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by DAVE PRESTON | MEDIA MANAGER

RIDE WEST BMW

The Riders for Health Scavenger Hunt August 9-11th was the best event I've ever attended or been a part of. Since I've attended and/or staged 50 events a year for more than a decade this is a pretty bold statement. Allow me to describe the event and then offer some theories ("theories" is so much more impressive than the more accurate term "guesses") as to why it was such a whopper.

This event was  a weekend of camping and riding to benefit Riders for Health, held at the Cove RV Camp and Store just north of Brinnon on the West side of Hood Canal. If you blinked or were busy cursing your car's inability to synch up to your smart phone, Brinnon is a small cluster of buildings nest to 101. It may or may not be a legitimate town.

In addition to the scavenger hunt ride Saturday, there was also a bring your own BBQ Saturday night.  The scavenger hunt is open to both street and dual sport motorcycles, and "hunters" look for targets. The chips from cell phones with pictures taken next to an entry card are handed in at the end of the day for scoring. The highest placed entrants get first pick of the door prizes, which this year were contributed by Ride West BMW, Cycle Barn, Nelson-Rigg, Touratech, Tour USA, and WMST safety training.  

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THE SPEED OF ASSUMPTION

DAVID WEED | LEAD INSTRUCTOR - WMST

So having just bought certain British 1050 triple sport touring bike after a long line of adventure bikes I find myself thinking a lot about- ahem - speed.   More precisely how do I and other riders gauge speed - and does that change, for the positive or negative, over time?

I ask this question because the new bike is fabulous, but one of the few niggles I have, and that has been noted in numerous otherwise glowing reviews, are the tiny numbers on the speedometer dial. The size of these numbers makes it a bit challenging for an accurate and quick scan of the speedo (I am sure it has NOTHING to do with advancing age).  Because of this, I continue my long-held technique of assuming my speed not by numbers, but by feelings of comfort and safety, traffic speed, and environmental conditions.  If I am cornering well with no scary pucker moments that require me to do a quick load of laundry when I get home - then I must be going an appropriate speed- right? Well actually...uh...no.

What I have noticed recently is this: that though in my first few years of riding my comfort level as determined by my skill and comfort level equated to a reasonable-ish speed - admittedly a bit over the limit (hey this IS motorcycling, right?), but nothing that would involve, say, handcuffs. Lately however, I find myself riding at what I assume to be a fast but reasonable speed based on the "gauge" of my comfort level and skills - until I look down at the actual gauge of the speedometer and am going significantly faster than a badged man or women may approve of, and that may impede my ability to successfully avoid a hazard that may present itself.  

You know you're a true Northwest motorcyclist if you can admit, after all the sun and heat of summer, that you're kind of pleased to see the first rains of Fall!

Ride West BMW is excited to announce that we will be hosting a special night with Simon & Lisa Thomas! We invite you to a new presentation of 'A Decade of Discovery'.  

These guys have ridden through 78 countries and over 325,000 miles on 6 continents and they're not finished yet. They'll be with us for one night, so don't miss your chance to get up close and personal with these like-able adventurers.

WHERE: RIDE WEST BMW

8100 LAKE CITY WAY NE

SEATTLE, WA 98115

COST: $15 PER TICKET

Spaces are limited. 

Don't miss this opportunity, call now to book your spot! 206-527-5511

Gary LaPlante, Founder of MotoVentures Inc., will travel from his training center in Southern California to the Seattle area to deliver his first Dirt Motorcycle Riding Clinic for all dual sport, dirt bike, and even street bike riders too. 

Participation will be limited to only 20 people. Bring your own bike and a full set of riding gear. Cost is: $145. Also, Gary is bringing 4 - 2012 WR250s for people to rent if they don't have a dirt bike. The clinic is $145 and the cost to rent a bike is an additional $100 (total $245). If they want to rent a bike they should email:

MotoVenturesinfo@gmail.com.   

The date is Thursday, September 12 from 8:30am to 3pm and the location is Roy Dirt Training Facility. 

Roy Dirt Training Facility, 27612 SR 507, Roy WA 98580

Before the clinic begins Gary will be available to check out your bike and answer questions about how to set it up, adjust it, and modify it to suit you and your riding preferences. He will start the clinic with one of his "rider's meeting" discussions, where he explains how all motorcycles function and what rider's must do to control them. Much of this discussion can be found in Chapter 3 (Foundation Building) and Chapter 4 (Body Positioning) of Gary's book; How to ride Off-Road Motorcycles. 

Following the riders meeting everyone will ride through a series of MotoVentures Level 2 and Level 3 riding exercises. Each exercise will be explained and demonstrated before all riders get to make multiple attempts while under Gary's guidance. 

Riding exercises will include; proper sitting turns, threshold braking, correct stand up riding and stand up turning, steep up-hills, down-hills, and side hills. Next are turns on hills, hills with no traction, and how to get unstuck from a failed hill climb. Exercises continue with a slalom course, narrow board ride, wheelies for a purpose, brake slides, power slides, and basic jumping. 

Gary will conduct a de-briefing and hand out completion certificates at day's end. 

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER 

Gary LaPlante has over 41 years of experience successfully riding and racing a wide variety of motorcycles and can teach and demonstrate most motorcycle riding techniques. 

Gary will be talking about MotoVentures, which is a full-time dirt bike training business that has been successfully providing a wide variety of high quality motorcycle adventures, including trials riding, dual sport tours and dirt bike adventures, since 1998. 

He is the author of 'How to ride Off-Road Motorcycles' which will be available for purchase along with book signing. If you've ever wanted to try dirt riding or if you're an experienced rider looking to sharpen your skill set, this book is a perfect coach. 

Chris Johnson from GOWMST will also be joining Gary in this presentation. They will discuss training that is available in the area now and in the future. 

This presentation is open to EVERYONE! We want to hear your stories and your experiences with riding. Let's take this time to share our knowledge and spread the word! Don't miss this opportunity. 
This event is FREE! Pizza will be served. 

CLICK HERE FOR GARY'S BOOK

September is here and we have had a wonderful dry summer for riding. As the fall approaches, don't forget about Annual services. Along with the normal every 6,000 mile service your bike is due for, there are also Annuals due. For all the bikes 2010 and up the interval is one after the 1st year then every two years. We can combine these with your mileage based services or do them standing alone depending on where you are with mileage. For bikes produced before 2010 the annual service is still every two years with some differences in what is recommended by BMW. Give the service department a call and we can clarify and answer any questions you may have about Annual Services.

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram! When your bike is in for service, chances are you may see a picture of it during the visit.       FOLLOW US NOW!

  Ben Semer | Service Manager

  (206) 527-5511 x400 | ben@ridewest.com

All good things must come to an end, and so it is with us.  Dave Preston has announced his retirement from Ride West BMW effective the end of October.  A little history is in order here.

We've known Dave for a long time.  After a long tenure of teaching English to junior and senior high students Dave "retired" to pursue his other true passion: motorcycles.  He went to work for Jim Boltz at the Cycle Barn in Lynnwood and it was during this time that we came to know Dave.  We saw each other at numerous industry events and chatted as a guest on "The Motorsports Show with Dave Preston," the call-in radio show Dave hosted for a couple of years.  

We always appreciated what Dave brought to the riding community and mentioned to him sometime throughout that occasional relationship that if he ever was looking for other opportunities in the industry to talk to us.  Years thereafter Lehman Brothers went down and the world went in to freefall, hitting the motorcycle industry particularly hard.  And so Dave was looking for a new opportunity.  We decided that, rather than to retreat from the economic conditions we saw coming, that we would attack.  Our industry is event intensive and getting around to all of the happenings, as well as hosting our own bike swaps, slide shows, parts swap meets, rides, and the myriad other things we do, was becoming overpowering on our staff.  We needed someone to handle all of these events and the marketing and advertising that is required to put them on.  Hence Dave Preston.  And it has been a wonderful, and very successful marriage since that time.  But again, all good things must come to an end and as Dave waltzes off into the sunset we must consider his replacement.

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