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editor@bmwmoa.org
Anonymous praise Folks, the first things I read each month are the member letters. I wish more responses from members were included. As an 85-year-old rider of 35 years, my health is still holding up, and I have enjoyed riding. A favorite ride was a trip from Michigan to Boston. I shipped my R 1100 RT to Boston for transmission repairs and then purchased a used K 1200 GT which I rode back home. What a comfort- able bike. As a lifetime member, I received my big-
gest gift from the BMW MOA when I had two breakdowns, one at Mackinaw City, Michigan, and then later near the Killing- ton Ski area in Vermont, where I experi- enced a fuel line connector failure. Using my Anonymous Book I found a BMW owner in the area who even had the part I needed and loaned me tools. I have high praise for the Anonymous
Book and urge any new motorcycle friend I meet to join the BMW MOA for the help that book provides.
David Hathaway #56147 Lexington, Massachusetts
Don't postpone your ride I’ve been a BMW Owners News reader and club member since 2001 after I fell in love with a fuel injected boxer engine on a rented R 850 R in the Italian Alps in 2000. Upon returning to the U.S. that year, I promptly bought a new 2001 R 1150 GS and over the next 15 years rode every- where in North America, six times across the continent, exploring the back roads of every state and most of the Canadian Provinces. In between were trips on rented bikes in New Zealand, Australia and Southeast Asia. On April 4, 2015, all that ended when I
was struck down while riding a bicycle. That’s right…200,000 miles riding motor- cycles without a collision with an auto, truck or trailer and they get me on my
16 BMW OWNERS NEWS February 2017
bicycle! I was wearing a high-viz yellow riding
shirt, helmet, riding pants, and my road bike had a blinking headlight and tail light. I was in the designated bicycle lane on a sunny Saturday afternoon riding through an intersection on a green light. Bam. The SUV turned right into me as if I wasn’t there. After doctors, hospitals, back surgery, and therapy, I still can’t ride without debil- itating pain. I’m going to try yoga next. My trusted blue and white GS sits in the garage yearning for another long trip. If I can’t ride again, it will be hard to let her go. In retrospect, I’m glad I didn’t wait to make my rides. At the time, it meant less time with my wife and kids and less money earned. I guess you could say I sac- rificed some things to gain the freedom of the road and the exhilaration that comes with challenging the unknown. I placed a lot of stickers on my Tourat- ech panniers to document my adventures and my attitude about riding. One of my favorites is: “Live Your Dreams.” My advice to my brothers and sisters is “Live Your Dreams…Now.” Tomorrow may never come, and “next year” could be too late.
Steven Befera #96635 Miami, Florida
Roadside Assistance Recently, when I renewed my membership I chose the MOA’s upgraded plan with the roadside assistance with tire protection, and on a recent trip out west, we unfortu- nately had to use it. One night, Michael's bike was vandal-
ized, and in an attempt to steal the bike, the would-be thieves hacked up the ignition and broke off a screwdriver in it. Luckily the steering lock was on and the bike couldn’t be easily moved. It was a Sunday morning, which meant the closest BMW dealership wouldn't be open until
Tuesday. When we called the roadside assistance, the operator took our information and then went above and beyond to find a motorcycle tow operation that could pick up the bike, store it for us and then bring it to BMW dealership for repairs. The truck was there in under an hour. After Michael's bike was picked up, he
borrowed my X-Challenge, and luckily we were able to go on our trip anyway. When we returned at the end of the week, we picked up his GS and headed home. Hav- ing MOA’s roadside assistance saved our trip!
Dawn Hein #169208 New Paltz, New York
Knowing When Well, there’s clearly still hope and other choices. A close riding buddy of mine of 20 years has been a lifelong motorcycle rider. He was into all kinds of bikes, but switched to BMWs when I met him in 1996. He and his wife were a tremendous help to me with many BMW motorcycle rallies —including BMW MOA Nationals. About five years back he and his wife
were rear-ended in California, and their BMW RT was totaled. They carried him off in a helicopter, and eventually he had a hip replacement because of the damage. It never did heal quite right, and he never regained strength in the leg. He switched to Harleys so he could swing a leg over a lower bike. Then he got a little stronger and bought another RT. One day he called me at work and said, “Steve, could you come over to my house and help me? I dropped my bike in the garage and can’t pick it up.” When I got there he said, “I’m done. I can’t be out somewhere with my wife and drop the bike or hurt her and not be able to get it back up. I’m getting rid of it.” For many of us, that is a life-changing
event, and it sent a warning shot across my bow as well. Within a couple months
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