CHAPTER AR-C

NEWSLETTER

July 2017

VOLUME 5 ISSUE 7 REGION H

CHAPTER “C” TEAM

CHAPTER DIRECTORS Tim & Bonnie Nagy ASST CHAPTER DIRECTORS T B D

MEC COORDINATOR Pam Saulters CHAPTER COUPLE of the YEAR Tim & Bonnie Nagy TREASURER Ron Abbott

CHAPTER EDUCATOR Greg Reinhardt MOTORIST AWARENESS Greg Reinhardt COORDINATOR

CHAPTER WEBMASTER Greg Reinhardt NEWSLETTER EDITOR Greg Reinhardt RIDE CO-ORDINATOR Tim Nagy CHAPTER of the YEAR Vicki Austin COORDINATOR SUNSHINE PERSON Pam Saulters SCRAPBOOKING Ron Abbott COORDINATOR PHOTOGRAPHER Tim Nagy - Lead

JULY’S GOINGS ON

Jul 1st 7:30 am: Chapter C Ride to Rose Bud ( Meet at Exxon station on Hwy 5 )

Jul 4th Independence Day

Jul 8th 5 am: Chapter C Ride to Chapter B ( Meet at Kohl’s in Sherwood )

Jul 11th 6:30 pm: Dinner Ride with Chapter K ( Loca Luna, 3519 Old Cantrell Rd, Little Rock, AR 72202)

Jul 13th 7 pm: Chapter C Dinner Ride ( East End Cafe, 20622 Arch Street Pike, Hensley, AR 72065)

Jul 14th - 15th AR District Rally (Eureka Springs, AR)

Jul 20th Jim Goodman’s Birthday

Jul 21st Bruce Ray’s Birthday

Jul 22nd 8 am: Chapter C Monthly Meeting ( Emily’s Diner, 3286 South 2nd Street, Cabot, AR 72023 )

( Eat @ 8 am / Meeting @ 9 am )

10 am: Chapter C Ride to Chapter K ( Benton, AR -- KSU after meeting ) ( Eat @ 3 pm / Meeting @ 4 pm )

Jul 24th Parent’s Day

Jul 27th Richard & Vicki Austin’s Anniversary

Jul 29th 8 am: Chapter C Ride to Oark General Store ( Meet at Exxon station on Hwy 5 )

AUGUST’S GOINGS ON

Aug 8th 6:30 pm: Dinner Ride with Chapter K ( T B D )

Aug 10th 7 pm: Chapter C Dinner Ride ( T B D )

Aug 17th Dan Fornero’s Birthday

Aug 18th Vera Westmoreland’s Birthday

Aug 19th Larry Fulbright’s Birthday

Aug 21st Senior Citizen’s Day

Emily Goodman’s Birthday

Aug 23rd Gaynell Brant’s Birthday

Nick & Judy Kaleta’s Anniversary

Chuck & June Leftwich’s Anniversary

Aug 26th 8 am: Chapter C Monthly Meeting ( Emily’s Diner, 3286 South 2nd Street, Cabot, AR 72023 )

( Eat @ 8 am / Meeting @ 9 am )

10 am: Chapter C Ride to Chapter K ( Benton, AR -- KSU after meeting ) ( Eat @ 3 pm / Meeting @ 4 pm )

Aug 29th – 30th Wing Ding 39 (Grapevine, TX)

AR DISTRICT & REGION H EVENTS

MARCH

11th St. Patrick’s Day Parade (Little Rock, AR)

30th - 31st LA District Rally (Lafayette, LA)

31st 40 to Phoenix Stop (Conway, AR)

APRIL

1st LA District Rally (Lafayette, LA)

27th - 29th Region H Rally (Marshall, TX)

MAY

18th – 20th TX District Rally (Witchita Falls, TX)

JUNE

23rd - 24th KS District Rally (Hutchinson, KS)

JULY

14th - 15th AR District Rally (Eureka Springs, AR)

AUGUST

29th - 31st Wing Ding 39 (Grapevine, TX)

SEPTEMBER

1st – 2nd Wing Ding 39 (Grapevine, TX)

28th - 30th OK District Rally (Muskogee, OK)

“GARAGE” SALE

Black 1997 Honda Valkyrie Tourer

69,500 miles

$5,700 Contact: Jay Stapleton at (501) 412-4217 for more info and pictures

Motorcycle Luggage Trailer

$500 Contact: Jay Stapleton at (501) 412-4217 for more info and pictures

Silver 2008 Honda Silver Wing

6,500 miles

$5,000 obo Contact: Pat Dumas at (501) 246-6828 for more info and pictures

Chapter “Chatter”

Tim & Bonnie Nagy Chapter C Directors

Coming Soon . . .

Ride Safe and Ride Often Tim & Bonnie Nagy

TWO-WHEEL TOPICS

&

3-WHEEL THOUGHTS

Greg Reinhardt Chapter C Educator

Is Your Head In The Game?

Staying mentally sharp and alert increases the enjoyment of the ride

Riding a motorcycle is one of the most dangerous leisure activities you can pursue.

It is also one of the most rewarding. The first rule of enjoying the activity is to survive the

activity. Certainly, you can limit your exposure to injury, or worse, by wearing protective

gear, following safe riding guidelines, and riding within your limits. All of this is part of

what I refer to as "keeping your head in the game". Having the physical skills to operate

a motorcycle cannot overcome a lack of mental focus.

I hear riders say that motorcycling is how they relax or unwind. I have a hard time

relating to that. Riding a motorcycle has never been relaxing for me. If I need to relax, I

sit in my recliner in front of the TV and watch a mindless sitcom. For me to relax, I have

to turn off my brain, something I simply cannot afford to do when riding my motorcycle.

Riding is invigorating and stimulating for me, not relaxing. I defy any of you to ride your

motorcycle in traffic on I35 in Dallas and be relaxed.

Perhaps too many motorcyclists are involved in accidents because

they are relaxed and not keeping their head in the game, so to speak. Even a temporary

lapse of attention can result in bad things happening on two wheels. The margin for error

is very slim on a motorcycle. A healthy amount of fear can be a good thing to help you

say mentally sharp when riding. Never lose sight of how vulnerable you are.

The element of danger is what makes riding such a mentally stimulating and

enjoyable experience. I know it sounds crazy, but isn't that the same with skydiving,

flying an airplane, or rock-climbing? The element of danger comes with a sense of

satisfaction when you survive the activity. Every time I ride my Goldwing, the possibility

of encountering a technical riding challenge exists. It could be a car pulling out in front

of me at an intersection, or encountering loose gravel in a turn, or having to make a

sharp turn up a steep hill from a dead stop. Maneuvering a 900+ pound motorcycle in

these conditions is challenging to say the least. But, overcoming these technical

challenges can be extremely satisfying and stimulating. My focus when riding is to

always try to anticipate the unexpected and plan a way to survive the scenario.

Most of us who have been riding for some time have had at least a few "close

calls". And, in retrospect, there is something I could have done to prevent the close call.

I recall a few years ago I was riding my bike to my favorite wing joint for dinner. I pulled

into the parking lot and was completely unaware that there was a car right behind me. I

had to swing left to get around the bumper of a pick-up truck so I could park in a spot to

my right. When I swung left to make the wide turn, the car behind me assumed I was

making a left turn, imagine my surprise when I swing right and her bumper was about 12

inches from my right knee! I was only going a couple of miles per hour and I instinctively

hit the front brake and the bike went down. The driver freaked out, but I was OK and so

was the bike. That incident caused me to completely rethink how I operate the bike when

negotiating parking lots. While I was eating my wings that night, I thought of at least two

mistakes I made that contributed to the near accident. First, I did not check my rear-view

mirrors to see if there was a car behind me. Second, I did not use my turn signal to

indicate that I would be turning right into a parking spot. Lesson learned.

Keeping my head in the game involves a few little mental strategies that I have

developed over the years. Just like how a pilot goes over a checklist before takeoff, I do

the same sort of thing before I ride. I even talk to myself out loud just to make sure I am

alert. I know it sounds crazy, but it seems to help me focus on the ride. Now, when I am

entering or exiting a parking lot, I audibly remind myself of my parking lot checklist. For

me, that means 10mph or less, high alert, check rear-view mirrors, and engage headlight

modulators. I have another set of rules for approaching an intersection. First, I look to

see if there is an oncoming vehicle in the left turn lane (that could potentially turn in front

of me), if so, I turn on my headlight modulators and try to position myself and the bike so

I can either brake or escape should the blind fool not see me. I probably have a dozen

or more scenarios that I try to prepare for in similar fashion.

All of this planning and mental activity is energizing and actually increases my

enjoyment of the ride. I know some riders would say "man, that's too much to think about,

I just want to ride and not have to think." If that's your style and you are comfortable with

it, that's OK with me. But for me, I always try my best to keep my head in the game.

District “Dirt”

Richard & Vicki Austin District Directors

Coming Soon . . .

Ride Safe and Ride Often Richard & Vicki Austin

Education “Extras”

Arrel E. Carter III (Buster) District Educator

Greetings, I hope this finds everyone doing well and staying cool. The heat is

rough…. A number of you have been asking if we are having any type of Rider Education

events as there are a number of GWRRA members that need classes for their Levels

Program. The answer is yes. I am trying to work out the First Aid part. We will have

ARC and TRC courses on Saturday Aug 5th and Sunday Aug 6th at the MSF facility

in Little Rock. Lloyd has scheduled the weekend for GWRRA members. We will have

room for 8 bikes in each class. We are looking at Trikes on the range in the morning

while the ARC takes Medic First Aid, then in the afternoon we will rotate where the ARC

is on the Range and TRC is taking First Aid.

With the influx of members transitioning to Trike I anticipate the TRC will fill up first.

That said, it is first come, first served. I cannot stress enough that you sign up early.

Please do not sign a bunch of people up thinking they will want the course. There are a

lot of riders needing these courses. Please send me an email and I will add riders to the

list. If your Co-Rider does not want to ride on the course they need to take the Co-Rider

Certification class in order to maintain their levels.

I will be offering the Co-Rider class at the Rally next weekend and will be prepared

to give a couple during the MSF Training as well. Please confirm they WILL be able to

attend. The prices are based on full classes. It will be hotter than blue blazes. The

costs will be $50.00 for the Rider course and $25.00 for the Medic First Aid. I will

need to know which day and class you are wanting to take. Once the class is filled it is

filled so sign up early and commit to that day and time. If you want to pay and confirm

please see me at the District Rally this weekend. I look forward to seeing everyone at

the Rally.

Ride Smart, Ride Safe, Ride Protected Arrel E. Carter III (Buster)

Directors Corner

Jim & Reba Berry Region H Directors

Coming Soon . . .

Jim & Reba

“By the Book”

Jack Wagner Deputy Director -- Region H Trainer

“By the Book” articles are intended to help familiarize GWRRA Volunteer Leaders and Members with the policies, procedures, and information contained in the GWRRA Officer’s Handbook (OHB). A copy of the Officer’s Handbook can be found at the following Internet website: www.gwrra.org/oconnect/officerhandbook.html Please feel free to reprint these articles in Region, District, or Chapter newsletters.

Coming Soon . . .

The More You Know, the Better It Gets Jack Wagner