GWRRA Chapter Events

One of the things that Slick and I did when we decided to start riding motorcycles was to join a Goldwing Road Riders Assocation chapter. We had heard a lot of good things about them. The GWRRA is a great organization. Not only do the members like to ride, they are really helpful in providing a lot of great guidance and instruction for new riders like Slick and I. The GWRRA also likes to contribute to worthy causes too. We like that idea also.

Below is a list of events coming up for our GWRRA chapter. Slick and I are really looking forward to the Wings Over the Smokies event and several of the other trips if our schedules work out.

Aug 12th Mountain Ride
Aug 15th Bill's pizza
Aug 19th Open House (Cycle Shop)
Aug 26th NCB2 Care Bear Ride (Fundraiser)
Sept 9th Tour de Tanglewood (Fundraiser)
Sept 21st Wings Over Smokies
Oct 7th Victory Junction ride/fun raiser (Charity Event)
Oct 15th Meadows of Dan (pancakes)
Oct 28th /29th Holden Beach

It should be fun.

Until next time and happy riding!

Pappy

Too Hot to Ride Today

My plan was to ride Big Red some more today since I am off work today. Then I realized it was going to be around 95 degrees. That is too hot to ride. So, to keep cool and to do something productive I have decided to give Big Red and bath and polish her up. It is a good day for that. It is not a good day to ride. The good thing is all this week I can ride Big Red to work. That will be fun and save me a lot of gas. I like the idea I can fill up Big Red for $18.00 and get 40-45 miles per gallon. Depending on the roads I take, I can get from 270-300 miles per tank. That is not too bad if you ask me.

Until next time and happy riding!

Pappy

Great Ride to Lenoir Today

Well, Slick and I just got back from our 270 mile round trip ride to Lenoir NC to visit families. It was a nice ride. Well, at least most of it. We are not too excited about having to put up with the stretch of road on I-40. There are too many idiots on that highway. That is one reason we decided to take 64 to Lenoir. It is a nice ride on that roadway. It is all country roads and most of the people that travel that road must like it too. We saw a lot of motorcycles on it. Actually, we must have seen over a 100 motorcyles on the highway today. I even saw a couple on a red Goldwing like Big Red. That is the first bike that I have seen like Big Red so that was a little strange.

The weather wasn't too bad today. But when we headed back home around 4 pm it was a little humid. Slick and I are really looking forward to riding in Septemeber and October. Now that will be good riding weather. All in all, the day was nice and are great way to spend the day.

Until next time and happy riding!

Pappy

Yesterday's Trip

Yesterday was a great day on Big Red. Slick and I took a 4 hour, 200 mile trip. First we headed down toward Lexington and then to Salisbury. After we left Salisbury we had only been on the road for about an hour. That was too short of a trip so we headed to Martinville VA. Slick and I enjoy that road. It really gets us away from the highway and all the heavy traffic.

Today we are heading on a 250 mile round trip to Lenoir NC to visit our parents for lunch. We plan to take I-40 to Statesville and then hit the back road of 64. That will take us into Lenoir. We will also be heading over to Hudson NC. The trip should be a fun one. The weather is supposed to be great. The high will be around 84. It sounds like a nice day to ride.

Until next time and happy riding!

Pappy

This Weekend Planned Rides

This weekend Slick and I plan to do some more practice riding in the local area and beyond. Saturday we plan to make our daily weekend trip to good old Denny's for breakfast. (We love Denny and those awesome waffles). After breakfast we plan to hit the 85 business route to Salisbury and then venture out to some other areas. The reason for the scoping out Salisbury is that is where we plan to head back to Sunday. On Sunday we plan to take Salisbury to 70 and then 64. We will be following 64 all the way into Lenoir NC. That is where we plan to meet Slick's mom and dad for lunch and then take a little trip to see my mom. The whole trip should be around 250 miles. That will be pretty cool because it will be our first long distance trip together. Of course, I will post how the trip turns out. There is a 40% of rain. Hopefully, we don't get wet (we have rain gear now) or we have to cancel the trip.

Until next time and happy riding!

Pappy

Slick Rode with Me Today!

Today I rode Slick on Big Red for the first time. I was a little worried about riding a passenger since I am still a new rider and getting use to riding a motorcycle myself. After practicing on Big Red a few minutes Slick asked me if I was ready to take her for a spin. So I thought, yeah, why not? So she put on her stuff and we took a few trips up and down our favorite parking lot. Then I started practicing the stops and wide turns with her. Then we worked on the tighter turns. I was really amazed of how much I didn’t feel her on the bike. One reason is the bike is big and designed to hold passengers. Another reason was that Slick is a great passenger. She sat up close to me, made no sudden adjustments on the bike and leaned when I leaned. Like I said, she was a great passenger. The plan now is for me to practice a few more hours with her one more day. Then we plan to take a mini trip down to Lexington and back. Soon we will be heading to Lenoir NC to visit family and friends. Our next real trip will be the “Wings over the Smokies” in September. Now, that will be fun!

Until next time and happy riding!

Pappy

NC and VA Trip

Well, I took my first long distance (long distance for me) trip on Big Red. I stated out in Jamestown and then headed up to Martinville VA. From there headed west to Stuart VA. Once I got to Stuart the ride got interesting. Stuart is a small town and there where I got a taste of some nice curvy roads. Actually, I was about 10 miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway. I was very tempted to go to the BRP, but I didn't want to be gone all day. Below is a picture that a cross country bike rider took of me over one of the overlooks. I returned the favor for him.

There was one thing I didn't plan for. Since I was riding solo I knew I needed to call Slick to let her know I was okay. If anyone is heading that way, there is no cellular phone coverage. I wasn't able to call Slick until I was heading back and got to Madison NC off of highway 311.

On the trip I actually saw a small black bear crossing the road. I kind of expect deer, but not black bears. The roads were nice in the country and there was very little traffic. The weather was nice and I wasn't that hot until I had to stop for water. Then I felt the heat. The total ride was a little under 200 miles and it took me about 4 1/2 hours. It was a nice ride. I just wished Slick could have had an opportunity to enjoy it with me. I kind a like her!

Until next time and happy riding!

Pappy

Next Mini Trip

Tomorrow I am off work. I plan to ride up to a little town on the border of NC called Price. I will probably go into VA since I will be so close to the state. Slick has to work so I will be going solo. This weekend I will be practicing with Slick on Big Red in the parking lot. I want to practice with her so I can get use to having a passenger on the bike. I don't see any problems as far as stopping, starting, cruising on the highway or wide turns. The tricky stuff will be the tight turns with a passenger. So I will be practicing that for a week or so. Our plan is to take a few small trips on Big Red starting in August. The Wings Over the Smokies is in September and we plan to do that trip. For now, I will be heading to VA tomorrow morning. It should be a nice relaxing ride.

Until next time and happy riding!

Pappy

Our New Logo

I was messing around with the Microsoft Paint program and came up with a new logo for Slick and I. I thought I would share it. Let me know want you think of it. Slick liked it so much she wants us to make some T-shirts. I don't know about that. Here it is:

Until next time and happy riding!

Pappy

Tail of the Dragon

Here is route that I had been hearing about for quite some time. It is the "Tail of the Dragon" and it's on the border of TN and NC. It has over 300 turns. It looks like a great place to ride a bike. Actually, it one of the best roads in the country for motorcycle riders.

Actually I just want to say I rode it. To check it out go to:

http://www.tailofthedragon.com/

I may try to go to the Tail of the Dragon in the Fall.

Until next time and happy riding!

Pappy

Good Morning Ride to Work

I was kind of nice to ride to work today. It was nice and cool and pretty much no traffic. Another great thing was to be riding down the road and jamming to my ACDC CD. It sounded pretty good for only having front speakers. I will be installing the rear speakers soon and I can really do some jamming on the way to work. Hopefully, I will not wake up too many people.

As for me, nothing wakes a guy up more than riding a Gold Wing and jamming to some good tunes.

Until next time and happy riding!

Pappy

Lessons Learned...So Far

It has been a little over 2 months since I started riding a motorcylce. It has been about 3 weeks since I started riding Big Red. I have came a long way considering I never rode a motorcycle in my life and now I am riding one of the biggest ones made today. Actually, I am pretty proud of that. So is Slick!

So what have I learn so far? Here are some of what I have learned while riding Big Red.

Speed is My Friend: I started realizing that motorcycles need speed to stay up. Handling a bike weighing over 800 lbs is a bit scary and you need speed to keep it up. I had to realize I needed to learn to adjust me speed on turns more than anything. Going down a road at 60 MPH is easy. Turning a tight turn at 5 MPH is another story. Speed is everything on a motorcycle.

Big Red is Well Balanced: I realize more and more each day that Big Red is a very well balanced bike and it takes little effort to keep it up and steady. For example, I can maintain a speed of 2 MPH and still keep it up at a light. To me that is amazing that it is bike is built that well.

Practing Your Turns: Turning is a skill that needs to practiced more than anything. I can lean the bike pretty well on turns. Actually, it is pretty natural for me to lean the bike. Taking sharp turns at a complete stop is a skill that needs to be practiced all the time. The thing is I get better at turns the more I practice on the highway. I can't afford to mess up there.

Learning to Stop: Big Red is a big bike. One of the first things that was killing me was stopping that bad boy. That took some practice. Now it is getting a lot easier. I still have to be prepared to catch the bike if I stop too quick or I am not concentrating on the stop.

Don't Be Afraid of the Big Bike: Getting on Big Red for the first few times was pretty scary for me. I actually dreaded it. One thing that kept me motivated was that I had a 19K bike sitting in my garage and I was determine to ride it. Plus, Slick and I planned to take some trips this Fall. I was not going to let the bike kick my butt. But I have to admit, it did intimidate me a lot at first. Now I look forward to riding it each day.

Practice with a Smaller Bike: One of the best things I did was get a smaller bike to practice with. The Shadow was perfect for that. I would not be on Big Red now if it wasn't for being able to practice with the Shadow.

Taking the Motorcycle Course: It was one of the best investments I ever made. I learned a lot from the course. It showed me what to practice, safety and gave me a lot of practice. Being a new rider, it was vital to me getting on the bikes as fast as I did. Plus, it saves me about 10% on my insurance.

Take the Parking Lot Practice Slow: I used a timeline to practice riding the Shadow. I didn't venture on the roads for about a month. After that, I decided I was ready for the road, traffic and all the little suprises of riding on the highway. The parking lot practice was great and I will continue to use it to practice and refine my skills and practice new ones.

Learn About Your Bike: I did a lot of research on Big Red. I knew what type of bike I wanted and I wanted something comfortable and dependable. I almost got a Royal Star Venture and after just setting on one, I realized it wasn't for me. After setting on the Gold Wing, I was hooked. It just felt right and I knew it was one of the best bikes ever made.

Know Your Gears: If you want to really get a good suprise, have a Gold Wing in the wrong gear when you take off. You will get a great suprise. I realized that when I took Big Red out of my driveway for the first time. It doesn't like 1st gear. I realized that 1st gear on Big Red is a granny gear. As with most grannies, it was slow and wanted to hold back. I realized that I need to be in the proper gear or I was going to know I wasn't real soon (in some cases, I did). Believe me, if you in the wrong gear on a Gold Wing, you will know it.

Those are just a few things I have learned so far. I am sure there will be more.

Until next time and happy riding!

Pappy

My Shadow Up for Sale Very Soon!

It is a sad day but it looks like I am ready to pass the 1987 Honda Shadow off to another owner. It has been a great first bike for me. It is just what I needed to help me train for Big Red. So, in the up-coming weeks I plan to get the Shadow prep for sell. I want to make sure it is in good shape for the next owner. So if anyone knows of anyone looking for a nice first bike let me know. The price will be a firm $2000.00, since I have pumped in over $350.00 for a full tune-up, maintenance, oil/air filter change and new battery.

Until next time and happy riding!

Pappy

Harley and Mercedes for Sale

I have some good news and some bad news. The Gold Wing that Pat Anderson was going to sell in no longer available. Actually, it was so nice they decided to keep it. That is the bad news. Now for the good news. She has a couple of other great items that might interest someone. Here they are:

2001 Harley Davidson FLSTCI Heritage Softail Classic, Sec alarm sys, Orig &Mustang tour seats, Phase I perf kit, Screaming Eagle Bologna Cut pipes,Drvr & psngr flr boards, hiway pegs, Gar kept, showroom cond $17,500.

2001 Mercedes SL500 Roadster w/ convertible soft top & hard top, 48K miles,excellent condition, new tires, all maintenance up-to-date. $37,000.

For more information you can contact Pat Anderson via her cell at 910-355-3538 or 910-376-6274.

Until next time and happy riding!

Pappy

This Years GWRRA Wing Ding News

As some people may know, the GWRRA is a very large organization and that was demonstrated at this years Wing Ding in Nashville TN. Here is a post from one of our leaders (Don Brock) on his views from this years Wing Ding. I thought you might find it interesting. I did.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

For all of our Friends and fellow Members that attended our party in Nashville, Thank you. You made our 28th Wing Ding the biggest and best family reunion ever by your presence. We broke all records for attendance, participation, classes, donations and parties. GWRRA and you now hold the Guinness Worlds Record for the largest single model parade of motorcycles in the World! 1,246 Gold Wings (1,284 total bikes) We had a Gathering of the Chapters for a meal (all Chapter A's, B's, C's and so on) that was attended by over 1,300 Friends and Members. They shared food, friendship, patches and stories with Members of other Chapters. Everyone seemed to have a great time. We had reunions for all of the former and current Trainers, COY's and Educators. We had a luncheon for the Master Riders. We had a talent show that had thirty-two contestants (twice the normal participants) and we had to keep moving the walls and expanding the room to let more people attend and support their friends. We also had our issues and challenges. Our vendor that supplied the barbecue failed to meet his promises and commitments. The lines were long and weather hot and the vendor did not provide the fun atmosphere promised for our Friends and fellow Members. We will take them to task for their shortcomings in their promises to our Members. The City promised our Members an escorted Parade and a Downtown Party. What they provided was woefully inadequate. We need to teach them what a safe parade requires and what a downtown party really is when it comes to Gold Wingers. We learned some valuable lessons. I also had the opportunity to meet and chat with many of the General BB Chapter Members and we had some great conversations and discussions. I greatly appreciate all that you do for your friends and fellow Members. You certainly are a great group of people. At the party we donated over $25,000 to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and more blood to the American Red Cross than ever before in the history of Wing Ding. GWRRA Members are the most caring people in the world in my book. For all of you that attended, Thank You. I must have met, spoke with, shook hands and got hugs from thousands of people. That is a memory I will treasure. For those of you who were unable to attend, you missed a great gathering of the Family. Next year will kick off the 30th Anniversary for GWRRA. We will begin in the most requested location for Wing Ding ? Billings Montana! We are planning events and activities all year to celebrate who and what we are to the world. I hope you can join us at Billings and spend the year having fun with your Friends and Fellow Members.

Warm Regards,
Don Brock

Until next time and happy riding!

Pappy

Daily Ride to Work and Upcoming Trips

I rode Big Red to work today. Riding it into work was fun. I had no problems with stops or any sharp turns. I got a lot of comments on the bike. Everyone had 2 comments. They said it was a very nice bike and it was BIG! A couple of people sat on it and said it was very comfortable.

Later today I plan to ride it around the neighborhood before I head home. Overall, I feel very good with how far I have come in riding motorcycles in the last 2 months. Considering, I never rode any motorcycles before then. Even Slick has never ridden a motorcycle before and soon she plans to get her own license. Way to go, Slick!

Slick and I do plan on practicing some more over the next couple of days. I have to get ready for our trip for the “Wings over the Smokies” trip in August. That should be a blast.

Slick and I are also planning a nice 250 mile round trip to Boone and the Blue Ridge Parkway in the next month of so. That should be a nice trip. There are a couple of long country roads on that journey that will be a blast to venture on and bypass the interstate 40 mess. We will also be able to swing by to visit the family too, if we decide to stop on the way home. I am looking forward to that trip too.

Until next time and happy riding!

Pappy

Failure to Wave Top Ten Lists

Here are a couple of list of the top ten reasons why Harley and Gold Wing rider’s sometimes fail to wave while you’re on the road. I thought these lists were pretty funny.

Top Ten Reasons Why Harley Riders Don't Wave Back

10. Afraid it will invalidate warranty.
9. Leather and studs make it too heavy to raise arm.
8. Refuse to wave to anyone whose bike is already paid for.
7. Afraid to let go of handlebars because they might vibrate off.
6. Rushing wind would blow scabs off the new tattoos.
5. Angry because just took out second mortgage to pay luxury tax on new Harley.
4. Just discovered the fine print in owner's manual and realized H-D is partially owned by Honda.
3. Can't tell if other riders are waving or just reaching to cover their ears like everyone else.
2. Remembers the last time a Harley rider waved back, he impaled his hand on spiked helmet.
1. They're too tired from spending hours polishing all that chrome to lift their arms.

Top Ten Reasons Why Gold Wing Riders Don't Wave Back

10. Wasn't sure whether other rider was waving or making an obscene gesture.
9. Afraid might get frostbite if hand is removed from heated grip.
8. Has arthritis and the past 400 miles have made it difficult to raise arm.
7. Reflection from etched windshield momentarily blinded him.
6. The espresso machine just finished.
5. Was actually asleep when other rider waved.
4. Was in a three-way conference call with stockbroker and accessories dealer.
3. Was distracted by odd shaped blip on radar screen.
2. Was simultaneously adjusting the air suspension, seat height, programmable CD player, seat temperature and satellite navigation system.
1. Couldn't find the "auto wave back" button on dashboard.

Until next time, happy riding!

Pappy

Training Video for New Riders

We all know that new riders (including myself) have to start some where when it comes to riding a bike. This was a video that I saw before I started riding Big Red. As you can imagine this didn't spark a great deal of confidence for me.

New Bike Rider

Until next time, happy riding!

Pappy

Gas Prices and Having a Motorcycle

I went to work this morning and I had to take my truck due to the forecast for rain the next couple of days. I had to fill up my Toyota Tundra. It cost me $60.00 for fill it up. Then I started thinking how much gas I could get for my motorcycles with $60.00. It was a eye-openner. For the shadow I can fill it up 8 times. For Big Red I can fill it up 3.5 times. That is a huge savings.

So where am I going with this? The motorcycles save me a lot of money on gas and besides there more fun to ride. I know of several motorcycle riders that save so much money on gas it practically pays for their monthly payment on their bike. That is a good deal if I say so myself.

Until next time and happy riding!

Pappy

Practiced on Big Red Today!

Well, I jumped on Big Red this morning and took it for a spin. I took it over to the same practice parking lot at GTCC. Slick went with me for moral support and to make sure I had another hand in case I dropped it. Everything went great. I handled the bike just fine. I was actually proud of myself seeing that 2 months ago, I had never rode any motorcycle and now I am riding a large Gold Wing.

I rode Big Red in the parking lot for about an hour. I worked on tight turns and stopping. The practice is really paying off. After an hour I started getting bored of the parking lot so I told Slick I wanted to ride it on the road. So took off on one of the back roads and then on a new highway for about 20 miles. It was great and I did fine. I plan to ride Big Red to work on Friday. In the next 2 days they are calling for rain.

This afternoon, Slick and I will be going back to the parking lot so she can practice. Like I said, she is hooked.

Until next time and happy riding!

Pappy

Slick Rode Solo!

Sunday was a pretty special day for Slick and I. We took the Shadow out for breakfast at Denny’s. Afterwards we went over to the GTCC parking lot. Slick wanted to try to ride the Shadow. We went over to the parking lot and she got all dressed up in my protective jacket. I could tell she was a little nervous, but she still got on the Shadow. The Shadow is a little bit bigger bike than the one she practiced with one day during her motorcycle course. So I could understand how she felt because I felt the same way when I first set Big Red up.

Anyway, she got on the Shadow and we went over some of the basics from the class. She put the bike in gear and started to take off. But as we all did when we started riding a bike for the first time, it stalled. Actually, it stalled several times. First she got off and said it was too big of a bike. Then I could see the determination in her eyes. She refused to let the bike kick her butt. So she got back on. After stalling a few more time she finally got the Shadow rolling. And rolling she did. Actually, she said she was going to ride for 10 minutes. Well, ten minutes turned into an hour.

I was so proud of her. She did great! Of course, she is hooked and now calls the Shadow…her bike. I see her getting her own licenses in the next few months. She is ready to practice again and I see us visiting the GTCC parking lot pretty often in the next few weeks.

Here is a picture of Slick on the Shadow. She looks like real motorcycle momma.

Slick on "HER BIKE"

Until next time and happy riding!

Pappy

I Finally Rode Big Red!

Well it finally happened. I finally got Big Red out of the garage Saturday and took it for a little spin. Actually, I freaked out Slick and some of my in-laws. I took Big Red out of the garage with the intentions of just bring it back up into my driveway. If you saw our drive way you would understand why it is a good idea to practice driving in and out of it.

Anyway, instead of bringing Big Red back into the drive way I decided to drive it over to the GTCC parking lot to practice. Now that would have been a great idea if only I had told everyone I was going to do that and if I had taken my cell phone. Of course, I did neither of those things.

As you can imagine everyone was looking for me. They thought I had dropped the bike and I was lying in the road like some ran over road kill with this big red Gold Wing on top of me. In reality I was riding Big Red and enjoying it. I actually rode for about 20 minutes and then Slick came looking for me. I knew she would. I guess she kind of likes me.

All in all, riding Big Red was fun. I was looking forward to riding it again on Sunday.

Until next time and happy riding!

Pappy