Rally Time!
C. Michael Wingfield
As this is my first attempt at putting
together the newsletter, I’d like to offer my condolences to everyone! Actually, I don’t have any idea as to what
I’m doing, but hopefully over time I’ll get the hang of it.
It’s time to start
planning to attend the Natural State Rally, scheduled for May 16-18, 2003 at
Sequoia Park at the Arkansas river Lock and Dam No. 9, located south of
Morrilton AR, just off Arkansas Highway 9, south of the Arkansas River bridge
and 5 miles south of the intersection of U.S. highway 64 and Arkansas Highway
9. Registration fee is 6 dollars a
night to cover camping. Rally patches
and t-shirts will be for sale separately.
Facilities and showers are on site. There are plenty of restaurants
nearby in Morrilton. For answers to
your questions regarding the rally, you can contact Charlie Bishop at
501-455-4542 or Morris Hale, at 501-765-4253.
Please plan of coming to the rally!
Annual Meeting
The
Naturally Beemers Annual Meeting was conducted on March 22, 2003 at the Western
Sizzlin in Conway, Arkansas. There was
nice contingent of club members, with approximately thirty in attendance. The meeting was called to order by club
President Otto Ising. The Secretary and
Treasurers reports were presented as follows:
The club
currently has $1071.30 in it’s bank account at Regions Bank.
The inventory of club t-shirts, rally
t-shirts, club patches, rally patches, and club stickers was presented.
A report
of the club membership was presented, with the greatest discussion centering
around the actual number of members registered with the club. Emphasis was placed on encouraging members
that weren’t current on their club membership dues to become current. (If your
behind in your dues, please submit your dues ASAP!).
The next item of business centered around the upcoming
rally. As was noted in the introductory
article, the rally is at Sequoia Park outside Morrilton, and is scheduled for
May 16-18, 2003. The Corp of Engineers
has agreed to provide a fire ring for the campfire, and many of the sites have
grills for cooking. Rod Kilduff made a
motion that we consider a company that can provide Porta Potty’s. Last year, there was some difficulty with
the existing facilities, so by voice vote, it was decided that we would go with
a company that will provide three porta potty’s. As always, there are permanent restroom and shower facilities on
site.
There will be a hot dog roast on Friday night, May 16,
provided by the club, and the rest of the meals are on an “on your own” basis.
As always, the collection of door prizes is underway. If anyone wishes to donate a door prize, it
will be greatly appreciated. For
questions, please contact Charlie Bishop or Morris Hale.
A new t-shirt design was selected for the rally, which
incorporates a depiction of all the wonderful roads in Arkansas around the
rally theme. Other great designs were
submitted by Lee Kubicki and others.
The third item of
business that was discussed was the location and date for the Fall, 2003
campout. There was quite a bit of
discussion regarding three possible sites.
Withrow Springs in North Western Arkansas, Heber Springs in the North
Central part of the state, and a site that was suggested in Eastern Arkansas by
Vice-President, Barry Phillips. It was
decided that we would table the discussion regarding the fall campout location
and time until the Natural State Rally, so please be prepared to discuss the
fall rally at Sequoia Park.
Finally in other business, Lee Kubicki presented a copy of
the Arkansas Riders Guide for review, and indicated that the author, who lives
in Hot Springs, will provide discounts if the club has enough members that will
purchase one.
BMW Motorcycles of
Little Rock
By James Willbanks
(In my
search for newsletter material, I contacted James Willbanks, a Naturally
Beemers member, and the owner of the soon to be open BMW Motorcycles of Little
Rock. The following is his response):
Hi Mike,
Enjoyed our
visit yesterday and today. What a great
impromptu gathering. That is exactly
what I would like to see every day. The
coffee pot will be going constantly.
Here we go.
I was
raised in Elaine, Arkansas. Moved to
little Rock in the 11th grade and graduated from Central High
School. Attended the University of
Arkansas at Fayetteville and graduated from the University of Arkansas at
Little Rock with a Marketing degree.
Orbit Valve offered me a job after graduation, and sent me to New
Orleans as a sales trainee, (that means I worked on high pressure valves in
back woods and off shore for about ten months, and as a salesman for about
three months. Decided New Orleans
wasn’t for me and returned home to Little Rock. I’ve been in Little Rock ever since. I tried the bond business, and it wasn’t for me. I then spent several years in construction
before I got into trucking in 1985. I
worked for Continental Express from 1985 to 1997. I then ventured off with three other investors to start Pro
Transportation in 1997. In 2001 I sold
my interest to my partners and was looking for a career where I could make my
“vocation my vacation”. I started riding H-D’s in 1994 and on October 30, 2000
I got my first BMW. Since becoming a
BMW rider, I’ve taken a 2 week trip to Ontario and Quebec, Canada and spent a
week riding through the Smokey Mountains and North Carolina. Don Roark at Shreveport Motor Sports was the
man who turned me on to BMW motorcycles and also is responsible for letting me
know this great opportunity existed. I
have been married to my lovely and patient wife Lynn for 22 years. We have 2 sons both at Central High School,
Scott, who is a Junior, and Jamie, who is a Freshman.
The
Dealership:
Technicians:
Mike
Pierson is the lead tech. He has owned
and maintained his own BMW motorcycles since 1983. He is riding a R 1100S at this time. He hails from Iowa, and was working for Gina’s BMW in Iowa before
going to the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Phoenix, AZ. He heard about this venture, and wanted the
opportunity. He has attended BMW
schools and is a certified BMW technician.
He is honing his skills in Shreveport.
Julius
Ceasear, (not a joke!) is the other tech.
He has wrenched motorcycles and automobiles most of his life. He hails from Lafayette, La and is Cajun
thru and thru. He is a great guy and a
great Chef. He drove a truck for the
two companies I was affiliated with. He
asked if we would have a position available as a technician, and knowing him
and his work ethic and loyality, I knew he would be a great addition to the
team. He also has attended BMW’s
schools and is a certified BMW technician.
He is honing his skills in Baton Rouge.
Our parts
manager is Ivan Billings. He worked
with me at my last trucking company. He
lacks experience, but will make up for it quick with his tenacity to learn and
his desire to finish tasks. He has
completed his BMW’s “Parts Inventory Management Seminar” and is eager to get
going. We know that starting out, we
can’t carry an inventory to satisfy everyones immediate demands, but if there
is something you desire, and it is out there, we will get it for you.
Other
positions, as well as prospects, both part-time and full-time are being
considered. The number one thing we are
looking for is a cohesive team….so that when you speak with anyone on the
staff, you get the same feeling, like we are one voice relaying the same
message, “you are our customer, and you will be taken care of “. No excuses!
The
showroom is approximately 3500 square feet, the shop is approximately 2400
square feet, and the parts room is approximately 450 square feet. The mezzanine will contain 2 offices, a
conference/kitchen area and mechanical room.
Hours of operation are not firm, but will probably be 8:30am to 6:00pm,
Tuesday through Saturday. We plan to be
available 24 hours a day for the stranded rider. Being at the crossroads of Interstate 40 and Interstate 30, we
hope to become a welcome stop for the touring rider and a destination for
others that are learning of our fun roads.
One thing we have added, primarily for the touring rider, is separate
showers for men and women so they can clean up while their bike is being tended
to. Hopefully they will stay and share
their adventure with all of us before they continue on their journey, and we’ll
have made another friend.
Another
thing we want to do is cook out on Saturdays as much as possible. Suggestions here, as well as other
suggestions are welcome.
We are
located at I-630 and Woodrow Street.
The address is: 710 Jones
St. Suite A, Little Rock, AR 72205.
The phone number is 501-374-4BMW.
The website is www.bmwclr.com
(still under construction).My e-mail address is: jamesw@bmwclr.com.
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
No new members at this time.
.
Activities
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 Flea
Market Items this quarter……
Laws
By Rod Kilduff
Law #1 Riding:
Ride like their out to kill you.
Don’t even think about them not seeing you-think they do see you
and want to kill you. ie- plan your
escape.
Law #2 Parts:
You never need the part you have. (and the sublaw is – the further you
are from the part you need is directly proportional to the probable need for
the part (Canada proved that to me)!
Law #3 Troubleshooting: Look where you last worked.
Law#4 Tools:
You never have the correct tool on hand. And if you own it – someone borrowed it or it’s lost in the dark
corner of the garage where all the little red spray tubes congregate. (spiders
drag them there).
Law #5 People:
There is always a greater idiot.
Make something idiot proof to demonstrate this.
Law #6 Incompetence: (A borrowed law): Never attribute to malice what can be
explained by incompetence.
Law #7 Devices:
Most things work until they break.
Then they’re broken.
Law #8 Parallelism:
If one of two identical bulbs burns out, it’s buddy is just waiting
until you’ve replaced the one, and buttoned things up to blow out. Also applies to lots of other devices.
Law #9 Self-aggrandizement: You were always faster in the retelling then in reality and fish
that got away were “whoppers”.
Law #10
Time: is relative. It can be much longer or shorter, depending
on the situation. Repair time tends to
stretch out good rides tend to be too short.
Having to pee without a place can be infinity.
Tyler Bend Trip
By Randy Jackson
With a Tuesday and Wednesday available for riding
and a weather forecast predicting highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s for
northern Arkansas, I decided to make an overnight camping trip. With no particular destination in mind, I
set out from Lavaca for the general area of Jasper and the Buffalo River. I took the “Big Highway” to Clarksville and
then headed up one of my favorite roads in the state, Hwy 123. The section from Clarksville to the
intersection with Hwy 16 at Pelsor has great curves and scenery. I decided to take Hwy 16 east from Pelsor
rather than continue up the section of Hwy 123 north into Mt. Judea, but if you
have never experienced the curves and switchbacks on that section of 123, you
should make a point of checking it out.
It may be more enjoyable southbound since that direction has you
climbing the steep switchbacks rather than taking them downhill.
Hwy 16 east from Pelsor is no bad choice either,
however. From there Hwy 377 and 65 took
me to Gilbert, “The Coolest Town in Arkansas,” (temperature-wise, that is,) if
you believe their welcome sign.
Unfortunately the Riverside Kitchen restaurant where I had planned to
eat was closed. I guess it was a little
early in the season. A trip back out to
Hwy 65 took me to Fergusons Country Store where I was able to get a burger good
enough to make me forget my disappointment at Riverside Kitchen being closed.
Just down the road from Fergusons is one of the
Buffalo River park campgrounds, Tyler Bend.
A ride through convinced me that finding a spot to pitch my tent for the
night would be no problem, since the campground was empty. I decided to keep riding for a while since
it was a few hours yet before dark.
After making my way north to St Joe, I cut across
Hwy 374 to Hwy 14. This had some good
paved curves, then turned to dirt for while, and then back to pavement before
intersecting Hwy 14. From there I
cruised through Buffalo Point park, which was pretty much deserted also. That certainly won’t be the case in a few
weeks when the canoeing season gets going on the Buffalo River, as this is one
of, if not the, largest and most popular parks on the River.
Back through Marshall, I returned to Tyler Bend,
with one detour a little north of there to a smoked meat shop I had spotted
earlier that made sandwiches to go.
Three bucks got me a huge sandwich and chips for my meal at the
campground that night. On the way back
to the campground and thinking ahead to breakfast, I took special note of the
“Homemade cinnamon rolls” sign in front of Fergusons.
Back at Tyler Bend, I found the campground to still
be deserted. In fact, I never saw
another person the whole time I was there, so I had my own private campground
and bathhouse. That night, April 1st,
was the first night the bathhouse was open for the season (a good thing!) but
also the first night of the season for which they charged for camping (well, I
guess you can’t have everything.) At
$10, it was still a relative bargain and it was the quietest, most peaceful
night I have ever spent in a public campground.
The next morning, I continued north on Hwy 65 to
just south of Harrison, where I turned west on Hwy 206 to get over to Hwy
7. I really didn’t expect 206 to be a
very interesting ride, but I was pleasantly surprised. There was good pavement and enough curves to
keep things interesting until I reached Hwy 7.
Hwy 7 took me south to Jasper where I got onto Hwy 74 West (maybe even
more of a favorite road of mine than Hwy 123.)
At Hwy 23 I headed north through Huntsville and detoured to Withrow Springs
State Park for a break. I have camped
here before and the facilities are good, but unfortunately “a road runs through
it” (hey, that might make a great movie title!) OK, moving along from the bad joke, the campsites really are
right next to the road. Even though the
road is posted for “Park Traffic Only” there doesn’t appear to be any
enforcement of it and the road seems to be a popular route for the locals.
Continuing on north, I found Hwy 127 from Hwy 23
over to War Eagle to be another pleasant surprise with nice pavement and
curves. By then I was ready for lunch
and War Eagle Mill made a good place to stop and eat. After lunch, I regretfully headed back to Lavaca and the real
world again.
The first of April turned out to be a great time to
make this trip. The weather was
excellent and many of the restaurants and facilities were open for the season,
yet the tourist traffic was pretty much non-existent. I think this will definitely be an annual trip for me.
Bits and Pieces
If
you ever need patches sewn onto jackets, flags, etc. One of my co-workers will sew them on for a reasonable
price. Contact Leslie at 501-541-5578
or at ljrisinger@classicnet.net. She does good work!
Naturally Beemers
The BMW M/C Club of Arkansas
http://www.pcfa.org/clubs/naturally_beemers/
BMWMOA
CLUB #181 Chartered 2/88
BMWRA
CLUB #74 Chartered 4/91
Steering Committee
Otto Ising…..........................President
Barry Phillips…..............Vice
President
Elmer
Sveda…......................Activities
Jerry
Reynolds…...................Treasurer
Rod Kilduff…………………. .Secretary
Annual Membership Dues:
$10.00
for Solo
$15.00
for Family
Send correspondence to:
C.
Michael Wingfield
2402
S. Taylor
Little
Rock, AR 72204
cmwingfield@ualr.edu
Letter
From BMWMOA Director
Rob Nye
Visitors
to the new BMW MOA website www.bmw.org may
notice some new additions to the site.
We have enhanced our traditional rally message board with a complete
forum which will become a permanent part of our website. In addition to being able to discuss the
upcoming National Rally in Charleston, WV, our new forum provides the ability
for members to share pictures as well as have a place to discuss things that
would be considered”off topic” on the normal rally board. Additional forums for gear, motorcycling
topics and general discussions (The Campfire) have been set up. This is the first visible step on what we
are calling Project E which will include a members only section of the website
where BMWMOA members can register on line for the National, shop at the country
store and update member information including your listing in the anonymous
book. You will need to register to use
this forum, all that is required is a valid e-mail address and BMWMOA member
number. Finally, there is a private
forum for chartered club officers to share ideas as well as a public calendar
where you can post events and link them to your web page. Please accept our invitation to check out
our newq forum and do not hesitate to let us know what you like and don’t like
about our new features as they become available.
Thanks,
and have a great season.
Best,
Rob
Nye
Director,
BMWMOA
Arkansas
Travel and Win Game
Lee Kubicki
The State of
Arkansas in an effort to promote instate tourism, has come up with a rather
neat program. I think it has great
potential, you can bum all over the state on your bike, see great scenery, and
all for a good purpose, PRIZES!
First,
obtain the “Arkansas Travel & Win” brochure, I got mine at a State Welcome
Center, but other locations can be found by calling 501-682-7777 or visit the
website at Arkansas.com.
Then,
go bumming, there are 33 sites to pick from, scattered throughout the state,
get your booklet stamped at five places and win a pair of binoculars, 10 gets
you a sports duffle and an entry for a drawing for a pontoon boat. (Wow, our own club party barge!!)
Finally,
mail in the stamped booklet to little Rock by Aug. 31, 2003. Check it out!