April
20th was a fine day for our poker run. The weather was perfect. Overcast and in
the mid 60s with an occasional ray of sunshine.
15 - 20 riders participated in three or four groups as we rode the back
roads of northern Kentucky collecting card picks at Rabbit Hash, Burlington, and
Big Bone Lick State Park. Somewhere
shortly after Rabbit Hash, I came around a left hand turn and saw the whole
group with their bikes parked along the side of the road.
A bad feeling struck me immediately as I pull off to the side of the
road, Curt Nichols, who had just
been voted into club, had gone down wrecking his Classic R100RT.
Thankfully, Curt was wearing his protective gear and walked away from the
accident with just a few scratches. Curt's
bike however didn't fare so well. The
windshield, fairing, mirrors, and saddlebags were all broken off and I believe
the forks were bent. It wasn't a pretty sight, but at least Curt was OK.
Curt can smile… He walked away from a wreck.
Why I like to ride.
Riding a
motorcycle is such a rush. Whether
its commuting to work or getting out of town for a long weekend, riding to your
destination is so much more fun than caging it. I have four or five different ways to get to work.
I'll get up early in the morning on nice days just so I can leave early
and take the long way home. I also enjoy the planning process for longer trips.
I plot my route with my mapping software and plug in the waypoints into
the GPS and print off maps for the tank bag. I have an older Garmin GPS III and
while it may not get down to the street level, it does have the major roads, and
it gives me instant feedback of my direction.
Sometimes I veer off course if a road looks good and sometimes I get
lucky and find a really nice road that may get me as lost as you can be with a
GPS. When touring, I like to have a
plan, but part of the fun is not sticking to the plan and doing whatever you
want to do. That's the
freedom I love that touring gives me. I leave all the work and home life behind
and the journey takes on a new life of its own that is invigorating and
exciting. My senses heightened, I
see so much more on the bike. It
takes me to the prettiest places, and I look forward to seeing so much more. You can tell a lot about your surroundings by the
smells that you take in. I know
pigs smell worse than cows… found that out on my way across Indiana and
Illinois to the Hard to Be Humble Rally a few years back.
The
Prez Sez…
Well,
a big news item for me this weekend was the biker gang shoot-out in Laughlin,
Nevada. Reports indicate that 80,000 bikers were in town for the 20th
annual Laughlin
River Run, an AMA sanctioned event. Organizers expected to donate
$50,000 to several worthwhile charities. Unfortunately shooting broke out
between Hell’s Angels and Mongol gang members early Saturday morning on one of
the area casino’s gambling floors, resulting in three deaths, all gang
members. What great press for motorcycling. - AMA’s president, Rob Rasor said,
"We've
all fought long and hard to overcome old, negative stereotypes about
motorcyclists that have lingered since the 1950s. But an isolated incident
like this, caused by criminals who happen to ride motorcycles, does harm to us
all."
On
a much brighter note, at our April meeting Jerry Cummins volunteered to
coordinate our club’s entries in the MOA mileage contest. It would be great to
see more Greater Cincinnati member’s names among the finishers when the
contest results are announced, and Jerry has made it easy for your name
to be included. Just get your April 13th odometer readings to Jerry and he’ll
take care of getting the necessary signatures and having the entries postmarked
by May 15th. So you’ve got about 2 weeks to get your numbers to
Jerry. What are you waiting for???
George
Becker has offered to find out where the club’s volunteer spirit can best be
put to use at the BMW MOA International Rally. The idea is to have the club pull
a shift as a group at some rally activity. He’s contacted rally committee
chairs and has posted a poll on the club’s Yahoo group page. Although the
number of votes on the poll is somewhat low, registration seems to be most
popular, with tally and beer garden tied for second. I’ve also heard that our
resident Law Enforcement Officers and whoever else wants to join them will be
volunteering to man the rally gate. Stay tuned for further details!
And
last, but certainly not least, Nick and Mary vonFahnestock have offered to host
a cookout/campout at Nick’s “facility” near Versailles, Ohio. Our June
meeting will be held at this event. The club will provide food (turkey and/or
ham smoked by Nick, Yum!) and drink; after all, we gotta do something with all
the money sitting in our treasury. Greg Cullers is pondering ways to get from
the Cincinnati area to Nick and Mary’s without having to slab it most of the
way and will be leading a ride up there Saturday afternoon. I think we will ask
those who will be attending to RSVP somehow so Nick and Mary can plan
appropriately. Keep your eyes peeled for last minute details. This promises to
be a lot of fun!
So
many rides, so little time.
Bob
MOA
National in Trenton, ON July 11-14, 2002
http://www.bmwmoa.org/rally02/index.htm
What you need
For US citizens entering Canada and
re-entering the US, you should carry your Passport if you have one, or your
original Birth Certificate if you don't. And of course your license with picture
ID.
Drivers must have proof of
insurance coverage, which is compulsory in Canada. Ask your insurance carrier for a Canadian Non-Resident Inter-Provincial Motor Vehicle
Liability Insurance Card.
More details can be found at the
Canadian Customs site http://www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca/customs/individuals/visitors-e.html
Set your GPSs to N44 06 142 W77 34.132
Pictures
Album Address:
http://www.ofoto.com/AlbumMenu.jsp?UV=872971809305_94786880303&US=0
Motorcycle Safety Tidbits
Take a Turn
The MSF teaches SLOW, LOOK, LEAN, and ROLL as the proper technique for any corner, any radius, any speed.
SLOW: use both brakes and/or engine compression to slow. The front brake is responsible for 75-90% of the stopping power. Do all your braking and downshifting BEFORE the curve entrance. It is wise to use your brakes EVERY time, not only because it's a good habit but it also alerts those behind you to the fact that you're slowing.
LOOK: as far through the turn as you can. Turn your head and eyes and focus on the exit, with your eyes level with the horizon. DO NOT stare down at the ground, the curb, the bushes. The bike will go where you look.
LEAN: press the handgrip (countersteer) to lean the bike into the turn. To lean left, press forward on the left handgrip. To lean right, press right.
ROLL: roll on the throttle all the way through the turn. This stabilizes the suspension and maximizes traction. If you find you have to decelerate midway through the turn, your entry speed was too high. The definition of entry speed is the speed that allows you to roll on the throttle the entire time. KEEP YOUR BIKE AT ENTRY SPEED UNTIL YOU CAN SEE THE EXIT.
(Ideally, you will be rolling before you begin leaning. The sequence can then best be described as SLOW, ROLL, LOOK, and PRESS.)
The best path of travel is outside, inside, outside (to maximize the radius). For a left turn, for example, set up on the far right side of the lane, then use all the lane while turning to cut across the inside, then swing wide and finish on the outside. Oncoming traffic and road debris may cause you to have to adjust this line, but it's a general rule.
Hills may affect your line of sight (LOOK) and your speed (SLOW), but they are negotiated like any other curve. Pay attention, because sometimes if the road turns right at a crest, you can unload the tires and have less traction. Conversely, if the road turns at a dip, you may load the tires and have less ground clearance.