November 13,2011…It is an extremely mild morning for Nov. 13 as I roll the LT out of our garage for the ride to breakfast. There are heavy clouds, its 56 degrees and breezy. I check my owner’s manual and it says that an 820lb motorcycle can withstand sustained winds of 74MPH without getting bowled off the road so I figure I’m good to go and continue on my way. You can tell that it is late fall, there are hardly any trees left with leaves on them and I only saw a couple fields of corn that had not been harvested. As I ride into the parking lot, there are four other bikes already on site, Phil Nellis, Gordon Hankinson & Donna Sienko, Mike Hankinson and John & Diane Obermeyer. We adjourn to the restaurant, get seated and start our conversations and drinking our coffee. I checked and last year there were three bikes ridden to the November breakfast.

PREMISE for the CLUB: There are a number of local riders who would like to get together with other riders once in a while. Most everyone is “busy”, so a local club is not intended to be the focal point of anyone’s social life.

The CLUB’S GOAL: To provide an occasional opportunity for area riders to get together for conversation and to ride with other BMW enthusiasts.

CLUB EVENT DATES TO REMEMBER:
BREAKFAST/MEETINGS: All Breakfast/Meetings are held on the second Sunday of the month unless otherwise notified. We meet at 9:00 AM at: NEW BEGINNINGS RESTAURANT, 4735 Lake Michigan Dr., Standale, Mi. They are ¼ mile west of Wilson Ave. Their phone number is 616-735-4902.
Upcoming dates: Dec. 11, 2011 (2nd Sunday) Jan. 8, 2012 (2nd Sunday)

CLUB RIDES: We will have seven scheduled club rides for 2012 starting in April of next year. We’ll be looking for you then. If you have any favorite routes or destinations let us know and we’ll try to incorporate them into a ride.

MICHIGAN DESTINATIONS 2011...It’s over!!! There were only four members who submitted their completion information this year, Bill & Virginia Lane, Phil & Roxanne Nellis, Bill Hankinson and Mike Hankinson. From the documentation you can tell that each of us had a good time out on the road and found a good number of “favorite” destinations. Watch this space for the Michigan Destinations 2012 Announcement coming soon.

CLUB NEWSLETTER: Mailed or emailed on a monthly basis. If you have any concerns or contributions you may contact me, William Dirkmaat at: 11801 Hoskins NE, Cedar Springs, MI. 49319. Phone: 616-263-9110, cell-616-340-4440 or wmbmwriders@charter.net

OTHER EVENTS OF INTEREST: Please note that you may obtain more information in the BMW MOA ON and BMW RA OTL magazines for some of these events. More local events can be found posted on the bulletin board at the shop.

Mark your calendars for the Events of interest for 2012

Lakeshore Blessing of the Bikes, Apr. 29, 2012, Holland, MI.
Mini Rally, May 4-6, 2012, Sturgis, MI.
BMW-RA, June 14-17, 2012, Copper Mountain, CO.
BMW-MOA, July 19-22, 2012, Sedalia, MO.
Falling Leaf Rally, Oct. 12-14, 2012, Potosi, MO.

CLUB T-SHIRTS and SWEATSHIRTS:

The available shirts and sweatshirts are as follows:

T-Shirts:

ASH
blue & red print / no pocket; 3 – Lg @ $8.50 ea, 9 – XL @ $8.50 ea
blue & red print / with pocket; 3 – XL @ $9.50 ea

BLACK
white print / no pocket; 3 – XL @$8.50 ea
white print / with pocket; 2 – XL @ $9.50 ea

WHITE
blue & red print / no pocket; 1 – Sm @ $8.50 ea

Sweatshirts:

ASH
blue & red print; 1 – Lg @ $16.00 ea, 3– XL @ $16.00 ea

BLACK
white print; 3 – XL @ $16.00 ea

Call Bill D. at 616-263-9110, or 616-340-4440 if you would like to have one of these.

November Breakfast/Meeting......................................………………………………………..…….by Bill Hankinson
As we enter the restaurant all is in readiness for us with our usual group of reserved tables, we get ourselves set down and the coffee starts to flow. We have a large crowd today and even had to add an additional table to handle all of us. Our group today consists of the following, Bill & Virginia Lane, John & Diane Obermeyer, Larry Schwallier & Kristy Hollingsworth, Allen Dewey, Phil Nellis, Gordon Hankinson & Donna Sienko, Mike Hankinson, Bill & Joanne Hankinson, Bob Swanson, Homer & Kathy Teitsma, Jim Weber, Dave Wilson, Bill & Barb Dirkmaat, Tony & Colleen Wolfer and Jerry Arnett, 23 of us this morning. The documentation for the finishers of the Michigan Destinations 2011 were circulated for all to see and enjoy, some familiar places and some not so familiar. Homer Teitsma had a wealth of old motorcycle ads and info that was also passed around the group, lots of comments on “I used to have one of those”, or, “I really always wanted one of these”, it is fun reminiscing over those old rides. As usual, there is too much going on with a group of this size to be able to keep up with all the conversations but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. A thank you card from Bob Swanson and some accompanying photos of the Gypsy Rose after its encounter with the deer were also shared. Bob says that the bike was totaled by the insurance company but he bought it back as salvage. It may live again and we hope to see it again sometime in the future.

Club Dues: Our annual club dues are due in January and we will be mailing out the dues notices this month. The notice will advise you of your dues status. That form also has areas for you to update any of your personal information if required. You can return the form with your payment at our breakfast/meeting or mail to WMBMWRiders, 11801 Hoskins N. E., Cedar Springs, MI. 49319

In Memory of John “JW” Wallace, the club has made a $50.00 contribution to the ALS Association. I’m sure that all of us had had contact with John in the service department many times in the past 20 years. He will be missed by the BMW community at large.

More Random Musings..............................................…………………………....……………..…….by Bill Hankinson
Another year is rapidly coming to a close. It has been a busy and fun one for me and I hope for all of you as well. We were able to complete five of our seven scheduled rides this season, the two that got canceled due to weather will live again as the first two rides of 2012. The club officers met the end of October and reviewed our current status. Bill Dirkmaat will remain as our Secretary/Editor and will take up the newsletter responsibility again in January. Phil Nellis has assumed the Treasurer position and will now be the go to guy for paying our bills and taking care of our banking requirements. Homer and I will continue in our present positions and duties. There was some discussion on having a fund raising event of some sort in 2012. An event like that could generate funds that we might contribute to various charities as we have done in the past. If anyone has any ideas on what we might do to create such as event please get with any of the officers and share them.

We will have our annual 2011 Ride Quiz at our December breakfast/meeting so if you want a chance to win one of the wonderful prizes that we will award you better review the details on our club rides from the past newsletters.

A number of us participated in the Scavenger Hunt sponsored by the BMW Club of BC on Oct. 22nd. It was a fun event and there has been some discussion on making it an annual event. The thought is that we would alternate sponsorship of the event with the BC Club and BMW of GR. I will keep you posted on how it develops.

Regarding the Michigan Helmet Law, the two bills that were being considered have passed their respective houses, HB 4608 on June 28, 2011 and SB 291 on Nov. 2, 2011. The bill now goes to Governor Rick Snyder for his action. You can let him know your position on this matter by emailing him at RICKSNYDER@Michigan.gov. I think that all Michigan riders should weigh in on this matter no matter which way you think is right. If we all do at least the decision may be influenced by actual riders.

Nov. 11 was Veterans Day, a Great Big Thank You to all our members who served.

At our MSF Group Riding Course meeting we had a good discussion on OUR group rides with a number of suggestions made as to some new things we might try. One was in regards to our annual ride to the Vintage Motorcycle Show at the Gilmore Museum in Hickory Corners. The suggestion was to make it a destination for meeting at for lunch. We would not have our regular breakfast/meeting but all ride to the show individually and then meet up for a lunch at 1:30 or so. The lunch could be something you brought or something purchased at the event. This would allow members to be at the show at least 2-3 hours before we would normally arrive if we did our conventional thing. Another idea would be to have an observation run for one of our rides. There would be places or things that you would have to find on your way to the destination. This type of run would be done individually or with small groups. Other thoughts presented were, a camping weekend, possibly in conjunction with another Michigan BMW club. Lots of good input, we need these kind of ideas to keep the club opportunities fresh and not just more of the same old thing. Thank you for your participation.

Thought for the Month: A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

Historical Note: Gas prices: November, 2010 $ 2.959/gal

Battle Creek BMW Club Scavenger Hunt, Oct. 22nd ..........…………………………..........…by Bill Hankinson

This event was a great success, the weather was perfect, the ride was fun and all that participated enjoyed the day. Twenty seven hardy souls took part looking for five locations around Gun Lake. You had to be careful as there were a couple of trickier ones in the mix, and you had to pay attention to the descriptions or you could go wrong. We left BMW of GR at about 10:00AM and most had returned by 1:00PM and had their sheets checked to assure that they had found the correct spots. The Battle Creek Club provided refreshments, cheese, crackers, chips, dip, salsa, sausage, a nice spread. At 2:00PM a door prize drawing was held, many, many items provided by BMW of GR. WMBMWRiders had four ride participants, Bill Hankinson, Mike Hankinson, Gordon Hankinson and John & Diane Obermeyer and we all were recipients of door prizes, shirts, hats, and books. Also present were Larry Schwallier, Phil Nellis and Bill & Barb Dirkmaat. There seemed to be a goodly amount of traffic at the shop, lots of tire kicking, a number of bags being stowed on bikes, a bit of merchandise was moved. I did speak with one potential new member who seemed quite interested in our club. The general consensus was that it was a good event and that it could easily become an annual affair.

MSF Group Riding Course ……………………………………................................……………….by Bill Hankinson

After our regular breakfast/meeting we adjourned to the Lincoln Country Club. There are 14 of us for this event, Bill & Virginia Lane, John & Diane Obermeyer, Larry Schwallier & Kristy Hollingsworth, Phil Nellis, Gordon Hankinson & Donna Sienko, Mike Hankinson, Bill & Joanne Hankinson, Dave Wilson and Jerry Arnett. The course consists of a video with accompanying viewers guide and a course handbook with a self test which was distributed at the end of the session. The course materials really don’t deliver any “Ah Ha” moments or insights but stress normal group ride situations, concerns, and awareness items. I felt that the most important single item in the whole presentation was the info on following distance or separation from the rider in front of you. If that one rule were followed by all, I feel that it would make for much more comfortable and safe rides for our club. Virginia Lane shared a picture of a loaded truck with unsecured items including a wheelbarrow and posed the question “Would you like to be following this guy?” We wondered how she captured the photo, but all agreed that we would give this guy a wide pass. Several other items concerning our group rides were brought up and I addressed them in the Random Musings section of the newsletter. Of the three MSF courses that we have presented so far, this one was probably the least informative but serves as a good reminder of many things we should be aware of when participating in any group ride. I would consider it worthwhile and will investigate further offerings that are available from the MSF through the MOA Foundation for future presentations.

FOR SALE: Two chrome plated steel rims for early “R” bikes. Brand NEW, still in factory wrappings. One complete generator system off 1981 R100: Rotor, stator, diode board, and wiring harness. (Replaced with a 450 watt EnDuraLast System) Contact John at 616-301-4298.

WANTED: A left side battery cover for an “85” to “95” R100RT, BMW Part # 46 631 452 435, contact Bill Hankinson, 616-786-3645 or billandjo09@yahoo.com

Lots of room for additional items, just let us know and we will put your item in next month’s newsletter, also check out the Free Swap Meet coming up next month at BMW Motorcycles of Grand Rapids.

11.25.2011 | BLACK FRIDAY SALE
We will have specials on jackets, pants, boots , gloves , helmets and much, much more to welcome in the holiday season. Please join us for refreshments.

12.09.2011 | CHRISTMAS PARTY
Join us Friday from 9am till 10 pm and Saturday from 9am till 3pm for our 2 day Christmas Party!!!

The last of the last page

Bob Swanson was at our breakfast/meeting and continues his healing process. He will be wearing his back brace for another couple of weeks and then hopes to be rid of it. He also may have an issue with his wrist; he has seen a hand specialist and is waiting on them for a disposition on if anything further needs to be done. Bob is in good spirits and is anxious for spring to come so he can be back on his bike again.

Bill Dirkmaat seems to be doing pretty well also. Bill’s left wrist is waiting on the doc to look at it and determine if it can be used for weight bearing. His right arm is OK, range of movement is good, he will be working on strength when he gets the OK on using his left hand. The spine surgeon is due to check him out again later this month. Bill and Barb have been busy with the plans for the modifications that need to be made to their home, and are hoping that work will begin on that soon, probably with inside changes done this winter and the addition next spring. It sure is good to see them both at our breakfast’s.

So to keep from going to page 5, I will wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and look forward to seeing you at our next breakfast meeting.

Ride safe, ride often!!!

Bill Dirkmaat,11801 Hoskins NE, Cedar Springs, Mi. 49319
Home: 616-263-9110 or Cell: 616-340-4440 or email at wmbmwriders@charter.net