Schedule of Club Events

October - 2015
BMWMOA Club #353 & BMWRA Club #339
Schedule of Club Events
10/3
Saturday
9am Social Gathering
Asheville - Eurosport Asheville
30 Bryson Street, Asheville, NC 28803
10/9-11 Friday-Sunday Couples and Riders
Overnight Rally in Fancy Gap, VA
Fancy Gap Cabins and Campground,
Milepost 202.5 Blue Ridge Pkwy
10/18 Sunday
9am Social Gathering
Asheville – Atlanta Bread
484 Hendersonville Rd., Asheville, NC
10/20 Tuesday 7:00pm Club Meeting –
Presentation: Bike Detailing
Asheville - Eurosport Asheville
NOTE: November begins the winter time
schedule for the Saturday and Sunday social
gatherings. We will be meeting at 10am for the
fall and winter months.
11/7
Saturday
10am Social Gathering
Asheville - Eurosport Asheville
30 Bryson Street, Asheville, NC 28803
11/15 Sunday
10am Social Gathering
Asheville – Atlanta Bread
484 Hendersonville Rd., Asheville, NC
11/17 Tuesday 7:00pm Club Meeting –
Presentation TBA
Asheville - Eurosport Asheville
30 Bryson Street, Asheville, NC 28803
The Blue Ridge Breeze
Mark Your Calendars
October 2015 Page | 2
September Club News
By Gary Cox
October 2-4
Overland Expo East
Asheville, NC (Taylor Ranch)
The Overland Expo EAST venue lies in the forested
heart of Blue Ridge Mountain country, at the beautiful
Taylor Ranch, just outside Asheville, North Carolina.
We have access to hundreds of acres of trees,
meadows, and ponds for our vendors, training areas,
and camping. Asheville is a culinary and micro-brew
mecca, and before or after the show you can drive the
Blue Ridge Parkway or head to the stunning Outer
Banks to overindulge in seafood, climb the Cape
Hatteras Lighthouse, and rest your hand on the rail
from which the Wright Brothers launched their first
Flyer at Kitty Hawk.
http://www.overlandexpo.com/east/
The Asheville BMW Riders had another busy and
exciting month in September, from great social
gatherings to celebrating the club’s 4th anniversary at
Eurosport, to the Stewart family hosting a fish fry and
inviting the club members. Both the Saturday and
Sunday gatherings had groups of people heading out
for epic rides afterwards. It is always a joy to hang out
and talk with other motorcycle enthusiasts, then jump
on a bike and go ride. As always Eurosport Ashevjlle
helped us celebrate our 4th anniversary party by
supplying drinks and as our welcoming host. To finish
out the month, anytime Stew is cooking it is always
good times and good food. Come out and join us at a
club meeting and/or a social gathering.
October 8-11, 2015
Horizons Unlimited Adventure Event
Stecoah, NC
Whether you're a seasoned veteran with wisdom to
share or a complete novice hungry for ideas and
guidance, Horizons Unlimited Meetings are for
everyone who dreams of adventure along the road
less travelled. Horizons Unlimited hosts over 20
events worldwide each year, in North America,
Australia, Europe, Asia and South America. We have
no bands and no wild parties, but we do have great
people and interesting bikes - and fantastic stories
about travelling to the ends of the earth, plus tech
seminars on everything from tire changing to GPS
usage to packing lists.
October 8-11, 2015
8TH Annual Klassic K Kampout
Cruso, NC
The Klassic K Kampout VIII (K-toberfest) will be held
October 16-18, 2015 at the Blue Ridge Motorcycle
campground, N 35o 24.235 W 82o 48.682, in Cruso,
NC. The campground is located 6 miles from the Blue
Ridge Parkway on US 276 and 20 Miles off I 40.
Up Coming Meetings
October 20th meeting will feature John Hendrickson,
who will be covering motorcycle detailing. John will
share some of his tips and tricks for motorcycle
detailing. Come and enjoy.
November 17th meeting will feature Nick D’Addario
from De Lorme. This presentation offers a unique
opportunity for ABMWR members to discuss and learn
about the various satellite communication options
available on the market today. As the adventure
touring industry continues to grow, so too does the
need for safety and peace of mind. Covering
everything from technological advances and key
features, to the pros and cons of individual devices,
this seminar will educate riders on the different options
for communication and safety when riding out of
cellphone range.
The Blue Ridge Breeze O c t o b e r
2015 P a g e | 3
President’s Message
By Jim McMains
October 2015
Well here it is the Fall
season and I hope you all
had a great Summer of
riding. September has
been a pleasant month
even with some of the rain
that we had. Most days
were great for riding with
nice temperatures, and we
can expect the same in the
next month or so as Fall starts to set in. This may be
our year for colors with the drought we experienced so
keep that in mind as the Leaf Peepers start to arrive in
droves.
We had a successful 4th year anniversary meeting
and the events still keep coming. The Stewart family
hosted a nice single day Fish Fry at their home that
was open to all members. Thanks to those that
attended and of course to Chris and Stew for having
us all over.
Our Events Director, Linda, has pulled it all together
for our First Ever, Fall Couples and Single Riders
Rally in Fancy Gap, Virginia this month. I am excited
about attending this and looking forward to a nice ride
North! Linda keeps amazing us with her attention to
detail and her ideas for fun events. I know she has
many more planned for us, so please make it a point
to try and participate in those that you are able to. We
also have our Fifth Friday of the month socials that
she is organizing. This month is one of those 5th
Friday months, so get ready for that as well! The last
one at Sierra Nevada was fun for all in attendance.
We keep striving as a club to come up with things to
keep your interest and keep you wanting to stay
involved. If you have suggestions or can offer
something to help us with this please don’t hesitate to
let us know. We have had some great talks at
meetings in the past from members sharing their own
travel experiences, technical knowledge or
presentations from their contacts. We are open to
anything Motorcycle related, and maybe even non
bike related, especially if it would be fun to share.
Our VP John is always looking for these things to be
able to coordinate for our meetings, so please
approach him if you have an idea. We will still
continue to provide some food meetings to keep your
energy up so you can keep on riding :-).
Please be safe in your riding this Fall; ride at your own
comfortable pace; be vigilant in watching out for
others (especially the leaf peepers); and Wear All
Your Protective Gear All The Time!
On a last note, if there are any members who have not
yet renewed their membership, please take the time to
do so now if you intend to remain a member. We all
volunteer to do these club jobs and it makes life much
easier on our Treasurer and the rest of us when we
can get things done in the time frame we set for it.
Renewals are one of those items that consume time,
but it allows us to budget and plan for the upcoming
year. Thank you for your continued membership and
support of your club.
See you down the road,
Jim
The Blue Ridge Breeze
It has been a busy riding season here at ESA.
With Fall fast approaching we are starting to hit
our stride! It seems like daily we have new 2016
product rolling through the door. Whether it be
new BMW and KTM units or parts/apparel
/accessories, our Team is bringing the best of the
industry to our showroom each and every day.
One product we have carried for over a year now
is the Delorme inReach Satellite Communicator.
This Satellite Communicator has helped support
and save multiple on and off-road customers
recently. The beauty of this device is no matter
where you are the signal is strong and usable. It
provides 100% global coverage through the
Iridium Satellite Network. When compared to our
iPhone 6 there is no comparison. Let’s be honest
about what these units do...the primary goal for
these devices is to ensure you maintain contact
with the outside world when the going gets tough
and you are at your most vulnerable.
We keep the two primary Delorme inReach Sat.
Communicators in stock: the SE and Explorer.
October 2015 Page | 4
The SE sends and
receives text messages
from anywhere in the
world regardless of cell
service. It allows you to
be tracked, reached,
and rescued anywhere
on earth. You can pair
the SE with your mobile
device to download
topo maps and U.S.
NOAA charts.
Or you can step UP to the Explorer which will also
allow you to Navigate, create way points, log your
trip, and find your way back. Both devices allow
you to trigger an interactive SOS. Both devices
require a monthly or annual service plan. Unlike
the SPOT you may be familiar with, you can pay
for a 30 day period
at a time without
having to commit to
a long term contract
and the price of the
plan can be tailored
to which features
you may or may not
need.
This is a great product that will not only provide
you and your loved ones peace of mind but give
you a reliable source of communication anywhere
in the world. Just ask Blair...
The Blue Ridge Breeze O c t o b e r
By Linda Cox
October 2015
Have you ever wanted to
be somewhere but just
couldn’t seem to get
there? Your endpoint is
in sight, but there are too
many obstacles to reach
your goal…That was the case for many who had
every intention of celebrating the 4th anniversary of the
Asheville BMW Riders Club on Tuesday September
15th. Rock slides, car wrecks, and traffic jams
prevented many from attending our spirited gathering.
Still, we are glad you stayed safe and we know we’ll
see you at a club event in the near future!
How about our first Saturday or third Sunday
Gathering? Maybe your weekends are full up with
“honey-do lists.” Our third Tuesday meetings from 79ish might be a better fit. This month we’ll enjoy a
presentation by John Hendrickson and then you can
catch up with fellow members.
What about the Fall Rally October 9-11?
Campground owners David and Denise Green are
motorcyclists themselves and are excited to host our
group. We’re planning a Friday night hot dog roast
(like at July’s BBQ), this time with chili to keep us
warm. Breakfasts are provided too. Two suggested
riding routes developed exclusively for ABMWR
showcase mountain, high meadow, river and
streamside roads with stretch breaks at historic points
of interest. If your plans change and you’re able to go
with us, just drop me a line at
abmwrevents@gmail.com.
Do you like a little impromptu get together? We’ve got
that in October too. The fifth Friday, 10/30, we’ll meet
up about 7 pm and travel together for supper and
socializing. Those who can’t get away by 7 but still
want to join the fun can meet us at the destination
announced on our Facebook and Yahoo Groups
pages on Wednesday 10/28.
2015 P a g e | 5
In other regional news: Members of our club were
invited to support of United Way through a figure of 8
loop ride/fundraiser at Lake Tillery and Badin Lake
(east of Charlotte) on October 3rd. The first ever Great
Smoky Mountains Adventure Tour and Dual Sport
Ride for Kids in Mills River October 4th is a second
opportunity to support the important work of the
Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.
If you participated in any of the regional events listed
on our Club calendar in September, like the Bull City
Rumble, Ride the Blue Ridge, Kops for Kids or
Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, please tell me about
your experience. Was the info available on abmwr.org
helpful? Did you have enough fun to want to go back
next year? Would you take some ABMWR friends
with you? Although regional motorcycle events are
winding down for 2015, it’s not too early to start
thinking of what’s to come next year!
I’d rather be riding!
Linda
The ABMWR
Members of our club share many things in
common, including a love of riding, being
outdoors, a fondness for BMW motorcycles
regardless of type or age, and the
camaraderie of our sport. We are a social
club, focused on riding, and take full
advantage of our area’s beautiful roads
and scenery. Although our club is based in
North Carolina, membership and
participation from all surrounding areas are
encouraged. For membership information,
view our website at www.abmwr.org or
drop us a line at.
ABMWR
PO Box 5103
Asheville, NC 28813
The Blue Ridge Breeze
Featured Member
Chris Parker
Motorcycling has been my passion for these past 15
years and 250,000 miles.
But before the bikes, I had my pencil.
As a kid, I had a knack for drawing that my teachers
recognized as far back as grade school. Throughout
my teens I picked up the pencil (or paintbrush) and
entered a new world of art and design. This continued
on into college, where I majored in Art with an
emphasis in painting. Soon after graduation from
Carson-Newman in 1990, I made the transition to
graphic design in order to feed the family. So, for two
and a half decades I have worked the commercial art
scene, mostly for in-house art departments.
I got the bug for riding over 20 years ago when my
dad was riding his old Suzuki GL450. I loved that
smile he had whenever he came in from a ride.
Knowing that I had to try it for myself, I set off on
finding that bike for me. It wasn’t until later in the
1990’s that I was able to finally get the bike I had
lusted after, a used 1995 Honda Pacific Coast. Well,
I fell in love with two wheels... 9 months later and
12,000 miles added to the odometer, I entered the
world of BMWs (in that time, I only put 300 miles on
my car). My first (of 6) BMWs was a new 2001
R1100RT. I put 35,000 miles on it in just over 14
months... I was hooked. I now ride my fourth RT, a
2014 ebony black metallic that I just love. I have been
as far north as the MOA rally in Trenton, Ontario in
2002 to as far west as the Ozarks. I love just pointing
the nose of my bike in any direction to see where it will
October 2015 Page | 6
take me. My annual mileage has dropped over the
years with work and having two kids, but I am a
motorcyclist for life as anyone who knows me will
attest to.
All the while working my day jobs over the years, I
have had my freelance agency, Roadwolf Design,
working on all kinds of projects for clients near and far.
Over the years, I have done work for the North
American Mission Board, various Honda ST1300 club
gatherings, and most recently, Texas Pete Hot Sauce
based in Winston-Salem. Finally, after 12 years as a
graphic designer for a non-profit in Spartanburg, and
working a ton of hours, I decided to take that leap,
devoting myself full time to Roadwolf Design, LLC. I
recently launched my new business site this year and
have been marketing my design services for all types
of clients.
One thing that struck me one day was the passion I
have both for riding and design. Over the years I had
noticed the Look Twice, Save a Life yard signs
proliferating in yards near me. I decided to do my take
on these, mainly for the fact the visuals on the ones
that I had seen were always cruiser centric. I set about
designing my version and purposely picked the naked
sport bike (the Aprilia Tuono was my template) to grab
the non-cruiser crowd and have marketed everything
as Motorcycle Awareness Designs
(motorcycleawarenessdesigns.com). After prototype
testing the inks, I expanded to the bumper sticker,
bike sticker and car magnet. And then the Hi-Viz shirts
came into play. How to sell became obvious when I
realized that this would be an online venture. I
developed my own site and tested it out with friends
and family. With that finished, the launch happened
this past Spring.
Continued on next page>>
The Blue Ridge Breeze O c t o b e r
Featured Member Continued…
2015 P a g e | 7
Also, from dealer designs for Touring Sport and the
great crew at Eurosport, Roadwolf Design has found a
niche that I intend to exploit. Working with Thomas
Montgomery on new dealer shirts, KTM race shirts
and new glass designs this past year has been an
exciting venture that just makes me fire on all
cylinders.
It has been a slow roll out as recognition in search
engines (Search Engine Optimization) is slow going.
But I am hopeful that with time, I will see positive
results. Traditional marketing has also been on the
agenda with mailers to dealers to get some response
there. I also will be at the AIMExpo in Orlando in
As well as my love of design and bikes, I also am
October as a vendor at the largest motorcycle industry
amazed in how BMW motorcycles has brought me to
trade show.
know new comrades. Through the Upstate South
Carolina BMW Motorcycle Club, I have met many
As I worked the MAD angle, my love of BMW
great friends and amazing riders. And not just
motorcycles was a natural fit for my new venture. I
confining my sphere of riding buddies to the Upstate, I
have developed a new line of unique BMW shirts that joined the Asheville club as well, with the desire to
are my own unique (and non-copyright violating)
meet even more riders with the love of BMWs and
designs. I started out first with my bike, the 2014
riding. I pretty much stay with the street crowd, but I
R1200RT and have expanded to 10 other designs.
have had a 2011 R1200GS before and off-roading is
in my future, as is a R1200GS-LC to give the RT
some company in the garage. From meeting new
people, helping with Club projects (the High Pass
Boogie stuff this past year with John Koenig was
awesome to do) and attending meetings when I can,
the Asheville Club has really made a difference in my
riding career. It just goes to show you how two simple
wheels can make the world turn and for the better.
As I told my wife when we first met: “Now I need to
warn you... I am a motorcyclist and will always be a
motorcyclist.” Truer words have never been spoken.
And also, more recently, I have designed a series of
art shirts that will be a new avenue for showing my
love of all things BMW Motorrad. Currently those are
shirts that pay homage to the BMW Boxer Engine and
the new BMW S1000RR in BMW Motorsport colors.
The Boxer shirt just went live with the RR shirt soon to
come. I work with my local supplier to get the best
foundation to put the very best art that I can produce
to make these. I sweat the details and am very happy
to see the reaction from all over the world. I have sold
shirts to every part of the globe and it just confirms my
opinion that BMW motorcycles are universally loved.
You can see the shirts at store-roadwolfdesign.com
for more information.
The Blue Ridge Breeze
Editor’s Ramblings
By Gary Cox
Inducting the Next Generation
AKA
Corrupting the Youth
For the most part the
today’s youth don’t need
any help to corrupt them.
They have more than
enough choices of ways to
corrupt themselves. So it’s quite a surprise to see
kids outside being active, instead of strapped to some
game system in front of the TV. And, if there is ever a
kid anywhere who is fascinated by a motorcycle, I am
more than happy to talk to them and their parents
about motorcycling safely. After all, the best way to
keep kids safe is to keep them engaged and “poor”
(if they are into motorcycles they will not have money
for anything else). Linda agrees, and will gladly join
the conversation.
Ours is a typical American neighborhood and we are
surrounded, luckily, by great neighbors who are our
good friends. A of couple weeks ago I had the
pleasure of introducing one of our neighborhood youth
to the sport of motorcycling. Now this is not your
typical kid: I’ve watched this little girl, I mean daredevil, grow up. She’s always been adventurous.
From riding her Barbie jeep down the steep driveway
so fast that she could flip the wheel and spin around at
the bottom, to riding her electric scooter around the
neighborhood towing another friend on a skate board.
Well she turned 13 this year and we always get a gift
for her or do something on her birthday. We asked
what she was “into” or what she would like this year,
and she asked if I would take her for a ride on my
motorcycle. Of course I said yes, that I would be
happy to, but only if we had a helmet, gloves and
jacket that would fit her. Luckily some of Linda’s gear
managed to fit the bill well enough. So a couple of
Saturdays ago we asked if she was ready to go for her
birthday ride. It only took her about two minutes to
make it over dressed and ready to go.
October 2015 Page | 8
Any time a teen age girl is ready to go in less than 20
minutes is a major miracle, so I knew she must be
excited.
Linda gave her some instruction on what and what not
to do and we were off. I took it very easy for the first
few miles to make sure she was OK and when I
stopped at a stop sign to check she was smiling and
said she was good. Gradually I worked my way up to
a conservative but steady pace down the back roads.
Eighteen miles later we were back home and she was
grinning from ear to ear. Later when asked what she
liked best, she said she liked going fast, “accelerating”
on the four lane section of the ride. Go figure?
I had a blast giving her a ride, and hopefully
encouraging a young girl to consider the sport of
motorcycling. Who knows, she may be the next BMW
go fast record holder in a few years. Encourage the
kids anytime that you can.
Be Safe and Enjoy Fall,
Gary
The Blue Ridge Breeze O c t o b e r
2015 P a g e | 9
Thinking Safe
Time Change
Fall is here which brings a few things to think to about
for being safe this time of year. The first couple of
things to watch out for are of course the leaves in the
road and, in our area, the influx of leaf peepers. The
leaf peepers are coming to this area to, of course, look
at all the leaves and the beautiful roads that we are
lucky enough to have year round, and are not
watching for motorcyclists, so give them a wide berth.
Then the leaves in the road can be a lot slicker,
especially if damp, than one might expect.
The other thing to keep in mind for this time of year is
the shortening of day light and the upcoming time
change. This year we fall back 1 hour on November
first, and the autumnal equinox began on Wednesday
September 23rd.
Welcome New Members
Franklin Elliott – Rutherfordton, NC
Robin Elliott – Rutherfordton, NC
Michael Geringer – Waynesville, NC
Michael Maxwell – Canton, NC
Kris McFee – Asheville, NC
Robert (Bob) Muir - Pisgah Forest, NC
Steven Perry - Flat Rock, NC
Emmalyn Preston - Boiling Springs, SC
Joe Shook – Hendersonville, NC
So why is the shortening of day light and time change
a safety concern? Because both of these affect the
amount of day light and tend to play havoc with
peoples’ sleep schedule. First if you commute to work
on a motorcycle it is darker in the morning and
evening hours, and the sun is rising and setting at a
different time. With the sun rising and setting at
different times you’ll find yourself easily riding directly
into or out of the sun, making you very difficult to be
seen by other drivers on the road. Secondly once the
time change occurs this tends to effect peoples’ sleep
schedules and they be can disoriented during the
morning commute and sleepy during the evening
commute. They are usually tired and more worried
about why the time had to change instead of paying
attention to the road and watching out for a
motorcyclist. Simply be more vigilant in your
motorcycle riding/driving over the next month and a
half, and be sure to watch the sleepy heads and leaf
peepers.
Maria Vadeboncoeur – Asheville, NC
Kenneth Wilkes – Asheville, NC
Random Moto Photo
The Blue Ridge Breeze
O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5 P a g e | 10
Club Merchandise
Long sleeve Tees are prefect for Fall! Come to a
meeting and find bargain club merchandise.
There is a rumor (?) that shirts and hats will be
deeply discounted while they last. Show your club
spirit and get a great bargain at the same time.
Discounts applied at purchases made on meeting
nights.
We have decals, hats and short and long sleeved
T-shirts. Ursula Skoug has club items at
meetings.
Shirts
Short Sleeve: $Bargain
Long Sleeve: $Bargain
Decals $1.00
Hats $15.00
Don’t forget to check out the club web site
http://www.abmwr.org/
There are many new photos and updates, including the calendar of events.
You can also join a Conversation Forum
The Blue Ridge Breeze O c t o b e r
2015 P a g e | 11