2011 BMW MOA International Rally announced

[k_enn]

It is to be in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, July 21 - July 24, 2011.

http://www.bmwmoa.org/calendar/all/full

That is just a couple of hours ride for me.  Hope to see some of you there.

k_enn  

[SCJJR65]

With any luck, I'll be riding again by then!  If so, I'm in!    [smiley=bmw_smiley.gif]

[nhmaf]

I'll be there - and I expect that Sue will probably join us, I think.   Maybe we can get Aida and her husband and more of the gang from the midwest and atlantic seaboard states..

[k_enn]

Time again to ask -- who is planning on attending, and when do you plan to arrive?

I will be there, arriving mid-day on Thursday.

k_enn

[suecanada]

I plan to go unless there is a forecast of stinking hot weather!

[nhmaf]

I'll be there barring some natural disaster or severe crisis with work.   I gotta see if I can rassle my cousin into joining me, too.   He doesn't ride an R65, but we figure that he must have put around 200K miles on his one and only BMW, K100RS.

[k_enn]

Anyone bringing the flag to the Rally?

[Semper Gumby]

I'm trying to get where I can go but if needs be I can forward the flag to one of the intrepid tavellers (hello Sue?)  

[k_enn]

Short story --

The rally was really hot, with temperatures into to 100's, and almost no shade.  Riding in gear was oppressive, and required frequent stops to maintain hydration.  They had a number heat exhaustion victims just hanging around the rally grounds, not even riding.  The organizers set up cooling off stations (misting tents, sprinklers, etc.) at a number of location throughout the fairgrounds, and they were constantly providing water to all the attendees.

Five of us from the R65 board met there, Suecanada, NHMEF, JohnM, captmdc, and myself (I hope I got the screen names correct).  Other than the five of us, I saw one other R65 at the rally.  We hung out a night over beer and music, and had a good time.  

I took a day trip Friday down to Gettysberg.  I left before 6:30 a.m., and got there before 9:00 am.  Even at that time, it was hot.  The new visitor center (opening in 2008 0r 2009) is really nice, and they do a great job explaining the history and significance of the battle.  I toured the battlefield for about an hour before the heat was getting to me. I suited up, and heading back to the rally, stopping about every half hour to take in fluids.  It was a good ride, but that was enough riding in the heat for me.

Saturday, I hung out at the rally, and took in some seminars.  They were very good, and highly educational.  

Overall it was a good time, but would have much better if it was not in the middle of an extreme heat wave.

k_enn

[captmdc]

k_enn speaks the truth, it was hot as hades at the rally!  100F+ in Bloomsburg on Thursday and Friday.  Despite that, all the folks I met there suffered together with good humor and patience.  The BMW MOA crowd at the rally was very friendly, and it was encouraging to see young people there with their parents.   Like k_enn, I attended seminars and found the ones on airheads extremely useful, with Paul Glaves and others very eloquent on the technical issues of these BMWs.   The three dozen or so vintage BMW MC displays comprised a beautiful history lesson in the evolution of BMWs.  This was the first rally I attended after being a BMW MOA member for several decades.  

It was a real pleasure to meet up with k_enn, John M, Sue from Canada and NHMAF for some tire kicking at the rally.  I appreciated their freely sharing a wealth of info on how to care for my recently acquired 1983 R65.  Sue and NHMAF both had their neatly outfitted red R65LSs handy to show me their upgrades to their bikes and gave me info on preferred shops/mechanics and other helpful points.   Good folks all!

I did purchase a 'bikecushion' from the rally vendor of the same name (he has a website), an adjustable air cushion design which attaches to the existing seat with straps.  On the 300-mile ride home it provided excellent relief, compared to the trip down where my posterior became tender after 3 hrs.  And on the matter of windshields, just before the trip I did mount a Parabellum Sport Shield and found that it efficiently funneled the air up and over my helmet while still allowing me a clear sight line over the top edge of the shield of about 3 inches.  When I encountered rain between Scranton PA and Middletown NY, the shield kept the rain off my torso as well.  I think the mounting hardware is first rate, the screen remained rock-solid after 600+ miles, and I can attach/detach the screen in 5-10 minutes (as I prefer to ride a naked bike for shorter trips).  Yes, the screen looks tall when mounted (reminds me of an elongated Dunce's cap), yet there is no doubt in my mind that it is effective and does the job well.

captmdc

[nhmaf]

I think this rally easily outranks the Lima rally in temperature extremes and oppressive humidity.   All the food vendors were selling bottled water for $1, but the MOA folks had people riding around on golfcarts handing out free water, and there were numerous potable water faucets around the rally grounds as well.

I very much enjoyed catching up on things with Sue and meeting our newer family mambers.    We did see Siouxie's R65LS but I never got a chance to find her in person - maybe Sue did at some point.   We also encountered an old forum member - I believe his name is Scott Miller, and he was riding the ONLY silver R65LS we say at the rally.  His daughter was on the back seat, and at 16 years old, she was already planning methods to "acquire" the R65LS from dad at some point in the near future.

Just before leaving the fairgrounds on Sunday morning, I encountered another old forum member - I think his handle was "oldblue" or something like that.   His name is John, he has an R45 and he's from Victoria, BC, and Suecanada knows him.  He was on an early 80s R100RS and was planning to return to BC by first going from the Rally down to Florida, then Texas, and back up the rockies..   as if he hadn't already had ENOUGH heat at this rally!!

I'll post up some picture links soon.

[John M]

I enjoyed myself at the rally even with the extreme heat . It was great meeting Sue ,Nhmaf,Ken and captmdc, the airhead  tech session with Tom Cutter was especially good ( he is an incredible resource for all of us ). I hope you had a good trip back to Meaford Sue, I tried to find you saturday morning to let you know about my altered travel plans.

[nhmaf]

@Mike -  your new 'bikecushion' - does that happen to be an AirHawk ?  They are pretty well rated.   I'm considering one for the R65LS for the next big trip - I'm loathe to mess with the clean/stock lines of its seat, but there is only so much that my seamless polypro underwear and a can of anti-monkey butt powder can do..

[willakerry1]

I had planned to visit it but due to some reasons I was not able to attend the rally. If any one here can share some of its pictures I would be very nice.

[captmdc]

To nhmaf: While the 'bikecushion' uses a similar basic technology to the AirHawk, it is touted to be an improved design (e.g. shape and location of air pockets to conform with anatomical landmarks) and with stronger materials (e.g. polyurethane bladder).  There is a simple needle one inserts to orally inflate/deflate the cushion, and the needle stows in the cushion.  You can independently adjust the volume of air front to rear, and side to side,.  There is a spandex cover with drawstring. and elastic straps run under the hinged seat.  Overall, seat height is increased by 1/8 inch or so.  Here's the link:  BikeCushion.com

Enjoyed your company at the rally, and thanks for all the advice!