RIDERTORIDER Send your letters and comments to:
editor@bmwmoa.org
Three-wheeled fun David Cwi’s article in the November issue of BMW Owners News titled, “Time to Pack in in…or Not,” caught my attention as I was facing the same decision a couple of years ago. I was walking on a dark and snowy Col-
orado night when I slipped and fell hard, cracking my hip and fracturing my pelvis. After two and a half hours of surgery and a lot of titanium, I spent the next two months healing and in rehabilitation. When I finally felt okay to ride my
beloved K 1600 GTL again, at 72-years-old I just didn’t have the confidence I had before the fall. Additionally, my wife was reluctant to ride with me, and my balance and reaction time weren’t what they were 30 years previously. I grew up riding bikes in the UK and I wondered if it was time to reluctantly pack it in! Then I got an idea. I asked my wife,
since she won’t ride on two wheels, would she ride on three?” “Oh yes!” was her answer. So I contacted Hannigan Motorsports
who, along with NECE Trikes in Windsor, Colorado, would be able to complete the conversion. Parting with my two-wheeled K 16 was an emotional event, but after about a week I picked it up and began to learn how to ride a trike. I get asked fre- quently, “Is that a BMW trike?” Riding the trike is a lot of fun, and I’m still on my K16. It will never be the same as swinging into a curve on two wheels, but I’ve ridden it to the top of Pike’s Peak and enjoyed it.
David Rapley #83144 Franktown, Colorado
Unpaved roads Just a couple of days after reading David Cwi's Mileage Slave column in the Novem- ber issue of BMW Owners News titled, “Time to pack it in...or not,” I came across a
14 BMW OWNERS NEWS January 2017
Will Roger's quote that seemed to fit. Cwi's article posed the question, “How old is too old to keep riding motorcycles?” Will Rogers, in giving advice on growing
older, said, "Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me. I want people to know 'why' I look this way. I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved."
Jim Auckley #148105 Ballwin, Missouri
Watch out for the Roos First, thanks for a great magazine. My first issue arrived in the mail the other day, and I have nearly read it cover to cover already. It was really interesting to read, among other items, the article about Lisa and Simon Thomas and their odyssey. My wife and I have done some motorcycle touring in Australia and have enjoyed it immensely, but we simply can’t imagine being away for such a long period of time and not having a base to return to. I was also interested in the letter from
Chip Colwell about “deercidents.” We live in regional Australia, about 250 km (157 miles) south of Sydney where the greatest risk to life and limb for motorcyclists, apart from car drivers, is the kangaroo. Our area has thousands (it’s almost a plague) and wombats, a large marsupial which resem- bles a sizeable rock about 20 inches long and about 12 to 14 inches in diameter with short legs. A collision with either of these animals will usually result in serious dam- age to the bike and rider. If hit when driv- ing a car, there is usually radiator and front suspension damage along with panel damage. Kangaroos are able to change direction
by 90 degrees almost instantly. They will hop along the side of the road for a half mile or so, then, without warning, change direction and hop across in front of
vehicles, often with disastrous results. They almost always travel in groups (“mobs” as they are called), and once one decides to go across the road, the others will usually follow. I once had a situation where about 10 suddenly crossed the road in front of me just as I was leaving a small town and starting to accelerate. One of them was quite close to me and suddenly changed direction toward me, losing it’s footing on the bitumen and almost sliding under my front wheel. Fortunately we both avoided a collision on that occasion.
Reg Gosper Mount Fairy NSW, Australia
Sick and tired! Most think the MOA magazine is wonder- ful. I used to. However, I've noticed there are a lot of Wrench Head articles on how to do an oil change or lubricate splines or change tires, etc. I can't hammer a screw in correctly, so those articles are beyond me and waste pages! Another thing, those trip tales to New-
foundland or Mexico or some other ungodly place tell about the roads and mountains, rivers, breakdowns, road-side fixes and the like! Ho-Hum.... I think many of us in MOA are being dis-
enfranchised! I don't use wrenches, torque stuff, lifts or grease. I also don't take long rides of thousands of miles through snake- or tiger-infested lands. So, I have a Proposal: I want to form a
new group! Let's initially call it THE BUT- TER BUTT BRIGADE!!! Some suggested guidelines: 1. No Rules 2. No riding more than 200 miles a day 3. Any trips must include at least two meals with critiques of the food service, ambiance, menu, website, etc, and routes if you have to.
W
W
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100