Long Island BMW Riders Club

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Author Archive %s Alan Chipetine

Gathering of the clams rally report

By Alan Chipetine

Our brothers and sisters in the Ocean State BMW Riders, MOA Chapter 240, organized a wonderful rally celebrating their 30thyear.  The rally location was superb!

 The weather was perfect. Nestled along the Great Salt Pond at Camp Fuller off US Route 1, the rally grounds were beautiful. 

The camp sites and lodges were spread out, with ample access to bathrooms and showers.

After a long day in the saddle, we had options to hike, enjoy the water, or hang out with old and new friends enjoying a beer or a dram.

The rally food was awesome.  “Chowda” and mussels on Friday.  One of the many beauties of our club is the diversity of the members.  We represent many trades and professions, including psychology, law enforcement, education, military, artisans, finance, engineering,……………..

Steak and lobster dinner on Saturday night. All of us went for the Lobster.

Surfers took advantage of the Hurricane swells on Port Judith.

Rhode Island is beautiful, rural, and salty. The local riding was spirited, similar to Long Island in many ways.  Great roads led through Connecticut.  Along the route, we visited Twisted Throttle for an oil change and some tire kicking among the locals. 

Rally Rats know how to prepare, and we had a constant supply of ice, beer, lighting, coffee, Klondike bars, chips, and assorted spirits.  Just about every member won a raffle prize, John winning a $50 gift certificate to Max BMW. After the raffle, riders gathered around the bonfire and shared some off-color jokes.

This conglomeration of diversity can only lead to spontaneous creative efforts.  This well-travelled bandit was fitted with some improvised highway pegs by John Z. A stop at True Value Hardware and $4 later led to this modification. I don’t believe John Visited a Walmart on this trip, but he indeed noted their locations along the route.

On Sunday, we drank some great coffee, packed up the gear and headed home via the Ferry from New London, or some slabbed it back to the Island  along 95.

2018 RA BMW Rally Wellsboro PA

By Alan Chipetine

The 2018 BMWRA rally in Wellsboro PA was a great weekend for the club. Mike, Frank, and Rob set up the RV’s and proudly displayed the club banner as other members arrived over the course of the weekend.

 

The local riding was terrific, long sweeping mountain roads with little to no traffic.  Most of the riding was done above 1,500 feet in elevation. The climate in the area produced some strong winds, hot afternoons, and chilly evenings, but it remained dry until the very last day of the Rally. We rode the mountain valley roads along the majestic Susquehanna River.

Local wildlife was ever present with many deer sightings, turkeys, and Mike C.’s informal workshop on counter steering as he crossed lines with a young bear while negotiating a corner.

That friggin’ bike is blocking my beautiful S1KR!!!!

Barbequed meat was abundant and beverages flowed aplenty as we sat around the RV’s and reflected on riding and good times both past and present.

Rob made the obligatory trip to the local Walmart when we fried one of the electric extension cables going to the RV. The mishap with the cable had nothing to do with the use of the ice machine and blender that Mike managed throughout the weekend.

Our members from Canada, joined us for the weekend.  Canada Mike brought his guitar along and entertained us as we sipped our bevera ges and talked with many of the rally attendees who passed our camp.

Frank flew his drone and captured some great footage of the Rally and the local roads.

 

Check out his video in memory of Frank Walsh.

 

It was a great trip filled with a lot of laughs, terrific friends, great conversation, and of course, beautiful roads. John C. finally slept with his bike in his $500 tent, which he bought at a substantial discount at a previous rally.    Rob and company packed up the RV for its return voyage to Long Island.