New BMW dealer in Bellingham?

[T.Low]

The next buildng north of Wilson Furniture is Barron Heating (Pacific Hwy, just south of Smith road, which has no I-5 exit). The next unit north of Barron Heating, sharing the same building, is the new BMW dealer. Just a little "Coming Soon" banner, no sign yet. Could be a neat unit; roll up glass door in the front, lots of front patio for bike parking. Well positioned for maximizing access for Canadian business.

[rfbarker]

Sure as shit. Right next door to Barron heating.

[4corners14]

.....but they need some serious help with that website!

Originally Posted by rfbarker

Sure as shit. Right next door to Barron heating.

[guns_equal_freedom]

Originally Posted by SimpleSimon

Their new website is horrible.

Made with Front Page 98.

[grumbler]

That reminds me, my daughter is a sophomore at WWU (Fairhaven College),
and was at the Chuckanut Brewing Co on W. Holly St. Right next door is
Champion Cycle, a Triumph dealership. She fell in love with a Bonneville
T100 while there.

At any rate, have to say that Chuckanut Drive north from Burlington to
Bellingham is a superb road despite being a popular scenic route. Was in
a cage moving my daughter and her belongings from Seattle to WWU
when we took that coastal byway.

Will probably take her out to the Blue Mountain Grill out on Valley Hwy in
Acme the next time I visit her. Looks to be a nice loop out of WWU.

[Gootch]

Originally Posted by grumbler

That reminds me, my daughter is a sophomore at WWU (Fairhaven College),
and was at the Chuckanut Brewing Co on W. Holly St. Right next door is
Champion Cycle, a Triumph dealership. She fell in love with a Bonneville
T100 while there.

Howard - who has run that dealership for years- is a really enthusiastic bike guy. Show him some support and buy your daughter's love with that T100.

I'm looking forward to stopping in on the new BMW dealership next time I'm up there visiting the mother-in-law or the old alma mater. Those guys were very friendly as the Ural guys - they'd let you ride in a big a field they had. (I agree that the current web site bites.)

[MiteyF]

Originally Posted by grumbler

That reminds me, my daughter is a sophomore at WWU (Fairhaven College),
and was at the Chuckanut Brewing Co on W. Holly St. Right next door is
Champion Cycle, a Triumph dealership. She fell in love with a Bonneville
T100 while there.

At any rate, have to say that Chuckanut Drive north from Burlington to
Bellingham is a superb road despite being a popular scenic route. Was in
a cage moving my daughter and her belongings from Seattle to WWU
when we took that coastal byway.

Will probably take her out to the Blue Mountain Grill out on Valley Hwy in
Acme the next time I visit her. Looks to be a nice loop out of WWU.

Gootch is right, Howard is an A+ guy.

As far as Chuckanut... well, it's a great ride, but...
A) too many looky-loos going 5 under
B) frequented by police when the weather is nice
C) WAY WAY WAY too many drivers blowing their lines and coming over the center lane for me. After that guy 2 (?) years ago on his Beemer was sent off the cliff (and decapitated mind you) by a driver crossing into his lane, I've pretty much stayed off of that road unless it's really (really) early in the morning. He was on his way to work and some dumbfuck killed him. No room for error on that road.

[Sabre]

The Ural guys are very nice, very solid guys. The owner (Steve) got in on the ground floor with Ural when they were first really taking off here in North America. Of course, they've always had this goofy little store with virtually no proper signs, advertising, or even a web presence. But great guys.

As for Howard...he's a Bellingham icon, a solid old-school guy, former flat-tracker, knows everyone, and yes, he's still as enthusiastic as ever. His little shop has done very well with the Triumph line. I first met him in the mid 70s when he was working at Duke's Outboards and there was a Honda CL350 in there that he'd been working on for a mutual friend. That turned out to be my first bike. Howard sold me a bikini fairing for it.

As for Al's...yeah, nothing good to say about them. They were a far cry from the old Honda shop that used to be down by the post office. Years ago, when the fire department was developing a water rescue program for Lake Whatcom, we approached Al's about working with us. Yamaha would supply Waverunners AT NO COST, and Al would do the paperwork and the maintenance. Al's Honda didn't want anything to do with it. And the guy lived on the lake! So he blew it, and Skagit Powersports became our heroes (thank you, Bill!), happily helping the fire department develop a really great water rescue program.

I'm really looking forward to seeing this new business grow. I miss my Ural! Maybe, just maybe....

[grumbler]

Originally Posted by Gootch

Howard - who has run that dealership for years- is a really enthusiastic bike guy. Show him some support and buy your daughter's love with that T100.

That would be cool as I owned '67 TR6R, '68 TR6R, '72 T120R and
'73 T140RV Triumphs during my heydays as a wild & crazy guy.

Alas, despite being 20 years old, she doesn't have a driver's license,
and will be studying aboard for a semester or two. OTOH, I could
see getting her the T100 as a graduation prezzie.

[grumbler]

Originally Posted by MiteyF

As far as Chuckanut... well, it's a great ride, but...
A) too many looky-loos going 5 under
B) frequented by police when the weather is nice
C) WAY WAY WAY too many drivers blowing their lines and coming over the center lane for me.

Am in complete agreement with you there based on my own
observations while driving up Chuckanut. That blows chunks
about the BMW rider who was forced off the road by a cager.

I've ridden on the coast btw Morro Bay and Brookings on tons
of day rides and road trips. Unfortunately, haven't ridden btw
Brookings and Port Angeles.

OTOH, got to say that the West Cascades Scenic Byway out
of The Dalles to Westfir with the Quartzville/Santiam Hwy loop
thrown in absolutely rocks.

We had to stop at Truck City Truck Stop on Old Hwy 99 out in
Mt. Vernon to use the restrooms, and noticed that they have
the Long Haul Cafe in quonset hut right across from the pumps.
Looks like a good staging area for upcoming rides.

[djay49]

Like others around here no doubt, I've been keeping an eye out for developments at 5100 Pacific Highway. there's not much happening there yet, but I just noticed on BMW Motorrad's US dealer search page that "BMW Motorcycles of Ferndale" is now listed. So I gave Ben at PNW Motorcycles a call for a progress update, and he said that they're hoping for an April opening of the new store. The new website (www.bmwmcferndale.com) isn't up yet, but they will be posting further news when available on their Facebook page.

~Damian

[LongWays]

Originally Posted by djay49

"BMW Motorcycles of Ferndale" is now listed.

[2on2off]

I saw the "BMW Motorcycles" coming soon sign last month when visiting my daughter in Bellingham. I've owned a few RT's and two GSA's and my riding buddy restores Airheads, so I'm always interested the location of BMW shops.

I just got off the phone with Ben, co-owner of Pacific Northwest Motorcycles. He told me they are currently located at 4781 Meridian St in Bellingham but plan to move into their new shop at 5100 Pacific Highway in Ferndale on April 1, 2013. He said the best way to get to their new shop when heading north on highway 5 from Bellingham, is to take the Slater Road exit #260, which is just south of their shop.

The next time I'm in Bellingham, I plan to stop in for a visit and will probably buy something because you can never have too much motorcycle stuff.

[djay49]

Originally Posted by LongWays

Turns out the new store's address is (just) inside Ferndale city limits, so apparently BMWNA nixed the original name. "BMW Motorcycles of Ferndale" it is.

[Gootch]

Originally Posted by 2on2off

I
The next time I'm in Bellingham, I plan to stop in for a visit and will probably buy something because you can never have too much motorcycle stuff.

Yep. And to support a small town shop.