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RIDERTORIDER Send your letters and comments to: editor@bmwmoa.org
AM I STILL COVERED?
I just renewed my Platinum membership and now I read that the MOA is splitting the tire program from Platinum Roadside? Please tell me I am still going to be covered for both roadside towing and tire protection and you didn’t just cost me $50. Jerry Aldini #214426 Mountain Brook, Alabama Jerry, Your Platinum membership still contains both roadside towing coverage AND tire protection. We simply moved the administration of the tire program in house instead of with a third-party call center to provide you with better customer service in the claims process. Every Platinum towing package offers 24/7 roadside dispatch along with replacement coverage for two tires per year, up to $250 each. You keep the same great financial coverage but will receive better claim service under the new program. –editor
C'mon BMW!
I’ve been riding for almost 61 years and have had lots of Yamahas, a few Hondas, one Suzuki and one Vincent–which I rode regularly for almost 40 years. I have done hundreds of oil changes and tune-ups, clutch changes, and a few top end rebuilds. My decision to trade my trusty, reliable and easy to maintain ‘17 Yamaha FJR1300 in on a ‘24 R 1300 GS wasn’t easy–the Yamaha is a great bike, parts are readily available and reasonably priced, and BMW refuses to sell service manuals and I hear rumors of high prices for parts. BMW obviously thinks that they can force owners to get all maintenance done at the dealership. They are wrong. All this policy does is encourage people to sell black market service manuals. BMW, you make great bikes; it’s time to
12 BMW OWNERS NEWS | March 2024
embrace the right-to-repair movement that is sweeping North America. Bob Collings #236044 Winnipeg, Manitoba
gave me some validation for my crazy hobby. Bravo, Mark! I hope he stays with your magazine for many more years. He is a true asset to the publication. Roland Bassek #234189 Carlsbad, California
From a Beemer to a Duc
My first motorcycle was a 1973 Honda SL350. Close to 51 years later, my fourteenth bike which I can’t wait to ride when spring makes its arrival here in Minnesota, is a beautiful 2014 Ducati Multistrada 1200S Pikes Peak edition. My previous seven rides have been BMWs. Thanks to the BMW MOA for supporting and promoting all things motorcycling, and for welcoming all riders, regardless of the brand that gets them out enjoying what is a passion for all of us. I’ll be renewing my membership soon. Tom Bergstrom #136776 Apple Valley, Minnesota
Clearances by Mark Barnes
I just received my December ‘23 issue of BMW Owner News. I have read many of Mark’s contributed articles and find them well written and informative, whether it’s product reviews or just his perspective on things. His recent “commentary” on life, “Clearances,” is completely spot on. What he says about our daily lives in work and expectations from society is what I have been saying for so long. Corporate America is expecting more and more out of its human component, and not understanding the need for lubricants and play/give. I loved reading this opinion piece so much, I only wished I could have it submitted to other publications as well. What he says about our constant daily pressures is the very reason I run to my motorcycles and motor hobbies for that “relief.” His article
The Ride Inside
I just finished reading “Clearances” by Mark Barnes in BMW Owners News (December 2023). This was a year of little riding for a number of reasons I won’t bother sharing, but the narrative was spot on. Thanks, Mark, for sharing the obvious. It was needed. Charlie Lueders #206438 Erie, Colorado
Neck Braces
I’ve been wearing the same Leatt STX Road neck brace since 2011. I thought these collars were only for dirt riders until this street-oriented version became available. Product literature explaining the many ways I could injure my neck had me sold instantly. As stated in Dustin Silvey’s article (Jan/Feb 2024 issue), spinal cord injuries are more common than people think, and this product works to prevent them. Besides safeguarding the neck, the Leatt provides additional brain protection. It does this by slowing the rotation of a helmet in a crash. The top surface of the brace is made from a material that creates friction when a helmet makes contact with it. Helmet brands like 6D have internal components that reduce rotational forces transmitted to the head during impact. The Leatt neck brace provides an external method of accomplishing this with any helmet. I have crashed while wearing my STX.