A newsletter for members of
The BMW Motorcycle Owner’s Club of Minnesota March 2002
BMWM0CM

In Molly’s 2nd Strange Edition:
Club Member Articles
New Meeting Locations
Meet to Eats
President’s Remarks
Activities Calendar
Advertisements

Guilty as Charged!
by Bob Cox

So you've decided this spring to replace your battery because it's 2 or 3 years old. Whether your battery will lead a long and happy life in your motorcycle or die an early death depends a great deal on what happens in the first 48 hours of ownership. You can increase the life and efficiency of your battery by 30% if you follow a few simple rules.
Dealers and after market shops store the batteries dry. At the time of purchase, the clerk will fill your battery with a sulfuric acid solution before s/he brings it to you at the counter. Instruct them that you do not want it filled to the top level line but halfway between the high and low level. The reason for this is to allow room for expansion that takes place while charging the battery. When you have the battery at home, in a well vented area, put on a low amperage battery charger 1.5 to 2 amps, sometimes referred to as a trickle charger, for 12 hours. When hooking up the charger to your battery, place the red or positive lead on the positive connection to the battery and the black or minus lead, to the minus post on the battery and THEN plug the battery charger into the wall socket. This is a safeguard to eliminate any sparks around the battery. Disconnect by unplugging the charger from the wall and then removing the cables. Let the battery then cool for several hours and then add distilled water up to the high level line marked on the side of the battery. NEVER add sulfuric acid to a charged battery. Make sure all your cables and battery are free of grease and dirt as they can create a conductive path between the battery posts, affecting a short and speeding up the discharge rate.
When your battery is not in use, it is self discharging. With the newer motorcycles that have a clock, this happens at a faster rate. The best way to keep your battery charged is to ride your motorcycle. If most of your riding is small commuter trips, I would keep a trickle charger plugged in when the motorcycle is not in use. It is difficult to keep it plugged in while you are riding the motorcycle.


Didn’t Know BMW made Cars...
Much like the method in which I ended up riding BMW motorcycles, I recently acquired my first BMW automobile - pure chance. I never really *liked* bimmers (as, apparently, the European auto industry refers to cars- versus the "beemer" title used for the motorcycles - whatever), as I most often saw the latest models, and far too many 3-series for my taste. However, when the latest "M series" came out, my significant other started doing all sorts of research on them. It’s his latest on his list of "wants", and I challenged him on the "whys" of his choice. Well, this became a conversation of months in length, as he had so many varied and valid responses, that he succeeded in turning my head his way. I started to look at Bimmers in a whole new way. But still, that was the new M-series -- way out of my price range. However, I started to learn about this BMW sedan - identified the body style that I liked - the 5- series had a run from roughly 1989 - 95 or 96. That’s a serious commitment to a body style! As Mark says, the Americans have it all wrong; changing body styles yearly. How does one perfect it when it is changing completely on an annual basis? In any case, I fell in lust with the 5-series, and it just so happened that a buddy of Mark’s was selling his. He had acquired an ‘89 525i for a song, replaced the engine, did some minor body work then had a buddy of his do a $4,000 paint job. Put some high profile wheels on it, a stereo system so advanced I need a book to learn how to work it, tinted the windows, heated leather seats, a sunroof & everything power, and well -- I was smitten. Problem is, he wanted too much for it due to everything he had sunk into it. This was 9 months ago. Mark refused to let me pay over blue book for it (but Mark is in sales for his profession and has patience like you wouldn’t believe). We talked him down to 2.5k less than he originally was asking. Four months later he said he’d reluctantly take another 1/2 k less. Then a few months ago (around Christmas, when I hoped pockets would be be needy) I offered my final price: a full 3k less than his original asking price. At this point Mark was saying "not a penny more than blue book". Problem is, this was never going to happen & I knew it. I called him on the sly, offered my final, not a penny more, & we settled. YES! I am now the proud owner of a car even older than my Mazda! No, in all seriousness, it is really a beauty. What is it with me & older mechanical stuff? Why can’t I fall for the new ones, *why*?? Ah well, cherish the old, eh?

Fully Beemerfied,
Molly Gilbert
Editor at large
-------------------------------------
Motorcycling in Romania


Between 1995 and 2001, I was living and working in Romania. I decided to bring my BMW (a 1985 K-100) along with me, figuring it would be interesting to ride in "Europe". While Romania can be considered as part of Europe, riding here is nothing like what one would expect in the western, developed European countries.
Background on Romania:
Romania does make an interesting country for motorcycle touring, despite the numerous problems encountered on the road. The central and northern parts are very mountainous, and the scenery is quite spectacular. The Carpathian Mountains have a number of twisty roads running over them, and these make for interesting rides. Romania has castles, an intact medieval walled city (Sighisoara), painted monasteries, the Danube delta, and many other interesting tourist sites. There is also a developing bed and breakfast industry (or Agro-Tourism as it is called here), offering the possibility of lodging with rural Romanian families, rather than in hotels. The language is Romanian, a Latin language closely related to Italian. English is a popular second language, and most young Romanians seem to understand at some English.
There are roadside restaurants and road stops in Romania, and you can generally get traditional Romanian fare - such as mititei (spicy pork sausages), ciorba de bourta (tripe soup) and friptura (fried meat). In some places western style hamburgers and other fast food is also available. Most of these restaurants are old style places, which are pretty rough when viewed with western eyes. Slowly but surely though they are being replaced with new Romanian and imported western fast food establishments. All sorts of drinks are usually available, as well as an assortment of pre-packaged foods (one of the most popular is chocolate filled croissants). All the major cities and towns have a selection of hotels, but most are still state owned and pretty dreary. There are some new, small private hotels being opened, and this provides a welcome alternative to the old state hotels. The hotels here (at least outside of Bucharest and a few large cities) do not have air conditioning, and many don't have TVs or phones in the rooms.
Driving in Romania:
The road network in Romania is extensive, but the quality of the roads is quite variable. Most of the main roads suffered from serious neglect during the last 10 to 15 years of Socialist rule, and as a result many are still in tough shape. Since the mid-90s, the new governments have been improving the road situation, and some of the major national roads are now being rebuilt to western European standards (for two lane roads, that is!). Most roads remain two lane only, with very little in the way of shoulders, markings, and safety features (guard rails, etc.). The road signs in Romania are quite good, and finding one's way around the country generally does not pose a problem. Romanian uses an alphabet similar to English, so the signs are easily readable. The main confusion comes when passing through towns and cities. There are few bypass roads, so the main routes generally go right through the center of every town along the way. At times it takes a lot of attention to keep track of the road signs to insure you are on the right road, and you come out the other side on the route intended.
Besides being in poor shape at times (rough pavement, unmarked hazards, etc.) the roads also have a number of other factors that add to the driving excitement. In the rural areas, and particularly from spring to fall, there are lots of horse carts, tractors, and other farm implements that obstruct traffic. Since there are only two lanes, at times it will be necessary to abruptly slow from 80 to 100 kph, to a virtual standstill because the cart is in your lane, and there is a vehicle coming the other way. This is especially exciting when you come around a blind curve and suddenly find a horse cart in your lane with a large truck coming the other way. Trucks in Romania are another hazard that deserve special mention, since they usually travel at slow speeds and give off enormous amounts of thick black exhaust smoke. For some reason engineers in Romania chose to place the exhaust pipes at about waist level, pointing out to the left. To pass a truck, you'll generally have to run right through the exhaust flow.
The traffic flow in Romania is pretty good, but Romanians are aggressive drivers and they like to maintain a pretty high speed, given the road conditions. On normal two lane roads the traffic speed is usually between 80 and 120 kph (50 to 70 mph). A large percentage of the cars on the road are Romanian made Dacias, which are copies of the 1950's era Renault 12. The same basic Dacia model is still made today, with only minor changes from the original. These basic cars have a 1,300 cc engine, with a carburetor and mechanical ignition system. Passing in Romania is a problem if you have to follow a Dacia or two around a slow moving vehicle. The Dacias take a long time to get around, and Romanian drivers tend to take their time pulling back into their lane.
Police in Romania occasionally set up speed traps, but they are pretty straightforward about fines. If you are lucky, oncoming traffic will signal the speed trap for you by flashing their headlights. I have been stopped a number of times, and never had a Romanian police officer ask for a bribe instead of paying the ticket (which is surprising). The fines for the usual traffic violations are pretty reasonable, with speeding fines being the equivalent of $5.00 to $10.00 for speeds of 10 to 40 km/hr above the limit. The most serious traffic offense is not stopping for people in cross walks, and the penalty for this offense is losing your license.
Roads for motorcycles in Romania: The best scenery, and the most interesting roads for motorcyclists, is within a two to four hour ride of Bucharest, located near the central Transylvanian city of Brasov. These are roads that traverse the Carpathian Mountains, mainly in a north to south direction. The most heavily traveled route is the road between Ploiesti and Brasov (European route E80) which runs up the Prahova valley. The scenery is quite nice on this road, and there are a number of tourist attractions on the route (such as Peles Castle, in Sinaia), but the road and traffic conditions can be quite
bad. This is one of the roads that are being rebuilt, but even when the work is finished the road will still be a bottleneck to this main artery between Bucharest and Brasov, where there is a lot of commercial traffic. This really slows things down, when the truck traffic is heavy. The trucks spew out tremendous clouds of diesel smoke when they are climbing the hill, and it makes passing a challenge. The castle at Sinaia is definitely a place to see, so any ride through Romania should probably cover this road in at least one direction.
The route from Targoviste to Campulung and on to Brasov is one of my favorites, as it passes through some of the nicest scenery in Romania. The road condition is not the greatest, but it is more than passable for motorcycle use. From Targoviste, I take route 72A to Campulung, and then head north on route E574 (or national route 73) to Brasov. The last 20 Km or so coming into Campulung is very scenic, and the stretch between Campulung and Brasov is almost all up and down twisty road. The views are great, the towns and villages are typical picturesque rural Romania, and there is not that much traffic. Before you get to Brasov, I recommend stopping in Bran, which is the site of what the Romanian’s consider as Dracula's Castle. It would take an hour or so to tour the castle, and it is worth it. It certainly looks the part.
The next road over to the west is the most spectacular route in all of Romania, the Trans Fagaras highway (National Route 7C). This is a road that is only open during the months of July and August, as that is virtually the only time there is no snow where it goes over the top. At its peak the road reaches over 2,000 meters above sea level (6,200 feet) and at that point the road is pretty much above the tree line. The road condition varies from year to year (depending on how bad the winter was), and when I first rode it in July of 1996 the condition was not too good (lots of wash outs and rock slides). The second time I rode it (September 1998) the condition was much improved. I had no trouble making it up and over with my motorcycle.
There are certainly many other scenic roads in Romania that would be worthwhile riding on a motorcycle. One only needs to take a look at the Marco Polo map (my favorite for Romania) and see how many of the roads on the map
have a green shadow (indicating they are scenic roads) on them.

<Editor’s note: Jim sent a couple of really great pictures I would have loved to include here, but I found out too late I had little patience nor tolerance for PDF’s. Now that we *know* this about our temperamental & tyrannical editorial staff, send jpegs or tiffs, please, & if we have the room, we’ll try to squeeze a pic in for your general amusement. Ta!>

March "Meet to Eat"
We will meet on Wednesday, March 20, at 7:00 pm at Billabong Aussie Grill and Pub for an Australian experience. The restaurant is located at 5001 W. 80th Street (Southeast corner of Hwy. 494 and Normandale Blvd.), Minneapolis, MN. Call 952/844-0655 for information. Billabong's offers you the experience of an authentic Australian grill and pub. Only Australian specialty beers and wines are available. Let Darrell know by March 18 if you plan to attend. Darrell can be reached at penning@rytway.com or 952/445-7343 evenings. Reservations are required. Wimpy miles will be our category for the March door prize.

President’s Remarks
As members we have each experienced defining moments in our motorcycling careers. These moments could have happened over a period of time or were just a second that will never be misplaced in our file of life's motorcycling events. Some involved others while some were times we were all alone. As I look back on 30 years of riding 13 defining moments appear. Think about your defining moments. Take the time to ask to others about theirs and share yours with them.
13) Taking two 15 day trips with Elizabeth, Jeff, and Nancee to the Canadian Rockies and Canadian Atlantic Provinces.
12) Riding 1293 miles in 20 ∏ hours from South Dakota to California with temperatures ranging between 32 in the Wyoming mountains and 117; in the California desert.
11) Winning 1st place in the AMA District 23 Road Riding events.
10) Riding 50,000 miles over a 5 year period with club members and friends Lloyd and Evie Svitak.
9) Traveling 32,000 miles in Morocco during the 5 years I had the opportunity to serve in the Peace Corps and teach school for the State Department.
8) Spending two very special motorcycling weekends with Elizabeth to Northern Minnesota to celebrate our birthdays and a meandering ride along the Mississippi River on our 1st long ride together.
7) Taking that 1st ride on each of the 13 different BMW motorcycles that called my garage home.
6) Taking the 1st ride on my 1st new motorcycle purchase, a used R51/3 with 160,000 kilometers, wearing an army fatigue jacket and a football helmet with the face guard still in place.
5) Sharing my only ride as a passenger at the age of 13 with my Uncle Marvin on his Harley heading down a gravel road.
4) Spending 2 summers in Europe and North Africa riding in 14 different countries including 3 days behind the Iron Curtain where a German motorcycle with a Moroccan license plate ridden by a long haired American Hippie drew quite an audience.
3) Riding the past 18 years with the GG Riders on 15 different week or longer trips across most of the United States.
2) Riding on 5 different trips with Malcolm Forbes in Morocco, France, Colorado, and New Mexico.
1) Spending the last 15 years riding with Elizabeth (and recently Zach coming to rally's) and being so thankful for someone who understands when the road announces it is time for me to head out without her for a day or a couple of weeks to spend time with the GG Riders, Club Members, riding friends or just alone. Thanks Elizabeth.
Share a moment with a fellow rider.
Darrell

Hi All

Darrell asked me to put a message on the K1200LT message board promoting the Hiawatha Rally. I did that this morning. I received a message from one of our former members and attendees a few minutes ago. Tim asked me to say hi to everyone, but I thought it would just be easier to post his message on our message boards. I included his e-mail address, so if you would like to, why not send him an e-mail and encourage him to come to the rally.
Jack Foster
Here it is:
Hi Jack. It was good to see your note on the Hiawatha Rally. I was a very active club member in Minnesota (Board Of Directors, etc.) and was the MC for the first Hiawatha Rally years ago. My wife Sharon and our daughter Cris were at all of the Minnesota Club events for a number of years and helped plan many of them. We've been riding BMWs since 1968 (R60/2 with Steib sidecar), 1974 R90/Hitchhiker Special, 1980 R100RT, 1988 K100LT and our 2001, K1200LTI. We moved away from the Minnesota area in 1979 and have only gotten back for one Hiawatha Rally and a few sidecar events over in Menomonee, WI when they used to have those annual gatherings. We now live in Northern, VA and still ride all over the country (Have been riding with a license for the past 42 years and several years before that). I just got back Sunday from a run down to San Antonio the previous weekend (1,727 miles one-way) and ride the bike to work 34 miles every day here in the District. During the past year I've been able to ride to work every day except 5 times when there was ice or too much salt on the roads.
I'd appreciate it if you'd say hello to any old timers in the club who might remember Tim, Sharon & Cris Halpin. We lived in Apple Valley on Cooper Ln. and are originally from the Rush City - Harris - North Branch area. We normally hear from Doug Hasert and his wife at Christmas and I guess they are still active. Just let everybody know that we are all in good shape and still riding hard. I've put 17,000 + miles on the new bike since mid August. (By the way, I'm still on my original set of tires and they are still in great shape - Metzler's)
Thanks (would love to hear from anybody in the Minnesota club).
Tim Halpin thalpin1@hotmail.com

Activities Calendar
Listed below are the activities on the calendar so far.
To be sure, we'll add rides, etc. as we continue to meet monthly.
March: ,March 6 - Board meeting,
March 14 - Club meeting
March 20 - Meet to Eat - TBD
April: April 11 - Club Meeting
April 27 - May 4 - Spring Qualifier 2002
May/June: May 9 - Club Meeting at Leo's South in Lakeville, May 31 - June 2 - Hiawatha Rally
May ??? - Spam Burger Run

More New, Cool, Funky, Exciting and Different Meeting Locations! Ha, HA! Just *try* to keep up with us!
Please note we have new meeting locations for our March and April Board of Directors and Club Meetings. Unfortunately our February location is being taken over by a dart league. Yes, a dart league...

Board of Directors Meeting - 7:00 pm,
Hopkins Best Steakhouse
809 Main Street
Hopkins, MN 55343
Directions: Exit from Hwy. 169 to Excelsior Blvd. (Excelsior Blvd. is located between Hwy. 62 and Hwy. 7). Go West to 8th and turn right. Cross Main Street to the parking lot on the left. The meeting will be in the Party Room. Dinner is available and everyone attending is encouraged to eat. The Steak House has an excellent menu of sandwiches, salads, burgers and full meals. Prices range from $5.00 to $10.00.

Club Meeting - 7:30 pm d
The Depot Coffee House
9451 Excelsior Blvd.
Hopkins, MN 55343

Directions: Exit Hwy. 169 to Excelsior Blvd. The Coffee House is located on the Southeast corner of the intersection. The Coffee House is the old railroad depot in Hopkins. We have the full place to ourselves with seating available for 60. Homemade soup and sandwiches are available as well as specialty coffee drinks. Everyone is encouraged
to eat and enjoy the specialty coffee drinks as this supports the Coffee House. There is no smoking allowed on the grounds which includes the parking lot immediately behind the building. Entrance from the back of the building. Parking is available on Main Street but it is sometimes difficult to find a spot.

26th Annual HIAWATHA RALLY
May 31st -June 2nd, 2002
Come experience one of the Midwest ’s
finest rallies! Spend three days riding great roads and two nights camping on grassy, shaded sites in spectacular Bluff Country near the mighty Mississippi River. Saturday night steak supper, door prizes, 24 hr coffee, tea, cocoa & lemonade. Demo Rides provided courtesy of Leo's South, Rally pin to first 350. $25 pre-registration (by 5/20), $29 at the gate. Children under 5 are free, ages 5-15 pre-reg $12, at the gate $14. Sorry, no Day Passes. Send pre-registration to:
Nate Birkholz, 3527 Pillsbury Ave. South, Apt 303, Minneapolis, MN 55408. Please make checks payable to "BMWMOCM". Further info: 612-825-0612 or birkholz@visi.com or http://www.bmwmocm.com

Midwest Cycle Supply
For all your needed accessories.
4300 Nicollet Ave., Mpls.
612-825-9774
DICK’S PORTING
Flow porting, valve grinding, polishing, boring.
Richard P. Snyder
16445 Valley Dr. NW
Anoka, MN 55304
763-427-7195
Hitching Post Motorsports
BMW/Honda/Yamaha/Suzuki/Kawasaki
350 17th Ave N.
Hopkins, MN
612/933-9649
Leo’s South "We Sell Fun!"
BMW/Suzuki/Kawasaki
Cty 46 & I-35W in Lakeville
952-435-5371 or www.leossouth.com.
JUDSON CYCLE SALES
BMW/Moto Guzzi
Peacefully located west of Mankato on Hwy. 68
Your Hosts Ron and Carolyn
Phone/Fax 507-947-3852
For yet another month, Steffan Fay is willing to be
our Webmeister. Contact Steffan at sfay@odbs.com, and please visit our club web site at
www.bmwmocm.com to get the latest info on club events.
The voice line number is 612-534-7433. Call the voice line to get up-to-date info about club events.

Deadline for newsletter ads and submissions is the 15th of the month. Really, it is. Contact Molly at m.gilbert@ssm.pvt.k12.mn.us or phone 612.721.0045.
Kevin Kocer is our new Phone line guy. You can reach him @ 763-566-0243. Please let Kevin know about upcoming events that need to be put on the BMWMOCM phone line.
BMWMOCM February Board Minutes
The BMWMOCM Board members met at the American Legion in Bloomington, Minnesota on Feb. 6 at 7:00 p.m. Board officers present were: President Darrell Penning, Vice President Don Kramer, Treasurer Jeff Oden, Secretary Kathy Rosen, Past President/Newsletter Editor Molly Gilbert and Board Members Michael Donohue, Shane Donohue,

Leather Jacket, Black, Size 42, Insulated, Nylon Lining, $ 80
Gel Seat Pad, $ 30
Helen Two Wheels Drying Bag. Brand New, $ 20
Aerostich Ultrasuede triangle, new, blue, $ 20
Aerostich Evapdana, new, $ 5
Radar Detector ear piece, $3
System 2 helmet screw, $3
Cable with lock, $ 3
Battery cover shock cord, $1

Darrell Penning
: penning@rytway.com
952/445-7343 evenings/weekends
952/469-9554 days
----------------
Teamstrange rally entry for sale!
I have a spot for sale in the Teamstrange ButtLite III endurance rally. Info at http://www.teamstrange.com/buttlite.htm(http://www.teamstrange.com/buttlite.htm).
I will not be able to take part in the event and have been told by the rally masters that I can sell my entry to anyone as long as they are not on Teamstrange's naughty list. My asking price is $225 for the $250 deposit I put down.
The rally masters have also informed me that the event is nearly sold out, so let me know soon if
you are interested; I might get greedy and put the price up to $250 if it does sell out. Please pass this on to anyone you think might be interested.
Cheers,
Steffan Fay
sfay@odbs.com
steffanfay@homeservices.com

Want ads and commercial ad policies:
1. All ads should be sent to Molly Gilbert, BMWMOCM Newsletter Editor, 4133 20th Avenue South, Mpls.., MN 55407 or e-mail to @ssm.pvt.k12.mn.us (and please, get the e-mail address right -- it’s a work thing...)
2. Any member may place a commercial or personal ad of approximately business card size.
3. Commercial ads will be run each month without renewal (space permitting). Individual ads will be run for 2 issues and then will be deleted if not renewed.
4. If items are sold from your ad, we would appreciate notification. Deadline is the 21st of the month – after that, no guarantees.