Riding and camping Northern California and beyond, since 1965!

A quick heads-up that as Tour Captain I am working on introducing and implementing a new approach to the group riding we do with the club. 

As most of you have noticed we have steadily been getting more participants on the monthly Meeting/ Campout Rides as well as the Second Sunday Breakfast Rides, with 30 plus riders being the new norm. Instead of maintaining up to 15-20 riders per group, with a leader and a sweep, we will be looking at groups of 4-5 with a leader only. The groups will ride the same routes, start and finish in the same places, and overlap for breaks and fill-ups at the same places. But we will ride in smaller, more nimble groups that will navigate through surface streets and traffic lights easier and take less time to organize and mobilize. Riders of similar riding ability will ride together; folks that want to ride at a more spirited pace can, while folks that want a more casual pace can as well. This is a safer approach that will make the group rides more efficient and fun. 

Please contact me with any questions or comments at TourCaptain@bmwnorcal.org. 

Thanks!

Nick

Welcome Fred Montano and Rick Webb to the Board of Directors as Secretary and Historian! They stepped up to fill the recent vacancies and will be on the Board until at least the June election. Come out to the Next Member meeting to see them in action!

The February edition of The NorCal News is hot off the presses! Click here for another great month of thrills and spills, submitted by you, the readers, and expertly presented by our esteemed Editor, John Ellis. And as always, John is looking for great member content, so if you've got a tale to tell, some news to share, or a new farkle we need to know about, write it up and send it to him at this link. 

We are happy to announce BMW NorCal members now have access to key features of our website on a new mobile app thru iOS platforms. So iPhone and iPad users will be able to download the mobile app (click below) and be able to log in to register and pay for upcoming events, check which events you've registered for (and have access to the route sheets if it's a ride), and have access the Member Directory - all while on the go! Unfortunately it's only available on iOS platforms now, but as soon as it's available we will share an android version. 

Click here for the latest edition of the NorCal News. 

As always, John Ellis does not disappoint in this edition. We are fortunate to have such a great editor, and we are fortunate to have such great contributors. Do you have a great story to share? 

Big news in the North Bay! The BMW dealership in Santa Rosa has been purchased by the Eurocycle group. In addition to the Santa Rosa BMW dealership, Eurocycle also owns BMW dealerships in Reno and Las Vegas. The Santa Rosa dealership is being revamped as Eurocycle Sonoma - BMW of Santa Rosa, and will be a BMW Flagship Showroom. This means they will carry all of the BMW bikes! They also carry Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, Triumph, and more. And you can expect more in the way of apparel and accessories too. They will also have a fleet of rental bikes if you want to try out a new bike for the 2018 Range of Light Gypsy Tour, for example. Click the logo below to visit their website or take a ride up to wine country and see for yourself.

BMW NorCal has received a rare and special treat, a 10 year collection of past newsletters from Member Sam Hudnall! His collection spans from the start of his membership in 1989 to the end of 1999, and can be found in the newly dedicated wing of the BMW NorCal Newsletter Archive. 

This collection is a fun look back at the BMW NorCal club. And proof that for as much as things change within the club, much more has stayed the same. Sure the names and faces of members come and go (as well as some questionable fashion choices), but these newsletters are proof that the spirit of the BMW NorCal club, from the adventures of the rides and campouts to the hearty camaraderie of folks with shared passions and experiences, remains alive and well and is firmly ingrained in the BMW NorCal culture. So take a look, a new look for some or a reminiscent look for others, and see what was happening during a 10 year slice of the club's 52 years. And be sure to thank Sam Hudnall!

Click here to enter the Hudnall Time Machine! 

And while you're there, click the "subscribe" button to make sure you don't miss an issue of the Norcal News.

Thank you John Ellis for another great edition of the BMW NorCal Newsletter! 

And keep in mind John is always looking for interesting content, even if it's a short blurb. Send your submissions to john.g.ellis@comcast.net and next month we could be reading your story!

Click here: November Newsletter

BMW Norcal has adopted an International Sister Club Program, the first of its kind in the North America, and, maybe the world! 

The International Sister Club Program is open to international BMW MOA charted clubs and are intended to promote cultural exchange, friendship and understanding, and to foster shared riding and social opportunities. 

For more information: click here

The October Club Newletter is available for download from our club website.  Check it out.  Thanks to John for another great newsletter.

October Newsletter

The newsletter is based on member content and John is always looking for great stories or articles to include.  You can contact him at newseditor@bmwnorcal.org

Hope to see you at our Octoberfest meeting.