The BMW Club JOURNAL £2.00 September 2005 2 BMW Club Journal • September 2005 HONORARY EDITORIAL TEAM The Journal Please send all letters to Paul Nadin, Mutual Aid to Owen Vaughan, features Dave Bertram. All other correspondence or queries should September 2005 be sent to the Editor. The Official BMW Club EDITOR: CHRIS FLEMING, 58 Janes Lane, Bur- within the UK and gess Hill, West Sussex. RH15 0QR. Tel/Fax: Republic of Ireland 01444 245367. e-mail: [email protected] Affiliated to BMW Club Europa e.V SECTION NEWS & ‘COMPASS’: Please send to the Editor at present. www.bmwclub.org.uk FEATURES EDITOR : DAVE BERTRAM “Kim- General Enquiries: 0800 0854045 berley”, 4 Southcrest, West Hunsbury, Northamp- FREEPOST THE BMW CLUB ton, NN4 9UD. Tel/fax 01604 479749. e-mail: [email protected] The BMW Club is the Trading name of The B.M.W. Motorcycle Club Ltd Registered in England, Registration number 4261129 TORQUE REACTION: PAUL NADIN, 49, Berk- whose Registered Office: Charter Court, Midland Road, Hemel shire Drive, Congleton, Cheshire. CW12 1SB. Hempstead, Herts, HP2 5GE e-mail: [email protected] MUTUAL AID & SMALL BUSINESS ADS: All Rights Reserved OWEN VAUGHAN, 16 South Meadows, Pembroke, Pembs. SA71 4EW. Tel 01646 CONTENTS 683188. e-mail: [email protected] DIARY OF EVENTS: GORDON CATCHPOLE, Editorial Ramblings............................. 4 Avenida de las Especias 58, Pinar de National and Section Officers............. 6 Campoverde, 03190 Pilar de la Horadada, Alicante, Spain. Tel/fax: (0034) 966762893. e- President’s Platform............................ 7 mail: [email protected] Torque Reaction..................................8 COMMERCIAL DISPLAY ADS: ROB PEARCE, German Jottings ................................ 40 16 Forestfield, Horsham, RH13 6DZ. Tel/fax Diary of Events................................... 41 01403 754912. e-mail: [email protected] Around the Compass.......................... 45 TECHNICAL OFFICER: MIKE FISHWICK, Events not Organised by BMW Club...45 Sirgon, 24250 Daglan, France. e-mail: The Caption Competition.....................62 [email protected] Where We Meet.................................. 63 100,000 MILE AWARDS: BOB HARRISON, 251 Preston Road, Coppull. PR7 5DS. Tel: 01257 Section News..................................... 64 793209 e-mail:[email protected] Social and Register Secretaries......... 64 And grateful thanks to: Tony Wood for assist- Mutual Aid........................................... 74 ance with proof reading and sub-editing. DISCLAIMER Features The BMW Club Journal accepts for publication articles and letters written in good faith; however, the views expressed in articles and letters which are published are not necessarily those of the editor of the Journal or those of the BMW Club or its officers or members. Trans America Record Attempt ........... 14 The information, including advice and suggested modifications published in K1200LT Starter Relay ...................... 16 the The BMW Club Journal has not been approved, tested or otherwise checked by The BMW Club Journal or the BMW Club. Before acting on 25 Years of the GS ......................... 20 information, advice or suggested modifications published in The BMW Club Journal you should always obtain technical advice, and if appropriate have Books Reviewed ............................. 38 a professional motor-cycle engineer carry out the work for you. The BMW Club Journal and the BMW Club cannot accept liability for any A Grande J’Anus ............................. 46 loss, damage or claims occurring as a result of any modifications or work or An Excellent Adventure ................... 52 other action carried out on the advice or based on the suggestions given in any article or letter published in The BMW Club Journal and (save for death PacSafe Product Review ................. 60 or personal injury arising from The BMW Club Journal’s negligence) all such liability is hereby excluded. The BMW Club Journal is published for and on behalf of the B.M.W. Motor- cycle Club Ltd. The BMW Motorcycle Club Ltd, the BMW Club Journal, It’s Editor and Officers accept no liability in respect of loss or damage occasioned directly or indirectly as a result of the publication of any advertisement in The BMW Club Journal or Web site For problems regarding distribution of the This Months Cover : 25 years old and still Journal please first contact your Section celebrating - Dave Bertram reviews an Secretary. Should there still be a problem then impressive family history, starting on page contact the membership secretary. Their details are listed on page 6. 20. BMW Club Journal • September 2005 3 such a long time to get the train loaded and going at Folkestone ? Editorial These issues apart, we enjoyed ourselves seeing the sites, whizzing up and down the mountains via Freewheeling cable cars and precarious trains ( the K12LT could have managed the climbs and descents but whether I could was debateable. Especially after sampling the local brews ... ) and yes the Return Through France was characterised by regular winetastings ND THERE WAS - GARMISCH. As discussed and purchases whereupon the Editorial Wallet took Aearlier, the present Mrs Fleming ( hello dear ! ) a serious beating. And it was, of course, no more accompanied than a me and the coincidence that K12LT on an Our President extended tour subsequently of Germany managed to and France via wangle an invite Bruce to the Editorial Springsteen - Towers to sample NOT Barry some of the Manilow as a vintages that had certain been obtained, Commercial even if it was in Ads Manager the guise of a of ours business review scurrilously meeting. At least claims - and it kept him away the Munich from his digital shopping camera .... centres. And to say that she - in fact WE - were seriously underwhelmed by the 2005 Biker Party is an understatement. ITS GOOD TO BE BACK Yes, it was good to see so many people, bikes and BIG THANK YOU to Dave Bertram and the the occasional OTT enthusiast enjoying Aeditorial team for their help in putting together themselves, and yes the atmosphere was Very last month’s Journal and my apologies for (a) Pleasant Indeed but - whisper it quietly - even with messing up my eMail forwarding system so that the evening’s Beer Tent shenanigans in full swing Dave didn’t get many of the things he should have overall it was rather dull. You could, for example received and (b) for the confusion at the printers cover the principal “sites” in less than half an hour whereby some issues sent out by the mailing house - that’s after you’d queued and paid for your lanyard were rather light in terms of pages. Investigations and badge that were given away free last year. You are continuing but it would seem that someone was could gasp in amazement at the GS’s going round “at home to Mr Cock-up” on this occasion ! and round on a gradient. You could even join one of the guided tours of the region or participate in However my extended tour of Europe revealed that the traditional motorcycle parade but you couldn’t many of us are creatures of habit ! Despite buy a BMW bike, any BMW apparel other than their reminders in three separate areas of the July zero-IQ cap and an assortment of T-shirts. Journal to send the club’s “regular” contributions to And my spies tell me while it was All Very Nice for Dave, several members - no names, no pack drills BMW to lay on a special Channel Tunnel train for - clearly hadn’t read those bits, consequently getting the World Of BMW aficionados, did it REALLY take the August Journal out on time was an acheivement 4 BMW Club Journal • September 2005 in itself as several contributions were languishing DIESEL SPILLS : 10 SEPTEMBER CAMPAIGN here in Janes Lane. PILT DIESEL IS A MENACE to anyone on two And while its very touching that so many of the club’s Swheels. It's often difficult to see until it's too members think that the Editor can solve just about late, and then it's like riding on ice. In a straight any problem that comes his way ( the present Mrs line a rider is lucky if he/she can ride over it, but on Fleming - hello dear ! - has certain rather different a roundabout or on a bend a crash is often views on the matter ), perhaps its worth reminding inevitable. everyone that we have a National Membership Secretary who manages our membership and In 2003 Stephen Edwards founded the Kill Spills subscription issues, that Section Secretaries campaign with the help of the members of a couple receive additional copies of the Journal to ensure of motorcycle related forums on the Internet. In that new or returning members are not overlooked 2004 the campaign organised a ride to Downing and that we have a Mutual Aid/Small Business Ads Street in which over 800 people took part. The manager who processes requests for club second annual Kills Spills Rally takes place on member’s items for sale. Your editor is more than Saturday 10th September. content for these noble volunteers to shoulder their burden accordingly - once again their contact details Diesel spillage has been the subject of several BMF are page 3. Please read, mark, learn and inwardly campaigns in the past, some of which have led to digest ! That said, if it really IS urgent then I will of changes in legislation and Home Office reporting course do what I can to expedite things ! procedures, but still the problem persists. Because the BMF has been involved with this subject in the past it is sponsoring this year's Kills Spills rally. THE STAFFORD SHOW The meeting point for the ride is the Ace Cafe and As many members of the Vintage & Classic Section riders are asked to be there for 11.00am. The route will know, stalwart Malcom McNair has suffered for will take the North Circular road, heading towards some time with a bad back - so much so that he Hangar Lane.