Meet
at the old Cost Cutter parking lot in Lynden 6:00, leave 6:30 for
predetermined destination.
Mother's
Day - May 8th
Hello
folks. Here we are into May and we WILL have better riding weather
soon!! The riding season brings lots of activity. May is a really
busy month with something going on most every weekend. We hope to see you all
out for whatever activities work for you!
Dinner
Rides start May 6th with the first ride to "Good Burger" in Laurel.
Again
for 2011, We do not have scheduled Dinner Rides for
every Friday - as the Chapter has some weekend trips planned and
other activities.
Please
note that we will not be meeting for breakfast at Rusty Wagon this month.
Saturday the 7th is the annual Blessing of The Bikes at CTK,
Bellingham.
2011 Annual Bike Blessing:
Saturday, May 7, 2011 9:00 AM at CTK. FREE Pancake
Breakfast, Bike Blessing.
Maintenance
Day & Steak Night - May 7th
at Robertson's –
The
Seventh is also our maintenance day and steak night. Steak night will be
$5.00 a couple again for a steak and potato salad. The rest is pot luck.
Lunch
will be hot dogs provided by Betty and I. So in order to be sure we have
enough hot dogs and steaks. I'd like to know what you plan on being here for
and how many. Please reply ASAP.
Ron Robertson
[ronaldrobertson54@yahoo.com]
14th.
10 AM. Parking Lot Practice.
An
opportunity for you to get out and do structured practice on your Wing, or
whatever you ride. Great opportunity for rider’s to try
different maneuvers in a controlled setting. This is a GWRRA sanctioned
event, so you need to be a member of GWRRA in order to participate.
This
will be held at the New Life Fellowship Church parking lot at 810 East Pole
Rd, Lynden. Just around the corner from the Rusty Wagon. Go east
about ¼ mile from the corner of Hannegan and Pole Rd’s.
28th.
Advanced Rider Course.
More information to come at the meeting.
June
will be another busy month. More information on those activities will be
discussed at the meeting and sent on as well!
And
of course for more information on any of the district rides or rally’s you
may be interested in, please go to the district website calendar!
http://www.gwrra-wa.org/Calendar.html#5|2011
May
"DR"
= Dinner Ride
6 - DR -
Good
Burger, Laurel 398-250215 –
7-
Blessing of the Bikes, North County Christ the King on the Guide,
7- Maintenance Day & Steak night - Robertson's
10
- Chapter Meeting
14 – Parking Lot Practice
20
- 23 - Victoria Days, Salmon Arm, B.C. BC-G
Victoria Days (Flyer)
(Registration)
(Fun
Run)
22 -Island Wings Fun Run
25 - Ladies Luncheon - Noon, Hilltop Restaurant on the Guide.
28
– ARC Course
27-30
Chapter L Dessert Spring Fling,
Kennewick
WA-L Desert Spring Fling
(Fundraiser) (Flyer)
30 - Memorial Day
June
-
4
- Farmers Day Parade - Lynden, Meet &
Breakfast at McDonald's 8:AM, Lynden
14 -
Chapter Meeting
16-18
Oregon District Rally
Joseph, Or.
16-18
Wyoming District Rally
22
- Lady's Luncheon –
Hilltop
Restaurant. 12:00
CD
Chatter - - - Randy Reid
Chatter from the CD
I was in my favorite bike shop recently
for some more safety chrome when I spied an unusual site at the counter and
no I’m not talking about the guy behind the counter. What I did notice
though to the side of the counter was a worn out rear tire. I mentioned to
the parts guy “oh y'all decided to display how your tire shouldn't look on
your sport bike? The parts guy informed that yes the tire did come off of a
customer’s bike. A GL1800 to be exact. Oh really! And that it was towing a
trailer the day it came in for an oil change. The parts guy continued to
relate his story of the replacement of that beyond worn out tire that went
something like this. The customer rode the bike in for an oil change. He
disconnected the trailer so that the bike could be put on the lift and
turned the bike over to the service manager. As the service man was lifting
the bike for service he noticed that the rear tire was in terrible shape and
alerted the service manager who in turn contacted the customer in the
lounge. Upon hearing this news that a new tire would be needed the customer
became upset. He told them, that the service department was trying to
sell him something that he really didn’t need or want that day. He then
demanded to see this tire that was in such bad shape. See attached photo
below.
The service manager then brought both the
customer and his travel companion (wingman) to the back where his bike was
still on the lift. Upon viewing the tire the customer said he saw nothing
wrong with the tire and to just change the oil. At which point his wingman
then said “Oh so that where all of those little pieces of rubber have been
coming from when I’m following you”. The service manager and others had
a hard time convincing the customer he really needed a new tire. But with
the assistance of his wingman the service manager and others he was able to
convince the customer he need to replace the tire for safety sake. When he
left the shop with his oil change and new tire he was still upset and felt
that he had been wronged and taken advantage of somehow. What can you say?
Was this guy a GWRRA member? Dare I ask? I choose not. After making my
purchase of safety chrome my wingman and I left headed for home. While
cruising back up I-5 I got to thinking about that tire and how unsafe it was
to be on a bike much less one towing a trailer. This was just so wrong
on so many levels. How sad it would be to have a wingman traveling
with you that would not inquire or ask questions about things going on with
your bike. As visible as the problem with the tire was it could have been
seen at any stop sign, stop light or service station stop that had happened
several times during their trip. The small scraps of rubber hitting the
other guy’s bike. What would it take for him to inquire where is all of
that rubber coming from. What would have happened if he had noticed the cord
showing through the back tire when they were at the stop sign? Then I think
well maybe there was road debris and the wingman just thought it was road
debris. Some people just aren’t aware of their surroundings. Then I think
back to our motorcycle safety training S.E.E. (Search, Evaluate, &
Execute) what is to keep us from evaluating other bikes that we are riding
with or around? Would I want others to tell me if something was wrong with
my bike? What would be my response to “hey Randy I think you have a nail
in your rear tire”. Or “Randy your right tail light is out”. The
answer for me is a resounding yes. I would be disappointed if something was
wrong and no one noticed it or cared enough to mention it to me. How about
you? Are you willing to have someone critiquing your bike at the next stop
light? I would hope so. Let’s use common sense and apply S.E.E. to the
bikes riding with us as well. Search - look the bike over in front of you.
Evaluate - the bike what looks right? What looks wrong? Is there a hazard?
Example: nail in rear tire? Is it a malfunction? Example: tail light out.
Execute - notify the rider of that bike of the hazard or malfunction you
have observed. Chances are he or she hasn’t seen it and will thank
you for telling them. Be willing to look out for the other guy. And yes I
hear you where was this guy’s TCLOCS (T-Tires & wheels, C- controls,
L- lights, O- Oil, C- Chassis, S- Side stand). What happened to his pre-trip
and periodic trip bike inspections? We should never rely on others to tell
us what is wrong or not working on our bikes. We should catch these things
before we leave for our ride. However there are things that happen while
riding your bike and are nice to know when they happen. I’ll relate one
more little story here and then leave you to your own thoughts.
It was a cold wet November day I was
riding home when I was passed by a dual sport in another lane at the red
light. I noticed he had some new tires with a tread pattern I had not seen
before. While checking out the unusual tread pattern I noticed something
very shiny in between one of the treads of the tire. Upon looking a little
closer I identified it as a large building screw. As we pulled up to the
next red light I pulled alongside of the other rider and informed him of my
discovery. We both pulled over to a nearby parking lot to confirm my
findings. He informed me that he had a kit to fix it on his bike. So he
carefully removed the screw and plugged the tire. He then thanked me for
mentioning it to him and we were on our way again. So don’t be afraid to
tell others about things you notice. And be prepared to help if it is
needed. Nothing is more alarming than being all alone when you have a
problem on the side of the road. Strangers become good friends on the side
of just about any road you are broke down on.
Just some food for thought.
Rider
Educator - - Terry Burke
Hi
folks. Here are some rules of the road that many
professional drivers use to stay safe while driving, in whatever traffic
and weather conditions they might encounter. Good
practice no matter what mode of transportation you happen to be using!!
The
acronym is “All Good Kids Love Milk”.
5 Seeing HABITS
Aim
High in Steering:
Find an Imaginary target – baseball/dart board. Centers car in traffic lane:
Safe
path
on turns.
“FIND
A SAFE PATH WELL AHEAD.”
Get
the Big Picture:
How wide and deep? What’s in it? Objects and ground. Keeps you away from
billboards.
Smooth stops and turns. Buys time.
“STAY BACK AND SEE IT ALL.”
Keep Your Eyes Moving:
Move eyes: Front – 2 seconds. Rear – 5 to 8 seconds. Keeps you alive at
intersections.
Keeps eyes ahead of car.
“SCAN – DON’T STARE.”
Leave Yourself an Out:
Have an escape route. Take path of least resistance. Space on all four sides,
but
always in front.
“BE
PREPARED”. “EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED.”
Make Sure They See You:
Communicate in traffic – horn, lights, and signals. Establishes eye-to-eye
contact.
“DON’T GAMBLE. USE YOUR HORN,LIGHTS, AND Mirrors”.
Invitation
from Canadian friends: Victoria
Days 2011. BC-G
Victoria Days (Flyer)
(Registration)
(Fun
Run)
Need your
registration forms in so they know how many wish to enjoy the dinner on
Saturday night as they don't want anybody left out because they were
too late registering. There is a time limit for getting tickets to the
dinner.
Lady's
Lunch:
Hilltop Café at 12:00. Any questions call Edith at
360 354-5774.
May
Birthdays -
Steve Munro 11th, Bob Vargas 11th, Kathy Renskers 12th, David VanKirk
19th, Laura MacKenzie 31st,
May
Anniversary
- Gilbert
& Victoria Gunderson 26th.
June
Birthday's
- June
Roll 5th, Judy Valsonis 10th, Wayne Gerner 13th,
Dorothy Johnson 23
June
Anniversary's
- Ron
& Betty Robertson 5th, Randy & Debbie Reid 6th, Steve and Pam Munro
9th Garry & Judy Calman 27th
NEWS
FROM OUR TRAVELERS!!
Roading
Renskers:
Hello Chapter H - today, May 1, we are camped at the Iron Horse
Lodge/campground. That's the motorcycle camp in North Carolina.
Today we will be doing the Dragons Tail. And also many other
"trails" to explore in the next couple of days. This place was made
for Motorcycling. We be here at least two nights, maybe three.
They serve meals and Coffee. We're good.
Our adventures so far have been outstanding. Can't begin to remember all
the details. BUT, to sum them up: After staying in New Mexico for a
week, we headed to the middle of Texas (Copperas Cove) and stayed four days
visiting our niece and her family. That part of Texas is farming and
soft rolling hills green and beautiful. Then we headed to Arkansas
- and there we ended up in the middle of a Tornado - as we found out the next
morning, a serious
Tornado. Being camped in a state park, we spent the night in the
tent trailer keeping it from being air born. 85 MPH winds and constant
thunder and lightening with pounding rains.
Heading to Branson we found a "Package deal", with three nights in a
motel to dry out. Yeahhh. Did and saw Branson. Meandering
our way to Nashville - where we found another beautiful RV park with a covered
Pavilion right next to our camp site. Thank goodness - as it rained off
and on the four days were there. BUT, we did and saw Nashville.
Totally a fun place to visit.
Yesterday - 4/30 - we left after three nights in Chattanooga, TN.
First night there was in a Motel on the side of a hill overlooking the
city. We watched the storms move in and out. The damage from
Tornadoes is very impressive seeing where a number of "touch downs"
hit the area. Chet says it feels like it rains a half an inch a
minute. Along with big "ice" hail.
We are now in the North Carolina "Dragon Tail" area, and will
be doing that today - it's Sunday, and they have a church service in a
few minutes. We missed Easter in Nashville, as while we were
getting ready to leave for a church about a mile down from the RV park,
the sky let loose, so we covered up the Wing and sat under the pavilion we
were camped beside. This part of our country is beautiful, with many
really nice friendly people.
Blessings to all in Chapter H. We are talking about all of you
today with our new found Riding friends here at the IronHorse Campground. And
hope to see some again when they come West. Be prepared to go on some
rides and show them "our country". Love, Chet and Kathy
From
the District Director
What’s
Happening 05/02/2011
Notes:.Support
our district chapters! Please share the below rides and events with your
membership. You all need each other’s support, so get out, have fun,
spend time with old friends and make some new ones!
May
7th
– Multi Chapter Gathering – This
is an annual event that is hosted by Chapters “M” and “R”. The
location is at “The Barn” restaurant in Prosser. Lunch is at 11:00
and gathering at noon. For more information contact Pete Hernandez at gwrrapete@hotmail.com
14th
– Chapter “Q” Crazy Ride - Registration
and Information can be found by clicking here. www.gwrra-wa.org/Flyers/2011/2011_WAQ_Crazy_Ride.pdf
Early registration deadline is April 15th.
15th
– Eastern Washington ARC Class – Class is full
with a waiting list. Class
is for two wheels only. Information and registration flyers are attached
above. The class size is limited and registrants are “first come,
first served” so get your registration in early. Contact Tom Denny at tomdenny@charter.net
or phone 509-582-8779 if you need more information.
20th
– 22nd – Chapter “V” South Hill Mall Show –
Click here www.gwrra-wav.org/docs/Chapter_V_Mall_Show_Flyer_2011.pdf
for information and the registration form.
21st
– 22nd – Spring “OCP” Training
– This day and a
half class will be held in Janzen Beach, Oregon just across the bridge from
Vancouver, WA off I-5 and may be the only available “Officer
Certification” training available in Washington until fall. All
Chapter Directors and Assistant Chapter Directors are asked to take this
certification class which will give you all the knowledge you need to lead
your chapter effectively. Other “Core Team” officers are also
encouraged to consider taking the class. It will give you great insight
into the workings of our association. Chapter Directors, please send
Mike Briggs at mlbriggs60@comcast.net the
names of the individuals that will be attending and Mike will get all the
pertinent information out to them as it is available. If chapter funds
are available, I would encourage you to help with the individuals travel and
motel costs if at all possible, however that is totally up to you and your
chapter core teams.
27th
– 30th – Chapter “L” Desert Spring Fling – Click here www.gwrra-wa-l.org/Archieve/Flyers/Desert%20Spring%20Fling%202011%20Rev2.pdf
for information and registration. Early registration deadline is
April 30th.
June
4th
– Eastside “TRC” Trike course – The
class is being held at 1811 S Ely St. Kennewick WA. Contact Tom Denny at
tomdenny@charter.net for more
information.
4th
– Chapter “B” Harvest Run – Coffee
and donuts provided before the ride and lunch after. First bike out at
9:00, last bike out at 10:00 and last bike in at 2:00. Preregistration
deadline is May 22nd. Registration form attached above, or
can be found on chapter B’s website.
11th
– Chapter “D” Duck Hunt – The
ride includes lunch afterward. Last bike out at 10:00 and last bike in
at 3:00 (No exceptions). Preregistration has no deadline other than must
be received before the day of the ride. Registration attached above, or
can be found on chapter D’s website.
Have
we missed something? If so, please let us know at. bspswae@frontier.com
Ride
safe and support your fellow chapters!
Bob
and Patty Spencer
WA
District Directors
Chapter WA-H Staff
Chapter
Director:
Randy and Debbie Reid randyreid@q.com
Asst.
Chapter Director: Rick & Jean Seater (rseater@gmail.com)
Treasurer: Steve Munro (munrosa@hughes.net)
Newsletter Editor: Edith Burke (bloominhappy.eb@gmail.com)
Rider
Educator: Terry Burke (bloominhappy.eb@gmail.com)
Special
Liaison for Rider Education: Edith Burke: (bloominhappy.eb@gmail.com)
Web
Master: Jeff Kelton
(jkelton9@comcast.net)
Motorcycle
Awareness: Ron Robertson (ronaldrobertson@yahoo.com)
Sunshine
Lady: Margaret Brown (brownma@cablespeed.com)
Ride Coordinator: Dave VanKirk (thevankirks@yahoo.com)
Chapter
Store: Betty Robertson (ronaldrobertson54@yahoo.com)
Spiritual
Leaders: Randy & Debbie Reid (randyreid@q.com)
Tech
Support Editor:
Cliff Kamm (ckamm@clearwire.net)
2010
Couple of the Year: Ron and Betty Robertson (ronaldrobertson@yahoo.com)
Goldwing Road Riders Association
