Washington State Honda Sport Touring Association

State of the Union

On January 10, Chris Appel and I (plus Dawn) had lunch and decided to have one race at Sykart.  In February, only Mark Grabrick showed up with his kid so we again, bagged the racing after no one else showed up.  March was to be paintball and only Jim had contacted me for this.  We both showed up and since no one else took interest, we had breakfast, talked about racing and called it a day.

The lack of participation is only one reason why there haven't been any newsletters over the winter.  The other is my changing interest in that I am going to focus my energy on racing this year and I could really use the help with someone stepping up to take over the newsletter and eventually the club management.  I am more than willing to mentor someone on how I've done things, but new people bring new ideas and I fully expect things to change.

Most of you have reaped the benefits of participating.  Without the extra support, I have no choice but to let things lapse.  I'm not trying to lay a guilt trip out there, but frankly, it time for new leadership within the club.  I've given my all to keep things organized, make rides successful, and maintain the website, but I can no longer continue to do it all.  I know there are a lot of you who enjoy this club, but without your support, I cannot continue to keep it going.  It's now up to you.  Please contact me if you are at all interested in helping out in ANY way.  Your fellow riders would appreciate it.

April 10 - Snoqualmie Valley Recap by Jim Holzberger

What a great day, sunny and 70’s.  Ten of us met for lunch at a very busy Denny's in Renton and after an hour delay we were seated and finally ate lunch.  One new member showed up on a three-day old SV1000 but subsequently left to go to work and we were down to 9 for the ride.  Chris H, Jim H, Dan H, Marv, Bob, Chris (SV), Troy, Steve on his new Interceptor, and visitor Dan L, were led by Dan Hytry up May Valley road to the Tiger Mountain loop and then across through Issaquah to Fall City road and north through Carnation to Monroe.

From Monroe we managed to finally get an entire group of riders to Granite falls without losing anyone!  This is the first time I can remember accomplishing this.  From Granite Falls we followed Marv south on OK Mill and various other roads and once past Snohomish took High Bridge and then over the hill through Totem Lake, where we ended the ride.  Perfect weather made for a good warm-up ride for the season.  We gotta get ourselves in shape for some of the longer rides coming up.  Mileage was about 200 miles for the short day.

2004 Track Days-a-plenty

Keeping in line with my new obsession, I am still encouraging you all to get out on the track and really develop your skills.  I've compiled a list of local track events and misc. information.  There are lots of variations on the Pre-Pay vs. Day-of costs so look at each website for the specifics.  This is just a reference and I will put up a separate page on the website for easy access to link to.  For schooling, I personally recommend Mike Sullivan's class.

• Arrive at a group ride ready to ride.  This means with a full tank of gas, appropriate clothing for the weather, well-rested and fed, and a bike in safe operating condition.  Riding is no fun if you are too hot or too cold, and your friends would rather ride than wrench on your bike or get gas for you.
• Make sure everyone is aware of the proposed route and extended stops (such as lunch, fuel, and sightseeing stops).  It is always a good idea to prepare a map of the route with these stops indicated.
• The ride is self-paced, ride at a speed you feel comfortable with.  No one should feel pressure to keep up with anyone else.  In particular, no one will object to you riding as slowly as you wish.  It is natural for people to feel they need to keep up with the rider ahead, however, riding outside their limits is the main reason riders get hurt!  It is not the point of this ride to have someone get hurt.
• Ride in a staggered formation, with a minimum of two seconds between you and the rider directly in front of you.  This allows you to use the entire lane to ride in and gives you an extra margin of safety.
• Ride your ride, not the rider's in front of you.  Make sure you keep looking down the road and through the corners, not at the bike ahead of you.  Set your own pace and choose your own lines through the corners.
• A group of motorcycles is not considered a "single vehicle!".  Be courteous and allow cars to enter/exit a highway or change lanes.  Make sure you let the riders behind you know what is going on (this also applies to other hazards, as well).
• At least one of the riders ahead of you (if any) will wait at every point where you might make a wrong turn.
• Similarly, you are expected to wait at intersections and other decision points until the person behind you (if any) shows up.
• Plan brief stops throughout the ride to let everyone regroup, make sure everyone is present, check gas supplies, and to allow for rests.
• If you decide to split off from the ride, make a reasonable attempt to alert the entire group to your departure; if regrouping does not happen soon enough for you, you must let at least one other person know you are leaving.

Preface:  While most were bringing their sons and daughters to work, Marv was invited to his granddaughter Lauren's school to give a presentation, show-and-tell if you will.  Marv rode the XX and apparently made quite the impression.  What follows is the letter to thank Marv for his efforts.