BMW Bikers of Metropolitan Washington

BMWBMW History

THE HISTORY OF BMWBMW: 1974 - 1979

(Excerpted from a series of Between the Spokes articles commencing in May 1991)

by Linda Rookard

In early 1974, four people decided that the metropolitan Washington area was large enough to support a BMW club. The effort was spearheaded by Susie Spout. She had recently transferred from Iowa City, Iowa, where she first cut her teeth on motorcycling. It was Susie who persuaded Roland Cyr, Pat Mitton (now Pat Jeffries), and Stan Stroup to start a BMW club in Virginia.

The first club meeting was held on May 5, 1974. Thirty-seven people attended, riding 23 BMWs --- including 3 with side cars --- and two "Brand X" motorcycles. Representatives from both BMWMOA and BMWRA attended that first meeting.

Around the same time, a group of people in Maryland decided to start a BMW club. The Virginia group found out about it and contacted the Maryland group. On May 19, 1974, the two groups held a joint meeting in Arlington. At that meeting, the decision was made to form one club and thus was born BMW Bikers of Metropolitan Washington.

The next meeting was held on May 30, 1974 at the Vitro cafeteria at Georgia Avenue and Connecticut, not too far from the Royal Mile Pub, a current favorite meeting place for the club. The agenda for that meeting addressed important organizational issues such as "...patches, bylaws, aims, organizing a local ride, riding rules, dues, and national affiliation."

Susie Stout was the first president of the club and Reiner Schlitt was named the club's first treasurer. Dues were set at $10. The topics of discussion at the first several meetings bear a distinct resemblance to those of recent board and general membership meetings: tech sessions, picnics, planned rides, poker runs, the need to improve the public image of motorcyclists, and club t-shirts.

In September 1974 the first annual picnic was held. The newsletter name, Between The Spokes and the newsletter banner with the rectangular club logo and motorcycle wheel were introduced in October 1974. It would be more than 15 years before the newsletter banner would be revised.

The first elections were held in November, 1974. Susie Stout was elected President; Reiner Schlitt, Vice-President; Maggie Herbert, Secretary; and Roland Cyr, Treasurer. There were also three members at large: Stan Stroup, Steve Varhol, and Ralph Samples. These seven comprised the first Board of Directors.

January of 1975 saw more progress for the club. The first membership cards, designed by Ralph Samples, were distributed. The January newsletter described a proposed winery tour, still a popular activity for members of the club. The newsletter also reported on no-fault insurance bills which were being considered by the Virginia legislature. But without a doubt, the most ambitious undertaking that month was the planning for the first club rally.

In February 1975, the rally name ("Square Route") and the dates (June 6-8) were announced in the newsletter. And long before anyone had ever heard of Tim Moffitt (except maybe his parents), plans for a "group ride" to Colorado after the BMWMOA National Rally were being discussed. Deja vu? Maybe. Or perhaps it's just the eternal lure of the Rockies, especially to the touring rider.

The first Square Route rally was held at Greenville Family Campground in Manassas, Virginia. One hundred forty-one people attended. The long distance rider was from Missouri. The fee was $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Included in the fee were two nights of camping, the Saturday night meal, patches, and trophies. Pins were available "... at a nominal extra cost." The Old Guard Fife and Drum Corp entertained on Friday night. On Saturday night there was square dancing.

Some of the people who helped organize the first rally are current members: Pat Jeffries (meal manager and catering), Ralph Samples (shelters, events, rally signs), George Brosseau (shelters and events), Roland Cyr (rally ride, registration, door prizes). And, just like today, volunteers were requested.

Early newsletters contained jokes (Q: Why can't a motorcycle stand up by itself? A: Because it's two-tired) and gossip columns (a forerunner to the "Inquiring Minds" column of recent club newsletters).

Committees were formed and announced in September 1975. The committees --- Rides, Membership, Newsletter, Technical, Parts & Supplies, Rally, and Meeting --- actually had members. The Rides Committee was the largest with a chairman (Ralph Samples) and nine members.

On its first birthday the club had 48 members, a treasury balance of $227.43, and big plans for the first Square Route rally. By its second birthday, the club had grown to 121 members, 96 of whom are still dues-paying members. The average age was 37, the youngest was 21, and the "oldest admitted age" was 70. Occupations included military personnel, government workers, doctors, lawyers, and one beekeeper. Traveling and photography were the most popular hobbies, although several members were interested in flying (airplanes, that is). The most commonly owned bike back then was the R75/5. Nine members had sidecars.

In 1976 the Square Route rally, held in Manassas, VA, attracted 300 people. That same year, Pat Mitton Jeffries became newsletter editor. Lew Nalls was first on the new member list, at #129. George Brosseau pursued tax exempt status for the club.

The club had a joint meeting and campout with the North Carolina Tar Heel Travelers at Lake Kerr. At 190 miles from D.C., it was just a short Sunday morning's ride away! As it turned out, this proved not to be a problem, as seven members from each club showed up.

The Meetings chairman, Mark Trock, solicited suggestions for meeting places that were "centrally located, free or low cost, large enough to hold 75 people and easy to find." Hey Mark, if you're still around, give me a call. We might still be able to use those places!

Ralph Samples became the second elected president of the club, taking office in November 1976. The first Technical Committee was formed and published its first "Technical Corner" article.

Hooray for the ladies! Susie Stout won the BMWBMW annual mileage contest in 1976 with 19,275 miles. Ralph Samples, the only male in the top three, came in a close second at 19,231 miles. Maggie Herbert placed third with 18,996 miles.

In 1977, general membership meetings were held in Fort Belvoir until November, when the club met in Beltsville MD.

Fearless leader Ralph Samples wrote about his and Barnie Brady's winter ride to Cleveland, Ohio in late 1976. Seems the two guys had heard about a Saturday night spaghetti dinner put on by the Western Reserve BMWMOA. Somehow, the two feckless riders missed Cleveland and had to double back nearly 70 miles. Come on, guys! Having lived in Cleveland for 18 years, I seem to recall at least one sign on the Ohio turnpike announcing Cleveland was just due north! At any rate, the two were duly rewarded. Not only did they get their spaghetti dinner, they were also treated to a belly dancing demonstration by one of the female Western Reserve club members. And yes, it snowed overnight, but the snow was gone from the roads by the time the guys left on Sunday. Jim Fisher became the newsletter editor, trying to fill Pat Mitton's shoes. Then Pat became newsletter editor again, trying to fill Jim's shoes. Pat was assisted by John Baldus and "Marge Rogers' typewriter." Roland Cyr was the first Parts and Supplies Committee chairman.

A North Carolina BMW club sent a message to the newsletter editor: "PROMOTE A CLEAN WORLD - WASH BRADY'S BIKE." It was proposed that this be a ". . . club project at one of the meetings but not in Fairfax County. Because of the water shortage there, it is a $500 fine for such activities."

Prolific Ralph Samples related the story of his trip to Banner Elk NC. Most of the ride was in the fog. Ralph, do you carry a weather machine on your bike?

Seven riders discovered the Cozy Restaurant in Thurmont MD on November 20, 1977. Today, the Cozy is a popular place to eat any time the club is up at Camp WestMar. Harry Rogers chaired the 1977-78 Rally Committee. The general membership meetings returned to (where else) Fort Belvoir.

Vice President John Baldus offered the following safety tips: 1. Don't lay it down. Rubber tires stop better than polished metal. 2. Centripetal force --- what your tires provide in a turn.

In 1978 the general membership meetings began rotating between Maryland and Virginia more regularly. By its fourth birthday, the club had 122 paid members. The average age for a club member was 39. The oldest rider was 73; the youngest, 22. The youngest associate member was 14.

That same year, emission standards were proposed by the government, and the debate was on!

In October of 1978 George Brosseau took over the helm of BMWBMW as President, with Joe Grant as Vice-President, Neill Darmstadter as Secretary, and Roger Arnold as Treasurer.

It was decided that rides would be cancelled if any of the following occurred: 1. Snow or ice on roads; 2. Forecast probability of precipitation of 70% or greater; or 3. Outside air temperature less that 20 degrees. Who said only wimps ride BMWs?

Neill Darmstadter wrote an article regarding NHTSA's proposed standards for mirrors on motorcycles. The proposed standards included: 1. Both left and right-hand mirrors; 2. Minimum reflective surface; 3. Limits of convexity; 4. Position; and 5. Breakaway requirement.

On this last point, NHTSA proposed that mirrors "...must deflect, collapse, or break away when struck by a 90-pound object moving forward parallel to the centerline of the bike and striking the reflective surface." Neill commented, "This could be beneficial if you hit the mirror on your way over the handlebars." The editor's note was insightful: "Neill has confused me again. How can I give my views when I never shook hands with my mirrors to find out if they were left- or right-handed? Personally, I find it easier now to get off on the side of the bike, rather than over the handle bars." So do most of us, I suspect. Not to mention that the last time I weighed 90 pounds was somewhere in my early teens.

In his role as Tevya in "Fiddler on the Roof," Zero Mostel once sang "Tradition." It seems the Board of Directors established a tradition back in early 1979 by getting lost trying to attend a BoD meeting. Many of us have experienced that same feeling in our gut, like, where the &*#@ am I? It was just a few short weeks ago that some current Board members revived that very tradition!

In 1979 Larry Bershtein offered his R60/6 as a sacrificial lamb for a tech session, in exchange for a lighted, heated garage in which to put on the demonstration. The treasury balance as of January 1, 1979 was nearly $2,800. Ken Vaughn, chairman of the Meetings committee, confessed that he didn't attend the February 1979 meeting "...due to having fun in the snow." I wonder if he was on his bike when he was having all that fun.

In April 1979, the "Health Committee" warned the BMWBMW members of an "alarming epidemic" which had affected almost 100% of the membership. "The symptoms," the article said, "are glazed eyes, uncontrolled curling of the fingers, flexing of the wrist in an up and down motion, and general inattention to anything pertaining to work. The malady is a recurring one which afflicts more and more motorcyclists daily." And what was the malady? Spring fever! The prescription for dealing with the "virtually incurable" malady? Riding off into the sunshine on your BMW!

The May 1979 newsletter included a shortened account of Senator Proxmire's Golden Fleece award in February 1979. Senator Proxmire regularly awarded the Golden Fleece award for gross misspending of American taxpayers' money. "The Golden Fleece award for February [went] to the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration for spending $120,126 to build a low-slung, backward-steering motorcycle that no one could ride. The agency insisted on building the motorcycle in spite of repeated warnings beforehand that the contraption simply could not be ridden by even the most expert motorcycle rider." Once all the building, testing, and reviewing were complete, "the contractor reported what everyone except NHTSA had known all along: the rear-steering motorcycle was completely unrideable. In fact, the bike builders had to add training wheels to the backward motorcycle in order to prevent serious injury to the rider." I wouldn't be surprised to find a national monument dedicated to the folks who built that bike!

In the June issue of Between The Spokes, George Brosseau encouraged club members to "throw the bums out" or "to join them because you don't want to beat them." No, it wasn't a pack of Brand X riders to whom George referred. It was the Board of Directors. Elections were held at the annual picnic in September. In that same issue, Pat Mitton Jeffries, reported on the May events. Seems like it was a busy month! There was a poker run the first weekend, the annual Sugar Grove campout the second weekend, rafting down the Cheat River in W. Va. on the third weekend, and the annual Cass rally the fourth weekend. In describing the poker run, it was noted that Brandon Whittington and his brother started out and were never seen again. It was requested that anyone spotting Brandon and his brother tell them the poker run was over and lead them home. Apparently someone found the lost riders, because Brandon showed up at a club campout at Pohick Regional Park about 3-4 years ago. I seem to recall Brandon saying something about getting a long distance award for riding 1,739,582,478.3 miles to get from the poker run to the campout.

In June 1979 the membership roster took up one 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper, printed on both sides. The fifth annual Square Route rally attracted 290 people. And, of course, there was the rain, which came on Saturday night and continued on throughout Sunday. It seems not to matter whether the rally is in Virginia or Maryland; the rain will find us wherever we go. As part of the awards ceremony, a special pin was given to 17 people who had attended the first five Square Route rallies.

The July 1979 issue of Between the Spokes included a report that a new club, called the "RT Speed Touring Association," was being formed for RT owners. The founder, Howard Steffans of Wisconsin, hoped this would become a national, if not international, club. Has anyone ever heard of this club, or has it gone the way of the dinosaur? Some of us "new" owners of RTs may want to join!

Major issues during the summer of 1979 included the gasoline shortage and the use of the Dulles Access Road by motorcyclists during rush hours. President George Brosseau sent a letter on behalf of BMWBMW recommending changing the rules regarding motorcyclists' use of the Dulles Access Road. DOT sang the same old song: "No, no, a thousand times no!" It would be twelve more years before the HOV prohibitions against motorcyclists would finally end, in large part due to the continuing efforts of BMWBMW.

In September 1979, the first annual Antietam (mini) Rally was held in Williamsport MD. Rally attendance was closely monitored and reported on throughout the year. September was especially good for rally-goers. At Sherando Lake our club won largest club award. Also at that rally Pat Mitton Jeffries won an award for youngest (!) female rider. As a group, our club won for most club mileage. Almost a clean sweep that year, it appears!

Of course, several BMWBMW folks attended the Dutch Country rally. It wasn't known ". . . if they won any trophies, but they reportedly drank the most beer." Another grand tradition upheld! Several club members won awards at the BMWRA rally in Coarsegold, California.

Joe Grant started his search for all the club equipment during 1979. Twelve years later, Joe is still searching for club equipment. Take note, Carl Wile, even though it's too late to change your mind now! By the time you read this, the 1991 election will be history and you will be attempting to fill Joe's shoes, or better yet, his storage boxes!

During the months of October and November, such notable personages as Tom (the hunk) Lavenia and Richard (the short, bald Frenchman who adores tattooed women) Bienvenue, joined the club. At the beginning of October, the club had a treasury balance of nearly $3,500; by the end of November, the club boasted a total of 261 members.

The holiday party that year was held once again in Reston VA. Again, a revered tradition triumphs this year, when we will have the holiday party at the Sheraton Reston. And to end the year, the witty, evocative newsletter editor wrote a tale of Christmas in which Santa's reindeer veered off in different directions, sputtered to a stop, and lost the glow of their noses. And all of this happened as they flew over Washington, D.C. on a test run for Christmas Eve. Of course, the ever creative BMW club members came to Santa's rescue in this whimsical story about their effort to get Santa back on the road, so to speak. BMW bikes and riders replaced the reindeer; favorite refreshments such as Elaine Darmstadter's rum balls and Doug Stone's peanuts were served. Larry Bershstein and Brandon Whittington helped Santa study the map and plan his route home. Several other members contributed to the project in unique ways too numerous to mention. Finally, as Santa took off toward the North Pole, he was heard to shout "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a happy BMW riding year."