HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

 

     2008 is here and we are going to start the new year off with our annual Polar Bear Ride on January 1^st. We will meet at the Perkins Restaurant at 9:00am for breakfast and kickstands up at 10:00am. If you are not familiar with this ride it is when we ride downtown to the Mississippi River to watch BRAVE SOULS water ski and wake board in the frigid water for charity. If it turns out to be toooooo cold to ride your bike then come in your car. They always have something hot to drink and all donations go to local charities.  So lets have a hot breakfast and go to the river for some New Years fun.

     The next event for January will be on the 17^th. And this will be our monthly dinner ride. We will be trying out a new restaurant in the Hacks Cross/ Winchester area that has a meeting room. We would like to see everyone come and check this out as it maybe where we would like to move our meeting place.  It would be a little more centrally located for everyone. We will talk more about this at the meeting. After all, if the food is not good where we meet it makes it hard to recruit new people to the chapter.

     We all know how much we all love to eat. On January 26^th the chapter will be having a POT LUCK SUPPER at the home of Pete and LeeAnn. We will have more info on this at the meeting.

     OK we want everyone in W-2 to mark your calendars and make plans for Saturday, February 2^nd. This will be the annual CUPIDS CAPERS and it will be held at the Paris Landing State Park Lodge. The District Staff has moved this event to have something closer to all the members in West Tenn., so lets go as a Chapter and have a weekend of fun. The theme for this weekend is “A Bon Voyage Party” to get us in the mood for Spring Fling. There will be a registration form in this newsletter and also a coupon for $45 a night at the lodge. There will be games with prizes, line dance lessons and vendors for the ladies, scrapbook competition, and a contest for an advertisement for a cruise. So come to the meeting with some ideas on how we could do a cruise advertisement.

     In the month of February the staff has planned something for every weekend. The Saturday after Cupid Capers we will be having a breakfast ride, on February 9^th.  We will pick a time and place for this at the meeting.  On Saturday, February 16^th we will have our monthly dinner ride to Corinth, Ms. to the Circle Y restaurant. This will be the beginning of our dinner rides on a Saturday instead of Thursday nights.

     Now ladies be sure and mark your calendar for February 23^rd  and make plans to go to a Tea Room in Halls,Tn for lunch and some shopping. We will meet at a central location and carpool for this event. There will be more info about this at the meeting.

     As you see we have a lot to talk about at our January meeting so make plans to come and join in on all of the fun and fellowship.

 

See you soon,

Pat & Jim

 

QUICK TIPS: Preventing Motorcycle Theft

 

Follow these basic steps to help avoid becoming a victim of motorcycle theft:

1.       Lock your ignition and remove the key. Most bike thefts occur when the ignition is shut off, but not locked.

2.       Lock the forks or disc brakes with locks that have large, brightly colored tags.

3.       If traveling with other riders, lock motorcycles together when not in use.

4.       If riding alone, lock your bike to a secure, stationary object that can’t be easily dismantled, such as a light pole.

5.       Add an audible alarm to your motorcycle.

6.       When traveling and spending the night at a hotel, locate an outdoor security camera and park your bike in the camera’s view. If this not possible, park your bike close to your room.

7.       Keep an eye on your bike. When parking at a public event, check your motorcycle periodically, especially immediately after leaving your bike, to make sure there are no suspicious individuals lurking about.

8.       If parking in a garage, block your bike with automobiles close the garage door and make sure it is locked.

9.       Don’t store your title in your bike’s storage compartment, tank bag or saddlebag. The safest place for your title is at home.

10.    Uniquely mark and then photograph your bike. If thieves take your bike, note its unique markings to law enforcement using the photos you have taken.

11.    Keep you bike registration and insurance identification card on you when you ride.

12.    Be careful about giving out private information on where you live, work or play.

IF YOU USE A TRAILER TO TRANSPORT YOUR MOTORCYCLE, FOLLOW THESE SAFETY TIPS:

1. Park the trailer, in a well-lit location near security cameras or in an easily seen by restaurant, hotel or event staff.
2. Lock the trailer doors and hitch.
3. Secure doors by backing up to a wall, so there is not enough room for doors to be opened.
4. Know your trailer identification and license plate registration numbers.
5. When riding home, make sure you are not being followed.

 

Guard against theft when selling your bike:

Using fake identities has become common in bike thefts. Don’t turn over the title until you can verify the check or money order is valid and has cleared the bank. Mail the title to the new owner.

Ask the buyer for his or her name, address, date of birth and driver’s license number. Then ask to see the driver’s license  and check that the information given matches the license.

Be especially cautious of anyone who presents out-of-state identification.

Make sure the potential buyer wasn’t dropped off be another party and is planning to take a one-way test ride with your bike. Verify that the buyer owns the vehicle he or she is arrived with, and that the vehicle is of equal or greater value  than your bike.

Check that the buyer’s driver’s license carries a valid motorcycle endorsement.

It isn’t necessary that you provide a buyer with the title right away. A written document signed by the seller and buyer indicating price and method of payment can serve as proof of purchase. You can forward the title to the buyer once the check has cleared the bank.

If you decide to sell your motorcycle on consignment, do not provide the signed title to the dealership until you have received your money if full. Make sure the dealership is a reputable business before you trust them as an agent.

 

Everyone needs to be very careful out there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winter   Storage

By

Bruce Merrill

     Well ,it’s that time of year again, wet, cold, and not much fun for many of us to ride.  For those hardy souls, you can ride year around here in Memphis, but for a lot of us, it’s not as much fun as it is at 80 degrees.  Time to park your ride and wait till spring.

     If you just roll your Wing into a corner of your garage, you might be surprised come Spring that you  have a few problems.  Proper storage now can keep your baby in shape to get back out on the road if you do it right

     Let’s get started and it really isn’t all that hard to store your bike the right way.  First,  wash it good and get all that road junk off the bike.  Dirt can trap moisture and hasten corrosion.  Then take it for a short ride to help warm things up and dry it off good.  A ride to a gas station is in order so you can fill up the tank and fill it all the way to the top.  Add a fuel stabilizer to prevent your gas from going “stale”.  It also helps  prevent moisture accumulation .  Stale gas occurs when the “aromatics” ( lighter additives) evaporate and  the fuel  becomes foul smelling, like old paint  thinner.  If left long enough, it will turn into a really bad “goo” and plug up your carb or fuel injectors.  Don’t let this ruin your return to riding.

     Ok, now that you are back home, put the bike on the center stand and drain the oil into a suitable container.  Remove the filter and let it drain also and then  refill with your favorite brand of oil.  I use Honda HP4 semi synthetic and it has really helped quiet down the shifting on my 1800.  Please recycle your used oil and any  repair shop will take it and some towns also have a place for used oil. 

     Because gasoline is an excellent solvent, it has removed all the oil from the cylinder walls.  When the engine is running, the piston drags a thin film of oil with it.  The oil is then washed off by the downstroke of the incoming fuel.  This is no problem if the engine is run often , but sitting for a few months can cause the walls to rust so you need to protect them.  Take out each spark plug and put in about a teaspoon of oil in each cylinder and turn the engine over with the stop switch off.  This will spread the oil around each cylinder to help keep it nice and shiny.  Reinstall the plugs.

     Remove the battery and check the electrolyte level.  Add only distilled water to the fill line and put

 

it on your charger.  Tap water will kill your battery in

short order.  You need to charge your battery about every 2 weeks  for a few hours.  If you have a charger  that senses a full charge  it will go into “ float mood” and stop charging.  I still would not leave it hooked up all winter as it can over charge your battery and warp the plates.  Now that the battery is out of the bike, it’s a good idea to clean the battery box and the connections.  You can use  baking soda and water to neutralize any acid that has spilled out. 

     Ok, coming down the stretch now.  Roll your nice clean, fresh oiled, fuel filled bike to your favorite parking spot, inside preferably, and cover it with your bike cover to keep it clean and free of dust.  That’s all it takes to keep your bike in top shape, ready to go in the Spring.  Easy wasn’t it !

      One last comment to those of you who say, well Bruce, that’s all well and good, but I just go out and start my bike every few days and that keeps everything ready to go.  Wrong Gold Wing Breath!! 

     It takes more “juice”  to start the bike then you can put back in a few minutes of running.  Second, the alternator is not designed to charge your battery, only to maintain the state of charge.  And, if you have a 1500, its alternator doesn’t even start to put out a positive charge till you reach 1500 RPM’s.  Also, your engine gets warm enough to cause condensation inside the crankcase just like your car windows when you have your heater on and its cold outside.  The water forms on the inside of the glass and runs down.  Same thing happens on your nice  engine.  This water can dilute your oil and combine with the combustion  byproducts and form acid that will slowly attack the very parts you are trying to protect.  That’s why you changed your oil in the first place!  It’s a bad idea to let  old oil stay in your engine and slowly eat away at bearing surfaces.  Can you spell costly overhaul??

     Well if you are still with me, I hope a little time now will make your pride and joy ready to go come warm weather and I know Pat and her staff have lots of great rides planned for this year.  We all need to do what we bought these bikes for, and that’s get out there and ride!!!  It’s not nearly as much fun waving good by as your bike sits in the shop getting repaired because you didn’t take time and put it to bed the right way.  Ride safe and often.

 

 

 

 

 

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Attention: (from Pat & Jim)

 

MOST MILES IN A MONTH - If you want to participate in the most miles in a month then you need to start you a new log for each month this year. The most miles can only be won once a quarter per person. Then at the end of the year who ever has the most miles for the year will be given an award.

 

ALZHEIMERS DAY CENTER - Don’t forget to bring items to the meeting for the day center.

 

January 2008

 

 

February 2008