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2011 Rally Q&A

What are the showers gonna be like this year?

What is the earliest one can arrive and start camping at the rally?

Thanks in advance.
 
General Admission is always slated for Thursday. Before then, you need to be a volunteer of some kind. Or a participant in one of the early MSF riding classes.

Showers will likely be wet. Warm/hot would also be good.

That is to say, that there are generally shower facilities that exist as part of the Fairgrounds permanent items, but we often have to add in some shower trucks. Thsoe are actually pretty good. If you are willing to adjust your shower schedule to some kind of "off hours" (NOT first thing in the morning), there is usually not too much of a crowd, sometimes no waiting at all.
 
Is there a listing of the courses that will be taught? I know the High School will host a few. Has a comprehensive list/sign-up been established?

Thanks!
 
Is there a listing of the courses that will be taught? I know the High School will host a few. Has a comprehensive list/sign-up been established?

Thanks!

That is also my question.

Also, is there a thread somewhere with a list of tenting protocols such what to do with valuables that you can't cart with you or how much space to leave between tents excetra? This is my first BMW rally.
 
That is also my question.

Also, is there a thread somewhere with a list of tenting protocols such what to do with valuables that you can't cart with you or how much space to leave between tents excetra? This is my first BMW rally.

Rule of thumb is one usually doesn't have to worry about valuables at the Rally. I've seen keys left in bikes for the entire week and gear left outside tents or on bikes. Having said that, I always keep my valuables locked in my top box, out of site, inside my tent.

Tent space, is usually not a question or a problem. Although at the Tennessee Rally, as a volunteer I had set my tent up early and parked my bike, as is the custom, by my tent. When I returned to the tent on Thursday after registering folks all day, I did have to ask one camper to unpeg and move her tent so that I could move my bike to the roadside to park it. The bike had become tent-locked. That was a first.

You'll have no problems with tent spacing between participants, unless you rent a Sherpa tent; then the tents are peg immediately and I mean immediately beside each other. However, there are advantages to the Sherpa tents; you don't carry tenting supplies, don't set up or tear down, have coffee brewed for you and a place to charge your electronics. All in all, a rather good deal, except for the closeness of the tents.
 
Schedule for MSF courses not yet established, but you can expect to have both the ERC (Exp Rider Course) and ARC (Advanced RC) available. ARC is an all day course, and is most certainly the more challenging of the 2. The ERC (may be listed as BRCII) is a half day option. We typically run M or Tu thru Sat on both courses. Keep an eye open, Roger will get something up fairly soon.
 
I think I read somewhere, either here or ON, about club camping.

I know it is not allowed or at least frowned upon to save camping spaces, however, can a charter club reserve an area for its members?

I can't seem to find any specific info.
 
Schedule for MSF courses not yet established, but you can expect to have both the ERC (Exp Rider Course) and ARC (Advanced RC) available. ARC is an all day course, and is most certainly the more challenging of the 2. The ERC (may be listed as BRCII) is a half day option. We typically run M or Tu thru Sat on both courses. Keep an eye open, Roger will get something up fairly soon.

There are some dirt bike rider education opportunities in the works ......... too early to be official. Roger and I have scouted location opportunities to met our ERC and ARC needs and there may even be offerings by some of our vendors.

I think I read somewhere, either here or ON, about club camping.

I know it is not allowed or at least frowned upon to save camping spaces, however, can a charter club reserve an area for its members?

I can't seem to find any specific info.

I thought I heard during the site tour or it may have been in an email that there are areas designated for clubs, they just can't have there transport trailer taking up camping space. Designated Club areas IMO offer opportunites for folks to meet and greet. There may even be camping just for the GS Community. :brow

Many Pennsylvania riders and locals are asking why there are no day passes. :rolleyes I usually say its the same price as the full event and tell them what I know that is in the rally plans. However many motorcyclist are wishing to investigate our offerings and I know its not politically correct but maybe we ought to have day passes since the north camping area can be secured, protected by security and accessed by colored wrist band............I know it may require more security staff but our club could also benefit by the day pass economic impact. Not all rally sites are the same and historically all Bloomsburg events have been open to the pubic, ours will be the first closed event.
 
Yes a charter club can reserve a spot in club camping area. The information for club camping will be post at a later date.
 
Thanks!

The MARS club meets this week and rally info is on the agenda. We are expecting a number of campers this year.
 
Perhaps have the day pass option limited to one specific day?

I'm waiting for the old guard to jump into this debate screaming, "NO" but the world changes. There has been much consternation over declining club membership. Here is an opportunity to showcase our organization and what the MOA has to offer.
Chris (Statdawg) brings up an important point regarding the fact that the camping area is separate and secured from the public ground.

Bokrijder
 
Since I am a now a "old timer"in MOA-land. :gerg I guess I can throw my two-bits in:

One of the main reasons is security related--look, we do not need the "public" in our camping areas. Lots of keys are left in in the bikes and a bunch of Helmets and riding gear are either ON the bike or laying next to a tent. I cannot lock my tent and I do not want anybody IN my tent. Trust is a good thing, and I do trust my fellow MOA member, but I don't trust the "public"

For insurance purposes, having the "public" included with a group-run gathering should crank the insurance for the Rally a whole bunch higher:bluduh

I remember some information about BMW Motorrad USA having a big display at off Rally site in Bloomsburg. Hey, we could hook-up a camera from the Rally to a monitor in the BMW tent @ the off-site Motorrad display! "Look Mom, they look like real people!"

Now,if some member of the "public" wants to come up with the bucks to register for the Rally,and get a arm tag, then they are welcomed into the Rally and gives us another person to bring into the fold. I don't know why, but I trust the person that pays the full Rally Fee, more than the local who got in with a cheap day pass!:huh

We need new members, but we need security for our stuff and our members.
 
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Well, paranoia has checked in, next on the list ?
Statdawg did mention that camping was in a separate secured area.

Bokrijder
 
Actually, camping is on the rally site wherever there is space to pitch a tent, and not in a walkway or on pavement. The area outside the fence is for RV's and car parking. Everything inside is secure and part of the rally grounds and where you'll find most everybody who's camping on site. If you can look at photos of previous rallies you'll see what I mean.
 
Not Paranoid

No, I don't think I am paranoid, but the National Rally is a big event and a lot of people packed into the fairgrounds. "Camping in a separate secured area" is a nice idea, but with the number of attendees we expect, it will be more like "Camping where you can find a place". Most of the Nationals that I have attended (19) have had sites with a fence surrounding the rally site, with Security at all the open gates. It has worked pretty well for a long time.

I try to meet some local folks at each National, and I try to go to a local restaurant or two. It is always cool to talk to the locals and answer their questions about our bikes and our organization. The National Rally has a large effect on the local economy, and it is fun to find out how our rally affects those people's lives.

We do not need to open the Rally to the public because that fairground is home for a lot of riders for 3-6 days. Keeping track of all of us will be enough for Security, so we do not need to let outside folks coming in and roaming all over our home. I would love a hospitality tent outside the fence to introduce BMW riders to the local residents, and I hope BMW Motorrad USA will put up a big tent and display outside the fairgrounds. I love to find new BMW riders and new members to MOA, but I don't want to worry about my GPS, camera, and gear at my tent and on my bike.

Not paranoid, just cautious.
 
You'll have no problems with tent spacing between participants, unless you rent a Sherpa tent; then the tents are peg immediately and I mean immediately beside each other. However, there are advantages to the Sherpa tents; you don't carry tenting supplies, don't set up or tear down, have coffee brewed for you and a place to charge your electronics. All in all, a rather good deal, except for the closeness of the tents.

I do leave 12" between Sherpa tents. This actually provides enough space to walk between the tents and people do this often.

I'm often left with a limited space to set up and can't spread the tents apart much more than that.

I also provide ear plugs in case the tent next to you end up being loud snorers. :D
 
We've camped with Sherpa Ted at the past 4 nationals, and have had absolutely NO issues with the proximity of the tents. I've booked with him for this year's Chicken Rally, and we'll be booking for this year's national soon! The benefits are many, the detriments nonexistant, in my opinion.
 
I've camped with Sherpa Ted in the past also and it's been great. :thumb He even let me use his cigar cutter after I lost mine, an unadvertised service. Ted's tents are lined up in neat rows so spacing is not an issue. Navigating through tents in the camping area is a lot more challenging as there is no 'order' and there are guy lines and such all over the place.
 
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