2016FebruaryBMW Bikers of Metropolitan Washington

between the spokesThe monthly newsletter of the dc area’s only bmw motorcycle club

Treasurer Mike Potter has a tiny bit of difficulty with the access road at Camp West-Mar in the off season. Photo by Kurtis Minder

calendar of events

*13 Feb, 10.00: BMWBMW Board of Directors meeting; 11.00 General Membership meeting, location TBA.

*20 Feb, 10.00: Maryland Breakfast Ride.

25 Feb, 18.00: BaseCamp Boot Camp Part 1, hosted by Morton’s BMW.

27 Feb, 09.30 & 12.45: BaseCamp Boot Camp Part 1, hosted by Morton’s BMW.

*28 Feb, 08.30: Virginia Breakfast Ride.

*5 Mar, 09.00: Baltimore Breakfast Ride, Ashland Cafe, 1080 York Rd., Cockeysville MD.

*13 Mar, 10.00: BMWBMW Board of Directors meeting; 11.00 General Membership meeting, hosted by Morton’s BMW.

*13 Mar, start time TBA: Tech Day, hosted by Morton’s BMW.

*19 Mar, 10.00: Maryland Breakfast Ride.

*27 Mar, 08.30: Virginia Breakfast Ride.

*2 Apr, 09.00: Baltimore Breakfast Ride

*9 Apr, 10.00: BMWBMW Board of Directors meeting; 11.00 General Membership meeting, location TBA.

16 Apr, 09.00: Morton’s BMW Spring Open House

*23 Apr, 08.00: Tech Day hosted by JVB.

22-24 Apr: BMW MOA Weekend Getaway, Fontana Dam NC. Registration required. See www.bmwmoa.org/?page=events2 for more information.

*24 Apr, 08.30: Virginia Breakfast Ride

28 Apr-1 May: Horizons Unlimited Travellers Meeting, Holiday Lake 4H Center and Camp, Appomattox VA. Registration required, see www.horizonsunlimited.com for more information.

*7 May, 09.00: Maryland Breakfast Ride.

*14 May, 10.00: BMWBMW Board of Directors meeting; 11.00 General Membership meeting, location TBA.

20-22 May: Morton’s BMW Spring Fling, Natural Bridge Hotel & Resort, Natural Bridge VA. Separate event and hotel registration required, hotel fills up fast. See www.mortonsbmw.com for more information.

*21 May, 10.00: Baltimore Breakfast Ride.

*22 May, 08.30: Virginia Breakfast Ride.

*3-5 June: BMWBMW’s annual Square Route Rally, Camp West-Mar, 14509 Brown Rd., Sabil-lasville MD. Registration required but available onsite. Plentiful camping available, bunk house slots available on a first-come, first-served basis. Friday and Saturday night dinner provided, Saturday and Sunday breakfast too. Lunch is on your own. Early arrival (Thursday night) available for event volunteers only. Contact Andy Dooley, VP & Rally Chair to volunteer (vp@bmwbmw.org). Guided GS, GS-Lite and Road rides leave Saturday morning. (In)Famous awards ceremony Saturday night. Join BMWBMW for the first premier event of the rallying season. Chat with old friends and make new ones!

14-17 July: BMW MOA “Das Rally” in Hamburg, NY.

18-21 Aug: BMW 100th Anniversary celebration during the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca CA.

* indicates BMWBMW Events

Between the Spokes (BTS), the monthly magazine of the BMW Bikers of MetropolitanWashington (BMWBMW), is published solely for the use of its members. Any reproductionof its contents without the written permission of BMWBMW is strictly prohibited. Backissues can be downloaded free of charge at www.bmwbmw.org/archive.

BTS welcomes all news, story and photo submissions from club members. No photo is too large, no article is too small! Submissions are used on a rolling basis and may not appear in the month they are submitted. Materials may be edited for length, content or style. Send all submissions to the editor. Classified ads are free to active club members and run on a rolling, space available basis. Commercial vendors can see advertising rates and requirements at www.bmwbmw.org/advertising. Display ads must be submitted no later than the 15th of the month preceding the month of publication.

Please submit address changes and all membership correspondence via email to Membership@BMWBMW.org. BMWBMW is chartered as BMW MOA club #40 and BMW RA club #15.

www.bmwbmw.org© 2016 BMW Bikers of Metropolitan Washington.All rights reserved.

BMWBMW is currently seeking a Media Chair, an Editor to take over Between the Spokes, and several committee chairs. If you’re interested in any of these positions, contact any sitting Board of Directors member.

If you enjoy what you see here, we encourage you to join the club. Come to a meeting (see the calendar) or contact the Membership Chair for more information.

BMWBMW welcomes motorcycle riders on all marques, but as we are specifically a BMW club, we have found our members gain more from the fellowship if they own or are at least interested in owning a BMW motorcycle. Antique, airhead, oilhead, camhead, hexhead or wethead — all are welcome here.

snowzilla, moto-movies, eggs and avocado

From the President

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Snowzilla (the moniker adopted for the January snow storm) took the D.C. metro by …well, storm. No doubt, some riders strap some chains on, put rivets in their tires and hit the snow drifts at speed. (I don’t recommend this.) The rest of the two-wheeled world is hunkered down, dreaming of spring. These can be dark times for the motorcyclist: the bike is just sitting there! It wants to be ridden, it wants to explore. Despite the challenges that mother nature throws at us in the MidAtlantic this time of year, there are a number of ways to participate in the sport.

1. READ Read a motorcycle-focused book. I recom-mend using some of this downtime to study up. Re-read David Hough, learn a new riding strategy from Lee Parks, andKen Condon will teach you how to focus on that perfect line. Want to yearn? Read a motorcycle travel book and be transported! Read Ted Simon’s follow-on to “Jupiter’s Travels,” “Dreaming of Jupiter.” If you want to think about what this life, snow included, is all about, (re)read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

2. WATCH A FILM Pass the evenings by living the motorcycle life virtually! Start your moto-movie-binge with the classics: “Easy Rider,” “On Any Sunday,” “The Fastest Indian.” After you have a baseline of moto-movie culture, work your way into racing flicks. “Closer to the Edge” will get you make you lust after or develop a healthy fear of the Isle of Man. “Faster” and “Fastest” will up your Moto GP IQ by at least 20 points.

3. FARKLE If you are lucky enough to have a garage, get out there. Fire up the Salamander and get out the metric tool kit. This is a good time to add that new Skene Design LED set. Put “Photon Blasters” on the front forks for good measure. You know you wanted to move that GPS mount for months, so let’s do it. Upside, you can enjoy a fine beverage while wrenching because you aren’t going anywhere any time soon.

4. LURK You aren’t the only one who is having a rough go of this! We have four fine marque dealerships and several independent shops in the D.C. area. Hop in

your cage and visit them. They need consoling as much as the rest of us, and they aren’t in a position to read or watch a movie. Call ahead and offer to bring coffee and donuts for the staff. They will love you forever.

5. TRAVEL Get on a plane and get out! The Southwest and the West coast have plenty of opportunities to rent a bike. Snowzilla is breathing its icy cold breath on D.C. as I write this and I am sitting in a cafe in San Diego. I went for a walk and my friends made me fresh eggs and avocado. The Pacific shoreline is a mile away and it is calling my name. I cannot even hear Snow-zilla roaring from here.

If you are currently ramping off of snow-drifts, good for you. The rest of us will be nestled up by the fire, reading a good motorcycle book or eating a fish taco by the sea. One day we will wake up and the beast will have snuck away, the roads clear, and the crazy cagers back in action. Our newly-farkled bikes will spring to life with a twist of the key (or a push of a button) and it will feel like magic. See you on the road soon enough!

Ride (read, watch, farkle, and travel) Safe!

Kurtis Minder President

Lobby Day By Matthew Eichner

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As I continued through January with my efforts to figure out what a Government Affairs chair does or should do, an announcement by the Virginia Coalition of Motorcyclists (VCOM) that they would be holding a “lobby day” event caught my eye. According to a recent story in the Washington Post, Lobby Day is one day “set aside each year for amateur arm-twisters to press their case with elected leaders.” The day this year was January 19, right before the highly-compressed legislative sessions begin in Richmond. VCOM was meeting on January 18 to review the bills that are on the legislative agenda this year, and to provide education and guidance to members who might like to visit their representatives the following day. I saw this as an opportunity to understand the current state of play on motorcycling issues in one of the three jurisdictions in which (most) BMWBMW members live, and perhaps to identify some proposals that we should be tracking in Maryland and DC as well. A quick call to VCOM put me in touch with Matt Danielson, who made it clear that I was welcome to join them as they prepared for Lobby Day. So, on the 18th, I rode down to Richmond on the K75 despite well-predicted snow showers that day (an experience which, by the way, taught me that even when traction is ample, visibility may still be a serious challenge). If Lobby Day is about “amateur” arm-twisting, there was nothing amateur about the VCOM prep session. Matt seems to function as what we in metro-DC would refer to as a legislative

director for VCOM, a role he combines with his day job as a plaintiff’s lawyer following stints as a police officer and pros-ecutor. He and his team, which apparently includes his two very capable young daughters, had prepared folders for the hundred or so attendees containing summaries of the many bills introduced bearing on motorcycling, directly or indirectly. We were a pretty diverse group, representing all corners of the Commonwealth, ages, ethnic backgrounds, and riding styles. (I, however, was the only one who hailed from Maryland as best I could tell.) Matt began his presentation with a general description of the “state of relations” between the Commonwealth of Virginia and the motorcycling community. His key message was that the relationship has stabilized in a fairly productive and constructive way over the past several years. He described a time in the recent past when the Virginia motorcyclists were confronted with a lot of intrusive measures focused on “stupid stuff” and singling out motorcyclists, for example measures proscribing multiple taillights and outlawing kids riding with their moms or dads as passengers. Now, in contrast to four or five years ago, he described motorcyclists as no longer being singled out. However, he noted that there was still a need to stay on top of public policy issues and engage on a number of technical drafting questions involving various pieces of proposed legislation. In that spirit, he went on to cover the landscape, in terms

of every bill that was introduced in either the Virginia House or the Senate this year, offering a VCOM position and in many cases a lot of history and context. A couple of broad themes were evident: Many bills dealt with standards for equipment that is or is not permitted on motorcycles. VCOM supports several measures that permit additional headlights and auxiliary sidelights for enhanced visibility, but at the same time is concerned that the acceptable and proscribed equipment be clearly delineated. In this vein, auxiliary side lighting seems to be a particular challenge, as the State Police will only support legislation that references established standards, for example promulgated by DOT or SAE. Yet such standards don’t exist for such motorcycle lighting, making the discussion a bit Kafkaesque. Another key theme involves extending the same protections that the legislature is providing (or considering providing) to other motorists to motorcyclists. VCOM was, for example, preparing to engage to encourage expansion of bills proscribing certain insurance claim practices for automobiles to sweep in all motor vehicles, that is including motorcycles, and welcomed a bill that would protect motorcycles (along with aircraft, boats, locomotives, and other railroad rolling stock) from malicious mischief. There was also a group of bills focused on motor vehicle safety more generally. VCOM supported in practice a measure that would eliminate automatic reckless driving charges for exceeding a speed of eighty miles per hour, given that the current speed limit in many parts of Virginia is actually 70 miles per hour, and supported in principle, while doubting their effectiveness, measures to increase penalties for distracted driving. Finally, VCOM supported another technical fix to statutory language that had rendered most motorcycle training courses apart from the MSF BRC, including track days and Lee Parks Total Control courses, illegal as they do not meet requirements for obtaining a DMV waiver for a motorcycle license. Continued on the next page.

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Lobby Day Cont’d

While much of the discussion focused on the rights of motorcyclists in Virginia, and how to protect and expand those rights, VCOM also devoted consider-able attention over the course of the afternoon to the responsibilities of motorcyclists, especially where safety is concerned. Several speakers, including a senior MSF instructor and the owners of APEX Cycle Education, spoke about training and safety. A key theme was motorcycle safety is “on us”, as evidenced by the fact that, of the 2000 motorcycle crashes reported thus far for 2015, almost half or 926 to be exact were single vehicle incidents. The MSF instructor pointed the audience toward the TREDS (Traffic Records Electronic Data System) as an invaluable source of information on crashes in Virginia, useful both for identifying trends in motor-cyclist performance (and training opportunities) and highlighting to local authorities trouble spots. He noted that, while more than 30,000 persons enrolled in training across Virginia in 2015, there were only 12 Experienced Rider Courses (ERCs) offered due to light demand. However, the owner of APEX noted that they were seeing considerable demand for some advanced training, notably for their on-street, in-traffic course utilizing the new MSF curriculum. By the way, Matt sent around a subsequent update to those attending the January 18event noting that another bill had unexpectedly been dropped which would have eliminated tolls for motorcycles across the Commonwealth. Based on my experi-ence, including returning from the VCOM event in Richmond using the I95 Express Lanes, I was always somewhat envious of Virginia motorcyclists and their EZPass-free use of both the Express Lanes and Beltway HOT Lanes (even as they pay the same rates as cars on the Dulles Tollroad). This measure is expected to have some significant headwinds in the current budgetary environment. But its introduction, and the stark contrast in its approach to the general absence of any relief on tolls for motorcyclists in Maryland, makes me think that the history of debate around tolls for motorcycles, which after all have some real benefits in the commuting context that rival those of carpooling, would be interesting to review in a future BTS submission. So maybe that is something for me as the Government Affairs chair to consider for March or April.

Matthew J. EichnerGovernment Affairs Chair

matthew.j.eichner@gmail.com

the safety scene By SCOTT KEIMIG

Hey there! So you thought you had seen the last of me in these pages, eh? Well, so did I, but to quote Michael Corleone “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” With some gentle coercion from Kurtis (he made an offer I can’t refuse), I signed on to try on the Safety Chair for a while. As I recall when I joined this outfit in 1995, I indicated on the enrollment form that I would be interested in helping out in the club safety activities. I never heard a formal response back until Kurtis remembered me in a weak moment mumbling something about the safety slot and called me out – paybacks are heck! Like many of you I have followed the club activities in relation to safe riding over a couple decades and have seen some valuable work by my predeces-sors. I have some general ideas on what the chair activities could entail but thought it wise to see what the club bylaws state. Here it is: “The Safety Committee is responsible for the promotion of safe riding practices by club members and for coordination of the activities of the club in the promotion of greater safety for all motorcyclists.” Great, that allows us lots of latitude to define some tasks for the year. I will list some thoughts later on this page, but what I really want is to hear from you what you want to see the club provide. I would love to hear your ideas and work them into our 2016 program. You can shoot me an email at: safety@bmwbmw.org. Or you can bend my ear at the club events. The sooner I hear from you the sooner we can get on it. First a few words on my bona fides qualifying my role as the club safety guy. Succinctly, I can ride a motorcycle and I know a little about safety and risk management. On the motorcycling side, I have been riding street bikes since 1969 (and dirt bikes before that). I’ve had a succession of bikes over the years, first Asian bikes and more recently European machines, and I am still questing for the perfect bike, should there be such a beast. My own training on how to ride was via the school of hard knocks, and while that’s the harshest way to learn, my many lessons gained through bruises and busted gear are imprinted permanently in my temporal lobes. Deep down I knew there must be a better way to learn how to ride, so maybe that was why I signed on to become a Motorcycle Safety Foundation instructor back in 1996 and then a Total Control Instructor ten years later. While I haven’t maintained a record of students I’ve trained, it must be several thousand. [There are a couple alumni in the club, but they’re honor-bound to secrecy due to the code of omerta ;-) ] If you’ve read my President’s Columns the past couple years, then most of the previous paragraph is not new. Unlike riding, I generally don’t talk much about my career, but my profession does figure into the safety gig, so here it is. I have two graduate degrees in preventive medicine and environmental health sciences and parlayed that training into 30 years as a safety and environmental health manager and researcher; about equal halves in academia and Federal government. While some of my qualifications won’t trans-late too well into motorcycle safety (radiation protection, biosafety, infection control), some of my proficiencies, to include hearing conservation, ergonomics, risk manage-ment, traffic safety, industrial hygiene, and human factors

engineering, all play roles in motosafety. I plan to devote at least one monthly column to each of these six topics in relation to motosafety. These topics will entail both my beliefs (which may or may not be true for your riding) and the expressed opinions of experts in the field of motosafety. In my mind there are no abso-lutes in motorcycle riding other than it can be a dangerous activity; even if you believe your riding is 100% blameless you can be hurt and hurt others, you can experience significant property damage, and you and a passenger can be fatally injured. This is my mantra, learned through the school of hard knocks, and I believe should be imprinted in your temporal lobes hopefully via training, study, and practice rather than hard knocks.Some club members have asked whether the club will coordinate for advanced skills training for members. This appears feasible especially for Total Control, MSF-ERC Suite and ProRider classes. These classes each have their own “flavor” of skills development ranging from high performance techniques useful for track days and safer street riding when confronted with challenging roads and conditions. Some classes emphasize slow-speed techniques to improve very tight turnarounds in limited spaces, while other classes provide defensive skills necessary for sharing the road with other vehicles whose drivers may assign their Facebook textings as greater priority than your safety. There is also the possibility of off-road skills training. We need to hear from you on your interests in these offerings.

Scott KeimigSafety Chair

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Holiday Party Wrap-Up By KURTIS MINDER

If for some unfortunate reason you didn’t attend the holiday party, you missed a great social occasion with fellow club members, awards were given, presenta-tions, and fantastic food was served! Our own Alain Roussel’s La Ferme in Chevy Chase welcomed us back for our annual Holiday Party / Brunch on Sunday the 17th. Nearly 80 club members attended, greeted by Alain and staff while pictures of Alain’s cross India trip projected on the wall above. Each year the members trickle in during the social hour. During the first hour old friends catch up and banter about the weather (it was snowing this year.) As the hour comes to a close, everyone settles into their seats and we fill the dining room. We kicked off by welcoming the club and Alain said a few words about the lunch and about his India trip. “..the food was terrible…”, Alain said of his India trip. Ironic words from the mouth of a purveyor some of the finest french cuisine in the DC metro area. The host walked the club through the photos and explained the challenges of cycling in India. Following, his staff began taking brunch food orders. I stood up during the desert course to announce the 2016 board of directors and committee chairs. They are as follows:

Kurtis Minder, President Andy Dooley, Vice President Shannon Krammes, Secretary Mike Potter, Treasurer Karen Ager, Membership Media, VACANT (Volunteer!) Kris Getz, Webmaster Sales, Greg KrammesEvents, VACANT (Volunteer!) Editor, VACANT (Volunteer!) Rides, Bruce Dimon Tech, Wes Fleming (Chiba!) Government, Matthew Eichner Safety, Scott Keimig

Club member Matt Brewer took the microphone to talk us through the logistics of an international motor-cycle rental and tour. His presentation included fantastic photo’s of his and his wife Cate’s trip to New Zealand. “…we just couldn’t stop at every beautiful vista and take a picture, or we wouldn’t get anywhere…”, Brewer reported. The presentation inspired a series of questions and comments about the trip and the bike rental process. Considering the snow falling outside the restaurant, everyone was itching to get on their bike and ride the fjords of the New Zealand countryside. We celebrated our member of the year, Jose Abiles, who has contributed much to the club in the last couple years. Jose stood up to receive his plaque and I waxed poetic about his early mornings running

coffee at the Square Route Rally, his contributions to the club’s organized rides, and his general good nature. Congratulations Jose, we are glad to have you as a member of the club and team! A new hall of fame member was announced, as well. Ed Phelps, who was not in attendance, was awarded Hall of Fame status for his decades of contributions to the club, including years managing the rides contests, curating the club Oktoberfest, and general support of the organization. Ed, who follows Paul Mihaulka on the Hall of Fame plaque, was an easy selection for the BOD. Congratulations, Ed. The 2015 mileage contest winners highlighted the club’s commit-ment to riding. Greg Krammes took the mike to award the following club members their mileage award certificates:

First Place Male at 32,704 miles - Christopher Russell-Wood First Place Female at 24,925 miles - Lisa Hecker Second Place Male at 18,854 miles - Jim Patton Second Place Female at 9,434 miles - Elsie Smith Third Place Male at 12.131 miles - Paul Wilson Third Place Female at 5,289 miles - Faye Russell First Place Sidecar at 1,420 miles - Wes Fleming (Chiba!)

Congratulations, riders! I know we have folks who are riding significant mileage, please jump in the race and compete for next years awards! Of course, the best part of the event is saved for last. We handed out fantastic door prizes contributed by our local dealers and club members. Contributions from Battley’s, Bob’s BMW, Morton’s BMW, Motorcycles of Dulles, Karen Ager, and Jerry Skene were presented to the lucky ticket holders. Prizes included a BMW commemorative gift box, the BMW Mottorad Beer Stein (one even with beer!) and the newest Skene Design LED tail lights! We are lucky to have such a strong support network with independent motorcycle business and four dealerships int he area. The club would like to offer a hearty thanks to each of the sponsors, we couldn’t do this without you. That concludes the wrap up! A special thank you to Alain Roussel and the staff at La Ferme for their talent and service during the party. I think I speak for the entire club and each of the attendees when I say they are a class act. You may have noticed the word “VACANT” next to a few of the BOD chair positions. At the moment I am fulfilling each of those positions while also manning the President role. While, I enjoy contributing, I am not able to do these positions justice. Please, if you can spare a an hour a week, volunteer to help. Volunteering for the club has not only brought me closer to some of the best people in motorcycling, but it has been fulfilling in so many ways. I appreciate the consideration.

Photos byAndy DooleyOpposite, bottom: El Presi-

dente Kurtissimo preaches from the Book of Life, AKA the R 1200 GS Owner’s Manual. Sales Chair Greg Krammes prepares to read from a list of Friends of the Club or possibly read a door prize winning number. This page: Kurtis addresses the gathered masses and two shots of the massive yet inviting main dining room at La Ferme.

BMW Bikers of Metropolitan Washington // Karen Ager, Membership Chair // PO Box 44735 // Fort Washington, MD 20749-4735

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