SALEM WINGS VA - X

Hello to you All!

 I guess you can officially say that 2009 is half way over! I wish it could stay July at least for a couple more months.  Once August is here school starts and before you know it’s Christmas!  Seems like time just flies by any more.  Just not enough hours in a day to do all the things you need or want to do and I think you will all agree that there is never enough time to ride our Wings!

 In case you were not able to ride with us on July 25 for the Members Choice (John & Patsy) to Hungry Mother State Park it was a perfect day!  I believe everyone made it home without getting wet too.

Unfortunately Lee & I were not able to stay longer to say good bye at Sheets in Wytheville.  Lee had to get back to Landford Brothers to pick up a vehicle at 5:00 that was on display in Salem.  He also knew how anxious I was to get on I81 to come home.  We really were pressed for time so the Interstate it had to be.  That’s what we get for being with such good company and not leaving the Park a little earlier before everyone else departed.  Thank you John & Patsy for July’s ride.  The company was great & the food was very tasty!  It will definitely be put on our list of places to go in the future.  If you were not able to attend please know that you were missed.

 Chapter X’s yearly pilgrimage to Shatley Springs is quickly approaching.  Make sure you let Pat Martin know what type of room you need so that she can make the reservations at the motel.  I must say if you have never gone that the Alleghany Motel we always stay at has got to be one of the nicest & cleanest we have ever stayed at.  Don’t forget to bring a blanket or cushion to sit on at the Demolition Derby.  Those seats can get awfully hard awful fast.

 Lee & I are planning a ride on August 16.  Earlier this summer on one of our sneakaways we took some back roads and I do mean back roads (all paved) and ended up in Staunton. We just wanted to ride so we got on the bike and headed north.  After getting gas we headed back on Rt. 11. Anyway it was such a nice ride we think you all may enjoy it as well.  Some of the roads you may have already traveled and some not.  Pretty easy riding if I remember correctly.  We hope you all will be able to join us that day! More details will follow at a later time. Just be sure to mark the date on your calendar.  Weather permitting Of course!

 If at any time you come across a ride you want to share don’t be shy.  We always like exploring new places.  Remember a restaurant or ice cream shop is not required to be part of the route.  If you don’t want to lead just tell us about it & I’m sure someone else will be willing to take charge.  Between our experienced truck drivers, that know where every road leads, and the others that have traveled a lot we should be able to get there and back.

 Until we see each other again…

 Be Safe & Ride Safe!

 Lee & Julie, Your Chapter X Directors

Rally in the Valley® 2009 – The theme this year is “Hollywood Comes to the Valley”. 

Patresia McGuire who was one of the first members of VA X attended out meeting on July 11.  It was really good to see her!  We are looking forward to her visiting us again in the future.  However that may be awhile. On the Sunday after our meeting   Patresia was involved in a bike accident. She was treated in the ER for cuts & scratches, etc and went home.  Then last Tuesday she was admitted to the hospital because she was not aware that at the time of her accident she had caused damage to her kidneys and possibly other organs.  She has lost lots of blood and is currently undergoing dialysis. As of Sunday evening her blood is starting to come back up to levels and her kidney has stopped bleeding.  They have not talked about her coming home yet.  She is in good spirits and if you would like to drop by or send a card she is in room 705 at RMH. .Jean checked into blood donations in her name to help her offset some of her expenses but that is no longer done and if you go though the Red Cross it would end up costing her more for the blood.

PINK SHOE AWARD

Lee Montgomery

Member’s Choice

August                  Bobby &  Pat  (Shatley)

September           Tony & Vickie (Picnic)

Julie & I will be attending the All Chapters Picnic in Richmond on August 29.  Our District Couple works hard every year to plan this event.  Even though we do not have our own Chapter Couple but feel it is important to Support the COY program.  Weather permitting we will leave Buchanan Friday evening the 28th by 6pm and head down 460, I think.  Not sure where but will probably spend the night near Amherst;   Julie has not decided this details yet. We will head back home after the picnic is over.  Taking a scenic route of course. We have attended a couple of these since we have become members.  There were good & not so good things we liked at every picnic but now we know what to expect. You can play games and win prizes or just relax in the shade. The main thing is that you are showing your support just by being there.  You get out of what you put in.  Hope to see some of you there even if you are not able to join us for the ride down on Friday.   The COY program started over 20 years ago in GWRRA as a way to honor couples at the local level to serve as ambassadors and spokespersons for GWRRA.   The program provides an opportunity for the local Chapters to recognize and honor a Couple each year for their dedication, accomplishments and participation within The Chapter.  It is an honor bestowed on a deserving couple and is just like being presented an award. The main thing is to be yourself & have fun!

The responsibility comes if and when a couple chooses to participate in the District Couple of the Year selection.

Pat’s Corner

Well, hello, again all. We are both doing fair. We really enjoyed riding again on Saturday for John and Patsy’s outing to Hungry Mother State Park for lunch. Lunch was good, company was great, and the ride was super. Weather cooperated also. This has certainly been an unusual July - cooler than normal. Bobby goes back to the doctor here in Wytheville to see what he is planning on doing or sending him where. We are hoping to be able to ride the motorcycle on our August outing to Shatley Springs/Sparta/Demolition Derby.

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A little history on Goldwings!! The Honda Goldwing motorcycle first saw the light of day at the Cologne Motorcycle Show in October 1974, as the flat-four cylinder, 999cc GL1000 Gold Wing and was released to the world for the 1975 model year. While this first production version of the now famous Goldwing was ultimately deemed to be a success (it was after all the birth of a legend), its place in the world of motorcycling was not entirely cast in stone at the beginning. Part of the reason for this was the fact that the GL1000 didn't really fit properly into any particular motorcycle class, even though it was officially tagged as a tourer. 1983 was the final year of production for the GL1100 and Honda didn't disappoint, even though the model was being replaced the following year.

The GL1200 arrived for the 1984 model year and continued the trend set by it's predecessor. Competition from Yamaha's Venture (which many motorcycle magazines compared to the Goldwing) no doubt hastened the development of the successor to the GL1100 and the GL1200 was Honda's answer. The GL1200 arrived for the 1984 model year and continued the trend set by it's predecessor. Competition from Yamaha's Venture (which many motorcycle magazines compared to the Goldwing) no doubt hastened the development of the successor to the GL1100 and the GL1200 was Honda's answer. After a false start the previous year, the long awaited GL1500 finally hit the buying public for the 1988 model year. This of course was a major new model and totally redesigned from the ground up. The GL1500 now had a silky smooth flat six cylinder engine of 1520cc and a reverse gear, real news for touring motorcycles in those days. This was the first mass produced six-cylinder motorcycle to have a reverse gear and was more in line with the intentions of Honda's 1470cc six -cylinder prototype M1 of 1972. The GL1800 was finally announced for the 2001 model year. The official unveiling had been done the previous August and in an age where people could hide small cameras the size of a button on their person, it's a miracle how Honda managed to keep pictures of the new Goldwing a secret for so long. Honda should really be put in charge of national security in Japan! The lineup for 2009 wasn't particularly big news, even though Honda threw a few more gadgets at the now long-running GL1800. Much bigger and not very welcome news was that Honda was pulling production of the Goldwing back to Japan, after 27 years of production in the USA. It's fair to say that the 2010 Goldwing will be made in Japan and of course speculation is rife that a new Goldwing will be unveiled next year as the new location is retooled, presumably for a new model. (Taken from article on Internet by Steve Saunders.)

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More Bikes, More Riders, More Diversity! New study says motorcycle ownership is up. If it looks like there are more bikes on the road these days, there are. A new study by the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) shows motorcycle ownership has jumped an impressive 58 percent over the last 20 years. The latest figures show that there were about 10.4 million motorcycles owned or in use in the United States in 2008, compared with some 6.6 million 20 ears earlier. In just the past five years, the number has jumped 26 percent. The group’s survey found that female ownership of motorcycles has gone up from 9.6 percent of motorcyclists in 2003 to 12.3 percent in 2008. Of the 25 million Americans who rode last year, women made up 23 percent, or 5.7 million. MIC President Tim Buche said motorcycling still has room for growth, but two-wheeling has made significant inroads among various key demographics. (AMA magazine, Aug 2009 issue.)

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2009 is one of the biggest potential threats of the decade, kids’ dirtbikes and ATVs are under siege. A consumer product safety law aimed at banning lead in toys for kids under 12 ensnared youth OHVs. Some 80,000 AMA members, the industry and rider groups ban together to earn a delay in the ban’s enforcement, but the final chapter on the law itself is yet to be written.

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Harley riders:
"Live to ride. Ride to Live."
Goldwing drivers:
"Eat to ride. Ride to eat “

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I guess this pretty well says it for all of us. We sure to love to eat (and ride).

Bits & Pieces Just for you………………

Just wanted to thank John & Patsy for a wonderful ride to Hungry Mother State Park.  Both the ride and food were great.  We couldn’t have asked for a better day. 

If sure was good to see Bobby on his bike again.  I know he was tickled.  I think the chapter members were more tickled than he was.  We all miss that shiny red bike.

Just a reminder about the “Ride to Win” competition.  Let’s all be planning some rides and just remember to let everyone know at least 5 days in advance. (Any ride that ends up with food or ice cream would be great)

Speaking of food, our 5th annual Chapter Picnic, (Water Gun Picnic) is planned for September 19^th. about 4:00.  Get your water guns ready and remember that the deck is a safe house. Bring a covered dish, a drink and a change of clothes. We will supply all the plates, napkins, etc.

Our next big outing is Shatley Springs and the demolition derby in Sparta.  This is Bobby & Pat’s member’s choice for the month of August.  If you can’t spend the night, just ride down for the meal. It’s some good food and they bring you plenty of it.  Please let Bobby & Pat know if you will be going to eat or need a room.

Until next time……….