Friends for Fun, Safety, & Knowledge Established November Chapter PA-A

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1 Friends for Fun, Safety, & Knowledge Established November Chapter PA-A Gold Wing Road Riders Association September 2018 Edition 1 Volume 20 From the Chapter Director Sorry this is getting out a little late in the month. It has really been busy for me the past couple of months and time got away from me. As most of you know by now, Pat and I have downsized and moved into a new house we had built. It is only 7 miles from the old house, so we will frequent the same places we are accustomed to. Many of you know that moving is no easy task. We had been in the old house for 29 ½ years and accumulated a lot of stuff. As George Carlin said in one of my favorite sketches, a house is just a place to store your stuff. Boy did we accumulate a lot of Stuff. We had a yard sale, sold stuff on Craigslist, gave away some things, and donated a lot to the thrift store. We can have another yard sale after we get the new house situated. The new house is coming along pretty well. We have been in it for over a month now. I had it a month before we moved in. I painted some rooms and the over-sized 3 car garage before we moved in. Once certain things were put in place they were not going to be moved to paint over the flat builder s white. I lost a few pounds painting that garage in 90- degree weather. Needless to say, the ceiling only got a primer coat. It took two days to do, and my arms hurt for 2 days afterwards. We have a lot of things in place and have cleared some boxes out of the garage. (There were over 70 of them.) We took a week off the end of last month to attend Wing Ding. It was a nice bit of R&R to get away from the house and not think about what still needed to be done for a while. It was a nice trip and we had fun as usual. My brother came down from Buffalo, N.Y. so it was good to hang out with him for a while. We stopped in Staunton, Va. on the way down to Knoxville and stayed at the same hotel with members of PA-Y. We hung out with them that evening and joined them for a ride down a portion of Skyline Drive Monday NEW!! Gathering Update We are trying something new for Chapter A. Instead of a breakfast gathering, our next gettogether will be a dessert ride (or dinner and dessert) on Thursday, October 11 Not a member? Want to join? Go to gwrra.org morning. After we got back to Rt. 81 we took off on our own again. We ran through 2 bands of heavy rain after that. None lasted more than 15 minutes, but you could not see in front of you. I have a windshield wiper installed on my bike. I pushed the button and it went across 1 ½

2 times, then stopped straight up in the middle of the windshield. It did me no good. I had to look around the windshield to see what was in front of me. There was a tractor trailer on my right, and the median on my left so I could not pull over. We were riding in bright sunshine when the skies just opened up. There was no time to put on rain gear. We were dry in less than 20 minutes after we got in the clear. The rain helped to cool us down since the temps were in the upper 80s. not as much as some other Wing Dings. I have most of what I need for my trike. There may be some things I Want, but that s another story. If you ever get to Knoxville and want some really good soul food to eat and reasonable prices, check out Jackie s Dream. It was recommended by a worker at the convention center. It did not disappoint. m/ The trip home on the Sunday before Labor Day was bright and sunny the whole way. Traffic was moving good and a bit lighter than normal. I guess it was because of the holiday on Monday. We passed the members of PA-Y we hooked up with on the way down on Rt. 81 in Virginia. I don t know if they stopped on the way back. We were rolling so good we ended up coming all the way home (630 miles). I asked Pat how she felt in Harrisonburg, Va. and she said go for it. After we got home she said, we re not doing that again. I think that is the furthest I ve gone in one day myself. It was fun, but I was ready to kick back for a while. Chapter A had our gathering on Sunday. We were joined by PA District Directors Harold and Diane Jackson, and 9 members of PA-B. They had 31 members that attended Wing Ding in Knoxville. We also had a new member to GWRRA, Jim Underwood, that joined us. Say hello to him when you see him. He lives in Avondale, has a newly purchased 2007 GL1800, and likes to ride This was our second Wing Ding in Knoxville. I think this one went a little better than the last one. There are some good roads in the area to ride. I spent money in the vendor area as usual, but

3 From the Newsletter Editor Besides trying out a weeknight gathering instead of a weekend breakfast, we are going to try going to Chester Springs Creamery (last date we got rained out). We will meet on Saturday, October 6 at 2:30 p.m. for ICE CREAM! Plan to come out. It is at 521 E. Uwchlan Avenue, Chester Springs, PA. If you have news to share, send me an at vrblackcloud@comcast.net and I ll be sure to include it. In the meantime, ride safe. From the District Directors Sometimes it is hard to write about next month when there are so many events happening at the end of the current month. So, lets start with what is happening in September then we will go back and talk about the end of August. The month starts off with the unofficial end of summer celebration, Labor Day. But, we know it is not the end of riding season. Thank you for updating the PA District Events Schedule on our webiste. Please join in the FUN! We plan on seeing you on Saturday, September 8 at 2 pm for Pies, Pies, Pies in Blairsville for the District ride-in to Dean s Diner. The pies are homemade, and they make 25 different kinds daily. So, please plan on riding to Blairsville and join us for pie. No reservations necessary however, if you or your chapter plan on attending, please let us know. Then we can give the diner an idea as to how many will be participating. The PA District Raffle Tickets will be distributed this month. The program will be the same as last year. The tickets sell for $5.00 and are based on the Pennsylvania Lottery Pick 4 evening drawing held in February Let s get out and sell as many tickets as we can, this program supports many of the activities we have at the chapter and district level. The registration form for the PA District Rally Ride of the Roses, May 16-18, 2019 at the Wyndham Garden in York, PA will be distributed. Make sure you take time to review the registration and get it in early if you plan on attending any of the special events, many of them have limited space. Don t forget everyone is eligible for the $100 drawing if you are registered by February 28, Do you enjoy All Chapters West or All Chapters East? We are looking for two chapters; one to host All Chapters West and the other to host All Chapters East. Chapters that have hosted these events have had a great time and it is a nice fundraiser for the chapter. If your chapter would like more information or you have questions, please feel free to contact me. Thank you to PA-I for hosting a Road Captain s Course. The sky was dark many times during the day, but when it was time to practice what was learnt in the classroom it was a beautiful day. Thank you to everyone that participated. Many of us will be coming home from Wing Ding, the National Rally was held in Knoxville, TN. Thank you PA District for the huge attendance at Wing Ding. Again, thank you to all the volunteers that helped with ticket sales! We hope everyone had a great time and had a safe ride to and from Wing Ding. School is back in session. Please watch for children, give yourself extra time to get places, and obey the school bus traffic laws. Remember to always ride safe! Harold and Diane Jackson Your PA District Directors From the District Educator Hi everyone: Now that fall is upon us, let s take a few minutes and talk about Motorcycle Safety and RIDING DURING THE FALL SEASON. Fall is finally here, and the cooler days and reduced number of evening storms mean it is time to get the bike / trike out of the garage. Some people actually prefer to ride in cooler temperatures. Before you can ride, there are a lot of things to check, but let s

4 focus on the two/three items that separate your bike from the pavement your tires. Your tires are the two/three most important things on your bike. If you think about it, your tires are the only thing keeping your bike from being a 1,000-pound paperweight. Check your tire pressure against the specified pounds-per-squareinch in your motorcycle owner s manual. Colder weather can cause your tire pressure to drop five psi. Even under ideal temperatures, your bike s tires will lose air pressure each month. Riding on under-inflated tires will cause your fuel efficiency to be reduced, the tires to wear unevenly and most importantly, your bike to handle improperly. Take 30 seconds each morning before you ride and check your tire pressure. If you check your tires every day and they lose a pound every month and suddenly you lose five psi in one tire, you might have a serious issue like a nail in the tire, dry rot or even a bent wheel rim. If you don t check your tire pressure, you may be thumbing a ride or worse. It is important to check your tire pressure when your tires are cold. Tires are considered to be cold when you have ridden less than a mile or after your bike has been parked for three hours. If you are forced to check your tire pressure when hot, you will need to add four psi to the recommended pressure specified in your owner s manual. Be sure to recheck the tire pressure again when the bike has cooled down. What if you check the tires when they are hot and the pressure is too high? Don t worry about it. Normal riding will cause the tires to heat up and increase the tire pressure. When the tires cool down, you will probably find the tires are at the right cold air pressure. If your tires consistently loose more than two psi per month, the tire, valve or wheel rim may be damaged. If this is the case put the bike in the bed of the truck and take it to a dealer to have it looked at. If your wheels have an inner tube which is leaking, the tube can rupture. When the tube has a catastrophic failure at even 45 mph, your riding skills will be put to the test. One last thought: valve caps. Yes, valve caps, those little 25 cent items keep the valve core clean and free of debris and help keep the pressure where it s wanted. Yes, your tires are critical to safe riding, but with minor care you can keep the air in the tires and your bike off the ground. Ride Safe & Ride Proud Chuck & Evelyn Stone PA District Educators

5 Chapter PA-A Team Chapter Director Ben Robinson (610) Assistant Chapter Director Neil Paules (610) Treasurer and Newsletter Editor Mitzi Krauss (610) Chapter Educator Jim Smith (610) Membership Enhancement Dave Dittus (610) Special Events and Rides Fred Kalck Tom Keiper Birthdays 9/1 Michael Falk 9/6 Bob Paton 9/8 Deneen Falk 9/11 Darlene Kirch 9/12 Jim (Smitty) Smith 9/13 Cathy Ohlson 9/14 Darlene Meyers 9/15 Fred Kalck 9/22 Joani Wendel Upcoming Events Sept. 29, 2018: Chapter V s Annual Picnic (see flyer in this newsletter) Oct. 13, 2018: Chapter K s Dice Run (see flyer in this newsletter) May 16, 17, 18, 2019: PA District Ride of the Roses (see flyer in this newsletter) Chapter A website: hhe ttps://sites.google.com/vi ew/gwrrapaa From the Infirmary Lee was back in the hospital with a form of pneumonia which was caused by aspirating fluid from his esophagus into his lungs. After 9 days the pneumonia cleared, and he now has a feeding pump to regulate his intake. We made it to the gathering on the 16 th. He s doing much better and slowly gaining a little strength. National, Regional, and District Officers President of GWRRA Anita Alkire Presidential Assistants Tom & Renee Wasluck PA District Directors Harold & Diane Jackson Assistant District Directors Mike & Shirley Prince Assistant District Directors Brownie & June Statler District Treasurer Sharon & Ed Golanka Membership Enhancement Pat Delo COY Coordinators Barry & Rhonda Blyler District Educator Chuck & Evelyn Stone District Trainer Gerry & Bonnie Vanart District Newsletter Editor Pat Cole PA District Webmaster Mike & Darlene Ammerman PA District Couple of the Year Dave & Cindy Marconi District Website: Anniversaries 9/9 Bob & Kathy Felix 9/20 Brian & Darlene Meyers 9/24 Steve & Darlene Kirch 9/30 Dave & Valentina Dittus

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7 DICE RUN HOSTED BY GWRRA PA CHAPTER K SPONSORED BY VELOCITY CYCLES 6653 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, PA Date: October 13, 2018 (Saturday) Time: Registration from 9-11 a.m. Last bike out at 11 a.m. Cost: $5.00 per person Awards Ceremony: 2:30 p.m. (50/50 & prizes) COMPLIMENTARY HOT DOGS, CHIPS AND WATER. Depart from and return to Velocity Cycles. Route is approximately 70 miles long.

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