Volume 25, Issue 4

Editor=s Notes

What kind of fool would take an untested, well used GS on a test ride to the Black Hills, in predictably dodgy April weather? Me, of course. I really should have known better, but the opportunity arose, and Steffan was willing to go (silly chap).

So we left at noon on Friday the 20^th, and had decent weather all the way to the Badlands, except for the wind, of course. Have you ever ridden to the Black Hills without it? Usually, you're leaned way over sideways. This time we faced it, with the pregnant cow GS getting about 27 mpg/85 mph. Yikes! Rain was predicted, but we were ready, my Falstaff and Combat Touring boots just re-waxed. I was not prepared for my Boxer to stop running, however. 17 miles east of Wall, it ceased. The lights worked, it turned over...a moisture problem, perhaps? We pulled the tank, looked and wondered, as dark descended. Within five minutes, a rare State Trooper pulled up and offered to call a tow truck. I agreed, and he allowed us to sit in his car (a rare occasion to welcome such a thing) until it arrived. A young man, he was a former Suzuki Cavalcade owner, eager to share stories and be helpful to appreciative fellow riders.

$103 later, we put the GS under the canopy of the Wall Best Western, got a room and some beer and waited for morning. After breakfast, I gave it one more try. It fired! It started!! Then the worry, that we would get 25 miles down the road and it would die again. I bought some WD-40, sprayed everything electrical and tried to stay in the driest track on the road. By the time we reached Chamberlain, I was feeling confident we'd make it.

After Sioux Falls, we took MN 23 northeast through Pipestone and passed the windmill farms along the Buffalo Ridge. That was it for the excitement, as the brown-gray prairie was still dead, and the "English weather" (40's, wind and rain) was not terribly enjoyable. Still, viewed from the dry warmth of my garage, the trip seemed worth the "misery", for the comradery with Steffan, for the chance to get west of the Missouri, for simply surviving it. (The next day, Rapid City received 20 inches of snow.)

Maybe next year.

Check out the club web site at www.bmwmocm.com.

May, 2001

President=s Column

A couple of things have happened over the past few weeks that have affected me deeply. Firstly, a new club member went down on his K100 on Hwy 610 N. Sounds as if he=s lucky to be alive. He said some nice things about his protective gear saving various limbs & such, and put in a good plug for always wearing that helmet. He may have even inspired me to start shopping for some more protective riding gear. I said may, Karol... Secondly, I had my >79 R-65 custom painted! It is so amazingly cool (to me), although I=m not sure how the purists in the club will feel. I even had the BMW roundels 3-D painted into 8 balls! Its a total hoot - & looks absolutely brand new with all the dents & ticks & scratches removed. So purty, I almost don=t want to ride it! I said Aalmost@... Thirdly, I took deliverance of my actual BMW sidecar from Germany. Rare by even German standards, BMW stopped production of their own sidecars by the mid to late >50=s, so I was lucky to even find it. Then talk about shipping restrictions, what with lumber having to be American & what notCthen shipping it over the big drinkCwell, it took a lot longer than me & my German counterparts thought it might. But it got here just in time for spring riding season! So, once I get the right ball to fit the sidecar onto the /2, I=ll be set to go. I figure the purists will like this one, & it will forgive my funkadelic paint job on the R-65. Fourthly, my garden is beginning to spring forth. And so the dilemma begins. Ride or garden? Garden or ride? Argh! Such decisions! I mean, I bought the sidecar so I wouldn=t have to feel guilty about leaving the dogs behind (nothing a couple of goggles can=t handle), but now the garden beckons. And then there=s that little project I=m embarking on of making my attic into a master bedroom. So; there I was on a beautiful Friday nightCit was about 60 degrees & sunny, & I=m trying to garden and simultaneously take down some storm windows (don=t ask) - while waiting for a friend to come over & help (thank gawd), and I suddenly get this strange sort of pulsing sound coming from my garage: AGo for a ride! GO FOR A RIDE!@ and it=s the R-65 that=s the loudest, as since the new head job had been done by Dick=s Porting, it hadn=t been ridden. Suddenly, neighbors watched in horror as their Martha Stewart wannabe neighbor suddenly turned into Johnny Cash on a bike. Rakes fell; screens were dropped; doors were even left unlocked. In fact, before I even knew what I was doing, I had left projects in mid-stream and was gearing up! And oh, did she fly! Like she was always supposed to. Decisions? Choices? I=ve discovered that=s the best time to just jump on that brand new looking/feeling R-65 and ride. I=ll be sure to figure it all out then.

Oh, P.S.: Marty just turned 40 over there at that there Trackstar, dontchaknow. Be sure to give him some grief for looking too darned young for his own good if ya ever see him around town, there.

Secretary's Report

The April 12^th BMWMOCM meeting opened with a tune provided by Karol Patzor - "Motorcycle Mama" by Neil Young.

Welcome to all new and prospective members.

At the swap table, Bob Cox had a flier on a >96 K1100 RS, Darien pants size 38-31 2, his 4 bikes in the newsletter are sold, still has 2 Nolan helmets (size large) for $50 each.

Charlie Coons has Lester mag wheels for a >74-80 Airhead for sale. Darrell Penning - leather jacket, XL Triple Digit rain gloves, wind triangle for System 2, cable lock.

Misc - >75 stock windshield, Arai open XXL, stock seat for R100RT.

Treasurer=s Report: Operating fund $1,303.00; Rally fund $4,020.00.

Thank you was expressed to Steffen and Bart for work on the web page and the newsletter..

Other Club News - Anyone with March of Dimes Ride Info.?

Ride Calendar - Meet to Eat at DeLisi=s in Brooklyn Part at 6:30 on April 26 - info will be on the web site and the hotline. Bob Ekeberg has a ride to Moon Motors on April 28.

3 rooms available for Darrell Penning=s Spring Qualifier to Branson. May 2-6.

Board Meetings have been moved to the 1^st Tuesday of the month so they would not interfere with the Norton Owner=s Club meeting.

The rally of the BBC (British Bike Club) will be held at Eagle Cave State Park in Blue River, Wisconsin on July 20-22.

June 17, there is a Poker Run at Moon Motors - see Kevin Kocur for details.

Thank you to Jerry from Leo=s South for the wonderful hospitality during out April meeting. Thank you for the cookies, coffee and the free tires (congratulations Tom Roe).

Karol Patzer gave a speech to the group regarding group riding skills to gear us up for the season. We all learned as much as we laughed, and with the volunteers she had you know it was a lot.

Michelle Moe, Secretary

Check the voice line for the latest info on all club events, @ 612.534.7433. Sheldon Moe is our Activities Coordinator. Contact him at 763.323.4932 and let him know about any events that need to be publicized.

Club T Shirts are back!

At the last meeting I asked how many members would be interested in a club AT@ shirt . We had about 30 members raise their hand, so the board has given me the OK to run a limited number of shirts. These will be 100% cotton in two colors Alight sand@ with a brown logo and a light BMW blue with a lighter blue Minnesota BMW Club over the upper left side. I will have them at the May meeting for sale . They will run between $10 and $12 . If you wish to reserve a shirt or can not be at the May meeting , you can email me at bbcox@worldnet.att.net. The sizes will be med. large , X large and XX large. They are cotton and tend to shrink, though I am not going to buy the cheapest shirt the printer has . These will be pre-shrunk a little.

Bob Cox 651.489.6467

Darell's "Tip of the Month"

Situation:

Ever look through the $40.00 face shield and wonder why it is all scratched? Remember your last gas stop and you used the car windshield brush to clean and dry or you just wiped it off with your dry glove?

Suggestion:

Grab the oldest wash cloth at home, a plastic bag with locking closure feature (Ziploc), wet the cloth and place in the bag. Keep this handy in your jacket pocket or tank bag along with that oldest hand towel to dry the shield. You should rinse out from time to time as well as taking out of the bag and drying to keep it fresh.

2001 club mileage contest update

It's time to see how you stack up against your fellow members, push yourself to new season high, or just set a goal a little higher than last year and vow to take one more trip or just one more ride, even if its just to the hardware store.

How about starting off with the Spring Qualifier or maybe even a few of our Breakfast Rides? Ride to Redmond! Ride to work! Ride in the rain!

What=s your excuse going to be this year? No time off, bike needs tires, had to go to the in-laws? Take the bike!

Take a trip, it doesn=t matter if its 10 hours or 10 days get out there and meet new friends, go to new places.

Set a goal. It doesn=t matter if your goal is 500 miles or 50,000 miles, go for it. Don=t say I could never ride that far. Surprise yourself. Have some fun!

Better the sport, participate.

Tom Roe

Rally Report

Well, folks, we=re almost there! The Rally is just over a month away and we=ve got almost all our ducks in a row!

The only major thing left is the fact that we NEED a field events coordinator/leader/referree. This someone would plan and execute the field events on Saturday afternoon. Please call me if you are interested.

Otherwise, we=ve got very little left to do until the week of the rally. We could use a few more volunteers for running Coffee and Registration, and I=d appreciate someone to help me with the end of the Poker Run on Saturday afternoon.

Bob Cox has a Dual-Sport ride set up for Saturday, and I=ll be running the aforementioned Poker Run, but if you have a favorite ride in the area to share, please get it to me and I=ll try to get it in the rally guide we=ll be be handing out.

Bob Ekberg has been doing a great job as Door Prizes Coordinator, sending out dozens of letters to round up some goodies for rally attendees.

Finally, in this issue of the newsletter you=ll find a registration form. At the meeting last month, you may have gotten a flier without the form included, since I forgot that part (Freshman Rally Coordinator Blues). I would like to thank all the volunteers at the mileage registration table on April 14^th at Motor Oil who stuffed registration forms into the fliers and stapled them up!

Feel free to contact me with any questions, or especially to volunteer (did I mention we needed someone to run field events?).

Nate Birkholz

Hiawatha Rally Co-Chair, 2001

(612) 825-0612

birkholz@visi.com

Events Calendar

May 1^st : BMWMOCM board meeting at Motor Oil Café, 7:30 p.m.

May 10^th : club general meeting at Motor Oil Café, 7:30 p.m.

May 19^th : club ride to Judson Cycles, led by Sheldon and Michelle Moe (sandmmoe@webtv.net), time and meeting location TBA.

May 18-21: Great River Road Rally, the 27^th annual, sponsored by the Madison BMW club, south of Prairie du Chien, WI.

May 23^rd : Meet to Eat with our beloved President! 6:30 p.m., location TBA.

May 31^st : Meet to Eat with our not-quite-so-beloved Vice President, 6:30 p.m. at Acapulco Mexican Restaurant, 2880 NW Coon Rapids Blvd, Coon Rapids, hosted by Kevin Kocur (twofastdogs@aol.com).

June 1-3 : Hiawatha Rally, Money Creek Haven. See the web site, or contact Nate or Molly for more details/volunteering. June 5^th : board meeting at 7:30 p.m. at Motor Oil Café.

June 7-10 : Iowa Rally, Iowa City. Always a great time, more info at rallymap@hotmail.com.

June 14^th : general meeting, 7:30 p.m., at Motor Oil Café.

June 17^th : Poker Run, 11 a.m. at Moon Motors. More info available at alirora@aol.com.

June 23-24 : Minnesota 1000! A perennial favorite among club members, this year Team Strange is attempting to bring the Group Saddlesore 1000 record to this Minnesota event. For more info, www.teamstrange.com.

July 12^th : general meeting, 7:30 p.m. at Motor Oil Café.

July 14^th : club ride to the motorcycle hill climb in Red Wing. Thrills and spills will ensue (at the hill climb - not on the ride itself!), hosted by Sheldon Moe.

July 19-22 : BMWMOA National Rally in Redmond, OR.

Classifieds

For sale : Arai Quantum full face helmet, dust bag and service booklet. Size medium, white, used once. Galen Wolfe @612.821.6052.

For Sale : Arai open face helmet, $75. John Bleifuss @952.975.9746.

For Sale : 1998 Triumph Tiger. $5,800/BO. Bart @651.645.7796.

Steffan Fay is our web meister. Contact him at sfay@odbs.com.

Newsletter deadline (articles and classifieds) is the 21^st of the month. Really, it is. You know who you are - don't make me name names! Contact Bart @651.645.7796 or blbakker@isd.net.