Dedicated to the Unity, Sociability, and Good Fellowship of all BMW Owners B e e m e r B u z z Wisconsin BMW Motorrad Club October 2017 Volume 50 Issue 10 Cover photo by Mona Rihn AMA #2580 MOA #10 RA #10 WISCONSIN BMW MOTORCYCLE CLUB Originated in 1967 Meetings are the first Friday of each month at 8:00 p.m. Except: January (Installation Party) May (Fish Fry) September (Rally) New Berlin VFW Post 17980 West Beloit Road New Berlin, WI
2017 Officials President Bob Lannin Mona Rihn Vice President Mark Doggett Mike Cohen Ramona R Rihn Tim Koester Secretary Treasurer Editor Web Master 2017 Dells Rally Chair Team Brian Manke Heidi Goehring Jim Fuhrman Tina Doggett Jimmy G. Dave Kurth Trustee Constitution Committee Board Member at Large Trustee Sunshine Committee Bob and Nancy Reitberger Wisconsin Club Membership Many long and lasting friendships have been made through the Wisconsin Club since its inception in 1967. You are welcome to come and join us and meet the friendly and knowledgeable people who share a mutual respect for riding BMW motorcycles. Our membership includes men, women, families, couples, and singles. Our monthly meeting is held at the New Berlin VFW Hall and is open to all BMW riders. During the riding season, we sponsor many activities, including group rides, tech days, social get-togethers, and in September we host the annual Wisconsin Dells Rally. Visitors are welcome. If you are interested in membership, you will be asked to attend two club rides and two monthly club meetings within 12 months prior to being voted in by the general membership. You must be the age of majority, carry liability insurance, and above all, own and operate a BMW motorcycle. Helmets and proof of insurance are required by all participants on club rides. Wisconsin BMW Motorrad Club Newsletter The Beemer Buzz October, 2017 Volume 50, Issue 10 All articles by the 20 th of the month to: Newsletter Editor Mona Rihn editor@wiscbmwclub.com Assistant Editor Tina Doggett Tinarashell333@yahoo.com The editor reserves the right to omit, correct, change, and otherwise edit all submissions.
Vice-President s Report S President s Report There was no Secretary s report as there was a rally. I would like to congratulate Brian and Heidi for organizing an excellent rally. I heard a lot of positive feedback. I want to congratulate myself for ordering the most perfect rally weather of recent memory. Next, a tip of my hat to this year s rally Chairs Brian and Heidi for the wonderful time I and MANY others had. (Didn t hear too much blues but what I heard I liked.) I would also like to extend the entire clubs appreciation to ALL the volunteers that worked tirelessly to make the 47th rally a complete success. YOU ALL ROCK! First, I need to address an issue that keeps popping up. First, the Dells Rally is put on by our club, for the enjoyment and pleasure of our club and our attendees. It is, in fact, a fundraiser for our club (god willing). Period. Second, from a suggestion of a club friend, we found a new location that is a place that does wondrous things for kids and adults alike. A place that we feel fits as a location and is a comfortable place for us work and play. Third, we are the customer of this place that is so deserving of our respect. It is a byproduct of our rally that money received from being our vendor is put into their coffers. The only real difference between our new location and old locations is the fact they turn profit into good where former places turned profit into things like going on vacations or building new buildings and making stock holders happy etc. So, if we approve as a club let s start the next rally season into a one for all and all for one experience. And be happy that our vendor does something beautiful with the money they made cuz we came and had a GREAT TIME TOGETHER!!!!! There will be food at this month's meeting provided by the rally. Keep in mind it's still our 50th year so let s celebrate as one. - Bob Well, it s almost that time of the year, nominations for officer starts next month. Then in January, we have the installation party. We are having our installation party on Saturday, January 13, at Meyer s Family Restaurant, 4260 South 76 th Street, Milwaukee. Again, the family-style banquet includes: fresh garden salad, fresh bread, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, sage dressing, veggie of the day, cranberry sauce, dessert, and traditional beverages. Also included, we have the choice of: Roast pork loin Sliced beef roast Polish sausage with sauerkraut Oven baked ham Beef sirloin tips w/noodles Swiss Steak Hungarian pork goulash w/noodles Steak stroganoff w/noodles At the October and November meetings, I will be passing around slips asking for your selection for the second choice. Partners will also have the opportunity to voice their choice. Also, if you are not going to attend any more rally s this year, please send me an email with the subject line Rally s (RRRihn@yahoo.com), call me (262-719-6026), or give me something in writing at a meeting regarding which rally s you attended this year. Thanks in advance, Mona
Rally Update by Brian Manke Well folks, the 47 th Annual Dells Rally has come and gone. Thank you to all who volunteered and helped make Rally for Reason 2017 another wonderful rally. Even though we were really, really short on volunteers this year, the ones who stepped up really stepped it up a notch. Without you, we wouldn't have such a great event. It also looks like we met our $10K to charity goal. Easter Seals made approximately $3280 from registration, $1240 from bedroll rental, $500 after expenses from breakfast, and thanks to Rick Hemmingway who donated $200 of his 50/50 winnings, and Todd Korb who wrote a personal check for $500, Easter Seals received under $6K. Thank you Rick and Todd!!! Add to that the $567 the Pipkorns raised through the 50/50 for Feeding America and we are at approximately $6287. We are still waiting to hear how the Lions Club did but I think we can safely say they doubled what they did last year through the addition of serving food which was greatly appreciated according to our feedback. That puts us right around $10K. Congratulations fellow club members! We did a good thing in the Dells! Mike will plug in the final numbers at our meeting on Friday, October 6 th and we'll find out how the club fared the event. We'll also enjoy Piggies Delight roasted pork and mostaccioli (leftovers; Stan guaranteed me he never runs out of food). Bring a dish to share to add to the dinner. We plan on eating at 7 p.m., followed by the meeting at 8. Heidi's got an article on our feedback for this year in here somewhere so read up on that. As in previous years, we've learned more lessons and will make adjustments accordingly. Thank you again to our volunteers and all who attended! You're the reason we keep doing this! Thank you!
Rally Feedback by Heidi Goehring Sixty-six out of 100 feedback forms were filled out and returned. We'd all prefer a perfect 10, but we know we aren't going to please everyone with everything over a week-end long event. As per the feedback forms, we rated an overall average above 8! On a scale of 1 (Not so much) to 10 (Loved), an 8 is outstanding! THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS! Without you, this would not be possible. Our feedback forms also told us a little more about our rally goers and their preferences. Entertainment: Guests that stayed at rally central, quiet camping, Rvs and believe it or not, the hotel/offsite attendees rated our entertainment between 7.5 and 8.8. The overflow campers apparently aren't as keen on live music only 3 of the 4 feedback forms marked this area and rated it an average of 3 (same as last year). Dorm had mixed reviews. Overall score was higher than last year. Reverend Raven & Westside Andy got 10 votes for best band; 6 for Mostly Water; 3 said BOTH; and one person had a write-in of ANDY. And as usual, we had 3 comments that the bands were too loud. Fire Pits: Lowest score here was from our overflow campers, likely due to the fact that we don't have many in that area. And we didn't have any comments or complaints about them. The average score was over 8. Pig Roast: We had a few complaints about getting dry pork, but overall it was a hit again this year. The #1 complaint regarding the dinner was that doors were opened to assist in cooling off the dining hall and in came a regatta of flies. Not to mention the AC was on so one side of the dining hall was freezing while the other fed the flies. Average score at 8.62 topping last year by.01. Self-led Rides and Events: This was met with mixed feelings and is where we had the lowest rating of 6.85. We did have some 9 s and 10 s! Lower scores included comments about missing the led-rides. Other comments include Field games were fun and Miss kids carnival. My Favorite Rally Great weekend. Great job. This was my 2nd year at the rally: Well Done! & Thank you to the club volunteers. Always enjoy this rally in all the places and sizes it has been. Thank you for keeping it alive! Beer Tent: Our score increased from last year here too comments included liked food available onsite, especially late night, $1 soda Wow! & Please ask them to sell ice cream. Lesson learned for next year get translucent color rally mugs. The Lions Club will happily serve beer in mugs, provided they can see they aren't giving someone a mug of foam. Using our mugs keeps the beer prices low. Beverages and Friday night's meal: Scores similar to last year and just a few comments. Some requested more sugar-free beverage options for diabetics. Also a request for non-sweetened, non-flavored ice tea. As for Friday, several said they didn't get hot dogs and we ran out of chili too soon. The chili was a big hit! Best facility -- finally got away from Chula Vista. Great camping - great food - some of the best entertainment going at a rally! See ya next year! I have been addressing specific comments and feedback on our Facebook Rally page. Things like cold showers was narrowed down to a specific building and Easter Seals has been notified. They said had they known during the rally, they would have jumped on it. Guess that wraps up another rally! Thank you again to all who attended and volunteered! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!
Rally Misconceptions The following is part opinion but mostly factual. Misconception #1 - The Dells Rally is put on to raise money for Easter Seals. In reality (as in the past), the WI BMW Club puts on the rally to raise money for the club. All our profits stay with the club for the club to use as it sees fit. We use Easter Seals Camp Wawbeek as a location to have the rally. It so happens they are a charity organization but that does not affect our business relationship. It s a normal business relationship as we ve had with past locations we ve rented from. The club pays Easter Seals per attendee the same as we paid Chula Vista. Their selling of meals and renting bed space is no different than Chula Vista making money in their restaurant and renting rooms. That money doesn t come to the club. Saying we re having a rally to raise money for Easter Seals would be like saying we re having a rally to raise money for Chula Vista. The fact that Easter Seals is a worthwhile cause is a very positive side effect. Misconception #2 - Part of our club s profit goes to Easter Seals. In reality no part of the club s profit has been donated to Easter Seals. Misconception #3 Sponsors to the rally are contributing to a charity. In reality all sponsor money only goes to the club to help the rally. Misconception #4 Vendors help Easter Seals in some way. In reality, vendors are there for advertising and to sell their goods to rally goers for their own profit. PS: Some people feel it is nicer for a charity organization like Easter Seals to receive our rent money rather than a resort like Chula Vista. The rent we pay Easter Seals goes for a worthwhile cause rather than profit to owners and individuals. PPS: The only charitable thing the club does for Easter Seals is the spring cleanup at Camp Wawbeek. This is done only on a volunteer basis. Respectively submitted by Mike Cohen (An active 45 year member)
August Club Ride August 26 was a dismal day. It looked and felt like it was going to rain, but a few of us met at the Pine Cone for the Barn Quilt Tour of Western Walworth County Ride. I was joined with Bill Ahlborn (second ride for this prospective member), Doug and Gina Twing (who took time away from packing), Gene and Brenda Huegin (who were supposed to be in Houston), and Bob Preuss. After passing Vetro Winery, we passed Jaeckel Implements; this place was acres of implements. It was amazing. We rode on some pretty cool roads making our way to see the planned ten barn quilts, but then to my surprise, we passed number 11. We did have a little drizzle, but nothing major. We finished our ride with some wine samples. Mona Submitted by Mike Cohen
September Club Ride On Thursday, September 7, Bob Preuss and I met with Ron Feurer and Dick Burton and we headed up to the rally from the Pine Cone. The weather was picture perfect. We headed north to Hwy A and went through Fox Lake (no, we didn t stop at the correctional facility). From there, we took a short drive through the Amish Community. We passed the deer farm, the cheese-maker, a school where the kids were playing outside for recess, a dry-goods store, nurseries, etc. Fortunately for us it was a Thursday and all the Amish stores were closed otherwise there would have been a lot of traffic. After hitting a few detours, I got turned around, but thanks to Ron and GPS, soon we were on the right road! We arrived at the rally grounds about 1 hour and 45 minutes later. Saturday, September 23 - We will meet at the Pine Cone (I94 and Hwy. 26) at 12:45, leave at 1:00 p.m. to visit the Jefferson County Parks. The other morning I was listening to the radio and they were talking about the County Parks in Wisconsin. We will be exploring some of the County Parks in Jefferson County. We will finish at Vetro Winery in Jefferson. Mona October Club Rides Slimy Crud Motorcycle Run Pine Bluff Leland WI Sunday, October 1 Dust off that vintage café racer, pristine collectable, or Old Faithful and head out to the fall gathering of the Slimy Crud Motorcycle Gang. The fall edition of this event is especially worthwhile with the start of the fall coloring and beautiful warm days which brings out the really interesting iron. This is a ride-in collection of motorcycles vintage classic and everything in between taking place just west of Madison up and across the Wisconsin River. Meet at Hardees (I94 and Hwy. 83) at 8:00 am, we ll leave at 8:30 Full tank and empty bladder required. Dick Burton. For more info go to www.slimeycrudrun.com Mystery Ride Hardee s I 94 and Hwy 83 Saturday, October 7 Dave Kurth is leading a mystery ride. The mystery is he is unsure about where he s going to end up. But rest assured, it will be a great ride.
REMINDER: The MOA Summer Mileage contest ends October 8, 2017 and I believe the Winter Mileage contest begins if there is anyone out there that probably can't afford a car. Look in your October MOA Owners News for the forms and bring to the October meeting. I'll have my paralyzed veterans pen and be ready to sign. Brian Manke, MOA Ambassador
What Does Benefiting Mean? By Heidi Goehring It seems the concerns over using the word 'benefiting' continue to haunt the club and the rally/marketing. I thought some clarification may help end the debate. As per dictionary.com, Benefit, used as a noun means something that is advantageous or good; an advantage: a theatrical performance or other public entertainment to raise money for a charitable organization or cause. When used as a verb, Benefiting, or Benfitting, means to do good to; be of service to: Per Merriam-Webster, we find a definition of something that produces good or helpful results or effects or that promotes well-being: Benefiting does NOT equal Fundraising. Both pay event expenses first, but a fundraiser donates ALL money raised to the stated organization. A benefit provides proceeds to the stated organization. For example: My daughter Mariah has participated in the Art in Mill Park, an outdoor art fair, in Paoli for the last two years. This event advertises itself as benefiting The Autism Society. Does this mean she doesn't make any money? No. It means that the fee she pays and the proceeds of art she donates for the silent auction go to The Autism Society. 55 artists participated this year, each paying $150 for their booth space and donating items for the silent auction. Volunteers donate their time to plan, organize, and market the event. Together they raised well over $8,000 for The Autism Society after expenses. What do the artists get? Organizers provide event marketing designed to attract shoppers to this annual free outdoor event and plan the space for each to display their wares. Individual artists make money based on their sales. If the weather is good, the fair attracts lots of foot traffic and sales are good. This makes for a profit. If the weather is poor, cold or rainy, artists take a hit not just in the fees paid, but their time, effort, materials and everything that went into making their wares. Kinda like a rally... Editor Note: If you read Mike Cohen s explanation of the term fundraiser and Heidi s term benefit, you can replace fundraise with benefit in Mike s Rally Misconceptions article. I also did the Thesaurus check on Word, those words are first cousins they don t mean exactly the same, but they are very similar.
Ride to the Richfield Thresheree Riders gathered at the Hardee s in Delafield and were led west and south into the Kettle Moraine on as many letter and named roads as the leader could find. Many of the miles had a full canopy of trees that are just beginning to turn. Turning north we traveled more of the back roads around Holy Hill area and finally arrived at the Richfield Historical Society grounds. There was a large display of steam and old gas powered farm equipment. The program included a memorial page for Ken Kuenzi who was very involved the Society over the years. Riders included; Dick Burton, Glenn Christensen, Mike Cohen, Rick Hemenway, Bob Reitberger, and Bill Saxler. Submitted by Jim Guthrie Dedication by Mike Cohen From the Badger Club Newsletter: E 15 Fuel Update Todd Van Zeeland said that he has completed extensive research on this and would be happy to speak with Members who have questions on this topic. Todd can be reached at todd@vzoil.com. Article excerpts from a Milwaukee News Station: The new fuel is called E15, it contains 15 percent ethanol, compared to the 10 percent in regular unleaded. Though E15 is sold at the same pump consumers are used to, government warnings say it's not safe to use in every engine. The only thing explaining all this is a little orange sticker identifying "Unleaded 88" as E15. The label was needed because E15 is not for everyone. Nick Jarmusz from AAA Wisconsin said drivers need to do their homework before choosing the new fuel. "You want to make sure you do your research and find out if it's approved for your vehicle. If it's not approved, you could be looking at some damage to your engine," Jarmusz said. A warning letter from the Wisconsin DNR goes further, telling consumers to "consult the vehicle's owner manual to determine whether using E15 will affect its warranty." E15 is off limits to motorcycles, buses and delivery trucks, off road vehicles, boats and snowmobiles, as well as yard tools like chainsaws, snow blowers and lawnmowers. Jimmy G. posted this video on the Club Forum. You can find it by going to You Tube and searching for 2017 Wisconsin BMW Rally. Here s the link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zgytkmslqm
Wisconsin BMW Club Events 1-Oct 5-Oct 6-Oct Oct 1 8:00 am Slimey Crud Ride Oct 6 7:00 pm Food at VFW Oct 6 8:00 pm Club Meeting at VFW Oct 7 1:00 pm Mystery Ride Oct 8 MOA Mileage due Oct 21 Party at Brian s Hi Everyone! Shad Volbrecht Dick Mueser John Policht 10-Oct 11-Oct 13-Oct 14-Oct 14-Oct 15-Oct 16-Oct 20-Oct 20-Oct 21-Oct 22-Oct 22-Oct 22-Oct 23-Oct 29-Oct Rick Hemenway Linda Weber Shelley Koester Jim Guthrie Darcel Stephan Mona Rihn Julie Sarton Glen Christiensen Bill Saxler Ernie Grill Mark Hoedel Anna Sapozhnikov Jim Rudan Jim Fuhrmann Brian Manke I d like to invite everyone in the Madison and Wisconsin BMW clubs to a Fall Party at my house in Fort Atkinson. I ll be featuring Charcoal-Roasted Chicken, a ½ Barrel of Beer, Coffee, Bonfire at Dusk, and of course, BLUES MUSIC! Saturday, October 21, from noon til?? W5429 State Hwy. 106, Fort Atkinson RSVP appreciated BMWManke@gmail.com or 262-949-0715 I'll have the bike lift available if anyone wants to wrench on their bike or change their oil. If you're changing your oil, please bring an empty milk jug or gallon container for the waste oil. Please bring a dish to pass and your beverage of choice (if you're not a beer and coffee type of person). We plan on eating between 3-4 p.m. whenever the chicken is done. Donations accepted. Camping is available for those wanting to spend the night. Inexpensive hotel rooms are near-by in Fort.