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RIDERTORIDER Send your letters and comments to: editor@bmwmoa.org
It's science
My heart goes out to you folks when it comes to choosing submitted letters for printing. I’m referring to Ron Parson’s letter in June in which he called our climate crisis “drivel.” Our nation has produced a certain kind of citizen whose superpower is to obfuscate the obvious. I hope and trust that most of your readers base their viewpoints on the hard work of our scientists who are motivated by curiosity and trying to be as objective as humanly possible. The heating of our planet is no more political than your house catching fire. What brought about this crisis, and what we do about it, IS political. I, personally, am dealing with the grief of so much of our wondrous flora and fauna disappearing from this rare gem of a planet. Bret Nelson #98578 Vienna, Virginia
Thanks for the benefit
Just a quick note to say thanks to the MOA staff for making Jon Delvecchio’s “Cornering Confidence” on-line course available to our membership. I’ve been “wanting” to take a rider course for a long time, and even with your gentle nudges, I didn’t make it happen! Well, thanks to MOA, I had no excuse! I also bought Jon’s book, so I can continue to review and practice. I’ll try to keep using his methods so that they become ingrained habits, and nothing would make me happier than to have Linda tell me how impressed she is with my smoothness and fluid-like moves through the twisties! Thanks for the benefit! Dave Cowgill #61217 Clayton, Delaware
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BMW OWNERS NEWS | August 2020
Hanging up the gloves
Occasionally I have seen articles giving advice on how to buy a used motorcycle, and given that I have always bought my bikes used—never new—I have read such articles with great interest. But now I have reached circumstances where riding is something I’m going to have to put behind me. I have three bikes to sell, all BMW’s, and I am hoping to pass them on to good homes. I’d like to sell them at decent prices. I’d also like to avoid dealing with people who are out to scam me or decide they have reason to sue me. So, I am hoping that someone in the BMW MOA community might share their wisdom in how to best manage this delicate process. An article on the subject would be well appreciated. I am hanging up my riding gloves with regret. My decades of riding have been very enjoyable and rewarding in so many ways, but now it is time. I am hopeful my bikes will continue to roll on well into the future and give their new owners the same joy they gave me. Ed Bianchi #100679 York, Pennsylvania If anyone can advise Ed how best to sell his beloved BMWs, feel free to contact him at horacepro@aol.com –Editor
Number 12 is my favorite
I bought my first BMW in 1976 and my twelfth BMW in 2016, 44 years later. I am more appreciative of the technological refinements, and I am just as proud to own my most favorite BMW, a 2015 F 800 GT. At 470 lbs., it has 90 HP, ESA, TPM, and an ABS system which, in 62,000 miles, has prevented a collision twice. The GT is dependable, economical and as safe as a mass-produced motorcycle can be, and it is fun. The addition of side cases and bar backs completes it.
Lastly, my thanks to Richard, the master tech, and the entire service department at San Diego BMW. Jeff Peek #36722 San Diego, California
An interesting discovery
A few weeks ago, I was riding my mountain bike on my beloved trails in Palo Dura Canyon in the Texas Panhandle. As I unloaded the bike from my roof rack and put on my bike shoes, I realized I had forgotten my hydration backpack. The canyon was close to 100 degrees, and after driving 104 miles to ride, a little heat wasn’t going to stop me. I took a big drink which I thought should contain my thirst for a little three hour ride. I then set my drink on the SUV’s seat, hopped atop my bike and off I peddled on the dirt trails. Heat or no, the ride was once again wonderful for my old bones, and there was enough wind to provide a bit of evaporation of sweat for a semi-cooling relief. As I was about through 90 percent of the ride, I noticed I was no longer sweating. Bad sign and with about three miles left of challenging vertical climbs, I began to feel slightly dizzy. I made it back to my SUV, grabbed my drink and discovered my placement of the drink had left it exposed to the West Texas sun. The drink was almost too hot to drink however, I quickly realized the more I drank, the cooler my body temperature felt. As I finished my drink, I remembered reading a doctor’s thought on hydration. He simply said “If you want to warm quickly, drink a cold drink and to cool, drink a warm liquid. I have since tried this numerous times and it works. Keith Ingram #198056 Clovis New Mexico