2019 Chapter Staff Gold Wing Road Riders Association Maryland Chapter I S O U T H E R N M A R Y L A N D W I N G S L E T T E R July 2020 1 Chapter Directors & Membership: Robert & Julie A’Hearn Treasurer: Robin Little Motorist Awareness: Bill Little Couple of the Year & Webmaster: Tony & Lorna Fontaine Ride Coordinator: Steve & Linda Norbrey Welcome to July 2020!! Welcome to another month of social distancing. The restrictions are starting to be slowly relaxed. Now outside dining is available!! This month, Wing Ding was cancelled but there will be a “Virtual Wing Ding” from 01 July to 04 July. See the flyer at the end of the newsletter for more details. Last month we had our second Virtual Gathering. The Zoom Conference call worked out well and we also had a Virtual 50/50…congrats to the winner!! Due to the July 4 th Holiday, we will slide our Gathering one week so folks can enjoy the Independence Day weekend with Family, and Friends. Join us on Sunday July 12 th for our Virtual Chapter Gathering via Zoom Conference Call at 10:00 AM. Here are the details: Topic: ROBERT AHEARN's Zoom Meeting Time: Jul 12, 2020 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us04web.zoom.us/j/5135678111?pwd=czVDc003dldBWlJNOD Y3UE9kVWVnQT09 Meeting ID: 513 567 8111 Password: 9ujjD2 Hope to see everyone soon!!
Transcript
2019 Chapter Staff
Gold Wing Road Riders Association Maryland Chapter I
S O U T H E R N M A R Y L A N D W I N G S L E T T E R July 2020
Couple of the Year & Webmaster:Tony & Lorna Fontaine
Ride Coordinator: Steve & Linda Norbrey
Welcome to July 2020!!
Welcome to another month of social distancing. The restrictions are starting to be slowly relaxed. Now outside dining is available!!
This month, Wing Ding was cancelled but there will be a “Virtual Wing Ding” from
01 July to 04 July. See the flyer at the end of the newsletter for more details. Last month we had our second Virtual Gathering. The Zoom Conference call worked out well and we also had a Virtual 50/50…congrats to the winner!! Due to the July 4th Holiday, we will slide our Gathering one week so folks can enjoy the Independence Day weekend with Family, and Friends.
Join us on Sunday July 12th for our Virtual Chapter Gathering via Zoom Conference Call at 10:00 AM. Here are the details:
Topic: ROBERT AHEARN's Zoom Meeting
Time: Jul 12, 2020 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Gold Wing Road Riders Association Maryland Chapter I
S O U T H E R N M A R Y L A N D W I N G S L E T T E R July 2020
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Upcoming events this month:
- Sunday, 12 July: MD-I Virtual Gathering, 10 AM - Thursday, 16 July: Front Porch, 6:30 PM (outside dining) - Thur-Sat, 21 July - 25 July: Americade, Lake George, NY - Fri-Sun, 24 July – 26 July: Flat Water Rafting Trip, River Riders
Harpers Ferry, VA o Hotel: Harpers Ferry Clarion o Camping: Harpers Ferry KOA
We have several Chapter folks participating in the Harpers Ferry trip this year. Some are camping at the KOA while others are staying at the hotel. Both properties are connected and located next to the “River Riders”. Those planning to go Flat Water Rafting Saturday morning, we recommend making your
reservations early (on the web) and select 10 AM for the time to float.
Everyone will need to be there earlier for the safety brief and transport to the river. River Riders will explain everything when you make the reservations. We plan to keep our RV reservations at the KOA. Due to Julie’s injuries, we will not beable to float down the river this year but will remain at the campsite and relax until later in the day. There are many breakfast and dinner choices available. The hotel has a good restaurant, and there are many choices in town. Those of us in the campgrounds also have additional options. It is going to be a FUN weekend!!
Upcoming planned future events:
Join us for the Labor Day Weekend trip to North Carolina. Our destination this year is the town of Hendersonville. Make your reservations now at the “Cascades Mountain Resort, Ascend Hotel Collection”, 201 Sugarloaf Road, Hendersonville, NC 28792. Phone (828) 595-8155.
Gold Wing Road Riders Association Maryland Chapter I
S O U T H E R N M A R Y L A N D W I N G S L E T T E R July 2020
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We locked in a Government rate of $96 per night, and there is many other discounts available.
We will check into the hotel Friday 4 September and check out Monday 7 September.
George and Char Hartman will once again be our hosts and have planned rides
for Saturday and Sunday.
The rides will include Lake Lure, Chimney Rock (40 miles east), and the Pisgah National Forest.
Robert & Julie A’Hearn
MD-DE Senior District University Coordinators
MD-I Senior Chapter Directors
MD-I Membership Enhancement Coordinators
Gold Wing Road Riders Association Maryland Chapter I
S O U T H E R N M A R Y L A N D W I N G S L E T T E R July 2020
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Couple of the Year / Webmaster
Sneak Maintenance
When it comes to motorcycle maintenance, I usually do the easy stuff and leave everything else for a
technician. Oil with filter changes, spark plugs, light bulbs and the occasional windshield is not a
problem. Everything else is haphazard and very loosely tied to a maintenance schedule. The air filter was
put off until reaching 100K miles. Way too late, but the motorcycle has new lungs now. Over the years,
brake pads were replaced when needed. I do not recall how many pairs were exchanged, but I guess a
couple of times in the rear and maybe four times for the front. I am not proficient in determining brake
pad life. Therefore, I usually request the technician check them when another maintenance is done. My
belief was if the pads are good, so are the brakes. The rotors last forever, right? Nope, they snuck up on
me. After my last service, I was told all rotors needed to be replaced. When I purchased the motorcycle,
I also bought the shop manual. The manual says the front rotors thickness starts at 4.5 mm. They should
be replaced at 3.5 mm. The rear rotor starts at 11 mm and should be replaced at 10 mm. After a
successful search for a micrometer, the measured thickness of the front rotors was 1.5- and 1.6-mm.
Yikes! Brake pedal travel was long. Now I know why. The lesson here is more parts than one realizes
wear out over time. The vehicle inspection sheet (formerly know at T-CLOCS) usually warrants a casual
check, but it is easy to overlook items that work below optimal performance. Tire wear is easy to see.
Front steering-head bearing wear is harder to detect. Water in the hydraulic fluid cannot be detected by
feel. The coolant needs to be replaced occasionally. Even the hypoid gear oil, shaft drive needs love. The
question is how often?
Gold Wing Road Riders Association Maryland Chapter I
S O U T H E R N M A R Y L A N D W I N G S L E T T E R July 2020
Maryland District Rider Education Coordinator
5
Crosswinds
Last fall I was returning from Seneca Rocks WV to Salisbury Maryland in
unbelievably bad rainy weather with severe wind. I was not rushed so to reduce
the weather risk I stopped regularly to monitor weather ahead of me and choose
my time and routes to avoid the worst weather. As I approached the route 50
Chesapeake Bay Bridge I stopped just before the bridge, checked the weather on
my phone and observed the flags for wind speeds and direction. I waited for a
time when the wind direction appeared to be a tailwind and mounted up and
headed to the bridge about 3 miles away. Traffic was busy and slow as I started
up the Western side toward the draw spans with little wind, I was confident I
made a good choice, but as my altitude increased things changed. Traffic picked
up to normal speed, and the winds became severe 90-degree crosswinds
requiring me to slow down to about half of the 4 wheelers speed. Each car
passing halted the crosswind and it would resume after they passed. Cars avoided
me and would not let me pace them to stay beside them and avoid the wind
(perhaps they could tell I was struggling). I have front and rear cameras and
reviewed them the next day. It was noticeable that the wind was tossing me
around, mostly by observing my camping trailer angle to me changing as I leaned
into the wind (yes, I was pulling a trailer). I thought it would be something to
share, but I really did not move around in the lane as much as I thought, and it did
not “look” like a tough ride from the camera’s perspective.
Gold Wing Road Riders Association Maryland Chapter I
S O U T H E R N M A R Y L A N D W I N G S L E T T E R July 2020
Maryland District Rider Education Coordinator
6
Here is an article by James R. Davis on Crosswinds, perhaps you will find
something to help you if you find yourself in a situation as I did last year.
Crosswinds
How to deal with them
By: James R. Davis
Sooner or later you are going to wonder about how to handle severe crosswinds - probably while fighting
them.
Surprise, surprise - you don't have to do anything and the motorcycle will handle most crosswinds just
fine - with only normal responses from you.
There are a couple of things that you can do to make the experience less stressful, however. For
example, you can quit white-knuckling your grips. When you hold on tight you also tend to stiff arm your
controls. That, as we've talked about before, merely allows front-end instability to propagate into the rest
of the motorcycle. Relax your grips and droop your elbows. Allow your bike to be a bit unstable. Drive in
the CENTER OF YOUR LANE. Lean forward and down to reduce your profile, and snug up your jacket.
What about traction? You neither gain nor lose any significant traction when the wind blows from your
side unless you are in a curve. While you are leaned into the wind all of the weight of the bike remains
on your tires (fancy that) and there is very little lateral force scrubbing that traction away.
How much lean do you need? Whatever the bike dials in for you.
Should you anticipate those gusts? Should you just respond quickly to a gust in order to remain in control
and traveling in a straight line? No, and no. Your bike will NOT travel in a straight line. That is, as long as
you allow it to do its thing, your bike will be modestly blown off course with a gust and the result of that
movement is EXACTLY the same as any other minor course change - you will need modest counter-steer
input to correct it - the CG of your bike will then be on the side the wind came from and the result is that
it will lean towards the wind.
Gold Wing Road Riders Association Maryland Chapter I
S O U T H E R N M A R Y L A N D W I N G S L E T T E R July 2020
Maryland District Rider Education Coordinator
7
[Anticipating wind-sheer IS important under a couple of scenarios: the approach of an oncoming large
vehicle suggests that severe buffeting will occur when you pass it, and entering or exiting stretches
protected from the wind such as tunnels or bridges with relatively high retaining walls. In these cases you
will certainly want to position the bike away from the source of the wind-sheer and insure you maintain a
firm grip.]
Is a heavier bike less likely to be blown around than a lighter bike? Not necessarily. What is primarily
determinant of how great the effect of a crosswind is on your bike is its profile. A garage door
(GoldWing) will typically be more harshly affected by crosswinds than a lighter low profile bike.
Can you mitigate some of that instability in any way? Yes. There are cowling additions that can be
designed (some are available off the shelf - called 'belly pans') that streamline the airflow under your bike
and help (modestly) to reduce crosswind handling problems.
Your side profile area is what determines how your motorcycle reacts to crosswinds. Just as there is a
Center of Gravity, there is also a Center of wind resistance. If that center of wind resistance is in front of
your Center of Gravity then crosswinds will tend to push you off course while if it is behind your Center of
Gravity the motorcycle will try to steer INTO the wind. Thus, mounting a high profile LIGHT object (a
stuffed animal, for example) onto your trunk lid or your pillion can have a dramatically corrective effect
rather than worsen the bike's steering reaction to those crosswinds.
Crosswinds can be murder if you are leaned way over in a curve. Don't, if you can avoid it.
As a result of a crosswind your bike will move off course and normal modest counter-steer will lean it into
the wind. A strong gust will blow you out of track. So, correct your steering, gently, and keep going.
I admit that sometimes a gust can be ferocious! I was on the Golden gate bridge once when a crosswind
blew me into the adjacent lane! But the bike was in no danger of falling down and it was easy to get
back in lane. Had the gust been a sustained blast I would have been leaned over nearly 45 degrees. It
was not, thankfully.
Gold Wing Road Riders Association Maryland Chapter I
S O U T H E R N M A R Y L A N D W I N G S L E T T E R July 2020
Maryland District Rider Education Coordinator
8
Note ... there are TWO times when a gusty crosswind changes your bike's direction of travel: when it hits, and when it stops. Both require that you allow the bike to respond and use normal modest counter-
steering. (When it quits you will be leaned over and, as a result, your bike will move towards where the wind WAS coming from until you straighten it up.
If crosswinds involve huge short gusts, go park the bike. If the crosswinds are more sustained, pucker up and keep going.
