Contents
Introduction
Meeting Recap
The updated picture scroll
Upcoming Events (2 months)
Members Birthday’s
Meet & Greet Update, (Portland, BC, & Seattle)
Club Business
Reader’s Corner
Day Rides
The latest news regarding rider skill enhancement classes
From the Handle Bars of the President
Road Captain Rumblings
Treasurer Ramblings
The BRMC 2020 Calendar of Events
Request for pictures & closing comments.
Welcome
Border Riders Motorcycle Club (BRMC) is an organized group of guys who like to ride and camp. Our membership spans the Pacific Northwest, with the greatest participation in Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver B.C. We have one of the largest memberships of gay clubs in North America. We welcome like-minded guests to come meet us at our monthly Meet & Greets and to join us at one of our club events and our local activities.
Check out our website. We are very proud of it. www.borderriders.com
Meeting Recap (January)
The BRMC members began showing up at the Cuff at about 4:00 on February 18. There was an hour of meeting up with each other and time to get to know the candidates for membership and the new guests. At the final tally twenty members, and nine guests were present
Jeff C. called the meeting to order at 5:00 PM. The meeting lasted an hour and a half, which is a little long for a regular meeting. At this meeting several important issues were discussed and voted on. Among the regular business items for the AGM was the approval of Standing Order #17 which allows club fees to be waived for Board Members and the annual Treasurer’s report for 2019 and the budget for 2020
Stan C., the Treasurer, explained how the club’s CD was closed and the funds put in savings in order to get better interest on the money. He also was successful in reinstating the club’s not for profit status which had lapsed in years past. In the final cash amount over expenses, the club was a little over three thousand dollars to the good. The new budget for 2020 projects that the club will break even in expenses and income.
Stan also brought up the issue of plastic waste at Victoria Day. This mainly involves throw-away water bottles. He has investigated possible ways that we could use river water for drinking, and the equipment necessary for that to happen. Several members expressed concern about whether or not the water is potable. In the end it was agreed that further research must be done in this matter. Stan ended his report with a summary of how the riding classes that he has organized have been successful and reviewed plans for more, and maybe some in the Seattle area as well.
Kevin S and Mark B at the AGM
A by-laws committee was set up to review several issues that need to be addressed. Chris L. reported about the plans for the Banquet in February. The current office holders were elected by a voice vote since there were no positions with more than one candidate. Mark B. announced the club membership voted on line for new members. Two new members were approved. They will be presented their colors at the annual banquet and the March newsletter will introduce them.
A rather long report and discussion followed about BRMC involvement in the Portland and Seattle Pride parades. Members voted to have discussions with Dykes on Bikes to try to come to an agreement about how the club will ride in the Portland Parade. The discussions with the leadership of the Seattle Pride are on-going. Despite the frustration felt by the members present about both parades, the feeling was that we shouldn’t give up on this now.
After the meeting was closed the group gathered for a picture, and then finished the evening with Pizza for dinner and had more time for conversation, enjoyment and laughter.
BRMC Group Photo from the AGM Meeting
January Gallery
Photos from members and guests from last month’s rides and adventures.
No photos were submitted
Upcoming Events
February
Saturday 2/1 - Day Ride, see our FB page for regional details.
Wednesday 2/5- Portland Meet & Greet @ the Eagle from 7 to 8 pm.
Saturday 2/8 - The One Motorcycle Show in PDX. Visit our FB page for details.
Wednesday 2/12 - BC Meet & Greet @ the Met Hotel New Westminster 4 to 6 pm
Saturday 2/15 - Annual Banquet & Gear Swap @ Best Western Space Needle from 4 to 8 pm. Register now!! Registration closes February 9th.
Wednesday 2/19 - Seattle Meet & Greet @ the Cuff from 7 to 8 pm.
March
Wednesday 3/4- Portland Meet & Greet @ the Eagle from 7 to 8 pm.
Saturday 3/7 - Day Ride, see our FB page for regional details.
Wednesday 3/11 - BC Meet & Greet @ the Met Hotel New Westminster 4 to 6 pm
Wednesday 3/18 - Seattle Meet & Greet @ the Cuff from 7 to 8 pm.
Saturday 3/21 - March Meeting, Seattle from 4 to 8 pm.
Upcoming Birthdays
One member has a birthday in February.
Alan H - Feb 10
January Meet & Greets
Portland’s January M&G was attended by Member Alan H, Jeff B, Stan C, & our newest member Blue. There were no guests in attendance. Alan and I went out to dinner before the meeting, but I’ll be damned if I can remember where we went. At the M&G we discussed the perils of getting old & some of our individual travel plans for the 2020 riding season.
Seattle M&G
BC’s M&G continues to be held at the Met Hotel in New Westminster.
Seattle’s January Meet and Greet was attended by 6 with 4 for 2 for 1 tacos prior to the meeting. - some of the regulars were absent due to snow dominantly in the north sound.
Club Business
50th Anniversary Banquet
Register Now!! The 50th Anniversary Banquet to be held at the Executive Inn by the Space Needle in Seattle on February 15th. Chris L has taken on the task of helping plan and organize the banquet for the club. Dave J has been working on the video that will not only showcase 2019 BRMC activities but also much of the club’s history. Registration for the banquet will close on February 9. Please invite former members, guests, and friends of the club to join us as we celebrate the completion of our 50th year!
Lodging – Executive Inn by the Space Needle - A block of rooms was reserved for the club for February 14th and 15th at a special rate of $104.00 plus tax. Additional occupants above two is $15 per person. Parking is $19 per night plus tax. Reservations were to be made by January 30th to obtain the group price. If you still would still like to reserve a room at the club rate please contact the club president at president@borderriders.com
Gear Swap
If you have motorcycle gear such as boots, jackets, pants, gloves, etc that you no longer are using we will have a table set up for a gear swap. Use prudence in what you bring to give away or swap with others. Please bring gear that is in good shape and that others might want. There is no charge for the gear swap and it is up to you if you want to give your items away, sell them, swap them, etc. All we ask is that if you bring gear and no one is interested in it to please take it back home with you.
2020 Board of Directors
The following members were elected at the AGM to serve as board officers for the coming year and will be installed at the Anniversary Banquet.
President: Jeff C
Vice President: Alan H
Road Captain: Dennis H
Secretary: John D
Treasurer: Stan C
Road Captain
Still working on planning for June based on input at the Annual General Meeting. For June there will be no “campout” but Seattlites will take in members for floor space or backyards for tents. There will be common places to meet up on Friday and Saturday nights, potentially a campfire at one of the local parks that allow fires.
Treasurer
Club finances are healthy. Account Receivables & Liabilities are minimal. Available cash is where I expect it to be. See me privately at the next meeting or go to the “Members Only” section of our website if you want details.
Reader’s Corner
A place for you, the reader, member or guest, to contribute.
Tell us about your travels, adventures, mishaps, etc.
To contribute send your story & pictures to President@BorderRiders.com
Day Rides
Portland’s February Day Ride - Due to the weather, a group decided to go to the One Motorcycle Show on Saturday the 8th instead of a day ride. Andrew G took the lead on putting this together and making it happen. Thank you very for doing that Andrew.
BC’s Day Ride -
Seattle’s Day Ride - We skipped the January day ride in January, will skip February the way it looks too. Hope for better weather in March!
For details about this month’s day ride, please visit our Face-Book page and seek out details for your area.
Motorcycle Training Opportunities
One of the instructors showing Dale how the S curves are done!
For those of you who were not able to make it to the Advanced Motorcycle Training class we did as part of the Rally, not all is lost.
Team Oregon and I have worked out a deal whereby Team Oregon is going to bring the entire 8-hour class to Portland, and we just purchased the whole thing. No outsiders, just us.
To make the class less physically demanding, Team Oregon has agreed to break the (1) 8-hour class into (2) 4-hour classes. Both classes will happen the same weekend to make it easier on those who will travel into Portland to take the class. The classes will be held in North Portland on August 29th & 30th, 2020.
The 1st class will be held on August 29th from 12:30 to 5:30. This will be slow cornering, u-turns, and weaving. This is what you watch when you watch those police rodeos. I’d love to put together a team to challenge them someday.
The dreaded Cone Weave.
The 2nd class will be on Sunday, August 30th, from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm. Sunday will wrap up day 1 and move onto group riding and group parking. Yeah, finally we will be able to look like pros when we go out to dinner at the camp-outs.
There are 9 available spots for this class and all spots will go for $200 each. Registration for this event will only be available through the BRMC website. It’ll be just like any other BRMC event only with limited availability. There will be an announcement regarding registration at the meeting prior to any announcement in the newsletter. This will sell out fast so be ready to register as soon as it becomes available.
This class will be in additional to all the other events that will happen in 2020 including the camp out in August.
Also, due to the demand from Seattle and BC, I will try schedule a class of some type, likely a rider review class, to happen in the Seattle area earlier in the summer. I predict people from Portland & BC will converge on Seattle and I expect Seattle people to register en mass. The results, I expect this class in Seattle to fill up very fast as well. I will announce the date for this class in the same manner as I will the Advanced Motorcycle Training class.
BTW, these motorcycle training events I put together are normally not a BRMC sanctioned event. This is just me organizing these classes because I keep getting request for it, I love them, and I learn something every time I go.
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about these motorcycle training opportunities, please send me an e-mail and let us chat. Treasurer@BorderRiders.com
From the Handlebars of the President
Another AGM has come and gone and the 50th Anniversary Banquet is just around the corner. That will be followed by two monthly membership meetings and then the kickoff to our run season with our Victoria Day Weekend. The official club camping season will be here before we know it. However, looking out the window as I type this, it seems that camping season is still in the far distant future. We are having heavy rains and high winds here in Skagit Valley along with a flood watch for the Skagit River. The river is forecast to crest at 30 feet, which is 2 feet above flood stage, and will result in low lying areas being flooded. In addition, Seattle and many other cities in Washington either tied or broke records for the number of rainy days in January this year.
I am looking forward to the Anniversary Banquet and visiting everyone. I look forward to talking with some of our honorary members and learning some more about the early days of the club. It isn’t every year that a club gets to celebrate completing it’s 50th year. I hope you all can join us in the celebration as we look back on the past 50 years.
I am looking forward to some dry weather
…… keep the shiny side up!
Road Captain Rumblings
It is a great time for maintenance - shops are slow and if you’re using a shop that does things other than motorcycles snowmobile maintenance season is pretty well passed. Don’t wait until May, and if you’re using a battery tender take it off periodically and ride the damn thing.
Treasurer’s Ramblings
Tax season is in full swing and it’s looking to be a good year. I appreciate my BRMC Brother’s being understanding and I pledge to catch up as soon as things calm down.
Meanwhile, if anyone has a question, comments or suggestions about anything I am dealing with, please feel encouraged to contact me directly & let us chat.
2020 Calendar of Events
January 18th - Annual General Meeting - Seattle, WA
February 15th - Anniversary Banquet - Seattle, WA
March 21st - Hosted Club Meeting - TBD
April 18th - Hosted Club Meeting - TBD Location
May 15th thru 18th - Victoria Day Camp-out - Pine Flats Campground, Ardenvoir, WA
June 14th - BRMC rides in the Portland Pride Parade (tentatively).
June 26th thru 28th - Camp-out at TBD Campsite (Seattle Area)
June 27th - BRMC Booth at Capitol Hill Pride Festival in Seattle, WA (tentatively)
June 28th - BRMC rides in the Seattle Pride Parade (tentatively)
July 17th thru 19th - Camp-out at TBD Campsite (BC)
August 14th thru 16th - Camp-out at a TBD Campsite (Eastern OR)
August 29th & 30th - 2-day Advanced Motorcycle Training in Portland, OR
September 18th thru 20th - Camp-out at a TBD Campsite (Western WA)
October 17th - Hosted Club Meeting - TBD Location
November 14th - Hosted Club Meeting - TBD Location
December 12th - Holiday Party - TBD Location
Meet & Greets
BRMC members will be available for interested individuals to meet and learn more about the club and how to get involved. For locations and times, check out the cities listed below for your area. Also, in addition to the club's monthly events, local rides may be organized, weather permitting. To lean more about local event’s, check out our FB page or email the Road Captain at Captain@BorderRiders.com.
Portland: Meet & Greet - 1st Wednesday of the month, 7 pm at The Portland Eagle
Vancouver BC Meet & Greet - 2nd Wednesday of the month. 4 to 6 pm at The Met Hotel, New Westminster
Seattle: Meet & Greet - 3rd Wednesday of the month, 7 pm at The Cuff
Contributions of Photos & Stories
If you have photos and stories to share, please send to news@borderriders.com
