Gold Wing Road Riders Association

Transcription

1 Gold Wing Road Riders Association Chapter AB-A A (Calgary) Newsletter WATERTON November, 2008 Wing Wag Text and Photos by: Bob Van nes Jack, Les, and Bob M any years ago I read a book about two guys that were traveling around the United States on Henkel scooters. Ever since then I have had this picture in my mind of what that adventure might be like. Retirement has given me the opportunity to experience the adventure. I have read about a number of non-gold Wing rallies over the years and have used these as the destinations for another three or four week adventure. A couple of years ago Jack O Reilly and I combined the Honda Hoot Rally in Knoxville, Tennessee with Wing Ding in Nashville. The time between the two events was spent riding the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Honda Homecoming event in Marysville, Ohio this year was another rally I had on my bucket list and was able to convince Jack to join me. It didn t take much convincing. I have attended a number of events in the Eastern states in the past and the plan has always been to just get to the event and then look for some fun roads for (Continued on page 2) Nov 10 Nov 29 Jan 9-11 Coming Events Monthly Meeting Christmas Party 2009 Motorcycle Show What s Inside 2009 Motorcycle Show...4 Travel Pics...6 Safety First...8 News & Notices...9 Classifieds...10 Calgary Area Staff Listing...10

2 Wing Wag November, 2008 Page 2 (Continued from page 1) the return home. This trip would not be any different. Jack and I took our usual entry point into the states at Wild Horse south of Medicine Hat and followed Hwy 2 across the northern states. At one of the motels we met two couples on trikes that were returning from a trip to Alaska. The following day we played leap frog with them. They rode faster but had to make more stops for gas. Knowing our route they invited us for Honda Plant coffee at the McDonalds restaurant in their home town of Iron Wood, Michigan. We stopped by the restaurant for breakfast but too early to meet with them. We left our cards with the manager to let them know that we were there and got back on the road. We detoured south of Duluth to avoid the traffic and as it turned out, the rain. We decided to stay for the night on the north side of the Mackinac Bridge at St. Ignace, Michigan and cross the bridge in the morning. The last time I saw this bridge was in the late 50 s, probably a couple of years after it opened in I managed to get some pictures as we crossed the bridge. It was virtually empty at 7:00 a.m. in the morning as was the freeway. The route to the Honda plant in Marysville would be straight south through the centre of Michigan. We arrived at our motel in Sidney, Ohio on day five. This left us with approx. 60 Km. across country roads to the Honda plant. With the location of the plant set in our GPS on the Thursday morning we set out for our cross country journey. We didn t even get out of Sidney before when picked up two bikes looking for directions to the plant. I mentioned to them we were pretty sure we knew the way and they were welcome to follow us. It was a beautiful morning ride. The parking lot was already pretty full when we arrived at the plant and festivities were in full swing. We came to see the inside of the plant and headed straight to the lineup. We were advised we couldn t take cell phones or cameras into the plant and were provided with a headset to listen to the guide. The plant produces Gold Wings and the VTX for all markets. Both bikes are assembled on the same assembly line since it takes less time to produce a VTX versus a Gold Wing. In fact it takes 7800 seconds to produce a Wing and 6000 to produce a VTX. The plastic parts and frames are produced at the plant. The assembly line is fed sections of the bike as it moves along the line. The engine and frame are connected first with the rear wheel to follow. The entire set of bags is installed as one piece and the front fearing is attached in one piece as well. I am guessing it takes approximately minutes for the bike to make its way along the line. At this point the bike is started, ridden up on to the dyno and run through all the gears, lights, horn, and reverse. Amazing, only one engine in twenty is bench tested. Following the plant tour we toured the displays in the parking lot. These included an airbag deployment demonstration, a display of some of the Wings built at the plant, Dunlop tire seminar, Honda history seminar and tee shirt vendor. The best display was the dismantling of a Wing right down to the frame. The frame on the bike had some flaws and two guys set about to dismantle the bike on the Thursday and put it back together on the Friday. We watched them for a while and asked questions as they went along. I couldn t believe they just threw the nuts, bolts and screws into a bin and didn t seem to worry about it. I think I would have a thousand marked Ziploc bags with all the goodies. They dismantled the bike pretty much in the reverse of the way it was put together. All the bags came off together, the front fearing was another section, and the rear swing arm with rear wheel was another. Jack kept Gold Wing engine insides close tabs on this work and yes they completed the task of putting the bike back together by mid afternoon on the Friday. On the Friday we decided to visit the vendors in Bel- (Continued on page 3)

3 Wing Wag November, 2008 Page 3 (Continued from page 2) fontaine before meeting up with Meg and Les Rozander (previous Chapter members) in Marysville for lunch. They had left home the night before and rode into town that morning. We didn t have a specific location to meet other than around the vendors in Marysville but everything worked out just fine. Following lunch we all headed back to the plant so Les and Meg to take in the plant tour. I decided I would join them. This time they didn t have head sets due to the larger crowd. It gave me a better chance to watch the assembly line as the groups moved slower through the plant. We also got a chance to watch a drill team from Michigan. On the Saturday Honda was giving away a Wing and therefore we would return to the plant one more time. The crowds were much bigger on the Saturday compared to the previous two days. Following the disappointment of not winning the Wing we said good bye to Les and Meg. Les would take Meg north to her sisters and then meet Jack and me the next day. As mentioned earlier, it is normally after the event that we do our serious riding. We found a McDonalds restaurant in the GPS that would be equal distance for Les and us to get to and agreed to meet at 11:00 a.m. Sunday morning. This worked great. We had something to eat and off we went. We traveled south to the Ohio/West Virginia border that first day. The roads were great, much like a roller coaster. We had no idea which way the road would turn until we got to the top of the hill. It was warm in the afternoon and I decided to use the wind wings to get some air. I also opened the sleeves of my jacket and as luck would have it, a bee went up my sleeve. Yep, it got me. However, it was the bee s last outing. I started grabbing sections of my jacket with my left hand to kill the little devil. Eventually, when I thought it was dead I was able to get on the CB and asked Les and Jack to pull over so I could empty my sleeve. I did continue to us my wind wings and open my sleeves during the rest of the trip and didn t have it happen again. When Jack and I first planned the trip we thought it would be nice to tour Ohio and Pennsylvania. However, once we got riding with Les we saw parts of West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont as well as Pennsylvania. As might be expected we looked for the twisty roads on the map where we could carve some corners. The scenery of the countryside was great with rolling hills and lots of greenery. Some of the towns we went through were established in the mid 1700s and many of the old buildings are still in real good shape and the architecture was great. We decided to ride through the Adirondacks to see Lake Placid and Lake George. This meant we would cross Lake Champlain back into New York State from Vermont. At this point we were approx. 24 miles from Montreal. When we arrived in Lake George our five day ride with Les had come to an end. It was here that he had to head north to his Region Rally to participate with the drill team and Jack and I would travel south down around the bottom end of the Great Lakes. It would take us 7 days to get home from Lake George. Throughout the trip we would ride approx. 400 miles a day. Starting at 7:00 a.m. and looking for a motel by 4:00 p.m. We traveled south through the states of New York, Pennsylvania and then west across Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska. If the United States doesn t have anything else to eat, they will have corn. We rode along miles and miles of corn fields and stopped to take some pictures next to one field. The stalks were so tall we were unable to reach the top of them. Only on a couple of occasions did we have to put on the rain gear, but we were out of the rain in 5 to 10 minutes. In the hills it is difficult to tell whether it is a shower or all day rain. On one occasion it was 25 degrees Celsius at 7:00 a.m. and we had to put the rain suits on. Well, I think we were as wet inside as out. Originally we were going to ride west into Wyoming but due to a lack of accommodations (probably due to Sturgis) we decided to travel north through South and North Dakota. It wasn t until we got into South Dakota that the corn fields started to dwindle. Our last stop was in Havre, Montana. We would retrace our steps up through the border at Wild Horse first thing in the morning. We arrived at the border about half hour before it opened and pulled up close to the gate just past the U.S. border. I took a couple of pictures and we talked about what a great trip we had. The border was about to open in about 5 minutes when a U.S. border guard informed us we were not supposed to be parked where we were and would have to turn the bikes around and go back to the No Parking signs. Below the words No Parking it read (in small print) from here to the corner. We didn t have any trouble at the border after that and rode north to Medicine Hat where Canadian gas prices were a shock to the system after paying the U.S. gas prices for the past three weeks. The trip took us three weeks and we covered just over 11,000 km. As mentioned, we had little rain and no extreme temperatures. The trip cost approximately $1800 including souvenirs. The most expensive gas was $1.14/litre and the cheapest was $0.95/litre. Motels were rarely full and at times we negotiated a rate with the front desk clerk. We never forgot to ask for seniors rates either. Where are we going next Jack? Editor s note: See more pictures from Bob & Jack s trip in Trip Pics on page 6. WW

4 Wing Wag November, 2008 Page 4 Just a reminder to all about the upcoming 2009 Calgary Motorcycle Show at the Roundup Center, Stampede Grounds. The show dates are as follows : January 9 January 10 January 11 We are looking for volunteers to man our booth. If you are able to help please let me know what day and time you are available and I will do my best to fit you into that time. If you are unable to volunteer for a full shift at the booth but are planning to attend the show please feel free to stop by and offer a relief period for those that are working. Let them go for a coffee etc. Thanks to all our great volunteers without you this show could not be a success. Alex Middleton (403) rider goldwing calgary.com

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6 Wing Wag November, 2008 Page 6 Photos by: Bob Van nes Jack crossing Mackinac Bridge Crossing Lake Champlain

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8 Wing Wag November, 2008 Page 8 If you are interested in attending any courses please contact Alex Middleton at rider goldwing calgary.com to express your interest or for additional information. Scheduled Courses: None at this time. WW Writers Wanted 1020 Meridian Rd. N.E. Calgary, AB T2A 2N8 If you have a story about your recent motorcycle adventures we would love to share it with the other GWRRA members by publishing your story in the Wing Wag. Please your stories to Lisa Miller at goldwing calgary.com

9 Wing Wag November, 2008 Page 9 1. We all like to travel on our Gold Wings and one of the special things about travel is the memories we capture with our cameras. Why not share some of your favorite photos with other GWRRA members. Please send some of your favorite travel photos with a brief caption for the new section Travel Pics on page 6, please be sure to tell me who took the picture so credit can be given. Send your pictures to telus.net in either.jpg or.gif format. 2. Mark this date on your calendar the Christmas Party will be on Saturday, November 29/08 at the Austrian Canadian Club (same place as prior years). If anyone is able to acquire corporate donations of gifts it would be appreciated. The price is yet to be determined since the venue couldn't tell us what dinner would cost yet. 3. Calgary Motorcycle Show will be held at the Round-Up Centre January 9, 10, and 11 in Volunteers are needed to man our booth. WW

10 Wing Wag November, 2008 Page 10 Classified Ads The Classified ads are free to all members and associates of the GWRRA. While advertised items do not have to be Gold Wing related, we do insist that all ads pertain to motorcycling. Ads will appear on a space available basis for one month. Should you wish to continue to run your ad for a second or succeeding month, you must resubmit or renew your ad. Deadline for submission is the 25th of the month preceding publication. To post an ad or if the item is sold or the offer withdrawn, please contact Lisa Miller at: goldwing calgary.com CLASSIFIED ADS Synthetic Amsoil Oils and Filters available thru Brian Perrin. Special pricing for G.W.R.R.A Members. Arrangements can be made to pick up at monthly meetings. Contact Brian Perrin by at goldwingcalgary.com or call to order. FOR SALE: Cool vest XXL $25.00 Set of Dunlop "Elite 3 " tires for a 1500 $250 for the set Phone # CALGARY AREA STAFF Chapter Directors Jim & Dorothy Baker (403) chapter goldwing calgary.com Assistant Gary & Susan Premech (403) Chapter Director assistant chapter goldwing calgary.com Quartermaster Brian Perrin (403) goldwing calgary.com Newsletter Editor Lisa Miller (403) goldwing calgary.com Treasurer Darryl Snyder (403) goldwing calgary.com Ride Coordinator Rod Banman (403) ride goldwing calgary.com Rider Training Don Martin (403) rider goldwing calgary.com Rider Education Alex Middleton (403) rider goldwing calgary.com Rider Course Terry Burrell (403) Instructor goldwing calgary.com Social Coordinators Carol Myers (403) social goldwing calgary.com & Susan Premech (403) social goldwing calgary.com Membership Darryl Minsky (403) Enhancement goldwing calgary.com Coordinator & Webmaster October 50/50 Winner Terry Collin GWRRA TOLL FREE NUMBER (CANADA & US) NATIONAL LEADERS Executive Director Melissa Nordeoff (623) Natl Dirs for Cdn Ops Ron & Carol Hodgson (403) Natl Rider Ed Director Dave Hay (205) Region J Directors Phil & Margaret Craven (250) District Directors Ross & Audrey Woolsey (780) NOTE: addresses in this publication are displayed in a manner that will deter automatic address harvesting programs. This step is taken to reduce unsolicited to any addresses we post. We regret any inconvenience caused for our legitimate visitors. REMOVE ALL THE SPACES IN THE ADDRESS TO MAKE IT WORK.

11 Wing Wag November, 2008 Page 11 EVENT SCHEDULE DAY/DATE EVENT AB-A SPONSOR Nov 10 November Monthly Meeting Nov 29 GWRRA Chapter Christmas Party Jan Motorcycle Show Monthly Meetings Monthly meetings are held on the 2nd Monday of each month. This is a time to share information and to meet old and new friends who like to ride together for FUN, Safety and Knowledge. See you at the next meeting at the Fox Hollow Golf Club, 9th Street and 32nd Avenue N.E. 6:30; Meeting at 7:00 PM. Friends for Fun, Safety, and Knowledge Come ride with us...everyone Welcome! For the latest updates on what we are doing and where we re going, check out our website: Rain, snow or shine, we meet for breakfast every Sunday morning about 9 AM. This is a great year round way to stay in touch with your GWRRA friends. So, if you have missed the opportunity to join us for breakfast recently, why don t you come on over to the Fox Hollow Golf Club, 9th Street and 32nd Avenue N.E.

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