Our 2025 Rally : The What, Where & Why... Lebanon Tennessee : June 19-21 2025

[lee]

An alarming fact to me, we have 40% of our membership as "new members"... SINCE the Lebanon Rally just five years ago.

I also looked at that fact as a good thing.

 

[flyhi2cfar]

"When you see a new member, throw them a welcome".
OM

And just as important, in my opinion, would be to offer each "new member" a $30 National Rally Fee... to the following year's Rally.
We had nearly 1,000 First Timer's at Redmond. Without them there... the attendance number would have been an eye opener!

This goes along with my viewpoint of providing Members a $10 discount over non-members during June's "lowest price" available offering.
Lock these folks in with incentives! Newby's & Oldies feel appreciated and return time & time again.

I see PREVIOUS Club Members, eligible for the same Rally Grand Prize's... that have paid the same Rally fee as I have.
Not Good.
Their lack of membership costs, virtually pays the rally fee in June.

As a fellow member recently advised me... the reasons to be a member are diminishing.

 

[flyhi2cfar]

“An alarming fact to me, we have 40% of our membership as "new members"... SINCE the Lebanon Rally just five years ago.”
Alarming?

Son, you should be rejoicing.
Or perhaps you rather have your club slowly wither and die.

Oh! I am rejoicing at our good fortune to have new blood. It’s just that… where did our previous few thousand members go?
I rather thought trikes, sidecars & RV’s with smaller lighter bikes would keep them aboard the club!

 

[52184]

Oh! I am rejoicing at our good fortune to have new blood. It’s just that… where did our previous few thousand members go?
I rather thought trikes, sidecars & RV’s with smaller lighter bikes would keep them aboard the club!

Assuming that the majority of them were sufficiently resourced to allow making expensive equipment changes in their later years.

I rather suspect that a fairly broad swath of the old-line membership is having an experience similar to what I’m seeing. Three of my long-time BMW-riding companions have passed on, another has quit riding as he no longer feels he can safely operate a bike, two have had major orthopedic surgeries and while one may bounce back to being able to ride, the other is in doubt. Another one has had a string of illnesses that have sapped his ability to ride more than short rides. I rode to Redmond alone this year, first time I’ve soloed to any rally, and if that continues to happen it will likely reduce the amount and variety of rides I’ll be tackling.

It’s a natural outcome of the aging that is happening across wide swaths of the motorcycling community. So yeah, bring on the newbies, and try to remember what it was like decades ago as a newbie and how much you appreciated a warm welcome at camp or a breakfast ride, and how much you learned from the tips and experiences the old farts shared.

Best,
DeVern

 

[r65_steve]

“An alarming fact to me, we have 40% of our membership as "new members"... SINCE the Lebanon Rally just five years ago.”
Alarming?

Son, you should be rejoicing.
Or perhaps you rather have your club slowly wither and die.

That either means it's Growing (good) or a Lot of turnover (bad). I'm estimating around 25000 people in the club. About right?

 

[flyhi2cfar]

It’s a lot of turnover IMO.
We’re “up”… 25k is what our bio states.

 

[slash5er]

Maybe after 20 or 30 rallies, old timers just get tired of vendors hawking the "latest and greatest" when they have more than enough stuff to last them until their grandchildren die. But I only buy used bikes too. I go to maybe every third rally and can now almost say I go for the music. I have started volunteering more and I always sign up for at least one riding class. On the other hand, this year's Champ School class was WAY too expensive for 2 1/2 hours of parking lot drills. Lebanon? Maybe. Depends on the music, I guess.
-- Just an old guy with limited resources who likes to ride.

 

[gsinnc]

Maybe after 20 or 30 rallies, old timers just get tired of vendors hawking the "latest and greatest" when they have more than enough stuff to last them until their grandchildren die. But I only buy used bikes too. I go to maybe every third rally and can now almost say I go for the music. I have started volunteering more and I always sign up for at least one riding class. On the other hand, this year's Champ School class was WAY too expensive for 2 1/2 hours of parking lot drills. Lebanon? Maybe. Depends on the music, I guess.
-- Just an old guy with limited resources who likes to ride.

Well I am an "old guy" I guess and have been to about 15 or 20 Nationals. I never get tired of seeing the new gear and products. A lot has changed in the 24 years I have been riding BMW's and stuff does not last forever. I truly appreciate the vendors who come to the National and make the effort to schlep all the stuff to the event. If we don't support these guys they will go away and the vendor expo will become like the expo at Americade with guys just selling stickers and cheap Chinese crap.

It sounds like you may like events like the getaways where the focus is simply riding and camaraderie. I attend the BMWST spring and fall Appalachian Riding Tours that are just that. No cost just pay for the hotel and arrive and ride the area and chat with the other riders. 80 +/- riders at each event. Great times and different than the National. Just a suggestion. Everyone enjoys the Rally differently and that is what makes is so nice.

 

[lee]

You can still register for 2025 for $59.

MOA 2025 National Rally Participant Registration

Get tickets online for MOA 2025 National Rally Participant Registration here.

bmwmoaf.regfox.com

 

[chadhargis]

I'm so happy the MOA Rally will be an hour from my house. I've ridden these roads for decades and know every twist and turn. There is some FANTASTIC riding in the area around the rally site.

At our local club meeting last night, I volunteered to lead some rides. We're supposed to be meeting with the rally organizers soon.

 

[kireland]

" There is some FANTASTIC riding in the area around the rally site" having ridden the area numerous times I disagree with this statement. Let me fix it for you.... "There is some DECENT riding in the area". The closest decent road circles Center Hill Lake but on weekends there is too much traffic. Other than that you have to go further east to hit TN 85 north of Monterrey. The stretch between Gainsboro and Livingston is also decent but then you are already an hour away from Lebanon. Of course this all depends on what you consider a good road.

 

[chadhargis]

" There is some FANTASTIC riding in the area around the rally site" having ridden the area numerous times I disagree with this statement. Let me fix it for you.... "There is some DECENT riding in the area". The closest decent road circles Center Hill Lake but on weekends there is too much traffic. Other than that you have to go further east to hit TN 85 north of Monterrey. The stretch between Gainsboro and Livingston is also decent but then you are already an hour away from Lebanon. Of course this all depends on what you consider a good road.

I consider Hwy 85 close to the rally area. I live an hour from where the rally location is, and I regularly ride those roads. I leave about 8am and get home between 3pm and 5pm depending on how far East I end up. To me, that's a "local ride".

And there are many other good roads besides 85. Devil's Elbow (Hwy 116) and the run to Rocky Top is fun. 52 and 111 (I believe?) are fun roads. Riding around Big South Fork is good too. Rock Island State Park is a good run too.

When leading a ride, you have to consider that not everyone in the group will be a go fast knee dragger. Some folks just like nice scenic roads and a beautiful destination. There are plenty of places within a couple of hours that meet that need.

 

[flyhi2cfar]

My opinion, “go fast knee draggers” need to be at track days where there’s a safe environment for speed.
And to avoid the Unexpected or
Unavoidable on public roadways…
that increasingly seem present nowadays.
In professional conversations, this equates to sound “risk management”.
Nice roads known or unfamiliar…
simply ride The Pace method.
Otherwise, enjoy the scenery & roadway in unison, near the speed limit, delivering human(s) and equipment home safely.

 

[gsinnc]

I say ride your own ride. If guys what to drag knees they let them at it so long as they don't put others at risk. I have had a lot of sport bikes pass me going much faster than I would and I just give them room and let them go. I prefer to take my time and enjoy the ride.

 

[brownie0486]

I say ride your own ride. If guys what to drag knees they let them at it so long as they don't put others at risk. I have had a lot of sport bikes pass me going much faster than I would and I just give them room and let them go. I prefer to take my time and enjoy the ride.

Just back from a 3 week trip covering 5 states. This year my brother and I decided to do 5 under the speed limit where in years past, we zipped the twisties quite spirited.

In Colorado 3 days ago, had a dep sheriff follow me for 18-20 miles at 5 under [ he was hanging back as if we thought I was going to scoot and boot it. After that long at 5 under, he came up on me and hit me with the lights. Upon approaching he asked politely if I was doing 5 under because I knew he was there. I replied I knew you were there but you picked the wrong year to tail me, this year it's 5 under the limit at all times. He laughed and didn't ask me for license or registration.

You see, 5 under meant everyone was always trying to get around us [ or me alone on the way home ]. I didn't know if I'd like that type of pace but it was actually quite enjoyable. Makes for a long day at 450-500 miles at 5 under.

 

[gsinnc]

........Makes for a long day at 450-500 miles at 5 under.

And that is why when I travel I plan for 250 to 350 mile days. Allowing for a comfortable pace and time to stop and smell the roses. Being retired I am fortunate I can run those daily miles. My trip to Redmond was 32 days but included a 1000 mile detour to Americade in Lake George, NY and a 3 day stay there along with 4 days in Redmond. I only do a 400+ mile day when necessary. Those lower mile days allows us to land at the hotel at a reasonable hour, get a better room choice, get the bugs off the bikes, shower and head out to dinner by about 6;30. But hay that is just my pace and as they say YMMV. I learned a lot of this from my late riding buddy Ron Hamlin who was a tried and true Harley guy and while we did not agree on loud pipes he taught me to sloooow down and enjoy the ride. It was with Ron that I covered all the lower 48.

 

[lee]

In Colorado 3 days ago, had a dep sheriff follow me for 18-20 miles at 5 under [ he was hanging back as if we thought I was going to scoot and boot it. After that long at 5 under, he came up on me and hit me with the lights.

He probably thought you were impaired.

 

[brownie0486]

He probably thought you were impaired.

That's possible. We had a good laugh at my telling him he picked the wrong year for a speeding ticket for me.

 

[omega man]

That's possible. We had a good laugh at my telling him he picked the wrong year for a speeding ticket for me.

At least he didn’t “find” a broken taillight!
OM

 

[brownie0486]

At least he didn’t “find” a broken taillight!
OM

He was actually very nice. He didn't have any reasonable suspicion I was violating a law to begin with to make the stop legal. I'm sure he just wanted to know why I was moving 5 under at all times through several mph changes.

I enjoyed the encounter as most stops are not going to be in the operators favor from the get go as this one would have had he been a richard head [ no reasonable suspicion of a civil violation stop ]. Then he learned I wore the uniform for years myself. I wished him a safe remainder of his time in uniform and thanked him for his service to the public/communities.