Yankee Beemers Motorcycle Club August 2021
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Yankee Beemers Motorcycle Club
August 2021
YB you are receiving an electronic version or printed version
because you chose or did not choose it over paper.
To change your election,
please email Cooper.Duncan@icloud.com
2020—2021 Yankee Beemers Officers
President: Duncan Cooper
Cooper.Duncan@icloud.com
Vice President: Andrew Snyder
Asnyder155@gmail.com
Secretary: Karl Renneker
Karl.renneker@gmail.com
Treasurer: Jim Sanders
jamessanders27@comcast.net
Forum: Patrick Mullen
Webmaster: Ken Springhetti kz1000@hotmail.com
YB Store : Todd Truex todd.truex@gmail.com
Publisher: Dana Lewis ybnews@charter.net
Editor: Dwight Nevins ybshorts@gmail.com
Board of Directors:
John Gamel, Steve Martin, Todd Truex, Dan Walton, Bill Drachenberg, Rich Roy
Rally Masters
Vermont Campouts: Bill Cusack and Jim Sanders
Pemi: Duncan Cooper
Cover : Roving Breakfast Riders at the Bean on a WET ONE
Right : Modernized Airheads
Below Don Kent has a One Track Mind -
He also has a One Track Trailer Rig !
2
3
WWWW July / Aug 2021
Mid Summer your keep your bike running - This event is
cancelled.Our sponsor is unable to schedule event due to per-
sonal reasons. We will search for another venue to try to make
this happen in the fall.
BMW MOV - NEK Camp and Ride August 6 - August 8, 2021—
https://bmwmov.club/event/nek-camp-and-ride-2021/
Both paved and unpaved riding in the northeastern part of Ver-
mont and nearby New Hampshire. Situated at Brighton State
Park 102 State Park Road, Island Pond, VT 05846
BMWRA - Game of Roads - National Rally August 12-15,
2021—Waynesville, NC - Join the BMW Riders Association in
Waynesville, NC for their National Rally . More information at -
https://bmwra.org/game-of-roads-national-rally-rescheduled
-for-aug-12-15-2021/
YB August Roving Breakfast - August 15. 2021 - The Jetty
278 Ocean Street, Marshfield, MA - MA http://www.thejetty-
marshfield.com/
Come ride with our infamous BS editor Dwight through SE MA.
Yes there are roads in SE MA that are not congested and have
little or no traffic on a Sunday Morning. Meet at the Restaurant at
9 or join Dwight at Rockland Home Depot ( Rt3 Exit 14 @
rt228 ) for a group ride via the scenic route to Marshfield - kick-
stands up at 8AM. We’ll order from the Jetty’s menu, and you’ll
enjoy your Breakfast Seaside in their BACKYARD.
Then at EXACTLY 11AM k.s.u. for a mystery ride thru the An-
cient Wompanoag trails of Plymouth County
4
wwwww cont
BMW MOV - Green Mountain Rally (GMR) - Goshen, VT -
September 10 - 13, 2021. Registration and Rally into - https://
bmwmov.club/event/bmw-mov-green-mountain-rally-2021/
Back to Jamaica Rally - September 17-19, 2021, Jamaica, VT.
Come celebrate the colors of fall with YB at Jamaica State Park,
Jamaica, VT. The annual rally is one of the most enjoyable. Eat
breakfast with your friends, enjoy great weather, visit country
stores, wake up with frost on your sleeping bag and bottomless
coffee.
Max BMW Wheels in the Field - October 1-3, 2021, Chester
VT - Come and enjoy 3 days of incredible riding, good food and
GS riding if so inclined. Registration is open at -
https://www.maxbmw.com/events/2021/10/1/wheels-in-the-field-
chester-vt-october-1-3. (Note: this is a BMW only event)
There will be a road ride this year, watch for future up dates.
Tentative - Phil’s Cape Cod Ride - Hold these
Dates :October 16 or 23. Ride the back roads of Cape Cod, the
old cape along Route 6. Attend the Wellfleet Oyster Festival
(Verifying Dates). Enjoy late summer weather while enjoying low
traffic on the Cape. Keep aware of updates, watch Forum and FB
5
Prez Sez
Duncan Cooper August 2021
Prez Says August 2021
Greetings YB Nation. The YBs were busy in June. I think we
all enjoyed the Pemi Rally at the new location. We are negoti-
ating a multi year arrangement. We heard your comments on
how to improve and will discuss with the owners. The cooking
crew did an outstanding job, hats off to them! They are busy
planning how to outdo themselves next year!
We en-
joyed the
pictures
from the
YB travel-
ing to the
MOA. I am
sure I will
not mention
everyone, but notable on FB was Bill Mearns, Bob Blethen,
Adam Chandler and Muriel Farrington. Several YBs were out
and about in New England. We love the postings. How about
contributing an article to BS?
For those missing Damn Yankees this year, be patient. 2022
may bring a replacement rally. We will update you on the
upcoming BS issues. In August there are plenty of activities
that will fill the void. Please refer-ence the BS WWWW
section for updates. There is something for all members.
I want to thank all those that participated in launch of the Elec-
tronic BS as of July 1. We missed a few people and our crack
team of publishers, editors and others are honing the process
and hopefully it will become a well-groomed process. We had
great feedback and those comments will be incorporated.
6
We need content for the BS. There have been several new
contributors to the BS. We all enjoyed the articles written by
Carl Wright on his trip west last summer, Patrick Stephan’s arti-
cle on track Days, Philip Rose’s article on the history behind
the Steve Gooding Award, Andy Snyder’s articles on Tech Day
at Duncan’s Beemers and Frosty Nutz. The YBs are out and
about; let us hear about what you are doing.
While you are out riding, please remember to keep the rubber
down. Two years ago July 31 and August 1, 2019 two
members were either seriously hurt or fatally injured by
distracted drivers. Please be safe and the one who arrives
home safe!
Thanks in advance to Andy Snyder who is taking over getting
articles to the editor for September. I will be away with another
YB for 3 weeks riding in CO, UT and attending a 2 day
RawHyde Adventure riders training program. Pictures and
article will be contributed for the October issue.
Keep the rubber down and smile on your face.
Duncan Cooper
YB Prez 2021
7
August Rider of the Month Roy Jackson
Have you ever experienced an event where there is this
enthusiastic rider whom always has a smile on his face, but
is in the background? You always see him on his “black
shadow” RT in the middle of pack of MC. He rarely leads,
but he always is there to help with a smile.
We are pleased this month to make Roy Jackson August
rider of the month. Roy has stepped up to be active in the
YBs. He sometimes is the only other person who will show
up at an event because of bad weather or other
commitments that make an event sparsely attended.
Recently he led a very successful Diner challenge in 2020
for the club. The event was tremendously successful. Just
ask the winners, they received a few hundred dollars. This
year he is leading the Brew Ha Ha. I am enjoying it,
personally. But my guess is Roy will anonymously visit the
most breweries. He is running the contest and will not
allow himself to win. He says it is a conflict of interest. We
are not sure if he is secretly a Beer tasting critic for a
magazine?
8
Recently, at the Stuart and John’s Sugarhouse ride, his
faithful RT would not start after lunch. Did he get mad?
Not at all, he jumped on the back of Rich Roy’s MC and
headed back to RI. The next day he headed back up to
Westmoreland, NH and installed a new battery. After a
little fettling with the bike, he rode home in 40-degree
weather.
At the breakfast on May 16, Roy led a ride to the American
Heritage Museum. Unfortunately, I did not make it, but it
was a glorious day and apparently a hit with those that at-
tended. Go ride with Roy, you will have a great time and
catch his infectious smile and love of Motorcycling.
9
What it is like to be Prez of the YB -
Duncan Cooper
Imagine you have a blank canvas, unlimited amount of paint and
the most amazing scenery in front of you. All you have to do is
get the picture in front of you down on the canvas. If you like
people, enjoy meeting challenges and seeing a project to com-
pletion, this is what being President of this extraordinary club is
like.
A good example is the great time I had at the Pemi Rally in 2021.
Typically in the past, the President does not run rallies, except
Ken S. who for a few years did a lot of heavy lifting at Pemi and
Damn Yankees and was back stage cooking food on others. It is
by choice, not by job designation. Pemi this year was sort of our
reawakening rally. We had a new venue, thanks to Craig
Cleasby, Bill Drachenberg and Bill Cusack. My role was to be
the local coordinator. As I had worked with Ken the last 5 years,
the menu was straightforward. It is just a matter of organization.
From rallies in past, there is a checklist that is used. It is a
matter of following the road map. There were some hurdles to
get over, but overcome with the good
people at the
barn door, 13
amazing volun-
teers and eve-
rybody’s pa-
tience. The
longer one
does it, the
easier it be-
comes.
10One of the more enjoyable parts of the job is to work with a
great team to pull together the BS every month. Thanks to
Dwight, John Gamble, Jim Sanders, Dana (Publisher), Karl
Renneker and Andy Snyder, it becomes a great way to keep up
with what is going on in the club, do event planning and get to
know club members.
People have asked how much time do I spend on club busi-
ness. My guess is about 5 hours a month behind the curtain on
administrative stuff and attending as many events as I want. I
do not find it intrusive to my daily life and it is a great reason to
go ride with people whom have become friends.
Would I have done anything different? Yes! I would have
simplified a few things to make events easier to hold. Ask Club
members for help sooner. Sworn off Covid, but there are
certain things out of my control. But these are things that one
learns after 3 years.
Next month I will discuss what the next President can expect
during their term. Till then, I hope to see you at the Roving
Breakfast. Keep the rubber down and ride, ride, ride.
Duncan H. Cooper Prez 2021
11DERELICT HONDA RESCUE
B-Rad Barrus
I just finished
restoring this
Honda motor-
cycle that Lisa
purchased from
a co-worker. It
was in a sad
state of ne-
glect: The front
wheel barely
rotated, fork
seals were
blown and its engine wouldn't start. It took four adults to push
it up and onto the trailer deck.To make matters worse, the
bike fell over in the trailer on the trip home. Its gas tank got
dented in several places. Lisa told me to use more than one
tie-down strap but I thought I knew better... I dubbed this mo-
torcycle "Derelict Honda".
One of the front brake disc calipers was seized and coated
with fork oil. I serviced the calipers and replaced hydraulic flu-
id. The carburetors were removed, disassembled and the pi-
lot jets were completely blocked. Engine idle air/fuel mixture
was adjusted. New-old-stock fork seals and dust covers were
sourced on eBay and installed. A broken turn-signal and
burned-out headlamp got replaced. The front wheel was
tracking to the left (fork tweaked) so I had to loosen the triple-
clamps and realign the wheel.
The gas tank is a story in itself. This bike actually has two gas
tanks: the main tank is under the seat with a large diameter,
inter-connecting tube between upper/lower tanks. The original
fuel tube had failed and someone spliced in a copper tubing
elbow fitting using radiator hose clamps and short piece of wa-
ter heater hose to connect upper/lower tanks. The alcohol
gasoline had fully hardened the water hose. 12John Van Hook provided valuable technical expertise for
the gas tank bodywork repair. The tank already had some
advanced exterior rusting along with some other dents (not
caused by my negligence). I filled the tank with a phos-
phoric acid solution used for removing milk scale on dairy
farm milk storage equipment. The tank paint and primer
coats were stripped down to bare metal surface. The bike's
color code showed it was originally black but it had been
also painted emerald green metalflake (horrors!) and candy
wineberry red during its lifetime.
The tank's interior
"hump" effectively
blocks access to the
tank's inside surface
so I couldn't hammer
out dents. I resorted
to application of
Bondo body filler and
did lots of sanding
and shaping to restore
the tank contours.
Body putty was also
used to fill in scratch-
es. Several coats of
spray paint and clear-
coat were applied. A length of 3/4" PVC fuel line was
sourced from NAPA to replace the spliced-hose firetrap
(which broke open during tank Installation).
Routine maintenance tasks were fairly easy to complete in-
cluding oil/filter change, rear drive gearbox oil replacement
and clutch hydraulic fluid replacement. The engine's liquid
coolant level was topped off.
13I took it out on the highway for a test ride. This dragster bike
pulls like a freight train! Honda makes a killer engine and
this one delivers the goods. The 1985 and 1986 Shadow VT
-1100c models were the last of the power cruisers. 78.4 HP,
73 ft-lbs (compared to
much less on 1987
and later VT-1100
bikes), low gearing and
a 15" rear wheel pro-
vides enough torque
multiplication to make
me dizzy under full-
power acceleration. It
has a high-
compression engine,
tuned exhaust, 5-
speed transmission,
dual-disc front brake,
full instrumentation
(speedo, tach, coolant
temp and fuel level
gauges). Later
(neutered) Shadows
had different exhaust,
4-speed, single-disc,
no gauges (except
speedo). Unfortunate-
ly, all Shadows have
cruiser chassis (long
wheelbase, slow steer-
ing, dumb handlebars,
forward pegs) which
degrades its cornering
ability. If only Honda
put that motor in a
sportbike chassis…
Brad Barrus
14When Airheads Gather
15JULY ROVING BREAKFAST
TO THE VANILLA BEAN Andy Snyder YBVP 2021
This past Sunday July 18th, roughly 20 rain-soaked YB’S arrived
at the Vanilla Bean Café in Pomfret CT for a much deserved cup
of coffee and breakfast. We had most of the place to ourselves, I
can only assume the rain kept the large crowds away at home.
However, most of the chairs in the café were filled, serving a dual
purpose by being used to hang soaked riding gear as YB’S dried
off. It was great to see so many YB’S out on the road even
though it has been raining all month! (A topic for another day).
Many attendees braved the inclement weather and rode to the
Bean on 2 wheels. A few sensible YB’S made the call to roll in to
the Bean on 4 wheels, arriving warm and dry. I had a long, wet
ride from downtown Boston on my ’92 BMW R100R, which just
hit 190,000 miles on the odometer yesterday! Full disclosure, I’m
not the original owner. I was 12 years old when the bike was Im-
ported from Germany. However, I have put a fair number of
miles on the bike since I bought it in 2017.
Around 9:20am, we were given the 10-minute warning for the
riders meeting to begin. It was perfect timing. Breakfast was
wrapping up, the prayers to the weather gods were made and we
all suited up to meet our fearless leaders Paul Charette and the
notorious John Shields for a quick but detailed riders meeting to
go over the plan for the rest of the day.
7 fearless YBs answered the call to ride south from the Bean to
a beautiful hidden gem called the Blue Oar in Haddam, CT. Paul
gave a clear detailed overview of the ride we had ahead of us.
We were headed southwest at a spirited pace. We had tire plugs
and a compressor just in case, tool kits and a wealth of
motorcycle technical knowledge between the group. Due to the
current weather, however, we had a few details to address for
the day to keep the group safe and on the same page. We were
asked to keep our distance and to always keep an eye on the
rider behind us so the group would stay together.
16The back roads we were about to ride were wet and slippery
and had plenty of hazards scattered throughout, due to harsh
weather and landscape conditions. We did experience a bit of
unexpected sand, gravel, dirt from farms, small branches and a
turtle.
Naturally, we took the long way and were led through twistys,
sweepers, quaint towns, slow peaceful farms and then some ex-
citing unexpected straightaways. This is where we could enjoy
the true spirit of motorcycling and air out a little. While the rain
mostly held, the ride was filled with misty views of rolling hills and
fields with farms scattered throughout. Eventually we pulled into
the town of Haddam CT and were led through a small residential
neighborhood. Eventually, there was a small sign that I wasn’t
able to read and we were turning left into a marina filled with all
sorts of seacraft. To be honest, I was a little confused why Paul
was parking his bike and getting off, where the hell are we? Ear-
lier I referred to this place as a hidden gem. And by hidden, I do
mean hidden. It’s a tiny counter service restaurant recessed in
the back corner of the Midway Marina, along the Connecticut riv-
er. In the front of the building there are about a dozen colorfully
painted picnic tables, under heavy tree cover, behind a white
picket fence. Unless you were brought there or live in the area,
you would never know that it existed. Look it up and ride there
for lunch someday!
Thank you, Paul and John, for organizing this RTE!
17August ROVING BREAKFAST
TO THE JETTY Dwight Nevins
We’ve been having the August Roving Breakfast in the Brant
Rock section of Marshfield since Marc Waegemann was
president. He had us follow him to the Fairview Inn.
What a destination, Unfortunately new owners weren’t able
to accommodate us , So we chose another location.
The Jetty is a cool little spot in the same neighborhood
Join us again this year on Sunday August 15 at 9:00 am
1819
Above L : Myles Standish Slept Here - Above R. Savery Hiway
Back to Jetty and MCI Bridgewater ?
20Fairview RTE
Milk Milk Lemonade
Missing the Silo in 2021
21The Ride Home - Duncan Cooper
One could say, it should have been ex-
pected. I am not a fatalist, but after all
that has happened the last 3 years, my
by-Pass Surgery, Covid and our venue
changing at the last minute on July
Roving Breakfast, one should have
expected the unexpected.
Thanks to Andy Snyder, who wrote the
outstanding ride report on John S. and
Paul C.'s mystery tour to Haddam, CT. All
reports is John and Paul kept it under the
speed limit, were the leaders extraordi-
naire. Thx John/Paul for your
exceptional riding and leading skills.
Due to the length of our ride home, 5 hours, John/Paul gave Steve M and
me a hall pass to head north to Franconia, NH - Home. Well it was quite a
ride. My tour leader, Steve Martin picked some great roads, except,
Mother Nature threw a curve ball at us. If you look at the pictures, 3 pic-
tures, and each picture is worth 1000 words, Dwight may get upset with
me because I exceeded the 500-word limit per article for word count. So
let the pictures do the talking!
Steve took me through his old riding area, central MA up through SW
NH. Unknown to each of us, it was the eye of storm for July 17/18. What
should have been a spirited ride, turned into a detour driven adventure
ride? Oh I forgot to tell you, I was on my urban adventure bike, S100XR
with road tires. More than once I
came around a corner and there was
gravel wash outs from over flown
drainage ditches and driveways. The
good news, we used this ride as a
warm up for our planned 3 day ride
on the NH portion of the
NEBDR. That will be next month.
All ended well, we got to my house
around 3:30 PM. We certainly took
the road less traveled. Thx Steve
Martin for a great tour of MA and NH.
… Duncan Cooper YB Prez 2021
2223
The Yankee Beemers Motorcycle Club
BMWMOA #153 BMWRA #71 AMA #6905
Ride To Eat - Eat To Ride YB Normal?
Join ONLINE pay via PAYPAL at
WWW.YANKEEBEEMERS.ORG
Why Renew your YB Membership for 2021?
It is time to renew your YB Membership. As a club
with one of the most actively sponsored Road Rides,
GS Rides, Rallies, monthly publications and smaller
groups going to MC Night in Lowell. Being a member
allows you to access all of these activities. Just to give
you a flavor,
Activities For 2021:
Virtual/in person Tech Day - Tentatively for March
SE RI Road Ride lead by Road Captain Extraordinaire Rich Roy
GS Ride MA/NH (Looking for Road Captain) in Spring
1st campout of the season early May - Frosty Knutz
Pemi River Rally - New Venue - 1st Weekend of MC Week
MOA National Rally Great Falls MT - Late June
GS Ride NH late August
Back to Jamaica - Late September
Monthly MC nights Milford NH - June - early September
Reincarnation of Cape Cod Ride - Late October
Roving Breakfasts Throughout New England June July August
Speakers at Monthly Breakfast - Subjects published monthly
Deals on Rallies - Must Join to find out
Please renew your membership or just join to enjoy the greatest group
in NE that ride Motorcycles, all bikes welcome.
See PRINTED Application >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>!
24YB 2021 Membership Form (paper)
Name:
Address:
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Home #
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Comments
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COMPLAINTS
Mail with payment to:
Yankee Beemers, Inc.
PO Box 2151,
Fitchburg, MA
25Upcoming YB Events August 12-15, BMWRA - National Rally Waynesville, NC Aug 15 YB Roving Breakfast meet at the Jetty, Marshfield,MA Sept 10 - 13, BMW MOV - Green Mountain Rally, Brendon, VT Sept 17 - 19, Y B Back to Jamaica Rally, Jamaica, VT. Oct 1-3 MAX BMW Wheels in the Field Chester VT . 26
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