CHAPTER F CAVALRY NEWS

Transcription

1 CHAPTER F CAVALRY NEWS March/April 2017 REGION H FORT SMITH, ARKANSAS Join us for our monthly meeting the first Monday of each month. We meet at Western Sizzlin on Rogers Ave in Fort Smith. 6:00 PM SEE YOU THERE!

2 FROM YOUR CHAPTER DIRECTOR-LOUIS & PAM WOFFORD Well, Spring is here! It's about time to hit the motorcycle roads around our gorgeous state! At our last meeting we tossed around a few ideas for rides, and promised to get them scheduled. By the time you read this, Pam & I should be on our way back home from the Louisiana District Rally in Lafayette, LA, which takes place March 30 - April 1, We have never visited Lafayette and could not resist the invitation from Red Roussel. If you know Red, you understand his powers of persuasion. We are looking forward to finding out how folks in Louisiana host a Rally, and having the chance to "party with the Rougarou" (if you are not familiar with the Rougarou, Google it, like I did ;-). We may need to invite him (it?) to our next rally, too.? On April 26th we plan to ride to Marshall, TX for the Region H Rally taking place the 27th through 29th (Thursday - Saturday). This should be a nice get together and great opportunity to meet folks from all over our Region (Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Kansas.) I know they would all like to meet you, too... Just sayin'. Call or us if you would like to ride as a group from Chapter F. Hopefully before our next meeting we will have a couple of weekend Group Rides planned and posted on the calendar. We would like to make the Talimena Ride before the middle of April, so we can catch the Dogwoods in bloom. Would also like to ride in the Hot Springs area - or perhaps make a peak-to-peak ride from Mt. Magazine to Petit Jean one day soon. Another idea is to take Hwy 71 north to Joplin, MO, stopping at scenic locations along the way and having lunch at one of the diners in the Joplin area. Each of those trips will require several hours of saddle time, so we need to make them before the temperatures get into the 90's... Once Summer hits, we will be looking for shorter rides to make in morning or evening hours, when temperatures are more tolerable. I will work with Phillip, Bruce and anyone else who has planning skills to get these rides together and dates posted soon. At our February gathering, we were visited by Wayne Thomas, a GW member who lives in a hilltop airport community near Lake Tenkiller's Snake Creek campground.

3 Wayne invited us, individually or as a group, to visit his hangar/motorcycle/trailer shop any time we are able. Wayne is retired, but has taken on a new venture, selling camper trailers for motorcycles. If you are interested in calling Wayne to schedule a visit, his number is (918) If you have other ideas for rides or suggestions for group activities (picnic, cookout, etc) please share them. We would like to offer more opportunities to get together and visit. Chapter F will have a tent in the Vendor Village at the upcoming "Steel Horse Rally" in Fort Smith, May 4th & 5th (Friday and Saturday) from around 10:00 am - 8:00 pm. Most of you are aware that this rally is dominated by H-D riders, but we are trying to maintain a Gold Wing presence and will once again distribute rally guides, ride guides, information about GWRRA rallies, membership, safety and training opportunities and answer general questions about GWRRA and spread good will to anyone who stops by. We need volunteers to help man the Chapter tent in shifts (three or four hours at a time) each day. We need at least two people in the tent at all times, and more would be appreciated. We had fun doing this last year, and should again in Sign-up sheets will be available at monthly gatherings between now and then, or you can me at: Director@GWRRAFortSmith.com Pam & I hope to see you at our next gathering, 6:00 pm, April 3, 2017 at Western Sizzlin' on Rogers Ave., Fort Smith, AR. We want to schedule regular Saturday morning rides... But conflicts with work, family, Mother Nature and other things make it difficult to plan in advance. We need someone (or two) with free time to plan and lead rides, so others can join in when they can. ANYONE willing to try would be appreciated. Talk to Louis or Pam - send an or call. Louis: c) ) Director@gwrrafortsmith.com Pam: c) ) Membership@gwrrafortsmith.com

4 ASSISTANT DIRECTOR WE NEED ONE! ARE YOU INTERESTED? Make note of some Future DISTRICT Events March 30-April 1 **Louisiana District Rally** Lafayette, LA April **Region H Rally** Marshall, TX May Texas District Rally Wichita Falls, TX June 1-3 Missouri District Rally Branson, MO June Kansas District Rally Hutchinson, KS July **Arkansas Distric Rally** - Eureka Springs, AR Aug. 29-Sept. 2 - **WING DING** - Grapevine, TX Sept **Oklahoma District Rally** - Muskogee, OK Volunteer for Wing Ding 39. Interested in volunteering for Wing Ding 39 in Grapevine, Texas? Great! Call Member Services at

5 The GWRRA Arkansas District Rally will be at the: Best Western Inn of the Ozarks Convention Center 207 West Van Buren Eureka Springs, AR July 14 th and 15 th HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS Located in the Historic District with a Please plan to stay at the host hotel: restaurant Best Western Inn of the Ozarks and an outdoor pool Eureka Springs, AR Please mention Registration Code: (479) GWRRA $ per night Other Motels in Eureka Springs The Trails Inn (479) Ozark Swiss Inn (479) Best Western (479) Quality Inn (479) Kettle Campground (497) For accommodations, please refer to the Eureka Springs Web Site at:

6 FROM YOUR TECHNICAL COORDINATOR BRUCE ARMENTROUT Spring Maintenance checks (2) Tire inspection Tire Damage Riding on damaged tires is dangerous. A damaged tire can suddenly fail. Check your tires regularly or have them inspected by your dealer. Spotting Damaged Tires After striking anything unusual in the roadway, ask your dealer to demount the tire and inspect it for damage. A tire may not have visible signs of damage on the tire surface. Yet, the tire may suddenly fail without warning, a day, a week, or even months later. Inspect your tires for cuts, cracks, or splits in the tread and sidewall areas. Also check your tires for signs of aging, including dry rot and cracking. Even barely used tires become hard with time or exposure to the sun. When tire rubber gets hard and stiff, it tends to crack and cannot grip the road to provide proper traction. So it's wise to replace old or dried-out tires even if they still have plenty of tread on them. Bumps or bulges may indicate a separation within the tire body. If tire is questionable have your tire inspected by a qualified tire service person. It may be necessary to have it removed from the wheel for a complete inspection. Tread Depth Inspect your tires for adequate tread depth. When the tire is worn to the built-in indicators at 1/32nd inch (0.8 millimeters) or less tread groove depth, or the tire cord or fabric is exposed, the tire is dangerously worn and must be replaced immediately. Inspect your tires for uneven wear. Wear on one side of the tread or flat spots in the tread may indicate a problem with the tire or vehicle. Consult your local dealer. Inspect your rims also. If you have a bent or cracked rim, it must be replaced. Tire and/or Vehicle Storage Tires and/or vehicles should be stored indoors in a cool, dry place where water cannot collect inside the tires. The tires and or vehicles should be placed away from electric generators and motors and sources of heat such as hot pipes. Storage surfaces should be clean and free of grease, gasoline, or other substances, which can deteriorate the rubber. Improper storage can damage your tires in ways that may not be visible.

7 Oil, Grease, and Gasoline These items can deteriorate rubber when exposed to a tire for any length of time. Use a clean, damp cloth to remove these chemicals from the tire. Sidewall Treatment Use a mild soap solution to clean sidewalls, white stripes, or raised white lettering, and then rinse off with plain water. Never apply any other materials, cleaners, or dressings to enhance sidewall appearance. These items may degrade the rubber and remove inherent ozone cracking and weather-checking resistance. CUPPING: Cupping is a natural wear pattern on motorcycle tires and it will always follow the tread pattern. It is not a sign that you have bad suspension parts. It merely shows that your tire is indeed gripping the road when you make turns. This cupping develops within the side wear bands of a leaned motorcycle. The extreme forces that come in to play when the bike is leaned in a turn are what produce the effect and when the wear becomes sufficient, one will experience vibration and noise when one banks into a turn. Upon examination you can see how the cupping follows the tread pattern. The leading edge of the tread does not flex much as it grips the road and the rubber is scuffed off the tire in that area causing a depression. As the tire rotates, the pressure moves to the trailing edge of the tread pattern where the tread flexes more causing less scuffing so less material is ground off the tire. The more complex the tread pattern, the more complex the cupping pattern will be. The softer the compound of the tire, the sooner this cupping will develop. Radial tires are more prone to cupping than are bias ply because the compound of radials is softer. Low tire pressure will accelerate this wear pattern and you will lose many serviceable miles. Improper balance has nothing to do with cupping on a motorcycle tire. Improper balance will merely cause your bike to vibrate within certain specific speed ranges. To avoid this cupping and vibration, I have been running 41lbs. of air in the tires and balancing beads in my tires. Balancing beads provide a lifetime balance of the tires providing a smoother ride and longer tread life. I have also installed a fork brace which help take the twisting out of the front forks.

8 FROM YOUR CHAPTER EDUCATOR---KEVIN MASSIE RIGHT HAND MOUNT/DISMOUNT I know it sounds unconventional and it is, but, there are times when a right hand mount/dismount may be the safest thing to do. Such as being on the side of the freeway because you did not heed the weather report and had to stop to put on the rain gear that you should have put on before you left on the ride or you just have to pull over for a mechanical problem. Sure the right thing to do is to get off of the freeway at the next exit but sometimes that next exit is a long ways away and you just have to stop. By mounting your bike from the right you have better control of the bike because you can hold the front brake and you do not have your back to the traffic and you are not on the same side as the traffic. If you already have the bike running and you look for a break in the traffic you can get on and go. When getting on from the left you have your back to the traffic and once you are on have to look in the mirror and turn your head to check the traffic before you go. If you are riding 2-up, practice getting on and off the right hand side. It may be easier to have the co-rider already on the bike before you get on. You can steady the bike by holding the front brake and then have them get on. Once they are on the bike, with the front wheel turned to the left and while holding the front brake with your right hand, place your left hand on the left hand grip, step up onto the right hand foot peg with your right foot and then swing your left foot over/through. It may actually be easier to get on this way because of the fact that by getting up onto the foot peg got me higher off of the ground. To get off of the bike, turn the front wheel all the way to the left grab the front brake with your left hand (the video I saw suggested that this is the proper way), slide to the right onto your right foot and then bring your left foot through. Then still holding the front brake you can have your co-rider dismount. Again you are facing oncoming traffic and you are not on the same side as the traffic. It may be a little easier to just hold the front brake with the right hand and get off of the bike. Either way it does take practice and I think it is something that should be practiced from time to time just in case you should find yourself and your co-rider on the side of the freeway with the traffic speeding by. So before you find yourself in this situation, practice, practice, practice.

9 2016 MONTHLY EVENT SCHEDULE If the weather is not conducive to riding, come in your car and still join in the fun! April 3 Chapter F Members Meeting 6:00-7:00pm, Western Sizzlin on 5720 Roger Ave, Fort Smith, AR 5 Chapter F Lunch Ride: Contact Bruce or Mike Torres Chapter F Ride: Future 12 Chapter F Lunch Ride: Contact Bruce or Mike Torres Chapter F Ride: Future 19 Chapter F Lunch Ride: Contact Bruce or Mike Torres Chapter F Ride: Future 26 Chapter F Lunch Ride: Contact Bruce or Mike Torres Region H Rally: Marshall, TX Info 29 Chapter F Ride: Future May 1 Chapter F Members Meeting 6:00-7:00pm, Western Sizzlin on 5720 Roger Ave, Fort Smith, AR 3 Chapter F Lunch Ride: Contact Bruce or Mike Torres Chapter F Ride: Future 10 Chapter F Lunch Ride: Contact Bruce or Mike Torres Chapter F Ride: Future 17 Chapter F Lunch Ride: Contact Bruce or Mike Torres Texas District Rally: Wichita Falls, TX Info 20 Chapter F Ride: Future 24 Chapter F Lunch Ride: Contact Bruce or Mike Torres Chapter F Ride: Future 31 Chapter F Lunch Ride: Contact Bruce or Mike Torres

10 BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES If your birthday or anniversary is missing or incorrect, please let us know. Contact MARCH 1 st Allen Miller 1 st Bill Brock 5 th Robert Graves 11 th Trish Jennings 12 th Mike Torres 16 th Rueben Jones APRIL 3 rd Kim Skelton 3 rd Ryan Cole 6 th Mike Jones 29 th Becky Cole April 1 st Kevin & Kim Massie 18 th Michael & Nancy Gray

11 ORDER YOUR F TROOP SHIRTS Long Sleeve Tee s $18.36 (printed) Razor Graffix Long Sleeve Dress Shirts $78.81 (embroidered) Creations If you have any questions, contact Joe or Barbara ************************************************************************* We want to hear from you!!! If you have pictures from rides and/or trips you have taken that you would like to share with the chapter, please let us know. newsletter@gwrrafortsmith.com so we can share your adventures.

12 FROM YOUR DISTRICT DIRECTOR- RICHARD & VICKI AUSTIN We are still looking for some District Team members. We need an Asst. District Director, a District MEC and a District Newsletter Editor. If you have an interest in any of these please let know and we do what we can to answer any questions. Our District Rally is in Eureka Springs at the Inn of the Ozarks. The theme of the rally is Riding the Hills. The date of the rally is July 14 and 15. We are going to have venders and games. We are going to have guided rides and a great light show. So mark your calendars and plan on attending. If you want to volunteer and help with putting on the rally let us know. The rally season is going to start off with Louisiana Rally. It is March 30 th thru April 1 st. It is in Lafayette at the Ramada Inn. This is a great rally and we always have a good time every time we go there. The next rally is in Marshall Texas. This is our Region Rally. It is April 27 th thru 29 th. This is another great rally. If you are interested in any of these rallies, go to our district web page and you will find all of the information you need. Ride Safe and Ride Often Richard & Vicki Austin Arkansas District Director Farris Avenue Sherwood, AR director@argwrra.org (501)

13 FROM YOUR DEPUTY DIRECTOR - BY THE BOOK JACK WAGNER Who Chooses Who? As we continue our trek thru the Officer's Handbook, we find the section of the Handbook relating to the officer appointment process to be outdated - the process was changed in In order to find the proper appointment processes for all officers of our Association, one must look at the section titled Officer Appointing Process on the Officer Resources page of the GWRRA website. Hopefully we all know that Directors, Assistant Directors and Educators have always been officers of our Association. Beginning in 2010, Region and District Trainers became officers. In 2011, Membership Enhancement Coordinators and Treasurers at all levels were added as officers. And what may be new news to many is that beginning in 2017, Motorist Awareness Coordinators at the Region and District levels are now also officers of our Association. The appointment process for Operations officers is as follows. Where the box says 'Director', it is referring to the appointing Director for example, when appointing a Chapter Director, the box refers to the District Director; when appointing a District Director, the box refers to the Region Director and so on. For Program Officers, meaning Educators, Treasurers, MECs, Trainers and now MA officers, the process is different from the Operations process. When appointing Program Officers, the Director and the Program Officer one level up are to collaborate and come to a consensus on the appointee. For example, when appointing a Chapter Educator, the Chapter Director and District Educator must reach agreement. The reason for this is that the appointee is not only part of the Director's team, but must also have the knowledge to perform Program specific tasks. The process is as follows.

14 Two other things to remember. The Operations Director assumes primary responsibility and authority for all of the other Programs at his or her level. The second item is that Officer positions are not tied to the tenure of the appointing or co-appointing officer. Just because the appointing or co-appointing officer changes does not mean any of the other officer positions change as well. That said, no one will be 'forced' onto their appointing or co-appointing officer's team should there be an issue, they should all communicate to resolve the concern. The more you know, the better it gets! Jack Wagner GWRRA Deputy Director Region H Trainer

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