May - Chapter CA1R

May 2016
Gold Wing Road Riders Association
Chapter CA-1R - South Orange County, CA
Chapter CA1R South Orange County, CA
Monthly Gathering Place:
Mimi’s Cafe
22651 Lake Forest Dr,
Lake Forest, CA 92630
7:00 AM Breakfast
8:00 AM Meeting
First Saturday of the Month
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May 2016
Chapter Miles for 2016 far:
17,898
Chapter CA1R communicates on channel 31
Community Spirit
We continue to collect the following at the monthly gatherings:
Toiletries
Pull Tabs
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May 2016
Even the flowers are confused; is it winter? Spring? Summer? Fall? It is
difficult to say based on the current weather patterns. Lucky for us, on
most days, the weather man tells us it will be a great day to ride.
However, prior to mounting your trusty steed, consider the environment.
The environment is not just about the weather. It about the whole
motorcycling experience.
1) Safety Gear, Head to Toe: Owning the right gear is not the same as
wearing it. “I have riding pants but I chose not to wear them today”
Really? The gear can’t do the job it was designed to do when left
hanging in your garage.
2) Mind, Body, and Bike Ready: The bike might be physically sound, but
are you? If you are not feeling well, your back is not quite right, you
did not get a good night’s rest, you just has a fight with your spouse
or significant other, don’t ride. Let’s save the ride and live to ride
another day. Never ride when you’re stressed or angry. No one likes
an angry rider.
3) TCLOCK, TCLOCK, TCLOCK, every day you ride. “Well, I just
checked it yesterday, therefore the tire pressure must be good” Don’t
count on it! Perhaps you picked up a nail on your last ride!
4) Remember what you learned at your motorcycle safety class and
practice, practice, practice. Riding is a deteriorating skill when not
used regularly.
Please forgive me for writing a safety moment; our educator, Mr. Bill, can
always add insight to a safe ride. As I step down off my soapbox I encourage
everyone practice their riding skill on a chapter or other GWRRA event. Let’s
get out and ride… All Bikes Welcomed / Cagers welcomed too!
Attention! If you have installed something new onto your bike, show it off by
riding it to an event or rally. I know many folks got HID lights, Fog Lights, Turn
signal Lights, as well as other bling and fun stuff. Show it off to the world, go
ahead make me jealous of your new dangle or bling – I dare you!
Rally’s! There are many coming up over the year. Other chapters supported us
big time in Laughlin. Let’s return the favor and join them for fun. All rally’s are
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May 2016
listed on our website activity calendar. Check ‘em out and choose which ones
you will attend. I would rather attend with me fiends than go solo. It’s always
more fun in a group!
Final Word
All rides, regardless of the length of the journey, require a commitment to
ATGATT
Life = All The Gear All The Time
Kenny and Sharon
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May 2016
Bill Himebaugh - Chapter Educator
FITS LIKE A….
Over the years, we have talked about just about every form of protective gear that
riders wear. It occurred to me that we almost never talk about gloves. First, I hope
that every rider wears them. I find it interesting that just about everyone does wear
gloves when riding. I have seen 19 year old crotch rocketeers in shorts and tank
tops, but they seem to wear their gloves. So what kind of gloves should I wear? So,
let’s think of what characteristics are important. First in my mind is safety. Let’s face
it, if I go down, my first reaction is to use my hands to protect me in the fall. That
means sufficient padding/armor. You also want to be sure that they grip well and do
not easily come off. Convenience of easy removal will be a disaster should an
incident occur. You want your gloves to stay on no matter. When gloves stay on,
skin stays on. Most motorcycle gloves today have some type of knuckle armor for
protection and I recommend this addition. In my experience, the armor does not
affect flexibility. That said, flexibility can be a real issue, especially with winter gloves.
If you have trouble squeezing the brake or clutch, then this is probably not the glove
for you. They do break in, but I suggest you break them in doing something other
than riding until they become sufficiently malleable. My final criterion is insulation. I
keep a pair of winter and summer gloves. My summer gloves are significantly lighter
and ventilated. Excellent for rides in the desert, but not the mountains. For those
rides, I have a pair of moisture resistant, Thinsulate lined riding gloves. Thinsulate
provides excellent insulation properties while being thin enough to make the gloves
flexible. You will find that just about all winter gloves come equipped with gauntlets to
prevent cold air from flowing up your arm. Anybody with suggestions, bring them up
at the meetings. Sharing makes us all better and safer riders.
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May 2016
Gold Wing Road Riders Association
Rider Education Levels Program
“The Building Blocks of Rider Education”
CO-RIDER
Master Tour
Co-Rider/Rider
“The Pinnacle of our Program”
Level 4
“Safety by Enhanced
Commitment and
Preparedness”
4
Maintains all Requirements
and Safe Miles for 1 Year
Proper Riding Gear
25,000 Safe Miles
Traditional First Aid AND
CPR Training
Motorist Awareness Seminar
Level 3
“Safety by Preparedness”
3
GWRRA MEDIC First Aid
(Covers CPR and First Aid)
Traditional First Aid OR
CPR Training
GWRRA Riding Course
MSF RiderCourse
Other Equivalent
Level 2
“Safety by Education”
2
GWRRA Rider Course
MSF RiderCourse
Other Equivalent
Sanctioned GWRRA Motorcycle, Trike, Sidecar, Addon Parking Lot Practice
5,000 Safe Miles
Level 1
“Safety by Commitment”
1
Personal Commitment to
participate in Rider Education
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May 2016
TourDirector’sReport
Are there Breakfast Rides in our future?
The demographics of our chapter members has changed over the past several
years, for several reasons. The fact is, there are fewer active Goldwing riders
on our roster. This year I launched “Mystery Brunch” in an effort to just get
more members out riding for a few hours with friends, see some (hopefully)
new areas, and grab a bite to eat, and still make it home early.
So far it’s been a good success, but I’m always trying to adjust the recipe a bit
to make it even more appealing to the masses and encourage continued
participation. So many factors to consider. Which day, Saturday or Sunday is
best? What’s the best start time? Are the rides too short, too long or just right?
Are the brunch places good? How often should a ride be scheduled? I’m
always trying different things to see what combination works best.
The name “Mystery Brunch” came about because when I do spontaneous local
rides, I often have no clear food (or rest stop) destination in mind – just out
having fun. I’ve learned something since beginning this - that when you are
leading others, some planning and routing is needed, especially the food part if
more than 4 or 5 riders show up. Just “Wingin it” is really hard.
Let me bounce an idea off you. Instead of having a Mystery Brunch, let’s
change it to “Breakfast Ride”. The concept is unchanged – the format is still a
short leisurely ride (2 - 3 hours max including breakfast) and you’re back home
by 11:00. The departure spot (for those who want to ride the most indirect route
possible) along with the breakfast destination will be posted on the chapter
calendar, plus a reminder e-mail will be sent a few days prior.
I really like the “Breakfast Ride” because it accomplishes 2 things.
1. Those who want to ride their bike/trike as a group still can (the route will be
the new Mystery – not the eating place).
2. It doesn’t exclude our members who prefer 4 wheels. They can drive directly
to the restaurant to enjoy breakfast with friends.
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May 2016
I’d appreciate your feedback and any recommendations. Lets continue to keep
it the best Chapter ever. I want to hear from you. Please e-mail me at:
rlevig@gmail.com
Ride safe!! Rob Levig
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May 2016
Hello California,
Riding is definitely back in full swing. With warmer
weather, now is the perfect time to get out there and enjoy
traveling the countryside. We have been busy doing just
that with the added pleasure of spending time with all of
you.
April started with Happy Days with CA1A Rally, which was
a Rockin’ Good Time. Weather caused a bit of a hitch,
but thankfully wingers were willing to cage it and all had a
great time, good food, and great prizes. Bob & I left soon after for “40 to Phoenix”,
where we met up with friends from across the country and served Gold Wingers at
headquarters and then continued with them to San Diego where we enjoyed dinner
with CA1F at a great pizza place. The last 2 weekends of April ended with 2 great
rallies. “Rendezvous with Q” by CA-1Q, great food, games, and prizes, with the
added FUN of a “pie-in-the-face” auction was followed by the “Mother’s Day Ride”, by
CA-1K, which always offers great riding and wonderful food. It was a full month of
FUN.
May looks to be just as much FUN. CA-2S has their Garage Sale the first weekend.
They would enjoy having you share their FUN, but you can support and get in on
prizes without even being there (see flyers on line). Chapter CA-2K follows with the
Jelly-Belly Event May 14, which is always a lot of FUN. May 21 was scheduled the
rally by CA-2W. This was cancelled as a rally, but they plan a get-together for that
day, so look for up-coming announcement so we can go have FUN with the Wolfpack. May 26-29 is Region F Rally in Albuquerque, NM. We look forward to seeing
many of you there. Our District Couple of the Year, Bob & Linda Harmon, will be in
the selection process on Friday. Let’s get out there and support them.
If you haven’t registered for CA District Rally, Sept 23-25, 2016, get those
registrations in. We plan on having great FUN. You won’t want to miss it. Get your
hotel registrations in early to be sure you get one of the discounted rooms.
If you haven’t noticed…the word FUN is appearing all through this article. One of our
goals this year was to have MORE FUN (if that’s even possible) and it looks like we
are achieving our goal.
Come have FUN with us. See you around California!
Nancy & Bob Clark
CA District Directors
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May 2016
Guy Lefebvre
5/2
Tom & Vicki Lorenz
5/15
Judy Trevour
5/9
Bill & Gay Himebaugh
5/24
Mike Davis
5/11
Mona Levig
5/18
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May 2016
April Monthly Gathering At a Glance
Monthly Chapter Get-together
Meeting Date: April 2, 2016
Chapter Members
GWRRA Visitors
Non GWRRA Visitors
Bikes
Trikes
23
0
2
3
0
50/50 Winners
Judy Trevour
Vicki Lorenz
$33
$34
Birthday/Anniversary
Bill Himebaugh
George Neuman
$5
$5
Donation raffle
None due to White Elephant Exchange
Door Prize Donors:
None due to White Elephant Exchange
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May 2016
MemberSpotlight
Jim&MaryKayWilson
It all started in 1990 when Jim came to
run the business where Mary Kay
worked. The owner was about to have
lung transplant surgery, experimental
at the time. Jim knew the owner, knew
the business and very soon thereafter
knew Mary Kay. We worked together
for four years, and dated for one.
When we knew that we wanted to
spend the rest of our lives together,
Mary Kay told Jim and she was “a
package deal”. There were two earlyteen boys and an ex-family. On July 5,
1995 Jim came over for dinner, said he
had an announcement, handed Matt a small package to view the
contents, Matt handed it to his brother Nathan, who did the same. Jim
opened the package, took out an engagement ring, got down on one knee
and proposed to Mary Kay in front of the boys. Everyone was excited.
Mary Kay cried.
We celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary last year. In addition to Matt
and Nathan, plus two wonderful daughters-in-law, we also have Jim’s son,
Larry who has four adult children. The most recent addition are three
great-grandsons. We luckily are close to everyone.
Jim is from Portland, Oregon. His background includes a stint in the Air
Force, an IT career and developing his own IT business. He is now retired
and enjoys more time to ride. Mary Kay is from Chicago and has degrees
from Grinnell College in Iowa and Claremont Graduate School here in
California. She has worked in property management, sales and marketing,
and project management. She became a key program manager for
Southern California Edison, retired recently, but is back helping them in a
consulting capacity.
Jim was introduced to riding in 2001 while working at American Honda,
attracted each day to the shiny new motorcycles in their lobby. Dave
Clark was with Jim at Honda and introduced Jim to CA1R. Dave raved
about how friendly the people were. Later, Ray Martin found a great deal
for Jim on a 2003 Wing, so he became an official member. Jim and Mary
Kay both have their M1 Licenses and now ride a 2013 Gold Wing F6B.
We both enjoy GWRRA and Chapter events and have been happy to
serve as RIV coordinators for the past 3 years. We were honored as
Couple of the Year for 2015, and now serve as Treasurer and MEC.
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May 2016
May 2016 Observances
5/1 - Mother Goose Day
5/2 - Brothers and Sisters Day
5/3 - National Teachers Day
5/4 - Star Wars Day (May the fourth be with you!)
5/5 - National Hoagie Day
5/6 - Military Spouses Day
5/7 - National Tourism Day
5/8 - Mother’s Day
5/9 - Lost Sock Memorial Day
5/10 - Clean up Your Room Day
5/11 - Eat What You Want Day
5/12 - Limerick Day
5/13 - Blame Someone Else Day
5/14 - National Train Day
5/15 - Police Officer’s Memorial Day
5/16 - National Sea Monkey Day
5/17 - Pack Rat Day
5/18 - No Dirty Dish Day
5/19 - Boy’s Club Day
5/20 - Pick Strawberries Day
5/21 - Armed Forces Day (Thank you to all that have served!)
5/22 - Buy a Musical Instrument Day
5/23 - Lucky Penny Day
5/24 - National Escargot Day
5/25 - National Wine Day
5/26 - Sally Ride Day
5/27 - Sun Screen Day (This is everyday for some of us)
5/28 - International Jazz Day
5/29 - Learn About Composting Day
5/30 - Memorial Day (it’s more than the unofficial day of Summer:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day )
5/31 - World No Tobacco Day
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