logoGWRRA Wingin' It
e-Newsletter
"Friends for Fun, Safety and Knowledge"
                                                                                                                         (Copyright 2010-all rights reserved.) 
 

February, 2010

In This Issue
Executive Message
Join GWRRA's Facebook
How GWRRA Has Affected My Life!
"Did You Know?"
Iowa Trivia
Ready to Ride?
Save BIG with this Upgrade!
Home Office Reminders
Featured Associate at Home Office
GWRRA's Officer Profile
International Events
Member's Story
Joke of the Month
Travelog
GWRRA Discount Program Links
Quick Links
Executive Message
Missy Pic
Melissa Eason
Executive Director, GWRRA
 
Let's Build Relationships!
 Wow, has this ever been an exciting month! The talk is certainly starting to happen. There is starting to be a buzz again within GWRRA. The "buzz" I'm talking about is on the Officer Certification Program and the articles coming from Home Office. Fortunately, most of it is positive. The rest of it I think is a misunderstanding. People forget that there is more to good communication than the words being used. We all have our own filters that make us react to what we read or hear. I want to assure you that at the Home Office we are doing everything we can for the best interest of the Membership and to ultimately make our volunteers responsibilities easier.
We have realized that there is a lot of misinformation out there, and we are working hard to correct that. For example, Ed's article last month mentioned charity beginning at home and helping current members with their membership. Some people came back to us thinking we were telling them not to help their local charities, and that we only wanted the current Members helped with their membership to benefit us. That was never a thought in Ed's mind or anybody's mind here at the Home Office. Yes, we are a business, but firstly we are caring people who just try to help in anyway we can. It was just a suggestion, not a mandate. We will share many ideas with you through the Newsletter or magazine just to get your minds thinking. That's how many problems are solved and even some of the best ideas come to fruition. So before you react, take a few moments to think about your day, mood, your situation, and know that things that are said by the Home Office have the best of intentions behind them.
This isn't just a job for any of us. We truly love this Association from the bottom of our hearts. As much as we are working on training the Volunteer Officers to be able to better assist you, the membership, we are training staff here as well. We will all be going through the Officer Certification Program and cross training throughout other departments so you have the best trained team here to help you.
Let's all work together to improve the relationships we have and to create new ones. 
 
  
Always remember to enjoy the ride and "Building Relationships
is our theme for 2010!! 
GWRRA is now on Facebook! 
Check out GWRRA's new Facebook page and sign up to follow us! It is easy!!
 
How GWRRA Has Positively Affected My Life? 
Remember, I am still looking for stories about how joining GWRRA has positively affected your life. Please send your stories to me here.
 
Join Our Mailing List
"Did You Know?" 
"Did You Know?"
Check your GWRRA history knowledge and see if you know the answers to these questions?
  
 1-What country, outside of USA and Canada, has the most GWRRA Members?  
 
2-What city hosted the western most  Wing Ding and what year was it?
 
3-What was Paul Hildebrand's  first bike when he started GWRRA? 
(Answers in coupon block below.) 
 
Des Moines & Iowa Trivia Feature
Let's see how much you know about Des Moines this month.
 
1-WHAT  IS THE YEARLY AVERAGE RAINFALL & SNOWFALL?
 
2-WHAT IS THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN JULY?
 
(Answers to be found in the coupon block below.) 
 
 
"Forty to Phoenix" 
Ready to ride?
Starting on March 12, 2010, a group of GWRRA Members, led by Greg and Tina McKinney, Arkansas COY, will leave Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, headed for GWRRA's headquarters in Phoenix!
 
They will pick up Gold Wingers along the route which will be mainly along I-40 and Rt. 66 through 4 Regions and 12 states. 
 
Check out GWRRA's Facebook page under "Events-Forty to Phoenix" or this website.
 
You can take the entire trip or join in with the group anywhere along the way. Ride as far as you want or take it all the way to the Home Office and get your "I Visited The Home Office" pin!
 
Districts, Chapters and Couples of the Year are all invited to get involved. Volunteers are also needed. Especially, Educators, Instuctors, Road Captains or anyone with Rider Ed experience. Safety, First Aid and rider prep leaders needed.
 
Check out the website and Facebook pages for the latest details. This is a first and should be lots of FUN! 
Rescue PLUS!
Remember to sign up for Rescue PLUS! It will add more miles and more vehicles to your standard FREE Rescue towing package from GWRRA. PLUS, it only costs $25 per year to upgrade the entire family!! Sign up now by calling
800-843-9460.
 
Home Office Reminders
 
If you would like to check on the number of recruits in your Find-A-Friend account, simply e-mail, fax (623-581-3844) or call (800-843-9460 or 623-581-2500 Phx.)any one of our friendly Member Service folks. Make sure you include your name, Member number and contact information.
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MESSAGE BOARD NOTICE:
From time to time problems may occur, either on our end or from Internet congestion. Rest assured, any e-mails sent to our attention are read; our hours are Monday-Thursday 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.,MST; This means if you send an e-mail Friday it most likely will not get addressed until Monday morning. Occasionally system maintenance is required, but a notice will be posted on the website at least 24 hours in advance. In emergency situations no notice can be given but rest assured services will be restored as soon as possible. Thank you all for aiding in the tremendous success of this system.
GWRRA also has a new Message Board system being tested on a new hosting platform. This should resolve the stability issues we have been facing resently. Once the final testing is completed, the system will go "live." This should be shortly!
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NOW, for the first time, when you register for Wing Ding 32, you can also pick the day and specific Rider Ed classes you wish to take (based on availability). So register early for your preferences.
 
Register here for Wing Ding 32 in Des Moines, Iowa!
 
Greetings!

We made it through the holiday season and now everyone is back to their routines, paying off those credit card bills and attempting to keep their New Year's resolutions. I must admit I am doing pretty well on my loosing weight goal and have lost 25 pounds so far in 4 months. My other resolution for 2010 actually ties to GWRRA's theme for the year, "BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS!" I have promised myself to get out there more and to meet more people and build more relationships-personal, business and professional.
 
It seems easy in GWRRA to meet people and build those relationships. I have people across the world I have met and call "lifetime friends" because of GWRRA. I also know as a new Member it is not so easy. I received an e-mail from a new Member who said he went to Wing Ding, wore the "Newbie" badge and no one ever came up to say "hi". He left Wing Ding with a very negative impression of our organization. We have heard many stories and have written feedback from Members who have joined for a year and went to a Chapter gathering and never were greeted, welcomed or talked to! Can you imagine? What was your first gathering like? How many FRIENDS have you made since joining GWRRA? So, are you now welcoming the new folks who come to visit us? Are you part of helping the "Newbies" find their lifetime friends as you have found? I sincerely hope the answer is YES!
 
The other aspect to BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS is our social groups within the Chapters, or as some folks call them...cliques. Does your Chapter, District or Region have these? Obviously, some "cliques" are positive and welcoming to new Members and helpful to the Chapter, some are quite the opposite and keep the Chapter from growing and enjoying GWRRA to the fullest. If you have them in your area, which one are they? What effect do they have on the other Members, Staff, visitors and guests? Just a question. Was this an issue when you first joined? If so, would you still be in GWRRA and how would your life be now? More thought provoking questions. The question remains, how do we deal with these groups? There are proven methods to eliminate their negative effect on our Chapters and Members. Talk to your Chapter Director or District Director for assistance.
 
This theme even goes to groups like Chapters themselves. How active is your Chapter? Has it built many relationships with other Chapters in your District? How about in your community with other businesses, like your Honda dealer or the local visitors center, as a thought. Chapters can share ideas for activities and even do joint activities to build those relationships. Find a sister Chapter to share activities or ideas...as a thought. Do different activities and rides to keep our Members active and drawing in new Members to keep the Chapter fresh. Remember to talk to each Member about their ideas for rides and fun activities. Try new things and Build those Relationships! 
 
Yours in Friendship,
 
Ed Price
Marketing Director, GWRRA

"BuildingRelationships"
 
Featured Associate at Home Office
Deena Pic
 
Diane Baumann
Office Manager, VP:
 

My name is Diane Baumann, and I've been with GWRRA working for Paul Hildebrand, Founder and Chairman of the Board, for 13 years.

I am currently an officer of the company and the office manager. My responsibilities include handling employee benefits, payroll, company insurance, reviewing contracts and overseeing building maintenance. I am involved with process improvement, and I am Secretary to the Board of Directors. Since I have been here so long, I am familiar with all areas of the company and try to assist wherever and whenever I can. I even take out the trash!

My husband, Denny, and I are originally from Minnesota; and we have been married 35 years. Our two extraordinary boys, their lovely wives, our six grandchildren and one great grandchild bring much warmth into our lives.

It has been my pleasure working with this fine group not only the people in the Home Office but the many Members I've talked to.

Stop by and say "Hi!" the next time you're in Phoenix.

If I can ever assist you, please let me know.
GWRRA Officer Profile
Chapter Director: AZ-S
Richard Shields
 
In Arizona, where Chapter AZ-S is located, we take for granted the great riding weather and diverse climate and scenery that Arizona offers. Stu Oltman, the Technical Editor of Wing World magazine, lives just down the road and hosts our monthly "Garage Day" where we get to have Stu up close and personal as he shares the knowledge in a way that only Stu can. "Garage Day" is open to all Members of GWRRA; just check the calendar at www.AZWingers.com.
 
We have recently added the Ride Team facilitator which utilizes an index of Arizona destinations and an interface with Google maps that allows you to create ride maps to over 120 destinations around Arizona with the click of a mouse!
 
In September our Chapter went to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to catch the changing of the leaves for Fall. Three weeks earlier we rode the Coronado Trail from Morenci, Arizona, to Alpine in eastern Arizona, through the Blue River Primitive Area. You pass the Phelps Dodge mine. Everything is on a huge scale; the ore trucks, for example, have 10-foot tall tires. It is one of the largest open pit mines in the world, and you can get a bird's eye view from an overlook along the highway. We also had a social outing to the Queen Creek Olive Mill in Gilbert, (a suburb of Phoenix) where we learned all about making olive oil and sampled a multitude of olive oils that were pressed on-site. Then, in November, to sample the olive oil, we went to the Scottsdale Culinary Institute for a sit-down, first-class dinner, which was a delightful dining experience!
 
Our staff consists of over 30 Members with some very creative and resourceful individuals. Take a look at the website www.AZWingers.com and you'll find how creative folks can be, if you just get out of their way!
International Announcement!
GWRRA Germany Gatherings...
 
Juergen Petri, District Director Germany  

Saturday, February 06, 2010:
For our 3rd get-together we meet at 11am in a small village of the Eifel region. The village is called "Gruene Hoelle" ("Green Hell") and is located nearby the famous Formula One circuit Nuerburgring. There is the possibility to have breakfast or lunch. Depending on the length of the "official" part of our meeting we have the option to visit the ring°werk in the afternoon. It is a leisure park where everything revolves around motor racing and mobility. Every visitor feels a bit like a racing driver.  At present the tickets are good for a free re-visit during the whole year 2010. The day ends with an optional dinner starting latest at 6.30 pm.
 
Please contact [email protected] as soon as possible if you are interested in attending so that we can plan ahead.
 
 
Saturday, March 20, 2010
:
Our 4th get-together has two novelties. It is the first "official" ride of the District of Germany. Additionally it lasts two half days including an overnite stay. We meet before noon for an optional joint breakfast and then ride towards the "Pfaelzer Wald" ("Palatine Forrest"). Our meeting will be held in the afternoon in a very nice location followed by a culinary wine tasting experience. Eight different wines will be offered during a four-course meal. The price of 77 Euros per person contains a welcome drink, the culinary wine tasting, the overnight stay in a two-bed comfort room as well as the breakfast buffet.
We have to fill up 10 double rooms.
 
Please let me (Juergen Petri, [email protected]) know as soon as possible if you are interested in attending so that I can place the necessary reservations.
One Member's Story! (A series)
 
The Saga of Our Gold Wing
(continues)
 
by Jim Ege
Chapter C-2 Michigan

 
The next day I loaded the bike on my trailer and headed to the recommended Honda dealer 40 miles South. The experienced mechanic listened to it and said they would try and figure it out, but they would need the Honda factory rep there to listen to it. They ran a warranty check on the bike, and this is when I found out that the frame recall weld had never been submitted. In fact, none of my recall fixes had been submitted from the other dealer. Understand, when this occurs the warranty check then flags your bike that you did not take it in for the recall and expects the work to be done at the earliest opportunity. The weld was not stamped, and there was no record of the weld being done. The new dealership #2 wanted to do the weld! Luckily the parts man at the new dealership had been the service manager at dealership #1 that did the weld which is the same dealership that sent me to dealership #2. Are you still with me here? With the help of the welder, the factory rep and the new parts manager, (ex-service manager), I was able to get the frame stamped and get the recall put on my warranty record. The PVC recall had to be re-done again even though it had been done to set the record straight. Understand, the first Honda dealer never got paid and Honda dealer #2 got paid for work it didn't have to do.

Now back to the original problem. The first thing the Honda factory rep said to do to remedy the banging was to change the chain tensioners, which he and the mechanic determined had never been changed in the first place. I had documentation from the other dealer, (#1), that they had been changed. Remember, I had an extended warranty, and it was not costing me so I went along with all of this just to get the records straight for future issues. This "fix" did not work. Just a note here that I knew that wouldn't work; but if they had never been changed before, maybe it would work this time.

This "fix", new chain tensioners, did not work and it was back to the drawing board. I had to wait for the factory rep to come back to the dealership and approve the new idea for fixing the bike. In the meantime the dealership put me back in the queue of repair so when the factory rep approved the new fix, I would have to wait until they got other bikes scheduled to be repaired done to continue the work on my bike.

I waited for the next two months of summer riding while this process went from one "fix" to another until the mechanic was finally able to tear the engine down and find that what he believed was a scored crankshaft because the bike was run without oil at some point.

Since the last oil change was done at 38,000 miles and I was now at 44,000 miles, the damage must have occurred at the last dealer, (#1). Some readers of this saga will say that it must have happened at another time because it would take a long time for this to occur. The Honda mechanic said that this could have happened in two minutes with a Gold Wing engine. Compound this with the fact that the mechanic at dealership #1 worked with the more experienced mechanic in previous years, and the more experienced mechanic at dealership #2 stated that he caught the younger mechanic more than once running a bike on a lift without oil!

The final repair bill for all of this came to $5,493.77! There were over 48 parts replaced. A condensed list of parts replaced follows; main bearings; cylinder heads; rings; a crankshaft; six pistons; connecting bearings for the rods; rods; oil pump and various sundry other parts needed to fill out and complete the repair. The crankshaft alone was over $1000. The labor for the one job was almost 8 hours at over $75 an hour. After four months, I finally got the bike back. You can imagine my excitement that I would get to ride for at least a month or two before the bike was to be stored for the winter.

Some readers will ask where was Honda in all of this. I spent many hours on the phone with the Honda Customer Service Representative. What it boiled down to was this. Honda says they provide technical support and facilitate parts but cannot "strong arm" dealers to move faster on projects. If the dealer doesn't ask for help Honda won't step in. Honda will not extend my extended warranty for time lost riding.

The warranty charge by the dealer to be reimbursed by Honda was over $5500. The dealer, (#2), never submitted the claim so, not only did the dealer not receive reimbursement, but the repair was never put on my list of work done under warranty.

I went back to dealer #2 after three days to have them listen to a high pitched whine that began at 2,000 rpm and continued up until it passed my hearing range. 
As I rode I could see the deer heading into the woods and dogs covering their  ears so I  knew the sound was still there at higher rpms. The plus was I didn't need a deer whistle to protect me on the rural roads in the evenings. The Honda mechanic with 28 years experience listened to the bike and came to the conclusion that the engine was "tight", and the sound would go away. So off I went to loosen up that engine. As I rode all summer, I listened to other Gold Wings. I went south. I went north. I went west. I went east. It was cold. It was hot. I rode one-up. I rode two-up. I rode with weight. I rode with no weight. After 16,000 miles I still had the noise. I was ready to go back to the second Honda dealer and discuss the noise issue. My warranty is ticking down; it is now September 2008 I have 60,000 miles on the bike. Lo and behold, Honda dealer #2 is now out of business. I located the mechanic who is now in business for himself but not at a Honda dealer. He listened to the engine again and had no answer. Now what? 
 (Stay tuned to next month as Jim's saga continues.)
JOKE of the MONTH!rose
 
This joke came from: 
 
Luc Trocme PA-A
Prospect Park, PA 
 
 
How I learned to mind my own business.
 
I was walking past the mental hospital the other day, and all the patients were shouting,...........'13....13....13.'
 
The fence was too high to see over, but I saw a little gap in the planks, so I looked through to see what was going on.....
 
Somebody poked me in the eye with a stick!
 
Then they all started shouting.............'14....14....14'...
Travelog
 
 by Deborah Nielsen
 
This month we have a great new contribution from Deborah, a single, female rider, who is going to share with us her travel stories in the form of a travelog. This first edition we will introduce how Deborah prepares for her trips, then in the following months we will actually present her actual trips with all the details of where she went with the routes.
 
We hope this will encourage more female riders to share their experiences with us as well as other riders to share their favorite rides with other Members as well. So, here is Deborah!
 
*******************************************
 
As a single woman rider who oftentimes rides solo across country, I'm a bit in the minority in GWRRA. I own several motorcycles (no Gold Wing, though) and a couple of large scooters. Because I'm a solo rider, I make sure the bike is in good working order before heading out on any trip. If it hasn't been serviced for awhile before the trip, I take it in to the dealership for an oil change and check over. I also hand wash it before packing it and adding whichever tank and tail bags seem to fit the bike and the trip best. By hand washing the bike I can look it over for any fluid leaks and check the various fluid levels and conditions as well as checking cables and the condition of body panels, exhaust pipes, engine, windscreen, etc. I also check tire pressures and tire condition and replace worn tires or tires with low tread that may not make the entire trip before needing to be replaced before leaving home.
 
As a solo woman rider, I take some precautions some riders might not think about; when I take a rest stop, I prefer roadside rest areas with a lot of activity and/or an on-site caretaker, and convenience stores that have a brand name gasoline.
 
Because I don't care for rustic (tent) camping and don't feel safe tent camping, I stay at motels, usually Super 8 or something similar or a mom-and-pop motel that has a neat, tidy appearance. I rarely make motel reservations ahead of time as I sight-see along the way and may change my mind about the route at a moment's notice. Or if I spend more time sight-seeing than I originally intended to, I can stop for the day short of my intended goal without having to remember to cancel a reservation or getting charged because I didn't cancel soon enough. I also don't feel pressured to get to a certain destination that night if I'm getting tired or if it's getting late because I dawdled along the way. Sometimes, late in the afternoon, when I have a destination in mind I'll call Motel 8's toll-free number to see if they have a hotel in that town/city and make a reservation at that time so I don't have to hunt a room after I reach my destination. Or by stopping at a gas station/convenience store upon arriving at a town/city, I can sometimes get recommendations for nice motels and good local restaurants. 
 
(Stay tuned for some of Deborah's actual trips begining next month.)
GWRRA Discount Program Links!
 
Here are links to some GWRRA Discount Programs.
 
LifeLock Logo       aflac logo
 
  TravelNow    AmeriPlan
 
 
 OfficeMax       Pin & Patch
 
If these Discount Programs may be of interest to you, just click on the link or call 800-843-9460 or 623-581-2500 (in Phoenix) for more information.
 
Save 28%
Featured Official GWRRA Product:
WOMEN'S SHORT-SLEEVE BLING TEE!
This month's special is the New WOMEN'S SHORT-SLEEVE BLING TEE!!

Brand new women's bling tee shirt.

Black short-sleeve GWRRA bling tee with stylish rhinestone embellishment that reads GWRRA.

100% COTTON
SMALL-XL AVAILABLE
ITEM #3091000 Regular Price = $ 25.00.......NOW, ONLY $18.00
Click here to go to the GWRRA Official Products website and view the Women's Short-Sleeve Bling Tee and the various sizes available. Make sure you mention the special code on this coupon. 
 
Answers to "Did You Know?"
                 1-Norway, with 126 Members  
                 2-Wing Ding VIII, Santa Clara, CA - 1986 (3,355) 
                 3-1976 Candy Apply Red GL 1000 
 
Answers to "Des Moines Trivia"----
                Average rainfall = 34.72 inches and average snowfall = 36.4 inches
                Average high in July is 86F and low 66F (4.2" average rainfall in July) 
                                             
Offer Expires: 2/28/10. Mention code  "February e-news"