Friends for Fun, Safety and Knowledge

WHY WOBBLE

WHEN YOU CAN

FLUTTER I noticed lately that various members have had various problems arise with their bikes. The one I want to con-

centrate on in this article is the front forks. One of the most common complaints about a Goldwing or other big bike is

that the handlebars have a tendency to wobble, oscillate, tank slap or other wild description when decelerating from

40 miles per hour to a stop. Members have put on special adapters that replace wheel weights thinking it’s the tire

balance out of whack. Others have installed various brands of fork braces others have thought it was uneven tire wear.

The wheel weight adapters seem to work for their purpose whether they are the rings that you bolt on or the

ceramic bb’s that go in the tire. They balance the tire. That makes the bike ride smoother at highway speeds and can

extend tire life by helping prevent uneven tire wear.

Fork braces work in theory by preventing a bulging flex of the front fork suspension and have the tendency to

make the bike feel more planted to the road and helps limit the side to side “flop” of the front end and thus making

slow speed maneuvers more manageable.

The most common culprit for the wobble is not any of the “remedies” mentioned so far. The most common

culprit is loose head bearings or worn head bearings. The head bearings are located between the forks attached to the

frame of the bike. One bearing is near the handlebars and the second one is located about 8 inches below it. Honda

has used a fairly simple system similar to those used in bicycles for decades. That is one made up of two races

(surfaces for the bearing to seat to) and an assembly of steel balls trapped in a holder of sorts to keep them evenly

spaced around the race. A great deal of weight and pressure is placed on these bearing from normal riding conditions

and from the occasional pot hole or drop in the pavement. After a while the bearing becomes loose, worn or in some

cases will actually make small divots in the race and cause a notched feel to the steering.

So what do you do to fix this problem? When the bike is serviced annually by a mechanic (or by you if so in-

clined) torqueing the main triple tree nut to the proper setting is very important. The amount of adjustment is a very

light force on the bearing. Too tight and you will find the steering hard to move, to loose and you have not done any-

thing to help the problem. If you have never had this done and you are getting up there in mileage the solution may

not be so simple. If the bearing has beaten its self to death because it has been loose to long it needs to be replaced.

Replacement is somewhat labor intensive and requires the tools to remove the old races and press new ones in. If you

need to have this done there are aftermarket bearings from All Balls that uses tapered bearings that will handle the

bikes weight better and not need adjustment as often.

Now for flutter… flutter is what I call the feeling anyway. Forks are the long tubes that attach the front wheel

to the handlebars (you knew that though didn’t you). Believe it or not these also need to be serviced regularly. The

fork tubes are like car shocks but are really doing more work that those things on your car. Forks consist of springs,

shims, bushings, valves and oil all working in concert to provide a way to keep the most constant contact and control

possible. When the forks don’t get checked out (a figure of 30,000 miles is the one that jumps up at me) they start to

deteriorate. The bushings inside have a Teflon coating that wears away and if that gets too worn can scuff the polished

surface of the fork tube. The oil picks up the worn metal and sands away at the oil seals and starts a leak. The leak can

be so slow it is not noticed for some time. With less than the need oil in the fork the tire jumps and bounces. This caus-

es poor handling, tire wear and makes you more fatigued that normal after a long days ride.

If you have the timing right and maintain a schedule for service you can get most of your problems taken care

of and save some labor money by having the head bearings changed, the forks seals and bushings serviced and fork oil

changed all at once. The parts are not that expensive and at a minimum you would save about 2.5 hours in labor the

mechanic will charge you or 2 days extra frustration if you do it yourself and are a bit of a novice at motorcycle me-

chanics. Tools required would be close to what the labor bill will be anyway.

Now that you have fixed your forks, installed Centramatics or ceramic balls for tire balance, installed a fork

brace for slow speed handling, and made sure the head bearings are correctly torqued an amazing thing will happen.

Your bike will now ride smoother, handle better and be more enjoyable than it was when you first bought the

bike. Or at least that will be what is seems like. Remember you spent a lot of money buying your bike and accessories.

Spend a little on service more than a few quarts of oil and a filter. Besides if you do all that to your bike you might get

the money back by not having to replace so many cupped tires.

Oh yeah, don’t forget to check the brakes while you got that bike apart. We will talk brakes and hydraulics on a

different occasion.

.

Have fun out there and ride a lot!

Bob and Nancy Harris CD’s

CA-C GWRRA Sacramento

Hang On — The Ride Is Not Over Yet

District Director Review

Vincent & Pamela Puterbaugh

GWRRA California District Directors

2013

Christmas In March

So much has happened in the last 8 weeks, that I feel like it is December and I am sitting down to write the an-

nual Christmas letter (except that I have never written a Christmas letter and have often wondered if those that do

write them really tell the truth about how wonderful their year actually was). Those ponderings aside, CA-1I hosted an

absolutely fabulous event in Covina last month to kick off our riding year. The Gold Angels performed again and this

year’s routine is even more intricate than in previous years. We look forward to the Region Convention in St. George,

Utah over the Memorial Day weekend when the Gold Angels will perform yet another special show. At the end of the

convention, the results of the Chapter of the Year were announced with the Wolf Pack of CA-2W coming in second

place and the CA-1Z Zebras taking top honors. The Zebras will go on to compete against the Region’s other District win-

ners and will try to keep the honors in California.

As you read this article CA-1C is actually about to hold their annual event. It is amazing to see what a small

group of dedicated people can pull off as this is their 3rd year. When larger chapters complain to me that their chapters

lack the resources to do the things we ask of them, I tell them to compare their resources to CA-1C and then get back to

me (talk about a conversation stopper). Anyways, kudos to CA-1C for we know you did another great job!

CA-1R is holding their annual Rally in the Valley in beautiful Las Vegas on the 15th, and 16th, of this month. Their

theme is aviation related and boasts several great travel opportunities as grand prizes. Most importantly, did I mention

it’s in Vegas? We have already made our reservations and hope to see you there.

On a disappointing note, I am sad to announce the official closing of chapter CA-1N in Oceanside. For the past

several years, their efforts to recruit replacements for their key officers was met with less than enthusiasm and, eventu-

ally, everyone that was willing to hold office had already done so. GWRRA appreciates all of the hard work the mem-

bers of CA-1N have put in over the last 30 years and no one will soon forget all of the good they did with the Toys for

Tots program. If not for all of their efforts, there are many southern California children that would have gone without

presents on Christmas morning.

At the January Officer’s Conference in Bakersfield, we announced that this year’s California District Convention

would be held at the Holiday Inn in Visalia over Labor Day weekend. Rooms start at $89 and the response from those

in attendance was very positive. Well, the officers must have done a great job in sharing the news because the hotel

has 259 rooms and as of two weeks ago, we were told that there were 146 rooms still available under our contracted

rate. By the way, that rate is good for both king rooms as well as rooms with 2 queen beds so if money is tight this

year, think about splitting costs with your friends. The hotel is pet friendly and has agreed to waive the $25/night pet

fee for us. In addition to the usual goings on, this year’s convention is being held at the gateway to King’s Canyon Na-

tional Park (think Mt. Whitney) and to Sequoia National Park (think of a National Park with Sequoia trees). We will sup-

ply you with more details as the time grows closer, but based upon previous years’ pre-registration rate, we are on

track for over 500 attendees. There are several other hotels in the area, but if you want to stay where the convention

is being held, you might think about making your reservations sooner rather than later. For all the contact and registra-

tion information, go to www.gwrra-ca.org.

Until next month, ride well and ride often.

Vincent and Pam Puterbaugh

BE PREPARED

I would like to again congratulate two more new members to the Riders Educa-

tion program, KEN COLEMAN and RICK McCUSKER. Both have demonstrated the desire

not only to become safer riders, but advance within the GWRRA Rider’s Education Program.

One word that can raise the hackle on the neck of any rider is rain. Though no one goes out riding just because

it’s raining, (maybe one of us), but we do get stuck in the rain at times. What can we do to improve our riding in the

rain?

The first thing we can do is done well ahead of the first few drops of rain. Having a rain suit and that rain suit

be highly visible. Maintaining all your lights also helps you to be seen in the rain. Carrying extra light bulbs could help.

The other important part that needs maintaining ahead of time is our tires. One of the major causes of hydro-

planing is worn tires. It’s too late to check them after the rain starts falling. Once it starts raining, there are still things

we can do to increase our safety. We could pull off the road as soon as we find a place to get out of the rain and safe.

It gives as a dry place and more important, it puts us off the road during the most dangerous first fifteen minutes of

rain when the road oils first collects. A few more minutes of rain will wash the oil off the road.

Though the main danger of hydroplaning, increasing our following distance, taking curves more slowly, and

increasing our scanning distance all help rain riding.

Riding in the rain may not be pleasant, but it can be safer.

Noland Mayo, Rider Educator

ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE LIFTS

You have seen them in various magazines. There dangling off the back of an RV, perched high off the ground in a very unnatural position, sits a big, big bike, usually a Harley, but occasionally a Gold Wing. It’s a motor-cycle, sitting on some sort of lift arrangement spanning the width of an RV. It’s the wish of every guy with lots of toys – to take them with you.

These same advertisements proclaim installed in just a few days, no muss, no fuss, just bring the RV to them and stand by for fun. That and about 8 grand and you are set. I have a great friend, John, with whom I have ridden thousands of miles, side by side. He said one day “Hey Bob, you know, we can build a lift for your RV and it won’t cost much.” Now just so you know, he is a phenomenal me-chanic, and can fix just about anything. He can create items from a little weld and pieces of metal. He created and in-stalled the trailer hitch for my GL1500. He has helped me install just about all of my accessories and taught me a lot about my golden steed. In other words, I trust him with my Wing, and with my life. We had been talking about this lift thing for several years. And now that Kathy and I are full time RVers, the talk became serious. Being the analytical planner type I said, “Well, let’s draw up some plans and see what it’s going to take”. We sat down and got started. The detailed drawings turned out to be 12 squiggly lines on a TACO-BELL paper napkin. The plan was (and still is) in John’s head. He came over the next afternoon, crawled under the RV, took some measurements, mumbling all the while, “…we can drill here, weld here, cut that, …” After he rolled out, he gave me a shopping list of material, and we set a date when he needed the material, and when I needed to be at his place, with the RV, to begin the installation. As my brain cleared, I realized I needed to settle down and let John do his thing. OOOOMMMMMM. OOOOOOOMMMM. I started to become one with the process. John is a brilliant fabricator, and he is typical of those brainiacs. As he’s constructing a piece of the puzzle, he thinks of a better way. He wants to stop, disassemble the piece, and reconstruct it. Early on, this didn’t create any problems – at least for my step-by-step brain. But as the puzzle pieces came together and began being placed on the RV, it took a lot of talking to keep his mind on the end goal – completion. OOOOOMMMM. OOOOMMMMM ALL IS WELL! ALL IS WELL!!!! We cut, grinded, sanded, welded, measured, cut, welded, re-welded, grinded some more, painted, drilled, cut, welded, fit, re-fit, tested, welded, re-tested. Finally we put a real Gold Wing on the lift, and (drum roll please) the lift did exactly what it was supposed to do – it LIFTED the bike. Realize, this is not just some flimsy, bend in the middle do-hickey. The thinnest piece of metal on the lift is ¼ in thick steel. It is built to John’s standard. It is powered by a 2000 lb. electric cable hoist with a 3 X mechanical ad-vantage pulley system. There are over 200 man hours, and about $1500.00 in steel invested in the lift. But it works and works well. As I write this article, there is just one major item to complete. We need to reset the trailer hitch on the RV so that we can continue to tow our CRV without interference from the lift. John says “No problem, just a few hours.” Me??? I say OOOOOOMMMMMM. OOOOOOMMMMM. It will be alright! It will be alright!!

A “Handy” Alternative to CB

Rick McCusker

Those of you who know me well are aware I do not have a CB radio

on my Goldwing. True, it would enhance the ride to be able to talk to

those among the group, but I believe I use a better alternative to the VERY expensive CB radio for a Goldwing.

I first got interested in radio way back in 1969 when my stepfather’s carpool partner would park his truck in front of

the house. He had this mysterious box mounted under the dash and one day, when he left the window cracked open, I

couldn’t resist temptation and got into his truck and turned on this mysterious “box.” Voices were spilling out at a fast

clip and from far away! This was amazing!

Fast forward to the following year when Uncle Sam sent me greetings! I enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard and scored

well in the aptitude test for radio. Another year (spent chipping paint on a cutter) and I was off to Radioman School. I

had the good fortune of having a roommate who was a Ham Radio Operator and we spent many, many evenings in the

shack talking to other Hams in Europe. I earned my first Amateur Radio license in 1971 and have been involved in radio

ever since. I even had the good fortune of being a broadcast engineer for the Sacramento Kings for 5 years.

Some of you have noticed the “different” unit I have mounted on my handlebars. Yes, it would be nice if it was just

that one piece of gear, but what you don’t see is the rest of the radio mounted in the well in the trunk where the CB

would go. What is it? It’s a Yaesu FTM-10R Dual Band VHF/UHF transceiver. What can I do with it? Talk a LOT further

than you can with your CB. And it’s integrated into my headset.

A quick lesson in radio theory and propagation is called for! CB radio operates on 40 “channels” in the 27 MHz

range. That frequency area is a short distance mode. However, during the summer months and the peak of the 11 year

sun spot cycle, you can sometimes get a longer range due to “skip.” Skip is the radio wave bouncing off the ionosphere

and reflecting back to Earth some distance away. Could be a 500-mile or 2,000-mile hop depending on atmospheric

conditions. Most of the time, you will be limited to a 3-4 mile range using your CB on your ‘wing. By FCC regulation,

your CB is limited to an output power of 4 watts.

I will use the 2-Meter Amateur Radio band as an example because that’s the most popular and easiest band to use

in Ham Radio. My Yaesu puts out 50 watts – over ten times more than your CB. It also operates in the FM mode, while

your CB operates in AM. If you’re anywhere near as “well-seasoned” as I am, you already know the difference in how

they sound. I can use thousands of different frequencies, while CB is limited to 40 frequencies.

So here we are, out on a group ride and someone breaks down, or heaven forbid goes down. There is no cell phone

signal, so what do you do? Someone has to ride ahead and get to a cell phone friendly area or find a telephone. Or, if

I’m riding with the group, I just make a call and help will be on the way… Why? Because there are literally thousands

of “repeaters” for the 2 Meter band throughout the USA, and most usually have someone listening 24/7. What is my

range? If I use the repeater on top of Mount Diablo, I can talk to someone anywhere from Williams to Merced. If I use

the repeater on top of the Sutter Buttes, my range is from Red Bluff to Modesto.

So what’s the point? Ham radio today is a LOT different than just a few years ago. We are licensed by the FCC and

have to meet strict requirements to earn that license. Gone are the days of having to go and take a test at the nearest

Federal Building. You can qualify for a Ham radio license just by studying the entry level Technician Class book and tak-

ing a test locally. What does it get you? The ability to communicate far and beyond! We now have modes and technol-

ogies where some of our repeaters take your signal, send it through the Internet and transmit it on another repeater

somewhere in the world. Yes, we do use digital modes, too. No, you don’t have to know Morse code. That require-

ment went away several years ago!

Once you have your license, you can purchase a relatively inexpensive handheld radio to carry with you as an alter-

native to your CB. How much does it cost? You can get a new 2 Meter handheld radio for a little as $129. That’s just

about $450-500 less than a CB for your ‘wing.

Want to know more about it? Just ask me! I am an FCC-certified Instructor and License Examiner and I’ll be more

than happy to show you what it’s all about! Or, check out www.arrl.org. That’s our nation-wide organization and there

is a LOT of information there for someone interested in becoming a Ham! Bonus – we are starting a beginner’s class for

Ham radio on April 1st. Let me know if you’d like to attend as we have limited space.

Chapter Directors Bob & Nancy Harris 209-744-8560 sashadad@softcom.net

Assistant Chapter Directors

Membership Enhancement Coordinator

Scot Smith

Mary Kimbell-Smith 916-647-9013

scotrsmith@gmail.com

mkimbellsmith@gmail.com

Assistant Chapter Director

Rocco 916-743-2358 jprocco3@comcast.net

Assistant Membership Enhancement

Coordinator Rocco 916-743-2358 jprocco3@comcast.net

Chapter Educator Noland Mayo 916-276-8397 morweed@surewest.net

Treasurer Cathy Flowers 916-363-4349 retiringyoung@sbcglobal.net

Newsletter Editor Rocco 916-743-2358 jprocco3@comcast.net

Chapter Auction Bob Stephens 916-372-2260 dadobiker@sbcglobal.net

After Chapter Meeting

Ride Coordinator Rich James 559-901-0092 rhjiii47@yahoo.com

Chapter Stores Rodney & Anita

Brooks 916-601-9461 carpet@softcom.net

Webmaster Bill Palmer 916-416-8423 bpalmer210@msn.com

Sunshine Coordinator Sharon Scoggins 916-681-6595 serenity789@hotmail.com

Chapter Photographer Rocco 916-743-2358 jprocco3@comcast.net

50/50 & Raffle Tom & Barbara

Jefferies 916-682-3469 tjeffer293@aol.com

Wing Nut Spike Redding 916-682-6869 spikered@comcast.net

CACACA---C TeamC TeamC Team

Meeting Date/Time Chapter Chapter Director Meeting Location 3rd Sunday CAC Bob and Nancy Harris Elks Lodge #6 (Sacramento)

8:30 Breakfast 9:00 Meeting www.capitalcitywings.com 209-744-8560 6446 Riverside Blvd.—Sacramento

1st Saturday CA1A Lance & Dee Wilson Greenhouse Café

8:30 Breakfast 9:15 Meeting www.ca1a.org 661-992-7701 1169 Commerce Center Drive—

Lancaster

3rd Saturday CA1C Sherman & Dorie Jared Burgers ansd Beer

8:00 Breakfast 9:00 Meeting 760-288-5962 72-772 Dinah Shore Dr-Rancho Mirage

3rd Sunday CA1D Tim McShane Paramount Elks Lodge

8:00 Breakfast 8:30 Meeting www.gwrra-ca1-d.com 562-920-6564 8108 E. Alondra Blvd.—Paramount

2nd Saturday CA1F Tom Klock & Tammy The Broken Yolk Café

8:00 Breakfast 8:30 Meeting www.gwrra-ca1f.org 619-954-0228 1851 Garnet Avenue—San Diego

(Pacific Beach Area)

1st Sunday CA1I George & Norma Mocabee Covina Bowl

8:00 Breakfast 8:30 Meeting www.gwrra-ca1i.org 626-945-5988 1060 W. San Bernardino Road

Covina

Last Saturday CA1K Nadine Galli Home Town Buffet

8:00 Breakfast 9:00 Meeting www.ca-1k.org 818-398-0763 6705 N. Fallbrook Avenue

Canoga Park

2nd Saturday CA1L Fred “Rusty”& Janey Angleton International House of Pancakes

8:00 Breakfast 8:30 Meeting www.gwrra-ca1l.org 805-345-8776 212 Madonna Road—San Luis Obispo

2nd Sunday CA1M Steve & Sandy Damico The American Legion

8:00 Breakfast 9:00 Meeting www.ca1m.org 909-391-4021 814 W Colton Ave—Redlands

2nd Sunday CA2R Dave Wilson Vittles Restaurant

8:00 Breakfast 8:30 Meeting 530-221-0979 2385 North St—Anderson

2nd Sunday CA1Q Pat & Ellen O'Donnell Hof’s Hut

7:30 Breakfast 8:00 Meeting gwrra-ca1q.org 714-525-3993 7005 Knott Avenue—Buena Park

1st Sunday CA1R Harold & Jan Jaffke Home Town Buffet

7:00 Breakfast 8:00 Meeting www.gwrra-ca1r.org 949-830-3636 1008 East 17th St — Santa Ana

3rd Saturday CA1S Joel Jolitz Carrow’s Restaurant

8:00 Breakfast 9:00 Meeting www.ca1s.org 805-216-6661 2401 Harbor Blvd.—Ventura

(Park in back)

3rd Sunday CA1V Mike & Barri Critzman Maxwell's

7:30 Breakfast 8:00 Meeting www.gwrraca1v.org 760-245-9218 17772 Wika Road—Apple Valley

1st Saturday CA1Z Danny & Ginger Merritt Home Town Buffet

8:00 Breakfast 9:00 Meeting www.gwrra-ca1z.org 951-285-3597 40390 Margarita Road—Temecula

4th Saturday CA2A Greg & Kay Boyajian Old Salles Cafe

8:00 Breakfast 9:00 Meeting www.gwrraca2a.org 559-638-4931 2082 N. J Street —Tulare

2nd Saturday CA2J Alex & Marcy Ageev Home Town Buffet

8:00 Breakfast 8:30 Meeting www.gwrradeltawings.com 925-497-4480 2050 Diamond Blvd.—Concord

4th Sunday CA2K Steve & Karen Palatino Benicia Grill II

8:30 Breakfast 9:00 Meeting www.gwrraca2k.org 707-426-4847 2390 N. Texas Street—Fairfield

2nd Saturday CA2N Kenneth & Linda Stark Pine Tree Restaurant and Lounge

8:00 Breakfast 9:00 Meeting www.goldcountrywings.org 209-450-6742 19601 Hess Avenue—Sonora

(off Highway 108)

3rd Saturday CA2Q Steve & Jacque Foster Max’s Diner

7:30 Breakfast 8:30 Meeting www.gwrra-ca2q.org 925-829-3747 2015 Crow Canyon Pl—San Ramon

3rd Saturday CA2S Charlie & Deborah Porzio Home Town Buffet

8:00 Breakfast 8:45 Meeting www.ca2s.org 408-710-6227 212 Ranch Drive—Milpitas

1st Saturday CA2W Steve & Teri Rippe Yosemite Falls Cafe

8:00 Breakfast 9:00 Meeting www.ca2w-gwrra.org 559-240-5966 4020 N. Cedar Avenue—Fresno

March 2013March 2013 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2

Rub & Grub

Tom & Barb’s

House

Wyatt Ranch

Way, Sacto

3

4 5

Dinner Ride

Bert’s

Sheldon @

6:30PM

6 7

8 9 2 Day Ride

Redding

New Chapter

CA-1R

L6 @ 9:00AM

10 Daylight Savings

2 Day Ride

Redding

Chapter

11 Planning

Meeting

Denny’s

Dinner @ 5:30

Meeting @

6:30

12 13 14

Dinner Ride

Todo Un Poco

Elk Grove

6:30PM

15 16

P

L

P

17 Chapter

Meeting

Elk’s Lodge #6

Breakfast 8:30

Meeting 9:00

18

19

Dinner Ride

Macaroni Grill

Elk Grove

6:30PM

20 21

22 23 Day Ride

SF/Vallejo

Ferry

L4 @ 8:30AM

or Eppies @

7:30 Bkfst

24/31

Easter

March 31

25 26

Passover 27 28

Dinner Ride

BJ’s Brewery

Arden Way

6:30PM

29 30

Capital City Wings

Departure Locations L-1 Interstate 80 @ West El Camino Blvd. Chevron Gas Station

2738 El Centro Rd (49er Truck Stop)

L-2 Hwy 99 @ Laguna Blvd. Chevron Gas Station

8296 Laguna Blvd.

L-3 Folsom Blvd. @ Power Inn Rd. Chevron Gas Station

8098 Folsom Blvd.

L-4 Interstate 80 @ Enterprise Blvd. Chevron Gas Station

4800 West Capitol Ave.

L-5 Elk Grove Blvd & Interstate 5 Chevron Gas Station

9615 West Taron Drive

L-6 Sierra College Blvd & Interstate 80 Chevron Gas Station

4211 Sierra College Blvd. (North side of freeway)

L-7 Sunrise Blvd & White Rock Blvd. McDonald’s Restaurant

11250 White Rock Blvd.

Carmichael Honda Motorsports

7829 Fair Oaks Blvd Carmichael CA 95608

1018 East Chestnut Ave - Unit I

Santa Ana, CA 92701

(714) 836-8584

JBJ Cycles, Inc. is committed to excellence in Gold Wing service

As well as repair, restoration, and trike conversions.

We install genuine Honda parts and the finest after-market accessories.