July 2013 Newsletter

Welcome to the July 2013 edition of Beemer Ramblings. As a remainder, we are posting much of this information on our Google+ Community page throughout the prior 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, July 8th, 6:30 p.m., at Jackson's Big Oak BBQ, 920 South Kerr Avenue, in Wilmington [GPS coordinates N34.218092 W77.887211]. It has been more than a year since we last visited Jackson's.

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Come early to share stories about your recent trips, or to relax in the shade of the big oak tree in the Jackson's parking lot. We'll see you there!

June Club Meeting 

We held our June 10th Coastal Carolina BMW Riders Club meeting at Chipotle Mexican Grill. Unfortunately, the stormy weather eventually chased everyone home, but not before we were able to enjoy some time together for dinner. You can view a few photos from our get-together here. Thanks to everyone who braved the somewhat uncertain weather.

New Club Members 

We have some folks who have recently joined our club, so I want to take a moment to introduce and welcome Ron Perez and Dan Leonard, both who joined our club in April, and Michael VanVeKoven (Mike Van), who just joined the club. Ron lives in New Bern and rides an R1200RT. Ron was able to join us for our ride to Wilber's BBQ in May. Dan rides a 2009 BMW R1200GS. Mike is working on restoring a 1968 BMW R60/2. Welcome, all of you, to the club!

BMW Riders Association National Rally at the Biltmore 

Club member Jill Barcia has published a great report of their trip to the BMW Riders Association National Rally, which was held at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville on July 20-23, 2013. Jill's trip report includes some great photos from the visit. You can read all about the event on Jill's blog. I know that a number of our club members were able to attend and enjoy the RA Rally, including Tony and Jill Barcia, Omar and Nora Kharbat, Dick and Maria Williams, Jerry and Barb Dockery, and Paul Winter and Becky Hucks.

Also, club member Omar Kharbat has provided this collection of photos from the Biltmore rally, as well as this video of the "best" adventure ride from the RA Rally. 

Thanks for the contributions, Jill and Omar.

Un Rally XII 

Jill Barcia has also published another great trip report for Un Rally XII, which was held June 24-28, 2013, in Blowing Rock, NC. The Un Rally is an annual event that is organized by members of the BMW SportTouring.com web forum. The event alternates each year between and "east" and "west" location. This year, club members attending included Tony and Jill Barcia, and Paul Winter and Becky Hucks. You can read Jill's trip report here and see a few of my photos from the event here.

2013 Iron Butt Rally 

The 2013 Iron Butt Rally began July 1st. If you are not familiar with the Iron Butt Rally, it is an event in which the best long-distance endurance riders compete for eleven days, with the winner typically riding more than 11,000 miles during that period.

If you are interested in keeping up with the daily action, be sure to visit the rally web page at http://www.ironbuttrally.com/IBR/2013.cfm. Bob Higdon has returned to provide daily reports about the event. Even if you do not aspire to this type of riding, these events are interesting to follow and I encourage you to do so.

Cape Fear 1000 Rally 

Club member Jim Bain has announced the 100 Days of Summer Grand Tour.

What it is:
The 100 Days of Summer Grand Tour is an opportunity to win a guaranteed, paid entry into the 2014 Cape Fear 1000 Rally by submitting photos of libraries and bookstores you may come across during your travels this summer.

What does it cost and who benefits:
There is not a traditional entry fee for this event. However, before your registration will be complete, you will need to show us you have made a donation of at least $5.00 to the Marion County Animal Shelter – Paws to the Rescue. All donations go directly to the Shelter so there will not be a bunch of stuff to go along with this tour.

What do I do?
Begin the registration process with the Ride Master program (https://rides.jasonjonas.com/index.php) select the Cape Fear 1000 Rally – 100 Days of Summer Grand Tour and complete the registration questionnaire. Ride Master will send us a copy of the registration request and confirmation you receive.
Next, make a donation of at least $5.00 to the Marion County Animal Shelter – Paws to the Rescue, 123 Dog & Cat Court, Mullins, SC 29574 and send us confirmation of your donation (a copy of your confirmation email, a copy of the check you sent, etc. – we will be pretty lenient on how you confirm the donation) to rallymaster@capefear1000.com – if you need a snail mail address, send us an email and we will provide one for you.

We will then assign you a rider #, you will create your own Rally Flag (be creative – style points will count) and then you can begin taking and submitting photos of the libraries and bookstores you come across during your travels this summer.

Submitting Photos:
You may submit photos by either “tagging” the Cape Fear Rally Facebook page when you post a photo, or, you may email the photos to Rallymaster@capefear1000.com and we (read, Ronda) will post them for you.

Special Award:
Even if you don’t have the most photos of libraries and bookstores, you may still be in the running to receive a guaranteed entry to the 2014 CF1K – there will be a “Style” award for the person with the most creative flag, photos, locations, number of family members you can con into posing for one or more of the photos, etc. – let your imagination run wild! Ronda says dressing up is good!

Neale Bayly Rides TV Show 

During the month of June, an interesting new adventure-riding TV show called Neale Bayly Rides was shown on the SpeedTV cable channel. The show featured motorcycle journalist and traveler Neale Bayly (who lives in Charlotte) traveling across Peru with several other "average" riders (two men and one woman). Their ride was done using BMW F800GS bikes (and BMW appears to have been a major sponsor of the show since it featured several BMW motorcycling ads during each episode).

If you missed seeing this adventure motorcycling travel stories, hopefully it will be rebroadcast again sometime on SpeedTV.  More information of the shows can be found at http://nealebaylyrides.com. We will let you know if some rebroadcasts are announced.

New Water Repellent Product 

Back in May, club member +Omar Kharbat shared a video about an amazing product called Ultra-Ever Dry. This was a coating, applied in two parts, that is superhydrophobic (repels water).

Well there is now another similar product being sold by Rustoleum called NeverWet. It is also a two part application, applied using two separate spray cans. This video provides some demonstrations. NeverWet is currently available for purchase through the Home Depot web site.

Let us know if you decide to try NeverWet on your motorcycle gear or camping equipment.

Motorcycle Trailer for Sale 

Club member Tony Barcia is helping a friend sell a practically new motorcycle trailer in a bag. It has been used only six times to trailer a Harley Road King. See attached link for details. http://trailerinabag.com/index.htmlils The asking price is $500. Call Tom at 516-606-3460.

BMW Apparel Sale 

I have just received a promotional email from BMW announcing 15% off the price on new BMW summer riding gear. This promotion runs through August 31. If you are in need of some new summer riding gear, be sure to check out the promotion through a BMW Motorrad apparel dealer.

Custom Motorcycle Painting 

A few weeks ago, I received an email announcing the grand opening of Noble Custom Coatings and the reappearance of motorcycle painter Shane Noble. Shane said that he looks forward to serving the needs of our Cape Fear BMW riders. He invites you to stop in and check out his brand new shop and spray booth at 2925 Boundary Street in the North Kerr Industrial Park. You can find more information about Noble Custom Coatings through their web site at www.noblecustomcoatings.com.

New Garmin BaseCamp Version 

Okay, GPS geeks. A new version of Garmin's BaseCamp mapping software (version 4.2.1) is now available for download. Garmin's posted list of changes includes many interesting changes. The most interesting of these changes include:

• Added a Trip Planner as an easy way to plan multi-day trips, including round trip support
• Printing a trip itinerary
• Flying support (airport and flight number look-up)
• Supports traveling between different time zones
• Can add Adventures that you'd like to take as part of your trip
• Adding support for different route profiles for different legs of a route
• Adding RV and Truck routing profiles with special route options
• Added support for Yelp search
• Added quick search (hover over the map to invoke it)
• Added support for changing the location of BaseCamp's database

You can download the installer from http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=4435 or update from within BaseCamp.

Video-of-the-Month 

This month's video is a double-header Part 2 and Part 3 installments of the YouTube ride documentary from the Nutnfancy Project. This father-and-son team have posted a couple of interesting motorcycle ride videos. These videos continue the story from last month's video with the second and third day of their ride from San Francisco to Monterrey and Yosemite on a pair of Ducatis. These videos are well done motorcycle travel videos.

Part 2


Part 3



That's the news for this month's "short" newsletter. Remember, we are posting much of this information on our Google+ Community page throughout each month and that is the best way to keep up-to-date. Until next month, ride safely and ride far!

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!

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).

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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!

April 2013 Newsletter

April Club Meeting

Our next club meeting will be on Monday, April 8th, 6:30 p.m., at the Two Guys Grille located at the entrance to the Waterford subdivision in Leland, NC.  The address is 2013 Olde Waterford Way in Leland. For my fellow GPS geeks, Two Guys is located at N34.22055 W78.01920.

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I hope you will come for our first Monday evening meeting for the 2013 season. We'll see you there!

2013 Rally Season 

Spring has finally arrived, and it's time to begin planning some of your motorcycling trips for the 2013 riding season. If you enjoy attending BMW-related motorcycling rallies, information on upcoming events is available from a number of online sources.

Most BMW-related rallies are listed on the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America (BMW MOA) and the BMW Riders Association (BMW RA) web sites.

BMW MOA Rally Calendar

BMW RA Rally Link

You can also find upcoming motorcycling event information at Sport-Touring.net, HSTA, ADVRider.com, and BMWSportTouring.com.

As most of you already know, the BMW MOA National Rally is being held this year in Salem, Oregon, July 18-21, 2013. Closer to home, the BMW RA National Rally is returning to its 2007 location at the Biltmore Estates in Asheville, North Carolina, on June 20-23, 2013. If you do not have the time or ability to travel to Oregon, the BMW RA rally is a good alternative to the BMW MOA event.

Another great rally being held during the week following the BMW RA National is the 12th annual Un Rally, in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. You can register for the Un Rally online.

For those of you who enjoy long-distance trips, there is the annual Americade event held in Lake George, New York in June. And don't forget this year's Curve Cowboy Reunion, which is being held August 27-28, 2013, in Bend, Oregon.

If you are curious where some of the upcoming motorcycle events are being held this year, try using this link  to see the event locations in Google Maps. And if you know about a BMW-related event that is not shown, post the information here or send it to us via email, at ccbmwridersclub@gmail.com, and I will add the event location to the map.

Finally, for those of you who are local members of the Coastal Carolina BMW Riders Club, if you have joined Google+, you can create post on our Community page about your plans for attending these events. This can be a great tool for you and your fellow club members to communicate and coordinate your trip to a rally or event. And don't forget to post a short ride report and/or pictures when you get home!

Packing for the Road 

I discovered an interesting article on the Cycle World web site about Helge Pedersen and how he packs his motorcycle for a 15,000 mile strip from Seattle to Tierra del Fuego. The article describes his approach, but I found the various photographs very enlightening. We can all learn something from this master-of-motorcycle-travel.

Volunteers for the 41st annual BMW MOA International Rally 

The 41st annual BMW MOA International Rally in Salem, Oregon is quickly approaching. The rally offers numerous opportunities to pitch in and help make the event a great experience for everyone. The BMW MOA asking for volunteer staffing for the rally. If you are planning to attend the rally and are interested in being a volunteer, contact the Volunteers chairs atrallyvolunteer@bmwmoa.org.

Paul Mulhern
BMW MOA Chartered Club Liaison
pmulhern@swbell.net
210-279-6074

Garmin BaseCamp Update 

Garmin released two updates to their BaseCamp software (for Windows PCs) during the month of March. The latest version is 4.1.2. Here is a list of the changes made from version 4.1.1 to 4.1.2:

• Fixed an issue with Basestation mode.
• Fixed an issue where BaseCamp would not remember the positioning of the toolbars correctly.
• Fixed an issue where the Custom POI symbols from POI files where incorrect.
• Fixed an issue with the address search.
• Fixed an issue where refreshing a search was using the last location on the map, not the current one.
• Fixed an issue where Cutting (Ctrl-X) a photo on a device would delete the photo and prevent the user from pasting it.
• Fixed an issue with some Asian language map products.
• Fixed an issue with deleting track points.
• Fixed an issue with route creation in a folder.
• Fixed an issue where the hand tool was not always set as the default tool.
• Fixed some menu inconsistencies between find results, context menus, and map popup menus.

The update can be downloaded from this link.

BaseCamp Feature – Managing Custom POIs 

I recently discovered that BaseCamp now includes a feature to manage Custom Points of Interest (POIs). I am unsure when the feature was added – a review of Garmin's change history seems to indicate it may have appeared in version 4.1.1. In any case, if you use Custom POIs, you may find this feature in BaseCamp helpful.

So where can I find this feature in BaseCamp and what does this feature offer?

Under the BaseCamp Maps menu, you will now see a menu entry for Manage Custom POIs... Selecting the Maps | Managing Custom POIs menu without your GPS connected will yield only an empty display window. However, if you have Custom POIs loaded on your GPS and your GPS is connected to your computer when you select the Maps | Managing Custom POIs menu, a window will open that lists the POI files residing on your GPS receiver.

Note: I have a \Garmin\POI folder residing on both my GPS receiver and on the µSD card I have installed in my GPS. My experience was that BaseCamp saw the custom POI files residing on my GPS receiver, but did not see the custom POI files on the µSD card.

Each set of POIs listed include a checkbox on the left hand side. By default, all of your POIs will be checked. 

Unchecking a POI in the list will hide the POI on your BaseCamp map. 

When trying to view your Custom POIs, keep in mind that the map zoom level when they are displayed will depend on the detail level that you have set in BaseCamp. For example, when I had the BaseCamp detail level set to Highest, the Custom POIs started appearing on the map when the zoom was at 0.5 miles or less, whereas when the detail level was set to Higher, they did not appear until zooming to the 800 foot level.

Being able to displaying your Custom POIs is helpful, there is another part of this feature that is also useful. When you select the Section Arrow tool and double click on the POI, a pop-up balloon will be displayed. The balloon shows the POI's name and will provide you with several icon buttons underneath. One button allows you to create a Waypoint at the POI location. Another button allows you to create a Route starting with the POI's location. A third button allows you to add the POI to your current Route. A fourth button provides you with more information about the POI including some of the same data fields that you can normally see for a Waypoint.

If you use Custom POI files on your GPS, take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with this handy new feature in BaseCamp.

Google+ Community Page Reminder 

Once again, I would like to encourage everyone to join our Google+ Community page. You do not have to be have a Google account to read the items posted to the community page. However, if you want to be able to contribute comments or new posts to the community page, you will need to have a free Google account. Please joining the club's Community so you can keep up with the very latest news and announcements for our club members.

Video-of-the-Month 

And we end this month's newsletter with a short video called The Chase.  It is set at the Barber Motorcycle Museum and racetrack and includes AMA motorcycle racer Jason DiSalvo and two very talented motorcycle drifting riders. It is extremely well done and worth your time to view. Be sure to watch it in HD resolution. If you are like me, it will rekindle your desire to go see the Barber Motorcycle Museum.

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

March 2013 Newsletter

March Club Meeting

Come join us for our March club meeting at the Cape Fear Restaurant in Southport on March 9, 2013, at 12 Noon, for some good seafood and a great view of the Cape Fear River. 

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RSVPs are appreciated, and will help ensure we have a large enough table for us to sit together as a group.

In the event of rain, our first alternate date will be Sunday, March 10th and our second alternate date will be the following Saturday, March 16th.

February 9, 2013 Post-Club Meeting Report 

We had a terrific turnout for our February club meeting, despite a rather chilly start to the morning ride (temperatures in the mid-40s). Club members Roy and Carol Dougherty arranged for us to have lunch at the River Landing Country Club, and it was a wonderful place for us to get together. Thanks to everyone who was able to join us, and hopefully those of you who could not attend will be able to do so this month. You can view a few photos from the event on our Picasa web album for the meeting.

New 2013 BMW R1200GS 

Cycle World magazine has posted an excellent online first-ride review of the new 2013 BMW R1200GS.

The article summaries many of the new features of the motorcycle, such as the five riding modes, as well as the riding characteristics of the new engine. An excellent technical discussion of the new boxer engine was posted earlier in our January 2013 club newsletter, Beemer Ramblings, and can be read here on the Cycle World web site. The new Cycle World article also includes some good photographs of the new motorcycle. Overall, it looks like the new R1200GS is an outstanding machine.

BMW Concept Motorcycle 

It looks like a cafe-style concept motorcycle shown by BMW four years ago at the Milan motorcycle show is going to be put into production. The motorbike was greeted with enthusiasm at the time it was originally shown. The question is -- do you think it will sell? You can read a short discussion of the motorcycle here.

BMW Sells Husqvarna Motorcycles 

As announced earlier on our Google+ Community page, in a January 31, 2013, press release, BMW Motorrad announced the sale of the Husqvarna Motorcycles to Pierer Industrie AG of Austria (i.e., the owner of the KTM motorcycle brand). You can read the BMW press release here.

Major Race Circuits Mapped 

If you are a racing enthusiast, automotive or motorcycling, you may find this web site of interest. The GPcircuits web site shows the location and layout of most of the world's race circuits. You can choose to see the circuits in a specific race series, or you can instead see the circuits within a particular country. The satellite view of each circuit includes highlighting of the track layout. Details about each circuit include a short description, GPS coordinates, and a link to the circuit's official web site. The GPcircuits web site has been produced by the same folks who own the Sunday Morning Rides web site.

Garmin Updates 

If you are a Garmin GPS user, you may want to visit the Garmin web site to download some recent updates.

First, Garmin has released an update to their BaseCamp mapping software for your desktop computer. This update (BaseCamp version 4.1.1) provides mostly minor bug fixes. You can find a list of the fixes athttp://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=4435.

Next, if you are a nuMaps lifetime subscriber, you will probably be interested in downloading the latest City Navigator North America (CNNA) NT map set, which is now version 2013.40.

Finally, if you are a Garmin Montana GPS user, you may want to download the latest firmware to your GPSr, which is firmware version 4.70 released on January 30, 2013. You can see a list of fixes for this update on the Montana GPS wiki site, at http://garminmontanagpsr.wikispaces.com/Firmware#x-Firmware History-4.70.

50 (Shaping/Via) Point Limits on the Montana 

Recently, there has been an ongoing discussion on the ADVRider.com "New Garmin Montana" discussion thread about the Montana's "50 point via/shaping point limitation." Since a few club members own Garmin Montana GPSs, I am sharing a post that I wrote which outlined an experiment I performed concerning the 50 point limit when creating routes. The experiment helps to illustrate some of the advantages offered by using tracks versus using routes.

Google+ Community Page Reminder 

Once again, I would like to encourage everyone to join our Google+ Community page. You do not have to be have a Google account to read the items posted to the community page. However, if you want to be able to contribute comments or new posts to the community page, you will need to have a free Google account. Please joining the club's Community so you can keep up with the very latest news and announcements for our club members.


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

February 2013 Newsletter

February Club Meeting 

By special arrangement of fellow club members Roy and Carole Dougherty, our next monthly club meeting will be held on Saturday, February 9th, 12 Noon, at the River Landing Country Club in Wallace.

Roy Dougherty has make special arrangements with the River Landing gatehouse -- please tell them you are with the BMW group.

The River Landing Country Club accepts only credit cards -- no cash -- so please come prepared accordingly.

A back road ride from Wilmington to Wallace is being planned, with the details to be announced during the week prior to the club meeting on our Google+ Community page. An email announcement about the ride will be sent to club members.

I hope you will join us for this get-together at the River Landing Country Club.

January 2013 Newsletter

Happy New Year 

Happy New Year to all of our club members!  It was great to see those of you who were able to come to December 10th club meeting at The Harp and our Winter Solstice Gathering at P.T.'s Grille on December 21st.  We missed all of you whose schedules did not allow you to join us, and we hope you will be able to attend our January "Oyster Roast" meeting (more information provided in the next section).

I hope you are busy planning your motorcycling adventures for the 2013 riding season. 2013 promises to be another great riding season.  The BMW MOA National Rally will be held in Salem, Orgeon, and the Curve Cowboy Reunion is also being held in the west (in Bend, Oregon) this year.  For those who cannot take the time for a cross-country trip, we will have the BMW Riders Association National Rally, which is being hosted at the Biltmore Estates in Asheville, North Carolina on June 20-23, 2013

Even with the (somewhat) cooler weather we are now "enjoying," we are still planning to holding several  day-ride events during the next couple of months. Watch your email inbox, our club web site, and our new club Google+ Community page, for these announcements.