CHAPTER AR-C NEWSLETTER

Transcription

1 CHAPTER AR-C NEWSLETTER July 2017 VOLUME 5 ISSUE 7 REGION H

2 CHAPTER C TEAM CHAPTER DIRECTORS ASST CHAPTER DIRECTORS MEC COORDINATOR CHAPTER COUPLE of the YEAR TREASURER CHAPTER EDUCATOR MOTORIST AWARENESS COORDINATOR CHAPTER WEBMASTER NEWSLETTER EDITOR RIDE CO-ORDINATOR CHAPTER of the YEAR COORDINATOR SUNSHINE PERSON SCRAPBOOKING COORDINATOR PHOTOGRAPHER Tim & Bonnie Nagy T B D Pam Saulters Tim & Bonnie Nagy Ron Abbott Greg Reinhardt Greg Reinhardt Greg Reinhardt Greg Reinhardt Tim Nagy Vicki Austin Pam Saulters Ron Abbott Tim Nagy - Lead

3 JULY S GOINGS ON Jul 1 st Jul 4 th 7:30 am: Chapter C Ride to Rose Bud ( Meet at Exxon station on Hwy 5 ) Independence Day Jul 8 th Jul 11 th Jul 13 th 5 am: Chapter C Ride to Chapter B ( Meet at Kohl s in Sherwood ) 6:30 pm: Dinner Ride with Chapter K ( Loca Luna, 3519 Old Cantrell Rd, Little Rock, AR 72202) 7 pm: Chapter C Dinner Ride ( East End Cafe, Arch Street Pike, Hensley, AR 72065) Jul 14 th - 15 th Jul 20 th Jul 21 st AR District Rally (Eureka Springs, AR) Jim Goodman s Birthday Bruce Ray s Birthday Jul 22 nd 8 am: Chapter C Monthly Meeting ( Emily s Diner, 3286 South 2nd Street, Cabot, AR ) ( 8 am / 9 am ) 10 am: Chapter C Ride to Chapter K ( Benton, AR -- KSU after meeting ) ( 3 pm / 4 pm ) Jul 24 th Jul 27 th Jul 29 th Parent s Day Richard & Vicki Austin s Anniversary 8 am: Chapter C Ride to Oark General Store ( Meet at Exxon station on Hwy 5 )

4 AUGUST S GOINGS ON Aug 8 th Aug 10 th Aug 17 th Aug 18 th Aug 19 th 6:30 pm: Dinner Ride with Chapter K ( T B D ) 7 pm: Chapter C Dinner Ride ( T B D ) Dan Fornero s Birthday Vera Westmoreland s Birthday Larry Fulbright s Birthday Aug 21 st Aug 23 rd Senior Citizen s Day Emily Goodman s Birthday Gaynell Brant s Birthday Nick & Judy Kaleta s Anniversary Chuck & June Leftwich s Anniversary Aug 26 th 8 am: Chapter C Monthly Meeting ( Emily s Diner, 3286 South 2nd Street, Cabot, AR ) ( 8 am / 9 am ) 10 am: Chapter C Ride to Chapter K ( Benton, AR -- KSU after meeting ) ( 3 pm / 4 pm ) Aug 29 th 30 th Wing Ding 39 (Grapevine, TX)

5 AR DISTRICT & REGION H EVENTS MARCH 11 th St. Patrick s Day Parade (Little Rock, AR) 30 th - 31 st LA District Rally (Lafayette, LA) 31 st 40 to Phoenix Stop (Conway, AR) APRIL 1 st LA District Rally (Lafayette, LA) 27 th - 29 th Region H Rally (Marshall, TX) MAY 18 th 20 th TX District Rally (Witchita Falls, TX) JUNE 23 rd - 24 th KS District Rally (Hutchinson, KS) JULY 14 th - 15 th AR District Rally (Eureka Springs, AR) AUGUST 29 th - 31 st Wing Ding 39 (Grapevine, TX) SEPTEMBER 1 st 2 nd Wing Ding 39 (Grapevine, TX) 28 th - 30 th OK District Rally (Muskogee, OK)

6 GARAGE SALE Black 1997 Honda Valkyrie Tourer 69,500 miles $5,700 Contact: Jay Stapleton at (501) for more info and pictures Motorcycle Luggage Trailer $500 Contact: Jay Stapleton at (501) for more info and pictures Silver 2008 Honda Silver Wing 6,500 miles $5,000 obo Contact: Pat Dumas at (501) for more info and pictures

7 Chapter Chatter Tim & Bonnie Nagy Chapter C Directors Coming Soon... Ride Safe and Ride Often Tim & Bonnie Nagy

8 TWO-WHEEL TOPICS & 3-WHEEL THOUGHTS Greg Reinhardt Chapter C Educator Is Your Head In The Game? Staying mentally sharp and alert increases the enjoyment of the ride Riding a motorcycle is one of the most dangerous leisure activities you can pursue. It is also one of the most rewarding. The first rule of enjoying the activity is to survive the activity. Certainly, you can limit your exposure to injury, or worse, by wearing protective gear, following safe riding guidelines, and riding within your limits. All of this is part of what I refer to as "keeping your head in the game". Having the physical skills to operate a motorcycle cannot overcome a lack of mental focus. I hear riders say that motorcycling is how they relax or unwind. I have a hard time relating to that. Riding a motorcycle has never been relaxing for me. If I need to relax, I sit in my recliner in front of the TV and watch a mindless sitcom. For me to relax, I have to turn off my brain, something I simply cannot afford to do when riding my motorcycle. Riding is invigorating and stimulating for me, not relaxing. I defy any of you to ride your motorcycle in traffic on I35 in Dallas and be relaxed. Perhaps too many motorcyclists are involved in accidents because they are relaxed and not keeping their head in the game, so to speak. Even a temporary lapse of attention can result in bad things happening on two wheels. The margin for error is very slim on a motorcycle. A healthy amount of fear can be a good thing to help you say mentally sharp when riding. Never lose sight of how vulnerable you are.

9 The element of danger is what makes riding such a mentally stimulating and enjoyable experience. I know it sounds crazy, but isn't that the same with skydiving, flying an airplane, or rock-climbing? The element of danger comes with a sense of satisfaction when you survive the activity. Every time I ride my Goldwing, the possibility of encountering a technical riding challenge exists. It could be a car pulling out in front of me at an intersection, or encountering loose gravel in a turn, or having to make a sharp turn up a steep hill from a dead stop. Maneuvering a 900+ pound motorcycle in these conditions is challenging to say the least. But, overcoming these technical challenges can be extremely satisfying and stimulating. My focus when riding is to always try to anticipate the unexpected and plan a way to survive the scenario. Most of us who have been riding for some time have had at least a few "close calls". And, in retrospect, there is something I could have done to prevent the close call. I recall a few years ago I was riding my bike to my favorite wing joint for dinner. I pulled into the parking lot and was completely unaware that there was a car right behind me. I had to swing left to get around the bumper of a pick-up truck so I could park in a spot to my right. When I swung left to make the wide turn, the car behind me assumed I was making a left turn, imagine my surprise when I swing right and her bumper was about 12 inches from my right knee! I was only going a couple of miles per hour and I instinctively hit the front brake and the bike went down. The driver freaked out, but I was OK and so was the bike. That incident caused me to completely rethink how I operate the bike when negotiating parking lots. While I was eating my wings that night, I thought of at least two mistakes I made that contributed to the near accident. First, I did not check my rear-view mirrors to see if there was a car behind me. Second, I did not use my turn signal to indicate that I would be turning right into a parking spot. Lesson learned.

10 Keeping my head in the game involves a few little mental strategies that I have developed over the years. Just like how a pilot goes over a checklist before takeoff, I do the same sort of thing before I ride. I even talk to myself out loud just to make sure I am alert. I know it sounds crazy, but it seems to help me focus on the ride. Now, when I am entering or exiting a parking lot, I audibly remind myself of my parking lot checklist. For me, that means 10mph or less, high alert, check rear-view mirrors, and engage headlight modulators. I have another set of rules for approaching an intersection. First, I look to see if there is an oncoming vehicle in the left turn lane (that could potentially turn in front of me), if so, I turn on my headlight modulators and try to position myself and the bike so I can either brake or escape should the blind fool not see me. I probably have a dozen or more scenarios that I try to prepare for in similar fashion. All of this planning and mental activity is energizing and actually increases my enjoyment of the ride. I know some riders would say "man, that's too much to think about, I just want to ride and not have to think." If that's your style and you are comfortable with it, that's OK with me. But for me, I always try my best to keep my head in the game.

11 District Dirt Richard & Vicki Austin District Directors Coming Soon... Ride Safe and Ride Often Richard & Vicki Austin

12 Education Extras Arrel E. Carter III (Buster) District Educator Greetings, I hope this finds everyone doing well and staying cool. The heat is rough. A number of you have been asking if we are having any type of Rider Education events as there are a number of GWRRA members that need classes for their Levels Program. The answer is yes. I am trying to work out the First Aid part. We will have ARC and TRC courses on Saturday Aug 5th and Sunday Aug 6th at the MSF facility in Little Rock. Lloyd has scheduled the weekend for GWRRA members. We will have room for 8 bikes in each class. We are looking at Trikes on the range in the morning while the ARC takes Medic First Aid, then in the afternoon we will rotate where the ARC is on the Range and TRC is taking First Aid. With the influx of members transitioning to Trike I anticipate the TRC will fill up first. That said, it is first come, first served. I cannot stress enough that you sign up early. Please do not sign a bunch of people up thinking they will want the course. There are a lot of riders needing these courses. Please send me an and I will add riders to the list. If your Co-Rider does not want to ride on the course they need to take the Co-Rider Certification class in order to maintain their levels. I will be offering the Co-Rider class at the Rally next weekend and will be prepared to give a couple during the MSF Training as well. Please confirm they WILL be able to attend. The prices are based on full classes. It will be hotter than blue blazes. The costs will be $50.00 for the Rider course and $25.00 for the Medic First Aid. I will need to know which day and class you are wanting to take. Once the class is filled it is filled so sign up early and commit to that day and time. If you want to pay and confirm please see me at the District Rally this weekend. I look forward to seeing everyone at the Rally. Ride Smart, Ride Safe, Ride Protected Arrel E. Carter III (Buster)

13 Directors Corner Jim & Reba Berry Region H Directors Coming Soon... Jim & Reba

14 By the Book Jack Wagner Deputy Director -- Region H Trainer By the Book articles are intended to help familiarize GWRRA Volunteer Leaders and Members with the policies, procedures, and information contained in the GWRRA Officer s Handbook (OHB). A copy of the Officer s Handbook can be found at the following Internet website: Please feel free to reprint these articles in Region, District, or Chapter newsletters. Coming Soon... The More You Know, the Better It Gets Jack Wagner