Chapter Directors Lyle & Sheri Altes

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1 Texas Chapter O was chartered in April While the Chapter uses the name of Austin, Texas, as a location identifier, Chapter O's participants come from many cities, towns and communities in Central Texas. Come join us at one of our gatherings or rides! Our Gathering time/location and local, District, Region and Headquarters GWRRA contact information is on page 11. Come join us for a ride, see our Ride Schedule on page 2, or just visit us online: Some of what s inside Article Page CD Article 1 Kickstands Up 2 Gene Thomas Ride 3 MEC Article 4 My New Ride 5 Lucky Duck Ride 5 Rider Ed-Habit Strength 6 Lady Rider s Guide to Motorcycle Packing Education Weekend 8 Bluebonnet Rally & Camping Info TX District Rally Reg. 11 Wingers & Waves Cruise 12 Officers & Sponsors Chapter Meetings 3rd Thomas Buffet, 9710 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX Join us at 6:00 pm to eat and visit. Meeting 7:00 p.m. Hey O Chapter Directors Lyle & Sheri Altes Well here we are - it is March already and the last 2 months have flown by. The weather has been typical Central Texas constantly changing but it should start calming down and it will be time to get ready for serious riding. It was good to see the turn-out we had for our annual Gene Thomas ride. We ended up with 27 people and we all had a great lunch and a great visit. We had several that rode, but it did get cold on the way to the restaurant. But, it was a good ride. As you all know we are less than 6 weeks away from our Bluebonnet Rally. We are trying to finalize the food for lunch and should have that in hand soon. We are in real need of some good quality Silent Auction items. Items have been coming in slowly this year and John & Wanda Osborn are going to be traveling almost right up to the rally. So, if you have items for the Silent Auction please contact Sheri & I or any of the staff and we will make arrangements to get the items from you. As always, we are going to need volunteers to help at the rally. If there is something in particular you would like to do, contact us and we ll make it happen. It is always fun to see everyone pitching in and working together. This is what makes our Chapter so special. Please get your registrations in for the rally to avoid paying the higher price and if you are camping get those reservations in too. For those of you arriving early, we are planning on rides on Thursday 4/5 and Friday 4/6/2018 so please join us for a great ride and of course good food somewhere in the area. Hope to see you at our next meeting on March 20, 2018 at Thomas Buffet we will have much more info on the rally. Until then ride safe and have fun.

2 Kickstands Up! UPCOMING EVENTS Additional rides will be announced via the website and Google Groups. For an up-to- date monthly list, visit the Chapter O web site at Date Chapter Event Location Contact/ /Web Phone 3/10-11 Education Weekend 3/20/18 Chapter O Meeting TAMU Central TX Campus 1001 Leadership Pl Killeen Thomas Buffet, 9710 N Lamar Blvd Austin, TX Jim Woodlul Lyle Altes /22-24 Florida District Rally Hilton Orlando Altaonte Springs FL Bill & Cheryl Smith /29/18 Statewide Motorcycle Safety Forum Norris Conf Center 2525 W Anderson Lane Lyle Altes /7/18 Bluebonnet Rally Lady Bird Municipal Park, Fredericksburg, TX Lyle Altes /12/18-4/14/18 Louisiana District Rally Lafayette, LA Red Roussel /15/18 Meet Up with 40- Phoenix in Amarillo Amarillo to Phoenix Randy Reese /17/18 Chapter O Meeting Thomas Buffet 9710 N Lamar Blvd Austin, TX Lyle Altes /17/18-5/19/18 TX District Rally Brenham, TX Jim Woodul /25-27/18 Hoot in the Ute Midway, UT 5/31-6/2 Missouri District Rally Branson, MO Ken Lueckenotte /14-16 Kansas District Rally Pittsburg, KS gwrraks.com/kansasdistrict-rally.html 8/28-9/1 Wing Ding 40 Knoxville, TN wing-ding.org/ 2

3 Our 2018 Tribute Ride to Gene Thomas Robby Winfield Our Chapter O family paid tribute to one of the Originals of Chapter O. On 10 February 2018, a Saturday, the Chapter met at the HEB in Cedar Park, TX at the corner of FM 1431 (Whitestone BLVD) and US 183 (Bell BLVD). That seems innocent enough RIGHT? When we got to the parking lot it was a balmy 60 degrees and overcast. As the group gathered we had a group of bikes, trikes, and a sidecar rig, and a cage for the ride. We had 18 folks participate in the ride, 16 total riders, 3 of which were guest riders and 2 in a cage. Ken had his pre-ride safety talk and outlined our short ride as we anticipated a weather change MUCH later in the day. Keep in mind the forecast was for a COLD front LATER in the day. Our destination for the Ride was Catfish Parlour in Georgetown, TX. As we pulled out of the parking lot onto FM 1431 we headed toward US 183 North, we made the turn and headed north. We rode north on US 183 about a half mile there it was!!!!! The front hitting us in the face. So much for best laid plans and ride organization. Thank goodness Ken had planned the ride short and sweet 25 miles of back road bliss. As with many others we were not sporting our COLD weather riding gear. After all, how much can it drop in temperature on this short ride? This is Texas we always have mild weather year around RIGHT???? Well the temp dropped to the mis 50 s, then high 40 s, and as we arrived at our destination, Catfish Parlour in Georgetown, TX. As we arrived I was frozen, and Tricia was cold in the sidecar but not as cold as I was. My hands had begun to hurt just before our arrival. A sign of hypothermia setting in, so I will change gear for the ride home. Our arrival showed a temperature of 43 degrees, buuuurrrrr. We got inside as fast as we could and got our gear off. When we arrived, others were already inside and had tables set up for us to eat as a group. We had a total of 27 at the meal in honor of Gene Thomas. Gene s wife Gayle Thomas (the only remaining charter member of Chapter O) was brought to the Tribute Lunch by Tom & Dawn Sprague our 2018 Couple of the Year in true COY fashion. Why was the Tribute Ride at Catfish Parlour? It was Gene s favorite place to eat. How better to Honor Gene than to ride and eat in true GWR- RA fashion. Rides like this were no stranger to Gene, he loved to ride in all weather. Once we took an Experienced Rider course with Gene and it was 6 degrees outside when we started the course!!!! It was an honor to know him and ride with Gene. He was the Chapter Treasurer for a long time and a retired TABC agent. Gene had a sense of humor and would crack jokes all the time. He loved Gayle beyond anything I can write in this article and was loved by all the Chapter members past and present. Thank you, Gene Thomas, it was our honor to know you. You are missed. 3

4 Membership Enhancement Coordinator Dawn Sprague OH YEAH CHAPTER O It was so great seeing everyone at our February 20th Monthly Meeting!!! A BIG welcome to our friends from Chapter T - Andrea, Celest & Jose, Alvalin and Jim AND our Friends from Chapter T2 - Judy & Scott. Despite the yucky weather we have been having, we've managed to have a few events: February 3rd was an outing to the Lucky Duck Cafe in Taylor and on the 10th, it was the Annual Gene Thomas Memorial Ride to Catfish Parlour in Georgetown. Fun was had by all. BIRTHDAYS March 3 Richard S March 7 Steve T March 7 Robbie W March 8 Helen G March 26 Bob H The Progressive Drawing was for $10.00 and the Lucky Winner was Enrique!!! No WING NUT Nominations thus the Prestigious Award was not handed out this Month!! Maybe next month?? Just a Reminder that our Annual Bluebonnet Rally is coming up fast. Don't forget to get your registration in!!! Now for the Door Prizes and 50/50: DOOR PRIZES: Jim W - Ball Cap, Water Bottle, Stress Football and Glass Vase with Cover Tim D - Ball Cap, Solar Light and Red Neck Rolex Israel G - Theme Basket filled with St, Patrick Day Items 50/50: 20% - $ Alvalin W 30% - $ Enrique G Congratulations to ALL our Winners! ANNIVERSARIES We have no anniversaries to celebrate this month. "There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage" GWRRA ANNIVERSARIES 2005 Kathy R 2010 Sheri A 4

5 My New Ride Enrique Garcia Saturday 7:00 AM February 17, 2018, my brother Leo and my good friend Dexter Poullard loaded up (in a 4 wheeler pulling a motorcycle trailer) headed north to DFW Honda in Grapevine, Texas to retrieve my newly purchased 2018 Goldwing Tour DCT. I know DFW Honda is not one of our local Honda dealers, but for some reason I couldn t get any of them to call me back. I contacted two local dealers and both told me that they didn t have a mid-night blue 2018 Goldwing and didn t know when they would be getting one. I still haven t heard from them. The 3 of us had and enjoyable trip and tried to remember some of the items covered by the Wing specialist with little luck. Our trip back was in bright sunlight and no rain. Wished the whole time that we had ridden back on motorcyles. We arrived in Cedar Park about 5:00 PM and unloaded the Wing and parked it in the garage. I was tempted to take a spin around the block (or 2 or 3) but I talked myself out of it due to wet roads around the neighborhood. However, on the next day the clouds cleared and the roads dried up and Leo and I went on a ride. After that ride I can enthusiastically say WOW what a machine! Assistant Directors Ken and Teri Burnett On Tuesday morning I called DFW Honda and asked the salesman Matt if they had a blue 2018 DCT Goldwing on hand and he stated they didn t have one on the show room floor, but he had seen a new shipment arrive that morning. He told me he would go outside to the truck and would call me back if he found what I wanted. Not expecting him to call me back I continued calling other dealers in Texas. About 30 minutes later in between dealer calls Matt called me back and advised that a blue DCT Goldwing was being unloaded as we spoke. I went over the specs I wanted and made sure it was what I wanted. Matt assured me it was and the dealing began. That was Tuesday and Matt wanted to know when I would be coming to pick it up. The decision was a little complicated since rain had been predicted all week and into the following week. I called Dexter to tell him that I was going to cancel going to Grapevine until the following week due to the rain. It was on this call that Dexter offered his trailer and to go with me to get the Wing. What a deal. I didn t refuse and we took off Saturday morning in a light rain. We arrived at the dealer at approximately 10:00 AM, found the wing and the salesman and the dealing began. After all the paper work was signed and the dealing done the next step was the one hour orientation. After 2 hours with the resident Goldwing specialist I was overloaded with information and numb mentally (as I am most of the time). I opted to forgo any questions and load the Wing onto the trailer and head home. 5 Lucky Duck Ride Saturday, February 3 rd, started out with some drizzle, windy and cold. It never really turned into the warmer day as originally forecasted and we never got any real rain. The weather didn't stop the 6 bikes and 1 trike with 7 riders from meeting up at the Whataburger in Pflugerville. After some hot coffee and conversation we left out to ride the back roads over to the Lucky Duck Cafe in Taylor. The ride over was nice with only minor issues, mostly with my GPS and the fact that we went to turn on the street just past the Cafe where I thought that there was additional parking. There was not parking on that side and as I went to lead us around the back side of the Cafe we found that the street was closed and they were building a new skate park, so we made a U-turn (good practice). We made out way to the other side & parked next to the skate park. We were there before the lunch rush, so we placed our orders and found a large table in the back where we were joined by 4 others that came in cages. The food was excellent and came out quick and hot. We ate our meals and visited for quite a while. Randy Reese won the 50/50 ride drawing. We all decided to leave in small groups or on our own going several different directions. Steven Thomas left out of there like he was on fire and headed over to Kent Powersports to see if his new 2018 Gold Wing was ready. A couple of us rode over to the Texas Cafe in Hutto for some pie and they were busy, but the pie was worth the wait. Despite the weather not cooperating, it was a good day and we missed you!

6 RIDER EDUCATOR Texas District Randy & Kathy Reese Habit Strength By definition, habit strength is a function of the frequency with which an action has been repeated in a stable context and has acquired a high degree of habitual automaticity. In other words, do something the same way enough times and you don t have to think about it to complete the task. Think of your day-to-day activities as habits; virtually all behaviors are habits. Every time you brush your teeth or tie your shoes, you do it the same way out of habit and (usually) don t have to think about it. That s because you ve been doing it for so long it comes naturally to do it the same way. Initially someone had to teach you the right way to do all these things. But what if they taught you incorrectly or you have been doing it wrong for so long that you have developed a bad habit? I know that I for one have been scolded by my dentist in the past for not brushing properly. Habit strength also relates to your riding skills and their development/maintenance. The stronger the habit, the more difficult it is to change or even to recognize that you do it. Think about how you handle stop and go traffic; do you consciously think about down-shifting or when (or when not) to put your feet down? How about driving into your driveway and garage? "It s just second nature, I do it all the time." you say. That's a strong habit; is it a good or bad habit? What if I ask you about delayed apex turns or where to look coming into a blind right hander or when you downshift/brake coming into an unfamiliar blind turn? Most people will answer differently, but here's a personal example. It took me over 3000 miles of riding my 1800 before I stopped downshifting coming into twisties. After years of riding my 1500, I naturally shifted to 4th when coming into curves. I know consciously that I don't need to do that as much, with the power/ torque of the 1800, but occasionally I still catch myself ( )doing it and have to fight this unnecessary habit. Can you say habit strength? The following are the 7 worst habits that the MSF would like you to avoid. 1) Avoid entering corners too fast and braking deep into the turn. The (4) recommended basic steps in approaching and turning through a corner are: SLOW (down to a comfortable speed before entering the turn), LOOK (where you want to be going and as far into the turn as possible), PRESS (the inside bar to counter-steer in the direction you want to go) and ROLL (on the throttle or at least keep it steady through the turn). 2) Putting your feet down before you come to a complete stop. Keep your feet on the pegs right up until it's time to stop - then, when you are almost completely stopped, set down your left foot so that you can still use the rear brake with your right foot. 3) Not squaring bars to the chassis when you come to a stop. To avoid a last minute wobble when you stop, keep looking straight ahead to help keep you bars straight. 4) Having low eyes. Means you're not looking far enough ahead. You should be constantly scanning far ahead at various intervals and don't fixate on anything for more than a split second. 5) Not using the front brake enough (if at all). The front brake will provide most of your stopping power on most bikes and, apparently, a lot of self-schooled riders are afraid of doing an endo if they grab too much of the front. Proper braking technique involves a coordination of the use of both brakes. 6) Using the "two finger" method of braking. When riding on the street, the correct method is to roll off the throttle and progressively squeeze the front brake with all four fingers. 7) Using poor lane position when riding in a group. Keep out of other rider's blind spots, keep in a staggered formation while riding in groups, allow room for unexpected maneuvers and maintain maximum visibility. I re-took the Advanced Rider s Course a few months ago. I ve been riding for over 50 years and yet initially had issues with some of the maneuvers. The instructor was all too happy to point out the causes for my problems and by the end of the session I was going through just fine. All I needed was someone to point out the bad habits, how to do it the correct way and practice. It feels funny, I would say about some of his suggestions. Sure it feels funny, it s not the way I d become accustomed to doing it. Bad habits or good, they're just as strong. The stronger the habit, the more difficult it is to change it. Only learning the right way and with a lot of practice will make you a better rider. Which would you rather have working for you, riding habits/skills that can help avoid or get you out of a tight situation, or habits that lead to a bad situation? Ride Safely; Ride Often! All The Gear All The Time 6

7 Kathy Reese Newsletter Editor A Lady Rider s Guide To Motorcycle Packing Reprinted from The Riding Obsession (Margaret Dean) Let s admit it, shall we? Packing isn t easy for everyone. Only the most prepared A-types have a go-bag always ready. The rest of us hem and haw over what to bring and wear. What if I need this? We might do that so I should bring X or maybe Y. Motorcycle trips make it easy because you know you have limited space and can t overpack. Motorcycle trips make it hard because you know you have limited space and the line seems to blur when deciding what is necessary and what is optional. I ve adopted a minimalist mindset when packing for long distance trips with my husband riding two-up. I had to and I decided it was time to form my own moto packing list, one that better suits my needs as a female rider. Keep in mind that packing isn t just about the physical volume you see (how big the luggage is) but the weight limitations as listed by the manufacturer. When packing, whatever clothes you are wearing under your ATGATT counts. You also don t need an outfit for every day of the ride. Let me clarify, you do need some type of clothing to wear everyday but you don t need a fashionista and different outfit for each day of the ride. For a longer trip, launder using a local laundromat, utilize laundry services at a hotel. Condense as much as possible into smaller travel containers and bonus points for finding multi-purpose products. For example, most tinted foundation creams take care of moisturizer, sunblock and foundation. If you re a low-maintenance kind of gal, kudos. I'm writing to female riders ( ) and passengers as I am both. Also, I'm a recovering chronic overpacker. Clean, comfortable clothes and underwear are the goal versus best dressed off the bike. Besides, you re already awesome you re traveling by motorcycle and experiencing life in a different way! If you re riding your own bike with luggage, you ll have more room than if riding two-up and sharing precious cargo space. You ll be tempted to bring more than you need. Don t. Admit it, you never quite wear everything you pack in your vacation suitcase. You don t need as much as you think. Stick to essentials. Any extra room may be able to tote a have-to-have souvenir. Sidenote: There s something about luggage (and purses) that makes us want to fill them to capacity. We also tend to adapt to what we see. If you go from a 34 liter to a 52 liter top case, you ll wonder how you survived before with the smaller case. Lists are handy and this one is meant to be helpful a way to organize what to pack and if nothing else, a way to think about what you need to bring versus what you think you need to bring. Once you have the luggage volume and trip duration in mind, let s start with the clothes: Denim jeans 1 Comfortable pair of walking pants, shorts, or skirt 1 Underwear 2 or 3 at most Riding socks 2 T-shirts, tanks tops, blouse 2 or 3 at most Fleece pullover/jacket 1 Comfortable walking shoes, sandals or flip-flops 1 Rain gear - 1 set top and bottom Optional: Bathing suit; long underwear, dress, hat Toiletries: Toothbrush Toothpaste Floss Facial cleanser or wipes Sunscreen Lip balm Moisturizer Optional: Eye cream, make-up, hair products if camping (shampoo is usually provided at hotels/motels), travel/ compact blow dryer, brush and/or comb, hair band. You ll want to use some kind of bag or compression sack to contain your items within the luggage. This makes it easier to transport your items from the bike to a hotel room if you want to leave the luggage mounted on the bike. It also organizes everything from spilling out when opening the luggage whether you choose to leave it on the bike or not. If you re riding solo, then you already know that there are bike essentials you need to make room for such as tool kits and first aid kits to name a few. Additional lists can be found at: women-motorcycle-packing/ 7

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9 March 2018 GWRRA Texas Chapter O Newsletter CAMPING INFORMATION ON NEXT PAGE 9

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13 Chapter O Team Chapter Director Lyle & Sheri Altes Assistant Director Ken and Teri Burnett Secretary/Treasurer Tricia Winfield Membership Enhancement Dawn Sprague Ride Coordinator Ken Burnett Couple of the Year Tom & Dawn Sprague Newsletter Editor Kathy Reese Ways and Means John & Wanda Osborn Webmaster Lyle Altes Camping Coordinator Tom Sprague Seamstress Gayle Thomas Merchandise Coordinator John & Wanda Osborn Chapter of the Year Coordinator Kathy Reese Motor Awareness Coordinator Randy Reese Texas District Team District Director Jim & Alvalin Woodul Assistant Director Dan & Donna Rymarz Assistant Director Tom & Dawn Sprague District Rider Educators Randy & Kathy Reese Ride Coordinator Open Assistant Educator Chris Schoenthal Treasurer Tim Brooks District Trainer Open Assistant District Trainer Jim Scholes MEC Coordinators Lyle and Sheri Altes COY Coordinators Dale & Carleen Garrett CHOY Coordinator Sheri Altes COY Sal & Phylis Pesta Vendor Coordinator Michael Pineda Newsletter Editor/Webmaster Tom Sprague GWRRA National Team President & Wingman Anita & JR Alkire aalkire@gwrra.org Director of Rider Education Tim & Anna Grimes tgrimes@gwrra.org Director of Membership Enhancement Larry & Penny Anthony mepgwrra@gmail.com Director of GWRRA University Clara & Fred Boldt toledotriker@gmail.com Director of Finance Randall & Janet Drake financedirector@gwrra.org Director of Motorist Awareness Mike & Barri Critzman itsawingthing@hotmail.com Executive Director Overseas Dan & Rachel Sanderovich dan.sanderovich@gmail.com Motorist Awareness Coordinator Scott & Judy Finnell Chapter O Monthly Gathering Want to experience Friends for Fun, Safety and Knowledge first hand? Chapter O s March 2018 Gathering will be Tuesday, March 20, 2018, at Thomas Buffet, 9710 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX (2 blocks north of Rundberg Ln. on west side). Come join us at 6:00 pm to eat and visit with your friends. The meeting will start at 7:00 pm. Please see page 2 for our Ride Calendar of Events. For more information, we encourage you to contact any of our team members or visit our websites (links to all are provided on this page). Wondering why you should join GWRRA? Check out the benefits you will enjoy! 13

14 OUR SPONSORS IH 10 West San Antonio, Texas (210) YAMAHA POLARIS SUZUKI KAWASAKI HONDA Friends For FUN SAFETY AND KNOWLEDGE 14

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16 Gold Wing Road Riders Association Texas Chapter O GWRRA Motto.. Friends for Fun, Safety, Knowledge Ride Safe in 2013 Lyle and Sheri Altes 7619 Holly Oak Circle Austin, TX