Stu & Mary Ellen Hartt, Chapter AB-A Directors

Transcription

1 Hi Everyone, Stu & Mary Ellen Hartt, Chapter AB-A Directors W ell, here we are on our return trip from Wing Ding camping in Moab, Utah and thinking about what route to take to get home while missing as much smoke as possible. Unfortunately, fires are burning everywhere in the West. The devastation is hitting many and we hope people remain safe. We had a picture taken at the BBQ Dinner at Wing Ding. In the picture are Ron & Carol Myers, Gary & Susan Premech, Stu & Mary- Ellen Hartt, Nigel & Bev Glover and missing from the picture were Roger & Irene Mates. (Continued on page 2) Coming Events What s Inside Oct 10 Oct 15 Nov 13 Dec 9 Oct Monthly Meeting (Tuesday due to Thanksgiving on Monday) Bearberry Dinner Ride Nov Monthly Meeting Christmas Party (Party takes the place of monthly meeting) Chapter Directors Words... 2 Where in the World?... 2 August Meeting Notes... 3 Euro Winging News & Notices... 7 Meeting Info... 7 Classifieds & Area Staff... 8 Calgary Area Team... 8 Why I Ride... 9&10 Check It Out! Bearberry Dinner Ride Winter Storage Pair-A-Dice Trikes Meetings are at Fox Hollow Golf Club, 9th Street and 32nd Avenue N.E. Dinner at 6:30; Meeting at 7:00 PM.

2 Wing Wag September 2017 Page 2 (Continued from page 1) While much of Texas was being pounded by Hurricane Harvey, we enjoyed good weather. Regions "J" and "I" were involved in staging the Light Parade and the Grand Parade and they went off without a hitch. Thanks to all those who volunteered. There were just over 4200 participants so numbers were down from last year but the City of Grapevine were wonderful hosts and the Gaylord was an incredible venue! Travel to and from Wing Ding has been great and we have met some great people like Gary from Roy, Montana who opened up his gas station on a Sunday for some Canadian motorcyclists in dire need of fuel. He would not take anything extra for all his appreciated service. I just love the people we meet in small town North America. We also got to visit the Four Corners Monument which allows you to stand in four states at once (Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado & Utah). A wonderful trip with many memories over three weeks. Some great roads, great campgrounds (well some of them), and immense pride in some of the recognition received by a couple of our members at Wing Ding; Tracy Boyda and Roger Matas. We also got to meet up with good friends and make new ones while on our trip. We hope everyone has had a good riding month and that the smoke has not created too much of an individual challenge. We look forward to catching up with everyone. Remember to be safe out there, Stu &Mary-Ellen Hartt Chapter Directors Where is this building located? (With the world's largest skis) (Answer in News and Notices) Submitted by: Lance and Kim Medcalf

3 Wing Wag September 2017 Page 3 Roger Matas was honoured at the final Region J rally. Roger was recognized as Individual of the Year for all his many contributions to our chapter, the region, and GWRRA as a whole. Roger was also awarded his Certified Officer Trainer Certificate at the meeting. Congratulations Roger and thanks for all your efforts on behalf of GWRRA. DAVE GULEICH WON A T-SHIRT STU HARTT WON A T-SHIRT The August meeting had 46 members in attendance. An ARC and 2-Up ARC are in the planning stage hopefully on or about September 23. A First Aid course is being planned for the Fall watch your for details. Ron Syroishka thanked all the volunteers for their work at the Canada 150 event. A special thank you goes to Barry & Marie Lammle for their hospitality and use of their facilities for this wonderful event. RON MYERS WON A T-SHIRT Bearberry Thanksgiving dinner ride October 15, details are on page 13.

4 Wing Wag September 2017 Page 4 Text and photos by Dave & Joanne Gulevich B ucket list check. Riding the amazing Amalfi Coast on our Gold Wing! Yup, that was crazy, what an experience! It is as beautiful as all the pictures you see. Our new theme song, "drive like an Italian." There are thousands of motorbikes and scooters, splitting traffic, darting in and out. I must say, Dave caught on very well to their technique. Never saw another Gold Wing on the coast at all. I think people thought we were a bit nuts. Perhaps we were, but what a great day of riding! En-route to Amalfi, we stayed in our first Palace turned monastery, turned hotel, Ostello Palazzo Pierantoni In Foligno - what a treat! Coolest architecture, great old fireplaces, and painted ceilings. Then the next night, (Continued on page 5)

5 Wing Wag September 2017 Page 5 (Continued from page 4) a great place to base yourself in Abruzzo, for a ski vacation. Rivisondoli-Monte Pratello Ski Resort, the Campo di Giove Ski Resort, we spent a night in a small village in the mountains called Rocca Pia, a town in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy - what an incredible find! Talking to a Canadian we met, from Toronto, Rocca Pia is and the Roccaraso-Aremogna Ski Resort are (Continued on page 6)

6 Wing Wag September 2017 Page 6 (Continued from page 5) a must. OMGOlly, so many places to ski on our bucket list now! Pompeii. This has been a huge history and geography class - Wowsa! After our journey to the coast, we settled into our room in Castellammare di Stabia, our first hotel with a much needed outdoor pool and cold beer, well deserved. After a great nap, we changed into our hiking boots and climbed up to the crater at Mount Vesuvius. Mount Vesuvius is famous as the volcano that erupted in Roman times (AD 79) and buried Pompeii. A hike around the crater's lip comes with spectacular vistas of Naples, its sweeping bay, and Pompeii. As we stood up there, we could only imagine the scene nearly 2,000 years ago, when Vesuvius sent a mushroom cloud of ash, dust, and rocks 12 miles into the sky. For 18 hours straight, spewed ash settled like a heavy snow on We settled into Fiuggi, a town in central Italy, one hour from Rome. Taking an extra day to rest and explore. In love with this town! The town of Fiuggi became famous for its Acqua di Fiuggi (Fiuggi Water) which flows from its natural springs and mountains. The water has been used in Italy since as early as the 14th century and is famous for its natural healing properties. We headed out to explore this fabulous town and drink a gallon of water! Arrivederci.

7 Wing Wag September 2017 Page 7 Greeting Cards: If you know of any member, their spouse, or immediate family who would appreciate receiving a greeting card from our Chapter please contact Judy Istvan, address nucleus.com. Judy will arrange to send the appropriate card on behalf of the Calgary Chapter. Veterans Food Bank: Please remember the men and women who committed themselves to ensure the freedoms that all Canadians enjoy every day of our lives. Bring your non-perishable food items or monetary contributions to the Monthly Chapter Meetings and help support the Veteran's Food Bank. Thank you to all who choose to support this worthwhile cause. High Mileage Challenge 2017: It s time to start the 2017 Distance Challenge. If you did not participate in the 2016 challenge but want to participate in the 2017 challenge be sure to send me your odometer reading before you start riding in If you participated in 2016 I already have your readings. Send odometer readings to telus.net and include "Odometer Reading" in the subject line. If you want you can send a photo of your odometer Flags Link: This is the link to Brian Hooker s Flags Tour website for those interested in taking a look at the adventure. (NOTE: the capitals are needed) Christmas Party: The chapter Christmas party will be at the Linwood Ranch again this year on December 9th, and the price will be $60/person, watch your for further details. Where in the World?: Answer - this is the visitor centre at Hundred Mile House, BC. DAY/DATE MEETING SCHEDULE October Monthly Meeting (Meeting is changed to Tuesday due to Thanksgiving on Monday) November Monthly Meeting December 9... Christmas Party (Christmas party takes the place of the December meeting) 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: 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. Dinner at 6:30 PM; Meeting at 7:00 PM. Rain, snow, or shine, we meet for breakfast every Sunday morning about 9 AM (Fox Hollow opens at 8:00). 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: Fox Hollow Golf Club 9th Street and 32nd Avenue N.E.

8 Wing Wag September 2017 Page 8 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 first Monday of each month. To post an ad or if the item is sold or the offer withdrawn, please contact Lisa Miller at: goldwing calgary.com 1) Long Ride Shield 22" clear, no vent. Brand new. $150 2) Long Ride Shield 22" clear, no vent. Used but still in very good condition. $80 Call Gord Stevenson at if either is of interest to you. 1) Toe/heel shifter, with running boards. (New was $396.) Sell for $200. 2) I have two stock windshields, both with vents. (New, they were about $200.) Sell for $100. ea. 3) Spoiler with brake light, red. For sale, (new was $279.) Sell for $140. CALGARY AREA STAFF Chapter Directors Stu & Mary Ellen Hartt chapter goldwing calgary.com Assistant Chapter Directors Tracy & Elaine Boyda assistant chapter goldwing calgary.com Membership Enhancement Coordinators Lance & Kim Medcalf and goldwing calgary.com Quartermaster Jeff Weber goldwing calgary.com Newsletter Editor Lisa Miller goldwing calgary.com Treasurer Eric Roberts goldwing calgary.com Ride Coordinator Harvey Matthews ride goldwing calgary.com Rider Educator Roger Matas rider goldwing calgary.com Rider Course Instructor Terry Burrill goldwing calgary.com Special Events Coordinator Ron Syroishka goldwing calgary.com Webmaster Roger Matas goldwing calgary.com Call Lance Medcalf at if any of these items are of interest to you. 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. GWRRA NATIONAL LEADERS GWRRA TOLL FREE NUMBER (CANADA & US) Executive Directors Ray & Sandi Garris gwrra.org Region J Directors Gary & Susan Premech Region J Assistant Directors Patrick & Lorraine Frampton Region J Rider Educator Alex Middleton

9 Wing Wag September 2017 Page 9 Article by Keith Code reprinted with permission obtained by Brian Hooker SPECIAL NOTE: This article speaks to rider education and my desire to always improve my skill set for safety, and just overall riding enjoyment. Although this is track focused, it is really what we all do every minute we are on the bike STAY ALIVE. Quite a number of us bought books and DVD s in late 2015 from the writer, and had a great turn out for very informative video The George, in Okotoks October 6, I will try to do another DVD event early in Brian Hooker A philosopher by the name of Immanuel Kant ( ) said that humans have knowledge that precedes and goes beyond their personal experiences. Motorcycle riders prove this to be true because they knew, before ever throwing a leg over a bike, that they d love it. There is an inclination to try to categorize and define this bond. Shall we call riding an art, a passion, a skill, a compulsion, an instinct, a desire, an ego booster, sheer entertainment or simply a challenge? Celebrating my sixtieth year of riding, I still don t know which it is and that doesn t bother me. Why ride? The question has no practical significance, it is a moot point. I knew, from the first moment I considered it, as you probably did too, how it would, could or should feel. Riding fits into an already existing recess in our (riders ) souls, our urge to live, our sense of existence, our core aliveness, our essential being. Deny it at your own risk: enjoy it to your great happiness. Only one point should concern us: losing that sense of discovery. It s that open, childlike view we must preserve where everything is fresh paint and dewy grass except you have a set of bars and a throttle in your paws and where each corner becomes an adventure and a world unto itself. I abandoned trying to discover why I ride long ago. Defining the qualities of a perfect ride; finding that groove where it all flows, where you are there but detached, where all things are obvious and yet simple keeps my passion alive. A good ride has qualities that transcend the moth-goes-to-flame category of experience. Here is a description of some of them that are on my list. I seek the perfect balance of focused but not too focused. Aware of what I am doing but not pushed into it like with my face pressed against a window. Focused more on a result than on the skills or technique I need to get the result. I have to be willing to crash but (Continued on page 10)

10 Wing Wag September 2017 Page 10 (Continued from page 9) not have my attention on crashing. Keep my expectations of how well I'd like to, or think I should, be riding on the back burner. I ve found there is a fine balance between taking small errors in stride and not feeling stuck with them but not ignoring them either; that s a trick: I open up my mental riding software program which allows me to maintain enough free attention to identify an error and hit save so I can later make some decision on what I can do to correct it. Be willing to make changes but always keep in mind that sometimes a very slight change can make a world of difference. That means don t be too darn greedy for change. Realize the instant that my focus is broken and either put it back together immediately or reduce my pace. On the track, I have to separate what a practice session is from a go-for-it session. Trying not to feel weird about it when someone quicker passes me is still a battle. I have to be willing to go slower to learn something new. Give any technique a fair chance of success and try it enough times to know if I can or cannot do it. I always accept coaching that I trust. I know that self- coaching is quirky; it s easy to delude myself and miss what is important. Once I notice some little thing I m doing I try to discover what it is. I keep in mind that riding is a universe unto itself and being a universe it has limitless opportunities to discover its intricacies and one s own connection to them. With all of that in place, I have a great ride. What s on your list? Keith Code California Superbike School

11 Wing Wag September 2017 Page 11 Text and Photos by: Gord and Brenda Stevenson B renda and I have been trying to improve headset clarity and noise levels. Spoiler alert: if you don t want to read the whole article, the preliminary conclusion is that MotoChello Voice Activated VAM) headsets help significantly in a two-up (intercom on) configuration. Read on for details. was fine with that configuration, but I could have used more volume than was available. Apparently my ears are in the wrong place. Frustrating. We supposedly had good helmets and good headsets. I even upgraded to the latest J&M Elite 787's because they were touted as being more efficient and therefore louder. Still marginal. We had Shoei Neotec modular helmets with J&M Elite headsets and faithfully used the chin-covers that minimize air-flow around the microphone but unless the air was dead calm we suffered from wind noise being amplified though the intercom circuit into our headset speakers. On our previous bike we installed Mic-Mutes...and that helps but it is annoying to have to turn on/off the microphones: both for us, and for everyone else in the group. To turn the mics on and off either the rider or the passenger press the CB transmit button. That interrupts everyone s music, and if the beep feature is turned on they also hear that. Beep, beep, beep.a sure way to get voted out of the group. In addition to wind noise, the Wing intercom circuit also picks up electrical noise: a hiss in accessory mode, and then variable engine/alternator noise when the engine is running. We tried custom ear plugs that feature a small hole to allow voice frequencies to be heard. That helped a lot and fatigue through a full day ride was considerably reduced. It is interesting how "white noise" can cause fatigue over the course of a day. However, using the ear plugs required the radio, CB and Intercom volumes to be turned up to maximum settings to hear music and voices properly. Brenda's headset At Wing Ding last fall we stopped at the MotoChello booth. They were selling "Voice Activated Microphone" headsets. Brenda and Dorothy left Jim Baker and I at the booth while we discussed the merits at length with the owners. We tried the demo headsets and they sounded good but of course that was not a real-world test. I questioned them about the rider experience. Jim got to the bottom of the electronic details. It's great to have an avionics expert as an advisor! Maybe not so great for the person doing the selling but they did seem to understand each other. There were coupons. So, I walked away with two MotoChello headsets. Snow came and went. With Spring approaching, buyer s remorse set in briefly. These headsets require the original headset cables (the part wired to the bike) to be replaced because the voice activated headsets require power, and the connectors are not compatible with other headset cables so after changing the bike-side cable only the Motochello headsets connect. They also have a small potentiometer (rotating) style switch to be mounted so that you can adjust the voice activation sensitivity when conditions change. Then there was the practical question about whether to replace the headset in existing helmets or splurge on new ones. We decided to try one new helmet/headset combo be- (Continued on page 12)

12 Wing Wag September 2017 Page 12 (Continued from page 11) fore buying a second or retrofitting the second headset into the existing helmet. Brenda was a lot happier with her current Neotec than I was so we replaced mine first. I went with the Schuberth C3 Pro. The bike-side cable installation was straightforward: remove the left glove box pocket, replace the existing headset cable with the new one (plug it into the same connector), and connect (splice) the additional wire to an accessory power source. Test time! On "accessory" the new headset/ helmet combination worked beautifully. Then we started the bike. Arghh! Electrical/engine noise was very high. OK, two problems: the intercom volume was set far too high (because it was last used with ear plugs); and I had to face up to the fact that the EC Mic Splitter that I had installed last year so that I could make/receive cell phone calls was dramatically increasing electrical noise. The latter was part of the noise the ear plugs had blocked out but now without ear plugs it was unacceptable. Who needs to talk on the phone anyway? Gone. Much better! Off we went on a test ride. The wind noise was reduced because my mic was no longer picking up and amplifying any wind noise. The VAM mic cut in and out seamlessly when I spoke. As we rode up and down the highway it happened that a side-wind picked up and we could hear wind noise pulsing in the speakers. Brenda unplugged her headset and voila! Much better again! You guessed it: off to the helmet store. New helmet: also a Schuberth C3 Pro. Matching colour scheme of course. MotoChello headset installed. Rear bike wiring changed. Another test ride. Yes!!! Major improvement. We still hear wind noise of course: the kind that comes from outside the helmet. But we are not hearing amplified wind noise in the helmet speakers. And without ear plugs we no longer have to crank the volume (and the associated electrical noise). So far so good! In and around the first trip we had a few problems with resilience. First, Brenda s microphone wire inside the helmet broke right next to a connector. We cut out the connector and hard soldered it. That worked. When it was first cutting in and out and we weren t sure what the problem was, John, the owner of MotoChello shipped us a new microphone and new helmet wiring harness, so at some point I can swap in the new parts. Later, I had problem with my microphone and it seemed to be coming from the bike wiring or the electronics packaged with the potentiometer. Again, John shipped a new part. While waiting for the new part, I swapped back in my old helmet (with J&M 787 headset) and we did the July trip with me using the old helmet and J&M headset; and Brenda using the new Schuberth and MotoChello headset. The finding was that 80% of the benefit came from swapping out Brenda s headset since she gets more wind than I do. Then, before swapping back in the replacement part I thought it would be worth trying the old one again. Guess what it worked fine! I don t know what the problem was: I suppose it may have been a loose connection to the bike wiring, but for sure I cannot pin it on the MotoChello. Preliminary conclusions? For those riding alone, a VAM-style headset may be unnecessary because the Intercom can be turned off. In that case, it might not be worth changing the bike-side wiring. For those of us who ride two-up, the change is dramatic and so far, we are very happy with it. Price? The price of the MotoChello s are less than the J&M s when you factor in the separately priced J&M Z cord. Check the web for current pricing. The difference is about the price of the Z cord. (Continued on page 13)

13 Wing Wag September 2017 Page 13 (Continued from page 12) Quality of music? With the bike parked and not running (accessory mode), to my ears the J&M 787s produce slightly higher quality music (more bass), but for us the noise reduction benefits of having a voice activated microphone is far more important to sound quality. With all the background noise the J&M's music quality is lost anyway. At highway speed the MotoChello (without all the amplified noise) sounds far better. CB Quality? Others say that my CB transmissions are very clear and because there is much less ambient noise I can hear others transmissions much better. Resilience? Really the only failure I can pin (somewhat) on MotoChello is the broken microphone wire in Brenda s helmet. But was that more of an installation error? Hard to say. My feeling is that the MotoChello uses fairly fine-guage wiring inside the helmet: similar and maybe the same as EdSets, so you need to be careful about placement of wiring and particularly not to install it so that there is a bend in wires right next to a connector. Also, the cable connections between the helmet and lower cables have fairly light duty metal that is quite easy to bend. So, my feeling is that we will need to be a little more careful and maybe carry a few spare parts. On the other hand, J&M cables routinely fail and they are expensive. Six of one and half a dozen of the other. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. Are we sure? Not yet. We need to use the Moto- Chellos on longer trips and over time to validate early conclusions and determine how resilient they are. But so far so good! BEARBERRY FALL TURKEY DINNER RIDE The Bearberry Fall Turkey Dinner Ride has become a very popular event and has been well received by our membership. Last year the Community served over 500 meals. So once again I will be sponsor this Ride which will lead us to a succulent turkey dinner with all the fixings and delicious home made desserts. ALL YOU CAN EAT!!! HISTORY LESSON: Many people from all over the world settled in Bearberry in the early years of the last century. Many of their families still live in the area. During the last two decades more and more people from the cities moved to Bearberry because of the peace and quietness found here. Cattle coyotes and domestic wildlife are part of the community. It is estimated that approximately 130 Households are part of the Bearberry area. Don t look for high rise building.the downtown Is marked by the Community Hall, Heritage & Arts Centre and the Saloon. Date: Sunday, October 15, 2017 Location: Bearberry Community Centre, located 25 kms west of Sundre, at the base of the foothills in southwest central Alberta and close to the east border of Banff National Park. Meeting place: Fox Hollow Golf Club, we will leave at a.m. SHINE OR RAIN! Cost: Their website identified the date and reported that details would follow (an update will be provided later). (last years Cost: Adult $15; Children (6 12 years) - $6; Children 5 & under Free. Pay at the door. EVERYONE IS MOST WELCOME TO JOIN US YOU MAY CHOOSE TO TRAVEL BY MOTORCYCLE OR CAR, ETC. YOUR CHOICE. And, no we will not be leading you down any forestry trunk roads. We had 25 attendees last year and would like to meet or exceed that number. If you are planning to attend, please contact Ron Syroishka at telus.net or call by Friday October 13, Riding Strong & Free, Ron Syroishka

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