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BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California 1BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California
AUGUST 2016
NORCAL NEWSRide to Camp Camp to Ride
Friday Sept 2nd to Monday Sept 5th26th Annual Gypsy Tour
This month featuring:Fighting DehydrationFred and Ed’s Das Rally ridePreparing for the Range of Light
For more information contact [email protected]
AUGUST 2016
PRESIDENT*Dan Rowe([email protected])
(775) 287-3205
VICE-PRESIDENT*John Vashon([email protected])
(925) 698-6360
SECRETARY*Fred Montano([email protected]
(510) 459-0008
TREASURER*Oliver "Ollie" [email protected] CAPTAINDan Harman([email protected])
SAFETY/TECH DIRECTOR*Chris Dailey([email protected])
(707) 704-8504
HISTORIAN*Buddy Scauzzo([email protected])
(925) 818-8546
NEWSLETTER EDITORJohn [email protected]
(925) 461-8462
MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORYRuss DrakeADVERTISING CHAIRBuddy ScauzzoSECOND SUNDAY BREAK-FASTOpen Position*Board Member
The RA is hosting the BMW 100th Anniversary Celebrationin Monterey at Laguna Seca this year.The RA has reached out to us asking for help withvolunteers for the event.
● Getting campers assigned to their spots● Daytime Security
Contact George Nyktas([email protected]) directlyto help with the event. The RAneeds our help and let's make ithappen for them.Tickets are still availableHere's a snippet of what is ontap at the event:Join us this August in Monterey at Laguna Seca Racewayto celebrate BMW’s 100th anniversary with motorcycles,cars, racing and amazing rides just around the corner. You’llbe an hour away from riding amazing roads in beautiful BigSur on scenic Highway 1. There will also be a BMW demofleet, BMW apparel display and Nate Kern will havemotorcycles on display.
● BMW Car & Demo Fleet● Peter Nettesheim’s World Class Collection of His-
toric Bikes & Vehicles● Fred Jakobs – BMW AG Chief Archivist● N8 Kern & his BMW R nineT race bike & HP Dis-
play● Custom & Racing bikes● Adventure Riding Activities on the Land Rover Off
Road Track● Tent Camping at the Grand Prix Campgrounds ad-
jacent to the track● RV Camping at the Chaparral Campgrounds adja-
cent to the track● Various Vendors – the list is growing
BMW 100th Anniversary
Big thanks you for all of this month’s contributors particularlyFred Montano for his epic Hamburg NY trip, Chris Daileyfor his write up on dehydration, and Joyce Sampson forpreparing for ROL; Mini for most of the the camp outpictures.
On arriving at the Junction Bar and Grill this week I was metwith an unusual site. Was this someone who decided to
change the oilon the road ? -no a rock onthe road flippedup by the frontwheel smasheda hole in thesump.
Editors Corner
BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California 3
AUGUST 2016
Vice President & WebmasterReport
Thanks for electing me to serve as theVP for the new year. Paid membershipcurrently stands at 128 with 4 newmembers in 2017. We have 90members from 2016 who’ve yet renewtheir membership so I’ve got somework to do! Speaking of work, whatare the VP’s duties and responsibilitiesand plan for this year?
The VP is to act on behalf of or in place of the President,recruit/manage the membership effort and support theoverall operation of the club. Membership growth is a keygoal for the BOD this year and we’ve set the target at 300members. The plan is already “in motion” and it’s verysimple: attract more BMW riders through our websites andemail, get them involved through a mentorship effort andwork harder to retain all our members in 2018. If you’dlike to serve as a mentor to our new members, shoot mean email [email protected].
Classified Ads on the club website? Yes, for members,go to the Home page, click on More, Classified Ads,Create Classified Ads and step through the process. Thisis not a perfect solution but it’s free so let’s see how it goesand perhaps we will implement something a bit more fullfeatured in the future.
Membership pins, I’ll be emailing a list to all the membersfor a quick review and “level set” as to number of yearsserved, pins awarded and pins due. This data will betransferred into the website and used to complete themembership directory. If you are due a pin this year (orfrom a previous year) and plan to attend an upcomingmeeting, let me know so we can present you the pin at thecampout!
Again, thanks for the opportunity to serve as your VP andI look forward to seeing many of you in Boonville for thestart of the Range of Light on 9/2!
John Vashon
I've had the same helmet for a coupleyears now and it feels quite natural tohave it on. That was until the past week.I went out on the motorcycle and quicklydiscovered my helmet had developed afunk. I went to the last club campout andsweltered in the heat. All of the sweathas to go somewhere, and over the timeI've owned my helmet it's been going intothe liner.
Thankfully, I was able to take out all of the liners andpadding for a good wash. Getting the liners out wasn't toodifficult, and I'll have to wait until things are dry beforegetting it all back together. I'm certain I'll have an afternoonproject. At least my helmet will be fresh for the Range ofLight Gypsy tour coming up very shortly. My maintenanceis up to date, I have good tires, and now I'm ready for agreat weekend of riding thanks to Buddy and those thatare helping him.
Over the weekend, my brother-in-law invited me to a seea band he mentors. I was game for some live music andwent out to Slim's in San Francisco. The opening bands
were all from the greater Bay Area, but the final band'sbassist Greg Christian came from a more the more wellknown band Testament. Around 200 people were at thevenue during the first three bands, but by the time theheadliner went on stage, most of the crowd had left.I left for the evening thinking about the bassist's experiencethat night. Greg had played to large crowds at majorfestivals and , and now he's in a new and pretty muchunknown band playing for 50 people. Was he let down bysmall crowd, or did he feel as if he made the right decisionto join an unknown band?
Watching Greg perform, it seemed that he was in themoment and was playing for the enjoyment of it. If he feltanything other than joy for playing, I couldn't tell. We allhave notions about how things should turn. Several newpeople are involved with the club this year. We have anumber of upcoming events that are organized by newpeople. New people means new ideas, directions, andletting go of expectations.
Dan Rowe
Presidents Report
BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California 4
July Member Meeting & Campout, Stonyford
AUGUST 2016
Kevin is not only a new clubmember he is very new tomotorcycling having bought hisfirst motorcycle only two monthsago. He selected a BMW as hisfirst bike because of BMWsreputations for reliability andsafety. This is clearly true sincehe has only fallen off once. Heselected a F800GS as it was amiddle weight with a capability to do off road as well. It justhappens to be drop dead gorgeous in black on black. He hasalready made modifications to the bike changing the screen andadding additional USB to the dash.
Kevin’s ambition (isn’t this everyone’s) is to ride South Americawhen he retires in a few years. Right now he considers the clubrides part of the training. He has already been on a couple ofsecond Sunday rides and a couple of camp outs. He found theclub by an on line search, and rides and camp outs were his mainmotivation for joining
Featured New Member - Kevin Coleman
Jacobo Galina 5 year pin Steve Lawson 5 year pinRon Harkov 5 year pin
Anniversary Pins Presented at Calaveras Big Trees
SWAP MEETWant to unload or trade some gear off before the ROL?I've got a table booked for the Swap meet at the MotoGuild on Treasure Island. Bring your stuff by with aprice tag.Scuderia West, Catalyst Reaction, and Nexx helmetswill be there also.Dan Rowe
Sunday, August 28, 201610:00 AM to 3:00 PMMoto Guild849 13th St. (Treasure Island), San Francisco, CA
AUGUST 2016
I would like to thank the Club for appointing me to theSafety Tech Position .This month I would like to discussdehydration. I learned a lot researching this topic I hope ithelps my fellow riders/club members
Chris Dailey
Safety Tech Report
Tips to fight dehydration.Symptoms of dehydration are as follows. Any of these cancause crashes
● Headaches● Disorientation● heat stroke muscle cramps● loss of concentration● Drowsiness● Nausea
Once you get any symptoms there is nothing that can bedone - you're already dehydrated.
Here's some things we can do in advance to avoid dehydration.● Start sipping water as soon as you wake up the day of a ride right up to the point to when
you get on the bike.● Don't drink too much alcohol the night before a ride (if possible?)● Be sure to wear airflow motorcycle clothing● Make sure the gear around your wrist aren't too tight there are a lot of blood vessels in
your wrist that are close to the surface of the skin they effectively help you cool down.
Leathers will protect you better in a crash but they don't offer much ventilation in mostcases.
Don't be fooled by your "level of coolness" you still need to drink water in smallamounts while you're riding and when you stop to rest / gas
When eating on a ride try to avoid a lot of sugar as sugar can promote dehydration.
When stopping to go you should monitor the color of your urine it should be a strawcolor - if it's too dark you are dehydrated.
I do recommend the use of a Hydration pack "Camel Pack" etc 1 liter is big enoughand also a cooling vest. I think Cycle Gear has a cheap one 50 bucks mine is 10years old and is still going strong.
Alright riders! Another year has fled speedily by and we’reabout a month away from the NORCAL BMW Riders’Club’s most well-known and popular ride, The 2016 Rangeof Light Gypsy Tour. This year marks the 26th year theclub will have sponsored the ride, and once again, ourclub’s members have stepped forward to constitute anexcellent design team. This year’s chairman, BuddyScauzzo, has enlisted the support of veteran ROL routedesigner Richard Burton, and they’ve put together anexcellent ride. Of course, if I tell you any of the details,I’d have to . . . well you know the rest of that line. But theaccompanying picture at least hints at some of the fun tocome.
The story’s headline, “It’s That Time Again,” doesn’t justrefer to the approaching ROL. It’s also a reminder of twomajor issues associated with this ride that it’s time to do:prepare your bike, and prepare yourself. Since the ROLcovers lots of milesand various kinds ofroads and roadsurfaces (including GSroute options), ridersneed to ensure theirbikes are long-distance tour ready.This means ensuringyour maintenance isup to date (including oilchanges, etc).Equally, if not moreimportantly, don’t eventhink about attemptingto take what could bea 1,000 mile mysterytour on a set of 800mile tires. Or even 1100-mile tires. It’s simply not worththe risks to cut corners (pun intended) where tires areconcerned. We all know that bikes have only two tiresand good tires are one of your best lines of insurance fora safe and fun ride! And rest assured, veteran ROL-er’scan tell you more than one story where someone’s ROLadventure became a bust (either literally or figuratively)because someone decided their tires had X more amountof miles on them than they really did. Besides, there aretwo other factors to consider. One, who wants to bebothered sitting along side a road on Labor Day weekendwaiting for a tow truck to come and get you? Two, whowants to be the butt of the tired old joke (pun intended):Question: What’s the cheapest thing on a BMW? Answer:the rider.
So, check your tires folks, and change them now in timefor the ride if you need to do so! There’s only a monthleft to do your own service or schedule one with yourfavorite, trusty local dealership or mechanic. Get on it, soyou can get on the ROL with confidence!
Rider preparationFor me, rider preparation consists of long, short, andimmediately-preceding-the-ride things to do. Long-termpreparation consists of riding a lot, taking classes, readingabout motorcycle safety and operation, and practicing theskills of motorcycle riding, such as quick braking,separating braking from swerving, cornering, dis-aggregating complex risk situations, and risk mitigationoverall. If you’re a GS rider, it also means having skillsto ride off road. In short, I try to make it a regular habit todo all the things one should be doing to keep one’s skillsand brains engaged in this sport. Since it is a sport, thatalso means staying in good physical shape.
Short-term preparation is thinking about the conditionsof the impending ride, in this case the ROL. The ROLcan have lots of different road conditions, different typesof weather, and different types of altitudes and terrain, so
its important tobring adequateclothing and gearfor those conditions.And in the crazyCalifornia weatherand topography,that often meanscarrying downvests, heatedjackets and gloves,cooling vests, andwicking clothing, allon one ride,regardless ofwhether it’s themiddle of summeror not.
Immediate preparation is thinking about the day’s ridewhile gearing up to get on my bike. I remind myself, “Don’tforget to stay hydrated.” For that, one can either bring abackpack with hydration pouch, pack up some bottlewater, or every time you stop where there’s a gas stationor store, buy water and drink it. Hydrations helps ourbodies, including the all important beaner, to perform well.Be well rested—you’re more alert and your physicalresponses quicker when you’ve slept well. If you’re likeme, and you get the two o’clock drudgies, pull off the roadand take a 15-minute nap, or just relax. That can dowonders.
Ok, enough on that. Each of us has our own way toprepare for the ride. The important thing is to ensure thatyou’ve done everything you need to go on this three-dayriding adventure. It’s a lot of fun, and I hope you are alllooking forward to it! Keep the rubber side down!
It’s That Time Again!: Preparing for the Range of Light.
Joyce Sampson
AUGUST 2016
BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California 8
On July 4th I rode to Ed Perry's cabin to start ourjourney to Hamburg NY to the BMW International Rally.After a fun day in the hills of Sonora we packed up andstarted our ride the next morning over the Sonora Pass.We met Buddy Scurzzo at the Casino in Topaz. Afterbreakfast we parted and we were off headed to Ed'smom's house in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho.We had a great ride through Nevada Hwy 95, Oregon,and up to Moscow Idaho. It started raining as we filledup our tanks. We left Moscow and it began to pour. Iwas OK but Ed's helmet leaked and his riding suit wassoaked with water. By the time we reached CouerD'Alene Ed was cold and had a touch of hypothermia.After taking a shower and drinking hot chocolate, wewere both feeling better. We spent a nice two days withJerry (Ed's mom).Now it was time to travel to the International Rally. Wedecided to head east on Hwy 2 instead of going to
Banff and Calgary because it was forecasted to rain upnorth. The next morning it was raining. We put on ourrain gear and left to ride to Glacier Nat'l Park.About an hour on Hwy 2 the rain subsided and we hada nice cool beautiful ride on a curvy, hilly road withtrees and lakes. We arrived at Glacier Nat't and rode upthe "Road to the Sun".It was beautiful as we headed of the windy road withrock walls on one side and a deep drop off on the other.There were water falls all over the hills and rock walls.
Then we went to the summit where we stopped for amoment. What a great view of the mountains andvalley below.
We headed east down the mountain and toward a littletown named Browning. It was located on a Blackfoot
Fred and Ed’s 2016 BMW International Rally
AUGUST 2016
Indian Reservation. We spotted a campground and set up our tents. There was a Rodeo and Pow Wow goingon.
AUGUST 2016We left Browning and headed to Shelby Montana where wemet some characters at the Graddle Restaurant.
We decided to continue on Hwy 2 toward Sault Ste. Marie,Michigan.
We camped in Ray,ND and continued to Floodwater, MN.About 3am it poured, thundered, and lightning. Oh no, notagain! Ed's tent got wet.
Ed being the trooper he is, put on his wet gear and we tookoff toward Deluth to visit the Aero Sitch factory.
The customerservice man atthe factory fixed abroken clip on mytrousers nocharge. Welooked at a lot ofitems we wouldlike to purchasebut restrainedourselves.
Finally got back on the road toThompson, Michigan. And in themorning we went over the Mack-inaw Bridge.It was a short ride to enter Can-ada at Sault Ste. Marie. Howev-er a deer crossed right in front ofEd. Wow - that was lucky webarely missed the deer. It was an easy crossing into Cana-da as we headed for Sudbury and Toronto on Hwy 17.
Fred Montano
We arrived at the Hamburg Fairground about midnight.There were some guys camping in the club campingspace from Long Island. They pointed out the location ofthe marked club camping spaces. We looked aroundand Ed located our spot for the NorCal Club. What lucksince it was so dark. We set up our tents and went to bedafter a long day.
The next day we found Jerry Baker who had the clubbanner. After a trip to Ace Hardware we put up thebanner
Thanks to Ed, Jim Polucci, and Jerry Baker for helpingme put up the 49er & club banner. It looked good.The next day Ed and I went to visit Niagara Falls
It was a interesting Rally that had over 6000 attendees.I went to seminars and met a lot of fun people.
Then on Saturday I attended the ending ceremonies at6pm. I didn't win any prizes but it was a lot of fun. Ed leftto meet Chia in Boston and I rode to Charlotte, NC tovisit my daughter.It was a great Rally! Next year the BMW Rally will be inSalt Lake City, Utah. We will reserve an area for theNorCal Club in advance. That will be a fun time.
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www.bmwnorcal.org
BMW Club of Northern California, Inc.P.O. Box 2472Santa Clara,CA 95055
Upcoming Events14 Aug 2016 8:00 AM Second Sunday Breakfast Ride TBD
18 - 21Aug ,Nakusp Hotsprings Rally, Nakusp, BC, Canada
2016 BMW Club of Northern California Range of Light Gypsy Tour02 Sep 2016 3:00 PM (PDT) - 05 Sep 2016 9:00 AM (PDT)Mendocino County Fairgrounds, 14400 CA-128, Boonville, CA 95415
07 Sep 2016 7:00- 9:00 PM Board Of Directors Meeting location TBD
16 - 18 Sept Autumn Beemer BASH, Quincy, California
Pins for July – September:Dan Gragert, 40 years,Bob Pelikan, 30 yearsKevin Kelly 15 years,Pierre Louie 5 years
Steve Weaver 5 yearsBill Lopez 5 years,
New Members for July & August:Jay Martin, Dan Mulholland & Jens Calley
