Monday, June 3, 2013

June 2013 Newsletter

The June 2013 edition of Beemer Ramblings is here -- a day or two late -- but it's here. Here is the latest news. Remember, we are posting much of this information on our Google+ Community page throughout the month and you do not have to be a Google+ member to read it. You only have to join if you wish to post new information or comment on the existing posts.


Club Meeting

Our next club meeting will be held on Monday, June 10th, 6:30 p.m., at Chipotle Mexican Grill in Wilmington. The Chipotle Mexican Grill is located at 1525 Fordham Road (the Whole Foods shopping center that is located next to Independence Mall on Oleander Drive). This Google Map will show you the location [GPS coordinates N34.213623 W77.901926].


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Come early and chat about your Spring rides and your riding plans for the Summer.


BMW MOA Get-Away at Fontana

Jill Barcia provided a terrific trip report about their very soggy BWM MOA Get-Away weekend at Fontana Village during the weekend of April 26-29, 2013. It sounds like they loved the location -- just not the weather. Be sure to check out her report and photos.


The Great Chicken Rally 

Jill Barcia has been a busy writer this month. She also has provided us with a trip report for the Great Chick Rally, which she and Tony attend during May 22-27, 2013. During the rally, they visited the Jack Daniels Distillery and the Barber Motorsports Museum. I hope you will take the time to read Jill's Great Chicken Rally trip report and enjoy some great photographs she made.



May 11th Club Get-Together 

On May 11th, club member Omar Kharbat and his wife Nora hosted a club get-together at their home. A few of us enjoy a two-hour ride before arriving for Mediterranean hors d'oeuvres and an enjoyable afternoon of conversation. Pictures from the get-together are available on our Google+ photos page.


May Club Meeting Photos 

We had a great turnout for our May 13th club meeting at Five Guys Burgers and Fries. If you were not able to join us, here are a few photos from the event. Two of our club members (Eddie Lynch and Dick Williams) showed up on their new K1600GTs!


Riding in the Rain 

The BMW Autobahn Society (BMW MOA Chartered Club #79) recently posted 15 tips for riding in the rain. With the Spring and Summer riding season ahead, some of us will be caught by and find it necessary to ride in the rain (just ask your fellow club members who recently attended the BMW MOA Weekend Get-Away at Fontana). These 15 tips for riding in the rain are an excellent refresher.


Amazing Bike Sale 

During May, club member Omar made an interesting Google+ post about a rare,
museum quality 1969 Sandcast Honda CB 750 that was sold on eBay. The winning bid was $35,099!



Wilber's BBQ Ride 

On May 25th, we held a ride-to-eat event to Wilber's BBQ in Goldsboro. We had a great turnout and weather for the ride and lunch. For the ride, a new club member from New Bern, Ron Perez, was able to meet us doe the first time. If you were unable to join for the ride, here are a few photos for you to enjoy.


Isle of Man TT 

The Isle of Man TT is underway. If you are a fan of the TT, there's great news -- you can enjoy same-day TT action each night this week at 10 p.m. on the Discovery Velocity cable channel (with a rebroadcast at 1 a.m.). The Sunday night show (the first broadcast) featured some exciting sidecar racing. The Monday night show is scheduled to be the Superbike event. I hope you will have time each night this week to enjoy some of the Isle of Man TT.


Ride to Work Day 

Monday, June 17th is National Ride to Work Day. This annual event is held on the third Monday in June.



According to their web site, Ride to Work Day was inspired by "Work to Ride - Ride to Work'" marketing materials created between 1989 and 1991 by the Aero Design and Manufacturing Company, a Minnesota based manufacturer of motorcycle riders clothing (and known to most of us in the motorcycling community as Aerostitch/RideWearHouse). In 1992, these items inspired motorcycle magazine editor Fred Rau to write an editorial calling for a national ride to work day.

The first annual Ride to Work Day event was proposed in Road Rider magazine (now titled Motorcycle Consumer News) in the May 1992 issue. The first Ride to Work Day event date was July 22nd, 1992. For several years, various motorcycle businesses informally promoted every third Wednesday in July as Ride To Work Day. Early advocates of Ride to Work Day included Road Rider Magazine, Dunlop Tires, and Aerostich/Riderwearhouse. The event is now held annually on the third Monday in June, to afford the best riding climate for the largest number of riders.

Mark your calendars now for the 2013 Ride to Work Day on June 17th.


BMW Riders Association National Rally 

In case you have forgotten, the BMW RA National Rally is being held this month (June 20-23) at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. If you don't have the time to make the cross-country trip to the BMW MOA National Rally in Salem, Oregon, this will be the next best thing. If you need more information about the rally, visit the BMW RA Rally web page.


Video-of-the-Month 

This month's video is a YouTube ride documentary from the Nutnfancy Project. This father-and-son team have posted a couple of interesting motorcycle ride videos. The video-of-the-month is the first day of their ride from San Francisco to Monterey on a pair of Ducatis.





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