Summer Tour, 2002

Oil

By Rod Kilduff

Oil is a wonderful substance. It has the property of reducing friction between two moving parts, and between moving parts and stationary parts. It is also used as a medium for hydraulic equipment, being incompressible and all. It is used as a fuel for heating, and running engines as in jet fuel and diesel fuel. Yes, oil is a wonderful thing when it is being used in the right application and is contained where it belongs. However oil in the road is very bad thing, which brings me to my story.

This spring a group of guys I used to hang around with an awful lot, about 35 years ago, decided to have a little reunion. You see we were all helicopter pilots and crewmen in a little outfit that was part of the famous 1^st Air Cavalry Division in a little country in Southeast Asia you may have heard of. It was called the Republic of Viet Nam. Anyway about 35 years ago they went into a place called the Ah Shaw Valley and we lost a few of our friends there. I say they because I personally missed that little party having just returned home. The date was April 19^th, 1967. This was an anniversary of that action and a remberance of those we lost. I won’t go into all the details of the reunion, but it was great! Ask me about it sometime.

The reunion was held in Charlottesville Virginia and I had decided to ride the K bike. It seemed a good idea at the time. It rained all the way there! I slabbed it most of the way on the Bluegrass and Western Kentucky Parkways with a plan of taking the back roads home. Well Sunday the 20^th, which was Easter, I started home. The weather was better, at least it wasn’t raining, and I headed west from Charlottesville to Waynesboro and to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Parkway was dry but very hazy and overcast. I dropped down off of the Parkway at Buena Vista to Lexington and picked up State Hwy 39 that runs into West Virginia and stays Rte 39 there too. In West VA the road goes through the Monongahela National Forrest and a lot of ski resort areas. It’s very scenic and good riding country. It was about lunch time and I had started to look for a place to eat. I found one restaurant in Huntersville, but it was closed. I continued on towards Marlinton, climbing up into the mountains, you know steep climbs and tight hairpin turns.

I came to one left hairpin, 20 mph posted climbing turn. Made it around the turn and had just started to accelerate, still leaned over at maybe 25 mph, when the front tire slipped on ?something? and Crunch, I was on the ground. I had no time to react, it happened extremely fast. The bike low sided on its left side and slid about seven feet coming to rest across both lanes, wheels up hill. Not a pretty sight! I had somehow come off and ended up slightly short of the bike. The Aerostich did its thing once again and I was totally unscathed. I got up and looked around and said a few colorful phrases. I saw a small dark streak in the road, about two inches wide and about a foot long, slippery. My best guess is diesel fuel, slopping out of the tank of some truck! If I had taken the turn a little wider I would have completely missed it, but of course I didn’t.

Fortunately there was no traffic. I took off my riding gear and started picking up pieces, left mirror, left saddle bag lid, contents of saddle bag (in a liner bag), and moved them to the side of the road. It had a very small shoulder next to a steel railing. Then, assuming I would have to pick it up myself, I started unloading the bike. I removed the tank bag, the small bag I had bungeed to the saddle bag on one side, the back seat pack and the trunk.

I was about to attempt the pick up technique that a lady named Skirt has been teaching when a pickup truck came down the road from ahead. It was an older couple with a boy who I assume was their grandson. I stood up waved them down and the man and boy assisted me in lifting the bike back up and backing it to the small shoulder. It was none too soon as a car came up the hill and around the turn just then. I put it up on the center stand and started looking at the damage. The mirror was only very slightly scratched, the left bag lid was scratched and the hinges broken. The inner bag was ground down on the sealing edge where the bike had slid on it but otherwise intact. There was a scratched area on the trunk lid. The fairing lower had a bad crack, partially broken through on the lower front edge where it wraps around the head, and a lot of plastic was ground off elsewhere. The engine bar had broken off at two out of the three rubber mounts, the upper and one of two lower ones and had probably been the cause of the broken plastic in the lower. The upper fairing had been ground down along the raised upper edge. The left side Motolite had bent and come off its mount. Finally, what turned out to be extremely inconvenient, the left foot peg had broken off. Otherwise it looked pretty good, no apparent mechanical damage. I started it and it fired right up. I guess the fairing and the saddle bag had protected everything else, and probably kept me from being caught under it.

. The fairing looked like it would hold together; it had no parts flapping in the breeze so I decided to try to ride it out. I started packing everything back on. I took off the remaining nut holding the engine bar and put the bar in the trunk. I was able to put the Motolight back on but the bulb was blown. The saddle bag latches were intact so I snapped the bag together and I took a spare elastic strap, the ones Charlie sells, and ran it from the bag/footpeg mount on the lower front across the bag lid to the rack mount on the upper back to secure the bag lid. The mirror popped right back on. The only problem now was the broken foot peg. I put it in the trunk and decided I could shift with my whole leg and rest my foot on the back peg. Not real comfortable but it could be done. I decided to head for the slab and get out of the mountains. Then I would have less shifting to do.

I thanked the kind folks that helped me, suited back up, cranked up and headed out taking it easy as I felt how it handled. In the saddle, except for the missing peg, the bike felt normal, solid as a rock. As my confidence grew I began riding normally. Everything was great. I finally made it to the next town and got some lunch, if a bit late. I did a quick map recon and looked in the Anonymous Book. There was no one nearby, but if I headed south in 219 I would pick up I-64. Beckley was a few hours up the road and there were a couple of contacts there. So that’s what I did.

I got to Beckley with a tired left leg and hip but no other problems. The bike felt great. I called the numbers listed. The second number was home. I asked about help welding, to get the peg repaired, but he couldn’t assist. He suggested I go on to Charleston, there were more contacts there. So I few hours later I was in Charleston. I pulled off at the first exit and got a motel room and then I called a couple of more numbers. One guy had had some fabrication done at a shop nearby, in fact I could see from where I was standing. He suggested I go see them in the morning. If they couldn’t help they might be able to point me to someone who could.

In the morning I walked across the street to breakfast at an IHOP near the shop and after breakfast went to see them. They couldn’t do the welding but recommended a place. We called them and they said sure, bring it on. So I got directions and thanked the shop man. I went back to my room, packed up, checked out and headed to the welder. By 10:00 a.m. the peg was welded, reassembled and I was headed out of town. The cost was $10 and well worth it! The rest of the trip is not noteworthy other than that it was trouble free.

The K is still out of action waiting on the painter. I am having the guy who painted my Airhead do it. He is very good, but like all artists he can’t be rushed. I had to replace the fairing lower and the inner saddle bag. He is repairing the fairing upper and painting it, the lower and the other scratched pieces.. I had hoped to have it back together by the fall riding season and still might make it. Fortunately I have the Airhead so I am not grounded.

In closing I just have one thing to say, at the risk of repeating myself, “WEAR THE GEAR!”

Rally Report

Mike Wingfield

Last year I had the good fortune to ride a little over

31,000 miles on my RT and on my KLR. A lot of

those miles consisted of two long trips and a lot of rallies. For those of you that haven’t attended a motorcycle rally but think it might be interesting, the following is provided for your consideration:

Motorcycle rallies are interesting gatherings. In the beginning, when I’d go to a rally, I felt a little out of place, since I didn’t know anyone. But after attending a few, I began to see a lot of the same faces, and I realized that most BMW rallies are like extended family get togethers.

The club rally this year at Sequoia Park near Morrilton was a unique experience……It was a chance to see Arkansas weather and it’s impact on camping gear, and to see the resilience of the Naturally Beemer crew as they weathered the storm. The Fall campout at Natural Falls State Park in Oklahoma was as well attended and the weather was beautiful. The most threatening part of the campout was sitting under that hickory tree with those big green hickory nuts bouncing off selected heads! I think there were around thirty in attendance, which is according to some a record for the fall.

Other rallies I attended last year include the Dogwood Trail rally in Mississippi, The Swampscooters Rally in Louisiana, The Trail of Tears in Missouri, Falling Leaf Rally in Potosi, Missouri, The Land of Oz Rally in Kansas, The Missouri State Rally at Crane, The Hillbilly Rally in Missouri, The Return of Annie Unrally at Ozark Daves on Hwy. 123, The gathering of friends on the Big Piney at Long Pool, The Haw’s Creek Falls Dual Sport Ride with Harlan, Fred, Joyce and my brother Tim, and The Lake Ouachita Camp and Ride.

Each and every rally has a unique feel, but what I’ve realized is the PEOPLE make the rallies, and we have some of the nicest folks in the Naturally Beemers Club.

So if you’ve thought about attending rallies but just haven’t made the first step, I recommend it.

NEW Club Website!!!!

Thanks to the hardwork of Mr. Eddie Daniels, webmaster and master teacher, the Naturally Beemers has a new look to it’s website! Eddie has archived all the old newsletters, established a place to post pictures to the site, and it has an instant messaging BLOG which allows you to send and receive messages from individuals. In the future, rather than send an individual e-mailed newletter to each member, a message will be sent to the membership letting them know that the current newsletter is posted to the website, where they can always access it. You can access the new website at: http://www.pcfa.org/clubs/naturally_beemers

Thanks Eddie for all your efforts!!!

From the Editor’s Desk

by Mike

2003 Dues

Please Pay Your Dues! The rates are still the same bargain at $10 per individual and $15 per family. Send to:

Jerry Reynolds

1200 Donaghey Ave

Conway, AR 73034

Wanted Newsletter Material: Always

We are always soliciting for newsletter articles. Send that article you have always intended to write. Many thanks to those of you; who have submitted material already. You are allowed to send in more. Send the materials to: Mike Wingfield, 2402 S. Taylor, Little Rock, AR 72204, or e-mail to: CMWINGFIELD@UALR.EDU.

New Members

Since James Wilbanks of BMW Motorcycles of Little Rock is offering a club membership to each person that buys a new motorcycle, we have quite a few new members, but I don’t know who they are!

Activities

The Hot Springs Rally at Gulpha Gorge is scheduled for October 31-November 2.

The Swampscooters Rally, November 7-9. Breaux Bridge, Louisiana.

FLEA MARKET

There is no charge for the ad; we only ask that you be honest and fair. Naturally Beemers is not responsible for the quality of the items or any transactions made because of the ad. Ads will run for two issues of the newsletter unless extended.

Don’t forget the 10% Club Member Discount at Bentonville Cycle Sales

No ads for this newsletter. Please submit the items you have for sale and I’ll be glad to post them.

……

Membership Information

Over the past year a number of members of the club have moved, but they haven’t sent any forwarding information so their newsletter is returned undelivered. If you know someone in the club that has moved, please ask them to send me a current address so I can keep their newsletter coming. This also goes for those persons that change their e-mail address!

Thanks!!