SARASOTA SHARKS GWRRA FL2-B2 Chapter FL2-B2 NEWSLETTER

Issue 6, Volume 1 June 2015

All locked up (Made ya look) OMING MONTHLY GATHERINGS UPCOMING MONTHLY CLUB MOTO : GATHERINGS 3rd Thursday Perkins Restaurant SAFETY FIRST 5921 Fruitville Road Sarasota, FL 34232 FUN ALWAYS Starts at Eat @ 6:00 Meet @ 7:00 PM Monthly

NATIONAL & STATE LEADERSHIP TEAM

NATIONAL DIRECTOR: Ray & Sandi Garris DEPUTY DIRECTOR EAST: Bob & Nancy Shrader REGION “A” DIRECTOR: Jim & Sue Jackson REG. A ASST DIRECTOR: Ed Porter FLORIDA DISTRICT DIRECTOR: Bill & Gina Berry FL ASST. DIRECTOR: Harry & Lynn Anderson

Chapter leadership team Directors: Bill & Barb Baner Asst. Director: TBA Treasurer: Pam Gladysz Chapter Educator: Bo Nepip Membership Enhancement Coordinator: Dave Gladysz Ride Coordinator: Rick Hill Web Master: Will & Rosemary Anderson Goodie Sales: Dave Gladysz Individual of the Year: Dave Gladysz Newsletter Editor: Matt Collis Email: [email protected] Historian: TBA

WELCOME TO SARASOTA

NONE Neal & Bill Bolton 16 June Ellen & Richard Dorsey 30 June Peg & Ron Pester 29 June

From the Lead Sharks Bill & Barb Baner

Happy June… Only six more months until Christmas…. We had an exciting ride to Fort De Soto on our July 30th Chapter Ride. It was not only fun, but educational. After the Fort visit, we headed up to the Quaker Steak and Lube Restaurant for some chow. When we got there, they were having a Motorcycle Charity event, where the top raffle prize was a new Harley Davidson. Reminder that our summer ride schedule is in place. We will be leaving the Mobil Station at 8:30 am to try and beat the summer heat. Wing Ding is coming up in September in Huntsville, Al. If you have never been to a Wing Ding, there is plenty to do and see. Oh yeah, and plenty of food to eat. You can attend several safety seminars, watch our Drill Team in action, see several professional shows, and of course numerous Vendors will be there with plenty of chrome for your Gold Wing. You can participate in the Poker Runs to see all of the interesting sights around the area. With this Wing Ding being so close to Florida, it is a perfect opportunity to go. Ride Safe, Ride Safe, Bill & Barb Baner FL2-B2 Chapter Directors

HAVE A WEATHER EYE!!!! It made the local news one evening and then passed into history. Maintaining an awareness of the weather for us touring motorcyclists is every time we settle into the saddle. Many of us have multi-day trips planned to region and Wing Ding, etc. Our routes will expose us to weather of differing severity unless we can plan blue sky riding exclusively. Even on a day trip we can be surprised by the weather. Needless to say, if we can avoid weather events that would increase our risk, we should take that action. In my opinion, the best time to avoid weather events is during the planning phase of the trip! I use a spreadsheet approach to plan my trip. I identify my way points for each day of the trip. Then I check Weather.com (there are a number of forecast sites on the web) for the weather forecast for that way point on the day that I’ll be there and adjust time or way points accordingly. The farther into the future the forecast is, the more degraded the accuracy of the forecast may be. I recommend that you keep checking the updates if weather events are in the forecast. Remember, avoidance is the best prevention. However, sometimes events happen faster than forecast or the forecast tanks. When you’re on the road, you can maintain awareness by watching the sky. Being aware of clouds as they develop into cumulonimbus/thunder heads and how they move relative to your route can keep you safe. Take note if they become very dark and/or change color-many have reported that a green hue precedes tornadoes/large hail. Tornadoes and hail can be hidden in heavy rain showers. Localized gusts can occur away from the cloud centers. Turn off the cruise control! Tune your radio to a local station for alerts and warnings … many of our Wings have NOAA Weather Radio – you did take note of some towns along and around your route for the day, right? There’s nothing like hearing a “Take Cover” warning and not knowing where that town was in relation to you! Find a restaurant, gas station, coffee shop with Wi-Fi and use one of the free cell phone apps like Radar Express, NOAA Weather Free, etc., to check the weather around and ahead of you. Go to the ground, find shelter – protect yourself and your co-rider. Dust devils in the drier regions can be more than a nuisance. The good thing is most of the time you can see them coming. Be ready for the sudden change in direction. Every situation is different and I wish I could give more exacting advice, but that’s not possible! Generally, watch for oil slicks/pooling/water building up on the roadway, slow down to avoid hydroplaning. If it’s been raining for a while the raised center track may be a safer option to avoid the pooling. Expect cagers to pass you – be ready for loss of vision during splash back. Be ready for sudden changes in wind direction and speed – look at trees and tall grass on the side of the road as indications of the change. Beware of dense fog! You can’t see or be seen. There will be a tendency to hunker down if you find an overpass. Do so with caution – park as far off the roadway as you can and keep a safe distance between you and the bike. Good, padded safety gear will help somewhat with small hail – keep your gear on. When all else fails, maintain a constant throttle with no sudden changes in speed until you can stop and park as far off the roadway as you can safely; move a safe distance from the bike; make yourself the smallest target you can in the lowest area you can find and do the best you can to protect yourself. Use discretion! Live to tell the story! CHAPTER “FL2-B2” CALENDAR

2 June Chapter Ride 4:30 PM to Wesley Chapel 18 June Chapter Meeting 20 June Chapter Ride 0830 27 June Triathalon 2015 FLORIDA GWRRA EVENTS Sept 3-6 Wing Ding Huntsville, AL