What
a Great Year of Motorcycling
14
Months – 40,000+ Miles – 6 Bikes
(Continued) by Doug Hines
Sturgis 2000
After
the West trip, I took my bike in for a service and the dealer gave me a K1200LT
to ride all morning while he worked on mine.
Nice bike I thought. I think
this will make a better touring bike than the Harley Electra Glide. In August we plan to go to the Sturgis Rally
with 11 other Harley bikes and riders.
I said, “I think I’ll buy me one of those K1200LT’s this winter so I’ll
advertise this Harley on the internet and when I get back from Sturgis maybe
I’ll have some leads.” I put the Harley
for sale on the Internet at 4:30pm on Friday as I was leaving work and it was
sold the next morning by 11:00am to a guy in North Carolina. He flew over that
afternoon picked it up and was gone. My
wife looked at me and said, “I’m not riding on the back of the R1100RT all the
way to Sturgis and back. I like the tall back rest on the Harley, so what’s
you’re plan?” I called our dealer in
Bentonville and picked up a new K1200LT just in time to put 600 miles for the
service and then head to Sturgis. It’s
great to have a wife that encourages you to buy a new bike. The Harley riders weren’t too happy by
having a BMW in the crowd but my wife was happy. She liked the LT better than
the Harley. After traveling 500 to 700
miles/day easily on the BMW I thought I was going to go crazy loafing along
with these Harley’s taking 4 days to go 1300 miles. On the 4th day as we were approaching the Black Hills
of South Dakota there was a straight stretch of road ahead as far as I could
see. I was riding in the back of the
Harley pack mainly because they ride so close together and are such throttle
jockeys that they rubber band each other all day long driving me nuts. Our trip leader had given implicit
instructions, that we ride staggered, and no one passes the road captain up
front. Well, after 4 days of this, when
I saw that straight stretch of road ahead, I just couldn’t help it. I dropped
that K12 into 4th gear and let the hammer down. As I passed our trip leader and road captain
in the lead, I shifted into 5th gear at 125 mph and just let it
go. My wonderful wife never said a word
as I just kept on letting that Beemer go. I just had to get it out of my
system. Three other Harley’s lit in
behind me. One rider had a hopped up
FatBoy claiming to have 105 hp. We ran
off and left those guys so far behind, it was shameful. The FatBoy owner later that evening was
sitting on my K12 admiring all the features and said, “You know what, these
Harley’s are only good to ride around town for about 25 miles and go home and
get a beer and stand there and look and talk about them. This bike is made to
ride.” How true, How true. Sturgis was not the place for me. I wouldn’t even say it’s a place you should
see at least once. I’ll never go back during the rally. However, there is some beautiful roads and
country in the area. You just can’t enjoy them with that many people there. My wife and I didn’t want to spend 4 days
coming back so we took off on our own for the return trip and made it in 2
days. The second day we covered 750
miles even with my wife being a high maintenance rider and definitely not an
endurance rider. We would ride for 45 minutes and stop for 10-15 all day long. I think the only reason she was up for it
was that she wanted to see those 4 grandsons.
By the way, the twins are 2 years old and the first thing they do upon
arriving at our house is head for the shop to sit on the bikes and play with
all the buttons, set off the alarms, and twist knobs. They love it and their day is coming.
Well,
now I have three BMW’s and it’s time to choose which one to keep. I sold the K1200RS because with my short
arms I could not get comfortable for an all day ride. However, this bike is the smoothest piece of machinery I’ve ever
had between my legs. And with 130 hp,
what a blast! The bike that I would
keep would be the R1100RT hands down if I only rode by myself. It does everything very well and is very
comfortable and will haul as much luggage as the LT. However, with my wife in mind I will sell the RT and keep the LT.
New England and Canada Tour
Now
that I’m really getting the hang of this motorcycle touring and loving it more
and more, I say to my wife, “Honey, I’ve never traveled in the New England
states and it will be gorgeous with all the fall colors.” She said, “Let’s go, but I’ll fly up and
meet you for a week and then fly back home this time.” I told you earlier, I have a wonderful
wife. I really think the only reason
she goes on all these trips with me is to eat.
I have found out that if I feed her real good, she is a happy
camper. So I start planning the trip.
During
planning the trip, I recalled how many times I had to stop and pull out a map
to see where I was and where I was going.
Therefore, I ordered me a new Garmin Colormap Street Pilot GPS. I know all you Beemer riders are thinking –
That’s what tank bags are for, dummy.
Well, you’ll have to forgive me, but I’ll never ride a bike with a tank
bag. As a pilot, they teach us cockpit
management and not to get the cockpit cluttered up. I’m sorry, but a bike going down the road with a tank bag
sticking up in your chest, looks like a gypsy wagon going down the road. I looked at many GPS installations on the
Internet and most of them looked the same way.
Therefore, to get the uncluttered look I was after, I had to take almost
every fairing piece on the bike off to get the GPS mounted and wired in a
manner that would conceal all the wires.
But I was successful, and I’ll have to admit, for making long trips this
is the best investment I have ever made for a bike accessory.
I
left the house at 5am on a Saturday morning heading East after having made
arrangements to pick my wife up in Portland, Maine the following Saturday. I
was in Knoxville, TN by 1pm and headed for the famous Dragon Tooth Highway at
Deal’s Gap. This was out of my way, but I had heard too much about it not to go
take a look. This is the road that has 311 curves in 11 miles. Bought me a T-shirt to show that I had been
there and done that, I hit the road again to try and find the Blue Ridge
Motorcycle campground next to the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is really a nice motorcycle campground. Clean with good food
and the owner doesn’t put up with any rowdiness at all. Met a lot of nice fellow bikers and had some
good home cooking. My plan was to ride
the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive for the next day and half and arrive
at my fellow pilot and best friend’s house in Winchester, VA. I left out on Sunday morning with a crisp
temperature of 28 degrees. Glad I took my down sleeping bag. However, I just flipped on the heated grips,
the heated seat, and my electric vest and I was toasty and comfortable. I pulled in my friend’s house the next day at
1pm, with the GPS giving me turn instructions right through town and took me to
his doorstep. The Blue Ridge is a
beautiful and twisty road that is fun. The speed limit is 45 mph, but this time
of year there was not much traffic and made it fun.
On
Tuesday morning I leave my friend’s house in pouring down rain and head north
with Niagara Falls as my destination for the night. Around 2PM the rain finally stops and I’m feeling better with the
sun shining. At 3PM, I am at the New York State line and stop to take a picture
of my bike with the sign. I have quite a collection of motorcycle and state
signs by now. Four miles up the road on
Highway 219 I almost met my maker. Highway
219 is a four lane divided road with intersections. Each intersection has a left
turn lane and a right turn deceleration lane as well as the two northbound
lanes. I was zipping along at 75 mph
when an 80-year-old gentleman decides he wants to make a U-turn from the right
deceleration lane right in front of me. All I remember is this red fender in my
face. I am thrown over my bike, over
the hood of his car, and land in the oncoming lanes of traffic. After I stopped sliding, I remember hearing
my bike tearing down the pavement and crashing into the guardrail. As I was laying there, I remember thinking,
“You know what, I think I feel fine, thank you, Jesus.” As I got up, traffic was stopping all around
me and some MT’s on their way home from work looked me over. I felt fine and only had a slight skin
scrape on my right hip. No blood and no protruding bones. However, my helmet
had large gashes, my new Roadcrafter jacket was ripped up on the right shoulder
and back, my Darien pants were torn along the side, and my boots had a big gash
in them. After about 15 minutes I
decided to go have a look at my bike and was it a sad site. It had busted the crankcase open with oil
drained all over the ground and to my surprise the engine was still
running. I called the BMW Roadside
Assistance number and they sent a wrecker to haul my bike off. Lucky for me, I
had 2 witnesses that stayed and verified what happen to the state trooper and
the gentleman in the car was given a ticket for illegal U-Turn in which his
insurance company finally took 100% liability.
While waiting for the wrecker, I had to make some decisions. I had a
week of non-refundable reservations next week when my wife arrived. Was I going to fly home and cancel the trip,
rent a car and finish the trip, rent a bike and finish the trip, or buy a new
bike and finish the trip? I opted for
the new bike. I rented me a car, drove to Buffalo, New York and picked a new
2001 K1200LT up, loaded it up, and headed for Maine. I called my wife and told her I had a new bike and the trip is
still a go, just bring me a rain suit as my Roadcrafter is no longer
waterproof. I spent two days traveling through upper New York and Vermont.
Saturday morning I pulled into Milford, NH at the Second Wind BMW shop to get a
600-mile service. Having the service completed, I headed for Portland, Maine to
pick my wife up at the airport by 4pm.
As usual, they canceled her flight at LaGuardia airport and she arrived
at 8pm. There was not one motel bed in
the whole city of Portland (all of those leaf watchers) and the nearest motel I
could find was 70 miles up the road. It
was dark, raining hard and foggy and I couldn’t keep my helmet shield clear to
see the road. I put my emergency
flashers on and tried my best to keep a 50 mph pace so all that interstate
traffic wouldn’t run over me. That was
the most intense ride of the whole trip with the only exception being run over
by the New Yorker. We spent the next two days in Maine, eating lobster, touring
Arcadia National Park, eating lobster, touring all the little fishing villages,
and eating lobster and seafood. On
Tuesday we headed for 3 days in New Hampshire to see all the colorful fall
foliage. We stayed in North Conway,
which is close to Mt. Washington, the highest peak east of the Mississippi
River, and the infamous Kanamangus Highway.
This is beautiful country with very friendly people. We spent one day
touring the foliage in Vermont and finished in Burlington where my wife would
fly home the next morning.
I
dropped my wife off at the Burlington airport at 7am and headed North into
Quebec. It must be in the French genes. The French speaking Canadians in Quebec
were rude, crude, and unhelpful. They won’t even put up English road signs.
With the help of the GPS and finally figuring out that “Quest” meant West, it
took me 1-½ hours to get through Montreal. Spent the next 2 days touring
through Ontario where it was beautiful with wonderful people. Went over the top
of the Great Lakes and down through Thunder Bay and back into the states at
Duluth, MN. The fall colors and scenery
in Ontario were outstanding. In Duluth
I stopped at the AeroStitch factory and let them take a look at my Roadcrafter
jacket after the crash. They said it would cost too much to repair and that it
was totaled but I could get a 20% discount on a new one for surviving a crash
in one of their suits. I ordered me new
Darien pants and Roadcrafter jacket and purchased me a new helmet. I spent the
night in Minneapolis, MN. Leaving at 6am the next morning, I traveled the 850
miles to Little Rock in one day and completed another wonderful bike trip.
So
in one year I have upped my daily trip mileage from 100 miles on my first
Harley to 850 on my BMW and am now convinced that a thousand miles in one day
is very obtainable. The 850-mile trip
from Minneapolis was very easy and half of that was on 2 lane roads down Hwy 65
from Kansas City. Will be a walk in the
park if done all on the interstate.
However, the Ironbutt award is only a piece of paper and I ride bikes
for fun. I don’t see much fun in riding a thousand miles on the interstate
unless I do it from Little Rock to Denver next July for the national rally in
Oregon. There is not much to see between here and Denver anyway. If anyone wishes to have more details about
any of these routes, feel free to contact me anytime at 501-580-4747 or email
at drhines@yahoo.com.
Looking back over the past year, the
best thing I did was to attend a motorcycle racing school at the Mid-Ohio
racetrack put on by FasTrak (www.fastone.com). They would not let us get on the track
unless you had on full racing leathers or a RoadCrafter suit. There were 19 of us and 6 guys crashed. After seeing all 6 bikers get up and walk
off from their wrecks, it made a believer out of me for wearing the right
protective gear. After the school the
first thing I did was to order my AeroStitch gear. It probably saved my life
during the crash in New York.
MO‑KAN GUZZI GATHERING 2000
by Lee Kubicki
The 15th MO‑KAN
Guzzi rally held the same weekend as Ozark Hillbilly is a mighty fine fun time,
and I'd like to extend an invitation to all for 2001.
The rally site
is the Pony Express Campground near Maysville, MO., approx. 24 mi. E. of St.
Joseph. A large rolling site some shade, showers, clean roomy biffies,
clubhouse and store. There was plenty of firewood furnished (as at Falling
Leaf) so the evening BS sessions had the required atmosphere for good
storytelling. The club cooked Brats & Burgers W/sides Fri. evening, BBQ and
fixins Sat. night, and there was a pancakes & bacon or sausage ($3.00)
available Sat. morn. Fri. & Sat. were done outdoors on the grill next to
the FREE BEER tent, yes, no foolin', 3 flavors. Pin, door prizes, 50‑50,
rally shirts and coffee mugs were offered. OOPPS, pin & door prize were of
course part of rally fee, along W/food and camping.
There were
Cycle Games, well attended as they were open to all, one event won by a young
kid on a HD chopper right out of the 60's, jockey shift and all, Watching Ace
Mallott going thru with 1 child in front and l(even 2) behind was showing a
true example of family fun togetherness.
You should be
advised that I won 3rd in my class at the well represented Bike Show (well OK
there were only 3 in that division) the chopper won Non‑Guzzi over some
pretty sparkled up Jap & Euro machines. Oh, had I only brought the Vespa.
An Observation
Run, about 120 mi, $3.00(?) ea. and paying back 50‑30‑20 was setup
for Sat., hell no I didn't win, nor in over 30 yrs. riding lime bags, poker,
map, obser, and all and sundry of these events have I EVER WON. The run is thru
the pretty rolling NW MO. area, interesting and you needed to pay attention as
Que. were pretty tough. This part of MO. was settled long before the Civil War
(War of Northern Aggression), and lots of the tall, narrow, arched window
houses are still around, scenic and historical.
This was the
first time attending this rally, but fersur; it's on the repeat list. You are
all invited as Guzzi rallies, like BMW are open to all like bikes and non‑violent
fun gatherings. (who)
When announced I'll let the
newsletter know date, etc..
Just a little
tag on, not about the rally. About mid Sept. I was out noodlin' around on the
bike and saw on I‑40 near Clarksville 2 Goldwings, each with the
requisite color matched bike‑riders‑trailer, no TRAILERS, each bike
had in tow a camper type AND a cargo trailer, they couldn't of left much at
home. Must be a pisser at the tollbooths, weigh in at 2000# MAX. and pay a
4-axle charge!
Product Report: T. S. CUSTOM M/C SEAT
BY LEE KUBICKI
At many of the clubs functions
I've attended, plus other rallies, & etc., I'd seen and heard of this ~
that custom seat. One I'd liked and was praised by the owner is on Eddie
Daniel's bike. It looked both good, sharp, cool and, mostly comfortable, (mostly
important).
Anyhow, this summer my butt gave
out and just the short trip to Manny's Party at Grove OK, this August had me
hurting. Thankfully Ed was there and gave me the makers PH #.
I contacted him and after some
talk decided to ride up and see him. One reason, I'm very interested another it
would be cheaper than paying the long distance charges of staying on the phone.
BOY‑HOWDY, this is a VISITOR, nice, interesting conversationalist, fun,
neat shop and all, describes how seat is made, materials, and why, in detail.
We met talked, talked... and then
while I sat on the bike, he looked, measured, asked questions (about the way I
ride, posture, distance, etc.). (inseam, weight‑didn't lie either‑etc.)
Then, back to the shop, all the
materials available, colors, extras (Moto Guzzi logo ~ flag), price, the whole
9yd's. I got a price that seemed fair enough‑‑ $340.00, and a
delivery date,(overly optimistic it turned out). No deposit required, I'm local
and he has my seat as hostage! OK.
Well, I've had the seat on for over 2000 mi. and am ever so
pleased, fersure, trips of up to(so far) 400+ in comfort, solid, secure seat
position, all that jazz. Want a new seat call:
Tom Simmons,
T. S. Custom Sales, 2607 W. Howard Nickell Rd.
Fayetteville,
AR 72704 PH (501) 521-7339
From the Editor’s Desk
by Rod Kilduff
New Members –
Welcome to the Club!
Frank
& Debi Floyd – Tulsa, OK
Tom
Burks – Little Rock, AR
2001 Dues
Yep,
it’s that time again. Time for your
2001 dues, you can mail them in anytime or bring them to the club meeting in
March.
There
are still a few folks who have not paid their 2000 dues. I have started dropping people who are more
than two years behind.
Your
address label shows the month and year that you are paid up to. If it doesn’t say “01/02” you still owe. The
dues are $10 for an individual or $15 for a family membership.
Wanted
Newsletter material: Always
I
am still soliciting for newsletter articles.
With this issue I have used up everything that I have. Send that article you have been going to
write for the past year. Also many thanks to those of you; who have submitted
material already. You are allowed to send in more.
Wanted Newsletter Editor
We are still looking for a permanent Newsletter Editor. I really would like to get some new talent doing this newsletter. I’m afraid after 8 years plus that I am beginning to get a bit stale. Surely someone out there would like to try their creativity.
New Years Day Ride
Did
anyone go? If so you are a braver
person than I. As far as I know between
the ice storms and snow nobody tried. I
know I didn’t go to find out! In the 12
years the club has been doing these January 1st rides this is, if memory serves me, only the third to be
weathered out.
Annual Meeting
Our Club Annual Planning Meeting will
be on March 17th, at 12:00 noon,
at the Western Sizzlin Restauraunt in Conway. Just of I-40 exit 127.
We will be planning the coming years activities, finalizing Rally Plans, selecting a Rally
Shirt design and picking a new newsletter editor (we are aren’t we?)
Activities
Mar
17th – Naturally Beemers Annual Meeting
Our Club Annual Planning Meeting will
be on March 17th, at 12:00 noon,
at the Western Sizzlin Restauraunt in Conway. Just of I-40 exit 127.
We will be planning the coming years activities, finalizing Rally Plans, selecting a Rally
Shirt design
May
18 - 20 - Naturally Beemers Natural
State Rally
FLEA
MARKET
There is no
charge for the ad; we only ask that you be honest and fair. Naturally Beemers
is not responsible for the quality of the items or any transactions made
because of the ad. Ads will run for two
issues of the newsletter unless extended.
Don’t forget
the 10% Club Member Discount at
Bentonville Cycle Sales
Classic
1975 R90/6 with unmodified drivetrain. Breaker points, heavy #10 flywheel,
5-speed, Large 6.0 gal. Tank model. Proper detachable hard bags with rack. S
model bars and faring with clock and voltmeter. Stainless brakeline, fresh rear
main seal, good tires and batt. A gentleman’s daily rider with 60K miles.
Arkansas antique MC tags. Excellent and ready to ride. Too many. $3500.00 Scott
Boggs Phone 501-268-4775, e-mail boggs@mail.cswnet.com
1992
Buell RS1200 "Westwind". One of 30 produced in 92’, only 6 of this
"gunmetal metallic grey" color. Total production of the Westwind RS
was only 202 1989-93. This 1203 cc Sportster engine is the later 5-speed
Harley-Davidson Evolution version. The chassis is based upon a racing design
using the engine as a stressed member with the swingarm mounted to the rear of
the motor. The WP suspension is from Holland and fully adjustable. Features
also include Mitchell spun aluminum wheels and a Performance Machine six-piston
front brake. The bike has the RSS model dash and instruments. Stock in
appearance it has some intelligent engine modifications ordered new with the
bike. Screaming Eagle carb., air filter kit, hi-performance cams, ignition, and
oil cooler, plug wires. Rear wheel HP is estimated to be 75-80. Dry weight is
listed, as 450-lbs. Stock gearing would allow nearly 150 mph at redline. It is
reliable, fast, rare, unique, and comfortable even for two-up riding. The
rubber-mounted engine transfers no vibration to the rider. The bike had a
retail price in 1992 of $16,495.00 MSRP before options. I have installed new
original spec. Dunlop K591SP sport compound tires. The mileage is only a
pampered 4K. Selling price is $9995. Phone 501-268-2705, e-mail boggs@mail.cswnet.com Scott Boggs.
McRae, Arkansas.
2000
R1100RT, red, 1200 miles, Like new with top case and Bob's throttle Rest,
$13,500, 501-301-3159
94
R1100RS, ABS, 46K mi. color matching bags(ivory), Bar Backs, Parabellum
Windshield, Throttle
Lock
RT tail rack which accepts Top Case and Throttle Lock. $7200
Contact
Harlan Brown @501-666-7844
$2950. 1976 R/75/6, has hard bags, Rifle fairing, crash bars, good tires, new switches for lights and turn signals, has had heads rebuilt, Koni shocks, carbs were rebuilt, small back luggage rack, and a short backrest on seat. Oh, and aftermarket coils, too. Second owner, and had it since '80. Email Diana_Brodie@excite.com or call at 870-447-2833, best time to call is from 4:30 to 5 p.m
Naturally
Beemers
The BMW M/C
Club of Arkansas
BMWMOA CLUB #181
Chartered 2/88
BMWRA CLUB #74
Chartered 4/91
Steering
Committee
Donnie
Rice....................President
Otto
Ising.................Vice President
Elmer
Sveda.........................Activities
Rod
Kilduff.....Secretary / Treasurer / Newsletter
Annual
Membership Dues:
$10.00 for Solo
$15.00 for Family
Send
correspondence to:
Rod Kilduff
822 Donaghey Ave.
Conway, AR. 72032
rod.kilduff@conwaycorp.net