BMWMCCWA

Having attended the excellent GPS Tutorial day
I thought it might be usefull to list a number of topics of interest for possible future tutorial days! Here are my suggestions to start the process off. Once we have a consensus on topics of broad appeal we can then set about finding someone to run the tutorial or alternatively an eager member can swot up on the topic and then enlighten the rest of us, what do you think?

My Picks
1. Bike to bike communications - would be great fun on club rides
2. How to set up your suspension for different riding conditions
3. How to add electrical gear to the new Can bus equipped BMW bikes
4. How you rig up your bikes for camping gear and what you have learned to take and leave (from experience)
5. How about a workshop on changing bike tyres, or making emergency tyre repairs

For my part
6. Bluetooth in-helmet communications - I use a Nolan N-Com it is great , there are also various other options around. I could possibly organise a session on what you can and cant do with Bluetooth and how it works.

If you add your ideas and your votes/preferences to this topic, we can collate the results at the next club meeting and set about organising some more events

Jon O

All great ideas Jon O,

My main interest would be bike to bike intercoms and also Bluetooth stuff.
I have an Autocom system (no Bluetooth) which I am yet to install...this has relevance to your topic of adding electric gadgets to the new BMW CanBus system too.

Chris R

On the topic of electrics, in addition to what has already been mentioned, I would also like to learn how to mount, connect and power up appliances like Satnavs, Radar Detectors, Fog / Spot lights, Fiam Horns & (an automatic sensing and firing nuclear disintegrating device to blast traffic that rudely cuts our path would be an added bonus!!!).

I guess the basic idea would be which + & - poles to tap from and using the right fuse with out frying the computer and other existing devices be a good place to start.

Cheers!

Hi All, I'm a new member with a recently purchased 1200GSA, so all of these topics sound good to me.

However, to help you prioritise, my vote would be Bike to Bike first, camping gear second and Can-Bus third.

Look forward to catching up with you all soon

Regards

John.

I have just installed a cigarette lighter on my K100RT but they keep going out. So I bought a basic satnav and a tyre pump, both work well. Therefore the suggested tutorials on how to do it propperley would be interesting, as would puncture repair, camping and setup. I don't need a nuclear road cleaner as I have set my lasar printer to stun. How do you use ear plugs to block out wind noise plus use communication devises?
K for Kev

Good idea Jono. I am sure we have a wealth of combined knowledge within the club and we should tap this knowledge and use it as a learnig tool for all. A few suggestions for tutorials could be:
1. Varying riding techniques for differing conditions;
2. Welding, spraypainting, etc - not just on your motorcycle but for all manner of applications;
3. As an addendum to the GPS tutorial, planning your trip and creating routes using GPS and digital mapping software;
4. Survival in remote areas if stranded (hot and dry and or cold and wet conditions).

I would be eager to participate in these - work commitments permitting.

If the knowledge was not available within the club and there was enough members wishing to learn a new skill, then a knowledgeable person in the respective field could be contracted to conduct a tutorial and with enough members participating the cost could be minimised?? As an example of this, Bob Cooper conducts survival courses for remote areas, the course inclusive of theory and practical. The practical session could be combined with a weekend ride?

Cheers
Noel

Thanks people their are some good suggestions coming in. I will tabulate and bring the list to our next club meeting.
I have started looking into bike GPS and Comms, doing some research as I want to upgrade my existing system. I have a fair bit of information on Bluetooth Comms already and I know that a few club members have various bluetooth units so we should be able to access a variety to demonstrate.

Noel good Idea on the survival skills, I did one of Bob Coopers courses some years back and can say it was excellent.

Another topic could be mounting hardware for GPS, gear etc. I use a techmount gear from the USA to mount a radar detector and GPS on my 1200GSA but I noticed some alternative solutions on members bikes that look just s good (Ram mounts etc).

Also having parted company with the GSA on a Mundaring track I think a session on how to pick up your beast without breaking your back would be worthwhile. There is some great looking instruction and video on the net for just this subject, but it is one thing watching it and quite another putting it into practice.

It would be neat if we had some bike oriented video equipment in the club so that we could capture some flicks of the various rides that could then be edited into an annual club video for members. I think having club gear which could also be hired out to members to help cover cost, replacement and updates, would be a much more economic proposition that buying gear as individuals - thoughts?

Keep the ideas coming!

Thanks
JonO

One I have always tinkered with is getting St. John in to give us a group therapy course on First Aid. Some of us have knowledge/skills in this area, some don't. We play rather dangerous games, and ultimately the day comes when stuff happens, either on the road, off the road or while elsewhere enjoying ourselves. Although the St. John guys generally don't think people on bikes have brains, I think it is worth putting on the list.

Geoff Edwards

Good suggestion Geoff, one of the clubs new members Nat, is a paramedic and might also be coaxed into imparting some common sense and knowledge to the rest of us on this subject.
Jono

Jono and others,

Nice thread. We discussed this at the Committee meeting on Tuesday night, and there are a lot of good things coming from this. One thing I need to point out though, and by no means stealing Jono's thunder here, is that such ideas ultimately should be passed through the Committee for scheduling etc. With permission I will collate these ideas and we will discuss at the tuning day and at the next General meeting.

good work guys, keep the ideas coming and we'll see how many slots on the Calendar we can fill in thoughout the year.

I start a new topic here, some relevance.

Geoff Edwards