Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
JUNE 2016
NORCAL NEWSRide to Camp Camp to Ride
BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California
This month featuring49er Coverage -pictures, results and experiencesUpcoming NorCal ElectionsWhat’s your Pre-Ride Checklist?Adopt a Highway News
JUNE 2016
BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California 2
PRESIDENT*Dan [email protected]
(775) 287-3205
VICE-PRESIDENT*Bill [email protected]
(408) 813-3319
SECRETARY*Christine [email protected]
(408) 482-8062
TREASURER*John [email protected]
(925) 698-6360
TOUR CAPTAINTed [email protected]/TECH DIRECTOR*Steven [email protected]
(510) 797-1576
HISTORIAN*Ed [email protected]
(408) 927-8288
NEWSLETTER EDITORJohn [email protected]
(925) 461-8462
MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORYRuss DrakeADVERTISING CHAIRBuddy ScauzzoSECOND SUNDAY BREAK-FASTOpen Position*Board Member
Editors CornerUnfortunately I missed last years 49er with adreaded rear drive bearing failure. However, thisyear more than made up for it with an event, whichbased on my experience, was the best rally I haveattended. Massive thanks to all those who pulled itall together.
The nice thing about the 49er is that there is lotsgoing on so careful planning of ones day is a criticalprerequisite. My personal highlights was the pokerrun ride (even though I didn’t win anything),breakfast at the Ahwahnee and a ride out to GlacierPoint with spectacular views of the waterfalls, GSGiant and English trial events, as well as the movienights.
The great news from JV is that the attendancetopped 500. Excellent!
I would like to thank all the contributors this monthnewsletter. I had close to 1000 pictures to choosefor this month. It was a really tough job to select theones actually included.
A big thanks to the following photographers● Mini McMahon● Jordan Denham● Richard Klain
I would also like to thank following people who tookthe time to write down their 49er experiences andsend it to me.● Fred Montano● Colt Self● Jim XXX● Chris Weld
These are the ones I received before going to press.If anyone out their wants to capture their thoughtson the 49er (or anything else for the matter) I willhappily include next in months issue.
June is election month. Pleaselook at the Board of Directorpositions and think aboutstanding. Several currentincumbents are not standingagain - check it out.
John Ellis editor
BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California 3
JUNE 2016
This is my last Tour Captain’sreport before the June electionmeeting, at which we hope thata new captain arises (or is thatdescends?) from the ranks. Tothe benefit of anyoneinterested, I have a primer onthe job, along with a list of thefairly robust resources that willbe available to the new captain.I had not even a changeover
meeting with my predecessor, so this should beeasy.
That election meeting, formally the “AnnualMeeting” will be on June 25, 2016 at the LowerGroup Camp of Calaveras Big Trees State Park,
near Arnold on Highway 4. Because I will be awayriding in Europe on that day, Historian Ed Perry willlead the ride. Details will be available on the webpage and Meetup. The meeting will be catered;meals can be purchased on the web page for $20,meat or vegetable.
I will leave the upcoming schedule of events to thenext captain, but we do have reservations in handfor July (Sequoia NP and Stoney Ford), August(Green Creek, near Bridgeport, easy dirt road),September (Hat Creek), October (Rancho Seco)and March 2017 (Death Valley.)Enjoy the ride!Ted Crum Tour Captain 2014-2016
Tour Captains Report
After what felt like aneternity of planning, the2016 49er has come andgone. In the weeks leadingup to the 49er, I wasanxious to say the least. Allof that went away oncepeople started comingthrough the gates.
I’m extremely grateful foreveryone that was involved in making the 49er areality. Tom, JV, and I didn’t have a tremendousdepth of experience in organizing a 49er. It wasonly through the many suggestions and effortsfrom people before and during that really made ita great event.
The full list of names is far too long to list here, butknow that I’m truly appreciative of everyone'sefforts. I will single out one person though, DennisGodwin. Dennis did an incredible amount of work
to build BOTH the GS Giants course and theEnglish Trials.
Even with the 49er being so recent, I’m alreadylooking forward next year’s 49er. Range of Lightis our next major event, and is in the works. I’msure it will be a great event as well.
During my year as President, I wanted to involvemore people in the planning and running of ourevents. I believe when we all collaborate, newand better ideas become possible. It takes thehard work of many to make our events a reality.
June is our Election Meeting, and of course weneed people to fill roles in the Board. If you don’tknow how to do a particular job on the Board, it’snot a deal breaker. You’ll have the support ofeveryone on the Board and in the Club to guideyou.
Presidents Report
Dan Rowe
JUNE 2016
BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California 4
An article accompanied with photo of Fred, Edand Steve in front of the Norcal sign made it tothe June 2016 MOA magazine.
The piece written and submitted by Richard Klain,and describes how Ed Perry initiated the activitytogether with the steps involved navigatingbureaucracy associated with the Adopt-a-Highway scheme.
Keep an eye out for clean up days that Ed postson the Norcal web site. He cant do this byhimself!
Norcal Adopt-a-Highway In June 2016 MOA
Wow, what a 49’er Rally!Thanks to everyone whoattended, our vendors, the folksat the fairgrounds and all thevolunteers. Big thanks to the49’er Rally Committee andChairs, Tom Connolly and DanRowe. Total paid attendancewas over 500 and that’s ahealthy increase from last year.Tom and Dan will sort through
the data and survey responses and report back tothe club the official findings at the election meetingcampout on June 25th, at Calaveras Big Trees inArnold.
About the June campout, Dan tells me this electionmeeting will be special and one you don’t want tomiss! I’m not sure what he has in mind but I’mguessing giveaways, prizes, free beer, free campingfor life, who knows! Seriously, this is an importantmeeting as we will elect the officers of our club forthe next 12 months. Serving on the board is fun,you learn a lot and you’ll enjoy a sense ofsatisfaction from giving back to the club, friends andthe BMW riding community. Please attend the
meeting, vote early and often and consider runningfor one of the several offices.
Treasurer, it’s time to elect a new one! If you’veworked with Quicken, QuickBooks, Money and/oronline bill payment and have a nose for details,you’d be perfect for this job! It’s a couple of hours amonth to pay the bills, balance the accounts andreport your findings to the board and membership.Please contact me at [email protected] orgive me a call and I’ll share the details.
Finally, it’s time to renew those memberships for2017! It’s easy to do, go to the website, logon, clickon your name in the top line of the page, selectrenew and pay through PayPal. If you have not yetcreated a logon, go to the Club Store, click onMembership Renewal and step through the processto activate your account and then click on your nameat the top of any page. Please renew prior to theupcoming election meeting so you can vote for yourfavorite candidate!
Thanks for your continued support and if you havequestions shoot me an email [email protected] Vashon
Treasurers Report
BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California 5
JUNE 2016
You do have one right?In aviation we wererequired to do a “pre-flight” check every day,every flight, every time.After all we couldn’tjust pull over to thenearest cloud to fixsomething! In an autoit’s pretty easy to pull
over for a flat, or if the engine starts to sputter,but on a bike it isn’t as easy, and could evenresult in a loss of control.
Here’s a few things on my list for yourconsideration. If it’s been a week or more sinceI’ve ridden, I air the tires up. It’s only a pound ortwo at most, but I like them spot on. That way Iknow they will handle exactly like they did on thelast ride, and they may just last a wee bit longertoo. While I’m down there I check the oil level. Ihave a sight glass so it only takes a second. Backto the top and take a look at the clutch and frontbrake reservoirs. Plenty of fluid and no leaks. Nowis a good time to give the bars a left/right to make
sure nothing is binding, and shake the fluid in thereservoirs if you couldn’t see it well enough before.
Now as I fire it up I check the fuel. Do I haveenough for today’s ride, or will my first stop bethe gas station on the corner? Just one morething before I snick it into gear; I check the viewin both mirrors to make sure I didn’t knock oneout of adjustment in the garage. I hate it whenthat happens and I discover it at the first majorintersection!
All of this only takes a few minutes at most;usually not as long as it takes me to put myriding gear on. But by doing it you’ve looked thebike over and insured most of the systems willwork as designed, and now can enjoy the rideand know you can trust your mount to performas you expect it to, and bring you back safe aswell!
I plan to step aside at the June elections and letsomeone else share their experiences andopinions here. Ride Safe!Steven Kesinger Safety/Tech
What's on you Pre-Ride Checklist
Chief Joseph Rally June 16-19, 2016 John Day, OregonSponsored by BMW Riders ofOregon (BMWRO) Charter #83Please join us at the fairgrounds in JohnDay, Oregon. There is lots of Green grassfor tent camping and plenty of RV spots.Motels and restaurants three blocksaway. Meet old friends and make newfriends with dinner provided on Fridayand Saturday night. Come ride with usand see why John Day has the best roadsin the West.Visit bmwro.org for registration anddetails.For questions, e-mail [email protected] Phone: 541-689-2822Vendor’scontact: [email protected]
Tour CaptainTed Crum has done a terrific job as tour captain over the last two years. Not onlyhave he lead great rides but he has amassed and rationalized a comprehensiveindex of campgrounds throughout the West together with the camping history of theclub over the last 30 years.
Ted says the key element of any ride planning is selecting and booking the campsite. Camp site selection is largely determined by season; close to home during therainy season, and staying off the passes until June. To assist his successor Ted,has booked campsites through toOctober, as well as the DeathValley camp site for 2017. He hasGPS routes. waypoints and writteninstructions for all the camp outrides over the last two years.
Ted also written a detailed crib tocapture the responsibilities of theTour Captain and the processinvolved in setting up and leading aride. Click on the link above. He isavailable to help during thetransition process, and if needed,will be happily to provide ideas for future events.
Annual Meeting for Board of Directors ElectionThat election meeting for the BMW Norcal Boardof Directors, will take place on June 25, 2016 atthe Lower Group Camp of Calaveras Big TreesState Park.
The elected board includes the followingpositionsPresidentVice-presidentSecretaryTreasurerHistorianTour CaptainSafety/Tech Officer
Only fully paid up club members may vote orstand for a position. Make sure your dues for2016-17 are paid ahead of time.
All Board of Director positions will be balloted.However, the following incumbents will notcontesting the BoD positions they currently hold.John Vashon - TreasurerEd Perry - HistorianTed Crum - Tour CaptainSteve Kesinger - Safety/Tech
These guys have done a great job and it is nowtime for others to take over.
TreasurerThe treasurer position is critical to the successful running of theclub. John Vashon over the last year has not only beeninvolved in day to day running of the financial and membershipside of the club but has, with the introduction of new 3rd partymembership tools, as well changes to the payments systemsand processes significantly improved the running of thefinancial side of the club. The biggest beneficiary of thesechanges is his successor. Most of the financial transactions are
now fully automated without the needfor manual interventions. Paymentsmade on the club web page now flowthrough to bank account and is recordedin Quicken where consolidation takesplace. As a result John says the job onlytakes a couple of hours a month to paythe bills, balance the accounts andreport to the board and membership. Ifyou are interested contact John and hecan provide additional information.
BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California 7
JUNE 2016
49er Par ExcellenceThe 44th Anniversary 49er Rally is over and what anevent it was. My hats off to Tom Connolly and all theRally Chairs for all their hard work. They made possiblea truly fun event for 508 attendees. I was impressedwith all the diverse activities from experiencedspeakers, Off Road Events, Poker Runs, a HistoricalRide, Music, Beer Garden, and food venders. Theevening show time was a good way to wind down theevening, if you weren’t at the bier garden. Throw in thedelightful town of Mariposa and the cable shuttle, andyou have a unique setting.
This year I decided to really enjoy the rally byvolunteering and attending as many events as possible.Ted Crum scheduled me to work at the Registrationbooth, the Bier Garden, and the Headquarters table.So for seven hours I worked with fellow club membersand had the opportunity to meet many new and activeclub members that I did not know. It was a terrificexperience that lasted four days. The speakers wereimpressive and left me with new ideas of riding, touring,planning, packing, equipment, and quality of life. Onespeaker stands out in my mind probably because of ourage group. Randy Fujishin talked about “What do youwant to do in the days remaining”? He used a visual ofa string with marks on it representing each decade oftime. The total length was 77 years. As I located wheremy age is on the string I could visualize the distance ortime remaining before I reach the average male lifespan. Wow! The amount of string was pretty short whichindicated that I can not afford to waist any time. AND,riding my motorcycle is more important then ever.
The GS Giants Challenge was exciting to watch. Thecourse was tuff and I am surprised how well theymanaged to ride the course. My hats off to the membersthat rode the course. The Award Ceremony was funand thrilling to see who won. Boo Hoo… I didn’t win aprize but I did win a door prize the first day. The ROKStraps will be well used – Thanks!
On Monday I did go for a ride into Yosemite. I headedtoward Glacier Point. I stopped and hiked to Taft Point,thanks to Lee Fulton. What a beautiful sight of YosemiteFalls and the Valley. On my way back I turned towardthe Wawona Hotel, (now Big Tree’s Hotel). As I wastaking a photo of the hotel I noticed a tall man walkingin my direction. As he got close to me I noticed it wasSteve Kisinger. He and his wife were celebrating their36th Wedding Anniversary. What a coincidence. Aftercongratulating them and talking for awhile I was off to
Oakhurst and back to the Fairgrounds. That night Iwent to the Gold Coin Sports Bar in Mariposa to seethe Warriors beat the OKC Thunder. Yippie Everyonestood up and loudly cheered. Tom Connolly joined me.What a great way to end a fantastic Memorial DayWeekend !Fred Montano
Lets be clearThis was my second time at y'all's 49er:● GREAT time -- wonderful venue whether hanging
around, riding the beautiful roads & mountainpasses, or observing the FUN! GS Giantscourse/action.
● SUPER blues band (sorry I don't remember theirname, I musta been drinking from the bottomlessbeer taps.
● 500-or-so folks is enough that you're in aRally/Party atmosphere, but not lost in an elbow-banging crowd.
● Tent camping on the grass, or under the trees, orin the barns -- it's all available. And cleanrestrooms & showers too.
● I, and my group, stayed for the full four days, andreally enjoyed ourselves -- THANK-YOU!
● Really good food available on site, in Mariposarestaurants, and even the grocery store's deli ...and close by!
A couple of suggestions please:1. In the Closing Ceremonies, as much as is
possible, special attention should be given tolearn how (in advance!) to pronounce winners'names -- that is just good manners, and adds a bitof professionalism (fumbling/mis-pronouncing aperson's name, in a crowd, over a microphone, isrude).
2. When you announce, "The winner of XXX ..." orwhatever, is So-and-so -- also say where they'refrom and what they're riding (you can bet they'repretty proud of however far they rode to yourevent, and of whatever bike they're on).
Thanx for listening,Colt Self
Good help is hard to findThis was my 15th rally and as usual was well plannedand executed. I'm having some health problems thatslowed me down a bit but since I brought along mygirl friend (her first rally and she used a cane) it allworked out ok and she had a good time.
49er Feedback
Only complaint would be the training of thevolunteers not knowing the price of items or wherethe cash box was located. However no bigproblem. As the saying goes "good help is hard tofind" should add "especially when it's free".
Once again congratulations on a great rally,looking forward to next year.Jim(Ed comment No other name I am afraid)
Great way to meet peopleI have been coming to the 49'er Rallies since thefirst 49'er in '73, I've missed but a few. Years ago,while in Auburn I had occasion to meet Lester(Les) Katz, a CPA riding out of Arroyo Grande. Hehad an adjoining campsite but our 'group' had thetable, an essential ingredient for making friends,offering a cocktail was a minor incentive. Les andI became fast friends and rode together to twoBMWMOA national rallies, on in Tennessee, theother, Pennsylvania. We've been meeting andcamping together at 49'ers ever since. After thatfirst meeting Les has brought along a couple otherriders who melded with the group I usuallycamped with, this 49'er was the third or forth yearwe've all camped, toured and dinned together.
This year, quite by chance, we picked-up a riderwhile en route to the 49'er on Thursday, a Suzukirider (who owned a BMW)that we met when wewere taking a break in Snelling. Pete Echegarayrode up out of Merced where he makes his home.Pete stayed with us to the 49'er and helped usset-up, returning in time to lead us on the PokerRun (a true rally highlight ). Pete was a natural,knowing all the involved roads, turns etc., he'll bewith us next year for sure. The 49'er's great fun.Chris Weld
BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California 9
JUNE 2016
Competition Pics
49er GS Clinic
BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California 11
JUNE 2016
49er Competition Results
Slow Race-Larger than 1000cc - Tyler Godwin 1200GSALess than 1000cc - Mike Bloed F650GS
Asphalt Challenge-Larger than 1000cc - Chris Johns R1200GSLess than 1000cc - Steve Burns F650GS
English Trials-Larger than 1000cc - Randy Owens R1200GSALess than 1000cc - Landon Norman F800GS
GS Giants Comp-Larger than 1000cc - Tyler Godwin - R1200GSA<1000cc - Landon Norman F800GS Landon alsowon a $200 GC from Jesse Bags for his overall win(regardless of bike size)
Prize Winners
JUNE 2016
BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California 12
BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California 13
JUNE 2016
JUNE 2016
BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California 14
BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California 15
JUNE 2016
JUNE 2016
BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California 16
www.bmwnorcal.org
BMW Club of Northern California, Inc.P.O. Box 2472Santa Clara,CA 95055
Upcoming Events12 June 2016 Second Sunday Breakfast RideDipsea Cafe at 8:00 AM, located at 200 Shoreline Hwy, Mill Valley, CA 94941
16-19 June 2016 Chief Joseph Rally in John Day, Oregon
16-19 June 2016 Red Rock Rendezvous, Panguitch, UT
25 Jun 2016 8:00 AM Calaveras Big Trees, Election Meeting & CampoutCalaveras Big Trees, 1170 E Hwy 4, Arnold, CA 95223
08 July 2016 Board Of Directors MeetingThe Old Spaghetti Factory 2107 Broadway Redwood City, CA, 94063
21 Jul 2016 Cascade County Rendezvous, July 21 - 24, Republic, WashingtonFerry County Fairgrounds, Republic, Washington
