Hello everyone, Rally planning is complete and all that's left is the details. If you're like me, you're getting the bags out, making a list and checking it twice! I hope everyone has great weather and little traffic on the way to the Game of Roads in Waynesville. On a serious note, I want to talk with you about the elephant in the room, or rather COVID-19. We all want it to go away so we can resume a normal life...
Editor-in-Chief John M Flores chats with contributor and world traveler Tracy Charles about traveling through COVID-19, her role models, and how to handle the downs of solo travel. https://youtu.be/qfvQvN4WfZM
Beach's Motorcycle Adventures is a long-time supporter of the BMW Riders Association and are once again donating the Grand Prize for our National Rally - a two-week European motorcycle tour. The tour includes: All hotels in a shared double room All breakfasts Most dinners Unlimited use of a BMW motorcycle from Beach’s fleet Everything that makes Beach’s tours simply magical! Does not include Airfare Lunches Daily expenses Gasoline Alcoholic drinks Anything not listed in “includes” above Please stop by the Beach's booth...
Cape Woolamai Mercantile is very proud to return to the Game of Roads national rally. We will be bringing 100% Australian made everyday luxuries for your review. Our outback tough products are perfect for the on the road lifestyle. Come by booth 138/139 and we can show you the “No Worries!” way.
Thank you ROK Straps USA for sponsoring the AV equipment for the Game of Roads rally! Be sure to stop by the ROK Straps booth to thank them and check out their awesome straps.
Thank you BD's Cycles for sponsoring Friday morning coffee at our Game of Roads National Rally this year! Be sure to stop by the booth to see their fantastic paint jobs and thank them for their support
[Click here for PART 1] Bob Henig from Bob's BMW tells us how BMW R 1250 RT-P police motorcycles ended up in Washington DC's Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the 2021 Presidential Inauguration. https://youtu.be/ZJAZsOIsxSM
Watch the video and hear about Travis' great weekend at the MotoAmerica races at Road Atlanta. Travis is a columnist for BMW Riders Association On The Level magazine and through his columns we've read about the challenges and struggle associated with pursuing your dreams. This weekend's results were hard-won. https://youtu.be/nOXPjsJbaao
Bob Henig from Bob's BMW tells us how BMW R 1250 RT-P police motorcycles ended up in Washington DC's Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the 2021 Presidential Inauguration. https://youtu.be/hxzD2T8pnIM
The Game of Roads Rally is RESCHEDULED for August 12-15, 2021 It is with much regret that the board of the RA has decided to postpone the annual rally until August 12-15, 2021. Given the slow roll-out of the COVID vaccines and the high infection rates, we simply are not in a position to guarantee a safe rally environment for the original May dates. By making this decision now, we’ve been able to secure a fall date at the Smoky Mountain Event...
Chief of Content John M Flores chats with BMW racer and On The Level contributor Travis Wyman after his MotoAmerica Stock 1000 race at the famous Brickyard, Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
See what the BMW Motorrad road racers are up to in the 2020 MotoAmerica Series. Featuring: Travis Wyman/Travis Wyman Racing Josh Herrin/Scheibe Racing Jeremy Coffey/Speedmonkey Racing Alex Arango/TopPro Jeremy Cook/Dead Presidents Racing Steve Weir/Weir Everywhere Racing Steve Scheibe/Scheibe Racing (more…)
Initial impressions of the highly anticipate 1800cc air-oil cooled boxer cruiser from BMW Motorrad. This is a 360 VR video, so you can look around by pointing and dragging with your mouse (on a computer), pointing and dragging with your finger (on a phone or tablet), or simply turning around with your phone or tablet.
Listen to the big boxer rev! Review in the Nov-Dec 2020 issue of On The Level.
Dimitrios is the president of the GS Giants and talks about his big trip. Look for his stories in an upcoming issue of On The Level.
We featured the incredible Kolb Machine R90SS in the March-April issue of On The Level, but we just can't get enough of it. Here are some more drool-worthy photos by Gregor Halenda. Enjoy!
By a unanimous decision, the BMW Riders Association Board of Directors has voted to give nurses and first responders free admission to the club’s 2020 National Rally as a way of thanking them for their efforts in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. “Board member Al Olme came up with the idea,” says BMW RA President Sibley Poland, “and the rest of the board quickly got behind it.” For his part, Al Olme says, “BMW Riders Association members are a...
“I’m scared.” The daunting hills of the ravine lay mere feet away as mottled rocks and boulders dot the hillsides like splattered paint. To my side, cliffs cascade down and away, dried trees and shrubs dangle dangerously, held merely by remnants of once marvelous roots. The environment is eerily quiet — lifeless, even. No chirping birds, barking dogs, or cars flying by, just the low whistle of my breathing and the nearly silent “thud” of my heartbeat. I lean to...
“I’m 60, have no health issues and I am a nurse. Should I take my extended motorcycle trip?” Risk Management You prepare for months, review maps, buy essential equipment and then pack. Soon, you hope to be on the road for your three to six months trip. Sadly, Coronavirus is likely to have extended influence on your trip. There will be decisions to make about the safety of travel, about whom you travel with, and whether you should travel this season...
When I joined the BMW community over 25 years ago, I quickly established a reputation in the local BMW club as having the cleanest bike with the fewest miles. It seemed that monster miles and clean motorcycles were mutually exclusive and, conversely, that there definitely was a correlation between the odometer reading and the cleanliness…or lack thereof… of a bike. I eventually decided to silence the critics by earning entry into the Iron Butt Association by completing an IBA SaddleSore...
An hour or so out of Sedona, Arizona, the red rock ridgelines provide a natural border to the sharpest and clearest blue sky I can remember. Purple wildflowers announce spring in the high desert, and the cool morning air delivers their sweet fragrance, stimulating dormant parts of my technology-anaesthetized senses. My physical body is doing what it was designed to do, embracing the low temperature by pumping extra blood (adrenaline, perhaps?), and the high is clean and the dialogue...
I’ve had nine BMWs since 1976, eight of them were bought new. Currently, I have a 2016 R 1200 RS still under warranty and I’ve almost never been a guy to have more than one bike in my garage. But in June, I flew to Sacramento, California to buy a 2004 R 1150 RS with 57,000 miles on it—my first used BMW and exactly the same color as the one I bought new in 2004. I kept asking people...
The BMW Riders Association is pleased to announce that they've selected the Smoky Mountain Event Center in North Carolina (formerly known as the Haywood Country Fairgrounds) as the location of the 2020 National Rally. Located about 30 minutes west of Asheville, North Carolina, the rally will be close to the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Tail of the Dragon, the Rattler, and so many other epic roads. The date of the rally is September 17-20, 2020. Mark your calendars!
[This story first appeared in the March-April issue of "On the Level"] As a mentor to several (now avid) motorcyclists, I know that the issue of which bike to recommend to the new or re-entry rider is of paramount importance. This is the vehicle which will either cultivate a rider’s passion or crush it. There are several BMW models which would make fine choices – but nothing fits the bill like the F 650 CS, an often-overlooked oddball that was...
The rally t-shirt is designed and it's extra-groovy! Check it out and join us in Woodstock, Virginia Sept 5-8. It's gonna be righteous. https://youtu.be/AMyjfFFuSSs
