- BMW Bikers of Metropolitan Washington

BMW Bikers of Metropolitan Washington
February2016
between the spokes
The monthly newsletter of the dc area’s only bmw motorcycle club
Treasurer Mike Potter has a tiny bit of difficulty with the access
road at Camp West-Mar in the off season. Photo by Kurtis Minder
From the President
calendar of events
snowzilla, moto-movies, eggs and avocado
Snowzilla (the moniker adopted for the January snow
storm) took the D.C. metro by …well, storm. No doubt,
some riders strap some chains on, put rivets in their tires
and hit the snow drifts at speed. (I don’t recommend
this.) The rest of the two-wheeled world is hunkered
down, dreaming of spring. These can be dark times for
the motorcyclist: the bike is just sitting there! It wants to
be ridden, it wants to explore. Despite the challenges
that mother nature throws at us in the MidAtlantic this
time of year, there are a number of ways to participate in
the sport.
1. READ Read a motorcycle-focused book. I recommend using some of this downtime to study up. Re-read
David Hough, learn a new riding strategy from Lee
Parks, andKen Condon will teach you how to focus on
that perfect line. Want to yearn? Read a motorcycle
travel book and be transported! Read Ted Simon’s
follow-on to “Jupiter’s Travels,” “Dreaming of Jupiter.” If
you want to think about what this life, snow included,
is all about, (re)read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
Maintenance.
2. WATCH A FILM Pass the evenings by living the
motorcycle life virtually! Start your moto-movie-binge
with the classics: “Easy Rider,” “On Any Sunday,” “The
Fastest Indian.” After you have a baseline of motomovie culture, work your way into racing flicks. “Closer
to the Edge” will get you make you lust after or develop
a healthy fear of the Isle of Man. “Faster” and “Fastest”
will up your Moto GP IQ by at least 20 points. 3. FARKLE If you are lucky enough to have a garage,
get out there. Fire up the Salamander and get out the
metric tool kit. This is a good time to add that new
Skene Design LED set. Put “Photon Blasters” on the
front forks for good measure. You know you wanted to
move that GPS mount for months, so let’s do it. Upside,
you can enjoy a fine beverage while wrenching because
you aren’t going anywhere any time soon.
2
© 2016 BMW Bikers of Metropolitan Washington.
All rights reserved.
*13 Feb, 10.00: BMWBMW Board of Directors
meeting; 11.00 General Membership meeting,
location TBA.
your cage and
visit them.
They need
consoling as
much as the
rest of us, and
they aren’t in
a position to
read or watch
a movie. Call
ahead and
offer to bring
coffee and
donuts for the
staff. They
will love you
forever.
*7 May, 09.00: Maryland Breakfast Ride.
25 Feb, 18.00: BaseCamp Boot Camp Part 1,
hosted by Morton’s BMW.
27 Feb, 09.30 & 12.45: BaseCamp Boot Camp Part
1, hosted by Morton’s BMW.
*28 Feb, 08.30: Virginia Breakfast Ride.
*5 Mar, 09.00: Baltimore Breakfast Ride, Ashland
Cafe, 1080 York Rd., Cockeysville MD.
If you are currently ramping off of snow-drifts, good for you.
The rest of us will be nestled up by the fire, reading a good
motorcycle book or eating a fish taco by the sea. One day we
will wake up and the beast will have snuck away, the roads
clear, and the crazy cagers back in action. Our newly-farkled
bikes will spring to life with a twist of the key (or a push of a
button) and it will feel like magic. See you on the road soon
enough!
Ride (read, watch, farkle, and travel) Safe!
Kurtis Minder
President
BMWBMW is currently seeking a Media Chair, an Editor to take
over Between the Spokes, and several committee chairs. If you’re
interested in any of these positions, contact any sitting Board of
Directors member.
BTS welcomes all news, story and photo submissions from club members. No photo is too
large, 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.
If you enjoy what you see here, we encourage you to join the club.
Come to a meeting (see the calendar) or contact the Membership
Chair for more information.
BMWBMW welcomes motorcycle riders on all marques, but as
we are specifically a BMW club, we have found our members gain
more from the fellowship if they own or are at least interested in
owning a BMW motorcycle. Antique, airhead, oilhead, camhead,
hexhead or wethead — all are welcome here.
*14 May, 10.00: BMWBMW Board of Directors
meeting; 11.00 General Membership meeting,
location TBA.
20-22 May: Morton’s BMW Spring Fling, Natural
Bridge Hotel & Resort, Natural Bridge VA. Separate
event and hotel registration required, hotel fills
up fast. See www.mortonsbmw.com for more
information.
*13 Mar, 10.00: BMWBMW Board of Directors
meeting; 11.00 General Membership meeting,
hosted by Morton’s BMW.
*21 May, 10.00: Baltimore Breakfast Ride.
*13 Mar, start time TBA: Tech Day, hosted by
Morton’s BMW.
*3-5 June: BMWBMW’s annual Square Route
Rally, Camp West-Mar, 14509 Brown Rd., Sabillasville MD. Registration required but available
onsite. Plentiful camping available, bunk house
slots available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Friday and Saturday night dinner provided, Saturday
and Sunday breakfast too. Lunch is on your own.
Early arrival (Thursday night) available for event
volunteers only. Contact Andy Dooley, VP & Rally
Chair to volunteer ([email protected]). Guided GS,
GS-Lite and Road rides leave Saturday morning.
(In)Famous awards ceremony Saturday night. Join
BMWBMW for the first premier event of the rallying
season. Chat with old friends and make new ones!
*19 Mar, 10.00: Maryland Breakfast Ride.
*27 Mar, 08.30: Virginia Breakfast Ride.
*2 Apr, 09.00: Baltimore Breakfast Ride
*9 Apr, 10.00: BMWBMW Board of Directors
meeting; 11.00 General Membership meeting,
location TBA.
16 Apr, 09.00: Morton’s BMW Spring Open House
*23 Apr, 08.00: Tech Day hosted by JVB.
22-24 Apr: BMW MOA Weekend Getaway,
Fontana Dam NC. Registration required. See www.
bmwmoa.org/?page=events2 for more information.
*24 Apr, 08.30: Virginia Breakfast Ride
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.
Please submit address changes and all membership correspondence via email to Membership@
BMWBMW.org. BMWBMW is chartered as BMW MOA club #40 and BMW RA club #15.
28 Apr-1 May: Horizons Unlimited Travellers
Meeting, Holiday Lake 4H Center and Camp,
Appomattox VA. Registration required, see www.
horizonsunlimited.com for more information.
*20 Feb, 10.00: Maryland Breakfast Ride.
5. TRAVEL
Get on a
plane and
get out! The
Southwest
and the West
coast have plenty of opportunities to rent a bike. Snowzilla is
breathing its icy cold breath on D.C. as I write this and I am
sitting in a cafe in San Diego. I went for a walk and my friends
made me fresh eggs and avocado. The Pacific shoreline is a
mile away and it is calling my name. I cannot even hear Snowzilla roaring from here.
4. LURK You aren’t the only one who is having a
rough go of this! We have four fine marque dealerships
and several independent shops in the D.C. area. Hop in
www.bmwbmw.org
* indicates BMWBMW Events
*22 May, 08.30: Virginia Breakfast Ride.
14-17 July: BMW MOA “Das Rally” in Hamburg,
NY.
18-21 Aug: BMW 100th Anniversary celebration
during the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion,
Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca CA.
Lobby Day
As I continued through January with my efforts to figure
out what a Government Affairs chair does or should do, an
announcement by the Virginia Coalition of Motorcyclists
(VCOM) that they would be holding a “lobby day” event
caught my eye. According to a recent story in the Washington
Post, Lobby Day is one day “set aside each year for amateur
arm-twisters to press their case with elected leaders.” The day
this year was January 19, right before the highly-compressed
legislative sessions begin in Richmond. VCOM was meeting on
January 18 to review the bills that are on the legislative agenda
this year, and to provide education and guidance to members
who might like to visit their representatives the following day.
I saw this as an opportunity to understand the current state of
play on motorcycling issues in one of the three jurisdictions in
which (most) BMWBMW members live, and perhaps to identify
some proposals that we should be tracking in Maryland and
DC as well. A quick call to VCOM put me in touch with Matt
Danielson, who made it clear that I was welcome to join them
as they prepared for Lobby Day. So, on the 18th, I rode down
to Richmond on the K75 despite well-predicted snow showers
that day (an experience which, by the way, taught me that
even when traction is ample, visibility may still be a serious
challenge).
If Lobby Day is about “amateur” arm-twisting, there was
nothing amateur about the VCOM prep session. Matt seems to
function as what we in metro-DC would refer to as a legislative
4
By Matthew Eichner
director for VCOM, a role he combines with his day job as a
plaintiff’s lawyer following stints as a police officer and prosecutor. He and his team, which apparently includes his two
very capable young daughters, had prepared folders for the
hundred or so attendees containing summaries of the many
bills introduced bearing on motorcycling, directly or indirectly.
We were a pretty diverse group, representing all corners of the
Commonwealth, ages, ethnic backgrounds, and riding styles.
(I, however, was the only one who hailed from Maryland as
best I could tell.)
Matt began his presentation with a general description of
the “state of relations” between the Commonwealth of Virginia
and the motorcycling community. His key message was
that the relationship has stabilized in a fairly productive and
constructive way over the past several years. He described a
time in the recent past when the Virginia motorcyclists were
confronted with a lot of intrusive measures focused on “stupid
stuff” and singling out motorcyclists, for example measures
proscribing multiple taillights and outlawing kids riding with
their moms or dads as passengers. Now, in contrast to four or
five years ago, he described motorcyclists as no longer being
singled out. However, he noted that there was still a need to
stay on top of public policy issues and engage on a number
of technical drafting questions involving various pieces of
proposed legislation.
In that spirit, he went on to cover the landscape, in terms
of every bill that was introduced in either the Virginia House or the Senate this
year, offering a VCOM position and in many cases a lot of history and context.
A couple of broad themes were evident: Many bills dealt with standards for
equipment that is or is not permitted on motorcycles. VCOM supports several
measures that permit additional headlights and auxiliary sidelights for enhanced
visibility, but at the same time is concerned that the acceptable and proscribed
equipment be clearly delineated. In this vein, auxiliary side lighting seems to
be a particular challenge, as the State Police will only support legislation that
references established standards, for example promulgated by DOT or SAE. Yet
such standards don’t exist for such motorcycle lighting, making the discussion
a bit Kafkaesque. Another key theme involves extending the same protections
that the legislature is providing (or considering providing) to other motorists
to motorcyclists. VCOM was, for example, preparing to engage to encourage
expansion of bills proscribing certain insurance claim practices for automobiles
to sweep in all motor vehicles, that is including motorcycles, and welcomed a
bill that would protect motorcycles (along with aircraft, boats, locomotives, and
other railroad rolling stock) from malicious mischief. There was also a group
of bills focused on motor vehicle safety more generally. VCOM supported in
practice a measure that would eliminate automatic reckless driving charges for
exceeding a speed of eighty miles per hour, given that the current speed limit in
many parts of Virginia is actually 70 miles per hour, and supported in principle,
while doubting their effectiveness, measures to increase penalties for distracted
driving. Finally, VCOM supported another technical fix to statutory language
that had rendered most motorcycle training courses apart from the MSF BRC,
including track days and Lee Parks Total Control courses, illegal as they do not
meet requirements for obtaining a DMV waiver for a motorcycle license.
Continued on the next page.
Lobby Day Cont’d
the safety scene
While much of the discussion focused on the rights
of motorcyclists in Virginia, and how to protect and
expand those rights, VCOM also devoted considerable attention over the course of the afternoon to the
responsibilities of motorcyclists, especially where
safety is concerned. Several speakers, including
a senior MSF instructor and the owners of APEX
Cycle Education, spoke about training and safety.
A key theme was motorcycle safety is “on us”, as
evidenced by the fact that, of the 2000 motorcycle
crashes reported thus far for 2015, almost half or
926 to be exact were single vehicle incidents. The
MSF instructor pointed the audience toward the
TREDS (Traffic Records Electronic Data System) as
an invaluable source of information on crashes in
Virginia, useful both for identifying trends in motorcyclist performance (and training opportunities) and
highlighting to local authorities trouble spots. He
noted that, while more than 30,000 persons enrolled
in training across Virginia in 2015, there were only
12 Experienced Rider Courses (ERCs) offered due to
light demand. However, the owner of APEX noted
that they were seeing considerable demand for
some advanced training, notably for their on-street,
in-traffic course utilizing the new MSF curriculum.
By the way, Matt sent around a subsequent
update to those attending the January 18event noting
that another bill had unexpectedly been dropped
which would have eliminated tolls for motorcycles
across the Commonwealth. Based on my experience, including returning from the VCOM event
in Richmond using the I95 Express Lanes, I was
always somewhat envious of Virginia motorcyclists
and their EZPass-free use of both the Express Lanes
and Beltway HOT Lanes (even as they pay the same
rates as cars on the Dulles Tollroad). This measure is
expected to have some significant headwinds in the
current budgetary environment. But its introduction,
and the stark contrast in its approach to the general
absence of any relief on tolls for motorcyclists in
Maryland, makes me think that the history of debate
around tolls for motorcycles, which after all have
some real benefits in the commuting context that rival
those of carpooling, would be interesting to review in
a future BTS submission. So maybe that is something
for me as the Government Affairs chair to consider for
March or April.
Hey there! So you thought you had seen the last of me
in these pages, eh? Well, so did I, but to quote Michael
Corleone “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back
in!” With some gentle coercion from Kurtis (he made an offer
I can’t refuse), I signed on to try on the Safety Chair for a
while.
As I recall when I joined this outfit in 1995, I indicated on
the enrollment form that I would be interested in helping out
in the club safety activities. I never heard a formal response
back until Kurtis remembered me in a weak moment
mumbling something about the safety slot and called me
out – paybacks are heck! Like many of you I have followed
the club activities in relation to safe riding over a couple
decades and have seen some valuable work by my predecessors. I have some general ideas on what the chair activities
could entail but thought it wise to see what the club bylaws
state. Here it is: “The Safety Committee is responsible for the
promotion of safe riding practices by club members and for
coordination of the activities of the club in the promotion of
greater safety for all motorcyclists.” Great, that allows us lots
of latitude to define some tasks for the year. I will list some
thoughts later on this page, but what I really want is to hear
from you what you want to see the club provide. I would love
to hear your ideas and work them into our 2016 program.
You can shoot me an email at: [email protected]. Or you
can bend my ear at the club events. The sooner I hear from
you the sooner we can get on it.
First a few words on my bona fides qualifying my role as
the club safety guy. Succinctly, I can ride a motorcycle and
I know a little about safety and risk management. On the
motorcycling side, I have been riding street bikes since 1969
(and dirt bikes before that). I’ve had a succession of bikes
over the years, first Asian bikes and more recently European
machines, and I am still questing for the perfect bike, should
there be such a beast. My own training on how to ride was
via the school of hard knocks, and while that’s the harshest
way to learn, my many lessons gained through bruises and
busted gear are imprinted permanently in my temporal lobes.
Deep down I knew there must be a better way to learn how
to ride, so maybe that was why I signed on to become a
Motorcycle Safety Foundation instructor back in 1996 and
then a Total Control Instructor ten years later. While I haven’t
maintained a record of students I’ve trained, it must be
several thousand. [There are a couple alumni in the club, but
they’re honor-bound to secrecy due to the code of omerta ;-) ]
If you’ve read my President’s Columns the past couple
years, then most of the previous paragraph is not new.
Unlike riding, I generally don’t talk much about my career,
but my profession does figure into the safety gig, so here it
is. I have two graduate degrees in preventive medicine and
environmental health sciences and parlayed that training
into 30 years as a safety and environmental health manager
and researcher; about equal halves in academia and Federal
government. While some of my qualifications won’t translate too well into motorcycle safety (radiation protection,
biosafety, infection control), some of my proficiencies, to
include hearing conservation, ergonomics, risk management, traffic safety, industrial hygiene, and human factors
Matthew J. Eichner
Government Affairs Chair
[email protected]
6
By SCOTT KEIMIG
engineering, all play roles in motosafety. I plan to devote at least
one monthly column to each of these six topics in relation to
motosafety. These topics will entail both my beliefs (which may
or may not be true for your riding) and the expressed opinions of
experts in the field of motosafety. In my mind there are no absolutes in motorcycle riding other than it can be a dangerous activity;
even if you believe your riding is 100% blameless you can be hurt
and hurt others, you can experience significant property damage,
and you and a passenger can be fatally injured. This is my mantra,
learned through the school of hard knocks, and I believe should be
imprinted in your temporal lobes hopefully via training, study, and
practice rather than hard knocks.
Some club members have asked whether the club will coordinate
for advanced skills training for members. This appears feasible
especially for Total Control, MSF-ERC Suite and ProRider classes.
These classes each have their own “flavor” of skills development
ranging from high performance techniques useful for track days
and safer street riding when confronted with challenging roads
and conditions. Some classes emphasize slow-speed techniques
to improve very tight turnarounds in limited spaces, while other
classes provide defensive skills necessary for sharing the road with
other vehicles whose drivers may assign their Facebook textings
as greater priority than your safety. There is also the possibility of
off-road skills training. We need to hear from you on your interests
in these offerings.
Scott Keimig
Safety Chair
Holiday Party Wrap-Up
If for some unfortunate reason you didn’t attend the
holiday party, you missed a great social occasion with
fellow club members, awards were given, presentations, and fantastic food was served!
Our own Alain Roussel’s La Ferme in Chevy Chase
welcomed us back for our annual Holiday Party /
Brunch on Sunday the 17th. Nearly 80 club members
attended, greeted by Alain and staff while pictures
of Alain’s cross India trip projected on the wall
above. Each year the members trickle in during the
social hour. During the first hour old friends catch
up and banter about the weather (it was snowing this
year.) As the hour comes to a close, everyone settles
into their seats and we fill the dining room.
We kicked off by welcoming the club and Alain
said a few words about the lunch and about his India
trip. “..the food was terrible…”, Alain said of his
India trip. Ironic words from the mouth of a purveyor
some of the finest french cuisine in the DC metro
area. The host walked the club through the photos
and explained the challenges of cycling in India.
Following, his staff began taking brunch food orders.
I stood up during the desert course to announce
the 2016 board of directors and committee
chairs. They are as follows:
Kurtis Minder, President
Andy Dooley, Vice President
Shannon Krammes, Secretary
Mike Potter, Treasurer
Karen Ager, Membership
Media, VACANT (Volunteer!)
Kris Getz, Webmaster
Sales, Greg Krammes
Events, VACANT (Volunteer!)
Editor, VACANT (Volunteer!)
Rides, Bruce Dimon
Tech, Wes Fleming (Chiba!)
Government, Matthew Eichner
Safety, Scott Keimig
Club member Matt Brewer took the microphone to
talk us through the logistics of an international motorcycle rental and tour. His presentation included
fantastic photo’s of his and his wife Cate’s trip to
New Zealand. “…we just couldn’t stop at every
beautiful vista and take a picture, or we wouldn’t
get anywhere…”, Brewer reported. The presentation
inspired a series of questions and comments about
the trip and the bike rental process. Considering the
snow falling outside the restaurant, everyone was
itching to get on their bike and ride the fjords of the
New Zealand countryside. We celebrated our member of the year, Jose
Abiles, who has contributed much to the club in the
last couple years. Jose stood up to receive his plaque
and I waxed poetic about his early mornings running
8
coffee at the Square Route Rally, his contributions to the club’s
organized rides, and his general good nature. Congratulations Jose,
we are glad to have you as a member of the club and team!
A new hall of fame member was announced, as well. Ed Phelps,
who was not in attendance, was awarded Hall of Fame status for his
decades of contributions to the club, including years managing the
rides contests, curating the club Oktoberfest, and general support of
the organization. Ed, who follows Paul Mihaulka on the Hall of Fame
plaque, was an easy selection for the BOD. Congratulations, Ed.
The 2015 mileage contest winners highlighted the club’s commitment to riding. Greg Krammes took the mike to award the following
club members their mileage award certificates:
First Place Male at 32,704 miles - Christopher Russell-Wood
First Place Female at 24,925 miles - Lisa Hecker
Second Place Male at 18,854 miles - Jim Patton
Second Place Female at 9,434 miles - Elsie Smith
Third Place Male at 12.131 miles - Paul Wilson
Third Place Female at 5,289 miles - Faye Russell
First Place Sidecar at 1,420 miles - Wes Fleming (Chiba!)
Congratulations, riders! I know we have folks who are riding
significant mileage, please jump in the race and compete for
next years awards!
Of course, the best part of the event is saved for last. We
handed out fantastic door prizes contributed by our local
dealers and club members. Contributions from Battley’s, Bob’s
BMW, Morton’s BMW, Motorcycles of Dulles, Karen Ager, and
Jerry Skene were presented to the lucky ticket holders. Prizes
included a BMW commemorative gift box, the BMW Mottorad
Beer Stein (one even with beer!) and the newest Skene Design
LED tail lights! We are lucky to have such a strong support network
with independent motorcycle business and four dealerships int he
area. The club would like to offer a hearty thanks to each of the
sponsors, we couldn’t do this without you.
That concludes the wrap up! A special thank you to Alain Roussel
and the staff at La Ferme for their talent and service during the
party. I think I speak for the entire club and each of the attendees
when I say they are a class act.
You may have noticed the word “VACANT” next to a few of the
BOD chair positions. At the moment I am fulfilling each of those
positions while also manning the President role. While, I enjoy
contributing, I am not able to do these positions justice. Please, if
you can spare a an hour a week, volunteer to help. Volunteering for
the club has not only brought me closer to some of the best people in
motorcycling, but it has been fulfilling in so many ways. I appreciate
the consideration.
By KURTIS MINDER
Opposite, bottom: El Presidente Kurtissimo preaches
from the Book of Life, AKA
the R 1200 GS Owner’s
Manual. Sales Chair Greg
Krammes prepares to read
from a list of Friends of the
Club or possibly read a door
prize winning number.
This page: Kurtis
addresses the gathered
masses and two shots of the
massive yet inviting main
dining room at La Ferme.
Photos by
Andy Dooley
BMW Bikers of Metropolitan Washington // Karen Ager, Membership Chair // PO Box 44735 // Fort Washington, MD 20749-4735
join bmwbmw from our website: www.bmwbmw.org/mbrship
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MOTORCYCLE LAW GROUP
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If you’ve been injured through no fault of your own, call the Motorcycle Law Group.
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