Lake Erie Chapter # 3738

Transcription

1 April Activities Lake Erie Chapter # 3738 LOH Meeting Rally For the Troops Pancake Breakfast Sponsored By: Chester Avon Ohio Volume 1 Issue 58 May 2010 Inside this issue: Kiks Stand 1 Ringo Says 2 Activities 2 Membership 3 Safety 3 Dead Battery 3 Road Captain 4 L:eesburg FL 5 Minutes 6 May Activities 8 June Activites 9 Officers 10 Kiks Stand - Director John Kikol WOW APRIL, what a month for riding. Who would have thought that we would enjoy such a great month in Cleveland. Although the weekend forecasts for rain did limit some weekends in general it a record setting month. On April 25 th the 8 th Annual Rally for Troops was held in downtown Cleveland and the weather forecast was for 70% thunderstorms. Fortunately, the sun shined that morning and the Rally again enjoy great weather honoring Ohio s Fallen Heroes and our veterans. Thanks to those members of the chapter that supported the Rally. During May there are several events planned for the HOG chapter with the Blessing of the bikes on Saturday May 8 th. Additionally, Charlotte, Jerry and Ken have planned the events and riding schedule for the entire riding season. I strongly recommend that you reserve a hotel room for any of the overnight rides if you are planning on the rides to Gettysburg or the Blue Ridge Parkway. Rooms are limited and you can cancel up to the day of your reservation if changes occur and you can t make the ride. North America, military drill teams and dance teams for a great evening of entertainment. Tickets are available at the dealership and there is now a $10 discount available to Veterans, Law Enforcement Officers and Firefighters/EMS. If you have any questions please me at kiksharley@aol.com. Our chapter membership and attendance at our chapter meeting has been excellent. Thanks to all for your support. Remember this is your chapter and your involvement is what makes us different from all the other HOG chapters. Ride safe and always look both ways TWICE before pulling into traffic. John KIKS Kikol Director Lake Erie HOG Chapter The Firefighters Memorial Ride is Sunday, May 30 th and you must pre-register at Lake Erie Harley Davidson if you plan to participate in that ride. No registration the day of the ride. On May 22 nd the Greater Cleveland Police Officers Memorial Society presents the International Police Tattoo at the Cleveland Public Auditorium. There will be police pipes and drums band performing from all over

2 Page 2 Lake Erie Chapter # 3738 Page 2 Lake Erie Chapter # 3738 Ringo Says - Ron Long Assistant Director Hello all Most of you know that some of the officers went to POT (Primary Officer Training) in Raleigh, North Carolina. Dennis and I rode down. It was about 50 degrees or so when we left. The further south we went the colder it got. It finally started to warm up some where in Virginia. When we rolled into NC., it was nice and warm. It took us a little over 11 hours to get there (610 miles). The trip was worth it, we had two days of learning. We want to take some of the things we learned and share it with the rest of you. We decided to start heading home after the last class on Saturday. We stopped after riding about 150 miles and each got a room at a Best Western in Mt. Airy, NC. When we got up on Sunday morning it was about 37 degrees. Thankfully it warmed all the way up 41 when we left. It never got over 45 all the way home some 450 miles and yes it was COLD! Those of you that are going to the Ohio State Hog Rally, I hope that you have rooms. I had to call at least three times before I got one. If anyone is planning on riding down on Thursday and wants to tag along, get in touch with me and we can make arrangements to meet. I plan on leaving on Thursday about noon. I will also be taking orders for the jackets we talked about at the last meeting. They are $56.00 each if we get at least 12. You can pay either by cash or check. Make the check out to Ron Long. I will be a the Blessing of the Bikes on the 8 th and at the Bike and Car show on the 22 nd. You can also send me the money at 726 Case Ave, Elyria, Oh I hope to have the first order in the mail right after the next meeting. All I need for those of you that are ordering one is your name, phone # and what size you want oh, and the money. If anyone has any questions, feel free to call me at and leave a message. I will call back. That is all for now, see ya somewhere Ride safe and have fun Ron Ringo Long Activities - Charlotte Bledsoe April proved to be one of our most beautiful spring months in a very long time. I had the opportunity to attend my first POT training in Raleigh, NC. While interacting with fellow activities officers from around the Country, ideas were shared with the hope of bringing new ideas to our Chapter. I was pleased to realize that a Chapter of our size is far more superior with the amount of activities and rides than most. I was proud to be a representation for Lake Erie HOG in this division. Most thanks goes to those before me who paved the way. In April, thanks to some quick thinking, the scheduled Matus ride was changed in the nick of time to the Hot Rod Cafe in New Philly due to (oops) Matus Winery being closed on Sunday. Many brave souls rode bikes on that cold, windy day and others were surprised when they got to our destination (Donna Augustine). The ride for the Rally for the Troops is always an emotional event - it's unfortunate that the weather was not more cooperative but, it was still a good turnout supporting the troops. I'm back from 2300 miles of travel on the bike with my best friend - visiting with our children and grandchild but I'm also back to reality (and I have the iron butt to prove it). We had a beautiful April and while not wishing our days away, wishing for more beautiful days of riding in May. We begin our May events with the Blessing of Bikes at the dealership on Saturday May 8th. On Sunday, May 16th, our Chapter ride will be to the Mansfield Reformatory staging from two locations. Ken has provided all details on the web site. Saturday, May 22nd, the dealership will be hosting the Bike and Car Show. The dinner ride following the Chapter Meeting on May 27th will be to the Moosehead in Amherst. On Sunday, May 30th, we honor our firefighters with the Firefighters Memorial Ride. Please be mindful that our Chapter Picnic will be held on Saturday, June 6th at 3:00 p.m. at Amvets Post 32 in Elyria. Looking forward to good food, fellowship, and maybe even some horseshoe, cornhole and biking competions while we share a meal together. Everything is provided. Everyone invited and encouraged to attend. We welcome all new members. Have fun, ride safe. Charlotte

3 Volume 1 Issue 58 Page 3 Membership - Bob Adamich We keep growing! We now have 198 members of which 155 are renewals and 43 new; 152 full members and 46 associate members! Please renew your National Membership before it expires as I will have to suspend you local memberships if this happens until it is renewed! Ride Safe! Bob Adamich Safety - John Gudin Well this month I will tell the thought of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation on Engine Braking and Brake Lights. Engine braking is a great technique to use in addition to, or instead of, brake application, depending on the circumstance. For twisty roads, where you don t need full-force braking, not only dose downshifting-combined with a quick throttle blip to bring the revs up a bit, and smooth release of the clutch lever-slow your bike pre-corner, it prepares you for acceleration as you near the exit of the corner. For normal stopping and slowing, downshifting keeps you in the right gear in case you need to make a quick move (such as a swerve) or in case traffic picks up or the light changes to green before you come to a complete stop. One disadvantage of this technique is the lack of corresponding brake light activation. However, that s only an issue if there are vehicles behind you whose drivers will benefit from seeing the light. Since you re an alert, you will have been glancing in your rear-view mirrors frequently and will know what, if anything, is behind you. When there s traffic behind you, even if it s in adjacent lanes (or even if there s no traffic, just to help you develop the habit), combine your engine braking with a couple of taps on the brake pedal. Be sure to adjust your rear brake light actuator so the light is triggered during the early part of the pedal application, before the brake is fully applied. Brake lights and turn signals are primary ways riders and drivers can talk to each other on the road. Part of the fun of motorcycling is achieving precise coordination of throttle, shifting, clutching and braking in any situation-becoming one with your motorcycle. Toward that oneness with your motorcycle, there will be a group riding class at on Saturday, May 15, at 10:00 AM. Cost is $ This is a classroom activity. This is a great chance for new members to find out about all that crazy hand jive!! Ride Safe and I will see you on the road. John A Battery Can Stop You - Ken Unger Not that big one under but that little button battery in your security fob. On the newer (07 and up I believe) you need to change the battery on an annual basis. Of course there is the manual disarm pattern (you all know that pattern don t you) but, the battery can go dead without any warning. So make sure you get that battery replaced on a regular basis and even consider carrying a spare. ( That would be a CR Volt button battery)

4 Page 4 Lake Erie Chapter # 3738 Road Captains Corner - Jerry Ciganko New Stuff Well, April is gone and May is here! Looking at the signup sheets shows between 11 and 25 bikes (12 to 40 people) signed up for each ride. That is roughly two and a-half times the average number of riders on last year s rides! 39 members (25 bikes) have signed up for the Gettysburg overnighter, 17 members (14 bikes) have signed up for the Blue Ridge Parkway Ride, 21 members (13 bikes) have signed up for the Hot Air balloon Ride and 35 members (22 bikes) have signed up for the Sternwheeler Ride. 28 members (16 bikes) is the average for the day rides. We have 16 rides this year (one sign-up sheet was missing (Mon Ami ride 9/5) we ll have that out in upcoming meetings). All hotel reservation information has been obtained and posted on the website. Many thanks to Ken Unger and Charlotte Bledsoe for making this happen. The first ride of the season is over and no one actually froze, but close! I applaud all the brave souls who came and made it down to New Philly and back. I don t think it ever got over 50 and there was no sun. I am glad my bike came with heated handgrips! Everyone came prepared and rode well except for one lane change. All rides should be so smooth! I have received a number of interesting ride ideas from members, the most from Joe Conway: Thanks, Joe! If anyone has any ideas for rides, please submit them. The pre-ride meetings this year will spend more time on the lane changing process. Hopefully, by the end of the year we ll look like a drill team! For those of you who don t know; the ride captains this year are: Jim Augustine, Mary Ann Ciganko, Mike Cotrufo, Tom Easterday, John Gudin, Jim Mayes, Dennis Mullen, Ken Unger, and yours truly. As you may have noticed, many of these members are also fulfilling other chapter functions. If you would like to help the chapter as a road captain, fill out the form on the website, submit it to me, and we ll discuss your application and experience relevant to the position. Repeat of last month but worth mentioning An additional join-up location (not all rides) for riders who may not want to ride to the dealership for rides whose routes bring them close to their home locations. The first one is the Mansfield Ride and the pick-up location is the Wal-Mart parking lot in Oberlin. Always check the website for additional information and changes. On the overnight rides (and maybe some day rides) highways (interstates) will be required. I would recommend members going on rides that involve toll roads to consider getting the E- ZPass. See Ken Unger (Webmaster) for detail articles. Also, the major rides (Gettysburg and Blue Ridge) will have a separate pre-ride riders meeting prior to the departure date. The dates (some time in June and July) will be on the website and in the newsletter. With the larger ride group sizes anticipated this year, observation of proper group riding practices is extremely important. The rider s meeting is extremely important. It will start at no later than 20 minutes prior to the start of the ride. Plan on it beginning 30 minutes prior to the start of the ride on longer rides. Please arrive in time to stage the bikes. Depending on the number of riders, plan on arriving minutes prior to the start of the ride. Check your bike the night before for proper operation of controls, lights, tire pressure, and a full tank of gas. If possible, pack your pack the night before. Please arrive in plenty of time with you and your bike ready to go. There is a no drinking policy in effect prior to and during all chapter rides. In the interest of safety of the group, you may be asked to not participate on the ride if you or your bike is not in working order. Upcoming rides Rides in May Chapter Ride - Mansfield Reformatory 5/16 Dealership ride COPS ride all riders will leave from LEHD. Rides in June Chapter Rides Banana Split 6/12 Pancake Surprise 6/13 Covered Bridges 6/26 Dealership ride Fire Fighters 6/20 - all riders will leave from LEHD Remember. YOU riding responsibly make the group safe! Come to the ride prepared, full tank, tires up to pressure, proper gear for the weather and brains fully engaged Ride Safe! Jerry Ciganko - Head Road Captain

5 Volume 1 Issue 58 Leesburg (FL) Bikefest - Thomas Easterday On April Linda and I attended the 14 th annual Leesburg Bikefest. A friend of mine, who lives just north of Daytona, told me about the Leesburg rally last year when we stayed at their place during Daytona Bike Week. He said that it was a nice rally that they enjoyed going to for a day each year. Leesburg is a small town of about 15,000 people about half way between Orlando and Ocala, Florida. When planning our route we opted out of the 2 hour 15 minute route up I-75 and chose instead the 3 hour trip up central Florida. We left Sarasota at 9:00, once it was warm enough to ride in a tank top. After 13 miles up I-75 we headed east on Fl 64. This was about 65 miles of 2 lane road through orange groves and cattle ranches. There was little traffic and the speed limit was mostly which made for a scenic ride. Apparently they have different types of oranges that ripen at different times as some trees were clean while others were still loaded with oranges. We passed semi trailers full of oranges and sometimes on curves they would be scattered at the edge of the road where they had rolled off the loads. Then we headed north on Fl 27 which is a 4 lane divided highway up through central Florida. This part of the ride was 80+ miles of mostly cattle ranches except for a couple small towns. Again traffic was light and the speed limit mostly so again it was a pleasant ride. One small town, Eagle Ridge had a Harley dealership that unfortunately must have fallen victim to the economy. It was a large fairly new looking building but was completely deserted. Of course on our ride up 27, the closer to Leesburg we got we were joined by more and more bikes heading north. The downtown area of Leesburg is made up of about 15 blocks (3x5). The two main streets through town are blocked off for motorcycle only travel and parking. The Page 5 streets were wide enough for parking on both sides as well as down the middle, looking much like Sturgis during bike week there. There were 4 main stages and about 150 venders filling the downtown area. At the Gator Harley Davidson dealership about 2 miles outside of downtown there was another stage and another 30 venders. In the three days of the rally there were over 45 concerts on the 5 stages and all free, as well as the Ms Leesburg Bikefest contest, the Gator HD bikini contest, and the Ms RatMate contest. On Friday there were a lot of bikers there but Saturday was truly slammed! They estimated between 275,000 and 300,000. It has quickly become Florida s second biggest rally next to Daytona. The weather was outstanding Friday and Saturday with temps at 85 on Friday and 90 on Saturday. Obviously the beer tents were popular locations. There were no fatalities and the police reported only 5 arrests during the three days of the rally. Normally Sunday is a big day like Saturday but there was bad weather predicted for the afternoon, rain as well as storms and high winds. Therefore we chose to head home after breakfast so we did not go into town Sunday. Obviously, it s a long ride from Ohio but if you are ever in Florida the end of April, I would recommend taking in the Leesburg Bikefest. It was a fun time and the city is very accommodating to the event. Tom and Linda Easterday

6 Page 6 Lake Erie Chapter # 3738 April Meeting Minutes - Dennis Mullin Meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. Pledge of Allegiance New Members Welcome to Debbie and Jack Alex Director s Report John K. welcomed all new members. He then discussed the Rally for the Troops on 4/25 if interested pins and patches are still available. Firefighters Memorial ride if interested please register by Sunday as that is the last day for T-Shirts. Shirts will be available 5/21. No registration the day of the ride this year. You will still be able to register after Sunday; however you will not receive a T-Shirt. Greater Cleveland Police Officer Tattoo tickets are available. Cost is $ The event will be held at Public Hall, there will be pipes and drum regiments from across the US. Proceeds go to the memorial for fallen officers. COPS ride 6/20 tickets are available at the dealership. John also announced that future rides will stage at the dealership and not at McDonalds. This will alleviate some of the confusion that occurred for the Rally for the Troops. Dealer Report Bill discussed upcoming events: Blessing of Bikes on 5/8 Bike and Car show 5/22, Quaker Steak and Lube will be providing food for this event, Crushers Game- 6/11 there will be a BBQ at the dealership prior to the game. If there are any problems or complaints regarding see either Mike or Bill, there will try to rectify any issues. Assistant Director Ron stated the State Rally pre-registration closes today. If interested in the jacket, please make check out to Ronnie who will order. If there are 12or more ordered cost is $56. Secretary Report Dennis announced that he had received the latest order of name tags. They are in the back to be picked up. Dennis asked for and received approval of the minutes from the March meeting. Treasurers Report Robert reported that our finances are in good shape. Membership Report Bob Adamich reported that we currently have 195 members of which 153 renewal 42 new. Of that 154 are full members and 45 associates. Activities Report Charlotte was not present; in her absence John K... announced the following. Up-coming events: Mansfield Reformatory Ride 5/16 Bikes and Cars 5/22 Firefighter Memorial Ride 5/30 Chapter Picnic 6/6 After the next meeting we will be going to the Moosehead. Web Master Report Ken announced that there are 20 visits from around the world on our web site. Photos from Hot Rod city café now posted. All of the information on the hotels for the overnights is posted. You will need to call and make your reservations; the room block is under Lake Erie Hog.

7 Volume 1 Issue 58 Page 7 Meeting Minutes - Continued Ken then discussed the EZ Pass and holders. Info is also on the web site. Member directory update on web as well. Road Captain Report Jerry thanked Ken and Charlotte for the work done to get all the rides set up. Mansfield Reformatory, will stage at 8:30 and leave at 9:00. Will be having a second staging point at the Wal Mart in Oberlin Would like to concentrate on lane changing this year. Most of the ride looks good but there are some issues with lane changes. Historian Report Mike not present Editors Report Matt not present. Volunteer Report Judy recognized Sandy Vontroba, Nancy and Lenny Cramer with a pin for volunteering at he patch sewing event. The picnic will be at the AMVETS Hall on 6/6 need volunteers for set-up and clean-up. Also, looking for volunteers for games. Need help with the Blessing of the Bikes on 5/8. Mostly with Parking, serving hot dogs and drinks. Bike and Car show on 5/22, need volunteers from % coupons are available in back for Kohl s. Safety Officer Report John G. has ordered yard signs cost is $10.00 Group Riding Class will determine a date and time for the class. Mileage rewards, Iron Butt, 45 have signed up so far if still interested please fill out the white form. Ladies of Harley Report Kim thanked the volunteers for patch sewing, they raised $300. Next meeting will be at Luchetta s. Based on conversations at HOT, Kim believes our chapter falls into the small to medium size; however, the LOH group is equivalent to a chapter with members. Old Business None New Business There will be a poker run on Aug 8 th for Lance Cpl David Baker. Staging will be at 11 at the American Legion Post in Painesville. Meeting adjourned at 7:40

8 Page 8 Lake Erie Chapter # 3738 May 5 LOH Meeting Luchitas 7:00 to 8:00 PM May 8 Blessing of the Bikes May 16 LOH Meeting Mansfield Reformatory Ride Stage at May 22 Bike and Car Show May Activities May 30 Kiks Firefighters Memorial Ride Stage at McDonalds (Avon) Colorado Ave, Avon OH 8:30 AM Depart 9:30 AM April 29 HOG Chapter Meeting 7:00 to 8:00 PM Ride (drive) to dinner afterwards

9 Volume 1 Issue 58 Page 9 June 2 LOH Meeting Sorrentos 7:00 to 8:00 PM June 6 Chapter Picnik June 12 Banana Split Festival Wilimngton OH June 13 Pancake Breakfast and Surprise Ride June Activities June 20 Kiks COPS Ride June 24 Chapter Meeting June 26 Covered Bridge Ride June 27 Fairview Hospital Toy Run June 16, 17, 18 Ohio State HOG Rally Lima Oh June 2010 SUN MON TUE WED THUR FRI SAT

10 Page 10 Lake Erie Chapter # 3738 Happy Birthday To YOU!!! Angie Burge Gene Gray Toby Ingram Cindy Koson Christine McCarthy Rob Scheithauer David Shorts Donna Suerth Lisa Verde-Cole Wayne Wobser Max Zemla Ronald Ziler Chapter Officers Director: John Kikol kiksharley@aol.com Asst. Director: Ron Long Ringo56@windstream.net Secretary: Dennis Mullen mullend@oh.rr.com Treasurer: Robert Perona robperona@hotmail.com Membership: Robert Adamich camryle44@hotmail.com Safety: John Gudin jgudin@wowway.com Webmaster: Ken Unger kenunger@centrytel.net Head Road Captain: Jerry Ciganko gciganko@me.com Photographer: Ken Unger kenunger@centrytel.net Activities: Charlotte Bledsoe CLBledsoe@windstream.net Volunteer: Judy Adamich Judy.adamich@gmail.com Historian: Mike Cotrufo mcotrufo1@aol.com Ladies Of Harley: Kim Weigl kimmisue@eriecoast.com Editor: Matt Scheer lehogwash@sbcglobal.net LOOK FOR US ON THE WEB AT LAKEERIEHARLEY.COM LAKEERIEHOG.COM