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Captain Reports July 9th
August Newsletter 2006
Hi Guys, Don't think this is going to be too exciting, but here goes:
We left our meeting and headed for Loma Linda Hospital to bring some Teddy Bears and assorted toys
to the Children there. We had a wonderful turn-out for the Teddy Bear run as always, and I know that it
is really appreciated by the kids and their families. I have to tell you that I am so proud to be a member
of a club that makes their number one priority, to help those kids and bring a little bit of happiness into
their lives.
From there we went to Hwy 79 and rode thru Oak Glen. We didn't get to stop this time for hot apple
cider and hot chocolate, our normal thing to do.....however, I don't think we really wanted to do that this
time as it was pretty warm out there. We went from there, still on Hwy 79 thru the hills down into Hemet
and had our fist stop at the Chevron at Hwy 79 and Florida. We were all hot and thirsty so we filled up
on drinks. We were there for about 25 minutes and then left, turning right on Florida (also knows as Hwy
74) and went down thru some canyons thru Gavilan Hills to La Sierra. We took Van Buren down to
Arlington and made another well needed break at the Mobil station as we were all very hot and needed
to hydrate ourselves. We were just about 15 minutes from the park, but it was well worth the stop.
From there we rode to the Jurupa Regional Park in Fontana, where Earlene and Ed had a wonderful
picnic waiting for us. The food was great and the shade was even better. We all need to give them a
"Big Thanks" when you see them again. I know that took alot of preparation and time. I think their
daughter helped them with the BBQ cooking and we should also give her a "Big Thanks". Hope all had
fun and hope to see you all next month on the August ride, hopefully a cooler ride.
Linda Lang
We left our meeting and headed for Loma Linda Hospital to bring some Teddy Bears and assorted toys
to the Children there. We had a wonderful turn-out for the Teddy Bear run as always, and I know that it
is really appreciated by the kids and their families. I have to tell you that I am so proud to be a member
of a club that makes their number one priority, to help those kids and bring a little bit of happiness into
their lives.
From there we went to Hwy 79 and rode thru Oak Glen. We didn't get to stop this time for hot apple
cider and hot chocolate, our normal thing to do.....however, I don't think we really wanted to do that this
time as it was pretty warm out there. We went from there, still on Hwy 79 thru the hills down into Hemet
and had our fist stop at the Chevron at Hwy 79 and Florida. We were all hot and thirsty so we filled up
on drinks. We were there for about 25 minutes and then left, turning right on Florida (also knows as Hwy
74) and went down thru some canyons thru Gavilan Hills to La Sierra. We took Van Buren down to
Arlington and made another well needed break at the Mobil station as we were all very hot and needed
to hydrate ourselves. We were just about 15 minutes from the park, but it was well worth the stop.
From there we rode to the Jurupa Regional Park in Fontana, where Earlene and Ed had a wonderful
picnic waiting for us. The food was great and the shade was even better. We all need to give them a
"Big Thanks" when you see them again. I know that took alot of preparation and time. I think their
daughter helped them with the BBQ cooking and we should also give her a "Big Thanks". Hope all had
fun and hope to see you all next month on the August ride, hopefully a cooler ride.
Linda Lang
Check It Out by Robert Vaughan
Would you feel safe flying on a plane if you heard this conversation between the pilot and copilot:
“Let’s skimp on the checklists today. The plane looks safe enough.�
“Tires?� "They didn’t look flat so the pressure is probably OK.�
“Lights?� “The ones I can see from here work.�
"Oil?� “It was fine last week.�
“Brakes?� “We have two—I’m sure at least one works.�
“Windshield?� “It’s not all that dirty.�
“I only slept four hours last night so let’s not waste any more time here. Let’s fly this baby!â
€�
You might think twice about going on the trip at all if your pilots weren’t interested enough in safety to
do a proper checklist. Is piloting a bike that’s carrying your spouse any less important? You know
the answer. Tires need the correct pressure to prevent overheating (read “blowout�),
excessive wear (read “expensive�). Not looking flat isn’t enough. The only way to know the
pressure is right is to use a tire gauge. Check the tires while cold. Write down the correct pressure for
your tires, and keep it in the bike. Lights are something we don’t think about until one goes out that
we can see from the rider’s seat. Yet the taillight is what lets the car behind you see you before he
runs over you. The co-rider can easily check the brake lights, taillights, and turn signals while you sit on
the bike and push a few buttons. How important is your oil? (Read “How expensive is your engine?â
€�) No, you don’t check the oil by looking at the engine temperature gauge. There is a convenient
dipstick made just for that purpose. Don’t be a dipstick, use the one on the bike. Always using both
brakes to stop or slow is the proper way to use brakes but the wrong way to check them. If one of three
brakes starts getting weak, the other two will hide this fact. Try using only the brake lever to check the
one front brake that the lever operates. Then you will have an idea how that brake is working. Using only
the brake pedal with an integrated braking system uses two brakes—one front and the rear. Testing the
brake pedal this way makes it easier to know whether one of these two brakes is not up to par. Of course
the best way to check out all three brakes is during the bike’s regular service. Perhaps the
windshield is the easiest of all to check. You can look at it as you are walking up to the bike. Are those
bug spots you see? It takes only a minute or so to clean them off. They may be only an annoyance in the
daytime, but you need all the visibility you can get at night. Another time a dirty windshield really shows up
is when you head directly into the sun. That’s when you’ll really wish you’d taken an extra
minute or two to clean your windshield. When you have your cleaner out to clean your windshield, you
might also clean your faceshield and your glasses. Then the whole world will look cleaner.Your bike’s
checklist should be something you use before every ride,just as a pilot uses his before every flight.
Would you feel safe flying on a plane if you heard this conversation between the pilot and copilot:
“Let’s skimp on the checklists today. The plane looks safe enough.�
“Tires?� "They didn’t look flat so the pressure is probably OK.�
“Lights?� “The ones I can see from here work.�
"Oil?� “It was fine last week.�
“Brakes?� “We have two—I’m sure at least one works.�
“Windshield?� “It’s not all that dirty.�
“I only slept four hours last night so let’s not waste any more time here. Let’s fly this baby!â
€�
You might think twice about going on the trip at all if your pilots weren’t interested enough in safety to
do a proper checklist. Is piloting a bike that’s carrying your spouse any less important? You know
the answer. Tires need the correct pressure to prevent overheating (read “blowout�),
excessive wear (read “expensive�). Not looking flat isn’t enough. The only way to know the
pressure is right is to use a tire gauge. Check the tires while cold. Write down the correct pressure for
your tires, and keep it in the bike. Lights are something we don’t think about until one goes out that
we can see from the rider’s seat. Yet the taillight is what lets the car behind you see you before he
runs over you. The co-rider can easily check the brake lights, taillights, and turn signals while you sit on
the bike and push a few buttons. How important is your oil? (Read “How expensive is your engine?â
€�) No, you don’t check the oil by looking at the engine temperature gauge. There is a convenient
dipstick made just for that purpose. Don’t be a dipstick, use the one on the bike. Always using both
brakes to stop or slow is the proper way to use brakes but the wrong way to check them. If one of three
brakes starts getting weak, the other two will hide this fact. Try using only the brake lever to check the
one front brake that the lever operates. Then you will have an idea how that brake is working. Using only
the brake pedal with an integrated braking system uses two brakes—one front and the rear. Testing the
brake pedal this way makes it easier to know whether one of these two brakes is not up to par. Of course
the best way to check out all three brakes is during the bike’s regular service. Perhaps the
windshield is the easiest of all to check. You can look at it as you are walking up to the bike. Are those
bug spots you see? It takes only a minute or so to clean them off. They may be only an annoyance in the
daytime, but you need all the visibility you can get at night. Another time a dirty windshield really shows up
is when you head directly into the sun. That’s when you’ll really wish you’d taken an extra
minute or two to clean your windshield. When you have your cleaner out to clean your windshield, you
might also clean your faceshield and your glasses. Then the whole world will look cleaner.Your bike’s
checklist should be something you use before every ride,just as a pilot uses his before every flight.