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Rocket City Wings
Huntsville, Alabama -- Chapter B, Region A
Friends for Fun, Safety & Knowledge
May 2004
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What a great month April has been. We had a great Rally, went on some new rides and met new people to ride with. We made a two day trip to the Smokies, saw some of God’s most beautiful paintings and rode some really neat roads. I would like to thank everyone who made these dreams become a reality.
Chapter B participated in the Relay for Life on Friday night through Saturday morning. We had a good time and the Chapter raised $3,790. The gross total raised was $252,000 for all the teams combined. It was more than the objective and we hope to be involved again next year. Hope to see you there.
We have also started our Ride for Kids meetings again and all are welcome to ride to Hoover with us to participate. We have some good people on the committee and are always looking for more volunteers to help. Some of the other Chapters in Alabama have some neat fundraisers going on and I for one am very proud of all who are trying to help. Most of us can look at a child or grandchild or even a picture and thank God for our healthy family, but there are children and grandchildren who need our help. That help can come in many ways, please try to help in anyway you can.
Russ and Betty have some different rides on the schedule and some old favorites, if you think of one you would like to go on that you have not seen, send Russ and Betty an Email and let them know where it is. We are also going to pick back up our summer Sunday breakfast rides going to different places a couple of times a month and then doing a ride afterwards. If you have a favorite breakfast place within an hour or so from here, please let us know. I think the weather is supposed to be warming up and we can go see some fun places and good scenery.
Please remember that if you are thinking about going on a ride, call a friend, they are probably thinking the same thing.
Ride safe and often, Roy & Anita
May 11, 2004. MEET AT RYAN'S ON S. PARKWAY. 6 to eat, 7 to meet. Hope to see you there.
Thanks to Rex Holder for creating and maintaining the Chapter B web page. For the latest news consult the web page at http://www.geocities.com/scipvteye/alb.html
We are trying to collect some pictures of chapter members, places we have been, bikes, trikes, etc. We want to post them to the web page and be available for all our members to see. If you have any digital pictures, please e-mail them to Mickey Polka at "jul ipol ka*a ol:com".
The door prize winners were Barbara Powell, Amy Westbrook, Nathan, Lynette Broxson, Linda Zutter, Elizabeth Griswold, George Humphrey, and Sue Harris. Sue Harris and Justin Harris won the 50/25/25. Davis Foster the membership drawing. The J.A. award was won by Tommy "where's my key" Reiad.
If you buy 50/25/25 tickets you will receive 1 extra ticket for each if you wear shirt and/or vest with Chapter logo and/or ride your bike to the meeting.
Also Alice has the country store if anyone needs items for vest or hats.
The weekend of April 24-25 a small group of us rode to Pigeon Forge, some to visit the Tennessee District Rally but the real reason, at least for me, was the ride itself. Deal’s Gap and the Cherohala Skyway. I probably misspelled that but they are nonetheless two of the most scenic routes in the Southeastern United States. Mountainscape panoramas that will take your breath away and give you a real sense of your place in the universe. I could not view the scenery without being reminded repeatedly that there is a power much higher than man. The problem with such contemplation is that it takes your mind away to the proverbial “better place”. While relaxing, it keeps you, or at least me, from paying attention to the detail needed to safely navigate such areas. These roads are no more dangerous than any other road one might ride, despite reputations. U.S. 129, Deal’s Gap, at 30 mph is no worse than I-65 at 70 mph, or your driveway at 5 mph as long as you are paying attention to detail. In particular, traffic on an intersecting roadway, or oncoming traffic in a curve, or passing four wheelers that can create a vacuum strong enough to lay down a 1,000 pound vehicle and rider. The point is, as we have all heard, make sure you are ready to ride before you ride, not just your bike but, more importantly, your head, and not just at the beginning of the ride but continuously during it until you arrive home. Yes, this is old news, but can it be said “too often”? I think not.
Here we are at the beginning of the Spring riding season, hardly a day goes by that we don’t ask ourselves and our friends, where do we want to ride today or this weekend? What do you do to ensure you are, in fact, ready to ride? Check air, oil, engine coolant, fuel, but do you include your attitude? Should you include your attitude? I believe this may be more important than the physical aspects, or at least AS important. I am certain that most of the riders, and co-riders, who read this have heard more than once the phrase “ride your own bike”, especially when riding with a group. How many of you take this seriously to the point of perhaps letting the group pull away because the leader is driving faster than you’d like under the circumstances? I have heard instructors talk about not riding with anyone they do not know because they cannot predict a stranger’s response in any given situation. How many of us are aware that Chapter B has a reputation for riding in larger groups than safety instructors recommend. The preferred group is anything less than six and the perfect number is one.
Having said that, I’ll ask, why such small groups and if you never ride with a stranger, how do you go about making new friends? I adhere to the concept that conscientious attention to practical safety, logic, and the realization that my Wing is smarter than I, there is an acceptable level of risk to riding with strangers. After all, I do not think it possible to ride without risk therefore it is not so much a question of “if” but “how much” risk are we willing to accept while riding.
You do not have to agree with me, that seldom happens, but please think about it before you “kick the tires and light the fires” for your next ride.
Ride Safe & Often Paul & Susan Neely “Stress Relief”
Madison County Executive Airport Motorcycle Training Courses
- May 7-9, BRC
- May 14-16, BRC
- May 22, ERC
- June 11-13, BRC
- June 18-20, BRC
Thu May 6 through Sun May 9 -- Region N Rally in Cherokee, NC. - http://www.region-n.org/images/regionnrally04.pdf
Thu May 13 through Sun May 16 -- Texas District Rally, Austin, TX - http://www.texasdist.org/2004registration.pdf
Fri May 14 through Sun May 16 – Niehaus Days – Litchfield IL
Mon Jun 7 through Sat Jun 12 – Americade, Lake George, NY
Thu Jun 17 through Sat Jun 19 -- Georgia District "Wing Fling" in Hiawassee, GA. - http://www.gwrra-ga.com/rally2004/2004rally.htm for info and flyer.
Fri Jun 18 through Sun Jun 20 -- Lynchburg TN Motorcycle Rally
Tue Jun 22 through Sat Jun 26 -- Honda Hoot, Knoxville, TN - http://www.hondahoot.com/ for info.
Sun Jul 4 through Thu Jul 8 – WING DING – Grapevine, TX - http://www.wing-ding.org/
Thu Jul 29 through Sat Jul 31 – Honda Homecoming, Marysville, OK http://www.ohio.honda.com/events/homecoming/index.asp for info.
Mon Aug 9 through Sun Aug 15 – 64th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Sturgis, SD http://www.sturgismotorcyclerally.com/ for more info
Fri Aug 27 through Sun Aug 29 -- Kentucky District’s "Blue Grass Blast" in Paducah, KY - http://www.gwrra-ky.org/index.asp
Fri Sep 3 through Sun Sep 5 -- International Drill Team Championship in Nashville, TN - http://www.motorcyclejubilee.com/
Thu Sep 9 through Sat Sep 11 – Region A Rally “Wings of Autumn” -- Helen, GA
Thu Sep 23 through Sun Sep 26 -- Wings Over the Smokies, Fletcher, NC - http://www.gwrranc.org/wos2004/wosinfo.htm
Thu Oct 14 through Sat Oct 16 -- Mississippi District Rally in Biloxi - http://www.msgwrra.org/~miss/MsRally.shtml
Sat May 8 - Chp B/I Fun Day at Point Mallard, Decatur
Sat May 15 - Chp Z Fun Day - Santuck, AL
Sat May 22 - Chapter K Fun Day – Tuscumbia, AL
Fri May 28 & Sat May 29 - Chapter G Fun Day – Enterprise, AL
Sun May 30 – Rolling Thunder Ride, Washington, DC
Sat Jun 5 - Chp N - Fun Day at Cycle World 1701 W. Meighan Blvd., Gadsden, AL 35904
Sat Jun 12 - Chapter D Poker Run at Bama Power Sports in Oxford - 10AM-2PM. Contact Michele Winslow for info at win s633 9*be llso uth:net
Sat Aug 14 - Chp N – Bike Show at Gadsden Mall., Gadsden, AL 35904
Sat Aug 21 – Annual Shannon Dawn Memorial ride, Prattville, AL
Sat Sep 18 – Trail of Tears ride
Sun Sep 26 – Ride for Kids – Pelham, AL
Chapter A – Mobile – TBD - Location TBA
Chapter C - Birmingham – TBD - Location TBA
Chapter F - Montgomery – TBD - Location TBA
Chapter J - Tuscaloosa – TBD - Location TBA
Chapter L - Thomasville – TBD - Location TBA
Chapter Q - Millbrook – TBD - Location TBA
Chapter V – Maytown (Birmingham) – TBD - Location TBA
Chapter X – Central Alabama (Pelham) – TBD - Location TBA
Great bike for riding around town.
2002 Suzuki 800 cc liquid cooled Marauder. Lots of chrome and extras like:
Cobra Light Bar, Sissy Bar, Billet Rack, Saddle Bag Supports (never opened) and cover
Purchased new in Mar 2003 and has 4670 miles
Price: $5000.00 Contact Dan Byrd (256) 313-3466
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