December 11,2011…It’s a beautiful morning out there as we prepare to leave for our breakfast this morning. The sun has just come up, we can see blue sky, but it is a little on the cool side, 24 degrees, and there are still some patches of ice on the side streets especially in the shaded areas, so alas, we are taking the car this morning. The weather person advised that the 30 year average for snowfall here in West Michigan is 28” by Dec. 31st. They even called it a “snow deficit.” That’s the kind of deficit I can live with. Upon arrival at the restaurant we determine that there are no motorcycles in evidence. I did check back and December hasn’t seen a motorcycle ridden to breakfast in at least 3 years.

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: Jan. 8, 2012 (2nd Sunday), Feb. 12, 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...Watch this spot, 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.

We received the following info via email. If anyone is interested in the room rates for the resort contact Bill Hankinson and I will forward the information to you.

I have received many requests for information about lodging at this fantastic BMW RA Grand National Rally site that is located in Cooper Mountain, Colorado. This rally site is above the 6000ft mark in the rocky mountains of Colorado for cool night sleeping with pleasant days to go exploring the surrounding area. The RA has 3 designated camping areas. The main one is at the base of the resort. It is a soccer field and totally flat. At the soccer field is also a big parking lot for RV's or trailers that do not require electric. Bathrooms are located here. Camping will be allowed here no earlier than Wednesday before the rally. On Thursday, camping is also available inside the ski resort. I have attached the room rates for the resort to give this information for your club members.

Michael Johnston
BMW RA Chartered Clubs Coordinator

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.

December Breakfast/Meeting......................................………………………………………..…….by Bill Hankinson
As we enter the restaurant this morning we find a number of members already seated and enjoying their coffee’s. We have an average crowd this morning consisting of the following, Bill & Joanne Hankinson, Phil Nellis, Larry Schwallier, Kristy Holingsworth, John & Diane Obermeyer, Bob Swanson, Bill & Virginia Lane, Dave & Linda Wilson, Gordon Hankinson, Mike Hankinson, Jim Scott and Bill & Barb Dirkmaat, 18 of us in all. A get well card for Blane Kamp was circulated and signed by all present. Blane was present at the shop Christmas Party both Friday night and Saturday, hopefully many of you were able to see him and how well he is doing. We also distributed the club ride quiz, you can see the results below. As usual, there are many conversations going on around the table, talk of attending rallies next year, what BMW will be offering in the coming year and many more assorted and sundry tidbits of conversations. We do have a goodly number of “snowbirds” in our membership and there will be a number of us that will be absent from the next few breakfasts as we flee the snow and cold for more gentle climes.

Club Dues: Our annual club dues are due in January and we mailed out the dues notices in November. 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

More Random Musings..............................................…………………………....……………..…….by Bill Hankinson
Do you ever notice, while reading your Newsletter, that there are very few “bylines” represented? We need more members to step up and write a couple of paragraphs about a great ride they made, a restaurant that has food to die for, or any other item that you would wish to share with the rest of us. It isn’t really that hard, just sit down and put your thoughts together, email it or bring along a handwritten copy to a breakfast and we will see that it gets included in the next edition. We currently have 46 members in our club. As I had mentioned a couple of months ago the majority of us are getting our newsletter via email but we still have a number that are mailed. If you have an email address and would be willing to receive your copy via email, let us know. It saves us a few bucks in postage and materials and makes it easier for the person putting the newsletter together. Right now 33 are receiving their newsletter via email and 13 via USPS.

For those of you who weren’t at our December breakfast, I have included the annual Club Quiz along with the answers:
1. What is the total attendance at our Breakfast/Meetings for January through December 2011, including today?
Hint: more than 100, less than 300
224

2. What was the number of miles to be ridden on ALL our SCHEDULED 2011 Club Rides, per the route sheets?
Hint: more than 250, less than 1,000
681.3

3. How many total bikes were ridden on all the Club Rides for 2011?
Hint: Remember, we only rode 5 of them, more than 25 less than 150
47

4. Which monthly Club Ride had the largest rider participation?
Hint: It was one that was actually ridden
Aug

5. How many of us were on that ride?
Hint: More than 10, less than 50
20

The first place winner was Larry Schwallier and the runner up was Linda Wilson. They were awarded great prizes for their diligent attention to details, or just plain dumb luck.

Regarding our new club logo, we still haven’t heard back from the MOA as to whether our design has been approved. I don’t have any reason to doubt that it will, so we will move ahead with updating our club brochure to comply with the BMW rulings.
Joanne and I are heading down to Mexico again for the winter, booked into Puerto Las Hadas in Manzanillo for January through March with the option of extending to the end of April. We will have to see how mild or severe the reports of winter are before committing to our return date. I will attempt to keep everyone up to date on the local motorcycle scene and what’s happening with us down Mexico way.

Thought for the Month: Consciousness: That annoying time between naps.

Historical Note: Gas prices: December, 2010 $ 2.989/gal

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.

The last of the last page

It has been a pretty mild fall/winter to date. There has been very little snow here in west Michigan and what little bit we have had didn’t last long. That made for many days that the bikes were able to be ridden. It may have been a bit brisk, but sunshine and dry roads beg to be enjoyed. The first snow accumulation here in Holland just occurred this past Friday, Dec. 9th. I’m hoping that the trend continues and we stay pretty much snow free and warmer than our normal December. According to that weatherman, we enjoyed 10% more sunshine in November than normal and 13% more so far in December, all I can say is “keep it coming.”

Seen on Facebook, our friend and club member, Fritz Curtis, has been awarded the 100,000 mile riding BMW’s, award from BMW. Fritz stated that it has taken him 30 years to obtain this milestone. Here’s hoping that he can achieve another 100k in the next 30 years or maybe even sooner.

The following is an excerpt of a letter received from Bill & Barb Dirkmaat;
“In August it was discovered that that the scaphoid bone (a small peanut shaped bone at the base of the thumb and the wrist) was fractured. Once his shoulder was healed sufficiently, surgery was done, (October 4) to remove the scaphoid bone and four other bones were fused together. That has healed nicely. He had the cast removed on November 14 and now has a splint. He was moved to the Inn at Mary Free Bed on August 12, (also his birthday). The Inn is connected to Mary Free Bed via a sky ramp. He does what is called continuum therapy on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and pool therapy on Thursdays. He has 24/7 care, which is provided through Health Care Associates. I have been trained in his care as well and I share the duties with the other caregivers. After 32 years as a dental hygienist I retired on August 17, so you might say I now have a new career. We have met with an architect and contractor a few times and our final plans are in the works now. Renovations will probably begin after the first of the year. More than likely Bill will not be able to move back home until spring. There are many “hoops” to jump through regarding the insurance company and others, etc. We do have an accessible van so I am able to transport Bill to and from appointments, errands and home. Years ago he built a ramp up to our front door for one of my closest friends who is also a paraplegic. Little did he know that he would one day be using that same ramp. Bill’s parents had a ramp built at their home earlier this fall so he is able to visit in their home as well. This has been a life-changing experience for both of us but I truly believe we are better persons because of it. Neither one of us will ever again take anything for granted. God has a plan for each of us – we never know what the next day brings. Wishing you all God’s blessings during this holiday season and in the coming year.

Love, Bill & Barb

So we finish up another year, many memories, many miles, many adventures. I hope that the New Year will smile on us all and that we will be able to share the same many times again.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to All