The Newsletter of the Granite State BMW Riders BMWRA #207 BMWMOA# 235 www.gsbmwr.org February, 2015
President s Desk I feel like I just wrote last month s edition of this! Where has the month gone? It s been a busy month for me but not insanely busy which has been a nice change of pace. I ve actually gotten to sleep every night instead of work. I ve got several things perking along for getting ready for the upcoming riding season not the least of which is taking myself out to San Jose to get measured for fully custom fitted riding gear at Motoport. After two years of trying on just about every jacket made for women for all weather riding I ve exhausted the possibilities. And, frankly, I m tired of trying to get into something off the rack. This will be an interesting experience. At our Board meeting in March we got quite a bit done. One of the items addressed at the meeting was accepting Jim Herrick s offer to fill the role of Vice President of the club. I am very grateful for this because we now have one of the empty Board positions filled which takes some pressure off the President. Not having a VP was making me a little crazy because it placed the club in a precarious position. The position of Secretary is still open and is still being filled by yours truly Another big item on the Agenda was the topic of the club s financial position since sustaining the loss of ad revenue from a major advertiser. We are seeing a slow but steady decline of monies available in our bank account which really limits what the club can do by way of subsidizing some of the costs for members for our annual Bash and Rally (yes, the club does absorb some of those costs!). We are also seeing slow but steady increases in costs of these events. We had a very long discussion about what to do to cope with this situation (the discussion actually occurred over the last two Board meetings). We even had to have the really big calculator brought out to help with this discussion (sorry for the fuzziness! Hopefully y all will get the idea). All joking aside, the Board has come to the conclusion that we need to increase the membership dues to $20.00 (associate member dues will remain unchanged). This increase is effective immediately. We don t like having to do this but the discussion at both meetings repeatedly came to this conclusion. This is the first time in the club s history that there has been a change in the Member dues.
Calendar Monthly Activities First Saturday Breakfast, 9:00 AM Parker s Maple Barn, 1316 Brookline Rd. Mason, (Jim Herrick) www.parkersmaplebarn.com Second Sunday Brunch, 11:30 AM Sunset Grill, 2092 US Rt. 3 (@Hwy49) Campton, (Jack Northrup) www.sunsetgrillnh.com Third Wednesday Dinner, 6:00 PM Locals Restaurant & Pub, 2 Lafayette Rd, North Hampton NH Next to Max BMW May 17 Peterborough Diner August 9 Club Picnic, Jim & Bev Seipel s house, Noon The other big item that we accomplished was getting our Events calendar filled up. Our Events schedule kicks off in April. We have our first destination ride to the Peterborough Diner on Sunday, May 17 th at noon. Just show up and find the other BMW Riders. Hopefully Old Man Winter will have left by then. Our annual picnic will be Sunday, August 9 th which Jim and Bev Seipel have once again graciously volunteered to host at their house. I don t know what we d do without them! I am so grateful for their generosity and volunteerism! We also have a couple of season long competitions in the mix this year. One will be a Waterfalls ride and the other is who can find (and photograph) the most interesting mailbox you come across in your motorcycle travels. Details are coming. The full calendar will be on our website soon and will be included with next month s newsletter. In addition, we have the annual mileage challenges coming that folks can sign up to participate in through the MOA. If you plan to do that then find a Club Officer to sign your form and verify your starting mileage. Cheers, Louise Cover: 1986 K100RS Custom by Motofication More info at Pipeburn
Getting Your Motorcycle License In a previous Granite Beemer there were links to a news article reporting that the California Motorcycle Safety Program had awarded Total Control Training Inc. a 2- year contract to operate the states rider training program for new motorcyclists. David Hough has a very good article in the April BMW Owners News on the whys, wherefores and politics of why California moved on form the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Program Getting Your Motorcycle License in France Also in a prior issue, there was a link to a post at Bikes in the Fast Lane, describing the process for getting a motorcycle license in France. The article is reprinted below. The License: In France, as in the rest of Europe, you need to have a motorcycle license (type A) to be able to ride a motorcycle with more than 125 cc (if you have had a car license for more than 2 years, you are allowed to ride a 125 cc motorcycle with less than 15 hp). If you're between 18 and 21 years old, you can get the "Progressive" A, meaning your motorcycle is not allowed to have more than 34 hp, and the weight/power ration may not exceed 0.16 kw/kg. After two years riding with a "Progressive" A license, or if you are older than 21 years, you can get the "Direct" A license, that allows you to ride any motorcycle (in France all motorcycles are restricted to 100 hp maximum). Rules of the Road: First, you need to learn the general rules of the road (unless you got your car license within the last 5 years). This means learning either in a classroom, or from self teaching. When you're ready, you need to pass an exam. The exam is a multiple choice style, with a video projector displaying photos and/or videos. The test is timed, and you're allowed to have 5 errors for the 40 questions. Oh yeah... the test is in French. Motorcycle Control: After you pass the rules of the road test, you need to go to a driving school. This is mandatory, as there are minimum hours you need to be "taught" how to ride. The minimum number of hours you need to train is 8 hours! The first portion is controlling your motorcycle. This is held in a non-traffic environment, usually on an abandoned parking area. You'll learn how to ride a, usually, 600 cc modified Honda, Suzuki or Kawasaki. The modification consist of a lower power, and crash bars all around the bike. The training is obviously in harmony with the exam. When you're deemed ready by your instructor, you need to pass the first motorcycle exam.
Getting Your Motorcycle in France cont. Motorcycle Control Exam When you're ready, you need to reserve your first set of tests. At the exam place, you will need to do the following exams. Non Driving Exercise: The examiner will ask you to do one of several exercises. They can be "walking" your motorcycle through a pylon slalom, forwards or backwards (smaller people often have problems with this), putting your motorcycle on a center stand, etc. You need to demonstrate that you are able to control the motorcycle even when the engine is not running. Failure to comply, dropping your motorcycle results in an automatic disqualification, and you need to re-apply for the exam. Mechanical Quiz: Next on the list are several questions about the mechanical abilities of your motorcycle. They're not very detailed, but you'll be asked how you verify your oil level, tire pressure, chains, etc. You don't need to be mechanically apt, but you need to know the basic parts of your motorcycle. Failure to comply, results in an automatic disqualification, and you need to re-apply for the exam. Oral Motorcycle Quiz: The examiner will ask you, more or less in a conversation mode, specific questions on your ability to understand the differences between riding a motorcycle and driving a car. The questions are on specific motorcycle related laws. Failure to comply, dropping your motorcycle results in an automatic disqualification, and you need to re-apply for the exam. Control at Low Speed: You need to maneuver your motorcycle through a slalom consisting of pylons in first gear. You are not allowed to touch the ground with your feet, drop a pylon or gasp, drop your bike. They check to see if your posture is correct. If you think that's easy, try it...failure to comply, dropping your motorcycle or hitting a pylon results in an automatic disqualification, and you need to re-apply for the exam. Control at Low Speed with Pillion: Next, your instructor gets behind you, and then you need to ride another track with pylons at low speed (1st gear). The instructor is not allowed to talk to you to give you advice (but usually they use their legs to signal to you what you need to do). Failure to comply, dropping your motorcycle results in an automatic disqualification, and you need to re-apply for the exam. High Speed Control: Now you need to run a fast slalom. This involves you riding your motorcycle at about 40-50 kph through several pylons, U-turn and a fast return. The whole track needs to be done between 18 and 21 seconds! If you go too fast, or too slow you disqualify! Too fast is rare, but too slow happens all the time. Failure to comply, dropping your motorcycle results in an automatic disqualification, and you need to re-apply for the exam.
Getting Your Motorcycle in France cont. Emergency Control: Following High Speed Control, you are required to show that you are able to perform an emergency operation. This is either an obstacle avoidance (like a car door opening - not a real one, just a pylon) followed by emergency braking, or emergency braking by using your engine. Usually the speed is about 70 kph. You must start the maneuver at a certain point, AND you need to stop before a certain spot. If not, you're out! Failure to comply, dropping your motorcycle results in an automatic disqualification, and you need to re-apply for the exam. Oral Exam: Once you've reach this stage you're almost done. Now you get to sit in an office, where they're going to quiz you for all the specific laws that apply only to motorcycles. It's usually in a more easy going environment, and often, at this stage, they are more or less easy going. Unless you're really stupid and answer all questions wrong, you'll pass. Traffic Riding: Although the traffic riding can be done concurrent with the motorcycle control, most schools choose to do this after the control exams (at least they know you'll not drop their precious motorcycle). You'll be riding your motorcycle equipped with an ear-piece in your helmet so you can hear your instructor talking to you via a walkie-talkie. Usually the instructor is in a car... You need to spend at least 12 hours riding in traffic to be allowed to do your next exams. Once your instructor deems you ready, you need to do your exam. Using the same walkie-talkie technique, the examiner drives behind you telling you which way to go. The exam lasts 30 minutes, and not complying with ANY traffic rule disqualifies you! Points: Once you get your precious motorcycle license, you get 6 points (normally you get 12). Any infraction, speeding or rules of the road, points get deducted. Once you've got 0 points, you loose your license and you need to start from scratch, often after 3 years!! If you've managed to ride without a loss of points for 2 years, you get the full 12 points!! The whole process can last about one year! There are accelerated schools, where you can try to get your permit in a few days by a concentrated education. So, you can assume one thing. A French biker knows how to ride!! By Mike Warner, Editor, Bikes in the Fast Lane. Jim Pidgeon GSBMWR #38 Mechanical Repair Located in Manchester, NH Servicing: Motorcycles Light Automotive And ATV s Your Tires Mounted and Balanced! Interstate Batteries Call 668-5093 or e-mail housemanpidgeon@ comcast.net
GSBMWR Membership Form Membership runs from 6/1 to 5/31. If you join after January 1 st, membership does not expire until the following year. Date: New Member Renewal GSBMWR No. Information/Address change: Yes No I want to join/renew for 1 year ($20.00) or 3 years ($55.00) Associate member for 1 year ($10.00) or 3 years ($30.00) Member s Name: Associate s Name: Street Address: City: State: Zip: Phone: E-mail: BMWRA # BMWMOA # AMA# Other Clubs: Year/Model Bike(s): Do you want to be in the club directory? Yes No Mail completed form and check payable to GSBMWR to: GSBMWR c/o Bendix 4 W. Meadow Estates Dr. West Townsend, MA 01474 For office use only: Amount Rec d: Entered in DB Card/decal sent GSBMWR, Directors and Board President: Louise Bendix, rapunzelbmw@yahoo.com Vice President: Jim Herrick jherrick@maytechnology.com Secretary: Louise Bendix, rapunzelbmw@yahoo.com (Acting) Treasurer: Bob McHatton rtmbmw@gmail.com Directors: Tim Tregea, ttregea@comcast.net Wayne Davis: wayne.d@comcast.net Harry Pendexter: harryp@roadrunner.com Newsletter Editor: Jim Mahoney 83 North Shore Rd. Hampton, NH 03842 603-361-6970 jfm.k75@gmail.com Web Master: Bill Tonseth webmaster@gsbmwr.org