BMW Owners News for April 2024

Helmets, made by the dedicated hands of those who work at Arai, have shown examples of supreme protection for decades.

The numerous improvements by their experienced hands, and personal desire to further the protection of riders’ heads, are among the many unique reasons Arai helmets perform the way they do.

From our very first helmet to those we make today, rider protection remains our first priority, and we at Arai shall never forget the value of what we have been seeking to protect is priceless.

When

you carry 45,000 parts, you get a million questions.

We’re happy to answer every one, because we know that’s important to you.

Our parts staff fulfills orders every day from within our service department, not from a warehouse or remote call center. This means if you ever have a question, you can count on talking with a talented professional who works on and around BMW Motorycles all the time. With an unparalleled inventory and dedicated parts staff that ships orders 6 days a week, MAX BMW is here to make ordering parts for your motorcycle convenient and easy!

Shop our parts catalog at www.maxbmw.com

Questions? Call us at 203-740-1270 or send an e-mail to francis@maxbmw.com

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IT'S THE COMMUNITY

While I consider myself a social media neophyte, there’s no denying platforms like Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube are growing exponentially and demanding more of our attention. Whether that’s good or bad depends upon one’s point of view. While I admit to being a Facebook lurker, or “creeper” as my daughters call me, YouTube offers an incredible knowledge base on nearly any topic imaginable. There, in addition to the motorcycle-related YouTube channels I watch, I found videos where I learned how to install and finish drywall via “Vancouver Carpenter” and build a deck with the help of “Dr. Decks.”

While thumbing through Facebook recently, I came across a post from an MOA member who, after maintaining his membership for more than 25 years, had decided not to renew. He explained his actions by describing how his 2020 R 1250 RT, with only 15,000 miles on the clock, had left him stranded twice due to an unresolved starting issue. Unhappy with his local dealership and their inability to diagnose and resolve the problem, the poster sold the RT and bought a 2023 Triumph Tiger GT Explorer. He then ended his post by saying, “So, for now, it’s adios to BMW and MOA!”

Regardless of one’s opinion on specific motorcycle brands or issues experienced, what caught my attention was that the writer wasn’t only leaving BMW motorcycles in his rear-view mirror, but the MOA as well, even after maintaining his membership for more than a quarter century.

For as long as I’ve worked as editor of BMW Owners News, I’ve never found it difficult to extol the benefits of spending just $49 for a full MOA membership to any rider I’ve met.

When questioned, “Why join the MOA?” I’ll begin by asking if there’s another riding organization offering a product similar to our BMW Owners Anonymous book–the original roadside assistance plan that has been serving our members for 50 years and is free with an MOA membership. Available in both print and digital format, the Owners Anonymous book offers riders piece of mind, knowing that should they have issues while on the road, friendly help is only a phone call away.

I’ll explain that over the years we’ve published many

Anonymous book rescue stories here in BMW Owners News and I’m always amazed at just how far MOA members will go to help a rider in need.

From there, I’ll mention the 10% rebate given MOA members on BMW parts, gear, and accessories. For riders interested in improving their skills through training, an MOA membership includes a 15% discount on training at the BMW Performance Center and a $200 Paul B. training grant. Members can even train at home through the free online training offered through CHAMP U and Street Skills Cornering Confidence. Additional discounts save members money on everything from hotels and camping to Butler maps and Dell computers.

Interested in connecting with other members and exchanging technical knowledge, event information, or just sharing a joke? The BMW MOA forum offers a place for that. Want to get together with other riders at a rally or other motorcycle-related event? The MOA Rally Calendar of Getaways offers a long list of destinations sure to keep your wheels spinning. Then there’s the MOA Mileage Contest, recognition for total mileage ridden on BMW motorcycles, the MOA Marketplace, and of course, this magazine.

Posts describing mechanical issues aren’t new to my Facebook feed and once read, a thumb swipe quickly brings another post on a completely unrelated topic and the previous post is forgotten. What made me follow this particular thread though, was the response from other Facebook users–nearly 150 of them. Most carried a tone similar to Bruce McKelvy’s who said, “Sorry to hear about your problems with the RT...the MOA is about the riding family no matter what brand you ride. I have three BMWs but ride a Honda Silverwing Scooter the most these days...I rode it to the National Rally in Virginia and will be riding it to this year’s rally in Oregon. I am quite confident that I will be welcomed, no matter what I ride, and will have a great time with the folks there…You don’t have to own a BMW to be a member of the MOA.”

Bruce’s response, along with most of the other replies were spot on. The MOA isn’t just about the Owners Anonymous book, product discounts, technical information, and events, it’s about the community we share and camaraderie we enjoy.

Great Start to the Day

Four GS riders encountered a Tiger at sunrise for some riding in the sand in Gilchrist, Texas.

Photo by Gabriel Kern #218091

you can help plot the future of the moa

By Chad Garcia #138742, MOA Secretary

The BMW Motorcycle Owners of America is operated almost entirely by volunteers who believe in our organization. The MOA Board of Directors works tirelessly to solve problems now and to look into the future to head off issues that may impact our organization. An effective board has members with various backgrounds, skills, demographics, and geographies.

MOA board members are, first and foremost, riders and a voice for the membership. They have taken on the responsibility of at least one monthly meeting, as well as taking time off to attend in-person board meetings, open session meetings and our events, including the National Rally, to represent the MOA in everything that they do. This means riding safely, being respectful to others, and leading this club, which is a big commitment.

For the 2024 election, we have four BMW MOA Board Director positions open. Five MOA members, including two incumbents, have submitted biographies and photographs to be published in this month’s issue of BMW Owners News. Please read these candidate statements and give careful consideration as to who you believe will best serve the MOA.

Each elected candidate will be seated on the board as an MOA Director during the executive board meeting at the BMW MOA National Rally in Redmond, Oregon, this June. The four newly elected Board members will serve on the board for three years. Board officer elections for the positions of President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary will occur at that board meeting in Redmond after the new board members have been seated as Directors.

Contact Chad Garcia at chad.garcia@bmwmoa.org

Contact the MOA Board of Directors at board@bmwmoa.org

As with previous BMW MOA elections, throughout April a special election-related forum will be available for MOA members to interact with the candidates running for the Board. This election forum is available by accessing the MOA Forum at forums.bmwmoa.org.

Our recent elections have seen 10% or less voter turnout, which is not giving a voice to the majority. It only takes a minute to vote, and your vote does make a difference in who is elected to represent you. After thoughtfully considering your choices for MOA Director, please cast your vote online. To do this, each current MOA member will receive a unique link via email allowing them to cast a single ballot in our online voting system. If you are not an email user or prefer a paper ballot, please contact the MOA membership office and a ballot will be sent to you by mail. All ballots must be postmarked by April 30 and received by May 10, 2024, to be counted.

By voting, you have the chance to help plot the future of the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America. The MOA Board of Directors would like to thank the candidates for stepping forward to represent our organization and our MOA staff who will maintain a fair election process.

Thank you to our election committee volunteers John Gamel, Don Hamblin and Muriel Farrington. Your service to the organization, like so many of our volunteers, is exemplary.

Chad

Opposite page bottom right, My S 1000 XR at a stop in Cripple Creek, Colorado, on a perfect late July afternoon. Photo by Al Rosabal #212373.

Below top left, A 50-degree day in the Hoosier State prompted a visit to the Haunted Bridge in Avon, Indiana. Photo by Mitch Miller #226232.

Below top right, On a recent tour of New Zealand, we stopped at The Longest Place Name in the World. Photo by Todd Stipp #218251.

Bottom, A stop while riding Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. Photo by Tom Snelham #173206.

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.

Opposite page top, Riding through the Black Hills of South Dakota. Photo by Mark Janda #198513.

Opposite page left middle, A photo taken during a quick ride up South Willow Canyon near Grantsvile, Utah. photo by Matt Ricker #227080.

Opposite page left bottom, Riding along the Piccadilly Pineapple Adventure Trail on Pudding Hill Road in central Massachusetts on my 2023 G 310 GS. Photo by David Marrier #209759.

ttowners news

I just read in the MOA Newsletter that the January/February issue of the BMW Owners News is going to be a combined issue. Is this going to be your way of making it a bimonthly issue magazine? Just asking because of the way you have snuck in a few changes to it in the last year or two that are kind of cheap.

Alec Wieczorek #216671 Jordan, New York

No, BMW Owners News is not going to a bimonthly publication schedule. Our special January/February issue was primarily devoted to covering some of the great things the MOA Foundation is doing and had nearly the same amount of editorial content normally seen in two typical issues. –Editor

Boxer cup replica badge

For seven years, I’ve been trying to determine which number of 300 my 2004 R 1100 S Boxer Cup Replica is. BMW Motorrad and BMW NA could not help me. I’ve tried various dealers around the country to no avail. Recently I tried NA again, but they were no help.

Then I found Greg Templeton at MAX BMW in Hoosick, New York. Knowing MAX had been around a long time, I called and asked for the oldest employee. I know this smacks of ageism, but I’m 73 and don’t have time to fool around, so cancel me.

Greg was able to interrogate the data and found a way to identify which build my BCR is. I had owned #73 of 300, and my current BCR is 45 VIN numbers newer than #73. Greg was able to identify each additional R 1100 S built after #73. By looking at the custom accessories and the MSRP-price, Greg was able to identify all the next 45 VIN numbers as either S or

BCR models. He was then able to determine my current BCR is #78 of 300.

In 2004 when originally purchased, BMW Motorrad gave owners a BCR package including a build number of 300 badge and an identical lapel pin. Sometimes the badge was mounted on the top triple clamp, but sometimes it was put in a drawer. I am hoping another MOA member was the original owner of #78 and still has the badge, pin, or both.

If a MOA member does have the badge or pin, I’d like to discuss their possible acquisition.

Steve Kiener #50201 Madeira, Ohio

mileage contest unfair

I have been participating in the mileage contest since 2007 and have been in the top 25 seven times!

You have changed the start and end dates to April 1st and March 31st. I live in southern Illinois where the temps here have been in the single digits for several days now and will remain in the single digits for several days to come. I will now have to compete with the people in the southern states who are able to ride year-round! This is completely unfair for any of the members in northern states as everyone knows places in the far north have absolutely no chance of making the top 25!

This upsets me greatly as I have always anticipated the contest results to be in the April magazine to know where I landed in the contest! I see no reason for me to even participate!

Please rethink and change it back to April 1st ending October 31st.

Rich Westcott #40472 Millstadt, Illinois

a time to quit

Jon DelVecchio’s article (January/ February 2024 BMW Owners News) hit home as only a few months earlier, I made the decision to end my motorcycling career. It did not come easily, and the decision came after 25 years of touring where I saw 46 states, 16 National Parks, Highway 50 from Coast to Coast, Michigan to Key West, a Switzerland tour, and nearly 100, 000 miles on three different motorcycles, crash free.

My wife, who chose not to join me, has been very understanding and always provided a stress-free “kitchen pass” to enjoy my passion. I felt that, at 66, it was time to indulge in other hobbies that lowered my risk of serious bodily injury.

I always stressed ATGATT, continued training (including the BMW experience in Greer), and riding within my skill set. While I miss seeing my bike in the garage, I’ll trade the annual two-wheel trips to travel to golf and see new places with my very understanding best friend of 44 years.

Anthony Berens #173779 Savannah, Georgia

too much

In my 40+ years of riding, I’ve watched motorcycle engines get bigger and more powerful and wondered when they would be too much. I think the too much power threshold has been crossed.

Bikes have so much power these days that the average rider apparently can’t control it. We now have buttons to press to tell the bike when the road is wet and let the bike control the power. When I started riding, throttle control was taught.

Bob Sawyer #135948

Cedar City, Utah

r 1300 gs engineering

I was amazed at all the new engineering described in the R 1300 GS article (BMW Owners News, October 2023). It was totally amazing and ingenious–the engineering has no parallel.

While cutting the weight of the bike will make a lot of riders happy, as I continued to read more and more, an uncomfortable feeling began to creep in. I began considering what I could repair on the bike when on an extended trip.

What if the Shift Cam Valve Sensor can’t determine which configuration is needed or the transmission integrated into the bottom of the engine needed attention? Would those be total bike disassembly repairs?

What if one of six ride modes fails or the Riding Assistant refuses to assist or the Self Adjusting Suspension stays at full tip toe height or the Lane Change Sensor continues to vibrate your hands or Crash Avoidance sensor doesn’t trust any driver on the road and constantly pulls you to a stop? Is the remedy an entire electronics and wiring replacement?

I love my R 1150 BMW with 78,000 miles on it. I feel comfortable and confident with the maintenance I can perform before any trip. I know which symptoms to be concerned about and how to remedy.

Am I a dwindling percentage of the MOA who hasn’t owned 15 BMWs over 10 years? Maybe that is the MOA clientele these days–swap out the bike before the maintenance and warranty expires and leave the bike to the metal recyclers. After 30,000 miles what would the maintenance bill be? Three quarters the value of the bike? Is the bike an engineering marvel but a throwaway like most of today’s items?

Not many folks will want to chance the purchase of a technically advanced bike that only dealership trained professionals, who are hopefully within 150 miles, can diagnose, fix, and rebuild the motorcycle.

I need more information about the engineering, its maintenance, repair, fail safe/limp home modes and any early recalls. As we know, owner’s manuals are not much help with complex technology–just idiot lights and ‘take the motorcycle to the nearest dealer for service’ information.

Though it possesses awesome engineering, I am hesitant to own a R 1300 GS unless I have more real-world information on the technology vs. noticeably stunning and dynamic marketing.

Riding off on a 5,000-mile trip or into 200 miles of outback camping without a

prayer as to how to fix anything but a flat tire is not the BMW confidence I have come to enjoy.

But I am sure we shall all RIDE ON.

Mike Zablocki #139500

Westminster, Colorado

missing jack

I have not contributed anything to the MOA for a long time. Maybe my youthful enthusiasm has waned over time regarding interactions with the internet crowd.

Reading about the passing of Jack Riepe and the article by his daughter really created a void. Jack’s column was always the first one I would read when the magazine arrived. His style always made me laugh out loud. He was one of a kind, and I will miss him.

That’s all I have to say.

Mike Pageau #28109

Saint-Antoine, New Brunswick

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Each month, the Rider to Rider pages of BMW Owners News detail the successes, failures, wishes and frustrations we all face as riders, BMW motorcycle owners, customers and individuals. As a BMW MOA member, these are your pages and we want to know what’s on your mind.

Got something to get off your chest? Tell us about it. Know a business that deserves to be recognized? Tell us about it. Got a riding or tech tip that we could all benefit from? Tell us about it. Got a suggestion for BMW Motorrad? You know the drill–Tell us about it! There’s only one rule and that’s to stick to the subject that brings us all here–motorcycling, so save political rants for Facebook! Send your thoughts to editor@bmwmoa.org and lets all work to build a better community.

Education credit for lEO at m'fest

Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders are eligible for up to 24 hours of continuing education credit at M’Fest.

Training at the annual Authority Bike Shootout is conducted by instructors from the BMW Performance Center and BMW Authority Bike Ambassador, Quinn Redeker. There is no cost to the training or competition for law enforcement officers and first responders!

The BMW Performance Center will also conduct both on-road and off-road training for MOA members and spectators at M’Fest. MOA members can register for their choice of training at mfest.bmwmoa.org. On-site tent camping is included with every training registration and registering for both on-road and off-road training earns a discount on both classes!

M’Fest happens September 12-15, 2024, at the Wilson County Fairgrounds in Lebanon, Tennessee. The event is free for spectators to attend, and more than 100 competitors are expected for the Authority Bike Shootout.

Visit the website mfest.bmwmoa.org for details and to reserve your spot!

20 Splendid Years of adriatic moto tours

It all started 20 years ago in a garage with two motorcycles and three enthusiastic friends, Matej and Martina Malovrh and their good friend, Blaz Zganjar, all still very much involved in running the company. At that time, very few foreigners knew where Slovenia was, but the trio managed to get 25 riders overseas and organized two tours in the first year. The first tours were run under the name Slovenia Moto Tours, and the company became Adriatic Moto Tours about two seasons later because the owners thought it sounded more appealing and romantic, and, mostly, because they hoped it would bring in more clients. They were right.

Much has changed over those 20 years, and luckily, a few more people know about Slovenia and Adriatic Moto Tours today. Conveniently located in the heart of Europe, Slovenia is a perfect starting point for exploring Central and Eastern Europe, the Alps, the Balkans, the Adriatic Coast and the Mediterranean.

Today, Adriatic Moto Tours is one of the leading companies in the world, offering guided, custom, and self-guided tours, as well as rentals. Whether you wish to ride romantic Italy, the mighty Alps, the intriguing Balkans, the amazing Adriatic Coastline, or the royal European capitals, it’s all here at the Adriatic Moto Tours doorstep.

Come ride roads less traveled and start planning your dream ride with Adriatic Moto Tours. For more information, visit www. adriaticmototours.com.

bmw sales up in 2023

BMW Motorrad issued a press release in mid-January 2024 touting their 2023 sales figures, which reached 209,257 units, the best sales year in the history of the marque and a jump of 3.1% over 2022’s numbers.

More important than the hard numbers, here is the trend over time: BMW’s sales have increased year-over-year going all the way back to 2011, with the exception of a drop from 2019 to 2020. BMW sold nearly twice as many motorcycles in 2022 as they did in 2011 (202,895 vs. 104,286).

Germany remains BMW’s #1 market, with about 12% of their annual sales (24,176) happening there. Close behind is France (21,668), then Italy (16,179). The US market suffered a slight drop year-overyear, falling from 17,690 sales in 2022 to 17,017 in 2023. This was still enough to make USA BMW’s #3 market for the second straight year. Sales were up in China, India, Brazil and Mexico as well.

BMW’s leading models remained the GS bikes, with about 56,000 R 1250 GS/ GSA bikes sold, plus 4,528 R 1300 GSes and 11,064 F 750 GSes. BMW also sold 25,194 S bikes, including 11,442 S 1000 RR supersports and 3,655 M 1000 R hyper roadsters. Over 62,800 of the BMWs sold worldwide in 2023 were F and G bikes, showing BMW’s growing strength in the middleweight segments. BMW also sold 20,460 scooters, including 7,177 of the all-electric CE 04.

BMW AG is expected to release its 2023 annual report in mid-March 2024.

it's election time!

For the 2024 BMW MOA Board election, we have four director positions open. The five MOA members listed below have submitted their biographies and photographs and are our board candidates for 2024. Please read these candidate statements and give careful consideration as to who you believe will best serve the MOA.

Each elected candidate will be seated on the board as an MOA Director during the executive board meeting at the BMW MOA National Rally in Redmond, Oregon, this June. The four newly elected Board members will serve on the board for three years. Board officer elections for the positions of President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary will occur at that board meeting in Redmond after the new board members have been seated as Directors.

As with previous BMW MOA elections, throughout April a special election-related forum will be available for MOA members to interact with the candidates running for the Board. This election forum is available by accessing the MOA Forum at forums.bmwmoa. org. After thoughtfully considering your choices for MOA Director, please cast your vote online. To do this, each current MOA member will receive a unique link via e-mail allowing them to cast a single ballot in our online voting system. If you are not an email user or prefer a paper ballot, please contact the MOA membership office and a ballot will be sent to you by mail. All ballots must be postmarked by April 30 and received by May 10, 2024, to be counted.

Douglas Bakke #224310

Throughout my career, I have worked in many service-related fields, including dishwasher, cook, mechanic, and U.S. Marine. In 2023, I retired as a Chief Operating Officer with the Florida court system after 29 years of service. No matter the role, I have always enjoyed working with people at all levels to improve processes and build community. As a proven professional and an avid motorcycle enthusiast, I believe I have much to offer if elected to serve.

Our garage holds three BMW GSes and a Ural sidecar. My wife Tami and I enjoy traveling on the GSes, and the Ural has become a favorite mode of travel for our rescue dogs Hundr and Ollie.

I enjoy volunteering in the rider community and have served at several rallies, including the 50th National Rally in Doswell, Virginia. I currently serve as an MOA Member Forces Recruiter and am committed to helping increase membership in the MOA. In our local community, I host a free monthly training and practice event to help riders build their off-pavement skills. The event draws new participation every month and typically serves 30-35 riders per event.

I believe that nobody supports the rider community better

than the BMW MOA. The MOA is a valuable forum for members to connect with each other, to share their passion for BMW motorcycles, and to participate in a variety of events and activities. As I see it, the following are the most important issues facing the BMW MOA:

Membership growth and retention: Let’s find new ways to attract and retain members, particularly younger riders, at the national and local club level.

Financial stability and value: Let’s ensure that the BMW MOA is financially sound so that we can continue to provide valuable services to our members.

Relevance to a changing motorcycle market: Let’s adapt to the changing demographics of the motorcycle market and make sure that the BMW MOA remains relevant to all motorcycle owners.

Communication and engagement: Let’s leverage our resources within the MOA and the riding community as a whole to better understand the needs of the community and promote engagement and exchange of ideas.

Event planning and execution: Let’s continue to increase the quality of events that are enjoyable and memorable for our members.

Douglas Bakke

Adam Chandler

Jennifer Ott

Phil Stalboerger

Mike Versage

I have the skills and experience to help the BMW MOA remain relevant and to achieve our goals. I am committed to working with the other members of the Board of Directors to ensure that the BMW MOA remains a strong and vibrant organization for many years to come. I am asking for your vote in the upcoming election. I promise to work hard to make the BMW MOA an even better organization for all motorcycle owners and enthusiasts.

Adam Chandler #207579

My name is Adam Chandler, and I’m seeking reelection to the MOA Board of Directors.

I joined this association in 2016 after purchasing my first GS. Following numerous regional events and a few nationals, I became a regional coordinator in the northeast as well as a board member of the incredible Vermont BMW club and wanted to do even more for our members, as well as represent the growing millennial population in our club.

I’m an avid off-road enthusiast and multiple Iron Butt 1000miler finisher. Since joining the board, I’ve been able to focus on services and additions that add value to your memberships and work alongside the board, Ted Moyer, staff, and hundreds of volunteers to hopefully make this club better. I have received a lot of education since joining, primarily around the importance of celebrating our club’s history. I even purchased a K 75 after realizing how fun that crowd is to hang out with; an airhead is next.

Seeing the MOA embrace adventure and overland styles of travel, along with growing initiatives for women and new riders, I feel we’ve had an impact on a previously underrepresented groups in our ranks. While our membership continues to dwindle, we’ve had success not only in the program where any member can give away a free membership, but we’ve also succeeded in converting many of those free memberships to paid after one year, thus slowing the membership churn.

If I’m not re-elected, I’ll be happy we were able to bring the tire program in-house and improve our relationship with the MOA Foundation, enabling programs that make current and future MOA members safer on the road. Also, this board strengthened our relationship with BMW Motorrad NA, enabling renewed support for our rallies and the hugely successful parts discount.

Nothing the MOA accomplished since my term began is the work of one person. Everything has been thanks to our staff, volunteers, and volunteer board, but I am hoping you’ll allow me to continue playing a role in the future of your club with your vote.

Thank you.

Jennifer Ott #215257

I am so honored to be nominated to run for the BMW MOA Board of Directors. I live and breathe BMW motorcycles and absolutely love the BMW MOA.

I sell BMW motorcycles for BMW Motorcycles of Detroit, and riding is the ultimate passion for me. I started riding nearly 42 years ago and currently own 10 BMW motorcycles. I moved to the United States from Canada in 2019 after meeting the love of my life at the BMW MOA Finger Lakes Rally.

In the last five years I have placed first, second, third, and fifth in the BMW MOA summer mileage competition and second in the BMW MOA Grand Coddiwomple in 2021. I have met the most amazing people through the BMW MOA, including my fiancé, Marc Neville.

The BMW MOA has given me so much that I am duty bound to give back as much as I can. I have been the Social Media Chair for the BMW MOA National Rally for the last three years, am a BMW MOA Ambassador, a BMW MOA Member Forces Recruiter, and am the President of the BMW Touring Club of Detroit (BMW MOA Chartered Club #1). My job in BMW sales offers me a unique position to promote and encourage the BMW MOA to all prospective clients that walk in the dealership. I have proven the benefits of a symbiotic relationship between the BMW MOA and a BMW Motorrad dealership. Mutual benefits include growing membership and participation with the BMW MOA and growing BMW motorcycle sales in a BMW dealership by encouraging membership and participation in BMW MOA and BMW chartered club events.

As a BMW MOA Director, I would focus on growing the BMW MOA with more younger riders, encouraging dealer participation, fostering new volunteer participation, and promoting a positive social media presence for the club. I truly believe that I could be a positive, encouraging presence on the Board. My journey in the BMW MOA has been life-changing for me, and I am so grateful.

As Neil Peart once said: “The point of a journey is not to arrive…anything can happen.”

Phil Stalboerger #222952

Living in Minnesota, the drastic changes in weather patterns throughout the year help a person prepare for constant change. Being in leadership roles in my professional career has meant not only being comfortable with change, but leading it.

I began volunteering with the MOA after my very first

rally, which happened to be here in Minnesota that year. I later became a Regional Coordinator and have been serving on the MOA Board since 2022. I was honored to be elected by my peers on the Board to be the Treasurer of your BMW MOA. I take incredible pride and honor in serving in this capacity using my 30 years of professional experience as a backdrop to help guide the direction of the MOA and its mission.

As fellow Minnesotan, Bob Dylan proclaimed, “The times, they are a changing.” The MOA has witnessed many changes in the past 10 years alone. Positive changes have occurred with our tire program, bike incentives, technological tools resources, and even our logo has changed. Our National Rally continues to improve and grow, our priceless BMW Owners Anonymous Book provides members with formatting options, and our amazing staff continue to make improvements to enhance our membership.

Certainly, BMW motorcycles have changed and so have we. While I still have an R 1100 S and R 1200 S in my garage, my 2023 R 1250 RT proves the amazing changes to BMWs that continue to make them better. One thing that hasn’t changed is the sense of community and family that the MOA represents, and this is the very core of what I believe makes our 50-year-old motorcycle club the best organization to belong to and participate in.

I was in a motorcycle accident back in 2022, being rear ended by a careless driver which totaled my 2007 R 1200 RT. Given I am in the relationship business for work, I know first-hand the importance of a network of friends and supporters. I am certainly thankful for the first responders that day, but even more so, thankful for the steady flow of club members who reached out offering assistance or to just check in. It reaffirmed my faith in this community and the many of you who aren’t anonymous. You volunteer and show up in the best way you know how.

I intend to continue showing up for the MOA, to help foster the passion, ideas, and expertise from our membership to help us grow and work through changes in ways we may not even be thinking about today. How do we continue building a club, adding new members in ways that are different than we did in 1972? There are so many ways in which I look forward to thinking big, while enhancing our sense of community.

As the late MOA member and world traveler Neil Peart wrote, “No changes are permanent, but change is.” I look forward to helping shape the vision of the BMW MOA for the next 50 years, in hopes we can all continue to ride inspired.

Mike Versage #80036

I believe in living a life of purpose, and riding motorcycles makes that possible. Along the way I have worked in aviation in national positions domestically and in international locations in Europe and Africa.

At an early age I got caught up in the mini-bike–go-cart craze of the 1960s. For many years I had friends with bikes that I begged to ride on: Honda 70s, Benellis, and Rupps. My older brother lent me his Yamaha 650 for a couple days of riding each year. For many years I said “Next Spring I’m buying a bike.” Much later I bought bikes, always shaft driven, no messy chains. As a one bike guy, here’s the history to date: 1983 Honda Nighthawk 650 (ridden 1994-1997), 1986 K 100 RS (1997-2004), 2000 K 1200 RS (2004-2012), 2010 R 1200 GS (2012-present).

Now I have 20+ years riding experience (Touring/Sport/Dual Sport) and 20+ years as a BMW MOA member. I’ve participated in many riding/camping events with New England riding groups, building camaraderie and pitching in to help make our events successful. I’ve met many MOA people through volunteering. This happens on a local level and national level. Whether it’s rally registration, kitchen duties, or treasury duties, the interaction of having a common purpose is gratifying.

Also, two or three times per season I take a long trip. Most of the travel has been along the Appalachian Mountains, on the east coast from Canada to Georgia. I’ve also been out west several times: National Parks, the Salt Lake Rally and the Great Falls Rally. I have been to five of the MOA National Rallies, including Johnson City, Hamburg, Salt Lake City, Great Falls, and Richmond. I’ve rented and toured in Italy, France, Switzerland and Portugal.

I belong to three BMW MOA chartered clubs in New England, including the BMW Motorcycle Owners of Vermont (Club Treasurer 11/2022 thru present), Yankee Beemers in Massachusetts, and the Ocean State BMW Riders in Rhode Island.

Professionally I have a finance background in accounting/ economics. Much of my work requires problem solving and interaction with others on a one-on-one level or in teams. Initially, my first job out of college was as a bank auditor. Later I worked at CPA firms, preparing taxes, compilation work, and auditing. In aviation, I have 20+ years’ experience in program management/project management (Large Organizations running National and International Programs), including capital investment for air traffic control systems (Towers, Radios, Radars, Automation) and research and development for security systems (Checkpoint, Baggage, Cargo, Human Factors)

All ballots must be postmarked by April 30 and received by May 10, 2024, to be counted.

Now retired, with my riding background and business experience, I am sure I can fit in at the national level at the BMW MOA helping with recruiting new members and pitching in with policies and procedures. With large organizations I’ve had good training and practice in team building and group dynamics to solve problems, achieving accomplishments in a fun way.

Bundle the Ridin’

to

Redmond Rally Registration and T-Shirt

for $99

BMW MOA members who register for the 2024 Ridin’ to Redmond National Rally during the month of April receive a special price of $99 when they purchase both a 2024 Rally Registration and a rally t-shirt. The carefully selected “Ridin’ to Redmond” rally design is featured on the back of the heather or navy-colored shirt and is available in men’s and women’s sizes from small to 5X for men and small to 3X for women.

The Ridin’ to Redmond National Rally takes place June 13-16, 2024, in Redmond, Oregon. Registration for the National is open now and costs $89 for members and $129 for non-members. To register for the Rally and shirt bundle for only $99, visit rally. bmwmoa.org or call the membership team at (864) 438-0962.

Once registered, shirts will be available for pickup at the MOA merchandise trailer at the rally.

National Rally Info

Available in the App

If you are looking for updates and news about the 2024 BMW MOA National Rally, download the MOA’s Rally app for iOS and Android. The Rally app will have the latest updates to rally schedules, seminar listings, and presenters, listings of exhibitors, area maps, and entertainment information. The app will also be the place for news from the Rally grounds, including updates and changes as it happens.

After registering for the Ridin’ to Redmond National Rally, visit your favorite mobile device app store for Apple or Android. Search BMW MOA and look for the BMW MOA Ride Inspired logo! Install the free rally app on your device, login with an email address and follow the prompts. Follow the onscreen prompts from there.

overland camping at ridin' to redmond

What is Overland camping? It’s where you can invite all your buddies to camp and have fun! Got an overland vehicle and a tent? No problem. Does your buddy have a tent and a trailer, no problem! How about a small RV and a tent? If you can fit in in the 25’ x 50’ space, this is the spot for you. Not going to show up until Friday, no problem!! This is a dedicated space, reserved just for you, my dry camping friend. The Overland Area is noisier, more fun and just outright gonna be a blast!

We’re planning some extras for you, like movies and fire rings, but if you have other ideas of fun stuff to do in the Overland area, contact Overland Camping Chair, Brian Dutcher at brian.dutcher@bmwmoa. org, with your ideas. Only 100 sites are available. Registration is open at bmwmoa. club/overland or scan the QR code.

a great experience!

"Overall, I thought the 2023 BMW MOA National Rally was well organized, though it was a bit overwhelming since this was my first time attending an MOA National Rally. However, it also was less intimidating since I am local to the area (Northern Virginia) and rode to the event each day.

The displays and vendor booths in the main exhibition hall were very diverse and interesting, and I spent a lot of time talking with those folks!  I enjoyed the food vendors and the various events organized by the MOA.

Overall, my experience was positive.  I learned that camping at the event looked fun; however, I need to get up to speed on the logistics and gear I would need if I wanted to do that at future MOA Rallies or other events.

Chris Williams #230618

Vendor/exhibitor List

Adaptiv Technologies

AdMore Lighting

Adventure Pacific Moto Tours

Adventure Roads Ltd

Alaska Leather

Alkemist Adventures

ATLAS Throttle Lock

Backcountry Discovery Routes

Big Ear Inc.

Bike Tour Asia

Black Box Embedded

Cardo Systems

Continental Tires

Cyclops Adventure Sports

Denali Electronics

Edelweiss Bike Travel

Giant Loop

Givi USA

Gryphon

Helite Airbag Systems

Ilium Works

InEarz Sport

Jesse Luggage

Knopf Motorradreisen

Leatt

Michelin

Mitas Motorcycle Tires

Mosko Moto

MotoDreamer

MotoQuest

Motorcycle Relief Project

Motorrad Audio

Motoz Tires

No-Mar Tire Changers

Outback Motortek

Ozark Impressions Jewelry

Pasq

Pohutukawa Motorcycle Tours

Racer Gloves USA

RIDE Adventures

Rider Justice

Rider Shield 360

RUBY Moto

Sam Manicom

Seat Concepts

SkyMed International

SW-MOTECH USA

Te Waipounamu Motorcycle

Tours

TNR GROUP

Touratech USA

Wild Ass Seats

Z Clear Anti Fog

6TH Gear Racing Apparel

Adriatic Moto Tours

Aumsville Equipment Sales

Ayres Adventures

BeemerShop

Brake Free Tech

Christian Motorcyclists

Association

Clearwater Lights

Dunlop Motorcycle Tires

E Z Touring Motorcycle Covers

Galfer USA

GoTourNZ.com

Held USA

IMTBike Tours

LDComfort

Legendary Bill Mayer saddles

Marty's Mobile Detailing

Medjet

Metzeler

MotoDiscovery Tours

Motoxplorers

Perumotors SRL

Renedian Adventures Ltd

RoadRUNNER Motorcycle

Touring & Travel

ROK Straps

Schuberth NA

Ser Wellness Services

Wild-Soaps

Wunderlich America

Wanderlust Tours at Ridin' to redmond

Ready for a different adventure at the Ridin’ to Redmond National Rally? Join Wanderlust Tours to experience central Oregon in a unique and interesting way.

The Lava Tube Cave Tour will explore the hidden underground world of large, cool caverns in a way that’s safe and fascinating! Leading small groups with headlamps, guides will provide in-depth interpretation on the formation of the lava tubes, the wildlife habitat inside the caves, and the many uses of the caves over time from Native American dwellings to cold storage for early Bend residents.

The Libations and Brewery tours begin our journey of two amazing hand-crafted “pour producers” which have engendered Bend’s fame for tasty niche libations! We’ll take you behind the scenes of the normal tasting room experience to witness fermentation and distillation magic. From mash tun to still you will get an insider’s look at some of Bend’s outstanding pour houses, all the while enjoying complimentary samples.

Finally, the Sunset Hike & Stargazing Walk will take you up the inside edge of an ancient super volcano that erupted 30 million years ago forming the Crooked River Caldera. Your guide will lead you on a geologic journey through time, and you will be rewarded with stunning views of the sun setting behind the Cascades, casting a glow on the Ochoco Mountains to our east. Donning headlamps for your descent, you may even begin to see some twinkling stars make their appearance in the sky. After some time is spent staring at the stars, you will enjoy some local dessert and hot cocoa (w/ hazelnut espresso vodka if desired) before heading back to the fairgrounds.

All tours include van transportation to and from the rally grounds and will depart outside of the main entrance. Space on each tour is limited. Register online at bmwmoa.club/ wanderlust or scan the QR code.

Rallygoers are Kind and inviting

"I was definitely apprehensive about attending (the 2023 MOA Rally in Virginia); however, it was so close to me, I felt it would be a huge mistake not to see what it was all about. Having never attended any biking rally of any sort, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Fortunately for me, the location made it very easy for me to dip my toes in without commitment, meaning I would roll in for the day and roll out at any point, while still enjoying the comfort of my bed. That said, I learned a great deal while attending.

First off, make sure you bring plenty of extra cash. Not because anything is costly but because you see so many items from the various vendors that you never knew you wanted! The arsenal of appealing apparel and accessories was staggering. It seemed every vendor had something I didn’t know I wanted until I saw it.

The second takeaway was that every person I engaged with was remarkably kind and inviting, which doesn’t surprise me, looking back, but at the time I didn’t know what to expect. Having only attended the seminar that the BDR guys did, I can’t speak to any of the others, but the BDR guys were super informative, extremely interesting, and I left feeling like I would sell my home to help their cause. Truly a fantastic organization!

Finally, the last takeaway for me was that it is better to attend with friends. As I was a solo attendee, I could only watch (with envy) the camaraderie among old friends, new friends, and fellow enthusiasts taking place at all times in all places!

The community among the MOA members made me proud to be a member of such a wonderful group of like-minded people. Rarely have I seen such a consistency in a single group of men and women at one place.

I can say with certainty that I will be attending more rallies in the future and am hoping to attend the 51st as the date gets closer."

J. Daniel Dreyer #228640 Manakin Sabot, Virginia

riding oregon: finding painted hills

By Johnathan Gifford #80707

I’ve been to both BMW MOA National Rallies previously held in Redmond, the first in 2001 and the second in 2010. I’ve also been to the National Rally in Salem, Oregon, in 2013. For the longest time, there was one scenic area in particular that has alluded me in all of my trips to Oregon.

In the late 2000s, there was a television program called “Aerial America,” which traveled the country and shot aerial videography of interesting and famous sites.

I enjoyed watching that program back then because it reminded me of the places I’d been and seen while traveling by motorcycle.

When the Oregon episode premiered, it felt like a normal episode until they showed the Painted Hills. Now, when this program showed something cool, my paper maps would come out, and I would find the location being described so I could stop there the next

time I was in that area. This time, my Rand McNally and the state highway maps were of no use. I couldn’t find the Painted Hills. Internet searches were no help, and, of course, maps showing satellite images were not either. But that didn’t stop me from looking, asking, and listening.

In 2013, I was riding through Oregon for the National Rally in Salem with a kid in the sidecar who was four years old at the time. We were taking my favorite travel route from east to west through Oregon, US 26.

You can pick up US 26 near Nyssa, Oregon, as you come in from Idaho, crossing the Snake River and passing a sugar beet sugar refinery. US 26 is my favorite way to travel across Oregon–good road, little to no traffic and fantastic scenery, not to mention coming across famous names like John Day, both the town and National Monument.

The kid and I were making good time after leaving Boise, Idaho, that morning along with his grandfather. It was midday when we pulled off in the town of Mitchell, Oregon, for lunch. I was checking out the back of the restaurant when I saw the public bulletin board while waiting in line. On the board was a rodeo announcement, but what caught my attention was the name of the rodeo: Painted Hills. Could it be?

So, as I was heading back to our table where I left the kid and his grandfather, I saw our waitress and asked about the Painted Hills Rodeo. She smiled and said the turnoff was only a few miles down the road towards Prineville, then a few more miles north, and that it was part of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.

I thought to myself of all the times I’d been on US 26 only to find I was that close! I told my father about it when I got back to the table. We checked the paper maps. Yep, no mention, and not even the National Monument was on the map. We agreed that if we saw signs, we’d go check it out.

Sure enough, a few miles outside of Mitchell we saw signs for the John Day Fossil Bed National Monument. We soon turned off the road and traveled a few miles

north to see one of the most amazing landscapes to behold.

This is where I snapped one of my most prized photographs. We were at the observation pavilion looking at the Painted Hills when the kid stepped right up to the fence and sat on it. He didn’t even pose; the camera did the rest.

This June, we’ve got a day ride planned to bring you to Painted Hills. I believe it is a must-see site for a day ride or as you travel to or from the Rally.

We have many routes and rides planned for the MOA Rally–both on and off-road rides. I’m sure the Adventure riders have already spotted the nearby Oregon Backcountry Discovery Route. We’re planning day rides heading into that area, as well as the sites just off that path that the BDR Foundation recommends seeing. Our paved routes will take you to places and roads that you will want to visit the next time you visit Oregon, like the Painted Hills.

If our routes are of interest to you, be on the lookout for the route publications and notices on the MOA Rally website, Facebook group, and in the MOA Rally app.

AVAILABLE

more is less: the fine (and cheap!) art of custom helmet fitting

By Mark Barnes #222400

As anyone who’s read my articles would guess, I have a pointy head. On top of the fact my skull falls somewhere between the “intermediate oval” and “long oval” designations used by helmet manufacturers to indicate relatively more oblong versus relatively more round varieties, I have a subtle peak in the front-middle near my hairline, where my horn would be if I were a unicorn. And, on top of this, I have a small titanium strap (one of several) right there beneath the skin from surgery some years ago, when they had to R&R my forehead. None of these oddities are obvious to the naked eye, but they combine to make helmet fit more of a challenge. I frequently experience an uncomfortable—and sometimes painful—pressure point where the helmet contacts my irregular protrusion. Even before the installation of my metallic accessories, this was an issue.

In the past, I’ve dealt with this discomfort by hunting helmets with a more oblong interior; on rare occasions, this has been enough to solve my problem. Manufacturers know there are a wide variety of head shapes among their potential customers, and different models are designed to cater to different cranial contours (which may or may not be publicized clearly in marketing materials). It can require considerable trial-and-error and wading through numerous conflicting reports online to come up with a good match, even when a rider is in possession of a “standard” head shape. Unfortunately, there’s more to this pairing process than taking a tape measure to our cranium and locating the resulting number on a sizing chart. A genuinely savvy gear salesman can be very helpful in steering folks to the best options, but some fit issues may only become apparent over time. A helmet that seems fine during a brief trial in the store may prove very uncomfortable after an hour on the bike or while riding in higher temperatures, when its materials expand slightly.

In all likelihood, even a helmet of the correct size with roughly the right shape may need some tweaking to achieve a truly tailored fit, as opposed to something merely tolerable or adequate, for which many people settle. Plenty of riders have never experienced a thoroughly well-fitting helmet and don’t even realize such things exist; they have no reference points for judging how close a lid is to this ideal. If one avoids the extremes of painful pressure and floppy instability, they figure that’s as good as it gets.

Some riders have taken to modifying their helmets’ internals

to better accommodate their skulls. This might involve altering the amount and/or location of soft padding in the liner. A small number of helmets have built-in adjustments to achieve this, and many offer alternative padding available at an additional cost, although such may be limited to cheek pads of different thicknesses that mainly serve to stabilize the helmet on the head without addressing pressure points elsewhere. Helmet manufacturers that offer custom fitting services may affix extra padding to a liner or subtract a bit of cushion in strategic locations to match a specific customer’s unique head shape. Hold that thought.

Beneath a helmet’s soft liner is its EPS (Expanded PolyStyrene—“Styrofoam” in common parlance, though a much more sophisticated version than the flimsy cooler you grab on the way to a picnic). EPS is what absorbs and distributes the force of an impact by collapsing between your head and the helmet’s shell. Its dimensions are engineered to be as thin as possible to keep overall helmet size to a minimum, while still being thick enough to provide a certain standard of protection. EPS thickness may also vary as a function of shell size and head size. Manufacturers typically produce only two or three shell sizes to serve as many as six or seven head sizes, meaning the EPS (and/or soft liner) thickness within any given shell size will differ to create a relatively larger or smaller interior space. The EPS is also largely responsible for the shape of that space, and it’s the firm surface that impinges upon a protruding cranial contour through the liner’s soft padding. Hence, some riders will sand or compress the offending area to relieve such pressure. While this might alleviate a “hot spot,” it also decreases the ability of the modified EPS to do its job, since there’s less material remaining in an uncompressed state. Proponents of this method assert a tiny change in EPS thickness can be all that’s needed, and such a miniscule subtraction is unlikely to make a significant difference in real-world consequences. Also, what good are the theoretical advantages of pristine EPS in a helmet that won’t be worn because it’s too uncomfortable?

I confess, I’ve been guilty of sanding or compressing the EPS in several of my helmets over the years to deal with pressure points around my forehead and top/front area. I’ve felt uneasy about compromising the most important aspect of those helmets’ functionality, and the results have been mixed. Sometimes, it was impossible to completely eliminate the

problem, or relieving pressure in one spot seemed to create (or simply reveal) pressure in others. Rather than continuing to remove or compress more and more EPS, I just lived with several small problems instead of one larger one. When I made the unwelcome discovery my newest—and most expensive—helmet developed pressure points in my familiar problem areas, I really didn’t want to start molesting its EPS, or even its luxurious (and costly to replace) soft liner. On the other hand, even though this helmet felt good out of the box, it became a real torture device 50 miles into a ride. Something had to be done.

While searching for alternative solutions online, I found a lengthy series of posts on ADVRider.com that led to a far better solution. It also contained the most extensive discussion of head shapes (and how to determine yours) I’ve ever seen. What follows here is my successful application of the lessons contained therein. For the whole deep dive, see: advrider.com/f/ threads/how-to-solve-helmet-hot-spot-problem.1338421/.

There’s no denying Schuberth makes an exquisitely crafted, extraordinarily plush helmet. My C4 Pro Carbon fit very, very snugly, even though I bought a size larger than my usual, as have many others who posted their experiences with this model online. I was initially pleased with how secure it felt, as I actually prefer a tighter fit—up to a point. During the first brief spins wearing my new lid, no specific pressure points were apparent, but on longer, multi-hour rides I developed the worst pain ever in my upper-middle forehead, with a corresponding bright red patch of skin—something I’d never had before; it was really BAD! I say this not to impugn Schuberth, but rather to emphasize how big a difference I required, and how effective the simple approach below proved in the face of my dire need. No doubt, many Schuberth customers find these helmets complement

their skull shapes nicely without any modification, and my extreme problem is certainly a rarity. All of us have differing cranial contours, and helmet fit can take some time to sort out; even a severe issue like mine might not be apparent at the outset.

The basic principle elaborated upon in the above forum thread is this: rather than removing material from the EPS, the same effect can be achieved by adding padding to the soft liner in other areas. Despite all the technical intricacies laid out in the posts, this isn’t brain surgery. For example, building up the area surrounding a pressure point pushes the EPS off the skull where it’s creating a problem and distributes the pressure across a larger swath of cranial real estate, reducing its impingement at any single locale. In my case, a dramatic improvement was achieved by simply inserting a pair of additional thin pads (more details in a moment) on either side of the forehead hot spot. This relieved pressure in the middle without creating discomfort elsewhere. It turns out my Schuberth also sat a little low and forward on my head—something I learned after noting where my brow was in relation to the top of the eye port. By adding some padding to the top of the soft liner on either side of my unicorn horn area, I moved the helmet to a more neutral position overall and further alleviated pressure (helmet weight) on my problem areas. Another head in another helmet would require different interventions, but the basic concept remains the same: lift the helmet away from the head with more soft padding instead of trimming/compressing the EPS. Most skulls not only have areas that protrude, but also areas that recede. The trick is filling in the valleys to even out the peaks. If there really is no room to slip a little extra padding into place, then you probably have a size issue instead of (or in addition to) a fit issue.

Above left, Snaps secure the liner of my Schuberth C4 Pro helmet. Above middle and right, Fine-tuning my helmet fit with Velcro pads.

Regarding what to use for padding augmentation, there are many varieties of open- and closed-cell foam available at hardware and craft stores or online retailers. Open-cell versions collapse more readily because the air inside is free to escape, making it softer but also less likely to provide much support; closed-cell foam is probably a better choice here. Before you spend money, though, check what you already have for something suitable, at least in the proof-of-concept stage. Scraps of rubber, weatherstripping, thick gasket material, or simple folded cloth might come in handy. Thanks to my hoarding tendencies, I happened to have a collection of unused Velcro-covered pads from previous comm systems; these would have gone behind the speakers in helmets with deep ear pockets to hold those speakers closer to my ears. Because these spacers clung to each other, my liner’s padding, and the Schubert’s felt-covered EPS (so posh!), they were absolutely ideal for this project. I could quickly and easily move them around between the top of my liner and EPS, and stack them to add lift, as I experimented with different configurations. They stayed in place well enough that I felt no need to replace them in their final arrangement with something more permanent. They were not suitable for the lateral areas just above the eye-port, however, where I needed something thinner and narrower that would compress less. An old piece of neoprene could be cut to fit and held in place with double-sided tape—voila! And to think a manufacturer might charge hundreds of dollars for custom fitting!

I just finished a three-day ride in my new Schuberth without the slightest trace of discomfort, even in much warmer temps than when I first wore it. My additional padding is arranged in ways that don’t block any of the internal ventilation, nor does it interfere with fastening the snaps that hold the soft liner in place. My mods are virtually invisible and they cost me nothing, yet they’ve made a world of difference in my enjoyment of this helmet. The specific details of my mods won’t translate into comfort for other heads in other helmets, but I hope the ideas presented here (and the discussions at the link above) inspire you to play with similarly inexpensive and easily reversible changes, potentially transforming your lid’s interior from something awful or merely mediocre into something that feels truly perfect—for little or no additional investment, and without any reduction in safety.

It turns out my Schuberth also sat a little low and forward on my head (top image)—something I learned after noting where my brow was in relation to the top of the eye port. By adding some padding to the top of the soft liner on either side of my unicorn horn area, I moved the helmet to a more neutral position overall (bottom image) and further alleviated pressure (helmet weight) on my problem areas.

Liqui‐Molyoil ‐ oil, fuel & air filters – 12/24K maintenance kits – brake pads & rotors – fuel pumps – Hall sensors – repair manuals & dvds–tools – fuel line disconnect sets – fuel injection controllers – exhausts – batteries & chargers –master cylinders & rebuild kits – starters – spark plugs & wires – cables –  radiator fans – alt belts – fender extenders – Carbtune carb/TB synchronizers

FUEL TREATMENTS

For many of us who are forced to store bikes over the winter months, it’s rapidly approaching riding season! Hopefully you treated your bike’s gas before you put it away, but if not, now is a great time to try one of these fuel additives to clean up those fuel injectors and put any pesky loose water back into solution in that ethanol/ gasoline blend you’ve had sitting idle in your tank since you put it away.

Liqui Moly 4T Bike Addivive and Fuel Stabilizer

liqui-moly.com

AMSOIL Quickshot

Gasoline Treatment and Stabilizer amsoil.com

Liqui Moly claims their Moly’s Motorbike Gasoline Stabilizer will protect fuel against oxidation and is safe for use with catalytic converters in all two- and four-stroke motors. They say adding their 4T Bike Additive protects against corrosion, removes residue and overall optimizes engine performance. Using both of these together might be a little more expensive than the all-in-one products, but if you don’t feel your bike needs everything all the time, Liqui Moly might be your best bet. Bike Additive, MSRP $13.99 for 125 ml (4.2 oz) ($3.33/oz); Fuel Stabilizer, MSRP $11.99 for 250 ml (8.4 oz) ($1.43/oz).

You might say “AM-soil,” but it’s actually “AMS Oil,” and they claim their Quickshot product prevents water separation in ethanol-blended fuels, cleans gummed or dirty fuel injectors and carbs, removes carbon deposits and protects against varnish buildup in all two- and four-stroke motors. They suggest using different amounts depending on whether you’re trying to clean your system or just using it for storage, so an 8-oz bottle can treat between 6-12 gallons of gasoline. MSRP $11.89 for 8 oz ($1.49/oz).

Motorex Ethanol Treatment

motorexusa.com

This Swiss company keeps it short, sweet and simple: They say this product reduces phase separation (the phenomenon in which water comes out of solution in ethanol-blended fuels), improves fuel efficiency and stabilizes fuel for up to a year in all two- and four-stroke engines. MSRP $15.99 for 250 ml (8.4 oz) ($1.90/oz).

STA-BIL 360 Protection

goldeagle.com

Star Tron Enzyme

Fuel Treatment

starbrite.com

Gold Eagle wins the name recognition war with their STA-BIL brand, perhaps the most recognized fuel treatment around. They claim this fuel treatment is America’s best-selling additive and is good for everything from your giant RV down to your lawnmower as far as keeping the fuel system clean and preventing corrosion from ethanol-blended fuels. Available in multiple sizes. MSRP $19.49 for 32 oz ($0.61/oz); Marine $33.99 for 32 oz ($1.06/oz).

Star Brite’s Star Tron is a popular choice due to its availability as a single-use “shooter.” The company claims Star Tron improves performance, smooths operation, prevents the buildup of gum, carbon and varnish, reduces smoke and other emissions, and helps prevent phase separation.

MSRP $10.86 for 8 oz ($1.36/oz).

living on a slash five

By Matt Parkhouse #13272

My repair shop remains quiet, so I will recount the next leg of my seven-month tour I took of the U.S. and Canada 50 years ago.

After my return from Alaska, I hung around Los Angeles and Santa Barbara (where my mother resided) and just rested up from the Alaska ride. I then set out for Colorado Springs where I crashed with various Hotline friends, then headed for the Midwest. As I mentioned earlier, I had very little experience with the country east of Colorado as most of my riding when still in the Army was to the West Coast or Tucson. I basically rode in a circle along the lower midwestern states and returned along the upper states. During my ride, I visited several Army friends I had served with at the Can Tho Army Airfield.

I first landed at a small town in Kansas where one of my “super-medic” course classmates (we had taken a special course at Madigan Hospital, part of Ft. Lewis, in Tacoma, Washington). He had just inherited a decrepit old farmhouse there in a wheatfield next to a state highway. I spent a few days with “Dad,” as we called him, due to his being older than us younger enlistees and draftees. While there, I helped with a couple of reconstruction tasks (including some time on the roof) before moving on.

My friend Tom was living in a small town in Iowa. When I showed up at his doorstep, his mother told me he was at a concert in St. Louis and no, I couldn’t crash there and wait for him. A couple of months into this trip had me already looking somewhat disreputable, so I didn’t blame her.

I then rode to the edge of the small town and found what looked like an abandoned skeet shooting range, where I set up in the range dugout and spent a quiet night. The next day, I returned to Tom’s home and found him to be there. He welcomed me in and immediately asked me if I wanted a short job. He and a crew of several other young men were hired to rebuild the roof of the town doctor’s office, and they were a bit short handed. It was time for a new tire, so I immediately said “Yes.” Those two days were filled with some of the hardest work I’d ever done! In the 90+ degrees, I was being detailed to carry the bundles of shingles up the ladder as I was the “new guy’ and they felt free to hand me the hardest bit of work.

With the job done, I stayed one more day then

headed off. Several months later, Tom sent me a clipping from the town’s once-a-week newspaper. When I had spent the night in the dugout, I cleaned it up a bit and found a first aid kit. I wrote a short note thanking them for the pleasant night’s lodging and signed it “Rambling Matt from California” and put it in the first aid kit. Turns out the Lions owned the shooting range and every fall they sponsored a turkey shoot there. As they cleaned things up for the event, they found my note.

Tom’s mother worked for the weekly paper, figured out who “Rambling Matt” was and wrote a short article about her son’s Army friend wandering around the country on his motorcycle after his time of service.

As I departed Iowa, I stopped by a farmhouse in Keokuk, at the southeastern corner of the state. I knocked on the door and inquired about a lady I had been friends with during the time of my super-medic course. The older woman who answered the door basically told me, “She’s been married more than a year, you should scram.” Over the Mississippi I went.

Back on the road, I purchased a new rear tire at a bike shop and put it on at that night’s camp. Other than the occasions when I stayed in the homes of friends, I camped out, mostly in what the Europeans call “rough camps.”

I stopped in Ottumwa, Iowa, to visit the local Salvation Army. My grandfather on my father’s side was a Major in the Salvation Army and had been sent by General Booth to set up new facilities in the “New World.” My father grew up in Ottumwa, so I wondered if there were any records from when my grandfather was in charge. Turns out they had had a fire, later followed by a relocation leaving nothing from the 1920 to 1935 period on record. Then, as now, the Salvation Army moves their people around every few years. Thus, I stopped at a couple other Salvation Army locations in the Midwest where my father spent time and heard similar stories. Remodeling, relocations, and one more fire had wiped out just about all the records from back then in both of the other facilities. Preserving the continuity, I ended up serving on the Colorado Springs Salvation Army Board for several years. Of course, I was out there “ringing the bell” at Christmas time.

I found my Can Tho friend, Phil White, in a small town in Indiana. When I arrived, he was heading out the door

for a weekend of boating on the Wabash River. He invited me along, and we spent a couple of days waterskiing on the Wabash and feasting on roasted corn from riverside fields with a few of Phil’s friends.

Another friend I found was housesitting in a mansion along the shores of Lake Huron. Together, we would sit out on the deck and reminisce about our time in the Can Tho clinic. Another friend from the medic class I found was Roger Nordstrum in Madison, Wisconsin. We visited for just one day as he was starting grad school in a couple of days.

There were a couple of others, but after these 50 years, I’m more than a little hazy as to the details. I was moving in a circle around the central states and after a month or so on this leg of the ride, I headed back in Colorado Springs for a few days.

I needed to return to Los Angeles to pick up my friend Paul. He and I planned to ride across Canada from coast to coast before he was due to return to college at UC Irvine. I had my hostel list from my Alaska ride, so we were planning on mostly staying in those for the trip. Because we were riding two-up, our gear was pretty limited; sleeping bags, some cooking gear and a tent comprised most of it. After a short stay in Los Angeles, we took off north.

Our first night was in our tent in the Big Sur area. Caught in the darkness, we ended up pitching the tent in the wind right between the road and a cliff. Surprisingly, no one bothered us. The next day, we rode through the redwood forests and made camp behind a redwood tree. A ranger stopped to kick us out, just as we were tying the last bit of gear onto the Slash Five.

We then made a quick pass through the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood,

finding the hippie scene becoming very stale. We then spent a little time in Oregon and Washington where we searched for the “longest bar in Portland.” Unfortunately, by the time we found it, we learned it had been claimed by urban renewal years earlier (it was in an old book that I had come across that described it to me).

We also wandered around Seattle for a few hours. Arriving at the US/Canadian border, The Customs folks gave us a not-unexpected hard time. The border folks were concerned about drugs, of course, but they were also trying to screen out any potential draft-dodgers. I had my discharge papers with me, and Paul convinced them he was in college. We also had to display our money as proof we weren’t planning to leach off the Canadian welfare system.

After running that gauntlet, we rode to Vancouver. We located one of the hostels, out of several, in the guide I had and headed for it. Once we were settled into our gym mats on a gymnasium floor, I spent some time talking with the young man who was running the hostel. Turns out, the Canadian government was concerned about two things, unemployment and the large numbers of young people hitchhiking around the country.

Someone figured they could hire several people to operate the 50 or more hostels, thus helping the employment score, and they would soak up the hitchhikers who were otherwise crashing wherever they could. The hitchhikers were mostly American draft dodgers, college kids, and people looking for work. Apparently, the hostel network did help a little with both problems they were created to address. The program was to end over the Labor Day weekend, which fit in with our plans just fine; they only ran the hostel program for one time. Heading east, Paul and I stuck to the Trans-Canadian Highway for almost the entire trip, roughly 8,000 miles from Los Angeles to New York, where Paul then bailed out and flew back home for his classes at UC Irvine.

I should mention, my motorcycle suffered ZERO problems on really, the entire 40,000-mile trip. That, of course, was why I purchased the BMW in the first place! We mostly were just sightseeing as we rode east. We did stop for one day or a partial day, in some of the larger cities. Actually, the hostels were a large and memorable part of the ride. Every night we would hear the stories of fellow travelers, share food, and go on beer runs with them. The hostel in Regina, Saskatchewan, was set up using four mobile homes, pulled in a circle like the wagon trains of old, with a fire pit in the middle.

The hostel in Quebec was in an old castle which was part of the original defenses of the city. Most hostels were in school gyms, and about half provided a simple breakfast. We went as far as the Bay of Fundy to watch the tide roll in and then turned south toward New York City. We stayed in our last hostel over the Labor Day weekend. The staffers had made it a practice to play the Beatles “Good Morning, Good Morning” song every morning at get up time. As we were rising and the song was played for the last time, one of the employees who had heard it every morning in the summer, ripped the record off the turntable and sent it flying across the gym. Guess he was a bit tired of it.

We stayed with some friends of Paul’s for two nights, and we had to park the Slash Five on the sidewalk. I was really scared for it. I would go down the apartment stairs a couple times each night to check on things, but all was well in the end.

I bid Paul farewell and started down the East Coast. First stop was my mother's sister Jean in New Jersey. I stayed with her for two nights, just resting after the strenuous Canadian run. Leaving New York sort of ended the fourth leg of the “walkabout.” The $2,000 I started out with was dwindling and I was coming to the realization that, at this point, I had more miles than dollars. Now that I was solo again, I started looking and asking about short-term work. It was the end of September; the October part of the journey would be a little different than the previous part…

Matt acquired his first BMW in 1972, upon his return from Vietnam. He hired on at Doc’s BMW of Colorado Springs in 1977. Since then, his life has been a mixture of travel, owning/working in various shops, as a nurse, and being very involved in his local community. He has owned around 15 Airhead BMWs over the years, but his first bike, a 1972 R 75/5, is parked by the front door with 434,000 miles on the odometer.

avoiding internet scams

By Wes Fleming #87301

No clever jokes this year; instead, I’m going to give you some tips on how to avoid being an April (or any other month) Fool when it comes to buying motorcycles, parts, accessories, and anything else over the internet.

Scammers are getting more sophisticated every day, and digital scams cost Americans over $10 billion in 2022; Canadians were scammed for over $417 million the same year. These criminals are trying to get one of two things from you, or preferably both: your money or your personal information. This column is devoted to informing you about some of the most common scams and how to avoid them.

I recently heard from an MOA member who was unfortunately scammed as a result of an ad he placed looking for a specific motorcycle part. He hadn’t encountered this particular scam before, so he wasn’t watching out for it, and he may have assumed the initial contact came from another MOA member, thus causing him to lower his guard somewhat. What happened was after he placed his WTB ad, he received an email from Dude 1 saying his buddy, Dude 2, had the part and wanted to sell it to him. He provided Dude 2’s email address, and the MOA member reached out to Dude 2. They settled on a price, but Dude 2 insisted on being paid with a gift card.

Mr. MOA sent the gift card through PayPal, thinking that would offer him some protection (it doesn’t, he now knows). Dude 2 soon emails saying he needs another $50 to cover shipping, please send another gift card. After some back and forth with Dude 1—who assured him Dude 2 was solid—he sent it, again through PayPal. After

receiving yet another request for another $50, Mr. MOA realized he’d been taken, and that’s when he learned sending gift cards through PayPal has no protections. He’s out $150 and still doesn’t have the part he needs.

Looking at the sequence of events from the outside, it’s easy to see the Big Red Flag of Dude 2 asking for payment by gift card. Anybody asking for you to pay them with a gift card is a scammer, just burn that into your brain right now and resolve yourself to only sending gift cards to friends and family, or at least to only using physical gift cards rather than virtual ones. It’s easy to see a scam laid out in clear steps like the one we just told you about, but when you’re in the middle of it, it’s not always as easy to see. A good way to head off a parts-related scam is to ask the seller for a picture of the part(s) while having your name and the date written on a piece of paper in the photo. It can help to ask for some other random—but common—object to be in the photo as well, maybe a 10mm wrench or sunglasses, to get a sense of scale and ensure the whole thing hasn’t been Photoshopped together from separate files.

Speaking of both PayPal and Friends & Family, I was recently privy to a discussion in which somebody thought they might be being scammed by somebody who insisted on being paid on PP with F&F. There are three reasons why a seller might want you to use F&F: 1) They’re trying to avoid paying PayPal’s 3% transaction fee (when you pay with F&F, you pay the transaction fee); 2) They’re trying to keep PayPal from reporting the amount of the transaction to the government; and/or 3) It’s a scam and they’re trying to make sure PayPal can’t claw your money back from them.

Trying to avoid PayPal’s transaction fee is probably something we can all understand, but it’s a cost of doing business. If your seller insists on being paid with F&F, your counter should be an offer to add 3% to the agreed-upon price to cover the transaction fee on their end generated by using the Goods & Services payment option. If they refuse, it could be a scam, and you should move on. The whole avoiding-reporting-the-money-to-the-government thing is probably also understandable, but if you’re dealing with a seller who is trying to hide income from the government, that’s probably somebody just shady enough that you might not want to do business with them. (By the way, this is a thing recently, as the lower limit for reporting revenue by PayPal and similar entities was $20,000 and 200 transactions until two years ago. The government tried lowering it to $600 with no transaction floor and people lost their minds. They’re currently phasing it in by setting the reporting level at $5,000 for the 2024 tax year. If you’re concerned about this, consult a tax professional.)

Big Red Flags in an online ad include a deal that’s too good to be true, the use of stock images in the listing and an artificial sense of urgency. For example, a motorcycle that goes for $5,000 all day long anywhere on the continent is not going to suddenly cost $3,500, and if the seller says, “I’ve got to sell this thing TODAY or I’ve got big problems!” then you’re almost certainly looking at a scam. The almost too good to be true price is a well-tested and often successful scam tactic, because we all want to score a great deal on a cool bike or a needed part. To avoid scams based around the use of stock photos, use Google’s Reverse Image Search. If you see that photo used on numerous websites, you’re likely looking at a scam in progress. Walk away.

Another common scam involved the use of the third party, or middle person. The scam with the Dudes above is a variation of this. Most of the time, it involves a buyer or seller saying they’re going to send another person with payment or to deliver the item to you. It may come to you as “My son is deployed overseas right now, but he would really love this.” What happens is you receive a non-cash payment and deliver the item, then later find out the payment was counterfeit. Another variant has the buyer overpaying you by check or money order, and asking you to deposit the payment and just give them back the overage along with the item they bought. If you do this, you’re out the thing you were selling and some of your hard-earned cash as well. Avoid this scam by only dealing directly with your buyer or seller and insisting on cash or payment by a more secure digital method, such as an escrow service or using your credit card for a PayPal Goods & Services payment.

When dealing with a face-to-face transaction, unless you know the person you’re dealing with, always meet in a public place. Let your people know where you’re going and why, and don’t be afraid to photograph license plates or ask for a driver’s license. I like to meet at my local police station; sure, I might still get robbed, but even a dumb criminal is going to think twice about doing it in that

location. More police departments are encouraging folks to do this and even make room for these transactions in their parking lots or buildings. Count the cash and inspect the items being transferred and everybody should walk away safe and happy.

Another popular digital scam looks like it’s going to go well right up until you never get the package. You realize your seller gave you a tracking number for a package delivered to another address, or sent you a box of bricks instead of a transmission. The Big Red Flag on these kinds of scams often involve an insistence on payment using an unsecured method like Venmo or PayPal Friends & Family. These can be tough to recover from, but if you used your credit card and clearly document what you received, you may get some satisfaction from some party, either the credit card company or in rare cases, the seller. Never use a payment method that gives a third party direct access to your bank account.

A newer scam to watch for is a buyer or seller wanting to send a “verification code” or something similar to you via your cell phone. They claim to want to make sure you’re legit when what they’re really doing is hiding the fact they’re a scammer by putting you on defense. Never provide a verification code to a third party. Best case, all they’re trying to do is clone your phone and use it to set up bogus accounts all over the internet or steal your identity. If somebody you’re transacting with wants to talk on the phone, have them give you their phone number, then call them from a landline if you can find one.

The last scam I want to tell you about isn’t really a scam per se, but a way in which you can be compromised. You get an email, probably quite official looking, alerting you to some problem with some account you definitely have. “Just click this link to clear it up,” the email says. DON’T. CLICK. THE LINK. It’s known as a phishing attack, and it’s probably the most common form of digital trickery in practice in 2024. Never click a link you weren’t expecting to receive, and counsel your friends and family (especially your older family members) NOT TO CLICK THE LINK!

Some simple practices can help prevent you from being scammed in your quest to buy and sell the coolest motorcycles and most needed parts. When you’re using an online marketplace, be wary of recently created accounts, and do not communicate off the platform where the item is listed. Use only legit payment methods and if meeting in person, choose safe, public locations. Don’t be afraid to do a reverse photo search on Google, and don’t be afraid to ask for a specific photo, maybe with your name and the date on a piece of paper in it along with the item, to verify it really exists.

Finally, review your bank and credit card statements periodically for suspicious activity, register with the three major credit monitoring agencies (Experian, TransUnion, Equifax) and don’t be afraid to freeze your credit to protect your identity.

Embracing New Adventures

By Janel Silvey #226338

I think most of us at some point in our lives have dreamed of escaping our daily routines and responsibilities. A traditional vacation where we take the same old familiar trip to the same comfortable place is often the easiest way to break-up the monotony of the daily grind. An alternative to the traditional vacation is to travel. To be clear, I view vacationing and traveling as very different. The purpose of a vacation is to relax and unwind; get on a plane, land on a beach, and read a book. Traveling, on the other hand, is a call to adventure. I could still fly to a beach, but I would forgo the book for a kayak and explore a new beach each day. Traveling takes us away from the everyday just like vacations, but it also offers us an opportunity to step outside our comfort zone, embrace new adventures, and learn a little more about ourselves.

Last year, my husband Dustin and I made our escapist dreams a reality and decided to travel. We put all our belongings into a 10 x 10 storage locker, dropped our cats off with kind and generous friends, and set out to ride our two G 650 GSs from our home on the west coast of Canada to the east coast of Canada and then back again. On average, most motorcyclists, ride 4,800 km (3,000 miles) a year. Based on our travel plan, I would ride 22,000 km (13,670 miles) over four months and would be riding the toughest roads Canada has to offer after only having my motorcycle license for three months!

Stepping outside my comfort zone isn’t really all that new to me. As I shared in my story, “My Life as an Adult Beginner” in the April 2022 issue of BMW Owners News, the simple process of learning to ride a motorcycle pushed me far outside those self-made boundaries. For me, this was both emotionally difficult and physically uncomfortable. Each day I was frustrated that I wasn’t good at riding, I felt pressured that before even getting my license I had agreed to a cross-Canada motorcycle trip with Dustin and was just plain scared of hurting myself. In the end, to get my motorcycle license I just had to be OK with being uncomfortable and afraid on the motorcycle. The only way I was going to learn to ride was, well, by riding.

Dreaming of escaping reality and embracing new adventures is easy. Committing to making those travel dreams a reality is not. But, once you take that initial step and consciously decide that this is something you are going to do, you set yourself on a road to self-discovery. My ability to cope with new challenges, accept difficulties, and be comfortable in the uncomfortable was enhanced by riding. Traveling across Canada on a motorcycle led to me living my life with less stress, being more mentally resilient, and it even improved my relationship with Dustin.

Lowering Stress Levels

In our daily lives it’s common to stay within our comfort zones, repeating familiar patterns that can create or perpetuate stress. For me, the majority of stress in my daily life comes from work and coming home from work only to repeatedly think about work. These constant and sometimes negative thoughts about the past, present, and future definitely have an impact on my stress levels.

It’s fair to state that having the ability to step away from my job for four months was a significant contributor to my lowered stress levels. However, what was just as beneficial as eliminating my job was the reduction in repetitive thinking and dwelling on negative feelings about my job. Riding my motorcycle forced me to stop thinking about what was and what will be, and instead forced me into the present moment. Whether I was riding through torrential rainstorms in Ontario where I couldn’t see more than 10 feet in front of my motorcycle, fighting gale force winds along an empty, isolated highway in Labrador, emergency breaking for a 500-pound bear in Quebec or just worrying about the blind spot of the car travelling beside me along the highway, all of these scenarios made me exist in the present moment. Learning to live in the present moment taught me how to feel significantly less stressed even in stressful situations; I didn’t think about what could happen, I only worried about what was happening.

Traveling, specifically on two wheels can put us in stressful situations (see above). We don’t have time to ponder our reactions; instead, we just react and trust our instincts. There is no time to worry about what might happen; instead, it is just happening. Returning home, we can apply this back to our jobs, and realize that whatever choice we made, the decision is made, and from there we continue forward.

Strengthening My Resilience and Coping Skills

It is said the best way to build resilience and coping skills is to encounter new obstacles and learn how to navigate them. I think riding my motorcycle across Canada provided the perfect training ground to build these skills. I stepped into a vulnerable situation unsure about what was ahead of me but still had the courage to explore unknown terrain. On a four-month trip, there were many obstacles encountered. Two obstacles in particular stand out as pivotal moments in how I now view myself as a motorcycle rider.

The first obstacle happened on the third day of our trip when I crashed my motorcycle. Twenty-five hundred YouTubers have watched that crash, probably even some of you reading this. This moment was exactly why I was so scared to learn to ride, I didn’t want to crash. Many people who have crashed their motorcycles may have had the same experience as me during their crashes: time slowed down. In that slow

motion few seconds, I was scared. Thousands of you have heard me scream, all while I tried hard to right my motorcycle. When I didn’t get control of the motorcycle, I was even more scared as I rolled down the embankment. Finally, once my motorcycle and I stopped sliding down the hill, I stood up and realized I wasn’t hurt. My worst fear had happened, and I was okay. After a short period of time, I got back on my motorcycle and carried on with our travels.

The second obstacle was riding Route 389 in Quebec, a bucket list trip for many motorcyclists. To me, 100 km of gravel road with numerous steep curves and slopes was daunting, and once we were on the road, there was little ability to find help and no way we would turn back. Luckily, I had the first month of the trip to stew on that “one-day” of riding. The night before, I slept very little. I started the day with my teeth clenched, just wanting the day’s ride to be over before it started. Here is the thing I learned that day: the only way out is through, but if all you focus on is it being over you miss all the good stuff in between. We saw trains, we saw a dam, we saw animals, and the wilderness was beautiful. Was it scary? Absolutely. There were a few sections where I thought I was going to drop my bike when the gravel got super thick, and I,

at one point, had a motorhome right on my rear tire; if I wiped out, the driver would have finished the job. Did I have the necessary skills to get through it? Absolutely. Would the day have been more fun if I had just believed in myself? Absolutely.

Traveling in this way and navigating these obstacles allowed me to realize that I can do more than I think I can. I can challenge myself, and I can succeed. I don’t have to be the best at everything just to try something. Because how would I ever know if I can do something until I tried?

Improving My Relationship and Connectedness

In the business of our daily lives, we can often forget to check in on our priorities. As a result, the people who should receive the most of our time and attention can end up in the background. This is when our most important relationship, the relationship with our significant other, is at risk of hitting the “autopilot” phase. This is where our relationships stop evolving and deepening. However, it has been suggested that travelling with a significant other can break-up relationship

With three months of riding experience, Janel Silvey set off on a cross-Canada trip with her husband Dustin.

monotony and get us off autopilot. When couples travel together, the downtime enables them to better meet each other’s needs, leading to more stability and emotional support, while at the same time, meeting their individual needs for change and novelty. The result is a higher level of relationship cohesion and an improved feeling of connectedness.

Although I think Dustin and I do a pretty good job of showing up for each other in our marriage, no marriage is linear. There are always ups and downs. Breaking away from our typical day-to-day and traveling for four-months disrupted our relationship in a positive way. We had time to try new things together, like exploring our country and traveling by motorcycle, and we were reminded of our individual strengths and how those strengths complemented each other.

For starters, planning and organizing the logistics of a trip rested with me, whereas Dustin focused on finding crazy back roads for us to ride and brainstorming fun leisure activities for us to participate in. I had to lean on Dustin heavily throughout the trip to keep me calm and focused in new and challenging riding terrain. A great example of this is when pavement unexpectedly turned to loose gravel on a backroad in Saskatchewan. I had previously ridden on loose gravel but never at speeds exceeding 40 km (25 miles) per hour, and at this point we had been moving at a solid clip of 80 km (50 miles) per hour. As Dustin was in the lead, he had less than a few seconds to react and warn me not to slam on my brakes when my front tire hit the gravel. Dustin then spent the next 10 km reminding me to ease off the handlebars and breathe as my bike slipped around in the gravel. This was one of many examples where I was reminded of why I am with Dustin. He stays calm when situations get hairy, and he keeps me calm. He knows how to help me navigate these moments, and from there I can once again take control and steer my bike and myself in the correct direction.

While traveling as a couple, the need to rely on each other to get through vulnerable and challenging situations can be new to a relationship or it can help remind us of who we were. The connections created during these challenges made our bond stronger, and the more we travel together the better off couple, we become.

The world is a large place, and the more we know about it, the more we understand about ourselves. And what better way to see it than from two wheels. Not everyone can commit to a four-month motorcycle trip, and you certainly don’t need four-months to reap the benefits of travel.

My next trip with Dustin will be in Mexico for the Day of the Dead in October 2024. Dustin and I are partnering with MotoDiscovery to ride from Mexico City to Oaxaca over two

weeks. The ride is specifically for BMW MOA members, so if you are interested in joining us, we would love to share some stories, take some photographs, and of course, create some new friendships that only traveling can forge. Here is the link for more information: motodiscovery.com/tour/oaxaca-dia-de-muertosadventure-for-bmw-moa-2024/

Janel Silvey grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Janel is a CPA, CA and is currently the Chief Financial Officer of a self-governing First Nation in Powell River, BC. Janel went from never having ridden a motorcycle, to obtaining her motorcycle license and three-short-months later leaving on a fourmonth cross-Canada motorcycle expedition. Janel enjoys sharing her trials and tribulations of motorcycle riding with other motorcyclists and encouraging other women to ride.

Never ride alone

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CALIFORNIA'S GOT

By Brian Rathjen #92108

For many more years than I can remember, we have made it part of our motorcycle-riding lives to try to improve our two-wheeled skills. Like many skills that need to be learned and nurtured, they are perishable. The great violinist Jascha Heifetz once said, “If I don’t practice one day, I know it; two days, the critics know it; three days, the public knows it.”

I know some people that get very good, very quickly–it’s just the way their mind works and adapts to things. My wife, Shira, began piano lessons last year, and she is awesome with music in front of her. She sees, she does. She cooks the same way–measuring cups, exact cooking times; all that. I cook like I play guitar: ad-lib and hope for the best. But if I do not play for a few days, I always feel rusty for a bit. The same goes for riding.

Reg and Gigi Pridmore, who run CLASS Motorcycle Riding School, have been coming east each year for decades and for all these years, we have been so fortunate to spend time with them. Virginia International Raceway has been almost a home away from home, I can do every foot of this track in my head, and I do…over and over again.

But this year CLASS was unable to come east, and we feared we would maybe never get to ride under the tutelage of the “Grand Master” instructor and his team. We were surprised when we got an invitation from Sir Reg and Gigi to come out to California at the end of October and to spend a few days with CLASS at the Streets of Willow Raceway in Rosamond–just northeast of Los Angeles.

In late October, after an uneventful flight and a short cab ride, I picked up a 2023 BMW R 1250 RS from BMW NA’s West Coast Media Group. The R 1250 RS was an easy choice. Powered by the same Boxer Twin engine that powers my own GS–the last time I got to ride an RS I remembered being so

impressed with this machine’s superbly planted feel and comfortability I knew this would be the perfect bike for this CLASS Reunion.

Laguna Beach

I had a plan in the back of my mind to ride down the coast and find a little out-of-the-way bar on the beach, grab a cheap room and hang tough with a burger while watching the sunset. Shira quickly reminded me I was thinking of the early ‘60s, and my mind was clouded by old beach flicks. The truth is that a lot of the once Beach Boyish California coast is just a bit built up, and the chances of finding that tiny hotel require reservations in advance.

I agreed and felt a charge down the coast and then east across the Ortega Highway to Lake Elsinore and a chain hotel off the highway was more realistic. But Shira found and booked a place on the southern end of Laguna Beach, right across from the ocean which had everything I was looking for except Sandra Dee.

LA traffic is a bear, thank you, but once on the Pacific Coast Highway I got to turn the throttle up a bit, making good time through Huntington and Newport Beach and soon parked the BMW alongside the Laguna Beach Lodge–the 2023 version of the PCH Motel.

A clean, friendly, pool and Ruby’s Diner was just two gears away.

Burger, milkshake, and sunset.

Now where was Gidget?

San Diego:

Still on Jersey time, I woke at 4 a.m. and waited for the sunrise on a beautiful fall day with Peco, Jorge, and Marc, watching the MotoGP Sprint Race from Chang International in Thailand.

Once packed up, I motored south for just a town or two and then headed east through San Juan Capistrano and onto the Ortega Highway. California Highway 72 stretched a good distance from the Pacific Ocean to Coachella Valley–but from San Juan Capistrano to Lake Elsinore it is commonly called “The Ortega.” It’s named after the Spanish Explorer Sgt. Jose Francisco Ortega, who led the scouts of the 1769 Portola Expedition, the first Europeans to ever see this part of North America.

A stunning part it is! The road winds up and over the mountains, and near the summit is a beautiful memorial to Fallen Firefighters who were lost in those terrible and fiery disasters that I would see more and more remnants of in this journey.

It was a weekend, so I ran into a few other motorcycle riders–all of us heading to The Lookout Roadhouse above Lake Elsinore. This place is mobbed on a Sunday, but this Saturday it still had a nice gathering of machines. The view and the breakfast were stellar, and after some two-wheel chit-chat with some of the other riders, I got going south,\ and back towards the coast and the city of Carlsbad.

Back in 1882 a sea captain named John Frazier bought some oceanside land and went about digging a well. He tapped into an almost inexhaustible source of high-alkaline water considered to be some of the best in the world and almost miraculous in its therapeutic value.

They said this water was identical to the famous spas in Europe—Karlsbad, Germany, to be specific. Sensing a good thing, Frazier started a town built around the water and named it Carlsbad after the city in Germany. He built a Victorian hotel beside his original well, and people from all over the world came, including at least two U.S. presidents, to enjoy the mineral water for drinking and bathing, just as they would in the European Karlsbad.

I dropped by, paid some respects to the huge statue of the captain, and then filled my Camelbak up to the brim with the miracle water. God knows we all could use a miracle now and again.

The town of Carlsbad is very cool indeed, especially with residents’ apparent love of art that can be seen all over the town. I stopped to take in two colorful tigers that were in murals across one wall.

Just above the town is another Carlsbad highlight: The Museum of Making Music. Shira and I had been there a few years ago and were taken in by how much fun and interesting this museum is. It is not about the superstars we all know, but about making music itself. Any music. Anywhere. It is funded by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM). These are the folks that bring all the wonderful instruments to us…the Taylors, the Martins, the Steinways of the industry. Their museum is the best–so much fun and a return trip was a must.

Just to the south lay San Diego, and it was nice to spend an evening with my son and then a bit of the morning with my new daughter-in-law Ashley.

Lancaster, California–Willows and CLASS:

That morning, I spun north and west back into the San Gabriel Mountains and then vectored along with a long windy road toward Julian. Julian is known for the best apple pies, and the aroma was more than a little enticing. But, summoning some sad inner strength, I motored onward. Somewhere near Temecula, I spied some wild horses, and they were jumping up and over Route 79, certainly not real flesh and blood but rather marvelous creations of artist Robert Breceda. A few miles down, along the roadside were dozens more of this artist’s amazing creations.

I did have to get to Willow Springs and had ridden and dawdled into the early afternoon, with 150 miles of backroads to go. I picked up a mountain road that rose steadily up through deep pine forest, and then I headed along “The Rim of the World Highway,” which is aptly named as the view from atop this road seems to go on forever.

I stopped at the Heap’s Peak Arboretum, which, at 6,000 feet, is one of the highest in the nation. Right about here, I began to feel the wind begin to pick up and riding further north what was a breeze became a bit more. I hunkered down and tried to settle into the RS while trying to stay loose and easy on the machine at the same time.

Riding down off the mountain, the wind abated and the road opened up into a long series of sweepers that I ate up gleefully. My route brought me up and through Wrightwood and then down toward the Mojave, riding through miles of tight turns that opened onto a wide vista, much of it filled with Joshua and Pine trees, all scorched from last year’s Bobcat Wildfire.

I would ride through miles of scorched earth and then see a lone house with live trees scattered around it. I said a silent prayer of thanks to all those firefighters who so bravely fought to keep that lone house a home. The track would wait till the next day, but evening found me rolling into the town of Lancaster and my home for the next few days.

Streets of Willow

Willow Springs Raceway, commonly called “The Fastest Road in the West,” is the nation’s oldest permanent “Road Course” in the United States with the first race being held here in November of 1953. The original intent was to create a replica of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but plans changed, and several people were involved with the final layout of the big track, including Ken Miles of “Ford vs. Ferrari” fame. Today the facility has several tracks, and we’d be using what is called The Streets of Willow–a 1.8-mile road course.

But our CLASS reunion was planned for the next day, and this day there was something very special circulating the track–nearly 70 motor officers who had all come to learn a different riding style than they were taught when they got a badge, gun, and bike.

I sat in for most of the classroom sessions and enjoyed keeping an eye on the man, rather them on me. They are all stellar riders but were even more brilliant come the day’s end.

Top left, Lunch at Ruby’s Diner. Top Right, A statue of sea captain John Frazier. Bottom, A mural found in the town of Carlsbad.

That evening my friend Vas met up with me for the next day’s CLASS–old wolves running together once again.

On the Track

Willow Springs sits on the edge of the Mojave Desert. Even though the daytime temperatures on this Halloween would reach a purely perfect 72, it started out the other way; 27 bone-chilling degrees showed on my bike's TFT screen as we headed in the pre-dawn twilight the 20 miles to the track; highway speeds that added to the chill.

The sun cracked the eastern edge of the horizon and began to paint the mountains I had so gleefully ridden a few days before with a warm golden/red hue. Soon, it reached out to our two sorrowful and frosted souls.

I glanced at Sol and quoted The Moody Blues: “C’mon Helios,” come and warm me and Vasilios! It was cold too, but hey, with heated grips and a heated seat my butt and palms were okay, the rest of me was numb.

I have ridden with Reg and company and CLASS for many years, but this was the first time I would get to go to his school on this track, one that I had heard so much about from all the California magazines.

With such low temperatures all about, there was no great rush to get going, but soon enough we were doing some sighting laps around the nearly two miles that make up the Streets. I was following John Francis, one of the instructors who

has always kindly and slowly (‘cause I’m me), pointed out a better way around the track–no matter where it was. Vas and I were in excellent hands.

We followed John’s lines, especially near the back end of the track where sight was not just limited, but not there at all, and trust was key. To the right side of the cone, not left at turn 9 or was that 10?

When left on my own for the first lap I did my best to ride my ride, as many of the riders there–even warming up their tires–were on a far higher part of the mountain than I’ll ever get to.

The right side of the cone…whenever it decided to appear.

There was one second of “Frack…where’s the track?!”

One second is a long time on the track.

The cone appeared and I cut around the skid pad (who thought that was a good idea?) and blasted down the straight. Well, more like ambled with authority; Mark and Cas blasted. I

Far left, CLASS Instructors–always ready and willing to help.

Below, My buddy Vas at Willow Springs Raceway, commonly called “The Fastest Road in the West,” is the nation’s oldest permanent “Road Course” in the United States with the first race being held here in November of 1953.

was once told we don’t have to go fast, we just have to go far, and that is the truth and is why Reg Pridmore and CLASS are the best at taking street riders and getting them not just faster, but smoother and–very importantly–thinking. Make a plan, and then ride that plan.

Many of the riders that day were track veterans, pure sport bikes, slick, tire warmers… oh yes, skill; and much of that learned from Reg and friends. It was a long day, and run a bit looser than the normal CLASS days as this was their last outing for the season, so there was plenty of open track time.

There were a good number of CLASS instructors this day–familiar faces including John, Gary, Brett, Clarke and Aaron White who, after a long talk at lunch, zeroed in on me on the track with some one-on-one instruction and got my confidence to rise and my lap times to drop.

Right, These tires were brand new just yesterday!

I truly miss the yearly couple of days at VIR so getting to ride with Reg and company, even in the desert for one day, was a real gift.

If you ever have the chance to attend CLASS then you should jump on it and come with an open and willing mind. You will leave a far better, more confident, and smoother rider. I promise.

Back to LA - Arena

I had a red-eye to catch that night back to New Jersey; all I had to do was get the bike back to Los Angeles by the end of business hours.

Easy. I had a plan. I was SO sure of this plan that I added a bit more of a plan to visit an amazing area, Vazquez Rocks, a 1,000-acre park located in the Sierra Pelona in northern Los Angeles County, California. It is known for its rock formations, the result of sedimentary layering and later seismic uplift. They are stunning, but I came for something else.

Some 57 years earlier, November 9, 1966, or Star Date 3045.6 to be exact, a bustling crew arrived before sunrise and began preparations for what would be remembered as one of the all-time classic fights in television, certainly Star Trek, history. This episode of Star Trek was called “The Arena,” and it was based on a 1944 short story by Frederic Brown. It pitted Captain Kirk against what seems to be an unbeatable foe–the lizard-like Gorn, played by stunt-actor Bobby Clark, a steady Red Shirt on the Enterprise, and we all know how that goes.

Vazquez Rocks was also used in episodes of Gunsmoke, Kung Fu, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer–as well as Bill & Ted’s Bogus Adventure and Blazing Saddles.

But it is “Arena” that everyone seems to rightly remember.

Speaking of Arena, I still had a bunch of miles to go and a lot of it would be through the arena called LA traffic. I loped up the San Gabriel Mountains, riding far smoother and with bolstered confidence after the previous 100 or so miles on the Streets of Willow, and picked up the famed Angels’ Crest Highway at Wrightwood.

Back in February, the road was closed due to slides and conditions. It was still closed, but there were no signs for this until I ran into the gate some 30 miles in.

Uh oh: Plan B, of course. On a good note, the 30 miles back were a little different than the ones going in, and I was still on an awesome machine on some of the best roads in California.

The Battle of Los Angeles was not much of note, and I easily got back to BMW and handed the key fob back to the powersthat-be with hours to spare.

Red-eye flights are an odd thing. The long day that I had started early that morning in the Mojave Desert included riding to a battlefield on some unknown planet, punching Warp Drive to get to LA, and then ended as I closed my eyes for a second at 30,000 feet, only to finish the day right there and then.

CLASS is worth it anytime, anywhere.

The BMW R 1250 RS is, as Bill & Ted would say, “totally rad” and I got to spend almost a week wandering around on my own.

It’s good for the soul.

A longtime member of the MOA, Brian Rathjen has manned the helm of the northeast regional motorcycle tour magazine Backroads for the last 22 years from his home at northwestern edge of New Jersey. A motorcyclist for more than 40 years, Rathjen has ridden in more than 35 countries around the planet—mostly on various BMWs—and says he occasionally scribbles down his thoughts and comments with mixed results. When he grows up he wants to be just like Jack Riepe. You can find Backroads at www.backroadsusa.com.

AMA Champion Reg and Gigi Pridmore have mentored thousands of riders over the years.

+ Remote First Aid and Survival for the Off-grid Rider

By Dr. Kenneth R Hoffman #226288

Our investment in gear, clothing, farkles, and rider training adds up. While these things are all important, there is often one piece missing–remote medical and survival training. Many riders will easily spend $280 on a headlight grill guard yet complain that a well-stocked first aid kit is $139. Maybe there is a mental block for many to admit that accidents happen. As most of us have either seen or been involved one of these accidents, we all know it happens. While riding ATGATT can minimize injuries should we experience a fall, it doesn’t preclude them from occurring.

An accident I witnessed while riding off-road in Morocco could have ended in serious injury. We had just ridden down a steep, difficult road with deep sand and onto a simple, solid and slightly graveled hard pack. Relieved to get to this easier track, one of our riders lifted his hand to wave at the local children running to the roadside to greet us. With only one hand on his handlebars, the rider lost his front end on the gravel and sent his R 1250 GS flying into the dirt and himself to the ground. Fortunately, he bounced well and didn’t sustain any serious injuries. Considering that the average ambulance response in Morocco can take up to six hours, this accident could have been much worse on what most of us would consider an easy road, well away from critical care.

As an avid ADV rider, Search and Rescue (SAR) team leader and wilderness medical specialist, I have a different viewpoint of safety. I’ve been on both the rescuer side and on the riding group side of some serious accidents, and I believe the riding and outdoor communities wholly overestimate their access to Emergency Medical Care. This perspective led me to my mission to help the ADV community to start thinking about first aid and backcountry training with as much priority as riding and other valuable skills. With that in mind, I created TerraTrek Medical, my passion project where I deliver real world training and field-tested gear for adventurers and those who wander off the well-worn path.

Anyone can get training on how to do a splint or stop bleeding, but there are special considerations one must understand about how to prioritize gear and initial actions if you ever find yourself in a remote survival or medical situation. I have had no rescues that took less than three hours in rural, but mostly populated, areas. I believe you must first be able to save yourself or your teammates and then help EMS find and transport you as fast as possible.

complications for rescuers and possibly more casualties. Take a breath, think things through and assess the situation. Though this sounds simple, it is often overlooked as everyone runs around trying to fix the problem.

Next, treat and stabilize injuries or illnesses. These skills are taught in classes such as Red Cross First Aid (redcross.org) or Accident Scene Management (roadguardians.org), both great programs that I recommend. While the skills for remote care are slightly different, they build upon these basics, and the classroom work gives you hands-on training for most common injuries. In a remote environment, variations to the training include things such as moving the person, giving fluids/food or protecting the patient from the elements, and removing helmets. Often when immediate care is available, these actions are discouraged. Not so in the remote setting.

These are the steps I recommend everyone take if you or your group experience an off-road accident:

1. Initial Response/First Aid

2. Communication/Activation of EMS

3. Stabilization and Extraction

4. Preparation for extended

Starting with the initial response, make sure the situation is safe for all. Rescuers know this well, as they understand that they can become victims themselves, leading to more

One final thought. Just remember that you can’t see what has happened inside the body after a trauma. Too many times, I have heard stories and responded to calls where the person suffered a trauma a few days before but refused care. Then it got worse, way worse. Egos can kill someone as much as the injury itself. Whenever there is a traumatic event, get checked out, even if you think you are OK. The effects of, for example, a head injury or blunt trauma may not be seen for hours or even a day or two.

Next, begin communication with rescuers. This means activating emergency services or your emergency contact list. In Search and Rescue we talk about the “Golden Hour” a term commonly used to characterize the urgent need for the care of trauma patients. It implies that morbidity and mortality rise significantly if care is not instituted within the first hour after a trauma. As stated earlier, getting someone out of the backcountry or remote locations rarely happens in under an hour. On a recent trip on the Cross Pennsylvania Adventure Trail, the hospital was an hour and a half from our location after the time it took to get our injured rider to the road. This is the norm rather than the exception for most adventure rides.

For this reason, I believe in using redundant systems for communication. You won’t always have cell service nor an open view to the sky for a satellite connection. Learn to have multiple ways of communicating. A fully charged cell phone and satellite communicator are great and will serve you well, as long as you know how to use them and what their limitations are.

stay (outside the “Golden Hour”) until either someone finds you or you can get to a higher level of care.

Once you make contact, remember, it still may be difficult for rescue to find you. Even our in-town ambulance has delays due to weather, incorrect addresses, or blocked roads. Delays happen even more so when off-grid or on untraveled paper roads. The best chances of being found are to provide the most crucial information to rescuers: your precise location, the nature and severity of the emergency or injuries, and the number of individuals involved. Provide clear and concise details about the situation and any potential hazards. This will assist emergency responders in coordinating an effective rescue operation tailored to your needs. Additionally, sharing any relevant medical conditions, available resources, and environmental factors will help expedite the response and ensure the safety of everyone involved.

If using satellite communications like the Garmin InReach Mini or Zoleo, your SOS will go to an international call center where they will determine what your needs are. Then they dispatch the most appropriate care. But it’s not foolproof, and it takes time. Often, there is a delay, once activated. There are times when a local team cannot get to you, so be prepared to hunker down or get out yourself. The bottom line is that these systems work and are clearly better than being stuck with nothing. I have used the InReach in South America when we had a breakdown in the jungle far from civilization, and it was instrumental to our safety. But know the limitations.

The third consideration is stabilization and extraction. Certainly, if EMS can get to you quickly and is close by, you just want to stay put. SAR and EMS know how to move people and not make things worse. While you wait, recheck any injuries, treat for shock by maintaining body heat, and stay relaxed and as comfortable as possible. If you have to self-extricate, it would be good to learn how to build a litter carry system by using a tarp and rope as well as webbingbased carry techniques.

The last consideration is the extended stay. In survival, the Rule of 3s states that while you can only survive for three minutes without air or in cold water, you can only survive for three hours without shelter, three days without water and three weeks without food. Keeping this in mind, have a plan based on the four survival priorities (modified for ADV rides) shelter, heat/cooling source, water/hydration, and high energy food (although it’s the least important, it may give you needed energy).

I dedicate a whole chapter in my upcoming book to break this down; for now, just consider what you would do or bring to accommodate these four priorities. At a minimum, always carry a compact tarp, three feet of paracord, some fire starters, a lighter and a water filter. In New England during the spring, it’s easy to have nice 70-degree days and then 40-degree nights. If you had a breakdown or get injured near sunset and have to stay there for three to four hours waiting for rescue, you could easily become hypothermic before someone got to you.

The big question everyone asks is what they should have in their first aid kit? My response is to keep it simple and cost

effective. If you’re just starting out or want to revamp your kit, I suggest buying a high quality, premade first aid kit from a company like Adventure Medical Mountain series or MyMedic MyFak Mini Pro (mymedic.com). I have found it is much cheaper to buy a pre-stocked kit than to make your own. While no kit is perfect, some items you may need to add include:

Tourniquet

Make sure it’s a SoftT or CAT. They are the top picks by the American College of Trauma Surgeons. Keep one in the pocket of your riding jacket for immediate deployment and one in your first aid kit.

Quickclot or Celox

This is a type of bandage that stops bleeding fast.

Extra Medications

Increase the amount in the kits, add electrolytes, and include 3-4 days of your own meds. I give a comprehensive discussion of the need for a variety of different medications in the book.

Sam Splint

Super flat and easily slid into a side pocket, it’s good for splinting limbs, for making a cervical collar, and even for catching water.

A way to produce clean water

The Grayl Filter bottle or LifeStraw are good choices.

A good knife

I like a fixed blade such as the Esee 4P and a multitool.

Each one of the four considerations I laid out involves its own skillset, and there is so much more to learn. Hopefully, this will raise your awareness and get you thinking. I hope you will never need to use these skills, but if the time comes, it’s good to be prepared.

Dr. Ken Hoffman is Medical Director for SOPHIA Natural Medicine Center, a functional medicine clinic in Brookfield, Connecticutt. He is the EMS Lieutenant for his community ambulance service and is also part of the Search and Rescue team having participated directly in missing persons calls, trail rescues, swift water and rope rescues. He is a certified Wilderness EMT, Red Cross CPR/AED/ Wilderness First Aid instructor and member of the National Association for Search and Rescue and the Wilderness Medical Society. An avid rider, he has been to various countries and lots of miles in the US and Canada both on and off-road. His present ADV bike is a 2022 BMW F 850 GS named Beatrix. Feel free to email with questions or book a lecture at drhoffman@inm.center.

Supporting a good cause started my motorcycle adventure

BY KEN ELSEY #202793

It was another one of those events. You know, the corporate dinner at the big downtown hotel, where the cost is a little over the top, but the cause is a good one. Besides, networking with the over 400 executives that would be there would give me a chance to recruit new members for the organization I was running. Pollution Probe does a lot of great work advocating for environmental issues here in Canada, and I share their goals on energy efficiency. This was their biggest fundraising event of the year, and they really did an outstanding job!

Part of the event that night included a silent auction where they had more than 100 donations of amazing items to bid on. A set of golf clubs from a local sporting goods store, a TV, cell phones, lots of signed sports memorabilia, and the Honda dealership contributed a 49cc Ruckus.

The Ruckus brought back a memory from my teenage years when my “almost girlfriend” let me borrow her Honda Cub. I looked at the clipboard listing the bids on the Ruckus only to see it was blank! “No one has bid on this?” I asked.

“Not yet” replied the rep.

“So, what this thing worth?” I asked.

“Well, it includes a rider training course worth $450 plus the bike is about $3,000 so when you consider sales tax, the whole package is almost $4,000!” he said.

I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to support such a good cause and besides, the executive director was a friend, so bidding would be seen as support!

“$1,500, I hope that starts things off!” I said.

Leaving the silent auction table, I continued networking and sipping on my glass of wine.

Five minutes later I walked past the silent auction booth only to find someone outbid me! They put $1,600. Well, that won’t do, I thought. Grabbing a pen, I firmly committed to $1,700. A few minutes later while walking back to the bar for another glass of wine I noticed someone had entered $1,800 for the Ruckus! This cannot go unchallenged! $2,000 was my new bid!

Now with a full glass of wine in hand and on my way to be seated for dinner, passing by the auction table once more I saw the bidding was now at $2,100! Some nerve, I thought. This was

my final straw as I entered $2,200 on the clip board!

“There,” I said to the rep, “I got the competition heated up, and I hope you make a little more before the evenings over.” Then I headed into dinner.

Dinner was great, and the conversations at my table were more than informative. The speeches were as could be expected, interesting but with no surprises. They announced the totals raised that evening and commented on how generous the bidding was at the silent auction.

Well, I was curious to see how much the Ruckus went for, believing it surely must have raised close to $3,000! Walking into the lobby where the auction was set up, I heard, “Ken, it’s yours, they stopped the bidding as soon as you left for dinner!”

I can only say that I hadn’t planned on that!

While the cost of the dinner was on my expense account, the cost of the bike was something I would have to reveal to my wife when I got home. I could feel the tension building up as I got into my car for the drive home.

We won’t discuss the next few days, but let’s just say before making expenditures, some should be discussed with your wife.

I now own a Ruckus and a certificate for a rider training program. But first, I need a learners permit, so off I went to the Ministry of Transportation to take the written test. Then, a call to my insurance agent, and before you know it, I’m gassed up and ready for my first ride.

After a few times around the block at an underwhelming top speed of maybe 50 kph (30 mph), at 6’3” tall and 225 pounds, I quickly realized that this was not the bike for me. Now what?

I guess I’m lucky in so many ways, with a great wife and family, a nice home and a career that has been relatively successful. But at this point I realizefd that my best assets were my best friends, Bryan and Zoi Thoms. Bryan and I went to high school together, then college and then university. That all started in 1964 and we still talk almost every week and visit as often as we can, even though we live five hours away from each other.

Why tell you about my friends? Well Bryan and Zoi own Ottawa Goodtime Centre aka BMW Ottawa Motorrad. So, I made a quick call and asked Bryan what I should do.

“Bring the Ruckus to Ottawa, I have a Kawasaki KLX 250 on the floor–it’ll be a good bike to learn on,” he said. And it was. For two years I travelled the back roads of Muskoka where I live and really enjoyed it. But a few trips on the highway at a little faster pace soon made me realize that the 250 lacked a certain something.

Another call to Bryan I was told, “BMW is holding a demo ride, come on over for a couple days and try a few bikes.”

That was all the encouragement I needed, and before I knew it, an F 800 GS was on my trailer and headed for home. For five years I enjoyed that bike except for the stock seat. During a tour around Lake Superior, I realized an upgrade was needed. The F 800 was great bike that never let me down, and my joining the BMW Motorcycle Club of Ontario introduced me to more adventures and of course more friends. Too many club members made me envious of the famous boxer engine.

So, I thought, if 800 is good, then 1200 must be great!

After another call to Bryan, and I soon had an R 1200 GS stabled in the garage. Life does get better.

The real point of this essay isn’t how I got into motorcycling as a sport, but rather when I did. If you picked up on some of the dates, you’ll soon realize that I’m not the youngest guy in the club. This summer I’ll turn 75 and I can’t wait until spring! I got my motorcycle license and my Ruckus when I was 62. Most stories in BMW Owners News tell of individuals who got their first bike at the age of six or somewhere close to that age. But I’m sure we all have a good friend that doesn’t ride, but we

wish they did so we could share the amazing feeling of cruising down a country road or stopping for lunch and laughing about the bear sitting at the side of the road watching traffic.

Don’t let your friend say he’s too old–he’s not. Tell him about the old guy you read about in Owners News who started at 62 with a Honda Ruckus and never looked back.

PS: While my wife Penny isn’t a rider by any means, she is constantly telling me “Go for a ride!” I guess she likes seeing me later, when I walk back in the door with a smile!

With an eclectic career ranging from social work to developing marketing strategies for some of Canada’s largest banks, Ken ultimately ended up working in association management where membership is a key element of a successful organization–like the MOA. He’s been married for 48 years to the most forgiving wife ever who enjoys telling him to “please, go for a ride!” With three kids and seven grandkids, what more could any guy ask for?  (Maybe a new 1300 GS?)

Ken Elsey (#202793) got his motorcycle license and a Honda Ruckus when he was 62. His love of riding has since taken him to his current bike, an R 1200 GS.

RIDE

We take military veterans and first responders on 5-day adventures on some of the most scenic, twisty two-lane roads in the country, then we get off the beaten path on dirt-packed, forest roads.

GET UNSTUCK

We learn about mindfulness, gratitude, serving yourself through serving others, moral injury, resistance, and PTSD.

Motorcycle Relief Project is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides relief to male and female veterans and first responders with PTSD and other related issues by taking them on week-long adventure motorcycle relief rides.

bigger is, well, bigger

By Ron Davis #111820

After April Ersten’s debunked story two years ago about BMW’s new electric models followed by a patently false report that shop manuals would be issued with all new motorcycles, Managing Editor Bill Wiegand declared Owners News would accept no further submissions from her. However, in the interest of journalistic freedom (and because I couldn’t think of anything myself), I have allowed April to use my column for another one of her moto-scoops. She writes…

On my latest junket to Berlin to search for any major news items from BMW Motorrad headquarters (which apparently a certain close-minded editor would deem “not worth the pixels it was energized in”), my first mission of course was to find one of those porcelain beer steins all visitors to the Fatherland are required, under penalty of law, to purchase. I’ve been to Germany so many times, I usually just bring my own, with its vaguely disturbing images of a farmer and what appears to be his favorite ewe, but having dropped and broken it in a crowded Starbucks/Hofbrauhaus on my last visit in a disagreement over my tearful memories of the servo-assisted brakes on the R 1150 R, I was forced to find another. It’s not difficult, since they are sold at every conceivable business, at sidewalk card tables, and even in certain rest rooms, but I settled on one from an outdoor biergarten, where it came brimming with my favorite Schwarzbier.

As chance would have it, no sooner had I sat down and been served at a sticky, foam-covered table, when a professorial-looking gentleman, noticing my 1956 vintage BMW T-shirt (complete with permanent sweat rings and mustard stains) asked if he could join me. The BMW Motorrad badge dangling from the lanyard around his neck suggested he was an engineer and to my surprise, he said he was on the “Future Projects” team. Or at least he had been, until what he claimed were “philosophical differences” resulted in his termination. Sensing a major exposé that would make “editor” Wiegand regret every cruel wisecrack regarding my reporting he’d ever made, I breathlessly asked, “So you were a BMW Motorrad engineer? Really?”

“Well,” he answered, “I was a maintenance engineer, but once the lights were dimmed for proposals in a Future Project Dept. meeting, I was able to get in under the pretense of dumping the waste baskets, and

nobody noticed when I didn’t leave.”

As is my hard-nosed, news hound style, I continued to press him. “So, uh, what happened?”

“Ach du Lieber! It was yet another example of head-in-the-sand corporate cowardice,” he intimated. “Instead, of doggedly following the crowd like, well, a dog, with a paltry increase in displacement of a mere 50cc every other year, I proposed we blow the competition away with a bold, end-all move by offering a new GS mega-cycle sporting fully 10,000ccs! Or more! This blitzkrieg would finally put an end to all this pathetic, tit-for-tat pandering and give all riders what they truly desire, a bike that could not be any bigger!”

The former engineer continued, “They giggled! They guffawed! Can you believe it? Here, I was proposing a bold move that would assure BMW Motorrad’s dominance for the next 100 years, and all they could do was roll their eyes and make more disgusting noises than if they had all just been in a sauerkraut-eating contest. I mean, I had a PowerPoint, cool-looking folders to hand out, free pens, bottles of water, key chains, everything! Clearly, what had once been a ground-breaking manufacturer of epic motorcycles with a clear vision of the next best thing had fallen onto the junk heap of mediocrity!”

I drained my Schwarzbier and called for another. “But 10,000 cubic centimeters, how exactly would that be possible?” No softball questions from this journalist!

“Fool! Are you as imagination-challenged as the rest of them? Clearly there would have to be more cylinders, though we would of course have to honor the time-honored tradition of the opposed cylinder layout. I was thinking, um, eight or so on each side. I had sorted every detail, for example, no rubber tires since the increased torque would instantly tear those Michelins to shreds, but instead titanium coils, one or two feet wide, you know, like two big Slinkys. I had to actually explain to those dummkopfs that a new seat would also be needed, but that could easily be procured from mothballed Grumman F-14 Tomcat fighters. Obviously, the increased height of the bike would require a self-retracting step ladder, and of course the new weight (a paltry ton and a half) would mean a gyro-controlled, self-righting mechanism, hydraulic lift jacks, and Freightliner air brakes. I had only gotten this far when people actually started to

walk out on me! ME!”

The engineer was growing more and more agitated, and people were starting to look our way. I pointed the blond barmaid to my empty stein and ordered a soft pretzel. As I paused to check the batteries on my recorder, I could already hear Wiegand’s sheepish congratulations on this breaking reportage.

With the squinty-eyed expression all hard-drinking, anything-for-a-story scribes must learn, I asked, “But are you sure motorcyclists want a bike that big?”

“Are you kidding?” the engineer exclaimed. “Haven’t you noticed how much bigger bikes get every year? I mean, the Triumph Rocket is starting to look positively puny!” Drool started to drip from the corners of the engineer’s mouth. His eyes grew large, their pupils spinning in opposite directions like Blaze Star’s legendary tassels, and he launched into a screaming rant about aftermarket accessories for the future GGS (Gigantisch Gelande Strasse). “Think of it! TWO PERSON CAMPING TRAILERS! COFFINSIZED SIDE CASES! SNOW PLOW FAIRINGS!”

At this point, flailing his arms about wildly, the engineer knocked my beer stein over. It smashed to the ground, but not before drenching my recorder and bringing the interview to a close. He ran off, screaming something about “HOT TUB SIDECARS” and I staggered out into the street, composing my newest journalistic coup in my head and vowing to forgive Bill Wiegand for his past oversights. I also had to find a rest room.

(Happy April 1st!)

Ron Davis has been a rider, off and on, for about 50 years. Over that period, he’s also squeezed in a full-time career as a high school English teacher and later, a university professor while also working as a social media writer for the Northwest Ontario tourism industry and as an Associate Editor for BMW Owners News. His writing has been featured in a host of motorcycle magazines, and his essays have been broadcast frequently on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Wisconsin Life.” He has also authored two books on motorcycling, Shiny Side Up and Rubber Side Down, published by Road Dog Publications (roaddogpub.com).

a tribute to a great friend and traveler: Allen naille

By Dave Grider #47339

As Carol and I passed from the house into the attached garage, I paused in the doorway for a moment to think of the guy we all missed and what the garage held. Before us was an area as big as the house itself; five bays, two cars deep. It was full of two- and four-wheeled vehicles along with all varieties of associated memorabilia. The cabinets and walls were full of motosport nostalgia and at least 20 helmets hung on the ceiling beams. Plaques, posters, and signs on the walls attested to hundreds of events that he and Carol attended all around the world. The contents of the garage represented just a few of the many interests of my departed friend, Allen Naille.

Allen (#4277) left us a on July 25, 2022. He was 77 years old. After years of courageously battling the effects of Agent Orange, cancer claimed him. Though it seemed like much less, a little over a year had passed since his passing, and with great difficulty, Carol decided it was time to let go of most of their common passions: interesting cars, motorcycles, and many associated items.

Allen raced Morgan three-wheelers for a while. There were two wooden-frame Morgan four-wheel versions sitting together. His preferences for rally events favored Porsches and Alpines. There were three Porsches, an Alpine Rally and a Subaru. At the far end of the garage was the pristine 1984 Airstream motorhome used to pull the cars to the events. In a space between the cars and the motorhome sat 10 motorcycles. One of the bikes was a full Dakar-prepped R 80 GS. Another was a KTM ridden and signed by Jimmy Lewis after he won a major desert race.

war with an appreciation of doing things, not just daydreaming about them. He was always thankful that he had the resources to pursue his interest in worldwide expeditions.

His chosen career in the hospitality industry spanned from night clerk to top management in a major hotel chain. Allen rose quickly and invested well. He was well known, sitting on congressional and other governmental committees. At the time of his death, he was still on the Navajo Nation’s Hospitality Board.

Allen’s knowledge of the world at large made him the best travel planner I’ve ever known. He retired in his mid-40s to pursue his love of motorsports and travel. If the bikes had to be shipped in a container, proper documents acquired or a day-to-day itinerary created, he was up to the task. Traveling with him meant that you often got to go behind the scenes at various venues. Oddly, his trip planning took place with paper maps, searches on his cell phone and calls to people he knew. He was not a fan of GPS.

Adventure riding took Allen and Carol all over the world, including trips to Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, China’s Silk Road, Chile to Argentina. Motorcycles took him to Mexico and the Artic Circle, Canada, and all of the USA. Death Valley, Utah, Nevada, Colorado’s mountain passes and Baja were among his regular short trips. The Coronado Trail between Alpine and Morenci, Arizona, was one of his favorite yearly rides.

None of the cars or bikes were garage queens. All were raced or rallied at some point in their lives. Allen was an early promoter of the Lucky Explorer mindset and was a Paris-Dakar enthusiast. He embraced the Lucky Explorer logo as his personal expression of a love for adventure and motorcycle travel.

Allen had the credentials. He was a decorated helicopter pilot in Vietnam, including the Purple Heart. He returned from the

A few of months earlier, I had stopped by the house to help Carol with a roofing problem. We went into the garage and there sat Allen’s ashes on one of the work benches in an attractive red enamel urn. We talked about what lay ahead with all the “stuff” and over in a corner behind the motorhome was a bike I didn’t remember seeing before. He never rode it on any of our trips or social get-togethers. It should have stood out, as it was red and white in a sea of more basic blacks, greens, grays and browns.

I asked Carol what it was and she told me it was Allen’s first BMW adventure-style motorcycle, a 1995 R 100 GSPD. The PD was among the first of his adventure bikes in the list, which included Cagiva

Allen and Carol Naille in Ensenada.

Elefants, KTMs, Ducatis, and other BMW GSes.

I threw a leg over it and thought, “Wow, this isn’t near as tall as my other GSes.” Simple-minded me didn’t even stop to think that the tires were flat. I’m a sucker for a pretty face. I told her I was interested if she decided to part with it. Two months later it was on a trailer headed to my house.

Twenty-five years ago, I would have done the work to put the PD back on the road. I had owned a 1995 R 100 GS in 1997 and back then my interest in airheads would have led me to restore the bike. Now, uncertain about my rusty mechanical skills or patience, the better decision was to take it to Moto Ghost in Phoenix, where Jeremy and his mechanics work on BMWs only, both the older stuff and the new models.

After determining what it needed, they went through the bike from front to back with new tires, new battery, all new fluids, grease for bearings, new fuel lines, brake service, a complete tune up, carbs serviced, final drive shaft checked and the replacement of a leaking rear main seal. A Denali brake light was installed to supplement the stock unit and a pair of Vision X front lights were installed on the front crash bars.

After riding newer bikes for the last 20 years, my first impression of the PD was that it was dangerously primitive. Its 60 hp is less than half that of my 2017 R 1200 GS. There are no gauges or cruise control. The twist grip and clutch reminded me how we used to build our forearms. There was no GPS, ABS or ASC. The

suspension was stiff and the bike is sometimes slow to start and sort of slow in general. I often forget to turn off the gas. I used to think these bikes were state of the art, now they seem more like rock art. The contrast is shocking.

On the first ride which took me about 100 miles, I feared I had made a mistake. The wind buffeted, the transmission clunked and nothing seemed in the right place. There was vibration, and my arm pumped up from the twist grip. Still, there was something that made me want to keep riding it. A laminar attachment has reduced the buffeting and everything else is slowly growing on me. It is my first choice for a quick ride to town or breakfast with the guys. It is eye candy. That said, I am thankful for my newer bikes, as it will not be going on any 500-mile days. It’s old, I’m old, we have much in common.

The Northern Arizona BMW Riders meets once a month for lunch in various locations around northern Arizona. Allen co-founded the group with Jon Dyer many years ago. When my wife Cindy and I were stopped at a traffic light in Flagstaff on the way to the September lunch, I looked over and Carol was in the car next to us. She waved and we waved; she was headed to the lunch as well. When we arrived, she parked next to us, got out with a smile and tears in her eyes, and said she was so glad to see us and the bike back on the road. So am I.

Allen, we will keep the Lucky Explorer ideal alive a bit longer. We remember and miss you. Thank you.

everyone has a story

By Mark Barnes, Phd #222400

MOA member Alan Romefelt emailed me a question for The Ride Inside podcast (you can, too, at podcast@ bmwmoa.org), and I felt it deserved a response. He described an experience he’s found common, puzzling—and vexing—throughout his 44 years as a BMW rider. When non-motorcyclists learn Alan or one of his buddies rides a motorcycle, they jump at the opportunity to “relate” by telling a story about someone they knew (or knew of) who’d been seriously hurt or even killed while riding. Alan noted he might greet a successful entrepreneur or athlete with a comment about a person of like mind he knows—but never one who came to a bad end in their similar endeavor (and many in those categories have). He wondered why so many non-riders feel compelled to tell this kind of story, presumably as a way to connect with a newlydiscovered motorcyclist. I’m sure Alan isn’t the only one who has observed this phenomenon; I’ve encountered it many times. Witness this admittedly hyperbolic excerpt from an article I wrote for Motorcycle Consumer News way back in 1996:

Friend of mine had one of them things. Ran underneath a train at 350mph with his wife and kids on the back. All of ‘em burst into flames and died instantly. Killed some people who weren’t even there at the time. They’re still finding pieces of that motor-scooter all the way across the state line. You’d never catch me on one of them things. Death traps, I tell you!... Did I mention a friend of mine had one of them things? Got run over by a Greyhound bus in his own driveway. Broke every bone in his body. Left him a vegetable that couldn’t eat, drink, or sleep—it was terrible! A nurse I know says the same thing happens to somebody in town every eleven minutes…

We’ve all heard the stories. It seems just about everybody who hears you ride a motorcycle always knows someone somewhere who had a hair-raising, godawful crash that either prevented the person from ever riding again or convinced the rider and all his or her friends, neighbors, and relatives that motorcycling is the most surefire way to incur extensive physical injury known to man. And they feel compelled to tell you about it. Again and again. Punishment for youthful exuberance comes swiftly, surely, and severely—if you believe these stories. Which I don’t.

In that ancient column, I went on to say it wasn’t that I didn’t believe motorcyclists ever took damage while

riding; of course they do! What I rejected was the implicit or explicit message that horrifically tragic consequences are an obvious foregone conclusion to the act of swinging a leg over a motorcycle. In much of the non-riding public’s mind, the subtext of these stories is motorcyclists are self-destructive fools, as proven beyond any shadow of doubt by the anecdotal evidence they’ve just recounted. This is why such stories can feel insulting and accusatory to the rider listening to them, even when they’re ostensibly about someone else.

What might propel a stranger to lead with this kind of offensive gesture when getting acquainted with a motorcyclist? Obviously, I can’t speak to any particular individual’s motives, but here are my thoughts on the topic.

First, I’m certain most of these remarks are made with no intention to offend us, although I’m equally sure there are exceptions. Undoubtedly, there are people who turn up their noses at motorcycling and motorcyclists, viewing us as clinging to adolescence in a most ridiculous manner, as grossly irresponsible regarding our health and safety and the welfare of our loved ones, and maybe even as filthy, criminal-minded menaces to society. These images may have come from Hollywood, Hells Angels documentaries, or a genuinely factual account of some miscreant rider in their family, community, or workplace, or they could be part of a more generalized snobbery regarding motorsports as low-class and worthy of suspicion and contempt. Let’s assume, however, the story isn’t told with sneering disdain, then what could be driving it? “Driving it,” is likely an important turn of phrase here, as these speakers often seem “driven” to blurt out their awful tales, probably even before they realize their potential to offend. A person who would normally be polite and circumspect when meeting someone new might suddenly inject this content into the interaction impulsively. If so, what’s behind the impulse? I suggest it’s the same thing that propels (or helps propel) most impulses: Anxiety.

I’m not talking about anxiety related to death and destruction. These are more likely cause for sadness or reproach. I suspect it’s anxiety rooted in something like unconscious/disavowed FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), mixed with secret envy and nagging regret. People

who are risk-averse often need to bolster their justifications for taking the path most traveled and having thereby forfeited the excitement and vitality they might have found going the other way. Their “good judgement” in avoiding motorcycles is confirmed by a horrific story about what happened to one of those who took their chances in pursuit of forbidden pleasures—forbidden, that is, by something internal the speaker dares not consider timidity or laziness, but rather labels “wisdom.” Who would want to conclude they’d opted out of joyous adventures in favor of tepid mediocrity, and done so unnecessarily?

No, they need to view this as a choice between insanity and sanity, hooliganism and being a respectable good citizen, guaranteed catastrophe versus the freedom from pain and loss promised by prudent reserve. The anxiety about possibly having chosen mundane conventionality when they might have survived a life of electrifying thrills may be what drives folks to blurt out “evidence” that nobody gets away with that kind of mischief. If they’re talking with a motorcyclist who hasn’t yet succumbed to this ineffable law of nature, they must reassure themselves of that person’s doom, lest they consider the possibility

they, themselves, have missed out—whether by eschewing motorcycles or any other venue for embracing risk and challenge, and enjoying the many benefits that come with surviving same. Our very existence poses a substantive threat to their view of the world and the place they feel they must take within it.

Back to that original column:

Sure, motorcycling is a dangerous activity and accidents really do happen, sometimes with very serious consequences. But that’s only part of the story. Non-riders tend to leave out (maybe because they never heard) other important factors, such as the seventeen beers ingested immediately prior to the ride of death, the absence of appropriate riding gear, or the lack of good training and experience (or common sense and maturity) on the part of the rider. Nor is there any accounting for the millions of riders who do not instantly detonate upon contact with the doomsday device supposedly lurking within each and every motorcycle.

For most who offer their unsolicited horror stories about a friend of a friend, the facts about motorcycle safety won’t mean a thing. Try as he may, my friend Bill [who crashed during a track day described in the original article] will be wasting his breath explaining that he really wasn’t hurt that badly and that he gained a very valuable learning

experience on the way to increased mastery. It won’t matter that he hasn’t had a wreck on the street in nearly four years of riding, or that the racetrack is by far the very safest place to practice and improve one’s skills (no oncoming traffic, medical crew at the ready, mandatory full leathers and track-worthy machinery, same corners over and over, etc.). And he had better not even mention anything about the exhilarating freedom, grand camaraderie, and thrilling adventure which make the expenses, risks, and injuries all worthwhile. They’ll have none of that, thank you. Which is too bad… The typical anti-motorcyclist’s anxieties aren’t about risk, damage, and injury; they’re about missing out on life. They need to reassure themselves that taking chances always ends in disaster; this is the justification for all the “safe” (read: boring) conventions they’ve adopted. Never mind all the lost opportunities for enriching experiences, important discoveries about one’s own abilities and limits, or the bonds that form between people who face challenges together—what they want is certainty, safety, and security. As if these really exist.

The only guarantee in life is death. Risk is everywhere all the time; it is simply a part of life. To spend one’s life eradicating risk is to hurry death, not avoid it. People can be dead long before they die. If something can be said about motorcyclists as a group, it’s that we understand security is an illusion. This doesn’t mean all things are equally dangerous or that potential consequences should be disregarded arbitrarily… But it does mean that a respect for danger can allow the pursuit of wondrous and exotic pleasures with a minimum of cost.

All choices involve risk, including the decision to avoid something. “Opportunity cost” is just as real a loss as physical damage, and it’s actually the guaranteed price of saying “no,” as opposed to merely risking an injury with “yes.” Once risk is accepted, we can take responsibility for managing it—not with omnipotent control, of course, but with many truly effective countermeasures, such as high-quality protective gear, regular training and vehicle maintenance, and not riding beyond our abilities or when we’re compromised by intoxicants, sleep deprivation, or emotional turmoil. Categorically avoiding risk means abandoning desires and goals, resigning ourselves to much less from life; with desire squelched, how can there be satisfaction? And what about the opposing “risk” (actually a guarantee) of missing out on the associated rewards of embracing a challenge? Clearly, this doesn’t only apply to motorcycling.

Instead of having a death wish, I believe most motorcyclists have a life wish. Those who take seriously the risks involved and do what’s possible to manage them aren’t irresponsible, they’re being quite responsible—not just for their safety, but also for their own vitality. They’ve rejected the spirit-deadening abstinence prescription those horror stories are meant to promote and justify post hoc

I’m not ridiculing non-motorcyclists for choosing not to ride; everyone is entitled to their own preferences and priorities. Many people—probably most—are unsuited for motorcycling because they either can’t accept the risks involved or they don’t take them seriously enough (sadly, the latter group actually are riders). The joys available on two wheels don’t hold universal appeal, but I’d guess those who need to spontaneously highlight the dangers of motorcycling haven’t chosen other risky activities for recreation, either. My point here is simply to offer a possible explanation for the odd behavior of immediately launching into a negative depiction of something a potential new friend just revealed as a love of theirs. This defies normal social graces and begs for some accounting. I think it isn’t really about establishing some common ground with a new acquaintance, but is instead about fending off the self-doubt a motorcyclist can stimulate by proving others have managed risk successfully and reaped the benefits. This is not welcome news to those who’ve chosen otherwise.

Mark Barnes is a clinical psychologist and motojournalist. To read more of his writings, check out his book Why We Ride: A Psychologist Explains the Motorcyclist’s Mind and the Love Affair Between Rider, Bike and Road, currently available in paperback through Amazon and other retailers.

Welcome our newest MOA members

Eric Albinsson St. Johns, FL

Chris Andrews Dallas, TX

Alex Arkhipov Walnut Creek, CA

Tom Bachmann Naples, FL

Richard Bakker Washington, DC

Sara Ball Flint, TX

Allen Barrett Rohnert Park, CA

Deana Basley Salem, CT

Robert Bayles Denton, TX

Thomas Beatty Stafford, VA

Casey Beighley Jefferson, OR

Bregory Belew Henderson, TN

Brian Bergeson Elizabethtown, KY

Michael Berry Midland, VA

Kevin Birkett Marchand, MB

Robert Bishop Carrollton, TX

Craig Bonta Dora, AL

Sam Books Middletown, PA

Michael Bossen Palm Coast, FL

Sean Bothwell Florence, TX

Dave Brakebill Rodeo, CA

Michael Brand Plainfield, IL

Paul Breau Granite Falls, NC

David Brenowitz Golden, CO

Robert Briggs Evergreen, CO

Daniel Bruk Hoboken, NJ

Andrzej Brzezinski Lynnfield, MA

Kelly Burch Scotts Valley, CA

Bryan Busby Rockwall, TX

Michael Busse Norco, CA

Mike Carolan Glen Ellyn, IL

Analucia Carrera San Francisco, CA

John Carrithers Celebration, FL

Mauricio Cepeda Mercersburg, PA

Alfred G. Clarke Winter Park, FL

Joe Crivelli Jenks, OK

David Cullerot Swampscott, MA

John Da Luz El Cajon, CA

Mike Darr Palmetto, FL

Michael Davin Morrisville, VT

Phillip Davis Deland, FL

Christopher Day Atlanta, GA

Sebastian De Almenara Odessa, FL

Alec DiGirolamo San Diego, CA

Ferdinand Dizon Schaumburg, IL

Dennis Easly La Pine, OR

David Ferreira Kearny, NJ

Kevin Fitzpatrick Franklin, MA

Mark Francois Encinitas, CA

Joseph Frick Buena Park, CA

John Frohlich Jacksonville, FL

Nicholas Gallico Pittsboro, IN

Frank Gambino Staten Island, NY

Kenneth Gaskins San Francisco, CA

Prasanna Gautam Clay, NY

Ellen Gavit Lebanon, OR

James Gay Big Spring, TX

Mark Gottlieb Williamstown, NJ

Arno Granados McKinleyville, CA

David Green Sterling, VA

Stacy Green Fort Collins, CO

Marc Gruber Charlotte, NC

Benjamin Guiang Colorado Springs, CO

Werner Gutmann North Venice, FL

Ed Habermaier Kansas City, KS

Walter Hamilton Santa Barbara, CA

Doug Hansmann Marengo, IL

Eric Hardy Westminster, CO

Carlos Hartmann Covington, LA

Hieronymus Hasenbos Inverness, IL

John Havens Lake Geneva, WI

John Hawley Spring Branch, TX

Brett Hearl Cashmere, WA

Robbie Higdon Jacksonville, FL

Daniel Hills New Lenox, IL

Jess Hoeme Cheney, KS

Lee Hood San Diego, CA

Jim Hudson Sparks, NV

Charlie Inman Agua Dulce, CA

Richard Jean Quebec, QC

Araceli Kaba Miami Beach, FL

David Kaler Trenton, NJ

Manu Kapoor Mission, BC

Les Karcher Menifee, CA

James Kent Cocoa, FL

Gavin Kline Manheim, PA

Jacob Knudsen Salem, OR

Jackie Knudsen Salem, OR

Daniel Kolloff Edgerton, WI

Alexander Konetzki Bethesda, MD

Jeffery Kriner Du Bois, PA

Jess Kringel Fayetteville, NC

Rob Kringel Fayetteville, NC

Lenny Kronen Lakeland, FL

John Lafond Waterford, MI

Justin Lambert Coldwater, MS

David Lamitina Kennesaw, GA

Penny Langlois Hayes, VA

Austin Layne Broomfield, CO

Phong Le Burbank, IL

Tony Leal Centerville, OH

Patricia Leet Aurora, CO

Felipe Legorreta Castle Rock, CO

Brian Lindenlaub American Fork, UT

John Livick Edgerton, WI

Samuel Lowry Tucson, AZ

James Lozier Cheyenne, WY

Brian Lynch Lisbon, ME

Bruce Macleod Yarmouth, ME

Derek Maczka Princeville, HI

Patrick Manchego Pueblo West, CO

John Mandryk Cranbrook, BC

Zachary Markgraf Lakewood, NY

Lois McBroom Brainerd, MN

Erin McCormick Leechburg, PA

Jacob Melchi Pomona, CA

Joseph Mercado Atlanta, GA

Josh Mills Worcester, MA

Cameron Mipherson Denver, CO

Bob Moll Mendham, NJ

Ricardo Morales Mexico

Stewart Munson Kirkwood, MO

Robert Murphy Highlands Ranch, CO

Cranz Nichols Burnet, TX

David Noones Edwardsville, IL

Alex Nuonsy Loveland, CO

David Oakley Harrah, OK

Bernard O’Brien Las Vegas, NV

John O’Donnell Flower Mound, TX

Kai Pederson Minneapolis, MN

Milum Perry Bend, OR

Christopher Petersen Reliance, TN

Mark Peyton Naples, FL

Steven Pfisterer Boulder, CO

Steven Phillips Venice, FL

Christopher Pickett Bella Vista, CA

Frank Pierce Albuquerque, NM

Bob Podbevsek Trimble, MO

Jeremy Pratt Boerne, TX

Ken Price Neptune Beach, FL

Gary Proefke Florence, OR

Glenn Quesenberry Hico, TX

Timothy Quigley Huntington Station, NY

Siggi Ragnar San Antonio, TX

Bill Ramirez Billings, MT

Timothy Rand Austin, TX

Ryan Razon Elizabethtown, KY

Peter Reich Ridgefield, CT

Daryl Renaud Port Elgin, ON

Andrew Ricken Spotsylvania, VA

Michel Rioux Frelighsburg, QC

Gabriel Rocha Fontana, CA

Matt Roden Grand Rapids, MI

Luis Rose Ashburn, VA

Dave Rossell West Orange, NJ

Kelvin Russell Muswellbrook, NSW

“I started like most people riding bicycles. I threw my paper route off of one. I used the money that I earned from throwing papers to buy a motorcycle.

I have been riding motorcycles since I was about 12 years old. I am now in my early 60’s. I got interested in BMW motorcycles when I was in 6th grade and a man on my paper route had one. Every time he was home and outside I would stop and talk motorcycles with him. At that time me and my brothers had Yamaha dirt bikes and that is how I got started riding motorcycles.

Today I ride to work and for pleasure with the East Texas BMW Plus club. This year I have ridden to work everyday with the exception of about four days because of sleet and snow. I am lucky to live in an area where we have good riding weather most of the year.

Well wishes and safe riding!”

– Bryan Baker #174671

Jai Sampat Princeton, NJ

Mindaugas Satas San Jose, CA

Toby Scarborough Livermore, CA

Glenn Schechter Rock Hill, SC

Michael Schenk Harrisburg, PA

Ted Schmitz Washington, MO

David Schnepper New Lenox, IL

Paul Schonlau Saint Louis, MO

Phillip Schutt Indianapolis, IN

Michael Schwarz Chelsea, MI

Robin Scott St. Helens, OR

Jacob Secor Plano, TX

Steven Shockley Marietta, GA

Charles Sholtz Portola Valley, CA

Mike Shreffler New Cumberland, PA

Dave Schwartz West Chester, OH

Michael Seaman Scottsdale, AZ

Glenn Shiple Williamsburg, VA

Chris Shrodes Upper Arlington, OH

Danielle Sieben Aurora, CO

Jim Sievers Simpsonville, SC

Don Simmons Easley, SC

Paul Simmonds Hampton, UK

Andrew Simonds East Dummerston, VT

Bill Simondsen New Baden, IL

Tony Sims Hood River, OR

Gary Skuro Tucson, AZ

David Slyman San Antonio, TX

Doug Smith Mesa, AZ

Adam Snavely Hunt Valley, MD

Mark Snyder Janesville, WI

Ian Solomon Charlotteville, VA

Zachary Spence Denver, CO

Michael Spriestersbach Tucson, AZ

Mark Sproat Carson City, NV

Matt Sprowls Franklin, OH

Sean Steele Highland, CA

Paul Stefanko Fernandina Beach, FL

Brantley Stephens Oklahoma City, OK

Mark Stinson Westminster, MD

Steve Stone Sonoma, CA

Richard Strossner Greer, SC

Joshua Swafford Boiling Springs, SC

Stephen Sye Hernando Beach, FL

Adam Sytsma Frankfort, IL

Eric Sytsma New Lenox, IL

Edward Tanguy Green Valley, AZ

Kevork George Tatarian Dickerson, MD

Joe Tavani Hughesville, PA

Kevin Taylor Rossville, GA

Chris Thomas Mt Pleasant, SC

Todd Thomas Downers Grove, IL

William Thomas Henderson, NV

Garry Thornley Howell, MI

Thomas Thrush Denver, CO

James Tickle Brisbane, QLD

Judson Tomaiko Phoenix, AZ

Brian Tourville New Paltz, NY

Joerg Trampler Ann Arbor, MI

Ke-Ping Tsao San Luis Obispo, CA

Sandy Uman Asheville, NC

Ben Upton Centennial, CO

Mike Urquiola Melrose, MA

Monica Valeriano Doral, FL

Rocco Valeriano Doral, FL

Kevin Van Buskirk Westby, WI

Serena Van Dyke Pickerington, OH

Jac Van Loon Hyde Park, MA

Pia Vanheyste Dothan, AL

Aaron Vannoy Choctaw, OK

Bob Vaughan Sanford, FL

Anthony Vega Clifton, NJ

C.J. Veverka Redmond, OR

Sergey Vikultsev New York, NY

Moon Villalobos Brookfield, WI

Geoff Walshe Denver, CO

Bob Walter Port Matilda, PA

Matt Waltrich Collegeville, PA

Craig Wedlake Reno, NV

Todd Weed Warwick, MA

Oliver Weiss Charlottesville, VA

Holly Wellendorf Canfield, OH

Dean Wellendorf Canfield, OH

Dave Wells Sylva, NC

David Wells Wolfeboro, NH

Dwayne Wendorf Port Townsend, WA

Jack Wessner Kalamazoo, MI

Robin Weston Tampa, FL

Joshua White Joliet, IL

Todd Whitlock Henrico, VA

Cynthia Whitworth Bartlett, TN

Paul Whitworth Bartlett, TN

Raymond Wilhoite Spencer, IN

Keith Willcome Burns, TN

Lindsey Wiles Fairborn, OH

Andreas Wille Eureka, MT

Drew Williams New Braunfels, TX

Robert Williams Chagrin Falls, OH

Anthony Williams Hartford, CT

Ted Williamson Pine Grove, CA

Steven Willis Liberty Hill, TX

Gerald Willms Qualicum Beach, BC

Charles Wilmot Anaheim, CA

David Wilson Albuquerque, NM

Josh Wilson Hickory, NC

Cedric Witkowski Denham Springs, LA

Jeffrey Wolf Mississauga, ON

Gregory Wood Grapevine, TX

Christopher Woodruff Sutton, MA

David Wrate Victoria, BC

Gary Wright Cleveland, TX

Dan Yates Carlsbad, CA

William Yeider New Port Richey, FL

Joseph Zaccaria Brookfield, WI

Steven Zagorski Enola, PA

Paul Zelenak Grove City, OH

George Zhou Chino Hills, CA

WHEN & WHERE

For complete details on any event listed, please visit bmwmoa.org and click on the Rallies & Events tab.

4/4/2024 - 4/5/2024

MOA PREMIER TRAINING IN GREER Greer, South Carolina membership@bmwmoa.org

4/6/2024

2024 RTE NORTHWEST TN, EAGLE BOAT TOUR & BOYETTE’S EAT CATFISH Tiptonville, Tennessee captrehkopf@gmail.com

4/14/2024 – 4/28/2024

IMTBIKE CELEBRATION TOUR OF SPAIN FOR BMW MOA MEMBERS Madrid, Spain tours@imtbike.com

4/14/2024

40TH WILD GOOSE RUN Beaver Dam, Wisconsin brianjustman@kewaskumpig. com

4/19/2024 – 4/21/2024

HILL COUNTRY HANGOUT Kerrville, TX makowski.michael@gmail.com

4/19/2024 – 4/21/2024

MOA GETAWAY AT FONTANA Fontana Dam, North Carolina membership@bmwmoa.org

4/20/2024

PRESENTATION & BOOK SIGNING AT MOTORCYCLES OF DULLES WITH SAM MANICOM

Dulles, Virginia josh.blaz@motorcyclesofdulles. com

4/23/2024 - 4/28/2024 GOAT ADV RALLY 2024 Proctor, Oklahoma info@okadvriders.com

4/24/2024 - 4/25/2024 MOA PREMIER TRAINING IN GREER Greer, South Carolina membership@bmwmoa.org

4/26/2024 - 4/28/2024 MOA GETAWAY AT THE BREAKS Breaks, Virginia rides4fun@bmwmoa.org

4/27/2024

TEXAS NATIONAL PICNIC Jacksonville, Texas detbmw@gmail.com

5/1/2024 - 5/5/2024

THE RDV, AN ADVENTURE BIKE RALLY Tellico Plains, Tennessee hans.c.koeller@icloud.com

5/2/2024 - 5/5/2024

BMW TAME THE DRAGON Robbinsville, North Carolina bmw.motorrad.ttd@gmail.com

5/3/2024 – 5/5/2024

GEORGIA MOUNTAIN RALLY Hiawassee, Georgia rally@bmwmcoga.org

Map courtesy of

5/4/2024

38TH ANNUAL MOTORCYCLE FLEA MARKET & MOTOEXPO Leaf River, Illinois rockbmw2000@yahoo.com

5/9/2024 – 5/12/2024

L’INTER 2024 BMW MOA FRENCH CONNECTION Aspres-sur-Buëch, France bmwmoa.fc1980@gmail.com

5/11/2024

PRESENTATION & BOOK SIGNING AT EUROPEAN CYCLE SPORTS WITH SAM MANICOM Plano, Texas contact@bmwmotorcyclesdallas.com

5/16/2024 – 5/19/2024

DOWNEAST RALLY ‘24 Poland, Maine bob.cohen@bmwmoa.org

Welcoming: BMW and All Marques from Europe and

5/16/2024 – 5/19/2024

25TH ANNUAL EUROPEAN RIDERS RALLY Burkesville, Kentucky ridersrally@bmwmcon.org

5/17/2024 – 5/19/2024

49TH ANNUAL GREAT RIVER ROAD RALLY (GR3) Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin rally@madisonbmwclub.org

5/17/2024 – 5/19/2024

2024 GETTYSBURG BMW RALLY Gettysburg, Pennsylvania samrbooth@yahoo.com

5/17/2024 – 5/18/2024

MOA PREMIER TRAINING IN GREER Greer, South Carolina membership@bmwmoa.org

NEW Indoor Venue!

River Valley Complex in Leaf River, IL 605 Main St, Leaf River, IL 61048

GPS Coordinates: 42.12145, -89.40345

Admission - $5 donation

Saturday, May 4, 2024

Vendors: Setup 7:00a - 10:00a

Shoppers: Open 8:00a for breakfast, then 10:00a - 5:00p for shopping NEW Date!

Website: blackhawkbmwclub.org

<<NEW VENUE photos: On website, click Photo Gallery and then on SmugMug, open 2023 folder.>>

On Facebook: Blackhawk Region BMW Club

Or contact: Earve Brauer 815-962-8911 rockbmw2000@yahoo.com

Steve Frank 815-761-0048 skynut69@yahoo.com

MADISON BMW CLUB

49 TH GREAT RIVER ROAD RALLY

SOLDIERS GROVE, WI

MAY 17-19, 2024

VETERAN ’ S PARK 101 CHURCH ST

CAMPING RALLY PINS DOOR PRIZES

$40 AT THE GATE $35 PRE-REGISTRATION (BY MAY 8)

FRIDAY & SATURDAY MEALS PROVIDED

CHRISTOPHERRB@SBCGLOBAL.NET MADISONBMWCLUB.ORG/GR3

May 31 - June 2, 2024

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5/17/2024 – 5/19/2024

NATURAL STATE CAMPOUT Morrilton, Arkansas jimmyjoe@windstream.net

5/18/2024 – 5/19/2024 NEW SWEDEN 450 Starlight, Pennsylvania pijliskojr@gmail.com

5/20/2024 – 5/24/2024 SMOKY MOUNTAIN MAGIC TOUR Fontana Dam, North Carolina becky.smith@bmwmoa.org

5/23/2024 – 5/27/2024

49ER RALLY Mariposa, California president@bmwnorcal.org

5/23/2024 – 5/26/2024 LAND OF OZ RALLY Paola, Kansas moa_84843@yahoo.com

5/31/2024 – 6/2/2024

47TH ANNUAL HIAWATHA RALLY Houston, Minnesota hiawatharally@gmail.com

6/6/2024

PRESENTATION EVENING WITH SAM MANICOM, ROUND-THE-WORLD RIDER AND AUTHOR Spokane, Washington info@westsideracing.com

6/7/2024 – 6/9/2024

49TH SQUARE ROUTE RALLY Sabillasville, Maryland sworddrill79@gmail.com

6/7/2024 – 6/9/2024 GATHERING OF THE CLANS CAMPOUT Ferguson, North Carolina brent.hcmc@gmail.com

6/13/2024 – 6/16/2024 RIDIN’ TO REDMOND NATIONAL RALLY Redmond, Oregon membership@bmwmoa.org

6/20/2024 – 6/23/2024

BLACK HILLS RENDEZVOUS Spearfish, South Dakota johnlangdell@rushmore.com

6/20/2024 – 6/23/2024

CHIEF JOSEPH RALLY John Day, Oregon bmwro.cjr@gmail.com

6/21/2024 – 6/23/2024

MOTOMO RALLY 2024 Crane, Missouri kronie12@gmail.com

6/27/2024 – 6/30/2024

CASCADE COUNTY RENDEZVOUS Cashmere, Washington djmuir22152@yahoo.com

6/29/2024 – 6/30/2024

CAMPOUT AT UNCLE TOMS CABIN

Pollock Pines, California tourcaptain@bmwnorcal.org

7/18/2024 – 7/21/2024

52ND ANNUAL TOP O’ THE ROCKIES RALLY Paonia, Colorado lowrtax@gmail.com

7/27/2024 – 7/28/2024

CAMPOUT AT SEQUOIA

NATIONAL PARK Quaking Aspens Campground tourcaptain@bmwnorcal.org

8/8/2024 – 8/11/2024

50TH STANLEY STOMP Lowman, Idaho rcoonan@juno.com

8/17/2024

31ST BLUE BUTT RALLY Virginia City, Nevada bluebuttrally@gmail.com

8/23/2024 - 8/25/2024

2024 HOPEWELL ROAD RALLY Athens, Ohio samrbooth@yahoo.com

8/24/2024 - 8/25/2024

CAMPOUT AT LASSEN

NATIONAL PARK

Lost Creek Campground tourcaptain@bmwnorcal.org

July

9/4/2024 - 9/8/2024

11TH ANNUAL WAILIN’ WAYNE WEEKEND Nelsonville, Ohio info@wailinwayneweekend.com

9/6/2024 - 9/8/2024 BMW MOA KENTUCKY STATE RALLY Pineville, Kentucky rides4fun@bmwmoa.org

9/6/2024 - 9/8/2024

53RD ANNUAL WISCONSIN DELLS RALLY Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin rallychair@wiscbmwclub.com

9/12/2024 - 9/15/2024

MOTORRAD FEST AUTHORITY BIKE SHOOTOUT Lebanon, Tennessee becky.smith@bmwmoa.org

9/13/2024 - 9/15/2024 TUG HILL TURNOUT Lowville, New York camdengroup@icloud.com

9/19/2024

FOURTH ANNUAL LAUREL HIGHLANDS WEEKEND SPONSORED BY THE BMW MOA Somerset, Pennsylvania gsjay@kaplitz.com

9/19/2024 - 9/22/2024 PURE STODGE TOURING ASSOCIATION IOWA RALLY Elkader, Iowa pstarally@gmail.com

9/27/2024 - 9/28/2024 MOA PREMIER TRAINING IN GREER Greer, South Carolina membership@bmwmoa.org

9/27/2024 - 9/29/2024

37TH ANNUAL HOOSIER BEEMERS RALLY North Vernon, Indiana k12lts@gmail.com

9/28/2024 - 9/29/2024 CAMPOUT AT KLAMATH NATIONAL FOREST Nordheimer Group Site tourcaptain@bmwnorcal.org

10/4/2024 - 10/6/2024

CENTRAL OKLAHOMA BMW ROAD RIDERS ANNUAL CAMPING TRIP Talihina, Oklahoma jwozjr.traveller@gmail.com

10/25/2024 - 10/26/2024

MOA PREMIER TRAINING IN GREER Greer, South Carolina membership@bmwmoa.org

10/26/2024 - 10/27/2024 OCTOBERFEST

Manchester, California tourcaptain@bmwnorcal.org

10/28/2024 – 11/9/2024

BMW MOA DAY OF THE DEAD TOUR WITH MOTODISCOVERY info@motodiscovery.com

11/8/2024 – 11/10/2024

54TH SOUTH CENTRAL BMW OWNERS REUNION Fayetteville, Texas president@bmwclubofhouston.com

11/15/2024 - 11/16/2024 MOA PREMIER TRAINING IN GREER Greer, South Carolina membership@bmwmoa.org

Managing Editor BILL WIEGAND | bill@bmwmoa.org

Art Director KARIN HALKER | karin@bmwmoa.org

Digital Media Editor WES FLEMING | wes@bmwmoa.org

Associate Editor RON DAVIS

A ssociate Editor JOSE ABILES

Mike Beaupre, Bill Wiegand, Gabriel Kern, Chad Garcia, David Marrier, Al Rosabal, Mark Janda, Matt Ricker, Mitch Miller, Thomas Snelham, Tod Stipp, Johnathan Gifford, Mark Barnes, Matt Parkhouse, Wes Fleming, Janel Silvey, Brian Rathjen, Dr. Kennith Hoffman, Ken Elsey, Ron Davis, Dave Grider, Howard Weiss.

Executive Director TED MOYER | ted@bmwmoa.org

Membership Associate TONYA MCMEANS | tonya@bmwmoa.org

Membership Manager PAULA FITZER | paula.fitzer@bmwmoa.org

Chief Operating Officer BECKY SMITH | becky.smith@bmwmoa.org

BMW MOA Headquarters 2350 Hwy. 101 South, Greer, SC 29651 (864) 438-0962

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.

Fill’er Up

An unseasonably warm February day gave Howard Weiss (#53116) the opportunity to take his ‘75 R 75/6 for a ride down Route 66 to Dwight, Illinois.

“

I’m thrilled to be a member of BMW MOA and continue my adventure in motorcycling. I’ve been riding for ten years now and have owned my 2017 R 1200 GS for just over a year and absolutely love it.

I look forward to meeting more riders and continuing my growth in motorcycling.

I live in Alexandria, Virginia, with my wife, our son, and our hound.

– Mike Jensen # 235660

Do you know someone who would like to join?

Scan the code and give them their first year of membership free. Enter the activation code 50YRSON.

* First year free membership offer available to new MOA members only.