Contents

• Welcome

• Monthly Recap (Guest Author)

• Monthly Gallery

• September’s M&G Report (Portland, BC, & Seattle)

• Upcoming Events (2-Months)

• This Month’s Birthdays

• Club Business

• Reader’s Corner

• September Day Rides

• Gear Store Update

• Upcoming Meeting Detail

• Motorcycle Classes

• Officer Reports

• The BRMC 2020 Calendar of Events

• Non BRMC Motorcycle Events

• October Meet & Greet Details

• 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 for gay clubs in North America. We welcome like-minded guests to come meet us at our monthly Meet & Greets and/or one of our Day-Rides.

Check out our website. We are very proud of it. www.borderriders.com

September Recap: Maryhill State Park

by Stan C

The final campout of the year was from 9/16 thru 9/18. The Maryhill State Park is a beautiful park situated on the North side of the Columbia River where US-97 crosses the Columbia. The group site was huge, the parking lot was paved & large enough we were able to practice some maneuvers. It had a very large area of green grass, and a clean restroom/shower nearby. It also came with a covered gazebo which had concrete floors, enclosed walls on 2 sides giving us wind protection, metal picnic benches, a power outlet, and lights. The space was private enough due to the distance from us to the other campers. The Columbia River was a short walk from the campsite and there was a back road from the campground to Stone Henge.

The campout was well attended by both members & guests. There was only one person who surrendered to the wind and went home early. There was a 2nd person who surrendered to the wind and got a hotel in Goldendale so he could still participate and see everyone. Everybody else was victorious at setting up their tents.

The weather was great for the most part. The wind died Friday night at about 8:00 and became a cool breeze the rest of the weekend. The temperature was moderate and perfect for both camping and riding. There was a little rain on Saturday night but not enough to be an issue. We had a covered area.

People broke into smaller groups and did various things on Saturday. The group I led did a leisure run up the Glenwood Canyon on the Glenwood Highway, rode the BZ Glenwood Hwy to BZ Corner, rode WA-141 up toward Trout Lake Hwy & returned to Glenwood on the Trout Lake Hwy. After a quick break we headed toward Klickitat via the Glenwood Hwy & WA-142. We rode on to Lyle and rode WA-14 back to camp stopping at Stone Henge on the way. It was fun ride with some great roads, some beautiful scenery, and a moderate pace.

We did the normal Saturday night group ride to dinner. We went to Ayutla’s Family Mexican Restaurant. My food was fine, and I didn’t hear any complaints. The service was efficient, and the food came out timely.

After dinner everybody scattered back to the campsite for the meeting. We had some ice cream before the meeting started.

Unfortunately, there are a couple issues with this campsite. The noise from nearby highways and the trains going by…. It was not an issue during the day, but it seemed to really get loud and got busy at about 8pm and was non-stop trains until early morning. They ran on both the OR side and the WA side of the river. The noise from the trucks and the trains bounced of the canyon walls like a bad concert. I heard ear plugs took care of most of the noise, on Sunday, while I was packing.

As a total sum, it was a wonderful weekend. It was great see everyone, the riding was fantastic.

Monthly Gallery

Photos from members and guests from last month’s rides and adventures (or stolen from Facebook pages due to a lack of submissions).

September Meet & Greets

Portland M&G - Portland did not have a M&G in September.

BC M&G - We are still looking for a member in BC to take the lead on this. Please let Stan know if you are willing do this.

Seattle’s M&G - Seattle’s September M&G was supposed to be at Derby, but on arrival found it was closed for a private event. Through text and Facebook we were able to change it to Smarty Pants in Georgetown with 9 attending and ice cream around the corner afterwards. While at Smarty Pants the manager came to us and has 2 motorcycle license plates, BRMC1 and BRMC2 from motorcycles he had purchased long ago. Chris will be making arrangements to get them from him for the club.

Upcoming Events

Please do not come to any club event if you are not feeling well.

• Day Rides - Neither Portland or Seattle will hold a day ride in October.

  • . . . Watch for last minute details on our Face-Book page.

• October 1st - Team OR PMC #1 (This is the police rodeo class.)

  • BRMC & Team OR come together for part 1 of the most challenging class for the 2022 riding season. This is where we learn to ride that maze of cones mastering Tight Cornering & U-Turns.

  • . . . Watch for last minute details on our Face-Book page.

• October 2nd - Team OR PMC #2 (This is the police rodeo class.)

  • BRMC & Team OR come together for part 2 of the most challenging class for the 2022 riding seasons. This is where we continue to learn to ride that maze of cones mastering Tight Cornering & U-Turns.

  • Following is a link to a quick video of what we are learning. police rodeo 2022

  • . . . Watch for last minute details on our Face-Book page.

• October 5th - The PDX Meet & Greet

  • Dinner is at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, 5949 NE MLK Blvd at 5:00.

  • We will ride to the Eagle on Lombard after dinner and hangout until 8:00.

  • . . . Watch for last minute details on our Face-Book page.

• October 12th - The BC Meet & Greet

  • There will be no M&G in BC due to lack of an available host.

• October 15th - BRMC Hosted October Meeting

  • Jeremy is graciously hosting the October Meeting at his new home in Kent, WA.

  • See details below.

• October 19th - The SEA Meet & Greet

  • Dale is once again hosting the Seattle M&G. We're going to try again for Derby since it was closed for a private event in September. Derby is in the Seattle Industrial District. Many of you may know it as "The Shop" where the Cretins MC used to host "Backfire" before moving back north. It's 2233 6th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98134 and they have some great cars and motorcycles in that place, so swing by if you get the chance. 6-8 PM

• November 2nd - PDX Meet & Greet

  • Details YTBA

  • . . . Watch for last minute details on our Face-Book page.

• November 5th - Portland, Seattle, & BC Day Rides

  • Details YTBA

  • . . . Watch for last minute details on our Face-Book page.

• November 9th - The BC Meet & Greet

  • There will be no M&G in BC due to lack of an available host.

• November 16th - The SEA Meet & Greet

  • Details YTBA

  • . . . Watch for last minute details on our Face-Book page.

• November 19th - BRMC Hosted November Meeting

  • Details YTBA (Tentatively in Bremerton, WA)

  • . . . Watch for last minute details on our Face-Book page.

A Brothers Birthday

We have 2 member(s) with a birthday in October. Be sure and help us make them feel special.

• October 10th - Ron S

• October 24th Randy W

Club Business

Board Nominations

As most of you are aware, board nomination are done at the October, November and December meetings with the elections held at the Annual General Membership meeting in January. Please give some thought as to your ability to serve your fellow club members by serving for a term on the board. Each board position is for a term of one year. For additional information about serving on the board, please contact the current board President.

Membership Nomination

Guests that are interested in becoming a BRMC member, must be sponsored & nominated for membership by a charter, active or disabled member. Interested guests are encouraged to ride with the club & be coached by said sponsor for a year before being nominated for membership. An interested guest should use this time to get to know the rules & culture of the club as well as the members who will be asked to vote on their membership.

Guests that are interested in becoming a BRMC member should reach out to a current club member and inquire about sponsorship. An interested guest may want to reach out to more than one member before deciding on a suitable sponsor.

A motion to nominate someone for membership must be made timely, at a club meeting, by the sponsor. Again, the election for a new member will occur at an Annual General Membership meeting normally held in January.

For additional information about becoming a member or sponsoring a guest for membership, please contact the current board president.

By-Laws Update

We have established a new By-Laws Committee to investigate the idea of a new category for current members that are not required to ride. The intent for this new committee is to address the issue of valued members, who for personal reasons are thinking about, or have stopped riding yet want to continue to be an active, contributing member with all the same rights, privileges and responsibilities of any other active member.

We have made available a “Draft By-Laws Sept 22” in the Members Only section of our web-site for you to review. Be ready to discuss this document at the October Meeting.

This new committee is made up of Jeff B, Tom C, Richard A, & Blue B. We thank you gents for donating your expertise and your time regarding this matter.

Reader’s Corner

A place for you, the reader, member and/or guest, to contribute.

Tell us about your travels, adventures, mishaps, etc.

To contribute, send your story & pictures to News@BorderRiders.com

Riding Around Maryhill

By Tom C

Another fine riding/camping weekend at Maryhill State Park down on the Columbia River near Goldendale, Washington. Somehow, the mixture of camping and motorcycles is a combination made for socializing and good conversation. In these days of 'always on' social media and work accessibility, the ability to escape that and just relax is ever more valuable.

After breakfast on Sunday morning in Goldendale, I turned east on the Bickleton Highway, one of the emptier roads in Washington State. It connects Goldendale with the Yakima Valley (at Mabton, just over Glade Summit) and is a fun, direct and little-known road of 'big western landscape' scenery and some unexpected curves down into Rock Creek Canyon. This time, in an exploring mood, I followed the loose gravel and washboard of the Rock Creek Road down toward the Columbia River. Not a single other vehicle, and only some fresh and undisturbed bear scat in the middle of the road. I use an app called AvenzaMap (from Toronto, eh) which allows me to see myself, on my phone, in airplane mode, on the excellent Benchmark Atlas series of maps. Seeing yourself on a quality, detailed map product is priceless in knowing where you are, and what other interesting roads and features are around you. An really useful exploring tool. It won't route you like Google Maps, but having that spatial awareness really adds to my enjoyment and sense of place.

I explored a couple of roads, which, like the Bickleton Highway become good riding roads as they drop into Rock Creek Canyon. One was Hocter Road, which heads over to Hwy 97 just south of Goldendale, and is paved all the way. The other is Old Hwy 8, which has gravel sections to go with the winding, aging pavement. Riding a light dual-sport bike (the 2012 Honda NC700X I ride is about a 90/10 (street/dirt) unlike a BMW GS which would be about a 50/50. A do-everything bike really opens up a lot of interesting roads and riding that would be uncomfortable on a large touring bike (especially with a belt final drive that would be vulnerable to gravel damage). The little Honda has proven to be a near-perfect combination of qualities as I age and move down from a big v-twin cruiser into something easier to get around on.

My goal for the evening was a house I have outside Sunnyside, Washington, to see my ex Doug (and former Border Rider) and make a couple pies to enter in the Central Washington State Fair in Yakima on Monday.  I'll post a photo if I won anything, but it's fun to compete against those little old ladies! Turns out Doug was having some medical issues, and he's now getting some care in the Tri-Cities (via the Sunnyside Hospital ER) which was overdue. I've stayed in Sunnyside to watch the house and his pets, so it's an unscheduled vacation for me. You never know what curves you'll find in your road, despite thinking things will continue as they always have. Sharing the brotherhood of the Border Riders is perhaps more important than ever, with our decreased-contact social media-style friendships that are common these days. But like with all friendships, they take maintenance, and often success is just showing up (to runs, to meetings). See you at the next meeting!

By Stan C

I thought it might be a good time to talk about the rubber. No, I’m not talking about kind of rubber. I’m talking about the rubber in front of you and behind you when you’re out having fun. Yep, tires.

I know that most of us depend on our local mechanic or motorcycle dealer to tell us when we need new tires, but you really should know some basics. Things like the shelf life of a tire, the mounted life of a tire, the various ratings of a tire, and the wear life of a tire.

Let’s start with easiest, the shelf life of a tire. You should be able to look at any tire and see a 4-digit number. For instance, the number on my trailer is 0512. This tells me that this tire was manufactured in May of 2012. From this date there are 2 things to know. The shelf life of a tire is 5 years. If a tire has been sitting on the shelf for more than 5 years, don’t buy it. “But I haven’t put it on the bike yet.” It doesn’t matter, a new tire reaches its first benchmark of life by being 5 years old and not put into service. The second benchmark is 10 years. If you have a tire that is more than 10 years old, it is time to replace it. “But there a lot of tread left on the tire.” It’s doesn’t matter. The possibility of a blow-out on a 10-year-old tire is such that it’s best not to risk it, especially on a motorcycle. The risk is such that most tire shops will not touch a 10-years old tire if it still has air in it. And yes, as I did my researched for this piece, I realized I need to replace my trailer tires.

For all you speed demons, there is also a speed rating for your tire. On the sidewall you will find a letter code which tells you the maximum speed this tire can go for 10-miutes. For instance, if your tire has the code “J” on it, you are limited to 62 MPH for no more than 10 minutes. If you find a “H” on your tire, you can go 130 MPH for no more than 10-minutes.

Next to this letter code, you will also find 2 numbers. These tell you the maximum load index for your tire. If you find “67H”, you will know your maximum speed is 130 MPH and your maximum weight is 677 pounds. At this point, id feel safe saying that this tire is designed for a sport bike and not my HD.

Another thing to know is embedded in the grove of the tread itself. It called the wear bar. These are small, raised rubber bars that span across the grove in the face of the tire. It is this wear bar located in rain grooves is another marker that shows when the tire is at the end of its service life. Typically, these are about 1/32 to 2/32 of an inch tall. When the tread is even with the wear bars, it time to replace the tire.

Given that we are heading into the rainy season, our tires are more important than ever. Please inspect your rubber and make sure it is ready for your next adventure, even if it’s just to the grocery store. It also a good idea to know the load capacity, and speed rating of your tire.

Since our lives depend on those big rubber things behind us and in front of us, it’d be a good idea to familiarize yourself with them, their age, and their capability before your next adventure.

September Day Rides

BC’s Day Ride

There was no BC day-ride in September.

Seattle’s Day Ride

In spite of being Labor Day Weekend, Seattle had a small group that met in Monroe for breakfast, and rode north through the backroads through the Granite Falls area, Arlington and made our way to Mt. Erie by Anacortes finishing the ride down through Whidbey Island. Of course we stopped for the required ice cream in Coupeville. Much fun was had by all.

Portland’s Day Ride

There was no Day Ride in September.

Gear Store

The Gear Store is closed until the 2023 Banquet. We are taking this opportunity to seek new items to spruce up the gear store. If you know of any gear we once had that you’d like to see us bring back, or new items you’d like to see us make available, contact our VP Chris L.

2022 October Meeting Details

The Details

Jeremy W. is graciously hosting the October Meeting at his home in Kent, WA. The fee base is $20 and registration is open. Register Today!

The menu is Italian Beef with Hard Rolls, Vegetarian Lasagna, Mixed Baked Bean, & Roasted Vegetables. There will be assorted drinks available but feel encouraged to bring your own.

Jeremy has all the help he needs so the social hour will begin at 4:00.

2022 Advanced Motorcycle Training

BRMC & Team OR take to the range once again. We wrap up the 2022 riding season with the Motorcycle Rodeo series at Mount Hood Community College in Gresham, OR on 10/1 & 10/2. Will be there in the afternoon on Saturday and in the morning on Sunday in case you want to swing by and listen to Dale drag his floor boards around the course.

I did find a “Civilian” version of the police rodeo that I thought would be fun to enter. Too bad it is in Virginia.

Questions

If you have any questions regarding the 2022 or 2023 Motorcycle Advanced Training Program, contact Stan at President@BorderRiders.com

If you aren’t sure which class is right for you, Contact Stan for this too as he has taken almost all their classes and can help you decide which class is right for you.

From the Handlebars of the President

With the riding season mostly done for the year, we need to focus our attention on wrapping up the old year and opening a new one. If anyone has a question, comment, or suggestion regarding these 2 years, let’s chat at the upcoming October meeting so I can give it some thought as I go through this process.

I hope to see you all at the October meeting.

Stan C

2022 President

president@borderriders.com

Vice President Chatter

My term as VP is almost over and it has been very uneventful. I thank you all for behaving.

It was wonderful seeing everyone at the September Campout. Thanks to everyone who made the effort to show up and battle the wind on Friday.

I will see you at the October Meeting.

Meanwhile, I hope everyone stays safe and are enjoying the last of summer.

Chris L

2022 Vice President

vicepresident@borderriders.com

Road Captain Rumblings

The August campsite wasn’t a great site as very primitive and no running water (if you don’t count the river), but it is what was available given the BC Provencal Parks still being closed to group camping. Everyone ended up with dusty bikes from the dirt road into the site, but overall the space worked out very well.

Maryhill in September will have showers and running water, pavement and food close by. Great riding in the area with Klickitat Canyon and many things to see in the area such as the Goldendale Observatory and the Stonehenge replica.

Coming back from BC I was pondering the idea that we should change our weekends from Friday to Sunday to Saturday to Monday. There are many areas such as the border, Highway 2 in Sultan, I-90 near Cle Elum, I-5 near Marysville that are burdensome on a motorcycle on a Sunday return to home. I’d like to add that to our discussions around the campfire (if we have one) in September.

Hope to see you all in September for the last weekend trip of the year.

Dennis H

2022 Road Captain

captain@borderriders.com

Treasurer’s Ramblings

All the bills I am aware of have been paid. We have 1 receivable to be collected from a member for a Gear Store purchase of a $35. A pride flag. Otherwise, all our accounts are balanced, and are where I expect them to be. Briefly stated, “Piggy Bank Be Balanced”.

Please feel encouraged to reach out to me if you have any questions. Otherwise, stay safe, stay healthy and I look forward to seeing everyone soon.

Sincerely,

Alan H

2022 Treasurer

Treasurer@borderriders.com

Secretary Thoughts

Oh boy, does life ever slow down?

Not much to report for the October newsletter. The September Meeting Minutes have been posted. Be ready to vote to approve them, or not, at the October Meeting.

See you all real soon.

Tom C

2022 Secretary

secretary@borderriders.com

2022 Calendar of Events

• October 1st & 2nd - Team OR Precision Maneuvering Clinic #1 & #2.

• October 15th - Club Meeting - Hosted by Jeremy W. near Kent, WA

• November 19th - Club Meeting - Hosted by Todd M. near Bremerton, WA (New Location)

• December 10th - Club Holiday Party - Hosted by Chris & Richard near Burlington, WA

2023 Calendar of Events

• January 21st - AGM in Seattle, WA - Location YTBD

• February 18th - Banquet in Portland, OR - Location YTBD

• March 18th - Club Meeting - Hosted by Jeff B.

• April 15th - Club Meeting, we are looking for a host.

• May 19th thru 21st - Victoria Day Campout at Pine Flats near Entiat, WA

• June 16th thru 18th - June Campout - Location YTBD

• July 14th thru 16th - July Campout - Location YTBD

  • Days may be added

• August 18th thru 20th - August Campout - Location YTBD

• September 9th thru 11th - Team OR & BRMC Advance Training Weekend (Tentative Dates)

  • Saturday afternoon will be the PMC 1 (Police Rodeo part 1)

  • Sunday morning will be the PMC 2 (Police Rodeo part 2)

  • Monday morning will be the Cornering Clinic (Go-Cart Track)

  • Monday afternoon will be the Highway Braking Clinic (Race Track)

• September 15th thru 17th - September Campout - Location YTBD

  • Days may be added

• October 21st - Club Meeting - we are looking for a host.

• November 18th - Club Meeting - we are looking for a host.

• December 9th - Holiday Party - we are looking for a host.

Monthly 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 following list of times & location. Watch our FB for last minutes details pr changes.

Portland: Meet & Greet - 1st Wednesday of the month, 7 pm at The Portland Eagle.

Vancouver BC Meet & Greet (tentative - Watch FB) - 2nd Wednesday of the month. 4 to 6 pm at The Met Hotel, New Westminster. (Canceled until further notice.)

Seattle: Meet & Greet - 3rd Wednesday of the month, 7 pm at someplace The Cuff or On-The-Road someplace new. Watch the newsletter, website or Facebook for exact location.

Member & Guest Day-Rides

In addition to the club's monthly M&Gs, local rides frequently happen on the 1st Saturday of every month. Additionally, members & guest going on an impromptu day-ride, or to some other activity, will post their plans on our FB page so others can tag along. Again, watch our FB page for last minutes details or changes.

To learn more about local event’s, impromptu events, or to check status on any event, check out our FB page or email the Road Captain at Captain@BorderRiders.com.

Hey, did you notice that trend? Yep, keep an eye on our FB page for last minute changes and details for all events.

Non-BRMC Motorcycle Events

If you know of anything that we might want to post here, please let is know at News@BorderRiders.com

Contributions of Photos & Stories

Please feel encouraged to send us your photo’s of our activities to News@BorderRiders.com

Also, if you do anything interesting outside the club, we’d love to hear about it. Send us a short story with some photo’s and we will try get it into the next newsletter. It doesn’t have to be motorcycle related to be interesting. We are very diverse.

If you have photos and stories to share, please send to news@borderriders.com