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Who's Who in the NH District
Links Section
District Director:
Patricia Thibaudeau
District Educator:
Duncan Saunders
District Treasurer:
Madalyn Sprague
District Newsletter Editors:
Bob & Hazel Young
NH-A Directors:
Andy Tarbell
NH-E Directors:
Ted & Karen Zitnay
NH F Acting Chapter Directors:
Patricia Thibaudeau
NH-G Director:
Sue Venne
NH-K Directors:
Stan & Ginny Gula
GWRRA CHAPTER NH-A CONCORD GWRRA CHAPTER NH-E KEENE GWRRA CHAPTER NH-F LEBANON GWRRA CHAPTER NH-G LACONIA GWRRA CHAPTER NH-K BERLIN GWRRA REGION B GWRRA NATIONAL
Gold Wing Road Riders Association
New Hampshire District
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Welcome to the home page of the New Hampshire District of the Gold Wing Road Riders Association
The New Hampshire District currently consists of 5 Chapters located in Concord, Keene, Claremont, Laconia, and Gorham. Links to the Chapter Websites are in the links section at the left of the page.
From The District Director
Riding season is finally here!! Oh to feel the wind on your face and the freedom of riding on the wing! A group of NH members went to visit RI-B, for their kick-off breakfast. It was a great day for a ride and a great breakfast. An awesome time was had by everyone, and judging by the crowd of people attending, everyone was ready to kick into riding season! Luckily for Rhode Island., many members had pre registered for the event and the Chapter knew in advance approximately how many people were attending.
We would like to take a minute to encourage members to pre register for GWRRA events. When you register in advance, you are often offered a discounted price. The pre-registering form assists the host chapter with planning the number of attendees. At some events such as the Rally, if you register early you may be entered into a raffle for an additional prize. Our favorite part of pre registering is that when you get there you can begin to socialize with all the other guests immediately and not take time completing the registration form. .
District Directors and other rally staff organizers met in April to discuss the upcoming District rally in July. Our registration numbers are down and we would like to encourage you to join the rally for a good time, close to home. .
We realize the poor economy has affected everyone, and that all of us need to make careful decisions as to what activities to enjoy this year. Please consider attending the rally; it is a fun time and offers some beautiful coastal rides. New Hampshire’s District Couple of the Year, Sue and Dave Perrin will be competing for the regional Couple of the Year, so let’s show them our support! Remember New Hampshire will be hosting the rally next year, and supporting other Districts will help ensure we have a successful rally in 2010. Please remember that every chapter is responsible to provide two door prizes, valued at $10.00 or more. If possible we would like them by July 1st .
We now have three more certified seminar presenters; Pat Thibaudeau, and Karen and Ted Zitnay of Chapter NHE. Congratulations!! Our own District Educator, Duncan Saunders, came down from Nashua to observe and certify them. Thank You Duncan! Seminar presenters are available to travel to Chapter meetings to present information on various safety topics, including team riding, co riding, and trailer towing. .
We would like to thank Kevin and Georgia Leblond, Assistant Chapter Directors of MAA, and Gale and George Mayo, Massachusetts District Directors, for sending us the N12 Emergency Information Form which can be found on the www.gwrramass.org web site. The form can be completed on line and printed to store in your bike. You may also want to give your Chapter Directors a copy of the completed form. (Officers sign a memorandum of understanding regarding confidentiality, so all info will be kept confidential). .
In closing we would like to wish all our Mother’s a Happy Mother’s Day, and please remember to join us in honoring all of our fallen armed forces on Memorial Day.
Ride Safe, Ride Often
Pat and Dick
PUT YOUR CAR KEYS BESIDE YOUR BED AT NIGHT
If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car's battery dies. This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this: It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in your driveway or garage. If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break into your house, odds are the burglar/rapist won't stick around. Someone may be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that. And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there.
Getting To Know You
Bob & Madalyn Sprague
District Treasurer
Past Chapter Directors NH-F
Our names are Bob (Harry) and Madalyn Sprague. We have belonged to GWRRA going on 21 years. (Life Members) We are Charter members of NHF. We have served as Chapter Treasurer, Assistant Chapter Directors, Chapter Directors and currently am the NH District Treasurer. We also served as NHF Couple of the Year choosing not to go beyond the chapter. It has been an enjoyable time and we have met a number of wonderful people.
We have been married 51 years and had three children, 6 grandchildren and 1 great grandson. We have lived in the upper valley all our lives. Bob was born and brought up in Lyme and Hanover and I was born and brought up in Norwich, VT. We have lived in Lebanon since high school and our children went to the Lebanon School system.
Bob is still working for a furniture company as a warehouse foreman and I am retired after working for a municipal in the finance department for 20 years. Now I am head of our home grounds department and household chores. That gives us the weekend to enjoy the trike.
We started riding motorcycle on two wheels and now have a trike. We have traveled to a number of places, Alaska being one of them. That is a one time trip by motorcycle. We are on our third trike so you can see how many miles we put on, and how much we enjoy riding!
From Your Newsletter Editors
We are home at last. We were able to spend Easter in Denver, CO with our two sons. However, the Friday before we left, Mother Nature dumped two (2) feet of snow on us. ƒ¼ We are glad to be home and look forward to seeing all of you very soon.
Pat mentioned in her message that the New England Rally registration numbers are down. We would like to encourage all of you to think about attending this rally. Bob and I have been to every one of the New England Rallies, and we always have a great time. We look at it as a time to sit and relax with old friends, make some new friends, learn something new, do some shopping in the vendor area, ride on some scenic roads, and of course enjoy great food. We will look forward to seeing you there.
We wish all Moms¡¦s a Happy Mother¡¦s Day and we wish all of you a safe and Happy Memorial Day.
Ride Safe and Think Warm Thoughts.
Hazel & Bob
Rider Education
District Educator Message: (Taken from GWRRA Rider Ed Website)
By Tom Durham Texas Y2 Educator
Riding in Blind Spots: One of the most dangerous mistakes motorcyclists make is to linger in other driver’s blind spots. Motorcycles easily disappear in the invisible area between typical car and truck mirror coverage. Few drivers seem practice head checks to determine if a lane change is safe. A motorcyclist is riding along, and all of a sudden a vehicle is coming into their lane. A rule of thumb is to ride through blind spots. Also, avoid changing lanes into a driver’s blind spot and position your motorcycle within your lane to ensure optimum visibility in traffic.
Trying to Keep Up: Group rides can be a lot of fun. But too many times, group rides turn sour as inexperienced or less skilled riders’ crash trying to keep up with the group. This often happens if a rider is afraid of losing touch with the group, or appears less capable than the others. It’s important for group leaders to have a plan that keeps the group together and to assure slower riders that they won’t be left behind. It’s also important for individuals to recognize when they are being influenced by the need to stay with the group. You are responsible to ride within your limits. But, you must inform your group leader of your concerns.
Accelerating Through An Intersection: It is tempting to twist the throttle through an intersection to try and beat a red light. It’s a reflex many of us have, and even the smartest riders have been known to do it. The problem is that intersections are the number one location where crashes occur. It’s important to remember that motorcycles have small visual impact and can be lost in surrounding traffic. The small frontal profile not only makes us harder to see, it can also make it more difficult for others to judge our distance and approach speed. Keeping this in mind, you can see why drivers often pull out in front of motorcycles, thinking it is safe to proceed. The lesson here is that increasing your speed through intersections is a “bad idea”.
Stopping Too Close To the Vehicle In Front Of You:
Too many riders position themselves poorly for escape
Rider Education (Cont)
when stopping behind vehicles at a stoplight or stop sign. Give yourself plenty of room to maneuver in case a driver approaching from the rear can’t stop in time. This means positioning your motorcycle well away from the vehicle in front and to one side (usually the left portion of your lane). This position allows room to move forward, past the car in front and has the added benefit of keeping your tires off the often slippery center part of the lane. Be sure to keep your eyes on your mirrors to monitor vehicles approaching from the rear. Keep your motorcycle in first gear so you can respond quickly if necessary.
Signaling Too Late: Miscommunication is a major cause of traffic-related mishaps. One of the most common examples of this is slowing down or maneuvering before signaling your intent, which forces surrounding traffic to guess what you are up to. Well-timed communication ensures that traffic around you is not surprised by your actions. Remember, simply rolling off the throttle may slow your motorcycle enough to require the typical car driver behind you to brake, but he doesn’t know what you are going to do. Signal three to five seconds prior to turning and activate your brake light early to alert drivers of a change in direction or speed.
Leaving Riding Gear At Home: It is easy to leave your riding jacket, gloves, boots, or helmet on the shelf for a short trip to the local store or restaurant. But many crashes happen close to home, and at relatively low speeds. It doesn’t take much of an accident to render yourself brain-dead without some head protection. And road rash is no laughing matter either; a simple low speed fall can do a lot of damage to your epidermis without the benefit of sturdy protection. Wide skin abrasion can easily turn into infection, and the risk of lethal septic shock. Do yourself a favor and make riding gear a habit, no matter how short the trip. Can you see how easy it is to pick up any of these BAD IDEAS? And how little effort it takes to turn them all into GOOD IDEAS!
Duncan
Saunders
NH District Educator
Upcoming Events
June 2-7, 2009
Americade, Lake George N. Y
June 17-20, 2009
Honda Hoot, Knoxville, TN
June 19,20, 21
Blessing of the bikes Chapter K will have GW Booth
July 2-5, 2009
National Wing Ding, Tulsa, OK
July 16-18, 2009
NE Rally, Rhode Island
August6,7,8
New York/New Jersey District Rally
August 16, 2009
Ride for Kids, Oxford, Ma
August 20,21,22
PA Rally, Johnstown, Pa
Sept 13, 2009
NH-E Hobo Stew
October 11, 2009
NH-G Fall Foliage Run, Loudon, NH
Nov 6-8, 2009
NH-A Extravaganza Weekend, Gorham, NH
Nov 8, 2009
NH District Meeting, Gorham, N.H
