indianlopa
21-10-2008, 16:28
questi son motociclisti ....imho
Rally rekindles riders' passion for their brand
BMW owners from across the world gather in a Wyoming field to share experiences and their love of motorcycle culture
Tim Yip, Special to The Journal
Published: Friday, August 08
More than 5,000 BMW motorcycle enthusiasts from Canada, the United States, England, Germany, Mexico and other countries gathered in Gillette, Wyo., in late July for the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America 36th international motorcycle rally.
But none of them travelled as far to get there as one globetrotting Canadian.
Tom Mamic of Vancouver received the Grand Touring award for riding the longest distance from home to the rally. His trip to Gillette was a 75,000-kilometre journey that started when he left his career in the bio-tech industry behind.
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Font:****Mamic departed from Vancouver in June 2007 aboard a Kawasaki KLR650, riding through Russia, Mongolia and Europe before switching to a Suzuki DL1000 V-Strom, which he rode through Africa. In Cape Town, South Africa, he switched once more, this time to a new BMW F800GS, the first to be delivered to a customer from North or South America.
"(This trip) has renewed my faith in humanity," Mamic said. "(We) become jaded ... when you go to poor countries, you find that human nature is kindness and empathy. The poorest people in the world will give you their last bowl of rice, not knowing where their next meal will come from. In any rugged country, the law of the land is (to provide) hospitality, shelter and food."
Mamic says he intends to ride from Gillette back to Vancouver -- via Alaska.
The BMWMOA, with some 40,000 members worldwide, claims to be the largest single-brand motorcycle club in the world that is not owned and operated by the marque.
This year's rally was held July 17-20 at the sprawling 445-hectare Cam-Plex, a convention, exhibition and performing arts facility. With plenty of camping space and a shuttle service to on-site hot showers, the rally attracted more than 5,100 registrants, a good number for a BMW rally in the wide-open West. (In the eastern United States where population density is higher, this international gathering can attract up to 8,000.)
The rally offered much in the way of entertainment for devotees of BMW motorcycles. Ninety vendors offered the latest in motorcycle apparel, electronic technology (such as GPS and wireless communications), camping gear and a seemingly endless number of performance and fashion accessories for personalizing BMW bikes. One vendor had samples of a popular waterproof jacket, the First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket in a new-for-2009 sand colour.
"Sand is the new black," the sales rep assured us. "We introduced sand-coloured waterproof pants in 2008 and we sold out our entire year's supply in one month."
BMW Motorrad USA was on site with two tractor-trailer rigs crammed with the importer's full line of 2008 motorcycles, which were available throughout the weekend for escorted demo rides. Also on display was the F800GS, BMW's all-new mid-size adventure-tourer that many believe will be the must-have machine for those embarking on world tours.
Rally organizer and BMWMOA staffer Mandy Langston called the rally a terrific success. It was more than a year in the planning, she said "We have stringent criteria for selecting rally sites," Langston said. "We need a certain number of hotel rooms (to be available), and we have strict requirements for the type of medical facilities available in the community."
Dozens of seminars were part of the attraction. Talks covered a broad range of topics including motorcycle maintenance, new riding apparel, on- and off-road rider training, photography and the history of coal mining in Gillette.
Many rally-goers reconnected with old friends.
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Printer friendly
Font:****"It's a family reunion," Langston said. "My favourite thing is to see people seeing other people they haven't seen in years."
One of the big changes for this year's rally was the large number of first-time participants, estimated to be 30 per cent of attendees.
Other attractions included an array of vintage BMW motorcycles, big door prizes (such as guided motorcycle vacations, riding gear, helmets) and the grand prize, a 2008 BMW R1200GS valued at $17,000.
Next year's BMWMOA international rally will be held in Johnson City, Tenn., at the Appalachian Fair Grounds, July 16-19, 2009. The area is said to be one of the best in the United States for motorcycling. For more information, visit www.bmwmoa.org.
se poi si pensa che fra un giro e l'altro č ....President and CEO Corporate Communications Agrisoma Biosciences Inc. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::!::!::!::!:
grande Tom č un onore sapere che mi considera un suo amico.....:!::!::!::!::!:
Rally rekindles riders' passion for their brand
BMW owners from across the world gather in a Wyoming field to share experiences and their love of motorcycle culture
Tim Yip, Special to The Journal
Published: Friday, August 08
More than 5,000 BMW motorcycle enthusiasts from Canada, the United States, England, Germany, Mexico and other countries gathered in Gillette, Wyo., in late July for the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America 36th international motorcycle rally.
But none of them travelled as far to get there as one globetrotting Canadian.
Tom Mamic of Vancouver received the Grand Touring award for riding the longest distance from home to the rally. His trip to Gillette was a 75,000-kilometre journey that started when he left his career in the bio-tech industry behind.
Email to a friend
Printer friendly
Font:****Mamic departed from Vancouver in June 2007 aboard a Kawasaki KLR650, riding through Russia, Mongolia and Europe before switching to a Suzuki DL1000 V-Strom, which he rode through Africa. In Cape Town, South Africa, he switched once more, this time to a new BMW F800GS, the first to be delivered to a customer from North or South America.
"(This trip) has renewed my faith in humanity," Mamic said. "(We) become jaded ... when you go to poor countries, you find that human nature is kindness and empathy. The poorest people in the world will give you their last bowl of rice, not knowing where their next meal will come from. In any rugged country, the law of the land is (to provide) hospitality, shelter and food."
Mamic says he intends to ride from Gillette back to Vancouver -- via Alaska.
The BMWMOA, with some 40,000 members worldwide, claims to be the largest single-brand motorcycle club in the world that is not owned and operated by the marque.
This year's rally was held July 17-20 at the sprawling 445-hectare Cam-Plex, a convention, exhibition and performing arts facility. With plenty of camping space and a shuttle service to on-site hot showers, the rally attracted more than 5,100 registrants, a good number for a BMW rally in the wide-open West. (In the eastern United States where population density is higher, this international gathering can attract up to 8,000.)
The rally offered much in the way of entertainment for devotees of BMW motorcycles. Ninety vendors offered the latest in motorcycle apparel, electronic technology (such as GPS and wireless communications), camping gear and a seemingly endless number of performance and fashion accessories for personalizing BMW bikes. One vendor had samples of a popular waterproof jacket, the First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket in a new-for-2009 sand colour.
"Sand is the new black," the sales rep assured us. "We introduced sand-coloured waterproof pants in 2008 and we sold out our entire year's supply in one month."
BMW Motorrad USA was on site with two tractor-trailer rigs crammed with the importer's full line of 2008 motorcycles, which were available throughout the weekend for escorted demo rides. Also on display was the F800GS, BMW's all-new mid-size adventure-tourer that many believe will be the must-have machine for those embarking on world tours.
Rally organizer and BMWMOA staffer Mandy Langston called the rally a terrific success. It was more than a year in the planning, she said "We have stringent criteria for selecting rally sites," Langston said. "We need a certain number of hotel rooms (to be available), and we have strict requirements for the type of medical facilities available in the community."
Dozens of seminars were part of the attraction. Talks covered a broad range of topics including motorcycle maintenance, new riding apparel, on- and off-road rider training, photography and the history of coal mining in Gillette.
Many rally-goers reconnected with old friends.
Email to a friend
Printer friendly
Font:****"It's a family reunion," Langston said. "My favourite thing is to see people seeing other people they haven't seen in years."
One of the big changes for this year's rally was the large number of first-time participants, estimated to be 30 per cent of attendees.
Other attractions included an array of vintage BMW motorcycles, big door prizes (such as guided motorcycle vacations, riding gear, helmets) and the grand prize, a 2008 BMW R1200GS valued at $17,000.
Next year's BMWMOA international rally will be held in Johnson City, Tenn., at the Appalachian Fair Grounds, July 16-19, 2009. The area is said to be one of the best in the United States for motorcycling. For more information, visit www.bmwmoa.org.
se poi si pensa che fra un giro e l'altro č ....President and CEO Corporate Communications Agrisoma Biosciences Inc. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::!::!::!::!:
grande Tom č un onore sapere che mi considera un suo amico.....:!::!::!::!::!: