Welcome

Welcome to the BMW Owners of Vermont web site and home page. Welcome to our club and to our state. Wander around to find out about events and the happenings in our club. We welcome your suggestions and feedback on the site. Contact the webmaster with your suggestions, thoughts and content. And we invite you to join us if you are interested in or own BMW motorcycles.

Current Events and News

• May Events
  • 2-4 Frosty Nutz Campout, Jamaica, VT (YB Event).  You are on your own for food, but many people bring chili or stew for a Friday night pot luck.  Some shelters available.  Cost is $15.
  • MOV Breakfast The breakfast is Sunday, May 4, at Tozier's on Rt 107 about 3 miles south of Bethel. Plan to be there by 9:30 or a little earlier. $10.00
  • 16-18—DownEast Rally, Hermit Island ME   BMWRSM event.
  • 17—Open House at White Horse Press
  • 25th—Club Picnic and Tire Changing Clinic (See below for more information)
• New item on the For Sale Page
• AJ CYCLE BMW ANNUAL CHARITY RIDE May 11, 2008 Location:  AJ Cycle BMW – Gill, MA. Join your friends and fellow motorcycle enthusiasts for the Annual Spring Charity Ride to benefit the Heath Pre-School.  Enjoy the springtime beauty of Western MA on a leisurely self-directed or guided dual-sport ride on paved and dirt roads in W.MA and Southern Vermont. Our destination is STUMP SPROUTS, in W. Hawley, MA. where we will enjoy a mid-afternoon lunch, over-looking the beautiful valley. Coffee and snacks at 9:30 am - departure time 11:00 am.  Lunch around 1 pm. Questions? Contact Steve Terrien. Donation is $15.00/person or $25.00/couple with all proceeds to be donated to the School. A good time will be had by all – Don’t miss it!
• 25th—Club Picnic and Tire Changing Clinic Steve Mauk with backing from Max BMW Motorcycles will hold a Tire Changing Clinic and Dan and Julie Zee’s on Sunday, May 25 at 12 noon, followed by chicken  BBQ.   You must Contact Zee’s at 800-793-8602 if you want to have your tire changed—and bring your own tire.  Also important to RSVP to djzee@netzero.net or 800-795-8602by 5/22 so they can have enough chicken.  Free to Club Members.   Possibility of other surprises as well.  This is one event you won’t want to miss.  Address is 127 Wells Rd, Quechee, VT.  Take Main St north past Simon Pierce, then Right  on Willard Rd, Right on Wells Rd.  Their house is on the right.  Watch for signs.
• 7th Annual Puppy Dog Ride By Ted Hall, The Heifermeister
  In the year 2000, I rode the Big Dog Ride in the Colorado Rockies with 50 other BMW riders put on by Greg Frazier, the 5 time around the world adventurer. From that ride, crossing 10,000 to 14,000 plus passes, the idea of holding just that type of ride back in Vermont was born. Well, em, not quite that ambitious, since we don’t have passes that high, but, something in the way most folks don’t do and make it fun and easy. So, the best to come out of that experience would be dirt roads and call it close enough. The club has developed a unique ride, going from the border of Massachusetts to the border of Canada (and vice versa), all on dirt roads. We have managed to keep tar roads to a minimum, about 10%, all the rest are graded dirt roads. Vermont classes the roads, Class 1 would be numbered state roads, Class 2 would be town/county roads, Class 3 would be dirt roads that are maintained year around, and class 4 are seasonal roads (not maintained in the winter or mud season) The Puppy Dog Ride (PDR) is on almost all Class 3 roads, with alternatives for those up for more. Class 4 sections can be ridden around. The PDR is broken up in two rides, one starting on the Massachusetts/Vermont border; the second ride begins in Troy on the Vermont/Canadian border. The rides are leisurely, getting folks off the main roads and seeing some pretty spectacular scenery as you putt along. You can bail out anytime and hit a main road if you like, it’s a “no pressure” ride. I have been amazed each time I have ridden these back roads and I see something new every time. We have the assortment of beat-up trailers and shacks to gorgeous mansions sitting next to lakes and on top of mountains. Covered bridges, lakes and streams, country stores and old weathered barns and abandoned commentaries. It’s all there and more. Marge and John Thurber mapped this part of the ride. The norther route is a combination of routes from Mike Cousino, Jim D’Agostino, Ray Atwood and Muriel Farrington. Those wanting to camp Friday night for the Northern Route start can use Barrewood Campground on Rt 100 in Westfield (802-744-2068) Mention you are with the club. There are maps on our website, but we need to correct a couple spots before takeoff. The Date: June 7th and 8th. Leave by 9 am. The Location: Greenfield Mass (southern route) and Troy, VT (northern route) The Cost: $20 for non members; members are free—Saturday dinner and /Sunday breakfasts are included. We camp at Allis State Park on Saturday night, and dinner is provided. All finishers get a “Got Dun” pin and a Gee Ess sticker. Warning: it is a bit of a challenge to keep track of who finished, so you need to let Ted and Muriel know if you are owed a pin. More Info: Departure points and other info will be n the June MOVer. You can also email Ted at hfrmystr@vermontel.net or Muriel at mmfarrington1@juno.com This is a fun ride—do consider participating.
• The Club Bylaws are available here and can be accessed from the About Us page.
• Mud Season Bash - was held last weekend in Rutland with a great turnout. To see a photo album of the Mud Season Bash click here. Thanks to member Paul Bachorz for the fine photos.
• White Horse Gear Spring Open House May 17. Click here for more details.
• Rendez-vous 2008, MOV member Kevin Craft's 12 hour "Endurance Rally" modeled after the Iron Butt, is now open for reservations. Click here to see all the details and to register.
• New Officers:
  President—Muriel Farrington
  Vice President—David Harrison
  Secretary—Bill Cobleigh
  Treasurer—Jeff Seymour
  Directors:
  Paul Bachorz
  Mike Cousino
  John Fish
  Tim Hebert
  Lynn Roberts
• Looking for a new career? Read on!! Northeastern Motorcycle Tours Founder Seeks a Successor Sean Reid, who founded the luxury motorcycle touring company Northeastern Motorcycle Tours in 1996, is looking for an exceptional person to take over the reins. NMT has received rave reviews from the press since 1997, including Clement Salvadori's "Acadian Idyll" feature, about the company's famous Nova Scotia tour, which appeared in Rider magazine's April 2001 issue. Reid is also a writer and photographer and, with two young daughters, wants to transition to a life where he's travelling less and able to spend more time with his family. Says Reid: "This is going to be a gradual transition and I will initially stay very involved with the company until everything is running as it should. I'll co-lead tours with the new owner for the first year and possibly beyond. Even after that, I'll be available to advise and help. I'm also going to be very selective about finding the right person to take over this company. Its important to me that the reputation NMT has built over the last eleven years be preserved and expanded. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time a well-established American motorcycle touring company has come up for sale. We have a lot of repeat clients and I want to be sure that their expectations continue to be exceeded during and after this transition. Consistency in quality is very important to me and I'll keep looking until I find someone who's really got the right stuff. Meanwhile, our tours continue at the same standard that Clement described in the Nova Scotia article." Northeastern Motorcycle Tours can be found on the web at http://www.motorcycletours.com or by phone at 802-463-9853.
• Membership form for 2008 is up on the membership page. Dues for membership are now due!!
• An interesting site: Open Road Journey still in beta but looks like it has real promise. The more who use it and contribute the more useful it will become.
• Presidents past and present are now listed on the About Us page. Thanks to Judy Mirro and anyone else who helped to bring this list together.
• Puppy Dog ride route sheets are posted to the rides page.
• The message board is back with more and better security. You will have to register to use the board and you will have to wait until your registration request has been approved before you can post. This is a necessary administrative change to keep spammers at bay and to beef up security so we will (hopefully) not get hacked again. Messages from the old board were lost due to the hacking. Let me know if you experience any problems registering.