willing to conform to the bag’s shape, not the other way around. Pity the poor individual who tosses and turns or wants to sleep on their side with a leg out. Additionally, sleeping bags are difficult to keep clean and it is hard to get the temperature just right, especially in warm weather. Plus, they make me feel claustrophobic. My solution to the limitations of sleeping in a bag has been to use a more flexible system. My system is centered around a Big Agnes sleeping bag which lets me add or subtract layers depending on

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

anticipated temperatures while maintaining my preferred sleeping positions. Rather than an extensive review of each individual component and where to purchase them, I leave that as a research project to those who are interested. This review is more to share my systems approach to a good night’s sleep. My system components include:

Big Agnes Camp Robber sleeping bag - $199.95

This large rectangular sleeping bag unfolds to 25”x78” and packs down to 9”x13”. The bag features a full perimeter zipper and an easy-to-insert mattress pad provision where the pad replaces the bottom layer of the bag reducing packing size and weighs 2 lbs 4 oz. Rated at 45 degrees.

Big Agnes Q-Core Deluxe sleeping pad - $209.95

With an R-Value of 4.3 this 3.5” thick pad with 4.25” larger outer chambers keep users cradled in the middle of the pad. When packed, the pad measures 5” x 9.5” and weighs 34 oz.

Big Agnes Pumphouse Ultra pad inflator - $34.95

This inflator allows quick inflation of Q-core pads and can be used as a pillowcase, dry bag, stuff bag and water hauler.

Rumpl Puffy Blanket - $149.45

This blanket extends my lower temperature comfort and makes a good lap blanket.

Mosko Moto Scout 25-liter Duffel

I use this duffel to keep all of my bedding in one place. It’s waterproof, easy to load and easy to attach to the bike. Weighing in at about six pounds, the components on my list come with a total cost of around to $7-800, but they can often be found on sale. The systems my wife and I carry, (we each have our own) can also be used for temporary beds when the grandkids visit. They also serve as replacement mattresses in our small travel trailer, as part of our emergency provisions for winter travel, and as bedding when staying in questionable motels. Big Agnes has been around for about 20 years and has evolved to offer a wide range of quality camping products. Cindy and I own four sleeping bags, four pads and a four-person tent plus other garments and accessories manufactured by the company. They have all proven to be high quality items with good company service. I have used the system in a variety of configurations with nighttime temperatures ranging from 30 to 75 degrees. The system allows me to use it like a large sleeping bag, as a camp blanket inside or out. By adding the liner, I can sleep on top in just the liner, or I can simply unzip the bag and use it as a comforter. Everything is quick to deploy as needed.

All of the sleeping system, along with a camp towel, fits into a Mosko Moto D-25L Duffel dry bag. I find the Mosko Moto dry bag to be of excellent quality because it loads from the top rather than the end which, I believe, makes for better access. A neat thing about the Mosko Moto bags is that they include something called a “beavertail” which provides expandable space on top of the dry bag. Other features include a reversible map case and multiple tie-down points. Both Mosko Moto’s own tie downs and ROK straps work well for securing the bag to the motorcycle. When traveling alone, the Mosko Moto bag goes on the back rack behind a water-resistant duffle holding a tent, cooking appliances, a chair, sometimes a down pillow and other items. If more compact packing is desired, the sleeping system components can be placed in one of the side bags rather than the Mosko Moto bag. When we travel 2-up, Mosko Moto bags go on top of the hard side cases and fit perfectly on BMW or Touratech panniers. The tent then goes in the top case. My experience thus far is based on more than 20 nights on the road with these arrangements. So far it is difficult to find a downside to any of the components. Each would receive a five out of five if I were reviewing them individually. My wife says she sleeps better in her bedroll than she does at home. The zippers could be an issue if not maintained well, and the best product I have found is the oil free wax lubes used on mountain bike chains. Try a layered approach to a sleeping system. Maybe we will lure some of the fair-weather campers over to the avid side.

Dave Grider has been riding something with two wheels and a motor for nearly 60 years and BMWs for more than 50 years. He and his wife Cindy live in the forest in Northern Arizona. His current stable includes ‘08 and ‘17 R 1200 GSs which Dave believes to be the perfect bikes for touring and camping.

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Transitions face shield for Klim Krios By Doug Christensen #217705 HAVING LIGHT COLORED EYES, I HAVE ALWAYS PRE-

ferred wearing sunglasses when outdoors. Motorcycling presents an additional challenge for those of us who need to wear shades when riding. Unfortunately, wearing sunglasses inside the helmet can be uncomfortable, and polarized glasses play havoc with traditional face shields. My solution was to carry two face shields and switch them out when it gets dark. Not a bad solution but not terribly efficient or convenient. According to the Klim website, a Transitions® face shield is included with their new Krios Pro Adventure helmets. For those who already own a Krios helmet, a Transitions® face shield can be purchased by itself. I purchased one for my old hat and tried it out on the roads around Raleigh, North Carolina. With a $149 price tag, the Transitions® face shield certainly isn’t cheap, but not having to carry an extra face shield or having to stop to change a shield, I felt it was worth the extra cost. The shield is also Pinlock® compatible so that I can also keep my vision fog free. I get one face shield that is good for all weather, day or night. Installing the Transitions® face shield to my trusty Krios was easy with no special tools or alterations needed as it is an exact match to my old shields. During the installation, I also fitted the Pinlock® lens because the fog free lens seals best when installed to new plastics. Once installed, the Transitions® face shield looks as clear as a regular face shield inside and I detected no tint until I got the helmet outside and exposed it to UV light where I found the gradual tinting to take about a minute to achieve full tint. On the road, I found the gradual tinting of the face shield to be slow enough that I really could not detect that it was darkening. Generally, it would darken up while I was getting ready to ride, so that I did not find I had to wait for it to dim. Because I have occasionally struggled with seeing turn-in

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

points while riding the Blue Ridge Parkway using a regular dark face shield, my biggest concern was running in and out of the shadows on tree-covered roads. In use, I found it much easier to negotiate treecovered roads with the Transitions® shield perhaps because the dark tint is not as dark as a regular dark shield. At night, I found the Transitions® face shield stayed clear as water and did not tint to oncoming traffic. Overall, I would say that the Klim Transitions® face shield is a winner. Not having to stop and change shields due to weather conditions or time of day is its best feature. For those who need corrective lenses, you can wear your regular indoor glasses and not have to bother to carry extra glasses. The transition to dark tint is reasonably slow and unnoticeable, and while the tint is not as dark as my standard dark face shield, it is certainly dark enough and perfect for North Carolina roads. I can now look forward to downsizing my tank bag as I won’t need to save room to carry a spare face shield any longer. One last note: Klim does not recommend using the Transition® face shield with an ADV peak visor as that could cause an uneven darkening of the shield. I did notice tan lines when I closed the open face shield but those disappeared quickly. I would highly recommend purchasing a Transitions® face shield if one is available for your helmet. The newer generation of Transitions® coatings has improved so that issues with tint spotting are reduced, and extra cost outweighs the hassle of carrying and switching face shields. For me, it’s a no brainer. For more information, visit klim.com or Transitions.com. PROS: Never having to change my face shield means less wear and tear on the face shield hardware. Reduced scratching the face shield when you inevitably drop the shield when changing them out. CONS: The cost. A Transitions® face shield carries an MSRP of $149. It is not as dark as the regular dark face shield. Special care is needed when cleaning the face shield.

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MotoPOCKETS: More room for my stuff! By Jocelin Snow #210823 WHAT WILL TODAY’S ADVENTURE BE?

From one day to the next, I am never exactly sure where my motorcycle adventures will take me. Somedays, I am deep in the mountains with my R 1250 GS Adventure exploring a new country, and others I am riding my R 1200 GS Rallye on my obstacle course in my back yard. Just in the last few months I have had numerous thrilling adventures. Riding along with the GS Trophy in New Zealand on BMW’s F 850 GS was certainly one of the highlights. Wherever in the world I am riding and whichever bike it may be, one thing is for sure, you will not catch me without my MotoPOCKETS, guaranteed. Although I find all of the MotoPOCKET Adventure pockets useful, I do have my favorites. When it comes to my handlebar bag, I’m like a child with a blankie, as that bag goes with me on every ride. The easy-on, easy-off Velcro straps that attach the bag to my handlebars are slick compared to other brand bar bags which made me feel like I was trying to put socks on a rooster. I tend to be one of those people who has to put things away where they belong. If I don’t, I may end up looking for it for hours, or maybe days. My water-resistant MotoPOCKETS handlebar bag ($61.95) allows me to safely store my phone, keys, Chapstick, gas card and other random items that I’ll need to find easily and when I need them. The double zipper is easy to use when I’m frantically reaching for something while at a stop, and the fabric topped lip helps keep items intact when I am moving even without having fully closed the zipper. Rumor has it I am short, but even so, the handlebar bag does not restrict my view of the GPS or dash. Like me, you may realize a MotoPOCKETS handlebar bag to be one of those accessories you didn’t know you

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

needed, but once you have one, you just can’t ride without it. The MotoPOCKETS expandable pannier bags ($149.95) are another of my favorite pieces of gear. When I first saw them I remember thinking, “Why would anyone need more storage than the aluminum pannier boxes?” Then I strapped a bag on top of each of my panniers and headed out on a ten-day ride and soon realized these bags are not only handy but necessary. Inside my panniers I have the zipped liners which are convenient when I am carrying my belongings into a hotel or to the campsite but they can be a bit of a hassle if I need to access an item quickly. The MotoPOCKETS pannier bags simply attach with Velcro on top of the panniers and provide a quick and easy way to

grab-n-go. “What do I carry in the bags” you ask? Well, in the left bag I store my first aid kit, spare gloves and a light tool bag. The right bag stores my Handpresso portable espresso machine and snacks. With all of that, I still have plenty of room for treasures I may find along my adventures and have peace of mind the padding in the bags will help them travel safely to wherever I end up next. MotoPOCKETS offers storage solutions for almost any motorcycle. In addition to the handlebar and pannier bags I use, they also sell windshield bags, tank bags and phone cases. All of their products are made in the U.S. using premium materials. For more information or to purchase, visit adventurepockets.com.

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AIRHEADS in the Time of Plague By Matthew Parkhouse #13272 SPRING IS FINALLY

here! The ice tower has vanished, flowers are coming up, and we have a family of house finches nesting on the front porch. I’ve had plenty of time to muse about the past while confined to the house due to the coronavirus. Back when I was starting out at Doc’s BMW of Colorado Springs, we had taken in a classic old airhead on trade and I was getting it ready to sell as a used bike. A regular customer stopped by, along with his wife, to look at this bike he’d heard about. As he was looking it over and poking at it, I noticed that his wife was looking a little uncomfortable. I saw her sort of grab her side and grimace a couple of times. I asked her if she was all right. She replied that she was in labor and they were on their way to the hospital! I ended the bike showing immediately and sent the couple on their way post haste. We weren’t up for delivering babies in the service department! That was when I realized I would never starve taking care of these old Airheads! Later, the man returned, along with the wife and new baby, and bought the bike. These days, people are still bringing their Airheads to me, so I’m staying busy while under “house arrest” as we all stay at home except for essential travel. Airhead owners are being careful to keep their distance as they hand off their bikes for whatever they need me to do. A current big project is reviving a 1987 R 100 RS that caught fire while having its battery charged. Fortunately, the owner was also in the hanger where the bike was stored, so he doused

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

the flaming bike with a fire extinguisher before it totally burned up. Basically, it is scorched and charred from the gearbox back. The owner states he could hear the gas boiling and got the fire out just in time! I’ve been tearing down the back half of the RS and cleaning up some of the salvageable parts while looking over eBay for replacements for the totaled parts. The gas tank will be repainted, as will the subframe and swingarm. I have pulled out the swingarm bearings, along with the driveshaft so that the swingarm can be cleaned up and powder coated. The rear drive cleaned up with elbow grease and solvent. The rear mono-shock was destroyed, and we’ve ordered a new one from Ted Porter of the Beemer Shop. I found a pair of nice stock mufflers to replace the badly discolored ones on the bike. I’ll clean up, treat a small bit of rust and repaint the battery box. Other repairs include the rear wheel being repainted at a wheel shop, and I already have the replacement tire here, ready to mount. Things like side covers and foot pegs are still being looked for as the work progresses. The bike has 44,000 miles on it, and the clutch has never been examined, so I’ll go in that compartment as long as most of the in-the-way parts are off the bike. I’ll also be rebuilding the petcocks since the plastic caps are melted as all the internal parts, along with the caps, remain available. I have taken care of a couple of routine service tasks like renewing pushrod seals on a Slash Six. I’ve taken in a couple of bikes for gearbox service. One has the usual “missing circlip installation” from an early 1990s transmission. I’m also updating a 1974 transmission, adding a more

modern shifting cassette and replacing the worn kickstart linkage parts. I recently sorted out a R 90/6 that wasn’t running right. The complaint was that it wouldn’t run well at idle or low RPMs. I had worked with this bike before and had replaced the carburetor needles and cleaned out a fair amount of dirt and water. I’d also cleaned out the idle jets and idle-air screws. So, I knew the idle, middle and full throttle ranges of the carbs were in good order. The points and timing were right where they should be, as were the valve clearances. That left the choke “enricheners” as a possibility. As I removed the right-hand carb, I could see that the handle that the choke wire actuates was reversed on the brass shaft of the enrichener. The small dot in the shaft end should be on the side as the attachment point for the cable. This unit had the dot away from the cable end of the handle. This small, but hard-tonotice reversal results in one carb that would have the choke active when the choke hand lever was actually in the warmed up and running position. When that handle is in use, that same carb would have a non-working enrichener. After I

Left, I’m preparing this Slash Six bike for replacement of the pushrod seals. These four rubber parts tend to dry out and leak after a few years. Fortunately, it only takes a couple hours to renew them. Here, I have removed the exhaust system and the carbs outside of my shop. I then rolled the bike up inside and onto the lift for the remainder of the work. Below, I’m checking one of the lifters while I have the piston and cylinder off of the engine. With everything out of the way, it is very easy to pull out the lifter to check the polished surface, where it contacts the camshaft. This area of contact can get worn and chipped, especially if the proper oil is not used. Using motorcycle oil, rather than regular automotive oil is a good idea, because the right oil has high levels of zincphosphorus additive (ZDDP) added. The lifters and cam were fine here, so I installed the new pushrod seals, replaced the piston and cylinder, along with the pushrods and valve train parts. I then torqued the head nuts, set the valves and rotated the engine to set it on Top Dead Center on the opposite side.

cleaned out the enrichener, placed a new gasket in play and installed the lever properly, I did the same for the other side. That side was as it should be. Once complete, the engine ran MUCH smoother. This was the one and only time I’ve encountered that issue. My friend John Gale brought his R 90/6 down from Evergreen, Colorado, for me to finish the “going through a new-to-theowner bike” process that we started at last year’s Denver Tech Day. This year’s Tech Day has been cancelled, so he brought the bike down to the Springs. He wasn’t in a hurry, so we pulled the rear wheel to service the wheel bearings. We also changed the fork oil and cleaned out the fork lowers. On the early airheads, that bit of attention is often neglected for several decades. Dirt will build up, and the rubber bottoming bumpers soften up with exposure to certain brands of fork oil. John’s were fairly clean, and the rubber parts were in good shape. I also changed, flushed and greased the pivot of the front disc brake. The fluid in the under the tank reservoir was kind of dark so it was time to accomplish that bit of work.

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He left the bike for me to finish up over the next few days. I will be installing new cables and checking the clutch. It turned out the clutch was definitely due for renewing, as the plate was worn down to 3.80 mm. New plates run 6 mm thick and are supposed to be renewed when they get down to 4.5 mm. They will usually work okay down to 4.0 mm or thereabouts. The wear was very even across the width of the friction material, so I simply replaced the plate and cleaned up the two pressure plates. If there is real unevenness, the new plate will chatter and slip until it beds in. In this case, the test ride revealed a smooth, even-acting clutch. One thing I did find as I pulled the gearbox to get at the clutch was that one of the four driveshaft bolts had a broken lock washer. This is a real setup to having the driveshaft fall off! The lock washers do break, leaving the driveshaft bolts loose. If not noticed, eventually, they will all loosen up, fall out and allow the driveshaft to separate from the transmission. This can be traumatic and can result in damage to the driveshaft and the gearbox. BMW recognized

A test ride of John’s very nice Slash Six airhead. John is the fellow who was presented with this BMW as he was recovering from being shot in a mass shooting in Denver, almost two years ago. My latest time with him was showing him how to repair a flat tire and I was pleased to notice that his injured arm was functioning with good strength. I’m wearing a mask because I was combining a test ride with a stop at our Post Office. (ATGATT!)

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

this possibility and came up with slightly shortened driveshaft bolts that work without lock washers. They do require a bit of medium Loctite, however, when put into use. You want to be sure to clean up the thread area of the four bolt holes of the transmission output flange. Other than the burned-up RS, I’m caught up at the moment, and its time to return to the mystery bike with the way-off timing issue. I’ve put it off, as other folks have come by, but now it’s time to give it my full attention. I’ve had several readers email me, suggesting various possibilities. Unfortunately, I’ve investigated them without success or they just weren’t related to the problem.

It is very nice to be able to ride in the warming weather. Unfortunately, we are adhering to the stay at home orders issued by Colorado. As a nurse with a bit of training in epidemiology, I can certainly see the wisdom in doing so. When I was in that Health Visitor class in London, back in 1992, I was the one person in the class to know the story of Dr. John Snow and how he figured out the origins of the Cholera epidemic in 1860. The few folks who have dropped off their bikes have been very observant of the no touching or getting close rules governing our social interaction these days.

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The two enrichening devices off the R 90/6. The handle on the removed one is reversed. When it is supposed to be open and adding fuel to the mixture, in reality, it was starving the carb for fuel when the “choke” handle was operated. When the handle was returned to the “warmed up” position, it was actually dumping extra fuel into the mixture. No wonder the bike “didn’t run right”! I’ve seen the enricheners swapped left for right a couple of times but this problem was the first for me.

ADVENTURE AWAITS

The rear brake pedal, lever and rod, removed to allow removal of the transmission. There are two pivot points in this assembly and on way too many airheads, they are NEVER serviced. This is one of those “the manual doesn’t tell you” points of service. Every few years, it’s a good idea to drop the assembly, as I have done here, pull it apart, clean and grease the pivot points. You also want to do a similar bit of service at the other end of the brake rod. The brake parts mounted in the rear drive also benefit from attention every few years. I always pause when I’m pulling a gear box to clean and lube these two points. I’ve seen a couple of brake foot pedals with the small hole where the brake rod is attached distort and elongate from dry wear. This was John’s bike and this bit of work pretty well finished up the “new-to-me” bike servicing. I tell folks to budget around 15 hours of time to check and service every last little item on a rather long list of service items. With last years’ Tech Day, and a couple of sessions here, plus quite a bit of John’s work, we probably were right at the 15-hour mark.

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BRAKES By Wes Fleming #87301 WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT

the horsepower and torque put out by our motorcycle engines, the center of gravity and suspension and other aspects making our bikes handle on a knife edge, but we rarely talk about our braking systems. Stopping is as important as going, perhaps, in an emergency situation like the sudden introduction of a deer or SUV into our dance space, even more important. Yet few of us understand what happens when we squeeze the lever or press on the pedal. Letâ€™s dissect the system a bit. Brakes have a lot of work to do for their relative size. They have to overcome a tremendous amount of kinetic energy, energy we experience as forward motion. Energy in this context is a function of mass (the weight of the motorcycle and everything on it) and velocity (speed in one direction). Combine mass and velocity and increase either one (or both) to create more energy. Then realize the six tiny brake pads on most of our motorcycles may be the only things between you and a closed coffin. The earliest motorcycle braking systems relied on cables to activate a rotating mechanism, which would then pull shoes

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

against drums, gradually slowing the motorcycle. When the rider released the lever, a complex system of springs (and physics) disengaged the shoes, allowing unfettered motion again. BMW motorcycles through the Slash Five generation relied wholly on drum brakes, and you may often hear their owners joke about having to plan stops well in advance. This should be enough to show you the general inefficiency of the average drum brake, which is why BMW switched to a mixed system (drums on the rear wheel, discs on the front wheel) with the Slash Six generation. BMW moved to all-disc braking with the first K bikes in the mid-1980s, bringing in the boxers with the Oilheads in the early â€˜90s. Now all BMW motorcycles have full disc brakes, most often with one disc on the rear wheel and two on the front. Disc brakes are both simpler and more efficient than drum brakes. I would argue they are less complex as well, provided they are subjected to regular maintenance and the occasional caliper rebuild. The disc brakes on our modern motorcycles are operated hydraulically, which means they use pressure generated by moving brake fluid, a petroleum product, to slow and stop our forward motion.

June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

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THE

MATTER

Before anti-lock brake systems became ubiquitous, disc brakes were incredibly simple. You squeeze the lever (or press the pedal), which moves fluid in the master cylinder. The master cylinder forces the fluid through a hose, amplifying the force you put on the lever and moving the pistons in the caliper towards each other. The pistons press brake pads onto the brake disc…and science takes over. The science of brake pad construction and brake disc materials is far beyond the scope of this column, so you’ll have to trust me when I vouch for the engineers and scientists who make sure your minimal effort at the lever does not go to waste when that elk pops up in your field of view. When you release the lever, the fluid pressure abates, allowing the spinning brake discs to push the pads back far enough to allow forward motion again. Leaving ABS aside for the time being, disc brake systems have a number of critical components which can act as points of failure. If the tiny hole in the master cylinder which allows passage of brake fluid becomes clogged, your brakes won’t work right. If the hose passing the fluid from the cylinder to the caliper degrades and flexes more than it is supposed to, your brakes won’t work right. If the pistons stick in the caliper, your brakes won’t work right. If your brake pads become glazed, they won’t work right. If the disc becomes warped or pitted, it won’t work right. Yet we often take it on faith our brakes will work properly every time we get on the bike! Good braking starts (and stops, lol) with good brake fluid. A discussion of the different types of brake fluid is beyond my space here, so I’ll refer you to the owners’ manual for your bike and exhort you to use exactly the type of fluid they specify. Brake fluid is not a place to try to save money, but you should always buy the smallest container you think you’ll need, because you shouldn’t try to save brake fluid after you’ve opened the container. On most maintenance schedules, BMW recommends replacing the brake fluid on your bike at a two-year interval; I recommend a one-year interval whether you ride every day or let the bike sit for long periods of time. Brake fluid is a petroleum product and most versions in common use (DOT 3, 4 and 5.1) use a type of glycol ether in them; glycol ether is a solvent with a high boiling point, and it’s the high boiling point which makes it effective in a small, high pressure closed system like a motorcycle brake.

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

NOTE: the DOT 5.1 designation can be confusing, because a system designed to use DOT 5 fluid (silicone based) cannot and will not function properly with DOT 5.1 fluid. My suggestion is unless your bike specifically calls for one of these fluids, don’t use either of them.

Brake fluid gets contaminated in one of three ways: the introduction of air, water or debris into the system. Air contamination happens when the system is improperly bled, and the more complex your ABS is, the easier it is to introduce air into the circuit, so it’s important to learn how to properly bleed (draw air out of) your specific braking system on your specific motorcycle(s). If air is in your brake system, your brakes will feel mushy or “spongy.” In the real world, you’ll notice it feels like you have to exert extra effort on the lever to get the same braking performance you’re used to. The irritating thing is this is the same symptom you’re likely to get if your brake fluid has absorbed too much water. Glycol ether-based fluids are hygroscopic, which means they attract and absorb water into their molecular matrix. In one respect, this is an important factor, as it prevents free water from condensing in the system and corroding metal components. Unfortunately, it also decreases the boiling point of the fluid, and boiling brake fluid significantly decreases performance of the braking system. Debris in the system can block the small passages through which the fluid passes anywhere from the master cylinder to the caliper and can manifest with lever effort feeling too soft or too hard. A great way to set a baseline for lever feel is to have your brake fluid changed and bled by a professional and then do your best to remember what that feels like. If you notice a significant change, service the braking system as soon as you can. If the brake hoses start to degrade, they can bulge under pressure, which reduces the effectiveness of the system and again, results in that soft feel at the lever or pedal. If your brakes start to feel soft, grab a helper and have them squeeze the lever (or press the pedal) over and over while you look at the hoses. If you see any of them bulge under pressure, it’s time to replace all of them. Don’t just replace the bulging one; if it is starting to fail, the rest aren’t far behind it. They were all made at the same time and went on the bike at the same time, so they’re all aging at the same rate. A simple upgrade to your brakes is the use of lines encased in steel-braided wrappings. The hoses themselves remain made of various rubber and plastic compounds, but the steel-braided sleeve prevents bulging. It’s a good idea to replace your brake lines about every five years or so to ensure their best performance, even if you’re using the steel-braid-encased lines. If you’re not observing any bulging, the next most likely problem is air in the system. Bleed the brakes to eliminate as much air from the system as possible, and if your bike has ABS on it, remember bleeding the system is more complicated than just cracking open the bleeder valve on the caliper. ABS units themselves must be bled in addition to the lines going to the caliper. Think of an ABS-equipped motorcycle as having two separate but entwined braking systems, one from the lever to the ABS module and another from the ABS module to the caliper. For safety and performance sake, you need to properly bleed both systems.

In the absence of bulging lines, if after you’ve bled the system your brake performance hasn’t returned to expectations, it’s likely the brake fluid has absorbed enough water to degrade operation. The only thing to do in that case is a full flush of the braking system to replace the old fluid with fresh fluid. Flushing the brake system is a great opportunity to inspect for damage or debris in the master cylinder and the brake lines as well as the calipers. We could have a lengthy discussion over proper maintenance procedures for brakes, but as with most things motorcycle related, how often you service the brakes comes down to finances, balancing performance and safety, and managing the risks inherent in everyday motorcycle riding. My recommendations are simple, but remember they are just my recommendations. When in doubt, go with what the manufacturer tells you, but always lean back on your own common sense to temper both your sense of mortality and the drain on your wallet. z Once a week (when riding regularly): visual inspection of master cylinders, lines and calipers. Verify typical brake performance during an easy warm-up by riding (gently) around your neighborhood. z Once a month (all types of riding): manual inspection of fluid levels in master cylinders (add fluid as needed from a fresh, unopened container), use a soft rag to wipe clean all braking components, tighten fittings to specified torque values if needed. Check the amount of material remaining on the brake pads and replace if needed, remembering you may need to drain fluid from the system after fresh pads are installed. z Once a year (riding or not): flush brake system with fresh fluid and bleed entire brake system. It’s also an excellent idea to practice hard or emergency braking at least once a year to remind yourself of your brake system’s limits and to remain familiar with the operation of your ABS system if your motorcycle is so equipped. The last thing you want in an emergency stop situation is to be freaked out when the ABS kicks on because you don’t have good muscle memory of what it feels like when that happens.

June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

PUTTING THE

F 850 GS TO THE TEST:

11 DAYS RIDING THE CHALLENGING TERRAIN OF THE NORTH EAST BACKCOUNTRY DISCOVERY ROUTE

By Paul Guillien #179473 Photography by Ely Woody and Paul Guillien

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

My first review of the F 850 GS came courtesy of the BMW press launch and was featured in the January 2019 issue of this magazine. While I did get to spend a long day riding the bike on a combination of pavement and fun dirt in the wildlands of Utah and Colorado, it was on relatively enjoyable terrain and without the demands of luggage or camping gear. I liked the bike and was pleased with how it performed that day, but it was really just a first date; there were still many things to learn about the true character of this machine. Itâ€™s now September 2019 and I am riding out of Manhattan with a crew to spend the next 11 days filming the North East Backcountry Discovery Route. Once there, we will explore country lanes, bucolic landscapes and dirt roads in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. I am on my Touratech-equipped F 850 GS, fully-loaded with camping gear, food, water, tools and clothes. I am joined on this trip by the usual BDR team members, including NEBDR route architect Tim James and special guests Jocelin Snow of BMW GS Trophy fame and eight-time AMA Enduro Champion, Mike Lafferty, now retired from a 20-year professional off-road racing career as a factory rider for KTM.

June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

Carrying the Load

With any bike choice there are trade-offs. For adventure riding, it really comes down to two things for me: How lightweight or maneuverable the bike is, and how it handles a load. Lighter bikes are maneuverable and easier to handle, but they donâ€™t respond as well when fully loaded. Larger bikes carry the extra cargo effortlessly, but require more effort from the rider to physically manage the heavier machine when the trail gets tough. I have always found the BMW parallel twins to be good middle ground for off-road adventures involving camping off of the bike. I soon found that the harder I pushed this F 850 GS in off-road terrain, the more impressed I was with it. This bike just carries the load well and feels balanced and comfortable even with full expedition gear on board. While the scale reveals the F 850 GS to

be heavier than its predecessor, it has far superior manners on the trail. The suspension on the F 850 GS is so much better than the F 800 GS that you just canâ€™t compare the two. That being said, the F 850 GS, like most stock bikes, is set up for a rider weighing 175 pounds. in their riding gear and only 15 lbs. of luggage. I am closer to 200 lbs. in full gear and am carrying about 45 lbs. of clothes, tools and camping gear on board. To handle the extra payload, I installed a progressive spring kit from Touratech Suspension to keep the bike handling well. I also set the suspension to the two-rider setting to adjust the preload to better handle the weight. I found this setup to be perfect for riding this fully-loaded F 850 GS in an off-road environment.

June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

Notoriously Rugged Class 4 Roads

Having ridden all 10 of the existing Backcountry Discovery Routes, I can say with certainty the NEBDR has some of the toughest terrain I have ever experienced. The Class 4 roads have more in common with a rocky riverbed than a dirt road. Some of it is exceptionally fun to ride and other sections are pure challenge on a big bike. As we roll onto one of the first Class 4 roads, things quickly got rugged. The soil on this 200-year-old road washed away long ago, leaving behind a foundation of embedded rocks with loose shale on top. It’s slow speed trials-type riding where line choice is key and carrying momentum is tough with your bike flopping around as it bounces and slides around on the rocks. The 21" front wheel and tall ground clearance (1.3" more than the F 800 GS) allow the bike to roll through rough terrain relatively cleanly. Before long, this rocky section yields to tight and twisty two track, brushy on the

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

sides and tremendous fun to ride. There are roots, ruts, bumps, jumps and all kinds of character–super fun to play with aboard this F 850 GS. The bike felt planted and balanced, boosting my confidence. Enduro champion Mike Lafferty was grinning ear-to-ear at the end of this section as it felt like we were on a “special test” section of a big-bike enduro course. These Class 4 roads are generally short in length but provide high-intensity experiences that cause all of us to work up a sweat.

Riding with Champions

Jocelin was riding her GS Trophy Edition R 1200 GS and using her magic skills as a rider to get that boxer through the difficult terrain. I was following her and Mike closely when some truly spirited riding ensued. We continued our play in the woods on these big bikes for days as we made our way north. On several

occasions after getting through a particularly challenging section, Mike and I looked at each other and shook our heads in disbelief about how this 5-foot-1 phenom, who goes by the name Jocelin, could get her 600-pound bike through that gauntlet. The chatter between Jocelin and Mike was just as spirited as the riding. She would chide him for riding such a small bike, and he would make fun of her for bouncing that big boxer off of trees, which she did without even putting a foot down, just rolling on like nothing had happened. The Champ and I agreed, Jocelin is a badass.

Enduro Pro

I found myself needing every bit of help provided by the F 850 GSâ€™s Enduro Pro ride mode on this bike as I chased Mike through

the woods on his KTM 790. As the helmet cameraman on this project, I had to ride very close to the person in front of me to get the shot because of the wide-angle lens of my camera. Oftentimes my subject was Jocelin or Mike, which meant we were riding at speed on technical terrain with hazards all around us. I had to be able to stop on a dime to avoid contact with whoever was in front of me. The off-road ABS equipped front brake on the F 850 GS quickly became my favorite feature on this bike where good stopping power without losing the front end in dirt, gravel, or mud, is critical in this type of riding. The full-manual rear brake in Enduro Pro mode also helps you cut through the gravel and slide the bike around to initiate turns. Additionally, the bikeâ€™s Traction Control allows a

June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

moderate level of intervention from the computer to keep the back end from getting too far away, while still allowing you to slide the back end around and have fun like you are on a dirt bike. I really liked that the bike retains this ride mode setting through key cycles so you don’t have to constantly turn off ABS and Traction Control every time you turn the bike off as I had to do with the F 800 GS. This is a wonderful feature.

Very few issues

I have little to complain about with the F 850 GS beyond the weight of this bike being high, relative to some of its competitors. The handling feels lighter than one expects, but the bike could still be lighter. I did have to tighten up the steering stem a few times as the punishing terrain was taking its toll and the bike didn’t have enough shakedown miles on it before beginning this 1,700-mile ride. I also hit an embedded rock so hard that it severely dented the front rim and required a tube to be installed to finish the day. As with most stock adventure bikes, the rims are soft. After this trip, I replaced the rim with a much more resilient Woody's wheel. On top of the rim, I did experience a bit of trouble with the seat latching mechanism and had to seek help from the local BMW shop to get that solved. All things considered, this bike treated me much better than I treated it over those 11 days. I was happy with my choice of bike for this ride.

Conclusions

I believe the F 850 GS is one of the best choices for riding a Backcountry Discovery Route. It has plenty of power to keep the rider excited on pavement, creature comforts like cruise control for the highway, and heated grips for those cold mornings when you crawl out of the tent and see frost on the seat. I like to ride fast on dirt. Like my friend Jimmy Lewis says, a rider’s speed is not limited by the bike’s ability to go fast, it should be limited by the rider’s ability to stop. This bike stops as well as

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

any adventure bike I have ridden. The ABS front and manual rear brake available in Enduro Pro mode are perfect. This bike is balanced, predictable and confidence-inspiring in challenging off-road terrain. It carries the load of full gear for an extended trip exceptionally well. When you find that fun dirt road with lots of character you will be glad you are on the F 850 GS.

TAKING THE LAFFERTY LINE By Paul Guillien #179473 While riding an expert-only section somewhere in Maine during the filming of the North East Backcountry Discovery Route (NEBDR) documentary, I took the Lafferty Line. This particular section is very technical and challenging and is being considered for inclusion in the BDR as an option for those riders who just want more challenge. Much of it is very difficult, and there is one section that is even harder. It’s a technical piece of trail with a rocky uphill section that is extremely difficult on a fully-loaded adventure bike. Mike Lafferty, the eight-time AMA Enduro Champion, was the first to attempt it on his KTM 790. He slowly rode up and even stopped a few times to pick the best line. After he successfully reached the top, he came back down to advise us mere mortals on the best strategy for getting to the top. I accepted his advice and decided to take the same line that he did up this rock-crawling excuse for a road. As I reached the smooth granite rock that I just witnessed Mike ride up, I realized this slab is more like a large step, and it has a nearly vertical face on it. Fearing I would stall or get stuck on the step, I decided to give my F 850 GS a bit of throttle and as I do that, my back tire hooked up on the smooth rock and the bike lurched up the step, bouncing the front wheel high into the air. The sudden movement caused a full ‘whisky-throttle’ response from my right hand, launching my F 850 GS completely into the air as my feet went flying off the pegs. I saw only trees and sky above the windscreen. My short flight ended with the front end of the bike hitting a tree. The windscreen was destroyed and my ego bruised, but I was grateful to be uninjured and able to finish the ride. The film crew and photographer were all smiles because they caught the whole thing on film. I now have a saying: “Think twice before taking the Lafferty line.”

June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

Adopt i n g Passions: Finding aNewWorld of Challenge and Excitement By Hiyori Yoshida

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

“She was riding precisely and applied every correction in the next session. For a rider with only six hours on pavement I think she was doing great and, you know, the speed will come.” – Chris Peris. Photo by Chris Peris

June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

Turning into the apex, I feel pressure in my arms as I hear Chris’s “brake-brake-brake,” mantra in my head and feel the forks compress. Onto the straightway, I hunch low on the gas tank, my right wrist holding the throttle wide open. I finally get the speedshift right and catch 4th, 5th, then finally, 6th gear. I can’t help but grin, my cheeks pressed against the sides of my helmet. For the first time, I feel like I’m letting the motorcycle fly free at its full capacity, with no trees, ruts, cars, or speed limits, and full traction. Five years ago, chasing championship racer Chris Peris astride a Yamaha R3 would have never seemed possible to a quiet, 15-yearold girl living in Japan. In Japan, I was taught to be respectful and not stand out, ever. Back then, I feared motorcycles and anyone associated with these loud, large, dangerous vehicles. In Japan,

motorcycles are taboo and provoke affiliations with the mysterious and scary Yakuza. But my wariness about motorcycles changed at age 15 when I was adopted by Sam Fleming and Melissa Berkoff, captains of the multi-national endurance championship team Army of Darkness (AOD). I can safely say had I never left Japan, I would have lived my life never having heard of, let alone touched a clutch. Motorcycles are loud and dangerous, and Japanese girls are dutiful and kawaii (cute). When Sam first took me on the back of his motorcycle, I never imagined I could be the one to control such a beautiful, complex and powerful animal. However, it would have been unacceptable for the daughter of the AOD not to be able to ride.

Hiyori puts her training to use while a nervous, but proud, dad watches from the bike behind. Photo by Chris Peris June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

Sam and Melissa, my new parents, were the most adventurous and loving parents I could’ve asked for. That first street ride on the back of Sam’s FZ1 made me realize motorcycles are not that bad. They’re pretty damn fun. Sam and Melissa have helped me understand this about many things, including rock climbing, SCUBA diving, and just life in general. Sam first taught me how to ride when I was 15 aboard a Yamaha TTR125 dirt bike in the grassy fields surrounding the family cabin in West Virginia. My enthusiasm for riding didn’t blossom as quickly as one might expect. I still felt such a loud, seemingly reckless activity wasn’t meant for me because anything other than noodling around flat, treeless fields inevitably led to me lying in the grass with my bike sputtering miserably beside me. As Sam, Melissa and others taught me about throttle control, body position, braking and counter-steering, I began to enjoy the challenges of counter-balancing the bike into tight turns, blipping over logs, carrying momentum up rooty hills and even the occasional wheelie. After a few months of riding the TTR, Melissa let me try her Honda CRF 150RB, and it was love at first ride. Soon, I got my own CRF 150RB, and it has been my favorite bike ever since.

Thefirst summer I spent trying to tame the bike, it was blisteringly hot and suffocatingly humid with most of my practice sessions involving me tossing the bike to the ground or thrown off into the trees. After many hours of repeating this cycle, I got better at throttle control and positioning myself to make the bike do what I wanted. To be able to function at its best, Sam taught me I have to maintain my bike. I have grown to enjoy spending the afternoons with Sam and our riding buddies in our garage, changing the oil, cleaning the air filter, adjusting valves, cleaning the pilot jet and changing tires, all to make sure that when we go out there, our bikes are as ready as we are. Then, before we ride, we check the fuel, tire pressures, and chain tension, and bleed the air from the forks. When we ride, we wear all the gear—body armor, knee braces, boots, helmet and gloves. We also check each other’s gear and bikes, so everyone on the ride is as prepared as possible. When I took my MSF street riding class, I wore body armor and one of Sam’s many full-face helmets when only jeans, boots and a jacket were required. That was probably overkill since all we did were some exercises in the parking lot, but I didn’t want to risk it. If you have the gear, I thought, wear it all the time! After getting my motorcycle license, I couldn’t wait to try riding on the street. While walking on my college campus one day, I saw a super cool-looking, sleek, orange bike—a KTM Duke 390. I snapped a photo and texted it to Sam. It turns out the 390 is a good beginner’s street bike, and Sam soon found a used one on which we remapped the fuel injection and upgraded the suspension. The first few times Sam and Melissa took me out on the street I had fun, but I felt restrained. Coming from the dirt where I could do whatever I wanted in the grass, mud, trees, hills and creeks, I didn’t feel like I could fully enjoy the power and freedom my KTM had to offer on the busy streets of suburban Washington, D.C. I began to wonder about riding on a track without traffic lights and pedestrians and with only turns, hills, and other motorcycles to deal with. When Melissa insisted that I get some track training to understand how much I could ask from my bike when needed, AOD racer Chris Peris offered to train me at a track in Arizona. I knew this was the opportunity I had been waiting for. Soon Sam got me a two-piece Vanson leather suit I could wear on the street and the track. I’d ridden maybe a total of five hours on the street, and I already had my own leathers—Vanson at that. With my exquisitely fitted leathers, gloves, and a helmet and boots borrowed from Sam and

Army of Darkness Family Portrait: Melissa Berkoff, Chris Peris, Hiyori Yoshida, Sam Fleming at Inde Motorsports Ranch.

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

Army of Darkness Racer and YCRS instructor Chris Peris shows Hiyori Yoshida how trail braking, or turning, loads the front tire and increases the contact patch. Photo – Army of Darkness Ministry of Information

Melissa, I found myself at Inde Motorsports Ranch in Tucson, Arizona. Having been prepared for this day by Sam and Melissa, I may have been the best prepared 20-year-old beginner street rider there, but that didn’t make me any less nervous. I had no idea what to expect. Would the R3 be big, bulky, jerky, too powerful? Would the track be filled with other racers getting pissed at a tiny girl wobbling around on the track? Would I crash as much as I did on dirt bikes? With the track set amid the vast expanses of the Arizona desert with beautiful rocky mountains soaring on the horizon, Chris Peris greeted us like old friends and was super excited that we were there. Chris first raced with AOD at 16, then AMA Supersport, World Supersport, and AMA Superbike, until he finally returned to AOD where he has since won three championships. He began teaching in 2010 and has been running the Yamaha Champions Racing School with Nick Ienatsch since 2014. Chris knows how to teach. While Sam and Melissa taught me the essential basics, including braking before turns and accelerating at the apex, I never quite grasped why such techniques make the bike handle better until Chris grabbed a tire to demonstrate. Using a tire, Chris showed me how braking and fork compression

pushes the tire down, increasing the contact area and, therefore, traction. After a few laps around the track in our Chevy Tahoe, we suited up, and my heart was racing as I nervously swung my leg over the R3. Expecting it to be heavy, bulky and too big for me, to my surprise, I could reach both toes to the ground! Although I knew I’d never put my feet down on the track, the fact that the bike was small enough that I could reach the ground made me feel less intimidated. Soon, I followed Chris out of the pits for my first motorcycle ride on a race track. The track felt spacious, and to my great relief, Chris, Sam, Melissa, and I had it all to ourselves. I felt agile and free on the narrow R3 as I awkwardly maneuvered the bike through the first few turns and subconsciously moved to the outside of the seat, pushing the bike down into the corners like a dirt bike. As I noticed what my body was doing out of habit, I corrected myself and attempted to mimic Chris’s body position, hanging my body off the inside and looking out toward my shoulder into the turns. As we began to pick up more and more speed each time we went on the straightaway, I soon figured out how to speed shift. As I blipped the throttle and shifted into 4th and then 5th gear with the engine revving at 13,000 rpm under me, I felt almost like a badass racer.

June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

Chris shows Hiyori proper body position for race track riding. After years of learning to be positioned on the high side of the seat for dirt bikes, it was a bit of an adjustment to be on the low side. Photo – Army of Darkness Ministry of Information

Before our second session on the track, Chris taught me about body position. First, he helped me feel how my weight shifted on my toes as I stood on the ground and leaned my upper body to either side. Then I sat on the bike. Inside: butt off the seat. Knee out. Toe out—the ball of my foot on the footpeg. Ankle up with my knee against the gas tank. Lean into the turn. Inside shoulder open towards the turn. Outer forearm straight against the gas tank. Fingers pointed away from the turn. Push the inner thigh of the outside leg against the gas tank. Engage my abs. Relax my hands. Trying to remember all of that on top of the other things I had just learned felt like there were a million things I had to do simultaneously. When we got back onto the track, I forgot many of them but tried to remember something else. Don’t forget butt off the seat! Oh, wait, shoulder open! Every time I did something right, Chris gave me a thumbs up. After lunch, Chris showed me what it’s like to race on a track with me on the back of his motorcycle. Our first lap was fast but more peaceful than I thought it would be. As I held onto the handles on the gas tank and turned my head into turns, it felt a lot like riding on the back of Sam’s FZ1 during our West Virginia street rides. Then, Chris started picking up more and more speed,

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

and I felt my whole body being thrown backward by the 145 mph wind as he sped down the straight. As he braked for the turn, my entire body was thrown forward harder than throughout the earlier three sessions. The best part was when he accelerated over a small hill. I felt my heart jump into my throat while my brain was knocked around and squeezed in my helmet. The feeling of my insides flying around inside me was just like on a free-fall on a roller coaster, except we were going forward at incredible speeds rather than downward. Sam had always described the exhilaration of “pulling Gs” on the racetrack, and now I finally understood what he was describing. Even though I felt like I was being tossed around during our laps, I could tell Chris was still in full control. When it was my turn to ride again, I realized how much more I could push both myself and the bike. Cautious as I am, I didn’t go full-out, but with each turn I pushed myself more to look ahead and accelerate earlier. I learned to connect my eyes with the throttle like Chris had told me, rolling off the throttle and making gentle but firm brake inputs while trying to avoid extended periods of neutral throttle. By the end of our session, Chris showed me the Go-Pro videos he shot of me and explained what I was doing well and what needed work—seeing what I was actually doing rather than what I

Five of Chris Peris’s best riding tips felt like I was doing helped me visualize what more I could do. No matter how dangerously fast I thought I was going, I could see I really wasn’t going that fast or leaning over that far. I could push myself further next time. As we drove away from the track, the desert mountains loomed far on the horizon, and an epic haboob swirled out in the desert. Rain started pattering on the windshield, and the winds picked up, whistling wildly. As I realized my day at the track was at an end, a sudden melancholy grew in my throat. We had six full half-hour sessions, but it went by so fast. What if this is the last time I ever get to ride such a fun bike on such a beautiful track? I thought. Sam, noticing the pensive look on my face, instantly knew what was spinning through my head. “Oh, don’t worry,” he said. “You’ll get to ride on a track again soon enough. And maybe next time we can take your KTM!” A golden light shone through the oppressive clouds, beaming across the spectacular rocks. The magnificent silhouette of the desert mountains disappeared behind us as a breathtaking double rainbow glowed in the vast sky. A whole new world of challenge and excitement was awaiting me, and I couldn’t wait to get back on the track.

Interested in training with Chris Peris or the Yamaha Champions Riding School? Visit ridelikeachampion.com.

1. T hink of the tire as having 100 points of traction to share among lean angle, brake, and throttle. The more points you devote to leaning, the fewer points left for braking and accelerating. The more points you want to use to accelerate, the more lean angle points you have to take away. 2. R adius = mile an hour. The faster you go, the wider your turning radius. If you want to change direction quickly or tighten a turn, slow down. 3. L ook ahead and scan back. Constantly exercise your depth perception. 4. T ie your eyes to your throttle. As soon as you get direction (i.e., you’re parallel to the apex) and you see your path out of the turn, steadily get on the throttle and accelerate. 5. L ess for longer. Always use smooth, gentle inputs. If you’re braking for a turn, look ahead so you can brake with less strength but for a longer period of time, increasing the fork compression. If you’re accelerating out of a turn, roll on the throttle steadily. Don’t yank it open and release all the traction and power you had built up in your front tire.

Family time in the Army of Darkness (from front to back, Hiyori Yoshida, JunePeris 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS 63 Sam Fleming, Melissa Berkoff ) Photo – Chris

My Road to BMW By Christopher Ross #130595

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

When I was 10, my Uncle Mark gave me a ride on his Honda Gold Wing and then for Christmas bought me a subscription to Cycle World magazine. I was 10 and had a motorcycle magazine with my name on it hitting my mailbox every month. As a teenager, I constantly pestered anyone with neat equipment to give me a ride. Mr. Collins lived next door and gave me rides in his Ford Model A as well as various cloth-skinned Royal Canadian Air Force airplanes. A little further up the street, Mr. Trevino gave me rides on his motorcycle, a Gold Wing, and as a Boy Scout, Olin Gover gave me rides on his Kawasaki Concours. In college at Texas Tech 1997, I took the MSF basic rider course with a borrowed helmet and earned my M endorsement. Sadly, as a broke college student, I didn’t have the money for a bike. Finally, after college, I found a job in Seattle with a decent paycheck selling aluminum and was finally able to buy my first motorcycle, a black Kawasaki Concours. While I wouldn’t recommend a Connie as an ideal first bike, I had always liked Mr. Gover’s bike, and I was just old enough, or scared enough, to respect the machine and not hurt myself. I learned to ride through many rainy commutes up and down I-5 to Seattle. While the Concours was good for commuting, there was something about my overall experience that was missing. On Saturday mornings, I enjoyed riding the relatively quiet downtown streets and stopping at Tully’s coffee shop near the Harbor Steps. From there, I would head to West Seattle or across Puget Sound on the Bainbridge Ferry. But one Saturday morning, I dropped in behind another motorcyclist in Belltown and followed him to Seattle Ducati. Once there, I discovered their free coffee and donuts as well as a dozen other riders hanging out. That was my first experience with the social side of riding. I would spend many Saturday mornings at that shop, and eventually, I traded the Concours for a red Italian. The Ducati ST2 fit my needs, as I saw them. It was extremely attractive, could easily pull the speeds I was comfortable riding and had side cases. While I was just a daily commuter, I grew up loving road trips and dreamed of traveling on a bike. Six months later, I had a chance to cover some distance when a few guys from the Saturday Seattle Ducati gang suggested a lunch ride to Bend, Oregon, some 350 miles away. With eight other guys on various bikes, I made this 700-mile ride, which was both exhilarating and exhausting. Over our burgers and fries, the conversation centered

on sore backs and bike mods needed to make long distances more comfortable. One of the riders in the group claimed his ride to Bend was as comfortable as sitting in a recliner, and while I don’t remember the model he rode, I do remember it had a blue and white roundel on the fairing. I rode back to Seattle, proud of successfully making my first ride on a motorcycle across state lines. While I continued to have coffee at the Ducati shop, at some point, I found my way to Ride West BMW, a little neighborhood dealership along Green Lake. I befriended Howard, a salesman there who didn’t seem to mind my weekly rides on their demo bikes. Eventually, I decided to let the ST2 go in favor of a real touring bike. Initially, my heart was set on a dark blue K 1200 RS Ride West had on consignment. It almost worked out. After I cleaned the ST2 and made a final donut run to Seattle Ducati, along with a final ride around Green Lake, I was ready to trade for the RS, but when I finally arrived, it was gone. Howard told me the seller found a buyer on his own. Knowing I wasn’t going to buy new, he told me to wait and that another clean RS would eventually come along. Emotionally, I had already said goodbye to the Ducati as we talked about my desire for a bike to travel aboard. Howard then gave me the keys to a used RT and told me not to come back until after lunch. I rode the RT across Lake Washington and down the 405, eventually ending up at Dash Point State Park, a place close to my home I frequently visited. The RT felt bigger than the RS I had wanted, but not as heavy. It also seemed easier to ride and had a top box. While the RT lacked the exotic qualities of my Ducati and wasn’t as sporty as the RS, I decided it might just be what I needed to travel. I rode back to Ride West and made the trade. That first RT gave me room to stretch my legs, and I could ride through a couple of tanks of gas before needing a break. Its upright seating position never made my back sore as my ST2 did, and I soon started planning Saturday rides and putting in some miles after having coffee at the shops. I continued going to the Ducati shop now and then, and nobody seemed to care that I had moved to a BMW. I made little trips into the Cascades or across the Sound to the Olympics in search of good lunch spots, sometimes with other riders, but usually alone. In January of 2003, I was laid off and found myself out of a paycheck. I Revaluated my skills and interests, but was unable to

June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

find a comparable job. That winter was especially gloomy in the Pacific Northwest, and in a moment of weakness, I sold most off my stuff, including the RT. After returning to my old Texas college town, it would take some time to find my place in the working world again and to get back to riding. Around that same time, my parents bought an RT, thinking they would travel on it. My dad had taken the basic rider course but wasn’t a rider yet, so they asked me to come down to San Antonio to ride the bike home from the dealership for them and maybe give my dad some pointers. Over the next couple of weekends, I rode the bike to a large parking lot at Blossom Athletic Center and watched my dad work on his riding skills. He believed the motorcycle was too top-heavy, and it just didn’t work for him. After several drops and a lot of frustration, my dad had me back the bike into the corner of his garage and park it. After a year of just sitting there with a dead battery and a layer of dust, I offered to buy it, and they agreed. It was the same model I had commuted on in Seattle, and I was ready to ride again. Soon, I found a local BMW club in Lubbock, the Dust Bowl Beemers club. Though West Texas lacks the curvy roads and beautiful vistas I’d enjoyed in the Pacific Northwest, I was just thrilled to be back on a bike. I quickly made friends in The DBB club and started planning my vacation time around them. One day, DBB club member Darrell Newsom mentioned

something about an Iron Butt ride. I had never heard of the Iron Butt Association and had no idea people were challenging themselves on timed runs. As a child who grew up watching the Cannonball Run movies, I was immediately intrigued. Darrell also mentioned that Michael Graves, another club member, was going to attempt a 1,000-mile day, known as a SaddleSore 1000, that coming Saturday. After calling Michael and asking if I could ride along with him that Saturday morning, we met at the starting gas station, and riding a loop through New Mexico, we completed our first Iron Butt rides that December day in 2004. The RT played the leading role in my development as a longdistance rider. It had a 7.25-gallon fuel tank, luggage, and a comfortable sitting position. I continued to push myself with more difficult Iron Butt challenges, eventually riding that RT from coast to coast and from Mexico to Canada. I rolled over 140,000 miles before selling it in favor of a bike with an even larger fuel tank. In the 2000’s I went for years without a car and took pride in riding every day. I even made the RT work for my advertising sales calls, even those requiring me to wear dress clothes. As my love of riding grew, so did the bikes in my garage. Over time, I tried off-roading and moto-camping with my F 650 Dakar. I also owned a classic K bike and a couple of the K 1200 RS models I had wanted while living Seattle. I also fell in love with Airheads and bought a pair of 1975 R 90/6s, which I still have.

With my wife Mikki.

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

As my passion for long-distance riding grew, I sold the RT and bought a demo bike from Sandia BMW in Albuquerque. That R 1200 GS Adventure came stock with an 8+ gallon fuel tank, heavy-duty luggage, crash bars, and additional lights. I found it to be the perfect bike for my tastes and riding interests. After about 50,000 miles with that first GSA, I had an accident on a rural highway in Wisconsin. The bike was totaled, and while I suffered broken ribs and a broken wrist, there was never any question in my mind about riding again. While in my hospital bed, I started checking Sandia BMWâ€™s inventory on my iPhone, and when heading home from the hospital, I put down a deposit on a GSA nearly identical to the one I had just lost. Six weeks later, I started riding my new GSA to my orthopedic and physical therapy appointments. My R 1200 GS Adventure would carry me to two bronzemedal finishes in the 11-day Iron Butt Rally (2015, 2017), and help me complete the SCMA Four Corners Tour. The GSA also proved to be a great two-up platform for riding with my wife Mikki, and together we have traveled through most of the Rocky Mountains and western states and down the west coast. If I had to start over again, my first bike would be another GS Adventure.

Motorcycles Iâ€™ve owned: 2016 BMW R1200RS (current) 2012 BMW R1200GSA (current) 1975 BMW R90/6 (current) 2011 BMW R1200GSA 1975 BMW R90/6 (current) 1985 BMW K100RS 2002 BMW K1200RS 2002 BMW F650 Dakar 2000 BMW K1200RS 2000 BMW R1100RT 1999 BMW R1100RT 1999 Ducati ST2 1997 Kawasaki Concours

June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

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June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

FROM

THE

FOUNDATION

WHEN I SIGNED UP FOR AN OFF-ROAD COURSE SPONSORED BY ALAMO BMW LAST

IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS WITH A PAUL B. SCHOLARSHIP

By Tom Wilmote #118186 Photos by Suzanne O’Neal

October I had no reason to question that old saying, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” But then, with just a few more keystrokes, I applied for a Paul B. Scholarship through the MOA Foundation, and within a week of paying the course tuition to Alamo BMW, I received an email from the MOA Foundation approving my application, stating my tuition and lunch later that day was going to be reimbursed. Now, that is what I would call getting a free lunch! When Alamo BMW hosted their annual open house last October, they hired Shawn Thomas and Louise Powers, well-known adventure riding instructors, to conduct clinics throughout the day on topics of specific interest to adventure riders. Clinics included how to pick up a fallen motorcycle safely, what to look for in adventure riding gear, advancements in BMW motorcycle technology, general discussions on off-road riding techniques, and specific concerns and challenges for women riders. Saturday’s indoor instruction was just the warmup for what was in store for us the next day: off-road instruction on a small ranch in Bulverde, Texas. Thirty-one riders on various GSs and a few other bikes showed up on Sunday at 8 a.m., ready and willing to get dirty. The first objective of the day was learning how to pick up a fallen bike. For this exercise, Shawn let Louise do the heavy lifting. She squatted with her back to the bike, grabbing a handlebar grip with one hand and the rear frame with the other, and then she began lifting and walking backward to upright the bike. She made it look easy. Then Shawn asked for a few male volunteers to show the rest of the class how to do it. Talk about added pressure! How would you like to be a guy huffing and puffing to lift a new 550-pound R 1250 GS that was just stood up by a 5’ 4’ woman weighing about 130 pounds? But a few stepped forward and managed the task. Then Shawn demonstrated another lifting technique by cupping his hands under the end of the handlebar and walking/lifting the bike while facing it. Both instructors also demonstrated the proper technique for helping someone else pick up his or her bike. This instruction would come in handy for several riders later that morning. The instructors had asked us to beep our horns if we saw someone drop his or her bike, and we heard a lot of horns beeping.

Instructor Shawn Thomas leads a discussion.

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

Following that demonstration was a discussion of riding technique, including why adventure riders stand up on the footpegs and the importance of light pressure on the grips. Shawn and Louise also taught us about allowing the bike’s momentum to create its track without rider input, weight distribution uphill, downhill and in turns, and keeping your head up and eyes forward, focusing ahead on the path you want to ride. Finally, after about two hours of discussion, the grounds dried off sufficiently to fire up the bikes and start riding. Our exercises included slow riding with a constant throttle and using the clutch to control our speed, using only throttle to control speed (both in first gear and then in second gear), and slow riding with our eyes focused forward and our heads up. Additional techniques we practiced included riding with our weight forward during acceleration and then back during deceleration, and locking up the rear brakes (with ABS off) to control our bikes without rear traction. More skill drills included hill stops without putting a foot down and slow speed maneuvering through cones. We practiced each exercise while riding laps around the track as both instructors watched and critiqued our technique. The last exercise of the day was the most challenging. Shawn set out a series of small cones about two feet apart to create a straight lane for about 30 yards. He told us all we had to do was ride through this gauntlet of cones three times without knocking any of them over. It’s not as easy as it sounds. The first pass was indeed easy, but while we were out on the track and coming back around for the second pass, Shawn quickly rearranged the cones. On our second pass, the cones were still two feet apart but were no longer in a straight line. Instead, they created a zig-zag path involving sharp turns both left and right, which required us to use the slow speed maneuvering skills we practiced earlier in the day. While some riders managed the course quite well, others mangled Shawn’s cones. After our last riding exercise, we were treated to a final demonstration of Shawn’s skills using three weight shift techniques during turning: neutral, hip swish, and toe turn. Neutral turning involved slight leaning during turns while the “hip swish” involved shifting

Instructor Louise Powers attempts to distract a rider.

one’s hips significantly toward the opposite direction of the turn to balance the center of gravity of the bike and rider. Finally, the toe turn, used in extremely tight areas, involves shifting almost all weight from the center axis of the motorcycle to the footpeg opposite the direction of the turn. During this last demonstration, Shawn swung his right leg over the back of the bike and completed the right turn with all of his weight on the left footpeg and his body entirely on the left side of the bike. When he came to a full stop, he deployed the side stand all in one smooth motion. Finally, the sun was low in the sky, and it had been a long, tiring day of riding, listening and observing. With new confidence and new skills learned, we had a few minutes to relax, ask questions and chat with Shawn and Louise about their riding experiences and background. Shawn is from California and is a BMW Brand Ambassador, a former Raw Hyde Adventures instructor and a Certified BMW Riding Instructor, having completed the demanding BMW off-road instructor course in France to earn that distinction. Louise is a full-time costume designer and part-time professional riding instructor from Denver, Colorado. Both are wellknown in the adventure riding community and were charismatic, entertaining and very effective in helping us improve our skills and confidence in off-road riding. There are a lot of opportunities available for riders to improve their riding skills, whether it be through dealer-sponsored riding improvement courses like this one, the BMW U.S. Rider Academy or other commercial schools. The MOA Foundation’s Paul B. scholarship program is one of many BMW MOA membership benefits both members and nonmembers can use to defray the cost of training to help them become safer and more confident riders. I would suggest that anyone interested in rider training sign up for a course and then apply for an MOA Foundation Paul B. Scholarship. In my case, it really was a “free lunch.” For more information on the Foundation’s Paul B. Scholarship, visit bmwmoaf.org.

Shawn Thomas works with a rider on looking ahead. June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

RIDER

SKILLS

Three capabilities By Jon DelVecchio #208163 I know why you ride a motorcycle. A motorcycle delivers a level of excitement hard to explain in just a few words. Some of our most memorable and enjoyable experiences happen on curvy country roads. That sensation of tipping into a corner with the mind, body and motorcycle all in sync is an amazing feeling. The secret to riding a motorcycle well is controlling the capabilities of our bike, ourselves and the road. While awareness of our skill level and our motorcycle’s operating condition are typical in our two-wheeled world, wise riders also consider the environment and its ability provide a proper setting for a spirited pace.

slower speed can become a catastrophic situation when going faster. Just because someone may be a faster and a more skilled rider doesn’t mean they have to ride at breakneck speeds when it doesn’t make sense. Though slowing down and using restraint may be a major blow to the self image of highly respected riders in a group, a bigger problem for them would be losing control of their bike. As the old saying goes, “It’s better to have others think you may not be the best rider because you’re within sight, rather than know you’re not because of a crash.” Try to build your skills and stay within their boundaries.

Motorcycle Capabilities

Road Capabilities

All motorcycles have limitations, including those of the highest quality and performance. They are machines that require maintenance and can fail without warning. The best tires on the planet can only provide so much grip before even they slide. Keeping your motorcycle in tip-top shape is important. Try not to be dismissive or overly frugal when it comes to your ride.

Rider Capabilities

Professional motorcycle racing showcases the most elite riders around the globe. They often make serious cornering mistakes during practice and competition. Spectators who ride have come to expect crashing as part of this competitive sport, but not while they’re one their own motorcycles. Cornering skills are relative to speed, and as speed increases, so do the skills required. The reason for this is obvious, as the margin for error diminishes as speed goes up. At high speed, slight miscalculations can easily take you down. Due to distance covered per second and traction sensitivity, a minor path of travel threat at a

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

We’re all adults here, so let’s be honest and nonjudgmental. Some weekend warriors simply like to go fast, which is fine when done in the right environment. Racetracks and expressways are more capable venues for accommodating higher speeds than curvy mountain roads. It’s easy for enthusiasts to consider the twisty roads our playground. Keep in mind when hustling through sparsely populated areas that this is rural America and these roads were designed and constructed at the lowest cost for modest vehicle traffic. As much as motorcyclists enjoy riding the Tail of the Dragon and Mulholland Drive, they weren’t built for us. Sometimes we tend to act like they are our roads and we just let everybody else use them. In truth, it’s the complete opposite. Country routes have unpredictable turns, narrow passages, insufficient runoff areas and countless imperfections you don’t see on a straight, limited access expressway. If those elements don’t pose enough challenges, around every corner is another car to pass, farm vehicles, gravel, animals, residents getting their mail or law enforcement. The list goes on and on.

If triple-digit speeds are your thing, there is a track somewhere with your name on a paddock stall. A racetrack is the only curvy environment capable of providing a crystal clear picture of what lies ahead when riding at extremely high speeds. Anywhere else is pure gambling. Sooner or later you might roll snake eyes and crash due to operator error or random roadway hazard. I’m not recommending you don’t have any fun. Please do get out there and enjoy our public, curvy blacktop paradise. However, be sure to contemplate its limitations and true purpose in our communities. Try to match your speed to your riding environment. In the long run, safe motorcycling requires recognizing and executing at a level matched to the most restrictive of these three capabilities. A highly trained rider with excellent tires on wet pavement is limited by the less than perfect road conditions. An intermediate track day rider going blazing fast on racing tires is perhaps limited only by his or her skills, as advanced as they may be. The next time you feel the urge to push the envelope through your favorite curvy road, ask yourself a few simple questions: Are you capable? Is your motorcycle capable? Most importantly, is your riding environment capable? Remember who you are, what you’re driving, and where you’re traveling. Being mindful of these three capabilities can deliver a more enriched and secure motorcycling experience. The closer we are to realistically assessing these three capabilities, the better chance we have of doing what we enjoy, alone or with friends, long into the future. Jon DelVecchio is the founder of the Street Skills LLC riding school and the author of Cornering Confidence, The Formula for 100% Control in Curves. More information at streetskills.net.

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June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

FINAL

JOURNEY

Remembering Michael Friedle #15249 By Susanna Parkhouse #56786

“Michael was an icon among us. I often thought he was a bit of a Luddite, but who was I to judge? He was a valuable asset to us all and a good human being. We need more Michaels in this world.”

Airheads at the Aerodrome, he was the Air Marshal for New York and was on the Board of Directors of the Airheads. He owned many vintage bikes, including the sidecar in which he loved to take his daughter Alice on rides when – Paul Glaves, Friend of the Marque and former BMW MOA President she was little. The last time he was able to attend a National Rally was in Hamburg, N,Y. in 2016. He set up and ran Airhead Central. At that rally, Matthew and I, along with Josh Ascher and Michael, had WITH HIS SIGNATURE BUSHY MUSTACHE WHICH BECAME A a great dinner at the Casino on the grounds of the rally site. bushy beard in later years, his ponytail and his twinkling eye, Jim Shaw, former Vice President of the MOA said, “Michael was BMW MOA Ambassador Michael Friedle was a recognizable a singular individual and a complex person. He had an enthusiasm figure. He was husband to Karla, father to Alice and Johanna and that occasionally got ahead of the mundane practicalities, and grandfather to Kaya. Karla and Michael were together 31 years. people followed that enthusiasm and his willingness to step up.” Together, Michael and Karla rode the eastern United States, Michael simply loved motorcycles and people. He loved doing camping along the way without a map or itinerary. They loved, as for them and sharing his creativity, wry sense of humor and many of us do, stopping at roadside eateries to find the $5 T-bone. sometimes unorthodox ways. He was a friend to many, and I, and Karla truly enjoyed being with Michael and being his sounding so many others, will miss him very much. board as he planned events. Those events started out with a small “Speed Safely, Michael” one called “Howes By You” in the Catskills near Howes Caverns. That event was followed by “Colors in the Catskills” and then for 25 years, “Airheads at the Aerodrome” near Rhinebeck, New York. This is the 25th year for Airheads at the Aerodrome, which was always the weekend after Father’s Day, and if his illness hadn’t gotten the better of him, he would be wrapping up details for it right about now. As it is, Karla is planning to carry on the tradition, though at this point she doesn’t know what the event will look like. What she does know is that for the first time in 25 years she won’t be cooking Saturday night dinner for over 100 of her and Michael’s “closest friends.” She will miss that. Matthew and I were able to attend last year for the first time. Michael used to tell me how wonderful Karla’s cooking was. I am pleased to be able to attest to that. In addition to the events mentioned above, Michael along with his good friend, Josh Ascher, chaired three National Rallies for the MOA: Rhinebeck, N.Y., in 1999; Charleston, W. Va., in 2003; and Burlington, Vt., in 2006. Rob Nye also co-chaired Burlington. Michael was a former member of the MOA Board. He was an MOA Ambassador. He was also a Motorcycle Safety Foundation instructor. Until his health began to give out, he helped man the MOA booth every year at the IMS bike shows in New York City. Besides the MOA, he belonged to many BMW clubs, including the RA, the Yankee Beemers, the BMW Motorcycle Club of Vermont, the Saratoga Thoroughbreds and the Airheads Michael was active in the Airheads. In addition to putting on

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

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MOTOGRAPHIES

Breakfast in Flagstaff By Paul Phillips #189196 EGGS BENEDICT AT “THE PLACE” IN FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA,

sounds like a great plan for a Saturday outing. It’s the perfect ride if starting out in the Phoenix area and planning on riding a couple of hours before breakfast and then taking a longer route home. Imagine coffee, good food and best of all, fabulous buddies to ride with. Although it’s not particularly complicated ride, for Gary Orr, co-owner of San Diego BMW Motorcycles, things are rarely as simple as they sound. Gary likes a challenge, and breakfast in Flagstaff is one of those occasional adventures Gary and a few of his friends take on just for the fun of it. Avoiding interstate highways and sticking to back roads and twisties, the round trip from San Diego to Flagstaff is 1,007 miles, but The Place not only has really good food, but also great service, so the crew can get back on the road and back to San Diego. It’s

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

been 30 years since their first ride. When BMW introduced the G 310 GS, Gary took it out for a long spin, and yes, had Eggs Benedict in Flagstaff. Each of us ride for a different reason, and yet we all ride for the feeling we cannot find anywhere else. That feeling calls to us when we need to re-center from daily distractions. Some ride for their daily commute, while others spend hours on back country, twisty roads with only their thoughts. Gary’s passion blossomed in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas when he was 12. Unable to ride his XL125 without a license, he ended up pushing it around, but those 10 to 12 seconds of riding bliss had him hooked. Quiet by nature, today Gary’s greatest passion is sharing his experience with friends and customers. Sharing to Gary is not about telling stories about his journey, but bringing others along

for the ride and the adventure. Walking around the showroom at San Diego BMW, you immediately get a sense of community. Almost every wall shows framed certificates for riders who have exceeded the 100,000-mile threshold aboard BMW motorcycles, while hidden away in Gary’s office is his own 500,000-mile plaque. It’s quite normal to see shop customers and friends just stop by during an afternoon ride. Speed and distance have always seemed to be the landscape for motorcycle dreams, and ABC’s Wide World of Sports’ airing of the Bonneville Salt Flats events many years ago left an impression on Gary’s teenage mind. In 2007, joined by a group from San Diego and his stepfather from Arkansas, Gary rode his K 1300 S to Bonneville to participate in the BMW event Explore! Part of the event that year was a “Run what you Brung,” which is exactly what it sounds like. With the appropriate safety gear, riders could take their bike out and make a couple of passes on the iconic Salt Flats. Many passes on the short course later, Gary was clocked at 165 aboard his stock K 1300 S, and then after the event, he rode 900 miles home, all in a single day. When Gary tells stories of Bonneville, most of his time and smiles are dedicated to his relationship with the late Andy Sills and his wife Erin Hunter Sills, holders of many World and AMA records. Those world records include fastest for 2-Up, where the

rider and passenger have to exchange positions for the return run, ending up with, as Gary tells it, 189 and change! Andy and Erin’s pinnacle record is in the Modified Partially-Streamlined 1000cc Non-Turbo class, where Andy reached 221 mph. Gary describes the Sills team as an amazing group of people who have spent their entire lives trying to go just a little faster than everyone else. This year the team will travel to the enormous high altitude Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia. Sometimes it is not about going faster but riding further. In 2008, Gary built a trailer for his K 1200 RT to haul a 75-gallon fuel tank. With the tank full, at 8 a.m. on a warm July morning Gary left Ocean Beach, California. The next time he stopped rolling was near Tallahassee, Florida, some 35 hours later when a young State Trouper politely requested him to stop because he had a flickering taillight on his trailer. Though he was about 120 miles short of his goal of making a coast to coast run, he still holds the record for the longest continuous ride ever at 2,232 miles. These days Gary fuels his personal passions by racing his modified R nineT at American Historical Motorcycle Racing Association (AHMRA) events. If you ever get a chance, stop in and visit Gary at San Diego BWM Motorcycles, 5673 Kearny Villa Road, San Diego, California.

June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

Riding through the Pandemic By Stuart A Kirk #55005 WHEN SPRING ARRIVED IN MID-

March, the pandemic of coronavirus was gripping the United States at the speed of a MotoGP racer. Cities, counties and then entire states restricted movement. Each week increased sickness, and fear spread across the globe. Social distancing, which normally suggested an unfriendly person, morphed overnight into a public health mandate, changing the behavior of a usually boisterous populace. Businesses closed and heartbreaking layoffs of millions of employees ensued within a week. The national economy went into seizure. Schools closed. Retirement investments tanked. Only health care facilities with their heroic medical staffs remained open to confront the pandemic, and unfathomably often without having suitable personal protective equipment. Our lives changed in March, unlike any other month in our lifetimes. As I finish this article in mid-April, the infection and death rates continue to soar. The US alone now has nearly a million people who are known to be infected and over 54,000 deaths, more than any other country, with no end in sight. Airlines are grounded; much public transportation has halted; the

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

photos of normally congested urban streets and highways are eerily empty. To use prison lingo, we are all on lockdown, confined alone or with our partner and children to our apartment or house. We venture outside only for food or medicine wearing makeshift masks and Harbor Freight rubber gloves. Longneglected to-do lists of house and yard tasks now provide a respite from boredom and offer a feeble sense of accomplishment. Claustrophobia is becoming our shared ailment. We worry about our extended families, particularly those of us with parents, children, or grandchildren living far away. I have siblings, children and grandchildren a thousand miles away. Many of my local friends are also distant from family. Even long-distance driving, which would necessitate staying in motels and eating in restaurants (if they were still open) is a risky adventure. The restrictions on travel have physically separated families in a time of crisis. An emotional doom has settled everywhere. Normalcy has vanished. Yet, in this foreboding moment, we motorcyclists possess a salve for our souls. What many non-riders have viewed as a

dangerous pastime, appears to us, or at least to me, as a break from confinement that offers an emotional respite, a small bid for freedom, which now may be less risky than going to a crowded supermarket. Although, I can certainly appreciate that many riders choose not to ride, fearing a mishap that might send them to an already overburdened health care system. Completely encased in protective gear, conforming to edicts for social distancing, immersed in isolation, I enter my garage, get on my motorcycle, and rumble down the driveway, immediately engulfed by an altered state of mind that focuses only on the road ahead and an escape to an unpopulated, undetermined destination. The despair of the pandemic recedes in my rearview mirror. The roads in northern New Mexico, usually sparsely traveled, are now deserted, offering solace to the rider and refuge from the unprecedented crisis. Riding is not a solution to the pandemic, but it is medicine for my soul. Some of my riding buddies feel the same way. The familiar small villages we pass though are now ghost towns. A few days ago, I rode with my friend Miguel through the long-defunct mining town of Madrid,

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for GS/A

RT RS R

which over the decades has morphed into a crowded, artist community with shops, cafes and coffee houses, bars and ice cream vendors. This week, as we rode south on Highway 14 through Madrid there wasn’t a single business open, no cars were parked in front of any shop, no people were walking the streets, and not a cup of coffee was available anywhere. It was unfathomable only a month ago; now it’s a desolate scene from a sci-fi movie. I suspect this vacancy is becoming common throughout the country, or will be soon. The man-made landscape is shuttered and abandoned. My rides can’t avoid the despair, but they also nurture my appreciation of the beauty of the countryside: the stately evergreen forests, the dry arroyos with their century-old juniper and pinon pine trees, craggy colorful canyons, and majestic rock mesas which have stood silently for millennia watching civilizations come and go. As I sit astride my RT, alone on a meandering road amidst nature’s majesty, I’m still able to rescue a sense of being in control of my fate, of being safe—if just for an hour or so—from the scary calamity descending on us. For me, and perhaps for many of you, there is a hint of salvation in a contemplative ride in serene surroundings, offering sanctuary in a troubled world. This is how I will endure, by riding through the pandemic.

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Stuart A Kirk, confined in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is the author of Revved!: Obsessions of a Midlife Motorcyclist (available on Amazon) and other essays about motorcycling. A retired professor, he has many academic books and articles that you undoubtedly won’t want to read.

June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

Avant RT1250 908. 652. 6779

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see more products online at www.suburban-machinery.com

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

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

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June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

OUR MISSION Supporting your experience by sharing resources, unique events and the community.

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

BMW MOA HEADQUARTERS 2350 Hwy 101 South Greer, SC 29651 864-438-0962 (p) 864-250-0038 (f )

BMW MOA OFFICERS Wes Fitzer, President 918-773-7178; wes.fitzer@bmwmoa.org

BMW OWNERS NEWS STAFF Bill Wiegand, Managing Editor bill@bmwmoa.org

Reece Mullins, Vice President 334-470-7770; reece.mullins@bmwmoa.org

Karin Halker, Art Director karin@bmwmoa.org

Deb Lower, Secretary 719-510-9452; deb.lower@bmwmoa.org

Wes Fleming, Digital Media Editor wfleming@bmwmoa.org

Tracy McCarty, Treasurer 913-238-3182; tracy.mccarty@bmwmoa.org

Ron Davis, Associate Editor ron.davis@bmwmoa.org Jose Abiles, Associate Editor iridertp@gmail.com

BMW MOA DIRECTORS Stan Herman (719) 250-4358; stan.herman@bmwmoa.org Kelly Moore 859-536-8638; kelly.moore@bmwmoa.org Sue Rihn 262-424-2617; sue.rihn@bmwmoa.org Michael “Roc” Shannon 812-322-1378; roc.shannon@bmwmoa.org Roger Trendowski 732-671-0514; roger.trendowski@bmwmoa.org BMW MOA STAFF Ted Moyer, Executive Director tedm@bmwmoa.org Ray Tubbs, Digital Marketing Manager ray@bmwmoa.org Tonya McMeans, Membership Services tonya@bmwmoa.org Tori Ricci, Membership Services tori@bmwmoa.org Lesa Howard, Membership Services lesa@bmwmoa.org

Change of address notification and membership inquiries should be made by calling the BMW MOA office or via email at: membership@ bmwmoa.org. BMW MOA membership is $49/ year and includes the BMW Owners News, which is not available separately. Canadian members add $16 for postal surcharge.

Chris Hughes, Director of Advertising chris@bmwmoa.org 509-921-2713 (p) 509-921-2713 (f )

FOUNDATION

OUR MISSION The BMW Motorcycle Owners of America Foundation is dedicated to supporting motorcycling and its rich heritage for BMW MOA members and the motorcycling public by funding programs that advance rider safety, education and training. BMW MOA FOUNDATION HEADQUARTERS 220 North Main Street Suite 500 Greenville, SC 29601 (205) 821-7205 BMW MOA FOUNDATION OFFICERS Chuck Manley, President cmanley@bmwmoaf.org

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.

Vance Harrelson, Vice President vance@bmwmoaf.org

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.

Tom Gary, Treasurer tgary@bmwmoaf.org

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.

Pam Werstler, Secretary pwerstler@bmwmoaf.org

BMW MOA FOUNDATION DIRECTORS Dan Finazzo dfinazzo@bmwmoaf.org Keith Foster kfoster@bmwmoaf.org Ken Hall khall@bmwmoaf.org Kate Lammers klammers@bmwmoaf.org Randy Logan rlogan@bmwmoaf.org Pam Werstler pwerstler@bmwmoaf.org

JOINING AND RENEWING Membership in the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America is open to all riders, regardless of brand affiliation. Although we are united by the BMW marque, adventure-minded motorcyclists will find a home here. Join today by visiting bmwmoa.org or call one of our friendly membership associates at 864-438-0962. Primary Annual memberships are available in one year, two year or monthly options. Additional membership options include Primary Membership with Basic 25/100 Roadside Assistance, Primary Membership with Platinum Roadside Assistance, Digital Membership with Basic 25/100 Roadside Assistance, Digital Membership with Platinum Roadside Assistance. We also offer Roadside Assistance without an MOA Membership.

For a complete listing of membership options, please visit bmwmoa.org or call 864-438-0962.

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

BMW MOA KEY VOLUNTEERS CONTRIBUTORS IN THIS ISSUE Cover Courtesy of BMW Table of Contents Al Faber #98879 Shelly Salehi #199055 Big Picture Ken Frick #199204 Postcards from the Road Mick McCrary #148315 Terence Hamill #14629 Richard Jacques #215072 Dave Danks #196918 Clifford Fowler #215509 Keith Wilson #217122 Todd Weber #120833 Shiny Side Up Ron Davis #111820 News Wes Fleming #87301 David Green #217687 Member Tested Dave Grider #47339 Doug Christensen #217705 Jocelin Snow #210823

HIGH MILEAGE COORDINATORS Allison Gifford and Jonathan Gifford allison.gifford@bmwmoa.org jonathan.gifford@bmwmoa.org You love to ride and deserve credit for the incredible number of miles you ride! The MOA Mileage Awards program recognizes miles ridden on BMW motorcycles in 100,000-mile increments. Check out our honor roll of legendary riders below. If you are due an award, DOWNLOAD THE HIGH MILEAGE AWARD FORM and email it to Allison or Jonathan or or print it, fill it out, and mail it to the MOA office at 2350 Hwy 101 S, Greer, SC 29651. Once we verify your miles, we’ll present your High Mileage Award and you’ll also be recognized in BMW Owners News and on the BMW MOA website. MILEAGE CONTEST COORDINATOR Jim Low 608-347-5910; lowjim09@gmail.com The MOA sponsors two mileage contests each year – the Summer Mileage Contest and the Annual Mileage Contest. The Summer Mileage Contest covers the period from April 1 through October 31 each year while the Annual Mileage Contest covers the period from April 1 through March 31 the following year. A valid BMW MOA membership must be maintained throughout the Mileage Contest time period. Look for Mileage Contest start and end forms in BMW Owners News or download the forms at bmwmoa.org/mileagecontest.

Tech Matthew Parkhouse #13272 Wes Fleming #87301

AMBASSADOR LIAISON Jason Olson bmwjiggs@gmail.com

Features Paul Guillien #179473 Ely Woody Hiyori Yoshida Christopher Ross #130595

The BMW MOA Ambassador program honors members for their outstanding service to the organization, its Chartered Clubs and its members. Ambassadors are appointed by the MOA Board of Directors based upon nominations submitted by Chartered Clubs and MOA members.

Skills Tom Wilmote #118186 Suzanne O’Neal Jon DelVecchio #208163 Lifestyle Susanna Parkhouse #56786 Paul Phillips #189196 Stuart A Kirk #55005 Talelight Phillip A. DeLeon #207255

If you would like to obtain additional information about the MOA Ambassador program or would like to nominate an outstanding MOA member to be an Ambassador, please contact Jason Olson, Ambassador Liaison for more information. CONSUMER LIAISON John Gamel john.gamel@bmwmoa.org Our members spend millions buying, maintaining and enjoying their BMW motorcycles. If an MOA member has a problem with a company providing a product or service, our Consumer Liaison can offer useful information to resolve the conflict. FORUM LIAISON Kurt Schrader Forum Administrator - Steve Henson Forum Moderators - Gary Nelson, Lee Fulton, Voni Glaves

2020 BMW MOA RALLY CHAIRS Corey and Becky Smith 2020rallychair@bmwmoa.org REGIONAL COORDINATORS The BMW Motorcycle Owners of America is looking for qualified volunteers! MOA Regional Coordinators work to improve communication with our Chartered Clubs, act as a liaison with BMW Dealers in their region, engage BMW riders to help promote membership in the BMW MOA and recruit and coordinate local volunteers within their region. Think you have what it takes? If so, download the questionaire and submit your information now. Adam Chandler - New Hampshire (415) 894-0857; adam.chandler@bmwmoa.org Carlos Dao - Florida 561-927-6730; carlos.dao@bmwmoa.org Joe Dawson - Arizona 480-721-4412; joe.dawson@bmwmoa.org Ken Decroo - California 909-961-7762; ken.decroo@bmwmoa.org Brian Dutcher - Arizona 402-289-7182; brian.dutcher@bmwmoa.org Frank Florio - New York 518-369-8339; frank.florio@bmwmoa.org Karolina Francis - British Columbia, Canada 604-657-7351; karolina.francis@bmwmoa.org Johnathan Gifford - Oklahoma 484-919-7277; jgifford@bmwmoa.org Don Loudermilk - Georgia 404-787-2969; don.loudermilk@bmwmoa.org Ben Lower - Georgia (469) 831-1021; ben.lower@bmwmoa.org Bruce McKelvy - Pennsylvania 215-872-4605; bruce.mckelvy@bmwmoa.org Pete Mikolaitis - Indiana (401) 924-2526; pete.mikolaitis@bmwmoa.org Thomas Moe - Montana 916-919-6770; tom.moe@bmwmoa.org Gordy Olson - California 916-642-2221; gordy.olson@bmwmoa.org Mike Secor - Texas 214-557-4577; mike.secor@bmwmoa.org Gary Shuman - Massachusettes 617-513-2053; gary.shuman@bmwmoa.org Thomas Van Horn - Wisconsin 608-695-6784; tomvanhorn@bmwmoa.org Bryan Whitehead - Illinois 312-804-2293; brian.whitehead@bmwmoa.org

Have a burning question at 2 am? Do you want to know who has the latest gadget for their motorcycle? If so, check out the BMW MOA Forum at bmwmoa.org/forum. In the Forum, dind other members worldwide that can help answer your questions, offer advice or simply participate in a conversation among motorcyclists where members direct the conversation and the topics discussed.

June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

WHEN

AND

48 11

20 23 28

WHERE

Email your event information to editor@bmwmoa.org

7 22

40 33 42 4 50 17

49 25

15 10 2 43

39 35 5 50

18 41 26 12

30 13 16

3 21

54 46 19 27 34 29 55

51 56 Map courtesy of

For the most up-to-date information, please visit bmwmoa.org

June 1

06/05/2020 - 06/07/2020

46th Annual Square Route Rally

Location: Sabillasville, Maryland Contact: Bruce Dimon 703-953-8990 brucedimon@hotmail.com The 46th Annual Square Route Rally is at the YMCA Camp West Mar in central Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains. It’s an ideal rally site, boasting 5 bunkhouse cabins each with 12 bunk-beds, acres of camping on comfortable grass fields or under a mature tree canopy, a large dining hall, a large, open pavilion loaded with picnic tables that serves as Beer Haus & Seminar Central, a game room (pool table, video games, DVDs, music system), and of course

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

a large bathroom & shower house.

POSTPONED TO SEPT. 2

06/05/2020 - 06/07/2020

18th Annual Laurel Highlands BMW Riders Campout Location: Somerset, Pennsylvania Contact: Jason Kaplitz gsjay@kaplitz.com Great riding in any direction with many self-guided tours available. Friday evening enjoy Gourmet Dump Stew (bring a can or 2 to add to the pot), hotdogs & snacks till they’re gone. Morning Coffee & tea. Saturday Catered dinner, door prizes, campfire fun...Hearty send-off breakfast Sunday morning!

06/12/2020 - 06/14/2020

48th Moto MO Rally

Location: Crane, Missouri Contact: Steve Kronberger (801) 597-1678 kronie12@gmail.com Beautiful shaded campground with some electricity for charging your phone or for other devices you need for survival. Near Branson, Bass Pro Shop, Table Rock Lake and the beautiful Roaring River State Park. Tons of excellent riding on curving, sweeping roads no matter what direction you go. Join us this year, for some laid back fun and meet some really great people.

06/12/2020 - 06/14/2020

Pemi River Rally at New Hampshire Motorcycle Week Location: Thornton, New Hampshire

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

Contact:Ken Springhetti 978-764-3527 kz1000@hotmail.com Join the Yankee Beemers for nights at the Pemi River Campground in New Hampshire’s beautiful White Mountains. We’ll have our Toy Box, a blazing campfire, a pig roast on Saturday night, and of course some of best riding in New England. Friday night burgers and dogs and all-day coffee are included in the rally fee.

VISIT US AT

Red Rock Rendezvous

D E L EL C CAN 06/18/2020 - 06/21/2020

42nd Chief Joseph Rally

Location: John Day, Oregon Contact: Alice LeBarron bmwro.pres@gmail.com Enjoy some of the best riding in the Northwest! Scenic mountain passes, river canyons, painted hills, and wide open high desert! At the Grant County Fairgrounds, we’ll have free camping and showers. Planned activities include guided road and GS rides. Team Oregon will be offering some of their popular rider skill classes. Self-guided ride maps will be available.

D E L EL C CAN

POSTPONED 7

SINCE 1991

06/18/2020 - 06/21/2020

Location: Panguitch, Utah Contact: Marcia L Thurmond 801-556-7255 marcia_thurmond@hotmail.com Heading for the MOA Rally in Montana?? A super stop on your way. A beautiful location in Southern Utah with a number of National Parks, National Monuments and State Parks close by. If you’ve never been there, you don’t know what you’re missing!! Route 12 is close by - one of the best motorcycle roads in the country!

DMC Sidecars

06/25/2020 - 06/27/2020

BMW MOA National Rally

Location: Great Falls, Montana Contact: Corey and Becky Smith rallychair@bmwmoa.org The BMW Motorcycle Owners of America invites you to the 48th Annual BMW MOA National Rally in Great Falls, Montana. Enjoy nightly entertainment, more than 100 vendors, daily door prizes, BMW demo rides, seminars, huge grand prizes and the best music scene in the country. Come and join us as we enjoy some western hospitality in Big Sky Country! June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

AIRHEADS CENTRAL SIDECARS – MOUNTS – HITCHES

866-638-1793

dmcsidecars.com www.dmcsidecars.com

Buckley, WA USA

BMW MOA RALLY

MOA JuneNATIONAL 25-27, 2020 Great Falls, MT 6/13-16/2019 BMW RA RA RALLY BMW RALLY Sept. 17-20, 2020 9/5-8/2019 Waynesville, NC

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September 25 – 27, 2020 The BMW Motorcycle Owners Club of Minnesota invites you to the rescheduled 44th Annual

Hiawatha Rally

Money Creek Haven Campground near Houston, MN. Rally fee includes: 2 nights camping on grassy shaded tent sites. 24-hour coffee, tea, water and lemonade. Vendors on site. Demo rides by Leo’s South. Door prizes and awards. Rally pin to first 220 attendees. “Ride for Pie” Friday afternoon. Friday evening soup and hot dogs until gone. Live music Friday evening. Guided dual-sport ride and field events Saturday. Dinner Saturday evening. Sunday morning worship service and treats. Preregistration:$40 per person until 9/1/2020 ($25 children ages 7-15). Onsite registration: $45 per person, starting at noon Friday. ($25 children ages 7-15). Children 6 and under free. Register online at www.bmwmocm.com Questions: Email hiawatharally@gmail.com

WHEN

AND WHERE

06/27/2020

The Selected Friends of Wile E. Coyote Rally Get-together Location: Great Falls, Montana Contact: J. J. Dostal 806-624-5987 Friends and family of Wile E Coyote will hold their annual Rally get-together in the beer garden at high noon.

July 9

07/10/2020 - 07/12/2020

Back to Lime Rock Park, Lakeville CT Location: Lakeville, Connecticut Contact: Bill Drachenberg 860-613-5409 yblimerock@gmail.com On Friday and Saturday watch the NASA car club on the on the 1.5 mile road course and on Saturday the Miata Club on the Auto Cross course. Enjoy great summer weather and a shaded infield camping area on one of the most picturesque Race Tracks in the Northeast.

07/11/2020 - 07/12/2020

44th Annual Rampo 500

Location: Milton, Pennsylvania Contact: Steven Peck stevenpeck537@yahoo.com Starting in Congers, New York, we’ll ride 250 miles of some of the best motorcycle roads, dinner, camping and etc. Breakfast and another 250 miles of even better motorcycle riding.

Rally

07/16/2020 - 07/18/2020

49th Annual Top O’ The Rockies

Location: Paonia, Colorado Contact: Ronnie Martinez (303) 229-8229 ronniealfonzomartinez@yahoo.com Don’t miss out on attending the longest running BMW Motorcycle Rally in the continent. The nominal early registration fee of $50.00 still provides three days of grassy camping in the town park under mature shade trees, endless coffee, tea and lemonade, WiFi, charging stations, vendors, showers on site, ample parking, delicious Saturday night meal with a vegan option, breakfast available Thursday-Sunday, door prizes, beer garden and two nights of live entertainment by national or international recording artists. All this and some of the best pavement and dual sport riding in Colorado, many on Butler G1 and G2 rated roads.

07/17/2020 - 07/19/2020

Black Diamond Rally

Location: Union Dale, Pennsylvania Contact: Laura Blake 240-523-3637 blakeinsparta@comcast.net WE’RE BACK! It’s been a few years, but the Black Diamond Beemer Gang is re-starting our chapter rally, new format, new location (Chet’s Place, 885 Tirzah Rd. Union Dale, Pennsylvania 18470), but the same great people! This year’s event will be limited to the first 125 pre-registered guests, so don’t wait to register!

07/16/2020 - 07/19/2020

48th Annual Cascade Coutry Rendezvous Location: Cashmere, Washington Contact: David Petersen rallymaster@wsbmwr.org New venue this year! Even better paved and unpaved riding in sunny and scenic Central Washington. Explore untold miles of local gravel forest roads, fabulous paved highways in the Cascades or east in the Channeled Scablands. Check out Washington’s wine country and find the best fruit in the nation! Lots of local historical areas and

sightseeing to sample.

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

07/24/2020 - 07/26/2020

MOA Getaway Los Osos

Location: Los Osos, California Contact: BMW MOA (864) 438-0962 It might be time to “SLO” down and enjoy this new Getaway location at the Sea Pines Golf Resort in Los Osos, California. Situated on the Pacific Coast of San Luis Obispo (SLO) County near the southern end of the famous Morro Bay, this is the perfect place to rest, relax and rejuvenate.

07/30/2020 - 08/02/2020

International Rolling Brocolli

Location: Vassar, Michigan Contact: J. J. Dostal 806-245-5987 Social gathering for the International Rolling Broccoli club. No fee - casual get-together with camping and camaraderie.

07/31/2020 - 08/02/2020

MOA Getaway - Poconos

Location: Skytop, Pennsylvania Contact: BMW MOA (864) 438-0962 A new experience awaits you in the Poconos. Whether you want to ride epic roads or simply relax in a resort atmosphere, the Pennsylvania Mountains are waiting for you.

07/31/2020 - 08/02/2020

25th Annual Damn Yankees Rally and Moto Gymkhana Location: Heath, Massachusetts Contact: Ken Springhetti 978-764-3527 kz1000@hotmail.com Join us for our annual flagship event in beautiful Heath Massachusetts! The Damn Yankees Rally is rustic camping at one of New England’s oldest operating fairgrounds, The Heath Fairground. Rustic, outdoors showers. Saturday evening chicken BBQ by the Heath Volunteer Fire Department is included, Legendary Church Ladies home made Pies and baked goods.

August 18

08/01/2020

21st Annual 100,000 Foot Ride

Location: Lakewood, Colorado Contact: Phillip Glynn bmwk1200rs@live.com This ride is designed to take you over enough mountain passes to equal 100,000 ft. The 100k ride combines some of the best roads and scenery Colorado has to offer.

08/06/2020 - 08/09/2020

43rd Annual Daniel Boone Campout

Location: Harmony, North Carolina

18D

Contact: Fernando Cofani rally@carolinasbmwmoa.org (803) 979-1325 Since the rally was so successful last year with no rally fee, we will continue to build on that format for this year. We have some of the best motorcycle roads east of the Mississippi: Ride the Blue Ridge Parkway, High Country of North Carolina, Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee, and fun GS rides all in easy distance to the campout. 08/07/2020 - 08/10/2020

20 Kaslo Camp-N-Ride

Location: Kaslo, British Columbia Contact: Judy Wiebe events@valleybmwriders.com Join us on the shore of beautiful Kootenay Lake for a few days of camping and riding on some of the curviest roads in BC. This is a no-host campout, although we do try to coordinate a group dinner one night.

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NEW DATE 21

08/07/2020 - 08/08/2020

MOA Getaway - Eureka Springs

Location: Eureka Springs, Arkansas Contact: BMW MOA (864) 438-0962 There’s a reason people love to come here! The Eureka Springs story began well over 100 years ago with tales of miraculous healing from 63 mineral springs gushing from a rocky wilderness. Today, Eureka Springs will refresh you as the authentic “America’s Victorian Village.”

08/13/2020 - 08/16/2020

22nd Annual Beartooth Beemers Rendezvous Location: Red Lodge, Montana Contact: Charlie Greear (208) 661-5639 registrar@beartoothbeemers.org Come back “home” to the Lions Camp located 10 miles south of Red Lodge, MT. We have ample camping space in and around the camp, even a mountain stream nearby. If you are not into camping there are cabins with built in bunks, just bring your sleeping bag.

June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

RIDE THE BLUE RIDGE 09/25/2020 09/27/2020

Location: Catawba Meadows Park 701 Sanford Drive, Morganton, NC 28655

Contact: Gene Smith at 828-439-9754 or rallymaster@knobbies.org Hey RA & MOA Members and all others!! Join us the week after the BMWRA Rally in Waynesville, NC. Come on over to our side of the mountains for some great riding and hospitality. Meal Voucher for any night, T-shirts for the first 150. Great camping, RV spaces available with water & electrical hookups. Hotels and full RV campsites are all within 1 mile. Large showers with plenty of hot water on site! Free shuttle services from Catawba Meadows Park to local restaurants & breweries. And don’t forget, our Knobbies’ sponsors “Ride With the Knobbies” to places tourists DO NOT go! From touring to off-road rides. All proceeds go to the South Mountain Children and Family Services.

WHEN

AND

WHERE

08/13/2020 - 08/16/2020

Nakusp Hotsprings Rally

Location: Nakusp, British Columbia Contact: Brian Dingsdale nakusprally@beeceebeemers.com The Nakusp Municipal Camp ground is nestled right in the town of Nakusp near amenities, restaurants and shopping. The entire campground is reserved for our rally and camping fees are included in your registration along with several meals and free morning coffee. There is also two hotsprings, one within the town and the other a few kilometres away. Local riding provides great on and off-road experiences.

08/14/2020 - 08/16/2020

38th Annual Husker Rally

Location: Franklin, Nebraska Contact: Jayney Solo (402) 676-1739 jayneysolo@cox.net The destination for the summer should the 38th Huskerally held August 14th thru the 16th of August in Franklin NE where the town welcomes us every year and makes us feel like we are home. Pull into the fairgrounds on the southwest side of town, get settled in the shaded campgrounds and be prepared to have a relaxing weekend with the best rally food around.

08/15/2020 - 08/16/2020

MS River Road Run - 35th Year

Location: Lakeville, Minnesota Contact: Lee Krahenbuhl lee@hamlineconstruction.com 35th Annual 2 day fund raiser event put on by volunteers with all proceeds benefiting the MS Society. Event includes a “ride at your own pace” marked route along with a route book, picnic lunch at Moon Motorsports (BMW dealer) in Monticello, MN, and an evening banquet & auction at the Holiday Inn in St. Cloud, MN including dinner and entertainment. 08/21/2020 - 08/23/2020

26 MOA Getaway - Copper Mountain Location: Copper Mountain, Colorado Contact: BMW MOA (864) 438-0962 Welcome to the majestic Rocky Mountains!

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

Copper Mountain Resort is an ideal vacation destination with a laid-back and inclusive vibe that represents the best of Colorado.

NEW DATE 27

08/28/2020 - 08/30/2020

MOA Getaway - Fontana

Location: Fontana, North Carolina Contact: BMW MOA (864) 438-0962 Come experience some of the best roads east of the Mississippi River in this lush mountain atmosphere. The roads wind forever, the people are friendly and good times are just around the corner.

NEW DATE 08/28/2020 - 08/30/2020

28 MOA Getaway - Coeur d-Alene Location: Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Contact: BMW MOA (864) 438-0962 Join us August 28-30 for the Coeur d’Alene Getaway. We will gather at The Coeur d’Alene Resort situated on Lake Coeur d’Alene for a fabulous weekend. Sunset complimentary!

September 29

09/04/2020 - 09/05/2020

Premier Training at BMW Performance Center Location: Greer, South Carolina Contact: Ray Tubbs (864) 438-0962 ray@bmwmoa.org Limited to only 14 participants, this full day of rider training will encompass both on and off-road skill development using BMW Performance Center facilities, motorcycles and instructors. This unique opportunity includes two nights lodging at the Greenville Marriot Hotel with a Friday night “meet and greet” and introductory session at the Performance Center. Saturday features a full day of both on- and off-road training with breakfast, lunch and an evening dinner. Transportation between the hotel and the Performance Center facility, a special Premier event polo shirt, and the use of a Performance Center BMW

motorcycle are also provided. 09/04/2020 - 09/07/2020

30 46th Finger Lakes Rally Location: Watkins Glen, New York Contact: Finger Lakes BMW Club rally@fingerlakesbmw.org The Finger Lakes BMW Club is pleased to invite BMW riders and their guests to the 46th Finger Lakes Rally in beautiful Watkins Glen, NY September 4th through 7th, 2020! Come make new friends, reconnect with old friends and experience many touring opportunities in a most scenic area of New York State. Returning from last year: Beer and Wine!

09/11/2020 - 09/13/2020

MOA Getaway - Pine Mountain

Location: Pineville, Kentucky Contact: BMW MOA (864) 438-0962 This beautiful state park will be the base of operations for all the amazing riding and great exploring to be done in the area.

09/11/2020 - 09/13/2020

50th Annual Wisconsin Dells Rally

Location: Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin Contact: Robert Preuss 262-391-0550 barnrazer@yahoo.com Join us at Camp Wawbeek for our 50th premiere Midwest event. If you’ve hesitated in the past you won’t want to miss this one: 400 acres of wooded fun and games, great camping, indoor bunks (available for a small fee) and limited RV parking along with plenty of showers and rest rooms.

Rally

09/11/2020 - 09/13/2020

37th Annual Green Mountain

Location: Goshen, Vermont Contact: Chip LaPointe chiplapointe@gmail.com Come join us to carve the sweepers and streamside-shaded twisties of the Green Mountains in Vermont. Enjoy cool mountain air as you soak up music from Snake Mountain Bluegrass Friday night. Dine comfortably on home-cooked meals in the screened hall or fire-lit pavilion.

Self-guided gap rides in addition to miles of gravel roads in and near the Green Mountain National Forest. 09/11/2020 - 09/13/2020

34 Klassic K BMW Riders of the

South East

Location: Cruso, North Carolina Contact: Ken Garland ken-hazel@mchsi.com The Klassic K BMW Riders of the South East, invite you to come experience some of the best riding and scenery in the South East in the Heart of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Very close to “The Dragon”, Cherohala Skyway, Shady Valley, Wheels Through Time Museum, and too many other great attractions and roads to list.

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09/11/2020 - 09/13/2020

MOA Getaway - Cedar City

Location: Cedar City, Utah Contact: BMW MOA (864) 438-0962 In 2020 we return to the site of our inaugural Getaway - Cedar City, Utah. Located within a day ride to Cedar Breaks, Bryce Canyon, Escalante, Capitol Reef, Zion and even the Grand Canyon, Cedar City is the epicenter of National Parks in the United States. 09/11/2020 - 09/13/2020

36 Bavarian Mountain Weekend

Rally

Location: Vadito, New Mexico Contact: David Hartman leohere@aol.com 505-345-4465 Iin Sipapu, NM, located 25 miles SE of Taos, NM on state highway 518. Door prizes, tech sessions, speakers, world-class mountain area riding, Santa Fe, Taos, Las Vegas, etc.

09/11/2020 - 09/14/2020

Midway Camp-N-Ride

Location: Midway, British Columbia Contact: Judy Wiebe events@valleybmwriders.com Join us for a few days of camping and riding in beautiful Midway, BC. This is a no-host campout, although we try to coordinate a group dinner one evening.

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WHEN

AND WHERE

09/11/2020 - 09/13/2020

38 BMW Battlefield Memorial

Workers Rally

Location: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Contact: Sam Booth samrbooth@yahoo.com The Sixth Battleﬁeld Memorial Workers Rally is devoted to volunteering a few hours for the National Park Service at Battleﬁeld preservation and restoration. So far we have torn down three miles of worm fencing, cut brush, overgrowth and trees from the Slaughter Pen, and removed rail fencing at The Angle. 09/17/2020 - 09/20/2020

39 44th Annual Pure Stodge Iowa

Rally

Location: Amana, Iowa Contact: Mark Mumaw 319-213-5389 mark_mumaw@yahoo.com Additional details can be found on our website as well at www.purestodge.org. 09/18/2020 - 09/20/2020

40 MOA Getaway - Warren

Location: Warren, Vermont Contact: BMW MOA (864) 438-0962 This year we move a little further south to our new Vermont location, Sugarbush Resort in Warren Vermont. This 4000 acre, four-season resort is famous for being one of the largest ski resorts in New England and where the outdoor enthusiast can find abundant summer activities. Situated at the base of Mt Ellen, the third tallest peak in Vermont, Sugarbush Resort in located in the historic Mad River Valley. This is where you “come for the mountains, and stay for the valley”.

09/18/2020 - 09/20/2020

17th Thunder Mountain Rendezvous Location: Hotchkiss, Colorado Contact: Kerry Dolan 970-985-1274 dolankm@gmail.com Our rally offers great camaraderie, a beautiful venue and the greatest riding in Colorado. It also helps us raise money to support motorcycle safety and the local Booster Club. Our low elevation venue includes a large meeting hall, restrooms

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

with showers, plenty of grassy camping and the convenience of walking to downtown restaurants, stores and motels.

Saturday evening dinner, Movies by the Lake, Community Bonfire, endless Coffee, Lemonade and Ice Water at Rally Central, and Door Prizes.

09/18/2020 - 09/20/2020

42 29th Annual Purity Springs Rally Location: East Madison, New Hampshire Contact: www.gsbmwr.org. Come and join us in the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire for our 29th annual rally. You can choose to camp, stay in a cabin (cold water), or stay in a hotel room. Camping is on a level grassy field. Hot showers are a short walk from the camping/cabin area. After dinner each night enjoy the conversation and laughs around the campfire. 09/18/2020 - 09/20/2020

43 18th Annual Laurel Highlands

BMW Riders Campout

Location: Somerset, Pennsylvania Contact: Jason Kaplitz gsjay@kaplitz.com We return to PIONEER PARK CAMPGROUND located in south central Pennsylvania. Pioneer Park is a terrific full-service camping resort with excellent showers and facilities. 09/25/2020 - 09/27/2020

44 35th Annual Hoosier Beemer

Rally

Location: North Vernon, Indiana Contact: Andy Fountain k12lts@gmail.com Join us for great riding in scenic southern Indiana. Rally fee $35 includes two nights camping, Friday night gourmet hot dog roast with all the fixins’ and a live bluegrass band, Saturday night dinner and door prizes. Breakfast and lunch Saturday available for purchase. Large shelter house, NEW restroom and shower building and shady camping. Vendors welcome.

09/25/2020 - 09/27/2020

46 Ride the Blue Ridge with the

Knobbies

Location: Morganton, North Carolina Contact: Gene Smith 828-439-9754 rallymaster@knobbies.org Join us the week after the BMWRA Rally in Waynesville, NC. Come on over to our side of the mountains for some great riding and hospitality. From touring to off-road rides. All proceeds go to the South Mountain Children and Family Services. 09/25/2020 - 09/27/2020

47 44th Annual Hiawatha Rally Location: Houston, Minnesota Contact: Steve Deglmann hiawatharally@gmail.com The BMW Motorcycle Owners Club of Minnesota invites you to the 44th Annual Hiawatha Rally at Money Creek Haven Campground near Houston, Minn. Rally fee includes: two nights camping, coffee, tea, water and lemonade. Vendors on site. Demo rides by Leo’s South.

October 48

10/01/2020 - 10/05/2020

Last Chance to Camp-N-Ride

Location: Oroville, Washington Contact: Judy Wiebe events@valleybmwriders.com Join us for a few days of riding and camping on beautiful Osoyoos Lake in downtown Oroville, Washington. This is a no host campout, although we do try to coordinate a group meal one evening.

09/25/2020 - 09/27/2020

45 Rams Rally

Location: Parker’s Crossroads, Tennessee Contact: Spencer L Bennett 901-626-2831 officers@bmwrams.com Rally fee of $40.00 dollars includes Friday and Saturday nights tent camping, pancake breakfast on Friday and Saturday,

10/02/2020 - 10/04/2020

49 MOA Getaway - Tomah

Location: Tomah, Wisconsin Contact: BMW MOA (864) 438-0962 Local riders will tell you this area is the “east Tennessee of the upper Midwest.” There are so many curves, twists, coulees and

hollows you’d swear you are in West Virginia. And the roads… oh, the roads! 10/02/2020 - 10/04/2020

50 Wheels in the Field

Location: Chester, Vermont Contact: Doug Morrison dmorrison@ohiengineering.com We are so excited for the third year of this ever-growing Enduro Weekend, Wheels in the Field: an Oktoberfest German gear head gathering of BMW Motorcycles the weekend of October in the Town of Chester, Vermont.

10/03/2020

Annual Hamburger Cookout

Location: Cooper, Texas Contact: Austin Hutton president@lonestarbmwriders.org Join Lone Star BMW Riders for a day of riding, eating, socializing and fun. This is a new location for us. Please note this is a Texas State Park and entry fees apply. If you are not a club member but plan on joining us, please take a moment to register on our our web site at: LONE STAR BMW RIDERS

10/09/2020 - 10/11/2020

Colonial Virginia Motorcycle Rally

Location: Lanexa, Virginia Contact: Carol E Beals 757-287-5594 cebeals@gmail.com All makes of bikes are welcome. We’ll be at Rockahock Campgrounds (N37° 24.292’ W76° 56.011’) 1428 Outpost Road Lenexa, VA 23089. The campground is north of Williamsburg and outside of the Historic Triangle of Virginia. There are many wonderful historic sites (Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown) to visit close by as well as some great riding roads.

10/09/2020 - 10/11/2020

45th Falling Leaf Rally

Location: Steelville, Missouri Contact: Bill Haugen rally-coordinator@gatewayriders.com A new venue this year BASS’ River Resort offers tent camping, full hookup RV sites and a variety of cabins. Dual sport riders will appreciate the many forest roads in the area and there will be plenty of twisty

June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

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54 16th Annual Smoky Mountain Fall

Reunion

Location: Stecoah, North Carolina Contact: Dave Selvig 704-609-9087 saddleman72@gmail.com Ride the mountain roads in western North Carolina & Eastern Tennessee & enjoy the great fall follage. Breakfast & dinner can be purchased in the lodge. Unless you are camping you will need to reserve your room in advance. Camping, Bunkhouse, RV Sites, Semi Private & Private rooms available.

10/22/2020 - 10/23/2020

Premier Training at BMW Performance Center Location: Greer, South Carolina Contact: Ray Tubbs (864) 438-0962 ray@bmwmoa.org Limited to only 14 participants, this full day of rider training will encompass both on and off-road skill development using BMW Performance Center facilities, motorcycles and instructors. This unique opportunity includes two nights lodging at the Greenville Marriot Hotel with a Thursday night “meet and greet” and introductory session at the Performance Center. Friday features a full day of both on- and off-road training with breakfast, lunch and an evening dinner. Transportation between the hotel and the Performance Center facility, a special Premier event polo shirt, and the use of a Performance Center BMW motorcycle are also provided.

www.beemershop.com 10/23/2020 - 10/25/2020

56 MOA Getaway - Kerrville Location: Kerrville, Texas Contact: BMW MOA (864) 438-0962 Welcome back to the Texas Hill Country. We are back for our second year at one of the area’s most iconic hotel venues, the Inn of the Hills Resort and Conference Center in Kerrville, Texas, where Texas history meets Hill Country hospitality!

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BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

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BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

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BMW ON (ISSN:1080-5729) (USPS: 735-590) (BMW Owners News) is published monthly by BMW Motorcycle Owners of America Inc., 2350 Hwy 101 South, Greer, SC 29651. 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, 2350 Hwy 101 South, Greer, SC 29651 © 2020 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 50, Number 6

June 2020 | BMW OWNERS NEWS

TAILIGHT

BMW OWNERS NEWS | June 2020

Phillip A. DeLeon #207255, shot this image in Saint Petersburg, Russia, early one morning before traffic filled the scene. DeLeon captured the shot during a 19,000-mile ride which took him from Florida to Bangkok.

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