April, Volume 17, Issue 4 G.W.R.R.A., REGION H, TEXAS DISTRICT, CHAPTER W. Chapter TX-W Director Cindy Harris. Our Meeting Place and Time

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1 April, 2016 Volume 17, Issue 4 G.W.R.R.A., REGION H, TEXAS DISTRICT, CHAPTER W Chapter TX-W Director Cindy Harris Happy April to All, March weather was very good to us for riding. Chapter W had some great rides to different locations and with all the comments I heard they were all very good destinations. Lucky Suzanne won the 50/50 money at the April meeting. Sorry Vernon but I don t think she will be sharing that with you LOL. Don t forget we have tickets for the Yeti Cooler, Tumblers & Coasters for the District Rally still available. Tickets are $5.00 each/3 for $10.00/8 for $ If you wish to purchase any please see Janice Gilbert or me. If you are planning on going to the Texas District Rally in May we will be talking about the plans for riding up together at the Planning Meeting on April 21 which will be held at the 9ers Grill in Richmond, TX. Other Chapter W events will be: April 16 Cindy Harris will be leading a ride to???? More info to follow. April 19 6 th Annual Police MC Training & Skills in Grand Prairie, TX. See Jack Johnson as he will be going to that with an overnight stay. April 29 May 1 - Chapter W Campout in Waller, TX at the Lone Star Yogi Bear Campground. Please contact Suzanne Neal for more info. If you just want to join us on Saturday we will be having a pot luck Taco Dinner. Suzanne has a signup sheet if you are interested in bringing something. Lynn, Faith and I went over to the Chapter O Rally in Fredericksburg this weekend and had an awesome time camping and having fun with other Wingers. The riding was great and saw lots of flowers and wildlife. Pictures are later on in the newsletter so check them out. If you haven t been to any of the Chapter Rallies or District Rallies you should try and attend one just to meet some other great Wingers that are in our area. Thank you all for showing your Chapter pride at our meetings by wearing our Chapter shirts, vests or other GWRRA items. Cindy Harris Chapter Director Our Meeting Place and Time GWRRA Texas Chapter "W" holds its chapter meetings on the first and third Thursdays of the month. The first currently at Rudy s BBQ, Katy Freeway, Katy, TX (I-10 just east of Mason Rd.). The second will move month to month so see our calendar. The first is our regular chapter meeting while the second meeting is an informal planning meeting/social gathering. Meetings are held at 7:00 P.M. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. Come early and enjoy dinner with the chapter.

2 VOLUME 17 ISSUE 4 APRIL, 2016 PAGE 2 NORTHWEST HONDA North Freeway West Road) Houston, Texas YOUR ONE STOP TOY SHOP HONDA DUCATI Tuesday thru Friday: 9am to 7 pm Saturday: 9am to 5pm Parts: Service: Sales: Fax: (281) (281) (281) (281)

3 VOLUME 17 ISSUE 4 APRIL, 2016 Wheel Traps Well, what would you call them? By: James R, Davis PAGE 3 As agile as we know our motorcycles are there are times when two wheels simply are not up to the tasks we present to them - unless we know HOW. For example, assume you are riding along and notice that there is a trough in the middle of the road extending for as far as the eye can see. It also just happens to be about four inches wide and about one inch deep. Like a magnet, that trough sucks your front wheel into it, the rear wheel obligingly joins it and suddenly your wheels are trapped. You cannot steer out of it. OK, OK, I can hear it now: 'Get real!' Fine, so it's not down the center of the road. It's along side and some people would call it a rain gutter. Or it is down the middle of the road, but it only has one side - they resurfaced the road, one lane higher than the one next to it. Or you eased off the pavement and there was about a one inch drop to the apron beyond. Or you are on a surface street and pull over to the curb and your front tire slides right up against the curb, parallel to it. You get the picture. There are all kinds of traps out there that we don't normally have to deal with but that can be encountered at any time, and you will have no choice but to deal with them. In every case I described above the problem is that you must either ride up and over one side of the obstacle or you must turn away from that obstacle - both of which turn out to be more difficult than first expected. The problem, of course, is that you often simply cannot turn your wheel because it *IS* trapped. An effort to turn away from the curb that your front tire is hugging finds that the rear edge of the tire must push against the curb in order for

4 VOLUME 17 ISSUE 4 APRIL, 2016 PAGE 4 the front edge to turn away from it. A mere one inch of height is sufficient to stop you cold - your bike will fall over before you can turn the wheel. In this particular case you have no choice but to stop completely, lean the bike away from the trap, and walk the bike free. Never get within 6" of a raised surface that runs parallel to the direction you are moving! If the surface is only 1" high you can ride over it without much concern so long as you approach it at any meaningful angle. (Greater than 20 degrees.) Anything higher than about 1" and you must put as great an angle of attack to it as possible. Ideally you want to cross over it with a 90 degree (perpendicular) angle. Always approach a trap that you must cross over with more than a 20 degree attack angle. It is not so much that you should fear that your front tire will fail to get over the trap, it is that you must be concerned about getting your rear tire over it. What happens if your attack angle is low is that you instinctively turn your front wheel into the trap to get over it, so it does, but your rear tire, having a lower attack angle, slides along the trap rather than going over it. This immediately twists your bike into the turn and presents an ever increasing attack angle for that rear tire. At some point (quickly) the attack angle will be sufficient and the rear tire will grab and ride over the obstacle. Unfortunately, while it was sliding along you and your bike turned the front wheel in the direction of the slide. Thus, when that rear tire grabs it is analogous to the classic conditions of a highside. About 2/3s of a second later you will hit the ground. Before trying to ride over a trap that is relatively close to you, turn away from it and then towards it in order to build the largest attack angle possible. About 1/2 second before your front tire hits the obstacle, accelerate. That unloads your front shocks. At the same time shift your weight to your pegs and lift your butt off the seat. When the rear tire hits the trap the rear-end of the bike will get quite a vertical jolt - possibly enough to throw you off the seat and cause you to have to fight for control if you have not already raised that derriere. Copyright by The Master Strategy Group, all rights reserved.

5 VOLUME 17 ISSUE 4 APRIL, 2016 PAGE 5 May, 2016 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Upcoming Events for May 5th Chapter Meeting th-21st Texas District Rally Check our web site calendar for last minute events If you re a rider in Texas, motorcycle insurance from Suzanne Sansom Insurance Services Inc. can protect both you and your bike. At Suzanne Sansom Insurance Services Inc., we believe that good insurance is no accident and our dedicated agents will take the time to find you insurance products that are reliable and affordable. We are an independent agency and we will shop for the top carriers in the country to satisfy all of your personal insurance needs S. Mason Rd., Suite 260 Katy, TX Phone: Fax: suzanne@sansominsurance.com Motorcycle ~ Life ~ Auto ~ Home ~ Commercial

6 V O LU M E 1 7 I S S U E 4 A P R I L, Robert & Kathy Hood, Winners at St. Patrick s Day Yankee s Tavern, Carlos PAGE 6

7 VOLUME 17 ISSUE 4 APRIL, 2016 PAGE 7 Garden Company Marketplace, Schulenburg

8 V O LU M E 1 7 I S S U E 4 A P R I L, Chapter O Rally, Fredericksburg PAGE 8

9 VOLUME 17 ISSUE 4 APRIL, 2016 PAGE 9 April Birthdays John Bourg, 17th Kathy Wilkening, 25th Steve Wilkening, 26th Anniversaries None we know of

10 VOLUME 17 ISSUE 4 APRIL, 2016 PAGE 10 From: Deanna Cisson <deanna@wingersnwaves.com> Date: Wed, Mar 30, 2016 Subject: Invite - WINGERS-N-WAVES 2016 Hi all - We are so happy you were able to join us for the WINGERS cruise last year! I ve attached a flyer and wanted to know if you will forward it to as many Chapters, family and friends as possible. I know many of the Chapters will include the attached flyer into their newsletters. We have an EXCELLENT group rate (please see the attached). However, a limited number of cabins at the reduced group rate. The special rate is open to all who would like to join the FUN! FYI. We have a few cabins open for the WINGERS 12 day Alaska Cruisetour June 6, 2016 All of the information is posted on the website at or call (386) Thank you very much Deanna

11 VOLUME 17 ISSUE 4 APRIL, 2016 PAGE 11 FLEXING OUR WINGS A LITTLE TEXAS HISTORY Battle of San Jacinto (21 April 1836) Sam Houston and the meager army of Texas retreated eastward following the fall of the Alamo in the spring of The troops were becoming increasingly impatient, however, by the time they reached Buffalo Bayou, a few miles southeast of present day Houston. On the morning of the April 19, the Texans crossed over and marched down the right bank of Buffalo Bayou to within half a mile of its confluence with the San Jacinto River. Here, the army prepared their defenses on the edge of a grove of trees. Their rear was protected by timber and the bayou, while before them was an open prairie. On the following morning, Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna came marching across the prairie in battle array. A volley from the Texan's "Twin Sisters" artillery brought him to a sudden halt. Falling back to a clump of trees a quarter of a mile distant, Santa Anna formed in line of battle. Colonel Sidney Sherman, at the head of the Texas cavalry, charged the Mexican army, but accomplished little except to inspire the Texans with fresh enthusiasm for the following day. The 21st of April dawned bright and beautiful. The main forces of the Texas army were there, totaling about 750 men. They faced over 1500 of the enemy, secure and flushed with pride at the offense they had enjoyed for the previous few weeks against the Texans. Early in the morning, Houston sent Deaf Smith, the celebrated Texas spy, with two or three men, to destroy Vince's bridge over which the Mexican army had passed, thus cutting off their only available escape. When Houston's long awaited order to advance was given, the Texans did not hesitate. When within seventy yards the word "fire" was given, the Texan shouts of "Remember the Alamo" and "Remember Goliad" rang along the entire line. Within a short time, 700 Mexicans were slain, with another 730 taken as prisoners. The battle for Texas was won. A panel on the side of the monument at San Jacinto today underscores the importance of the battle after more than a century and a half of reflection: "Measured by its results, San Jacinto was one of the decisive battles of the world. The freedom of Texas from Mexico won here led to annexation and to the Mexican War, resulting in the acquisition by the United States of the States of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Utah, and parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas and Oklahoma. Almost one-third of the present area of the American nation, nearly a million square miles of territory, changed sovereignty."

12 VOLUME 17 ISSUE 4 APRIL, 2016 PAGE 12 Katy home of the 2016 Goldwing and the Can-Am Spyder KATY FWY Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon HOURS 9:00 am 6:00 am 9:00 am 6:00 am 9:00 am 6:00 am 9:00 am 6:00 am 9:00 am 6:00 am Closed Closed KATY, TX Phone: Fax: About Us Located in Katy, Texas since Wild West Honda is an authorized dealer for Honda, Kawasaki, BMW, YAMAHA, KTM, Sea-Doo, & Can-Am. Click, Call, or Come on by! Chapter W Officers Position Name Phone Number Chapter Director Cindy Harris (386) Assistant Chapter Director Vern Neal (713) Treasurer Janice Hill (281) Membership Enhancement OPEN Newsletter Editor Steve Wilkening (713) Chapter Educator OPEN Chapter Historian Jim Vardaman (281) Ride Coordinator Roger Caron (832) Webmaster Steve Wilkening (713)