Introducing your BMW MOA Forum Team.

The BMW MOA Board of Directors has given the responsibility of the day to day running, as well as the long term operations, of the MOA Forum to a group of member volunteers. These volunteers have been selected because of their enthusiam and experience on the Forum as well as their level headed approach to Forum participation. The Forum Teams primary mission is to provide a comfortable, informative, and entertaining cyber community for the members of the BMW MOA.

We just wanted to take a moment to introduce ourselves.

Your Forum Team consists of a Forum Liaison who has overall responsibility for the operation of the BMW MOA forum, oversees the rest of the Forum Team, and is the person responsible to the MOA Board of Directors for the BMW MOA Forum. From a Forum perspective the buck stops with the Liaison.

Next in the chain of Command and working closely with the Liaison is the Forum Administrator. The Administrator's job is to act as the leader of the Moderator Team and to be sure that all Moderators are qualified and trained in the operation of the Forum. The Administrator also works directly with the Liaison to recruit and train new Moderators. Think of the Administrator as the head Moderator.

Working with these Forum Leaders are the Moderators. The Moderator's responsibilities include being sure everything is in it's place, helping members with Forum questions or concerns, and being sure that the Forum Guidelines are followed throughout the BMW MOA Forum. The majority of a Moderator's activity is the simple housekeeping required in a Forum used by several thousand people. While there is a certain amount of guidelines enforcement involved, Moderators do not want to be thought of as Forum Police and spend a considerable amount of time behind the scenes discussing and implementing ways to make this place great.

That is a very basic description of the Forum Team and their responsibilities. In the next several posts, the various members of the Moderation Team will take just a few moments to let you know who they are and why they volunteered for their position.

If you ever have any questions or concerns regarding the Forum, feel free to send a PM to any of the Moderators, the Forum Administrator, or the Forum Liaison.

My forum alias is just the login name I've been using for decades, and is a shortened form of my full name, Darryl Richman.

I've been an MOA member since 1982 or so, when I owned an R65, which was my first new bike and my first BMW. I use my BMW bikes for nearly all of my transportation needs and have accumulated more than half a million miles on them. I enjoy touring and keep an R1100RS in Europe to fascilitate touring over there. I have a number of BMW boxers that range from pretty new -- right now, a 2007 R1200ST -- to very old, and they all get ridden. None is a garage queen, not even my 1928 R52.

Professionally, I'm a computer programmer. I've been writing code since the time of wooden ICs. These days I mostly do websites, such as the one I created for the [URL="http://vintagebmw.org"]Vintage BMW Motorcycle Owners club[/URL], of which I am a trustee. I am a native Angelino and have lived my life on the west coast; I was up in Seattle for 9 years and now live in Santa Cruz.

The MOA forum is a great way to meet people and exchange information. I'm always watching, and sometimes commenting in, posts about new gear and great places to ride. I'm also active -- naturally -- in the Vintage forum area, but I get around to all of the R bike areas. Who knows, someday I might own one of the other letters. :)

[SIZE="1"][I]Photo courtesy of Visian at the 2010 Redmond Rally[/I][/SIZE]

Hello! My forum name is 20774…that’s just my member number as I’m not imaginative enough to figure out a cool handle! My name is Kurt Schrader and I live in San Antonio, Texas. I’ve been here for about 30 years, working as an Aerospace Engineer at a contract research company in town. My area of focus is installing flight data recorders on military training aircraft and analyzing the results as part of a process to help establish safety of flight for the fleet.

I joined the MOA in 1980 just after I bought my ’78 R100/7 as a second owner. I had only owned a Honda CB750-4 before that (loved that bike!) but appreciated the German engineering and design of BMW motorcycles. I knew relatively little about them so I asked a friend who already owned an Airhead to ride the /7 and give me an assessment. When he returned and said “if you don’t buy it, I will”, I became the owner of that /7 in a heartbeat. I briefly owned a ’78 R100RS but that style of riding didn’t suit me…probably should have kept it though. :( Since then, I’ve added a ’69 R69S and most recently a ’52 R25/2 (something nice about the year 1952!). I seem to be going backwards in time, but for now, I’ve run out of garage space!

Before the “on-line” world, I worked pretty much alone on my /7 and made my share of dumb mistakes. There were a few lifelines out there, but I felt I was pretty much on my own. On a separate note, if you ever wonder where your socks disappear to in your laundry, it's explained [URL="http://www.laundry-alternative.com/fateofmissingsocks.htm"]here[/URL]. In 2000, I joined the Airheads Beemer Club as well as began to receive daily emails by postings from some very knowledgeable people on the Airlist. The learning curve became pretty steep as I lurked, read, asked, and learned. I captured many nuggets of information which I saved and refer to regularly. Since then and with the addition of my vintage bikes, I have joined several other on-line forums and am an active supporter in the Vintage BMW Motorcycle Owners club.

I enjoy and welcome the sharing of technical information on the forums. Having this as a resource these days, along with local contacts and Tech Days, is a tremendous asset for helping to maintain these older bikes. As a Moderator in the Airheads, Vintage, and regional forums, I try to keep the technical information flowing, help others find needed resources, and support the camaraderie of the virtual campfire. I look forward to being involved where I can in the BMW MOA and the well-cared-for forum. Your Moderator team is a very impressive group of people!

[COLOR="Red"]Hello.

My name is Voni and I'm a motorcyclaholic.

[IMG]http://i320.photobucket.com/albums/nn335/Glaves/DSCF0330.jpg[/IMG]

I started riding back in the 70's so our family of four could go on motorcycle vacations. By my next birthday I'll have a million BMW sMiles. I guess you might say riding has become a passion for me.

I've frequented motorcycle online communities since early Prodigy days. In fact I met some of you there. Over the years I've learned so much about riding safely by the company I keep in person and online. I've benefited immeasurably from the wisdom of my fellow riders. Joining the moderator team here is one of my ways of giving back.

When Karen J first proposed the "Women of the MOA" subforum I jumped at the chance to continue to encourage other women riders. I'm really elated to find women posting all over the forum.

Big Red, my '94 R11RS is one of four bikes that I ride:
[IMG]http://i320.photobucket.com/albums/nn335/Glaves/P1000506.jpg[/IMG]

And my faithful sidekick, Paul in the beautiful Big Bend of Texas
where we live when we're not on the road:

[IMG]http://i320.photobucket.com/albums/nn335/Glaves/DSCF7909.jpg[/IMG]

Voni
sMiling



[/COLOR]

How did it all start? Well, about 35 years ago, I was bored. Saw the movie "On any Sunday" and immediately went out and bought a dirt bike (first of many Hodaka's).. Learned to ride dirt sorta, did some enduros, decided the need to ride requires a street license, got one, started riding a 125cc Hodaka on the street (did I mention I was young and stupid? The young part has changed..)

Continued riding dirt for about 10-12 years, but also brought in some "street" bikes - the first was a HD-Aermacchi 250cc. Really junk, but it was cheap. Moved up rather quickly (after getting tired of pushing it - best part about it was the right side side-stand..) to a 650 Triumph Tiger that had been chopped by it's former owner. I unchopped it back to stock, and rode it several miles in several years (at that time a BIG ride was 50 miles - as far as I could afford a cab back home to get the trailer.) Final Brit bike was a brand new 1974 Norton Commando MK-III, the bike they got right just in time to go out of business. It accumulated about 5,000 miles the first year I owned it, then another 5,000 the next 5 years.

Having a child (who is now 27 and engaged..) put the Norton to sleep for quite a few years, and finally on it's 10th anniversary I sold the Norton (something I regret to this day...), for about what I'd paid for it. And I was bikeless for a few years. A rather common story. Sailing and sail boats replaced bikes for a while. A [B]MUCH[/B] more expensive hobby.

Meanwhile, the garage had acquired a new inhabitant - an '87 BMW 535i.. and my passion for things BMW started. After a friend mentioned BMW was a motorcycle company that made acceptable cars - the thought came to mind of getting a boxer to fix up.

That resulted in "FrankenCycle" - the '79 R65 that had gone for a swim in the Atlantic Ocean (hurricane washed the shed it was in out to sea..) - and a cold winter project bringing it back to life. Along the way - before the Interweb was "invented" - I'd found an Email list called the "Internet BMW Riders". It had just started up, and was a wonderful resource for parts for the R65. I'd post looking for something, next thing I knew - a bunch of the somethings would show up in the mail.

The IBMWR introduced me to a number of other BMW owners in my area, which resulted in starting up a local club (NJ Shore BMW Riders), and my joining the MOA and RA. That was about 16 years ago. I went to my first local rally ("Snappin'Turtle") met some people who remain good friends to today, and was hooked. The next year I ended up going to about 5 rallies. And the year after - more rallies and my first national. My last sailboat was sold shortly after - to pay for a bigger bike (hobby money never goes away - it moves from hobby to hobby) and I just wasn't using it, I was out riding. When I figured out the cost-per-trip of the sailboat - it got my attention. Two trips would pay for a good used motorcycle.

A series of BMW bikes followed ('85 K100RT, '87 K75S, '04 R1150RS, and the first new bike in 30+ years - the current '07 R1200R), and my annual mileage exceeds the total miles I put on the Norton in 10 years of ownership. I usually do about 12-13,000 miles a year now, and try to schedule a 2 week trip to somewhere every summer (this year was the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island.) I'm hoping to expand these trips a bit when I retire early next year.

Oh - my original work field was basic physics research (properties of light, lasers a specialty) at Bell Labs, that switched to computer geek when industrial research died in the US. Worked at Bellcore (now Telcordia), and finally at a small company when Bellcore changed hands. Been at the small company for 15 years as the IT geek.

I moderate a number of other forums (BMW car, and a BMW bike), and I think Ted Verrill and I are the longest term moderators on the MOA forum. I only have BMW vehicles in my driveway and garage now - which helps keep key rings simple, and makes it easy for people to buy gifts for me.

Along the Lighthouse Trail in Nova Scotia:

Hello fellow Beemerites. As my MOA number indicates, I'm rather new to the BMW community.

I fell in love with BMW's during a trip to Germany in 2005. I bought my first Beemer in 2007 and joined the Wisconsin BMW Club. In 2008, I bought my second BMW as I retired from my job as a building code official for a local municipality here in Wisconsin. This spring I traded in and bought my current ride, a 2010 R1200RT. I love long trips and adding up miles for the annual mileage contest. I'm an officer in our local club and have made many new friends in the BMW Family.

After attending Voni's "Women Who Ride" seminar at the 2009 National Rally, I noticed how many women in the MOA wanted to share their experience with each other. Wouldn't it be a nice idea I thought, if there was an area in the forum where women's issues could be discussed. Eventually, we created the "Women of the MOA" subforum and I was invited to co-moderate with Voni. After nearly a year, it has become a cozy room for all members to stop in and discuss women's issues.

If you have a subject you think would fit or if you just want to add something to an existing thread, please join in. If not, just stop by for a visit and see what's being discussed.
[ATTACH]24650[/ATTACH]

Hi everybody, Motorcycling for me started about 40 years ago with a Rupp minibike. This started a progression of many bikes through the years, mostly Japanese imports. I spent time riding Enduro, Street, Cruiser and owning and enjoying more bikes than I can remember.
My move to BMW motorcycles was mainly a desire to have something more in a motorcycle. Being mechanically inclined I can appreciate the effort BMW has gone through to make them what they are. My move to be a moderator here on the forum is mainly a natural progression in something that I enjoy-helping others. I have been involved with many clubs through the years and have enjoyed helping members get all the enjoyment they can from their club experience.If I can help I will.
Gary Nelson
Omega Man

[B][/B]

Hi Y'all :D

Just getting that Texan thing outa the way ya know?
I joined the moderator team this week after being asked if I was interested...I have armchair quarterbacked as many do and thought why not? I guess time will tell won't it?
I retired from the electric power industry after 30 years of keeping the lights on a few years back and now piddle with bikes for fun again. Being retired does not mean being bored around this house!


I have been around motorized two wheels for almost 40 years...a common theme among several members of the MOA community. Started on a Briggs & Stratton powered mini bike, and progressed to larger and more complex machines thru the years. Have the broken bones and stories to go along with several of them...thankfully most of those when I was as bulletproof as I thought I was in the 70's.My first "real" job about 16 years of age was as a porter at a Houston Honda shop about the time the 750-4 hit the market. Got to uncrate the first one to hit the streets of SE Houston...and hung on for dear life when the mechanic I worked with took me for a ride...I was hooked:bow
Got my first BMW when my GF at the time wheeled up my driveway on her R1100R one day and I was polishing the chrome on my you know what cruiser...parked that bike( actually found a guy that had a GS but wanted a cruiser and we traded!) and haven't looked back in regret...oh yeah...I married her and we both share the riding passion :D we both recently hit our first 100K on BMW's...many more planned. Between us we currently have around 7 bikes to swap around.
Hope I can be a help here and answer any questions. Let's ride!

Hi! My name is Tracy, aka Newstar. My user name is a rough translation of my married name, Novacich. If there are any Croatians out there who would like to challenge or correct that assumption, feel free to PM me. My father in law would be most interested! I ride a 2009 R1200 GS. Yup - the blue one with the Linex!

I’ve been an MOA member since 2003 when my husband, Matt, bought his RT. At the time, I was content to ride along as his passenger. In an effort to learn more about his hobby, I took the MSF beginner rider course and obtained my motorcycle endorsement. It wasn’t until a few years later that I impulsively bought my 2005 650 GS. My pillion days were over! A few years later, I moved up in size to a Moto Guzzi Norge, but traded it once I found out that I really could reach the ground on a 1200 GS. While I do not have many years of experience like others on the forum, I have been bitten by the riding bug. Matt, has been supportive and challenging and that has made me a better rider. In the past year, I’ve taken the Rawhyde training and any offers of help to improve my off-road skills and I’m now learning there are many more places to explore off the beaten path!

To fund my travels, I am a professional foodie. I work for a very large foodservice distributor as a sales person, consulting with restaurants, hotels, caterers, etc. I have the luxury of having a home office but often spend time the road locally visiting my customers. In addition, I just finished my second season as an MSF instructor teaching the beginner rider course for the State of Delaware.

I’ve been a member of the Mid Atlantic Riders and have served as their vice president and newsletter editor for a number of years. Through MARs and the MOA, I’ve met countless new friends. I felt strongly that, as a “local” to the Bloomsburg rally, we should volunteer in some way and the GS Giant event was a logical fit. Little did I know what I was in for! As the self proclaimed Queen of Giants, I helped my fellow volunteers put together a great event that has spawned its own charter club. I believe a club is only as good as its members who volunteer their time and when asked to be a moderator, I was honored to accept.

If someone asked me ten years ago if I ever saw myself riding a motorcycle, I would have answered with a decisive “no”. Now, I can’t see my life without one. Women like Ardys and Voni inspire me and I especially love to see new women riders finding their own joy on two wheels.

Mount Washington August 2011
[IMG]http://i418.photobucket.com/albums/pp261/novacich/DSC_0012.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i418.photobucket.com/albums/pp261/novacich/SMURF/farkled.jpg[/IMG]