Thursday, May 2, 2013

May 2013 Newsletter


The May 2013 edition of Beemer Ramblings is finally here. I apologize for the late publication this month. Because of work, I have not had much time for anything (including riding). Without further ado, here is the latest news.


Club Meeting 

Our next club meeting will be held on Monday, May 13th, 6:30 p.m., at Five Guys Burgers and Fries in the Mayfaire Shopping Center, Wilmington. As usual, come early and chat about your Spring and Summer riding plans.

The 2013 BMW MOA Mileage Contest has started, so be sure to bring your starting mileage form to the meeting so get it signed by me (or two other BMW MOA members). The mileage forms must be mailed (postmarked) no later than midnight on May 13th (the evening of the meeting).




May 11 Club Get-Together 

Omar and Nora Kharbat are inviting everyone to their house for "Mediterranean hors d'oeuvres" on Saturday, May 11, at 12 Noon. Omar and Nora live at 6911 Finian Drive in Wilmington [GPS coordinates N34.177124 W-77.854969]. All club members are invited, but RSVPs are requested. If you are planning to attend, please send an email reply to ccbmwridersclub@gmail.com. If you are planning to come and want to contribute some of your favorite beverage, please bring it with you. As far as I know, this will be a rain or shine event. We'll see you there!

If it is not raining, anyone who is interested in a short back road ride before the get-together is invited to join me. We will leave from the Buy & Go Exxon located at 808 North College Road in Wilmington [GPS coordinates N34.260317 W-77.869839], probably around 10 or 10:30 a.m. An email announcement with further details will be sent out a few days beforehand.


New Water-Cooled BMW R1200RT 

All the recent media attention has been focused on the new water-cooled 2013 BMW R1200GS. Meanwhile, BMW continues to prepare the R1200RT for the water-cooled boxer motor. A new online  article features some recent "in the wild" photos of the prototype 2014 BMW R1200RT. You can see the photos here.




Bob's BMW on April Fool's Day 

Speaking of the new water-cooled boxer, the Bob's BMW dealership in Jessup, Maryland, provided a funny April Fool's Day announcement based on BMW's new water-cooled boxer engine. The announcement featured the all new 2013 BMW H2O, nicknamed the THE STEAMER BEEMER. Bob's BMW said that with this model, "BMW again shows it's technological prowess by offering the only motorcycle on the planet that is fueled by water. Efficient, environmentally friendly, and Steam Punk cool." A well done April Fool's Day item!




2012 BMW MOA Mileage Contest Results 

Each year, the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America sponsors a mileage contest which is open to all members of the organization. The contest usually runs for a six-month period, from a date in April until sometime in October.

The results of the 2012 contest have been published in the April issue of the BMW MOA's magazine, BMW Owners News. The top national men's finisher of the 2012 contest was Ken "Mac" McHugh (MOA #6735) with 44,013 miles on two different R1150Rs. The top women's finisher was Heidi Still (#39115) with 33,246 miles on her F650GSA and F800ST.

Here are the tallies for our club members who participated:

Eddie Lynch 13,217 NC
Bill Murray 10,525 NC
Jeff Mense 8,832 SC
Ron Manley 8,361 SC
Benton Blalock 6,376 NC
Bill Gasque 5,913 SC
Tony Barcia 3,513 NC
Roy Dougherty 2,076 NC

Interestingly, North Carolina finished as the 8th place state by mileage with 481,162 miles and ninth place by the number of finishers (51).

Congratulations to the club members who completed the 2012 contest. Hopefully you enjoyed some great rides while participating.


2013 BMW MOA Mileage Contest 

In a prior post, we celebrated the results of the 2012 BMW MOA Mileage Contest results, for our club members who participated in last year's event. Now it is time to get ready for the 2013 BMW MOA Mileage Contest.

Some of you are already probably saying to yourself "I just don't ride enough miles to be worthwhile participating." It does not matter whether you only have the opportunity to ride 100 miles for the season or 10,000 miles – what is important is that you participate. Aside from recognition of your individual mileage for the 2013 riding season, the club's cumulative mileage can also be recognized, so if you are a BMW MOA member, I encourage you to join us and participate in the contest. As a reminder, finishers of each year's contest receive a pin, like the one shown below, from the BMW MOA as recognition of their accomplishment.



This year's contest starts at midnight on Saturday, April 13th and runs until Sunday, October 13th, 2013. The contest is open to all members of the BMW MOA, and participation is easy. The Starting Mileage Contest Form was provided in your April issue of the BMW Owners News, or it can be downloaded from the BMW MOA web site at http://www.bmwmoa.org/Portals/0/Documents/2013_Mileage_Contest_start.pdf. I have also posted a PDF copy of the form on the club's Google Drive, at https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6x0OObD8JEES1I3YzhadmpuQjg/edit?usp=sharing.

Complete the form with your information and have it signed by a club officer (contact me at ccbmwridersclub@gmail.com) or have it signed by two BMW MOA members in good standing. All forms must be mailed (postmarked) no later than May 13, 2013.

Thanks for participating, good luck, and safe travels in 2013!


2013 Georgia Mountain Rally 

The BMW Motorcycle Club of Georgia (BMW MCOGA) is sponsoring the 2013 Georgia Mountain Rally this weekend, May 3-5, 2013. The rally is being held at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds, 1311 Music Hall Road, in Hiawassee, GA [GPS coordinates N34 57.919 W83 46.346]. This annual event is one of the premier Spring motorcycling events - it's not too late to join them for a great weekend in the Smokey Mountains.


Gerbings Recall 

Gerbings has announced a recall for their 12-volt heated jacket liner, model number JKLN.

The announcement on the Gerbings web site indicates an improperly crimped connector in the heating element in the back portion of some of the jacket liners is prone to overheating, causing damage to the jacket and minor burns.

Links to the recall notice on the Gerbings site, as well as the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The ADVRider.com web forum already includes some accounts of people recently receiving burns from their Gerbings jackets.

If you own a Gerbings jacket liner, please check it against the recall information.

http://gerbing.com/Recall/warningsandrecalls.php

http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2013/Gerbings-Recalls-Heated-Jacket-Liners/#Remedy

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=879766


Unique Gear 

Club member +Omar Kharbat shared an interesting post on Google+ about a very unique piece of motorcycling gear --  a custom helmet motorcycle helmet that comes straight from the Predator movies. Several customization are available, including carbon fiber tips for the Predator's dreadlocks and an LED-based "laser-controlled aimer." Now you can terrorize that driver on the cell phone with a startling stare.





Video-of-the-Month - Riding in the Rain 

This month's video is a YouTube video from the Roadcraft School of Motorcycling in Great Britain. The video provides some great tips about riding in the rain or on wet roads. Whether you are new to riding a motorcycle in the rain, or you are an experienced rider, this video provides an excellent summary about wet weather riding technique.




That's the news for this month. Until the June newsletter, ride safely and ride far!

1 comment:

  1. Interesting to see the confident and casual way he deals with traffic and "roadside furniture" as well as varying road conditions.

    ReplyDelete