Toronto Motorcycle Show+ Holiday Party Dec. 2011
TO Wings attending the 2011 Toronto Motorcycle Show - Convention Center
Thanks to Nedda and Bob for hosting another Holiday celebration at their home for the chapter.
KUDOS: To Kevin + Honda
For organizing the Nov. 19th visit to the Honda plant at Elgin Mills & 404.Honda has been very supportive of GWTA for countless years and we are thrilled to continue to buy their fantastic products! Photos byD8r of the event
October -still waiting for our "indian summer"
Click here to check out the new TO Wings Logo
The fall edition of the Toronto Wings is now out and available here Kickstand 2011 Fall editon.. Thanks to all who submitted articles, photos etc. Special thanks to Nedda who did the proofing of this edition.
Welcome to Peter and Hercy Smith our newest members below....
Only "2" hats left....
Contact Linda P if you want one!
August is for "the Kickstand", picnics and rides
Sunday Sept 4th Kevin and Pats are hosting the TO Annual BBQ....please respond so they know who is attending and let them know what you will bring!
As we close the month of July many are returning from trips and travels. GWTA's Gold Rush in Boyne Mountain, Michigan was attended by many TO Wing members. The long hibernating Toronto Wings " Kickstand 2011 Summer editon is out. We look forward to receiving lots of articles, jokes, photos etc from the chapter for the next editon. Please send submissions to us directly. We want others to see how vibrant and alive the TO Wingers and Wingettes are.
As summer progresses take lots of photos, wear your hats proudly and be extra safe with the heat and traffic at this time of year. We still need people to host the fall meetings so please submit your names to Paul. Continue to make Toronto Wings a place of Friendships and Destinations.
Thanks to Stephen for his Gold Rush Photos here.
The BLACK HILLS OF SOUTH DAKOTAWERE AMAZING THIS SUMMER!!
JULY is for "Father's day + Friendship Rally"
The hats are in....congrats to all who bought one as you will be the envy wherever you go. Come to coffee with the exact amount of $ owed and you will receive your cap. Chapter T will look amazing at Gold Rush with them. They even have gold for Gold Wing. Enjoy July as we are now on hiatus for a month. That means we are on vacation finally and leave all work back in Toronto. We look forward to hearing about Gold Rush and the other adventures Chapter T has in store for July....Take lots of photo. Here are more photos of Friendship Rally June 21st in Minden (thanks badrider). We will see you when we get back. We plan to wear our hats on our trip.
South Dakota here we come! Be safe out there!!!
Kevin+ Pat hosting July 17th at 5:00 pm
Happy Birthday David Minifie June 29th....
JUNE is for 'fathers day + Friendship Rally
Congrats to Paul on being our new CD. He will be rallying an amazing executive together because he has such a great Toronto wings membership to choose from. Thanks in advance to all who will volunteer or accept when asked. Paul's photos of the June meeting at his home are below and Sam had a record in sending the minutes within 3 days of a meeting ....a father's day gift to Paul and the other dads. What a great start to the summer season for TO Wings!
Linda placed the order Saturday June 18th with the embroiderer which means 26 fantastic TO wings hats were ordered. She will then order the hats on Monday but with the mail strike and couriers back logged it may take a little longer then we had hoped for them to arrive. Man will we look sharp when they arrive. Linda and I have a few more ideas we will share when we get back from our trip.
Your webmaster and my master will be on holidays for the next month. Be safe as you traverse the planet on two wheels. Just keep emailing us things to post. South Dakota is just around the corner...we've started packing!!!
Kevin + Pat hosting July 17th at 5:00 pm
Happy Birthday David Minifie June 29th....
JUNE is for 'fathers day + Friendship Rally
Enjoy the pictures of the Madd ride below. Your webmaster and my master will be on holidays for the next month. Be safe as you traverse the planet on two wheels. Just keep emailing us things to post. South Dakota is just around the corner...we've started packing!!!
CLICK TO VIEW SLIDE SHOW
Happy Birthday Bob MAY 7th....
"May is for "spring warm ups" (<--link) and mothers!
Hey mom..."Happy Mother's day. Thanks for worrying about me all these years even those I am over 1/2 century old. Yes I am still riding the motorcycle and going strong". I know that added a lot of grey hairs to her head over the years. Maybe forgetting some things is a good thing for our parents as they age. "No mom....most of the time I ride the little bike. It's only a 65o scooter.....no its safe. Yes don't worry I am not on that big goldwing yet until I go on my trip in the summer in July. Lovely to see you to mom.....Happy Mother's day. Yes I will come by again. Love you too mom."
Sometimes you have to tell mom a few little white lies after all she still worries no matter what your age. I am lucky she is still a round. However a few white lie corrections. The 650 burgman flies as fast as my 1500 Goldwing. It would not be smart riding if I did not take the "big beast Goldwing" out before the big trip and practise. So to finish mom has peace of mind and I have fun on both my sets of 2 wheels. Just need more time to do the riding as school winds down taking up too much time at this time of year.
It is May and most people have gotten the bike out of the garage. Safety needs to be first and foremost on our minds. That means checking the essentials of the machine and then pulling out your old gear.....look at your old helmet. If it looks like this (click here) you need to invest in a new one. There are lots of shops with approved DOT and Snell helmets willing to take your money....just make sure the brain has more then a beanie cap. Don't be cheap in this area as your brain will thank you later some day. The same goes for the jacket, boots and gloves.
GWTA Region J hosted their first "spring warm up" at the new Honda plant in Richmond Hill. There were 5 stations complete with 3 riding instructors, White Knights EMS and an Umbra transport truck. We got to climb into the cab of the Umbra truck and view the visible and not visible bikes positioned in stagger formation around the truck. Transport trucks like cars have blind spots in their mirrors.. It gave us a better perspective of what a trucker sees and does not see. Not all trucks have those curved fish eye mirrors that give you a wider perspective. I will make sure I have eye contact with the driver through his mirrors before I pass. That means approach, be seen, pass quickly and with caution.
Dennis and Karen reviewd EMS basics and accident scene managment. Jason, Ted and Kevin putthe riders through the various cone drills which simulated our various riding situations. Drills included: weave patterns, circles, figure 8's, EMO stops with right and left shoulder checks, reminders to use the rear brakes on a curved stop or the bike will go down along with the dreaded "U turn". Yes this was a thorough spring warm up. This new Honda plant facility was awesome to use. Honda even had out for display and riding a new 2012 Goldwing which several members took advantage of. The rain held off and the 50:50 was won by Dwight Davison of Simcoe Riders. All and all a great location and worth while event. See you next year and here is link to the spring warm up 2011 as well as Stephies photos on the Police Demo May 5th.
Happy Birthday Nedda April 22nd....
"April fool's is for a fool. Don't be one!
April 1st is known as"April fools day". Some bikers had their bikes out on the roads in March. With the wonderful warm weather during part of March, bikes were coming out of the "WOODWORK" . Before going on the road I bet most checked the important things like: the battery, tire pressure, heated grips, gas tank etc like me. The 3/4 length jackets, boots and gloves were worn while riding. However....did you"get fooled into thinking you were prepared?
April fools on you if you didn't check and update your ERIS (Emergency Rider Information Sheet) as well as check and update your first aid kit? It is time to pull out the ERIS form and note any questions/meds/contact info etc. Toronto Wing members are asked to bring their bike First Aid kit to our meeting April 7th. It will be an opportunity to see what we all carry and encourage those that don't have the ERIS sheet and first aid kit to create one for themselves and the safety of the friends they ride with. The safety in this website may be of use to you so check it out (Motorcycle Safety) as it is found on the far left side of the page...2nd link from the top.
Things we know for certain are that April brings showers and cars are not used to seeing "motorcyclists" on the road yet. Nor are we motorcyclists "at our peak" in alertness and preventative driving skills either in April. Now is the time to go to the parking lot to "work on your skills" before heading into traffic. On May 1st or May 8 as an alternate rain day, Toronto Wings will be hosting their annual Spring Warm Up. This comes complete with bike tire inspections, instructors and photographers. It is a time for us to put safety first and work on areas that need improving. After all.... it is our life and someone we carry on the back whose life is on the line. Lets be safe, smart and do the right preparations so we can...RIDE TO LIVE AND LIVE TO RIDE.
click the picture ...
"ides of March"or yeah March Break is final here but wait what about BWS?
March 1st on page 645 of the Journal of Psychology a new condition was entered. "The bike withdrawl syndrome" (BWS). The symptoms are as follows: mild rash and twitches increasing in severity until the biker goes into their garage and touches the trottle or some part of the bike. The rash then is neutralized for a week. Euphoria follows as the mind is sent back to "happier times". Science has advanced so far that we can see into the mind of a biker. Look below at the new technology that lets us see the "Euphoric pictures and sounds" of this happy state.
I grabbed the new EEG-BWS decoder and recorded and transfered this to my laptop. I've loaded it in the flash file below for you to see. We all have our own "natural highs" that come from riding. We know why a dog sticks its head out the window....but by March some bikers are at a painful threshhold because of the BWS. Especially our members who have their your bike in storage at the shop and not close to home. They can't touch the throttle and relive their previous adventures. There seems to be the need "to touch and go".
Alas all is not lost. You simply need to got through the 12 step BWS withdrawl program. See your CD for instructions as he/she has been designated for the month of March as your sponser. Kevin Welch who is the Region J Director for GWTA is a pioneer in this area. He is looking to start the first Canadian BWS support group. His vision is to combine/include the BWS 12 step program as part of the rider education that he teaches. Alas all is not lost. You simply need to got through the 12 step BWS withdrawl program. See your CD for instructions as he/she has been designated for the month of March as your sponser. Kevin Welch who is the Region J Director for GWTA is a pioneer in this area. He is looking to start the first Canadian BWS support group. His vision is to combine/include the BWS 12 step program as part of the rider education that he teaches.
LINDA....March seems to be experiencing BWS
Paul....is that like PMS?
Rose..I think it might be a little like BS .....I must confess however I've touched the bike 4 times already and its only March 4th and we are doing rider education movies at our meeting today so I think the planets are lining up to let us be out on the road by march break ...?
February Blahs-what do you get the rider for valentines day?
What do you get a motorcycle enthusiast who has all the toys and LED lights on the bike for valentines day? We all know Chapter T loves to ride to ice cream shops. The next best thing for valentine day is to buy them a tickets to the "2011 Ride in Lunch". Comradarie, new bikes, oggling over new Christmas gift additions to the two wheeler, Madd Ride, Goldrush and the 2011 Toronto Wings Spring Warmup are just some of the things that will be talked about. Did we mention the food? Rain, snow or clouds won't deter the hardie Chapter T riders from this event. See our lovely CD Nedda for tickets.
