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NEWS n o t s u o H f o b lu The BMW C Published by the BMW Club of Houston Since 1967 www.bmwclub.org June 2006 Ken’s Korner In This Issue Ken’s Korner 1 Riding the Aloha 1000 1 Coast to Coast— The Extreme 5 Neat Accessory Thermometer 4 The Ride around Texas 6 Tech Tips 9 Activities Calendar 10 Secretary’s Report 10 Oh yes, Roethlisberger did his part in pinning those targets on all other motorcycle We are going to be wearing targets riders as he is, or at least was, a no-helmet advo(the kind the media and lawmakers aim for) cate whose his face paid the price. Fortunately, again for a while, courtesy of a negligent motor- it looks like he will be fine and with luck will ist who did a left turn in front of Ben Roethliseven be able to start this coming season. berger recently. In case you’ve been living in a The reports I’ve read indicate that Ben cave for a few weeks Ben Roethlisberger is the had no motorcycle license at the time of the starting quarterback with the Pittsburg Steelers, accident and was not allowed by local state law with a mega-million dollar deal in his pocket, to ride without a helmet. What we don’t know who t-boned an auto that failed to yield and (Continued on page 2) turned into his lane. Riding the Aloha 1000 By Beverly Ruffin Part 1 of 2 Inspired by an Iron Butt Association (IBA) event hosted in February 2006, but captivated by an alternative, I recently managed to complete a Hawaiian Saddle Sore—The Aloha 1000. (Just in case you haven’t heard, the IBA now sanctions a whole series of Saddle Sore rides [1,000 miles in 24 hours] within the borders of each state. Hawaii’s is appropriately names the Aloha 1000.) My Harley-riding neighbor, Rick Harrelson owns a time-share there and his plan provided substantial savings over the IBA event—sans the social occasions, of course. So over the Memorial Day week we headed for Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii. We arrived on Saturday afBeverly, Harley, Hawaii ternoon, May 27. Quickly I realized that our Harley reservations for Sunday morning were too ambitious—so we postponed them to Wednesday. However, at the onset, Rick began to second-guess his plans to do the Saddle Sore. The state highway circling the island is a 2-lane black top. And when it’s dark in Hawaii—it’s dark. The highest posted speed is 55MPH, and even that is ambitious at times with the heavy traffic and 18-wheelers. In the populated areas, the maximum speed is 45MPH and 35 or 25 are common. The terrain and elevation are varied as well—from the lava rock at sea level to the (Continued on page 4) Page 2 BMW Club of Houston Ken’s Korner (Continued from page 1) is whether he was an experienced motorcycle rider who just hadn’t gotten legal yet in Pennsylvania, or whether he was a new rider that had a bit of bad luck. He wasn’t being reckless, though, since he was obeying the speed limit of 35, and just couldn’t get his machine stopped in time to avoid the car that suddenly appeared in front of him. A sports star being involved makes this big news, of course, and it seems like all I heard on the radio for a day or two, and still read on the internet, is how dangerous motorcycles are and how riders should be required to wear helmets. On one radio show it was reported that insurance companies figure that every single motorcycle/operator will be involved in a traffic accident at some time or other. One local talk show host for whom I have a great deal of respect, and who’s show I regularly enjoy, really went off on motorcycle use, but while I couldn’t listen to his entire segment, what I didn’t hear while tuned in was anything at all about negligent auto drivers creating a danger for bike riders who are riding safely, obeying the traffic laws, and in general helping reduce wear and tear on the roads, atmospheric pollution and saving energy to boot. How about a whole show devoted to the absolutely out of control drivers on the Katy Freeway and the Southwest Freeway that make me pucker up even in my Dodge diesel pickup, and make me want to say my prayers when returning from an out of town ride on my BMW motorcycle. I am filled with apprehension each time I approach the city on those roads. Last weekend while on Highway 59 between Beltway 8 and 610 I was passed by a silver Ferrari that was being driven at least 100 mph since I was at 65 mph and the speed differential was HUGE! Fortunately I was in my truck and being startled by the sound of a wide open V-12 only affected my heart rate and didn’t have any effect on my driving. The Ferrari part of this is a little unusual, but the rest isn’t. I’ve come to expect at least one pass by someone driving a rice rocket (usually in groups of 2 or 3, chasing each other), or some other fool driving at a much higher rate of speed than the Club Officers President Ken Webb KenW@baileyarchitects.com Vice-President Guy Pickrel g.pickrel@earthlink.net Secretary Jim Green radrod@houston.rr.com Treasurer Charles Storer cpk@hal-pc.org Sergeant at Arms Barb Smith Erythros@aol.com Web Editor Janice Yeager jlyeager@sbcglobal.net Club Historian Diane Cox diane@swbell.net Newsletter Editor Chuck Cooper 713-823-1549 rest of the traffic. My fear is that one of these idiots will misjudge and clip me from behind while weaving thru traffic and this has come close to being the case several times. My eyes are at least as often in the mirror as looking forward, but when someone is weaving thru traffic at 90 mph one doesn’t have much of a chance to spot them before they are on you. Where are the Houston Police? This kind of driving is dangerous for all motorists, but absolutely lethal to someone on a motorcycle without benefit of a surrounding cage. Motorcycles are dangerous? I guess they are when they are sharing the road with drivers who have little thought or regard for the lives of others. I am continually amazed at how the negligent actions of drivers garners little to no punishment in many cases. The attitude of judges and juries with respect to bikes is “they were motorcyclists and knew it was dangerous”. That is, your life on a motorcycle isn’t worth as much as when you are in a car or truck. How about a talk show devoted to getting drivers to slow down, especially in and around high traffic areas, obey the posted speed, don’t run red lights or stop signs, and think about how their actions can affect others. How about reminding drivers to ALWAYS make sure that the adjacent lanes are clear before make a lane change. Go ahead and miss that turn if it comes up before you realize it and you are not sure that traffic is clear. It’s not the end of the world to have to go to the next exit and come back from the other direction. A high speed differential between any motorists (and that includes US) and surrounding traffic is always dangerous. Personally, I’ve never bought into the idea that being aggressive and riding faster than traffic is the safe way to go. Staying with traffic, staying out of blind spots, giving folks a chance to know that you are there, and getting out of the way of tailgaters seems just a whole lot better to me. Unless you are planning to cross the state, or the country, driving fast just doesn’t save time or get you there appreciably faster. What ever else you do, and however fast you drive or ride, watch constantly for left turners. The helmet thing is a whole other article, but with our club it isn’t really an issue; we all wear them. BMW Club of Houston Page 3 Page 4 BMW Club of Houston Aloha 1000 (Continued from page 1) rain forest at 4,000 feet. One trip on the 200-mile loop around the island in our rented Mustang convertible, and we both questioned my decision as well. By Monday, I had scrapped my plans for the Saddle Sore, in favor of a more traditional Hawaiian vacation. And I shared that with my riding buddies back at home. No one argued. So Rick and I investigated the Thurston Lava Tube and hiked the 4-mile trail across the Kilauea iki Crater in Volcano National Park. We saw the sights in that convertible and walked the black sands beach. We took a dinner tour to the top of Mauna Kea—13,800 feet, where we learned about astronomy and saw more stars than I knew existed. And perhaps the highlight of the tour for me was seeing the Southern Cross. After years of singing about it, along with Jerry Jeff Walker and Crosby Stills & Nash—I finally saw the four-star constellation that is rarely seen by North Americans. I was really enjoying my holiday. It started as a joke, really—the fact that Rick had an obligation to leave for home on Thursday. But I didn’t. And he pointed out that the room and car was paid through Saturday. One thing led to another and a single phone call extended my vacation through Saturday. After picking up the Harley’s on Wednesday and taking a brief ride on “our” side of the island, I was convinced that my decision to pass on the Saddle Sore was the right one. My timing was off and I found it difficult adjusting to the cruiser, having covered so Black sands beach many miles on BMW touring bikes. But the sun rose on Thursday morning and the day just felt different. Rick and I both agreed that it was perhaps the best day yet—although all the days had been marvelous. Maybe it was just that our bodies had adjusted to the new time zone. Or perhaps the trip up to Mauna Kea had affected us more than we thought. Or it was just the feeling that the vacation was almost over (especially for Rick). We were up and on the bikes relatively early. And that Harley purred like a kitten and turned on a dime. She was easy to handle in the curves. It was there on the bike that the cogs began to turn and a plan materialized. I’d extend the bike rental until Saturday morning and buy a full-face helmet (Harley rental only included a beanie) and rain gear, just to be on the safe side—after all, this was the rainy season. I’d put Rick on the plane that night, get a few hours sleep, do the Saddle Sore on Friday, and have all day Saturday to do Kona and sleep on the flight back. And I wouldn’t tell a soul. When we picked up the bikes the day before, we were told that they were due in Hilo on Friday and that we couldn’t extend the rental. But I figured that if this ride were meant to be, they’d arrange it somehow. So I let that be the guiding factor. I didn’t share my plan with Rick—he had been clearly against my riding the island in the dark. When we returned to the dealership that afternoon, I talked with the salesman about keeping my bike. He reminded me that they were both due in Hilo. “But won’t they accept another motorcycle?” I suggested. “I have to have this one.” And with a few strokes of the computer keys, it was set. Buying a full-face helmet was out of the question, as was additional riding gear. So a $7 pair of goggles and rain gear they provided with the rental was the best I could do. The only other problem was returning the bike—the time-share was over 20 miles from the dealership and I would wind up there with both the bike and the rental car. But oh, those Harley guys—for a price they would pick up the bike at the Hilton. What a deal. Things were falling into place. It was a good sign. I was hoping to keep all of this from Rick, but there was too much to arrange. If he had a reaction, he kept it to himself. I was a little pleased that someone would know that I was going to be riding that island by myself, because I did not tell the guys back home about my change in plans. After delivering Rick to the airport, I went in search of an all night station, power bars and protein drinks. The food and drink were easy, but an open station was another story. Everything along the main drag was closed and it wasn’t even 10PM! The clerk at the grocery store assured me that a station across the street was open and would be all night, and I believed her. So back to the room I went to get a few hours sleep. Surprisingly I was in bed and fast asleep by 11:30. When the alarm went off at 2AM, I decided that it was a bit early, so I slumbered until 2:45. Then I was up and off. I was somewhat put off by the more than 20 miles into Kona before even starting the ride. But it was unavoidable—there simply weren’t any open stations between the Hilton and Kona. So I resigned myself to the inconvenience. But what a shock and disappointment when I approached the “all night” station and found it closed. Now what? I thought. Feeling oh so foolish, I headed back to the main drag and continued south, wondering how far I’d have to ride before being able to start the Saddle Sore. (Story conclusion in July issue) BMW Club of Houston Page 5 Coast to Coast—the Extreme By Beverly Ruffin Five college students are riding bicycles from the Atlantic to the Pacific. And for what, you ask? To increase awareness of hurricane impact in general, and to assist in Hurricane Katrina clean up in specific—that’s what. Oh yeah, and with a goal of raising $15,000 for relief organizations as well. That’s quite a feat. With all the horror stories I’ve heard, I was surprised by how much of the city is “business as usual.” I was equally amazed at the disparity of brand new high dollar housing for sale across the street from the modest original structures that remain in disrepair. Gasoline and food is still a bit dicey in some spots. All in all, it was an experience in contrasts. The five left Houston earlier this month and won’t return until the middle of August. Their planned 4,500-mile route will take them from St. Augustine, Florida to New Orleans and north through the mid-west before finishing up in San Francisco. Charlie Storer and I decided to ride out and visit with the group on Saturday, June 17, during their respite in Moss Point, Mississippi. It was an easy decision since one of the five happens to be his son, Patrick. We left Houston on Saturday at 5AM and returned by the wee hours of Sunday morning. Our little jaunt took us to New Orleans as well. But our goal was beignets. I’m happy to report that the famous Café DuMonde is still there serving those hot little morsels—and at $1.59 for three, still a heck of a good bargain. I was told that the French Quarter was virtually untouched by the hurricane—and that is true. We enjoyed visiting with the “Fab Five” and ol’ Charlie dove right in and helped with one of their projects— clearing debris from the front of a house that has been virtually untouched since the storm. Our visit was quickly over and I returned for home, leaving Charlie behind to help them with routing issues between there and New Orleans. Neat Accessory Thermometer By Robert Stallones While riding back from Big Bend during a cold front last February I was nervous about crossing small, wet bridges. I was afraid that by the time I realized there was ice on the bridge it would be too late. However, my riding buddy had a thermometer on his bike, and he said that the temperature was a balmy 42 degrees, so we shouldn't have a problem with ice. That was the first time I had actually found a thermometer useful, so I decided to get one also. I chose a waterproof MotoFizz ThermoClock available from Aerostitch for $22.00. http://www.aerostich.com 1-800-222-1994 Double-stick foam attaches the mounting bracket to the bike. The bracket will remain on the bike, but the thermometer/clock snaps into the bracket and can be easily removed. I put mine on the windshield mounting stalk of my GS. There are also several minimum/maximum memories, so you can check to see how cold or hot it was throughout the day. This is a quality accessory that I used last weekend, along with my sweat, to confirm that it was really hot (103 degrees) while riding to Fayetteville for lunch. Page 6 The Ride Around Texas The Motorcycle Tourer’s Forum/Iron Butt Association’s Inaugural Ride Around Texas By Jim Green BMW Club of Houston the ride was actually on the Arkansas side of Stateline Road in Texarkana. Three of us had planned to make the ride together: Charlie Storer on his 1971 /5 BMW, my friend Delores McNutt on her Honda Valkyrie and me on my R1200 RT. Before the ride we had worked hard getting the bikes ready. We put a 4 gallon fuel cell on Charlie’s bike and a 5 gallon cell on the Valkyrie, which, by-the-way, gets worse mileage than most small cars. With the fuel cells we all had comparable range, which proved to be critical as there were several stretches that would have been far beyond the range of the stock bikes. We began the ride around 4 AM on May 9. By the first check point in Port Arthur, we had picked up another rider, Bob Cromby from the Temple area who proved to fit right into our group and be a good riding partner. As we passed back through Houston on the run from Galveston to Victoria, Mike Murphy, Barb Smith and others hung a banner from one of the bridges over Highway 59 and cheered us on. I’m not sure who other than Mike and Barb were involved, but we greatly appreciated the cheers and encouragement. Thanks to all of you. Ever wondered just how big Texas is? Well, the Motorcycle Tourer’s Forum decided to find out. In coordination with the Iron Butt Association, the Motorcycle Tourer’s Forum organized a Ride Around Texas (RAT). Details for the ride were worked out by Doug Woodall, Jason Jonas and Alan Leduc in coordination with Mike Kneebone, President of the IBA. The inaugural ride was held May 9-13. There are two different versions of the ride which differ only in the time it takes to complete. The Insanity Gold, which requires you to complete the 3115 miles in 70 hours, or the RAT Insanity ride which gives you 85 hours to complete the trek. Now that the inaugural ride has been completed, the RAT will become the newest Iron Butt long-distance ride. The rules for the ride are straight forward. It starts and ends in Texarkana. You must go clockwise around the state and stop at each of the 18 checkpoints strategically located around the edges of the state without ever leaving the state of Texas. We almost ran afoul of this final requirement even before we started. We found out the evening before we left that the gas station across the street from the hotel we’d planned to fill up to start When we pulled into the check point at Victoria, Charlie began having trouble with the steering on his bike. But he tightened up his steering damper and decided it was safe to continue. However, by the time we got to South Padre Island, the problem had worsened and he decided that he couldn’t go on. So, Charlie spent the night in South Padre and returned to Houston the next day. This proved to be a blessing in disguise. While we missed having Charlie on the ride, Cathy told him that he couldn’t attempt any more long rides on BMW Club of Houston “that old bike” and that if he intended to keep doing this, he’d have to get a new bike. Charlie called me the next day to report all of this from a bike shop. He was already out shopping. No telling what he’ll be riding by the time you read this, but at least he’ll get a new bike out of the deal. We made about 1200 miles that first day before stopping outside of Del Rio for a two hour nap. At daylight, we decided to double back into Del Rio for breakfast realizing that there are no McDonalds or much of anything else between Del Rio and Big Bend. We lost a little time and each added a few miles when we became separated in Big Bend. Yes, I know. There is only one road that goes through Big Bend Park, so how could we get separated? Well, we did. Even though it wasn’t funny at the time, we can now look back on the comedy of errors that sent each of us in different directions and added a few miles before we eventually got hooked back up. But, Big Bend was the best riding adventure on the trip, especially that great road between Lajitas and Presidio. Later that day we made the turn at Anthony and headed back east through a check point at the Guadalupe mountains and on to Kermit where we made the turn headed up the Panhandle. We got about a three hour nap that night somewhere around Andrews. Then we made the longest trek of the trip for me, up the west side of the Panhandle to Texline. It was one of those roads that I thought would never end. Are we there yet, dad? It was also pretty chilly that morning with temps in the 40’s. When we finally made it around the Panhandle and back down to Childress, we all felt that we were on the home stretch as it was a straight shot back to Texarkana. However, it was still almost 400 miles. About now is when it hit home that this is a really big state. We made it in to Texarkana around 2 AM; a total distance of just under 3200 miles in 68 hours. Page 7 One of the rules I didn’t mention earlier was that to qualify for the Insanity Gold (the 70 hour ride) you had to already have completed an extreme Iron Butt ride of at least 1500 miles. Delores is a strong rider and a real competitor. Even though she had only completed a Saddle Sore 1000 and didn’t qualify for the Gold ride, she completed the ride with us under the 70 hour mark. All in all it was a great ride. We got to see a whole lot of Texas and I really enjoyed meeting the other riders. These were seasoned, safety conscious riders and generally a very friendly bunch. Each bike was as unique as the individual. I thoroughly enjoyed cruising the parking lot and talking to people about how they had their bikes set up for long distance with all the gadgets, fuel cells and gizmos. I also gained a great deal of respect for the Motorcycle Tourer’s Forum. This event was extremely well planned and went off very smoothly. In addition to the RAT, they also had a 24 hour rally, an 8 hour rally and of course an awards dinner Saturday evening. I am looking forward to participating in some of their future events. I suggest that you check out their website for links to tons of good information on a wide variety of motorcycle touring topics, as well as information on their upcoming rides. Page 8 BMW Club of Houston BMW Club of Houston Page 9 Tech Tips from Murph’s Garage I haven’t been around for a couple of months, as Chuck has had some good trip reports to fill the pages of the newsletter. This must be a slow news month, as I just got an email from Chuck asking about a submission. This one will be short. I’m prepping my motorhome and bike for a two week trip to Cheyenne, WY. Barb Smith and I are going to a motorhome convention in Cheyenne and we have planned three side trips to Rocky Mountain NP, Rapid City, SD/ Mt. Rushmore, and Flaming Gorge in Utah. We’re leaving in three days, so my mind is pretty much wrapped up in preparation details. I do want to point out a maintenance item that recently reached out and bit me. I had a total failure of my rear drive. I’ve read bits and pieces about this failure, and how it is a continuing problem for BMW riders. Naturally I took the approach, “never happen to me”. WRONG. My first indication was a leak of gear lube on the ground under my rear tire. Leaking lubricants is never a good thing for any type of motor-vehicle. I figured a seal was bad and a replacement would get me back on the road. I happened to see my old friend, Harold Hollister, at Hickory Hollow a couple of days after the leak occurred. He mentioned that Paul Glaves had just done an article in the April, 2006 BMW ON magazine about rear drive failures. I vaguely remembered the article but didn’t read it because the old “never happen to me” syndrome had kicked in. I couldn’t find my magazine so Harold sent me an electronic copy he had saved for future use. I looked at the procedure, not too difficult, and considered doing it myself. I then thought about the upcoming trip to WY, my lack of “quality” time to work on the bike and the possibility that more than just a seal was damaged. I did the prudent thing and called Dan Drom at Wild West BMW. I loaded the bike on my trailer and took it to Dan early on Tuesday morning. We discussed the rear drive failure and the fact that my bike has 90,000 miles. All “modern era” BMW’s use a single-sided swing arm; great for tire changes, but tough on wheel bearings. I left the shop cautiously optimistic that the rear drive was not toast. When Dan called that afternoon and told me the gear set was ruined, that really made my day. The cost for a new rear drive is $1,000 and the wobbling ring gear also took out the ABS sensor for another $150. I told Dan to go ahead with the repairs and went down to sell a pint of blood. The bike was back to me in two days, good as new. The moral to this story is check for looseness of your rear wheel. If you have access to the April, 2006 ON, read Paul Glaves’ article. He describes how the bearing can be checked for wear. Basically the bike is put on the center stand to raise the rear wheel off the ground. Grab the rear wheel front and rear and see if there is any movement side-to-side. A good bearing will not have any movement. To replace the bearings will cost about 25% the price of a new rear drive. Guess that’s all for this month. Ride Safe – Mike Classified Advertising Accessories Chatterbox bike-to-bike communication system complete for 2 bikes. New still in box. List $259.57, asking $185. Blane Huhn 832-605-5343 blneh@sbcglobal.net Clothing Joe Rocket Ladies Cleo Jacket, silver, ladies size L, worn 2 weekends only, mint. Price new $129.95, asking $75.00 Blance Huhn 832-605-5343 Blaneh@sbcglobal.net Services Independent Beauty Consultant: Rebecca Knisel 9106 Theysen Houston, Texas 77080 713-934-8433 www.markay.com/rknisel Page 10 BMW Club of Houston Activities Calendar Houston Activities Every Week/Month Every Sunday Breakfast With The Beemers Two Locations: 1. Goode Company Taqueria, 4902 Kirby Dr. at Westpark 2. Denny’s, FM 1960 at Hwy 290 Start your Sunday with your friendly fellow BMW riders. Breakfast at 8 AM or so; there is usually a ride starting about 9 AM Every Thursday Evening Social Gathering 7 PM, Hickory Hollow Restaurant, 101 Heights Blvd. General Meetings 7 PM, second Thursday of the month, at the Hickory Hollow Restaurant, 101 Heights Blvd. This is the club’s monthly general meeting — come early for tire kicking and storytelling. June 2006 23-25 The First Big Bear BMW Rally, BMW Owners Club of San Diego and South Coast BMW Riders Club, www.scbmwrc.com or www.bmwoscd.org July 2006 6-9 Club General Meeting, 7 PM 20-23 BMWMOA International Rally-Essex Junction, Vermont, see www.bmwmoa.org August 2006 Club General Meeting, 7 PM October 2006 13-15 36th Annual BMW Club of Houston Rally, Fredericksburg, Texas November 2006 22-26 By Guy Pickrel for Jim Green The June meeting was called to order at 7:12 PM; Ken Webb presiding, attending officers included Guy Pickrel, Charlie Storer and Barb Smith. Jim Green was absent; Guy Pickrel took the minutes. Visitors Todd Hoover, Dave Harvey and “Roy, Jim, & Buck” were recognized. Charlie Storer gave the Treasurer’s Report. Club President Ken Webb commented on the great quality of the newsletter and thanked those who have submitted the articles. Club Members were reminded that the club membership dues are due at the end of July. Several club members gave ride reports. Beverly Ruffin recounted her trip to Hawaii and the Aloha 1000 she completed. Ben Muller told of his ride in a completely restored B-25 with a film crew from the History Channel, episode to air on August 5th. Mike Murphy highly recommended the Rocket City Rally in Alabama, where he and Barb Smith ran into Dave Beck. Paul Yeager showed the attendees the first place prize for the winner of the recently completed Presidential Tour. Guy Pickrel talked about his ride through Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Carl Chapman agreed to deliver the shirt to Floyd Crow. Paul also reminded the attendees about the “Texas World Tour” ride competition currently underway. The following up-coming rides were discussed: • Ken Webb invited interested parties to join him and Guy Pickrel on a ride to Alpine/ Ft. Davis area tomorrow and member Terry Shinn signed on. • Beverly Ruffin discussed the Pancake 1000 ride to Marathon. The ride was rescheduled for Friday, June 16th. This will be a qualified Saddle Sore 1000. • Carl Chapman shared plans for a day-long GS ride on 50% gravel roads in the coming months; watch for details coming soon on the Club Website. • Ken Webb reminded members to sign-up early for accommodations if you plan on participating in the Thanksgiving ride to Ft. Davis. Annual BMWRA Rally, Boise, Idaho www.bmwra.org 13 10 Meeting Minutes Thanksgiving in West Texas. Club ride to Fort Davis, Indian Lodge, Davis Mountains State Park, and Big Bend area. For details on these and many other events, visit www.bmwclub.org Guy Pickrel gave an update on preparations for the annual Club Rally scheduled for October. He let the members know that volunteers will be needed to support the rally this year and to expect solicitations in the coming months. Members who would like to volunteer, contact Guy Pickrel. New Business. A motion was presented from the floor to create a committee to look for another place for the BMW Club of Houston to meet. This was precipitated by excessive noise and the inability of many members to hear the proceedings. The low quality food and facilities were cited as justification for a change in venue. One member motioned that this topic be covered in the newsletter. Scott Black won $47 in the 50/50 drawing. The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 pm. BMW Club of Houston Page 11 BMW Club of Houston, Ltd. P.O. Box 7542 Houston, TX 77270-7542 Editor: Charles Cooper 2725 Cason Street W University Pl., TX 77005 Phone: 713-823-1549 Editor’s Note At the next (July) Meeting, we will vote on a motion to create a committee to look for another location for the Club’s monthly general meeting. Boost Your Business Advertise in the BMW Club of Houston News Annual Advertising Rates for Display Ads Business Card ~ $100 1/4 page ~ $200 1/2 page ~ $300 Full Page ~ $400 Monthly Rates for Display Ads are available upon request Classified Advertising is free to Houston BMW club members. Non-members may advertise BMW motorcycle items only. All classified ads run for 3 issues unless renewed.