August 2016 newsletter - BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California

AUGUST 2016
NORCAL NEWS
Ride to Camp
Camp to Ride
This month featuring:
Fighting Dehydration
Fred and Ed’s Das Rally ride
Preparing for the Range of Light
26th Annual Gypsy Tour
Friday Sept 2nd to Monday Sept 5th
For more information contact rolchair@bmwnorcal.org
BMW Motorcycle
Club
of Northern
BMW
Motorcycle
ClubCalifornia
of Northern California 1
AUGUST 2016
PRESIDENT*
Dan Rowe
BMW 100th Anniversary
(775) 287-3205
(president@bmwnorcal.org)
VICE-PRESIDENT*
(925) 698-6360
John Vashon
(vicepresident@bmwnorcal.
org)
SECRETARY*
(510) 459-0008
Fred Montano
(secretary@bmwnorcal.org
TREASURER*
Oliver "Ollie" Wright
treasurer@bmwnorcal.org
TOUR CAPTAIN
Dan Harman
(tourcaptain@bmwnorcal.org)
SAFETY/TECH DIRECTOR* (707) 704-8504
Chris Dailey
(safetytech@bmwnorcal.org)
HISTORIAN*
(925) 818-8546
Buddy Scauzzo
(historian@bmwnorcal.org)
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
John Ellis
newseditor@bmwnorcal.org
MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY
Russ Drake
ADVERTISING CHAIR
Buddy Scauzzo
SECOND SUNDAY BREAKFAST
Open Position
*Board Member
(925) 461-8462
The RA is hosting the BMW 100th Anniversary Celebration
in Monterey at Laguna Seca this year.
The RA has reached out to us asking for help with
volunteers for the event.
● Getting campers assigned to their spots
● Daytime Security
Contact George Nyktas
(bmwraprez@gmail.com) directly
to help with the event. The RA
needs our help and let's make it
happen for them.
Tickets are still available
Here's a snippet of what is on
tap at the event:
Join us this August in Monterey at Laguna Seca Raceway
to celebrate BMW’s 100th anniversary with motorcycles,
cars, racing and amazing rides just around the corner. You’ll
be an hour away from riding amazing roads in beautiful Big
Sur on scenic Highway 1. There will also be a BMW demo
fleet, BMW apparel display and Nate Kern will have
motorcycles on display.
● BMW Car & Demo Fleet
● Peter Nettesheim’s World Class Collection of Historic Bikes & Vehicles
● Fred Jakobs – BMW AG Chief Archivist
● N8 Kern & his BMW R nineT race bike & HP Display
● Custom & Racing bikes
● Adventure Riding Activities on the Land Rover Off
Road Track
● Tent Camping at the Grand Prix Campgrounds adjacent to the track
● RV Camping at the Chaparral Campgrounds adjacent to the track
● Various Vendors – the list is growing
Editors Corner
Big thanks you for all of this month’s contributors particularly
Fred Montano for his epic Hamburg NY trip, Chris Dailey
for his write up on dehydration, and Joyce Sampson for
preparing for ROL; Mini for most of the the camp out
pictures.
On arriving at the Junction Bar and Grill this week I was met
with an unusual site. Was this someone who decided to
change the oil
on the road ? no a rock on
the road flipped
up by the front
wheel smashed
a hole in the
sump.
AUGUST 2016
Presidents Report
I've had the same helmet for a couple
years now and it feels quite natural to
have it on. That was until the past week.
I went out on the motorcycle and quickly
discovered my helmet had developed a
funk. I went to the last club campout and
sweltered in the heat. All of the sweat
has to go somewhere, and over the time
I've owned my helmet it's been going into
the liner.
Thankfully, I was able to take out all of the liners and
padding for a good wash. Getting the liners out wasn't too
difficult, and I'll have to wait until things are dry before
getting it all back together. I'm certain I'll have an afternoon
project. At least my helmet will be fresh for the Range of
Light Gypsy tour coming up very shortly. My maintenance
is up to date, I have good tires, and now I'm ready for a
great weekend of riding thanks to Buddy and those that
are helping him.
Over the weekend, my brother-in-law invited me to a see
a band he mentors. I was game for some live music and
went out to Slim's in San Francisco. The opening bands
Vice President & Webmaster
Report
Thanks for electing me to serve as the
VP for the new year. Paid membership
currently stands at 128 with 4 new
members in 2017. We have 90
members from 2016 who’ve yet renew
their membership so I’ve got some
work to do! Speaking of work, what
are the VP’s duties and responsibilities
and plan for this year?
The VP is to act on behalf of or in place of the President,
recruit/manage the membership effort and support the
overall operation of the club. Membership growth is a key
goal for the BOD this year and we’ve set the target at 300
members. The plan is already “in motion” and it’s very
simple: attract more BMW riders through our websites and
email, get them involved through a mentorship effort and
work harder to retain all our members in 2018. If you’d
like to serve as a mentor to our new members, shoot me
an email vicepresident@bmwnorcal.org.
were all from the greater Bay Area, but the final band's
bassist Greg Christian came from a more the more well
known band Testament. Around 200 people were at the
venue during the first three bands, but by the time the
headliner went on stage, most of the crowd had left.
I left for the evening thinking about the bassist's experience
that night. Greg had played to large crowds at major
festivals and , and now he's in a new and pretty much
unknown band playing for 50 people. Was he let down by
small crowd, or did he feel as if he made the right decision
to join an unknown band?
Watching Greg perform, it seemed that he was in the
moment and was playing for the enjoyment of it. If he felt
anything other than joy for playing, I couldn't tell. We all
have notions about how things should turn. Several new
people are involved with the club this year. We have a
number of upcoming events that are organized by new
people. New people means new ideas, directions, and
letting go of expectations.
Dan Rowe
Classified Ads on the club website? Yes, for members,
go to the Home page, click on More, Classified Ads,
Create Classified Ads and step through the process. This
is not a perfect solution but it’s free so let’s see how it goes
and perhaps we will implement something a bit more full
featured in the future.
Membership pins, I’ll be emailing a list to all the members
for a quick review and “level set” as to number of years
served, pins awarded and pins due. This data will be
transferred into the website and used to complete the
membership directory. If you are due a pin this year (or
from a previous year) and plan to attend an upcoming
meeting, let me know so we can present you the pin at the
campout!
Again, thanks for the opportunity to serve as your VP and
I look forward to seeing many of you in Boonville for the
start of the Range of Light on 9/2!
John Vashon
BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California 3
July Member Meeting & Campout, Stonyford
BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California 4
AUGUST 2016
Featured New Member - Kevin Coleman
Kevin is not only a new club
member he is very new to
motorcycling having bought his
first motorcycle only two months
ago. He selected a BMW as his
first bike because of BMWs
reputations for reliability and
safety. This is clearly true since
he has only fallen off once. He
selected a F800GS as it was a
middle weight with a capability to do off road as well. It just
happens to be drop dead gorgeous in black on black. He has
already made modifications to the bike changing the screen and
adding additional USB to the dash.
Kevin’s ambition (isn’t this everyone’s) is to ride South America
when he retires in a few years. Right now he considers the club
rides part of the training. He has already been on a couple of
second Sunday rides and a couple of camp outs. He found the
club by an on line search, and rides and camp outs were his main
motivation for joining
Anniversary Pins Presented at Calaveras Big Trees
Ron Harkov 5 year pin
Jacobo Galina 5 year pin
SWAP MEET
Want to unload or trade some gear off before the ROL?
I've got a table booked for the Swap meet at the Moto
Guild on Treasure Island. Bring your stuff by with a
price tag.
Scuderia West, Catalyst Reaction, and Nexx helmets
will be there also.
Dan Rowe
Sunday, August 28, 2016
10:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Moto Guild
849 13th St. (Treasure Island), San Francisco, CA
Steve Lawson 5 year pin
AUGUST 2016
Safety Tech Report
I would like to thank the Club for appointing me to the
Safety Tech Position .This month I would like to discuss
dehydration. I learned a lot researching this topic I hope it
helps my fellow riders/club members
Chris Dailey
Tips to fight dehydration.
Symptoms of dehydration are as follows. Any of these can
cause crashes
●
●
●
●
●
●
Headaches
Disorientation
heat stroke muscle cramps
loss of concentration
Drowsiness
Nausea
Once you get any symptoms there is nothing that can be
done - you're already dehydrated.
Here's some things we can do in advance to avoid dehydration.
● Start sipping water as soon as you wake up the day of a ride right up to the point to when
you get on the bike.
● Don't drink too much alcohol the night before a ride (if possible?)
● Be sure to wear airflow motorcycle clothing
● Make sure the gear around your wrist aren't too tight there are a lot of blood vessels in
your wrist that are close to the surface of the skin they effectively help you cool down.
Leathers will protect you better in a crash but they don't offer much ventilation in most
cases.
Don't be fooled by your "level of coolness" you still need to drink water in small
amounts while you're riding and when you stop to rest / gas
When eating on a ride try to avoid a lot of sugar as sugar can promote dehydration.
When stopping to go you should monitor the color of your urine it should be a straw
color - if it's too dark you are dehydrated.
I do recommend the use of a Hydration pack "Camel Pack" etc 1 liter is big enough
and also a cooling vest. I think Cycle Gear has a cheap one 50 bucks mine is 10
years old and is still going strong.
It’s That Time Again!: Preparing for the Range of Light.
Alright riders! Another year has fled speedily by and we’re
about a month away from the NORCAL BMW Riders’
Club’s most well-known and popular ride, The 2016 Range
of Light Gypsy Tour. This year marks the 26th year the
club will have sponsored the ride, and once again, our
club’s members have stepped forward to constitute an
excellent design team. This year’s chairman, Buddy
Scauzzo, has enlisted the support of veteran ROL route
designer Richard Burton, and they’ve put together an
excellent ride. Of course, if I tell you any of the details,
I’d have to . . . well you know the rest of that line. But the
accompanying picture at least hints at some of the fun to
come.
Rider preparation
The story’s headline, “It’s That Time Again,” doesn’t just
refer to the approaching ROL. It’s also a reminder of two
major issues associated with this ride that it’s time to do:
prepare your bike, and prepare yourself. Since the ROL
covers lots of miles
and various kinds of
roads
and
road
surfaces (including GS
route options), riders
need to ensure their
bikes
are
longdistance tour ready.
This means ensuring
your maintenance is
up to date (including oil
changes,
etc).
Equally, if not more
importantly, don’t even
think about attempting
to take what could be
a 1,000 mile mystery
tour on a set of 800
mile tires. Or even 1100-mile tires. It’s simply not worth
the risks to cut corners (pun intended) where tires are
concerned. We all know that bikes have only two tires
and good tires are one of your best lines of insurance for
a safe and fun ride! And rest assured, veteran ROL-er’s
can tell you more than one story where someone’s ROL
adventure became a bust (either literally or figuratively)
because someone decided their tires had X more amount
of miles on them than they really did. Besides, there are
two other factors to consider. One, who wants to be
bothered sitting along side a road on Labor Day weekend
waiting for a tow truck to come and get you? Two, who
wants to be the butt of the tired old joke (pun intended):
Question: What’s the cheapest thing on a BMW? Answer:
the rider.
Short-term preparation is thinking about the conditions
of the impending ride, in this case the ROL. The ROL
can have lots of different road conditions, different types
of weather, and different types of altitudes and terrain, so
its important to
bring
adequate
clothing and gear
for those conditions.
And in the crazy
California weather
and
topography,
that often means
carrying
down
vests,
heated
jackets and gloves,
cooling vests, and
wicking clothing, all
on
one
ride,
regardless
of
whether it’s the
middle of summer
or not.
So, check your tires folks, and change them now in time
for the ride if you need to do so! There’s only a month
left to do your own service or schedule one with your
favorite, trusty local dealership or mechanic. Get on it, so
you can get on the ROL with confidence!
For me, rider preparation consists of long, short, and
immediately-preceding-the-ride things to do. Long-term
preparation consists of riding a lot, taking classes, reading
about motorcycle safety and operation, and practicing the
skills of motorcycle riding, such as quick braking,
separating braking from swerving, cornering, disaggregating complex risk situations, and risk mitigation
overall. If you’re a GS rider, it also means having skills
to ride off road. In short, I try to make it a regular habit to
do all the things one should be doing to keep one’s skills
and brains engaged in this sport. Since it is a sport, that
also means staying in good physical shape.
Immediate preparation is thinking about the day’s ride
while gearing up to get on my bike. I remind myself, “Don’t
forget to stay hydrated.” For that, one can either bring a
backpack with hydration pouch, pack up some bottle
water, or every time you stop where there’s a gas station
or store, buy water and drink it. Hydrations helps our
bodies, including the all important beaner, to perform well.
Be well rested—you’re more alert and your physical
responses quicker when you’ve slept well. If you’re like
me, and you get the two o’clock drudgies, pull off the road
and take a 15-minute nap, or just relax. That can do
wonders.
Ok, enough on that. Each of us has our own way to
prepare for the ride. The important thing is to ensure that
you’ve done everything you need to go on this three-day
riding adventure. It’s a lot of fun, and I hope you are all
looking forward to it! Keep the rubber side down!
Joyce Sampson
AUGUST 2016
Fred and Ed’s 2016 BMW International Rally
On July 4th I rode to Ed Perry's cabin to start our
journey to Hamburg NY to the BMW International Rally.
After a fun day in the hills of Sonora we packed up and
started our ride the next morning over the Sonora Pass.
We met Buddy Scurzzo at the Casino in Topaz. After
breakfast we parted and we were off headed to Ed's
mom's house in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho.
We had a great ride through Nevada Hwy 95, Oregon,
and up to Moscow Idaho. It started raining as we filled
up our tanks. We left Moscow and it began to pour. I
was OK but Ed's helmet leaked and his riding suit was
soaked with water. By the time we reached Couer
D'Alene Ed was cold and had a touch of hypothermia.
After taking a shower and drinking hot chocolate, we
were both feeling better. We spent a nice two days with
Jerry (Ed's mom).
Now it was time to travel to the International Rally. We
decided to head east on Hwy 2 instead of going to
Then we went to the summit where we stopped for a
moment. What a great view of the mountains and
valley below.
Banff and Calgary because it was forecasted to rain up
north. The next morning it was raining. We put on our
rain gear and left to ride to Glacier Nat'l Park.
About an hour on Hwy 2 the rain subsided and we had
a nice cool beautiful ride on a curvy, hilly road with
trees and lakes. We arrived at Glacier Nat't and rode up
the "Road to the Sun".
It was beautiful as we headed of the windy road with
rock walls on one side and a deep drop off on the other.
There were water falls all over the hills and rock walls.
We headed east down the mountain and toward a little
town named Browning. It was located on a Blackfoot
BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California 8
AUGUST 2016
Indian Reservation. We spotted a campground and set up our tents. There was a Rodeo and Pow Wow going
on.
AUGUST 2016
We left Browning and headed to Shelby Montana where we
met some characters at the Graddle Restaurant.
Ed being the trooper he is, put on his wet gear and we took
off toward Deluth to visit the Aero Sitch factory.
The
customer
service man at
the factory fixed a
broken clip on my
trousers
no
charge.
We
looked at a lot of
items we would
like to purchase
but
restrained
ourselves.
We decided to continue on Hwy 2 toward Sault Ste. Marie,
Michigan.
We camped in Ray,ND and continued to Floodwater, MN.
About 3am it poured, thundered, and lightning. Oh no, not
again! Ed's tent got wet.
Finally got back on the road to
Thompson, Michigan. And in the
morning we went over the Mackinaw Bridge.
It was a short ride to enter Canada at Sault Ste. Marie. However a deer crossed right in front of
Ed. Wow - that was lucky we
barely missed the deer. It was an easy crossing into Canada as we headed for Sudbury and Toronto on Hwy 17.
We arrived at the Hamburg Fairground about midnight.
There were some guys camping in the club camping
space from Long Island. They pointed out the location of
the marked club camping spaces. We looked around
and Ed located our spot for the NorCal Club. What luck
since it was so dark. We set up our tents and went to bed
after a long day.
The next day we found Jerry Baker who had the club
banner. After a trip to Ace Hardware we put up the
banner
It was a interesting Rally that had over 6000 attendees.
I went to seminars and met a lot of fun people.
Then on Saturday I attended the ending ceremonies at
6pm. I didn't win any prizes but it was a lot of fun. Ed left
to meet Chia in Boston and I rode to Charlotte, NC to
visit my daughter.
It was a great Rally! Next year the BMW Rally will be in
Salt Lake City, Utah. We will reserve an area for the
NorCal Club in advance. That will be a fun time.
Fred Montano
Thanks to Ed, Jim Polucci, and Jerry Baker for helping
me put up the 49er & club banner. It looked good.
The next day Ed and I went to visit Niagara Falls
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AUGUST 2016
BMW Club of Northern California, Inc.
P.O. Box 2472
Santa Clara,
CA 95055
Pins for July – September:
Dan Gragert, 40 years,
Bob Pelikan, 30 years
Kevin Kelly 15 years,
Pierre Louie 5 years
Steve Weaver 5 years
Bill Lopez 5 years,
New Members for July & August:
Jay Martin, Dan Mulholland & Jens Calley
Upcoming Events
14 Aug 2016 8:00 AM Second Sunday Breakfast Ride TBD
18 - 21Aug ,Nakusp Hotsprings Rally, Nakusp, BC, Canada
2016 BMW Club of Northern California Range of Light Gypsy Tour
02 Sep 2016 3:00 PM (PDT) - 05 Sep 2016 9:00 AM (PDT)
Mendocino County Fairgrounds, 14400 CA-128, Boonville, CA 95415
07 Sep 2016 7:00- 9:00 PM Board Of Directors Meeting location TBD
16 - 18 Sept Autumn Beemer BASH, Quincy, California
www.bmwnorcal.org
BMW Motorcycle Club of Northern California 16