March

X J S P O N T T U B N O R I P E Q D L B P A U W M S L I H
D A P C T Q H T X R F N Z I B V U A Z O A D V A P T N D Y
N N O A H Z A E T E R E S D G I M E L Y Q X S T C R H Y O
O T K R Z A J C E A T S T B H R B H B J V S H U E O A Z U
W I E B U E D H L K H F Y Y W D Y L J O V R V L T P C E H
X L S U M D P D E F U I M H G L P I G N O S C S R S A E A
I O G R G R Z A L A M P X V T A D O S T M Y M T O R I Z V
B C N E Y K Z Y E S P K M W V N H P T M C R N R P O R J E
M K I T R B X S V T E P Z T S I F L D R Z H Q A S T H G N
L Y R O I E Z D E R R H D R V F E B O P F C A N L O E D O
C E U R D T V G R I V E A K E R G T U P P T M S A M A J I
F G O G E W L E I D R A R A Z V O Z V S M U X M U T D K D
A E T B B E H I C E A T R N J M E A E C W L P I D J L C E
E T T E Y E V C I K C E O T C O O L K J Y C B S E Y E A A
Y L R V W N Q O G U E D T P A J M F A D R M V S P E T P H
H E O W I H L K T E D G O L L E E M A R O N P I Q Z C K O
A E P R R T V N D S I R M C R N O E R R A W I O D D K C W
U H S E E R Q R G Y S I E B I O H T T E B P R N G C B A L
W W C T F E V A Q U P P P B F R U O E A S C U E E C B L O
M B E N C B A T H E O S R C E S N U V D O I C T T T A S N
N M S U A U V P E E E O H T B S G A B F I W U V Y A T F G
T U G T Y H Z S X O C D A O O H R L L E Z R F R V X T J T
K H M S J C P Z F N U W B S N I L H O V M A F D C G L E H
Z T V O E S N O E E Y M J H A V A A P E A T G A T T E Z I
R U N M R A G N I W S Z N O I S S E R P M O C W K T Y X S
A A M W E E A N M D K H E X H E A D J S O Z E R T U X X T
X Q B E E M E R S U B E R A L L E S B W J D I B Z M I L O
S F C N E V P K Z G R E T N U O C S T R A P D O P R Y K O
X J S P O N T T U B N O R I P E Q D L B P A U W M S L I K
D A P C T Q H T X R F N Z I B V U A Z O A D V A P T N D D
N N O A H Z A E T E R E S D G I M E L Y Q X S T C R H Y O
O T K R Z A J C E A T S T B H R B H B J V S H U E O A Z Y
W I E B U E D H L K H F Y Y W D Y L J O V R V L T P C E O
X L S U M D P D E F U I M H G L P I G N O S C S R S A E U
I O G R G R Z A L A M P X V T A D O S T M Y M T O R I Z Q
B C N E Y K Z Y E S P K M W V N H P T M C R N R P O R J M
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L Y R O I E Z D E R R H D R V F E B O P F C A N L O E D A
C E U R D T V G R I V E A K E R G T U P P T M S A M A J R
IN THIS ISSUE
FEATURES
DEPARTMENTS
THE QUEST FOR THE
8
PERFECT RTW BIKES
For our third “bike of the month” fea-
3 FROM THE PRESIDENT
4 REBOOT AT THE SQUARE ROUTE
2013 AWSCHIT RESULTS
6 2013 MILEAGE RESULTS
7 A SKEWED VIEW
18 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
19 MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
20 PARTING SHOT
ture, Dawn and Paul Miller (who spoke
at our banquet in January) took some
time to tell us all about their bikes.
SGT. JOHN DURANT IS
14
PROBABLY STILL WANTED
Bill Russell, a retired Army sergeant
himself, tells the touching story of a
veteran’s sidecar thievery.
From the editor
Between the Spokes is always looking for new advertisers, and you’ll notice one this
month. If you know of a business that might be interested in advertising in BtS, encourage them to get in touch with us ([email protected]) or tell me about them, and I’ll
be happy to give them a call.
­—Wes
X J S P O N T T U B N O R I P E Q D L B P A U W M S L I
D A P C T Q H T X R F N Z I B V U A Z O A D V A P T N D
N N O A H Z A E T E R E S D G I M E L Y Q X S T C R H Y
O T K R Z A J C E A T S T B H R B H B J V S H U E O A Z
W I E B U E D H L K H F Y Y W D Y L J O V R V L T P C E
X L S U M D P D E F U I M H G L P I G N O S C S R S A E
I O G R G R Z A L A M P X V T A D O S T M Y M T O R I Z
B C N E Y K Z Y E S P K M W V N H P T M C R N R P O R J
M K I T R B X S V T E P Z T S I F L D R Z H Q A S T H G
L Y R O I E Z D E R R H D R V F E B O P F C A N L O E D
C E U R D T V G R I V E A K E R G T U P P T M S A M A J
F G O G E W L E I D R A R A Z V O Z V S M U X M U T D K
A E T B B E H I C E A T R N J M E A E C W L P I D J L C
E T T E Y E V C I K C E O T C O O L K J Y C B S E Y E A
Y L R V W N Q O G U E D T P A J M F A D R M V S P E T P
H E O W I H L K T E D G O L L E E M A R O N P I Q Z C K
A E P R R T V N D S I R M C R N O E R R A W I O D D K C
U H S E E R Q R G Y S I E B I O H T T E B P R N G C B A
W W C T F E V A Q U P P P B F R U O E A S C U E E C B L
M B E N C B A T H E O S R C E S N U V D O I C T T T A S
N M S U A U V P E E E O H T B S G A B F I W U V Y A T F
T U G T Y H Z S X O C D A O O H R L L E Z R F R V X T J
K H M S J C P Z F N U W B S N I L H O V M A F D C G L E
Z T V O E S N O E E Y M J H A V A A P E A T G A T T E Z
R U N M R A G N I W S Z N O I S S E R P M O C W K T Y X
A A M W E E A N M D K H E X H E A D J S O Z E R T U X X
X Q B E E M E R S U B E R A L L E S B W J D I B Z M I L
S F C N E V P K Z G R E T N U O C S T R A P D O P R Y K
X J S P O N T T U B N O R I P E Q D L B P A U W M S L I
D A P C T Q H T X R F N Z I B V U A Z O A D V A P T N D
N N O A H Z A E T E R E S D G I M E L Y Q X S T C R H Y
O T K R Z A J C E A T S T B H R B H B J V S H U E O A Z
W I E B U E D H L K H F Y Y W D Y L J O V R V L T P C E
X L S U M D P D E F U I M H G L P I G N O S C S R S A E
I O G R G R Z A L A M P X V T A D O S T M Y M T O R I Z
B C N E Y K Z Y E S P K M W V N H P T M C R N R P O R J
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L Y R O I E Z D E R R H D R V F E B O P F C A N L O E D
C E U R D T V G R I V E A K E R G T U P P T M S A M A J
ON THE COVER
Break out a pen, print out (or copy) the cover, and get to
work! This month’s cover is a classic word search puzzle.
The list of possible words is on the back cover — try to find
as many words as you can without peeking.
Next month... maybe a crossword puzzle!
CLUB
09MAR
MEETINGS
Board of Directors @ 10.00, General Membership @ 11.00
Morton’s BMW, Fredericksburg VA. Tech day startsr at 8.30, ends at 1 pm..
13APR
CLUB
MEETINGS
Board of Directors @ 10.00, General Membership @ 11.00
Battley Cycles, Gaithersburg MD.
Between the Spokes (BTS), the monthly magazine of the BMW Bikers of Metropolitan
Washington (BMWBMW), is published solely for the use of its members. Any reproduction
of its contents without the written permission of BMWBMW is strictly prohibited. Back
issues can be downloaded free of charge at www.bmwbmw.org/archive.
© 2014 BMW Bikers of
Metropolitan Washington.
All rights reserved.
Editor, Wes Fleming
[email protected]
Associate Editors
Trisch Aust, Leigh Duffy and
Elsie Smith
MARCH 2014
VOLUME 40
NUMBER 03
BMWBMW
BMW BIKERS OF
M E T R O P O L I TA N
WA S H I N G TO N
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President, Scott Keimig
[email protected]
Vice President, Drew Alexander
[email protected]
Secretary, Jim Howland
[email protected]
UPCOMING CLUB EVENTS
www.bmwbmw.org
btS
BETWEEN THE SPOKES
BTS welcomes all news, story and photo submissions from club members. No article is
too small! Submissions are used on a rolling basis and may not appear in the month they
are submitted. Materials may be edited for length, content or style. Send all submissions
to the editor. Classified ads are free to active club members and run on a rolling, space
available basis. Commercial vendors can see advertising rates and requirements at www.
bmwbmw.org/advertising. Display ads must be submitted no later than the 15th of the
month preceding the month of publication.
Please submit address changes and all membership correspondence with the form at the
back of the magazine. BMWBMW is chartered as BMW MOA club #40 and BMW RA club #15.
Treasurer, Henry Winokur
[email protected]
Membership Chair, Joel Gladding
[email protected]
Newsletter Chair, Wes Fleming
[email protected]
COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Meetings & Events, Vacant
[email protected]
Gov’t Affairs, Ed Stiles
[email protected]
Internet, Andy Dooley
[email protected]
Rides, Ed Phelps
[email protected]
Safety, Vacant
[email protected]
Sales, Vacant
[email protected]
Tech, Bruce & Nicki Watkins
[email protected]
FROM THE PRESIDENT
By Scott Keimig
The cotton-free zone
I started riding legally soon after my 16th
birthday. My riding attire was not much
different from the rest of my friends
who drove cars to high school or to the
Safeway where we worked. We wore Lee
jeans and t-shirts. The denim jacket and
Red Wing boots I wore were as much an
indication of my economic status as they
were moto-specific attire.
The wealthy kids who rode could afford
a leather jacket — I couldn’t. My threequarter helmet was solely to keep Dad
happy, not because I thought it was needed and certainly not because the state
required it (44 years later my home state
still has no helmet law). Gloves — only
when the day was cold. I rode Easter to
Thanksgiving and an occasional winter
day when there was no snow — and those
days in the upper Midwest were rare,
indeed.
I wore mostly cotton when I started
riding, but now I seldom wear cotton
when on a bike. It’s not practical, not
comfortable and certainly not safe in a
get-off. When cotton gets wet, it stays wet;
good for evaporative cooling, but cooling
is typically the last thing you want when
it’s raining. Riding in the rain is often an
exercise in staying warm and thereby
conserving core temperature — avoiding
hypothermia is the origin of the adventuring adage “cotton kills.”
As for comfort, I believe that many
complaints of uncomfortable saddles can
be attributed to wearing cotton. When
moist with sweat, cotton clothing adheres
to skin, causing irritation, which leads
to chafing, which ultimately causes the
dreaded monkey-butt syndrome if said
chafing occurs on one’s bootay. This is
true for cotton trousers as well as cotton undershorts. John Longo and Rocky
Mayer may not concur, but I think a lot
of money has entered their coffers due
to riders insisting on wearing 501 jeans
and/or tighty-whiteys.
If not cotton, then, just what do I wear?
Wool-poly-leather is my answer. Leather is
pretty much a given for boots and gloves,
and as much as I have been tempted by
the new water-repellant leathers, I still
wear a Cordura (i.e., poly) fabric riding
suit. I’ve found Cordura bonded to a GoreTex Pro Shell to be the best all-around
solution to dealing with precipitation. No
| BTS 03.14 | 3 |
big surprise there.
I’d estimate 90% of the people reading
this wear Cordura-type riding suits. Where
I leave the fold is in wearing wool — my
T-shirt, socks and underwear are wool,
and I wear them year-round, including
summer. Specifically, this is merino wool
marketed by Aerostich, Smartwool, Ibex,
Icebreaker and others.
This has been cost prohibitive until recently with popular-priced manufacturers
such as Lands End (Sears) and Champion
now offering Merino wool clothing.
Merino wool wicks away moisture from
the skin as fast as synthetic fabric so it’s
cool on warm days, and unlike synthetics, won’t melt with heat. Merino wool is
water repellent, dries quickly, is stretchy,
and durable, and wonder of wonders, it
doesn’t retain body odors! You can wear it
several days between launderings and no
one would suspect your indolence — just
try THAT with UnderArmour!! Merino is a
miracle fabric and it’s from a renewable
source to boot.
Support your friendly Kiwi sheep rancher and try some woolen undies this year.
| 4 | 03.14 BTS |
SQUARE ROUTE RALLY UPDATE
|
Drew Alexander, VP & Rally Dude
Reboot at the Square Route
Cabin fever is at an all-time high, so I’ve had a lot of time to
think about the rally. Attendance is down, costs are up. What
have I gotten myself into? The answer is a chance to have some
fun! This year you’ll be treated to a lot of fun and some new
twists for the 40th Square Route Rally!
Not attending this year’s SRR? Here’s a partial list of what
you’ll miss:
Friday Night Chili & Cheese: Along with a heaping bowl of chili
on Friday night, you’ll have a chance to win cash prizes and beer
in the Inaugural SRR Talent Show! Bring your own instrument or
use our karaoke machine. Someone will win a Big Cash Prize.
Special awards for Most Creative and Most Courageous! All contestants get three free beverage tokens. I’d recommend using
these before your performance!
CLUB BUSINESS
|
Saturday Wacky Awards, Stories & S’mores: In addition to
our thrilling rides and great tech sessions, your rally committee
is working frantically to make Saturday really special; we’ll have
more information on Saturday’s events ready for you in next
month’s Square Route Rally Update. Rally judges will decide
this year’s award winners. In addition to recognizing the farthest
traveled and youngest riders, awards will be given for biggest
bug splat, best campsite and whatever we make up on the spot.
There will be valuable door prizes, spectacular grand prizes and
a chance to Scalp the Rally Chair! Finally, gather ‘round the
campfire for Stories & S’mores.
Come Reboot at the Square Route, 30 May - 1 June 2014!
Contest Results
2013 AWSCHIT, Great States Tour results By Ed and Barb Phelps,
Get your number for 2014 by contacting Ed and Barb!
It is getting harder and harder to come up with new ideas each
year and not repeat something. The AWSCHIT 2013 tour was
actually given to us in part by Phil and Karen Ager. They came up
with the twin city idea, which reminded us of the AWSCHIT that
we did with another club. All we had to do was dive into our files
and pull out the logo and rules that we had used. If they hadn’t
given us the helping hand, who knows what you may have had.
A really big “thank you” goes out to them.
To refresh your memory, this tour was the America Wandering Seeking Cities Having Identical Twins (AWSCHIT). You had to
document cities and towns that have an identically named city
or town in some other country. For example: Paris, TX for Paris,
France or Hanover, PA for Hanover, Germany. The more you
matched, including triplets, quads, quints, etc., the more fun you
had (no doubt).
Great States — and Provinces
[email protected]
As for the AWSCHIT 2013 and Great States Tour 2013, we
had a great time looking at the pictures and putting the photo
albums together. We do need to apologize to the recipients,
though. We got behind, which isn’t at all unusual these days,
and didn’t get to finish everything properly. We will finish that up
and send the items out to you as soon as we can.
We try our best to have as many categories as possible so
we can give out more first place awards. Below are the results.
Since we only had two entries submitted for the AWSCHIT and
two entries had Canadian provinces we stretched it a little. We
didn’t think any of you would mind.
For the 2014 tour, once again Phil and Karen have given us
an idea for a tour. Hope you know how to put your motorcycle
together! More to come later; it should prove to be interesting!
AWSCHIT
STATES
STATES AND PROVINCES
1st place
Bob Stransky
with all 48 lower states
1st place
George van Mater
with 44 states and 11 provinces
1st place
Phil and Karen Ager
with 37 twins, 7 triplets, 3 quadruplets,
4 quintuplets, 3 sextuplets and one
septuplet
2nd place
Steve Willis
with 42 states, not
including Maryland
and Virginia!
2nd place
Christopher Russell-Wood
with 41 states and two provinces.
2nd place
Steve Anderson
with 55 twins.
3rd place
Phil and Karen Ager
with 38 states.
| BTS 03.14 | 5 |
The town of Mount Vernon,
Australia (a suburb of Sydney) gave Phil and Karen
the opportunity to collect
Mount Vernons in Ohio
(left) and Oregon. Note that
the Oregon photo would
also qualify for the Great
States tour because it
features the name of the
state in it. They call that
“killing two birds with one
stone,” a handy skill in the
annual rides contest.
| 6 | 03.14 BTS |
2013 mileage contest results
Thanks to everyone who participated. We had 24 riders participate, racking up 366,357
miles for the year. Seventeen males and seven females reported mileage for 2013. Send
in your starting odometer reading as soon as you can to get in on the 2014 contest!
Lisa Hecker with her R 1200 GS. Lisa was our top mileage woman for 2013 and fifth overall in the club’s annual
mileage contest. Her sign says “2014 Spring Fever Motorcycle Photo Scavenger Hunt.”
A BMW Bike’s Best Friend:
Skilled Routine Inspection
and Maintenance
If you need a tune-up, Khanh’s
EUBMW Repair Shop will do the
needed work and check out your
bike’s whole system to spot
problems before they happen.
Be ready for the Spring
riding season!
Khanh’s EUBMW Repair Shop
(in the Armature Building)
3025 Colvin St, Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: (571) 294-2386
Stop in or call for an appointment.
laartist | iStockphoto.com
Khanh’s EUBMW Repair
Shop is at your service in
the Armature Building.
By Steve Willis,
[email protected]
Christopher Russell-Wood 43,326
Bob Stransky25,075
Steve Willis24,643
Jim Patton23,884
Lisa Hecker23,792
Steve Anderson21,666
Karen Ager21,466
Wade Butler20,977
Phillip Ager20,811
Bruce Watkins20,294
Paul Wilson18,036
Ted Knob15,744
Matt Corrigan14,078
Ken Eichhorst13,814
Steve Clifford10,135
Elsie Smith 7,198
Brian McLeod 7,160
Maria Vandergucht 6,941
Terry Barnes (sidecar) 6,452
Chetna Lal 6,441
Ed Pfister 6,045
Linda Mooney 4,790
Nicki Watkins 2,190
Armaan Mehta 1,426
A SKEWED VIEW
|
Clubs and belonging
|
By Drew Alexander
| BTS 03.14 | 7 |
“I don’t want to belong to a club that will accept people like me as a member,” wrote Groucho Marx in a telegram to the
Friars Club.
Groucho was wrong.
I had always been an outsider and was not a joiner. That is probably why I started riding a motorcycle, a loner on his
machine. Then I started meeting other loners on their bikes. I tried to remain on the fringe for years, but I found myself
in the midst of a group. I realized I was a member of a community.
Our club was created 40 years ago because we ride BMW motorcycles and we live in the area. Many clubs are formed
because of brand loyalty and locale. I looked at other clubs and their members were all the same type of riders, riding
the same type of bikes. BMWBMW seemed to be made by a bunch of misfits and oddballs. Finally, I found a place where
I belonged.
The reason I joined BMWBMW was because I own one (a BMW, that is). The reason I became active was because of my
affinity for its members. The diversity of our members is amazing — how we ride, what we ride, when we ride vary greatly — but we are brought together because of the club. I think of BMWBMW as my neighborhood and I think of its members as
my neighbors.
“It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood. It’s a beautiful day for a neighbor. Won’t you be my neighbor?” Fred Rogers
sang.
Fred was right!
| 8 | 03.14 BTS |
BIKES OF THE MONTH
|
| BTS 03.14 | 9 |
Words and photos by Dawn and Paul Miller
The quest for the
perfect RTW bikes
Every motorcycle is a compromise and the more diverse the
riding, the more the bike has to be a compromise. Our bikes
are great examples. The designers assumed a set of design
features that they thought were optimum for a combination
of on- and off-road riding, but like most owners, our needs
differed from their vision, so we modified them to better fit
our riding. For the most part, our modifications have worked
well in getting us halfway around the world on everything
from fresh tarmac to lava fields, snow, sand and muddy
water crossings.
We purchased both bikes new from Bob’s BMW in Jessup, MD. Dawn’s is a gold and black 2009 G 650 X-Country,
BMW’s interpretation of a modern scrambler. It is about 60
pounds lighter than the 650 GS single and has the same
horsepower, so it is a really fun bike to ride. As it is one of
the lightest bikes BMW ever made, it could even be said
that it is one of the most fun! Paul’s bike is a blue 2008
R 1200 GS. At this point the XC has about 35,000 miles
and the R12GS has 60,000, with about a quarter of those
miles from off-pavement riding. Our bikes get used quite a
bit more than our cars!
Our earlier bikes included BMWs, although both of our
first bikes were small Hondas. Dawn’s older BMW is a ’97
F 650 Funduro (which she still rides) and Paul had an
R 60/6, an R 80 and now an R 27. Anyone who knows him
knows he is an Airhead! Since the two newer bikes are currently stored in Europe, our daily rides are the Funduro and
the R 27.
Back in 2007, Dawn was riding the Funduro and Paul
was riding the R 80. At Americade that year, Dawn said she
wanted to go on the dual sport ride because it sounded like
a lot of fun. Paul agreed and off to the woods we went! The
track combined short paved stretches with rocky hill climbs,
water crossings and muddy trails. We threw ourselves at it
with gusto and completed the 46-mile ride without incident
and with big smiles. It was a hoot! Well, almost. While Dawn
and the Funduro enjoyed it immensely, the R 80 roadster
with the stiffer suspension mods that Paul had added did
“A straight line may be the shortest
distance between two points, but it is
by no means the most interesting.”
—Doctor Who
| 10 | 03.14 BTS |
Not the easiest way to get
a good view of the knobby
tires and soft bags we
prefer, but it provides a
great view of the stock
bash plate protecting the
engine. The new AltRider
bash plate extends further
to the sides to protect the
exhaust pipes.
not have a fun day. Parts fell off, broke or stopped working.
Clearly that bike was not going to cut it in the rough stuff. The
solution, in Dawn’s words at the campfire was, “Paul, perhaps
you should get yourself a dual sport bike!”
The search was on, perhaps even before Dawn came to her
senses. Paul’s basic list focused on finding a bike that offered a
good compromise between trail and interstate performance. The
first rule of long-distance riding is to find a comfortable bike and
that was our main criterion for choosing both the XC and R12GS.
Dawn and Paul both test rode more than a dozen bikes to find
the ones that fit them best.
The first rule of off-road riding is to keep the bike as light as
possible. Not only does it make it easier and more fun to ride
in soft conditions, it also makes it easier to pick up when (not
if) you drop it. Compared to a true road-legal dirt bike, the XC
is more like a moose than a mountain goat. The much heavier
R12GS is more like a hippo. Surprisingly though, anyone who
has watched “Wild Kingdom” will know that hippos can move
quickly at times if they are sufficiently motivated!
Although both bikes are compromised in the dirt, they are
quite a bit more comfortable on the road than a true dirt bike.
That is important as most of our miles are on tarmac. In looking for bikes we also recognized that another key to successful
off-road riding is comfort while standing, something we knew we
were going to do a lot of, but something Dawn found was lacking
on the Funduro.
For Paul, the R12GS seemed to fit the criteria best and was
also the most fun to ride of the medium and large trail bikes he
tried. In particular, it was the lightest, had the best slow speed
manners and was more comfortable on the highway. The XC similarly came out on top in Dawn’s search. While we were planning
on doing some off-pavement rides, in the back of our minds, we
were daydreaming about longer trips. The first one we tackled,
the Trans-America Trail, is about 4,900 miles, 95% off-pavement
from Tennessee to Oregon. Although we completed it without
incident, we would have had more fun if our off-road skills were
more developed. Our second long ride was across Labrador, and
then Newfoundland on the awesome T’Railway trail. In hindsight
that should have been our “starter” long adventure ride. Our current trip is a round-the-world adventure covering, so far, 20,000
miles and 26 countries. The next stage will add about 15,000
miles and 10 countries.
To prep the bikes for the rides, we focused on keeping them
as light as possible, while carrying all the camping and cooking
gear, clothes, spares and tools we need to be self-sufficient. The
first mods were the easiest: take off the bikes everything that
wasn’t needed. The R12GS immediately shed 21 pounds, but
the XC was already pretty svelte and not much was saved.
The second set of modifications focused on comfort. The XC
got Rox Risers, a Wunderlich windshield, center stand and multiple heat shields, while the R12GS got Wunderlich quick release
handlebar releases, so the bars can be easily rotated for standing. Both bikes received Pivot Pegz, Barkbusters and Airhawks.
Paul’s R12GS came with heated handgrips, ABS and spoked
wheels. He also cut the top eight inches off his stock windscreen
to reduce buffeting, increase airflow in hot weather and reduce
the chance of injury in a fall. All were excellent decisions.
Then came luggage selection and there is no end of debate
there! The big choice was, of course, between hard and soft cases. It turned out to be a relatively easy choice for us; the empty
weight of a quality hard bag system was nearly the same as our
fully loaded soft bags! The Wolfman bags we got have held up
| BTS 03.14 | 11 |
Lightweight bikes are easier to
pick up than other bikes — whether
or not they’re loaded down. This
photo is from Nevada, during our
trip on the TransAmerica Trail.
great. Paul has a traditional zippered set while Dawn has the
more modern roll-top. An added bonus to soft bags is that when
you fall the bags have some give, which is nice both for any bike
parts impacted and any of your body parts caught underneath.
We’ve seen multiple broken hard bags and frames caused by a
fall, while we have not seen a single bike with soft bags cause a
broken frame. Each of us has dropped our bikes over a hundred
times with no major damage to the bikes, soft bags or us. To
keep things dry and organized we use small dry bags inside the
saddlebags.
Although it seems like security should be a problem with soft
bags, the only theft we’ve had was when someone walked off
with one of Dawn’s saddlebags that we left outside the tent overnight in Saint Johns, Newfoundland. They dropped it all without
taking anything when all they found were spare bike parts and
women’s toiletries!
Fuel range is a bit of a concern. While Paul’s R12GS has gone
up to 290 miles between refuels when ridden conservatively, the
XC is limited to about 150, which is not much for some areas.
Rather than purchase extra large fuel tanks, we each carry a
one-gallon RotoPax jerry jug. That extends each bike’s range to
over 300 miles. We’ve only needed them a couple of times, most
notably on Phase 3 of the gravel Trans-Labrador Highway, where
it is 240 miles between gas stations.
Tires, like anything else, are a compromise. To have good
control off-road, you need knobbies. We don’t really buy in to the
concept of “% on-road, % off-road” tires. If 99% of your riding
is on-road and you buy street tires that will last about 10,000
miles, that 1% off-road means you will be riding 100 miles of
dirt, mud and/or sand with the wrong tires. It only takes a few
yards with the wrong tires to lose control.
After trying numerous tires we’ve settled on Continental TKC
80s if we have any off-road riding planned during the tire’s expected life. We have never ridden them hard enough on the road
to test their road limits, and they are easy to mount by hand.
We’ve averaged about 9,000 miles for each set. True, they are
noisier than street tires on pavement, but custom earplugs (possibly the best motorcycle accessory we have ever bought!) easily
mask the noise. If no soft surfaces are planned, then there are
many fine tires, with the classic Metzeler Tourance being a good
choice.
There are a lot of good bikes out there and the search for the
“best” bike is quite fun! The accessories have all worked well.
The XC does have one limitation, the 250 amp alternator. Dawn
is only able to add her Gerbings gloves and vest. Paul did overstress the stock sump guard bash plate and replaced it with a
beefier AltRider design. Both bikes also required new shocks at
about 20,000 miles. The R12GS got mid-level Ohlins while the
XC received a mid-level Wilbers shock. The ergonomics and handling of the bikes are great. We are constantly amazed by how
well the R12GS handles the rough stuff, but Paul keeps saying
he would like a lighter bike.
Both of us have been disappointed in the bikes’ reliability,
however. The XC had 18 warranty claims in the first 20,000
miles and the R12GS drive shaft and swing arm failed at
51,000 miles, locking the rear wheel at 80 MPH, an event which
Paul called “entertaining.” Since the extended warranty is not
valid outside the US, that failure cost us the equivalent of two
months’ traveling expenses. Both of us would be willing to give
up some performance for more reliability!
We would be happy to answer any questions, just drop us an
email at [email protected].
| 12 | 03.14 BTS |
Paul’s 2008 R 1200 GS
Wolfman Explorer
Lite tank bag
Barkbusters
Nolan N90
Stock windshield,
cut down to size
Icebergs in Jokulsarlon, Iceland
Out of sight:
Ohlins shocks both
front and rear
Head protectors,
since worn clear
through on both sides!
Airhawk seat
cushion
Pivot Pegz
Continental
TKC-80 tires
Wolfman Beta
tail bag
Wolfman Summit
soft-sided saddlebags
Touratech
cinch bag
| BTS 03.14 | 13 |
Dawn’s 2009 G 650 XC
Cortech Super-Mini
tank bag, replaced
with Wolf man
Enduro
JHC CL14, replaced
with a Nolan N90
Boating dry bag,
replaced with FirstGear
Torrent waterproof
duf f le bag
Roto-Pax one-galllon
fuel cell
Wunderlich
windscreen
Positive
mental
attitude!
Rox Risers
Barkbusters
Airhawk
seat cushion
Wunderlich fender
extender
Trans-Labrador Highway
Pivot Pegz
Cortech sof t saddlebags
replaced by Wolf man Rocky
Mountain saddlebags and a
Wolf bottle holster
Touratech heat shield
Continental TKC-80 tires
Wilbers rear shock
| 14 | 03.14 BTS |
FEATURE
|
| BTS 03.14 | 15 |
By Bill Russell
Sgt. John Durant is
probably
still wanted
back in Germany
His unit landed at Utah Beach a
few days after D-Day and fought
through France, saw action in the
Battle of the Bulge, crossed the
Rhine River at Remagen and ended
up in Aschaffenburg on V-E Day.
My wife Karla and I were enjoying lunch in Sperryville, VA after a spirited ride down Fort Valley Road
(Virginia Route 678) and over the mountain to Luray
and Shenandoah National Park. I parked the sidecar
rig in a spot behind our lunch destination, the Thornton River Grille, which serves brunch on weekends.
Since the outdoor deck was full, we sat inside beside
a table of Harley riders.
Behind us were an elderly man and a younger
woman enjoying brunch as well. The Harley riders
were telling each other of their exploits and the elderly gentleman, recognizing they were motorcyclists,
approached their table as he was leaving. He leaned
on his cane as he stood by their table and asked if
they had ever seen a green BMW motorcycle with a
sidecar.
Karla and I thought he must have seen the rig as
we rode past on our way in, but he recounted a story
about being in Aschaffenburg, Germany at the end of
World War Two. His unit found a German Army depot
with at least 30 BMW sidecar rigs, apparently in for
repairs. Like GIs throughout time, they promptly stole
– that is, commandeered — the rigs and took them
back to their compound. He said they didn’t want to
sell them and he isn’t sure where they ended up.
Sixty-seven years later he could still recall the
details of the mission and seemed quite pleased to
have bumped into someone that gave him the excuse
to tell the tale. His companion was beckoning to him
by then, so he headed for the door.
We were finished with our cheeseburgers, so Karla
and I settled our bill and headed out to the bikes.
Karla spotted the couple in a car lining up to leave
the parking lot. She tapped on the passenger window
where the gentleman was sitting and asked if he had
seen the green BMW motorcycle with the sidecar in
the parking lot. They were parked below where we
parked and had not seen it, so Karla asked if they
wanted to stop and look. The car turned around and
parked next to the rig. The gentleman got to his feet
with a little help and looked over the rig and noted
that this sidecar was much more modern than the
ones he and his buddies had stolen back in 1945.
I asked his name and what outfit he
was with during the war. He introduced
himself as John Durant, told us he was
90 years old and lives between Culpeper
and Sperryville. He served in the 300th
Combat Engineer Battalion. His unit
landed at Utah beach a few days after
D-Day and fought through France, saw
action in the Battle of the Bulge, crossed
the Rhine River at Remagen, and ended
up in Aschaffenburg, on V-E Day.
We talked about the Army, the 300th,
stealing the sidecars and other stories for
about 30 minutes. He explained how the
Germans always had the senior person
ride in the sidecar even if it was only a private and a corporal. Although clearly the
sidecar heist was a favorite story for John,
he said several times that he’d never ridden a motorcycle, let alone a sidecar. He
thanked us for showing him the sidecar
rig and listening to his stories and said we
should come by and see him sometime
since we ride in that area frequently.
When I returned to our home in Herndon, I Googled the 300th Combat Engineer Battalion and found a terrific web
site with photos and stories from the unit.
Alas, there is no mention of the sidecar
caper. John’s photo is there with his
sergeant’s stripes looking like any of the
great heroes of the day. John was part of
the reconnaissance team for the battalion; they would have been responsible for
creating maps that were used by following
forces.
Karla and I plan to call John in the
coming weeks to see if he’s up to taking a ride. I think it would be very cool if
someone with a more vintage sidecar, or
at least one nearer to the ones they stole
back in 1945, was willing to ride out and
drive him around in it.
My guess is he won’t steal it this time.
Epilogue: Karla and I called, but I think he
mainly lives in Florida and only visits up
here, so we weren’t able to take him out
for a ride. MAR 8
at 11 AM
LIVE Presentation!
PART
2
No prior experience? No Spanish skills? No sponsors?
No support crew? No cell phone? And wait... No GPS?!
NO PROBLEM!!!
COLIN
SEATTLE
TO
O’ROURKE
BUSCH USHUAIA
ON A
BUDGET
LONG DISTANCE
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND, our very own Internet Sales Specialist, Colin Busch will be presenting a
follow up to the highly successful audio visual exhibition he shared with customers back in November.
Even if you didn’t catch Part 1 of his talk, you’re gonna love this one. It’s a MUST SEE!
BOB’S
| 16 | 03.14 BTS |
SATURDAY
TECH
MAR 29 11 – Let’s Ride!
SESSIONS APR 5 11 – Insurance Q & A
bobsbmw.com
AM
AM
Spring is right around the corner! Is your bike
ready for the road? Join our techs for a talk
about important, often overlooked safety and performance issues.
Understand your insurance
policy better, and
learn how to SAVE! Our guest from Rider Insurance
will lead this informative discussion.
301-497-8949 • 888-269-2627 • 10720 Guilford Rd, Jessup, MD
d
e
fi
si
s
a
Ad
Cl
For Sale, 2007 F800S — $7,500 OBO: Pristine, red, possibly
the nicest F800S around! “I almost bought this bike to put in my
museum.” —Bob at Bob’s BMW
~15,900 miles. I’m the second lucky owner of this great
machine!
Purchased new from an employee at Bob’s BMW and sold to
me after he upgraded to an S1000RR last year. Always garaged
and in excellent shape. Many extras including: AKROPOVIC
slip-on exhaust, Power Commander, K&N filter, Pazzo adjustable
levers, HID head lamp, LED turn signals, RG bar-end weights,
BMW belly pan, Madstad screen (stock tinted screen included),
BMW expandable sport saddlebags w/removable waterproof liners, engine guards, fork sliders, driveline slider, rear trunk rack.
All records, tools, keys, and owner’s manual. Biannual service
and valve cover gasket completed in Nov. 2012. Tires have
plenty of tread. Notes from BMW tech Nov. 2012: “Passes MD
state inspection, bike in excellent shape, runs well, ABS/clutch
great, tires good as well.” Selling due to R1200GS purchase.
Located in Columbia, MD about 10 minutes from Bob’s.
Call Mike Blasi at 515-450-8615 or email [email protected].
| BTS 03.14 | 17 |
| 18 | 03.14 BTS |
EVENTS CALENDAR
Sun 09 Mar: Board of Directors (10) & General
Membership (11) meetings at Morton’s BMW,
Fredericksburg VA. Tech day starts at 8.30.
Sat 12 Jul: BoD (10), GM (11) meetings
& Swap Meet (12) at Beemers Uber Alles,
Manassas VA
Sun 13 Apr: BoD (10) & GM (11) meetings at
Battley Cycles, Gaithersburg MD
Sat 09 Aug: BoD (10) & GM (11) meetings at
Bob’s BMW, Jessup MD
Sat 10 May: BoD (10) & GM (11) meetings at a
location TBD
13/14 Sept (date to be confirmed):
Annual club picnic, location TBD
30 May—01 Jun: 40th Annual Square Route
Rally at Camp WestMar, Thurmont, MD
04-05 Oct: Oktoberfest at Camp WestMar
Sun BoD (09.30) & GM (10) meetings
Sat 08 Nov: BoD (10) & GM (11) meetings at
Morton’s BMW, Fredericksburg, VA
Sun 14 Dec: BoD (10), GM (11) meetings &
Tech Day (12) at Battley Cycles, Gaithersburg
MD
BREAKFAST RIDES
Breakfast rides are informal gatherings of members who meet for
breakfast and often a ride afterwards. Not all members participate
in the after-meal rides and some
like to show up solely for the ride.
Interested? Arrive early, introduce
yourself and be ready to have fun.
Look for the tables with helmets
and jackets piled on or near them
and don’t be shy.
If you’d like more information,
or to volunteer to lead a ride one
weekend, contact Ed Phelps at
[email protected].
You can find out more by perusing the “Rides to Eat” section of the BMWBMW online forums.
1st Sunday at 8
3rd Sunday at 10
4th Sunday at 8.30
BALTIMORE BREAKFAST RIDE MARYLAND BREAKFAST RIDE VIRGINIA BREAKFAST RIDE
GOLDEN CORRAL
7908 Rossville Boulevard,
Baltimore, MD 21236. To have
a reminder email sent to you
the week before the breakfast,
send your email address to
Jim Pellenbarg, jpellenbarg@
juno.com.
THE COZY
103 Frederick Road, Thurmont, MD 21788. Take I-270
N to Frederick and continue
north on U.S. 15. Take the first
Thurmont exit. Turn right at
the first stop sign, then left at
the first traffic light. Go 1/4
mile and look to the left.
THE MAIN STREET PUB
7140 Main Street, Clifton, VA
20124. Park across the street
by the rail car or behind the
pub. Walk through the convenience store to the restaurant
in the back. The ride to the
pub requires a nice stretch of
twisty back roads.
Membership application/renewal form.
Please check appropriate selections:
o NEW MEMBERo RENEWALo CHANGE OF ADDRESS
NAME
Sign up or renew
online with PayPal at
www.bmwbmw.org
MOTORCYCLES
(year, make, model)
Associate
STREET
BMW MOA #
CITY, STATE, ZIP BMW RA #
OCCUPATIONAMA #
PHONE (c) (h) (w)
E-MAIL
AGE GROUP
o 16–25o 46–55
o 26–35o 56–65
o 36–45o 65+
Referred to BMWBMW by
I’m interested in helping out with
the following committees:
o Gov’t Affairs o Rally
o Interneto Rides
o Meetings & Events o Safety
o Membershipo Sales
o Newsletter/BTS o Tech
MEMBERSHIP DUES
Regular Member: $20/year Associate Member: $7.50/year
Dues may be paid for 1, 2 or 3 years. Associate members must reside at the same address as the regular
member. Associate members have all the privileges of regular members but do not receive a separate
copy of the newsletter. Make check payable to “BMWBMW” and send it with this form to: Joel Gladding,
Membership Chair, 12 Teasdale Ct., Potomac Falls, VA 20165-6242. Membership dues are not refundable.
| BTS 03.14 | 19 |
| 16 | 03.14 BTS |
REBOOT at the SQUARE ROUTE
40th ANNIVERSARY SQUARE ROUTE RALLY
FRIDAY 30 MAY — SUNDAY 01 JUNE 2014
CAMP WESTMAR — THURMONT, MD
Photo by Dan Muir
Between the Spokes
Joel Gladding, Membership Chair
12 Teasdale Court
Potomac Falls, VA 20165-6242
Word search list
for the front cover.
Some words may
appear more than
once! How many
words can you
find that aren’t on
the list?
airheadcarburetoriron buttride by wireswingarm
antilockclutchjt motorsportsride to eattech day
atgattcompressionmortonsr nine ttelelever
battleycorbinmotorcycleschuberththe
bavariacruisermotorradsidecarthrottle
beemers uber allesdual sportohlinsslack packthumb wheel
between final drive oilhead spokes thumper
bobsheated gripsparaleversport touringtransmission
breakfast ridehexheadparts counterstunterwaterhead
BETWEEN the SPOKES
First tech day
of 2014:
Sunday,
9 March, at
Morton’s BMW.
BMW BIKERS of METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON
ESTABLISHED
IN 1974
www.bmwbmw.org
©2014 BMW Bikers of Metropolitan Washington