GWRRA CHAPTER AZ-S www.meetup.com/Scottsdale-Gold-Wing-Road-Riders/ KICK AZ-S NEWS Gold Wing Road Riders Association REGION F AZ DISTRICT FEBRUARY 2016 Chapter S Gatherings are the first Saturday of each month, 7:30 AM at: Deer Valley Airport 702 W Deer Valley Road, Phoenix Chapter Educator Connie Jo Richtmyre 612-599-2074 [email protected]Treasurer Richard Shields 480-391-7018 [email protected]Sunshine Rae and Gene Ellsworth 602-448-7508 [email protected]In this issue: Chapter Director’s Corner 2-3 Earthquakes Happen 4 Listen to your Co-Rider 5-6 Rally; Registrationss 8-9 Rider Education Program 10-11 Special points of interest: Region “F”un Rally Arizona District Rally FEBRUARY 2016 Friends for Fun, Safety and Knowledge Chapter Director & Newsletter John Read 480-406-5871 [email protected]Assistant Chapter Director Russ Cole 602-363-1873 [email protected]Membership Coordinators Maryann & Joe Lisenby 907-229-2872 [email protected]
We are well into the New Year now and it is time to plan those summer getaways. The Val-ley heat is a distant memory but it will be back soon enough. Plan on attending the Region “F”un Rally in Albuquerque, NM over the Memo-rial Day weekend and the Arizona District Rally in Lake Havasu City over the Halloween week-end, Also Wing Ding 38 this year will be in Billings, Montana August 31-September 3. There are so many routes to take from Arizona to Montana and they are all gorgeous. I wrote a short Bio this month for our Arizona District Newsletter and am including it here in case you missed it. Ride Safe!
It is hard for me to imagine a world with-out motorcycles and if I do entertain that vision it is a gloomy place to live. I grew up on a Montana cattle ranch in the Bearpaw Mountains during the ‘70s when Evel Knievel was the biggest name in stunt riding. We had turned the horses out to pasture and started using motorcy-cles to work cattle and ride the fences. My first Honda, a SL70, began my love affair with machines.
That little Honda was so reliable and fun it was my ticket to many adventures even if there were some long days in the saddle. My brother and I learned to ride on the principle of “Pain is a good teacher” and I must have crashed thou-sands of times in that rugged country before I learned my limitations. My brother Russell and I outgrew our SL70s and at age 12 I got my first full size motorcycle, a Hodaka 125. I can still remember that gorgeous chrome plated gas tank, what a beauty!
Notice I was wearing all my safety gear! The face shield kept those grass-hoppers from flying into your face at high speeds and covering up skin was important in case of a crash in all that dirt and rocks. I learned a lot about be-ing a mechanic as I was responsible for keeping the bike running.
2
Chapter Director’s Corner, Continued...
John Read, AZ-S Chapter Director
KICK AZ-S NEWS
Machines became a hobby of mine and probably influenced my decision to vol-unteer for submarine duty in the Navy. Those fast attack boats are amazing war machines and the one I was assigned to had its keel laid when I was two years old. The name of the boat was USS Guardfish (SSN-612) and it was my home during four years of the Cold War. I saw a lot of the world in that boat but mostly through a periscope.
After I got out of the Navy in 1986 I played around with some old Triumph street bikes and learned to keep a Trident running. That was sure a challenge! I finally left San Diego and moved out to Arizona in 2002 where I soon heard about the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute.
That is a great school and I graduated from the early and late model Harley-Davidson course in 2004. I learned a lot about bikes at MMI and soon folks begin to learn you are a mechanic which is how I found my Gold Wing. My 1986 Aspencade had been sitting in a garage for over 10 years with only 36,000 miles on it.
I fixed it up for the guy to sell but buyers were few and far be-tween during that last recession so I ended up buying it from him cheap. These Honda Gold Wings are some well-engineered cruisers and I ride mine every day. This was also my ticket to meeting all the nice folks in GWRRA who share my passion for riding. It is an honor to serve as an officer in the or-ganization and I look forward to a New Year with more adven-tures on the road.
3
Maryann & Joe Lisenby
Earthquakes Happen
KICK AZ-S NEWS
So during the month of January Joe and I traveled to our home state of Alaska. Normal stuff for us in January, but the not so normal happened on Sunday morning, January 24th. Earthquake! 7.1 at 1:31am. Rocking and rolling is all I can say for over a minute. It hit on the west side of Cook Inlet, about 65 miles west of Homer and about 160 miles southwest of Anchorage, at a depth of 76 miles. Our home is 40 miles North of Anchorage. It was felt from Juneau to Fairbanks. It was the largest of its kind ever recorded in Cook Inlet. We have lived in Alaska for 39 years and we have lived in the South Central area all of those years, both in Anchorage and in Palmer. We have adult children and grandkids that live on the Kenia Peninsula in both Seward and Kasilof. We all have rolled with every earthquake that we have felt in all those years, but this one was different. Alaskans mostly say when we feel one that it’s good, when we have the small one’s it just means the earth is letting off steam. Better to have small ones then a “Big” one. But if you didn’t live in Alaska during the 1964, 9.6 quake, 7.1 is a big one.
Items fell off of shelves as structures shacked. Two homes exploded from gas leaks while two more homes burned with them. A temblor opened cracks in a road near Kasilof. Our daughter’s family was at our home with us at the time, sleeping in our basement. Joe and I were in the upstairs of our home rolling along. You could hear the pots and pans in my kitchen clanging away from the pot rake that hangs from the kitchen ceiling. My daughter was listen-ing to the glasses hanging from a rake in our rec room area down stairs. The rocking and rolling was felt for over a minute, that was a long earthquake and I kept saying when it is going to stop! A lot of people said the same; it just kept going on, and on. We had over 30 aftershocks but I can’t say I ever felt one, I’m sure they continued for many hours and days after the initial earthquake, which is normal.
So what do you do during an earthquake? If you’re inside you stay inside and take cover, if you’re outside you stay outside. In either place head for cover, under a table or desk inside or away from large trees and structures on the outside. Once it stops, gas leaks are of major concern, so check for gas leaks at meters where they connect to structures. Gas leaks are what caused the 2 homes to explode and burn on the Kenia. Our Alaska Red Cross was quick to respond to the Kenia area and set up shelters. Many hotel guests were rattled and made it to the street and lobby in skivvies. I’d say put your pants on at least and take your coat, you never know how long you will be out of your room.
I hope this story does not make you think twice about visiting our beautiful state. A ride up the Alcan Highway is just the greatest trip of a lifetime. Earthquakes happen, even in Arizona, be prepared.
4
Connie Jo Richtmyre
If a Co-Rider Notices Something Seems Wrong, Pay Attention!
KICK AZ-S NEWS
I wanted this month’s article to offer an example of why a Co-Rider is a critical component of a bike’s team. The story below actually happened to members from Hibbing Minnesota.
Several years ago, 3 couples from the MN-I Hibbing chapter decided to attend the Missouri Dis-trict Rally in Branson. As they passed through the Minneapolis metro area, 3 additional member bikes joined the group. We traveled to Albert Lea Minnesota, about 90 miles to meet up with members from chapter C so we could travel together to Des Moines, Iowa for the night.
When we arrived at the gas station in Albert Lea to tank up and introduce everyone, we of course were checking out each other’s bikes as well. One of the members happened to notice that a bike from the Hibbing group had a rear tire which was split nearly in half and showing many of its cords.
It should be noted at this time that this was a new-to-them used GL1800. The bike had not been serviced since it was purchased, only a quick visual inspection by the rider. They were towing an extremely heavy trailer, and were riding two up.
Upon questioning the rider and co-rider, the co-rider stated the back end of the bike had felt fun-ny, vibrated and seemed to sway since shortly after they started their journey, some 280 miles ago. Her husband had told her that nothing was wrong and not to worry about it.
The nearest Gold Wing Dealer that could provide same day service was 20 miles away in Austin Minnesota. The group, now consisting of two trikes, and eight 2-wheeled wings decided we need-ed to split up, sending 4 bikes on to Des Moines and the remaining 2 bikes and 2 trikes to head to Austin to get the tire replaced. The group continuing on took the trailer so there would be one less thing to worry about.
5
Connie Jo Richtmyre
If a Co-Rider Notices Something Seems Wrong, Pay Attention!, continued...
KICK AZ-S NEWS
The co-rider was switched to another bike to reduce the stress on the back tire, and off we went to get the tire replaced. At Trimble’s Cycle in Austin, it was determined that both tires and the brakes badly needed replacing. Everything was in such poor condition that the bike most likely would have developed additional issues had those components not been replaced.
After a two-hour repair and rain delay the group backtracked to Albert Lea to get on the interstate and head to Des Moines to for the night.
The Co-Rider commented that the ride had significantly improved and she no longer felt the vibra-tion.
There are several take-away things to keep in mind:
The Co-Rider noticed the bike didn’t feel the same as it had previously, and her comments were ignored and brushed off.
The bike was only visually inspected, by someone that hadn’t inspected a wing before. The bike was not serviced by a certified mechanic familiar with Gold Wings prior to the start of
the trip.
It is important to check your bike throughout a trip to ensure that if problems develop they can be taken care of before they cause and accident, or breakdown
Many Co-Riders aren’t technical and don’t fully understand the workings on the bikes they are riding on. However, they are able to distinguish when things are different or don’t seem right. Why wouldn’t you as a rider want to listen to your bike’s team member? After all, their safety is affected same as the rider’s should a problem develop.
Women are often raised to notice things; something burning on the stove, a drippy faucet, the odor of natural gas in the home, the way an appliance sounds, strangers in the neighborhood. So, by listening to their comments regarding how the bike feels from their perspective it may save you a potential mechanical issue, an accident or a trip to the hospital. After all, many of us appreciate the extra set of eyes watching out for deer, debris and oncoming traffic. Why not with the bike itself?
6
7
8
9
10
Participation in our on-going Rider Educa-tion Program will increase your riding skills. We also have many Master Riders in the Chapter who are more than willing to assist you with questions and information about Practice Field Days, Skill Enhancement, CPR and First Aid courses, Ride Captains, Ride Leaders, and Ride Planning, all the “life blood” of Chapter AZ-S.
Our Rider Education Team stands ready to assist you on the road to the Master Level.
Just ask any one of us for assistance!
Rider Education Team members are:
Team Leaders:
Cliff and Char Simpson
If you have any interest in becoming a member of our Chapter Educator Team, please contact John Read.
Rider Education
11
KICK AZ-S NEWS
LIFE GRAND MASTERS
Ray Garris #18 Sandi Garris #176 Rae Ellsworth #489 Gene Ellsworth #490 Gail Johnson #1365 Bob Johnson #1366
MASTERS Rick Paitl #5423 Sharon Trapp #5424 Richard Shields #5427 Denise Goldin #5510 Jeffrey Goldin #5511 Cliff McGraw #8990 Maryann Lisenby #9916 Joe Lisenby #9917 John Read #9850
LEVEL III - Safety by Preparedness
Ted Figgins Krist Jani Mark Klingert Elena Lopez Stu Oltman Dave Redman Al Watkins Scott McCracken
LEVEL II - Safety by Education
LEVEL I - Safety by Commitment
Dick Muto Larry Poole Dwight Smith Russ Cole
Rider Education Program
We encourage you to participate in the ongoing Rider Education program and increase your riding skills as well as your abilities and become a Master Tour Rider.
Are you ready to advance to the next level?
What can we do to assist you?
The GWRRA Rider Education Program (REP) is intended to make the motorcycle environment safer by reducing injuries and fatalities and increasing motorcyclist skills and awareness. Through Commitment, Education and Application, we can reduce our accident rate significantly. Benefits of a fully-implemented GWRRA Rider Education Program at the Chapter level:
Increased rider knowledge
Increased safety skills
Prevention of accidents
Our Motto..."Safety is for Life"
K ICK AZ-S NEWS
12
Upcoming AZ-S Rides and Events
KICK AZ-S NEWS
Month Date Activity
February 6 AZ-S Chapter Meeting @ Deer Valley Airport 7:30 AM
14 Practice Field Day @ Turf Paradise 8:00 AM
16
AZ-S Staff Meeting at Jason’s Deli 10605 N Scottsdale RD, 12:00 PM
19 Touring Arizona Ride
March 5 AZ-S Chapter Meeting @ Deer Valley Airport 7:30 AM
13 Practice Field Day @ Turf Paradise 8:00 AM
15
AZ-S Staff Meeting at Jason’s Deli 10605 N Scottsdale RD, 12:00 PM
For details about the AZ-S Rides and Events appearing on this page, including the most recent updates, please use the links on the AZ-S Website at http://www.meetup.com/Scottsdale-Gold-Wing-Road-Riders/.
Practice Field Days give all riders, regardless of riding abilities, a chance to practice and increase their riding skills. These multi-chapter field days give riders an opportunity to ride a variety of ma-neuvers at their own skill level, to ask questions and to have fun rid-ing. Have trouble getting your Wing on it’s center stand? Not sure how to pick it up? This is the place to learn!
All riders, all levels are welcome. In keeping with the GWRRA tradition of SAFETY, all riders must wear hel-mets, long sleeves, long pants, over the ankle boots and full-finger gloves.
See you there!
Practice Field Days
February 14
8-10 AM
Turf Paradise
A special thank you to TURF PARADISE, located at 1501 W Bell Road in Phoenix, for allowing us to hold our Practice Field Day (“PFD”) in their parking lot. PFD gives motorcycle riders of all skill levels an opportunity to practice and improve their slow-riding, maneuvering skills in a no-pressure, safe environment.
