September 2015

San Gabriel “Wing Nuts”
Monthly Newsletter
Goldwing Road Riders
Association
Region H, Texas District,
Chapter Tx-T2, Georgetown,
September, 2015
Inside this issue:
A Note from T-2
Chapter Director...
By Randy Coahran
Dang it!! Another month's gone by again,
and so fast too. As you're all probably
aware, school has begun again.
Let's
watch out for the kids and obey all of the
traffic laws out there.
2
Member Spotlight
3
4 Corners Ride Part Two 4-5
I get email riding tips from a website called
"The Rider's Workshop" at least once a
week. The latest email talks about "Being
Seen". Here's what they have to say on the
matter:
Whenever you are riding in traffic, do everything you can to be seen. Here are some suggestions to do just that:
Rider Education Article
Randy Coahran, T-2 Chapter
Director and his 2008 Goldwing.
Interesting Facts
5
Event Flyers
6-8
Calendars
9-11
Advertisement
12
Check Us Out:
Our website is under construction—stay tuned!
1. Don't hide in another driver's blind spots.
Instead position your motorcycle so you
can see both her rearview mirror and side
view mirror. If you can see their mirrors,
they can see you.
2. Try to catch other drivers' eye and
acknowledge one another. It's amazing
how often I get a thumbs-up from drivers
and passengers alike. Maybe it's because I
try to look and ride sharp.
3. During the day, I use my high beam
whenever I can. Only when I come up behind someone and know I am going to be
there awhile, do I switch to low beam. I
also use additional driving lights. I use
these lights not for additional illumination,
but for conspicuity.
4. I use a flashing LED light package in my
brake light assembly for additional safely. I've had car drivers comment twice on
how the small flashing lights caught their
eye confirming how effective my flashing
taillight is and how well I am being seen.
Upcoming Events:
Jim Ford Courtesy of The Riders Wprkshop
www.ridersworkshop.com
October 17, 2015 - Wings In The Park
Any comments or questions regarding this publication, contact
Terri Coahran, Newsletter Editor
@ [email protected]
We are always accepting articles and pictures!
September 3-5, 2015 Wing Ding 37
September 7, 2015 Chapter Meeting and
Sonic Bike Night – Georgetown
September 17-19, 2015 Kansas Dist. Rally
October 10, 2015 - T-Fest 2015
Page 2
Region H, Texas District, Chapter Tx-T2, Georgetown, Sept., 2015
ATGATT: My Experience with the Bohn Body Armor
By: B. Scott Finnell, T2 Rider Educator
GWRRA advocates safety at all times when riding. It even requires Level 4 riders to commit to
ATGATT (All the Gear, All the Time). ATGATT is defined as a DOT (FMVSS 218)/Snell (M2010) /
ECE 22.05 approved helmet (approved standard applicable to the local area), eye protection, long
sleeved jacket/shirt (no "riding pull on/off sleeves"), long legged sturdy pants, full fingered gloves
and over the ankle footwear.
For those of us who live in Texas, this can present a real challenge when we want to ride in the
summer (as I write this temps are forecasted to be 106 today). So what do you do? There are
products on the market that address the need to remain cool and protect. I recently purchased
such a product, the Bohn Body Armor shirt and pants. This suit provides CE quality protection to
the knees, hips, thighs, tailbone, back, shoulders and elbows and is made to be worn under your
regular clothes. The set I bought was a specifically designed mesh for riding in the heat. I wanted it for our 4 corners trip because I knew the last 1/3 of the ride through California and the desert
southwest in July and August would be unpleasant.
So how did it do? Fortunately, there were no crashes to test the protection factor. However, the
pads are very similar to the ones in my riding jacket, plus they have the added advantage of staying in place. The suit fit very well and was easy to put on and take off. Let’s face it. When it’s
over 90, it’s hot. Unless you’re in your swimsuit in a pool, 8 hours in that type of temp is unpleasant. Having the protection pad right up against my skin was hot. However, it was a lot less hot
than my riding jacket would have been. And riding in a long sleeve UV protection shirt, might protect you from skin cancer, but it sure won’t offer much protection in an accident.
I was a little concerned when I bought this “armored underwear” I’d have to wash it every night. I
did not. Every evening as soon as the ride was over, I pulled off the gear and hung it up to air out.
By the next morning it was wearable. Judy never said it smelled, and
believe me; she is more than willing to let me know if I stink. Every few
days, I’d pull out the pads and hand wash the mesh in a sink or throw it
in the washing machine if it was washday. Pulling the pads out and
putting them back in is not a lot of fun but after a few times you learn
the tricks and it’s not so bad.
The only real issue I had with the suit had to do with my boney knees.
If I didn’t have the pads in the right position, my knees would begin to
hurt after a few hours. When this happened, I just reached down and
moved the pad a little to take the pressure off the bone. Overall, I wore
the Bohn gear every riding day for 4 weeks as we covered the last
9000 miles of our trip. Temps ranged from lows in the 40s to 109 one
day in California. When the temps were 80 and below, I’d forget I had it
on. After temps hit the mid 80s, you knew it was there. But overall, I’d
say the Bohn gear is outPicture of Cool Air Armored shirt and Pants courtesy
standing.
of Bohn Armor at https://www.bohnarmor.com/
Region H, Texas District, Chapter Tx-T2, Georgetown, Sept., 2015
Page 3
Member Spotlight
Randy and terri coahran
Written by Terri Coahran, Chapter Co-Director
When I first met Randy, he had a motorcycle. I understood that Texans had trucks, horses, 4
wheel drive vehicles, but the motorcycle was a bit of a shock. Especially when he called it a
“water buffalo”. This So. Cal. girl wasn’t completely ready to hop on the back and see the
backroads of North Texas, but….he had a way about him.
Randy started riding motorcycles when he was 17. His first bike was a Honda 750 and it was
his ride to work and back for a few years. After college he purchased the Suzuki 750
(nicknamed the water buffalo) and that became his weekend escape vehicle. We had some
fun adventures down the back roads in and around his native Dallas.
Randy had been working for Mitsubishi Aircraft in computer operations when we met, and I
was working for the Hunt Brother’s Placid Oil Company as an oil and gas accountant. After
we were married, Mitsubishi moved us to San Angelo and life changed quite a bit. Our adventures were camping with our Girl Scout Troop and visiting areas of West Texas and the
motorcycle was left behind and eventually sold. Then due to some family reasons, we moved
to California.
Randy bought a 1977 Goldwing 1000 and rode through all the congested California traffic, but
our 3 children were all born in California and time became scarce. In the mid 1990’s Randy
insisted we move back to Texas after a gang shooting occurred at the local high school.
So...we packed up and wound up in Austin and eventually Georgetown.
With 3 small children, I stayed home while Randy went to work for the State of Texas as a
contractor (at first) and later as an employee. He currently works at the Inspector General’s
office in Austin and is the Specialist for all their computer servers.
Once our children were old enough, I went back to work: first at Southwestern University and
then for Texas School for the Deaf. Currently I work for the Dept. of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services as a Budget Analyst. We have three children: Brandon (27), Kacie and Kirsten (23).
In 2008 Randy purchased his current Goldwing 1800.
We have enjoyed some great rides on that motorcycle!
We reached out to different riding groups and organizations once the kids were older and we had time to
ride again. Randy and I have enjoyed the Goldwing
Road Riders Assoc. of Georgetown for two years.
Terri and Randy Coahran, GWRRA of
Georgetown Chapter Co-Directors.
We look forward to working and riding with all the wonderful members of the GWRRA both here in
Georgetown and around the state as your Georgetown
Chapter Directors.
Page 4
Region H, Texas District, Chapter Tx-T2, Georgetown, Sept,, 2015
4 Corners Trip 2015, Part 2
By B. Scott Finnell
My last article concluded with our flight home from Billings, Montana on June 14 th for my dad’s
back surgery. We were 3 weeks and 7700 miles into our trip to the 4 geographical corners of
the US. We had been to Key West, Florida and Madawaska, Maine when we decided to get to
Billings and fly home. Thankfully all went well with the surgery and we returned to Billings on
July 14th ready to continue to our last 2 corners.
We are on our way to Blaine, Washington and the third corner as we left Billings. The first day
out was one of the best. Within a couple of hours we were riding over the Beartooth Pass. Its
10,942-foot views are incredible. Truly one of the must do motorcycle rides in the country.
After the Pass we headed into Yellowstone National Park and then to the Grand Tetons NP.
Since Judy and I have been to Yellowstone many times, this day was just a ride through to get
to the Tetons. Judy had never been to the Tetons or Jackson Hole and I was anxious for her
to get there. It was a great ride and spotting a bear as we were leaving the park was an added
bonus.
We spent the night in Idaho with friends and headed out early toward the Crater of the Moon
National Monument. To our surprise, not long after leaving and right in the middle of a wideopen field, we spotted a mommy moose and her calf. This was the only moose we saw on the
entire trip. When we got to the Crater
of the Moon, I couldn’t believe how
large the lava fields where. You really
have to see them to appreciate them.
From Idaho it took us 5 days to get to
Blaine. We traveled through eastern
Oregon up to Washington. Most days
we covered about 300 miles and visited 5 national sites along the way.
The most spectacular were Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens.
Rainier is
beautiful but is often covered in clouds
or fog. We were fortunate enough to
be there on a clear day. As the locals
say, the mountain was “out.” Mt. St.
Helens is on my highly recommended
list.
Of all the national parks we have
Picture of Mount Rainier taken by Judy and Scott Finnell on
visited, their visitor’s center was the
their 4 corners trip
best. The volcano erupted 35 years
ago and in about 30 minutes the
mountain lost 4000 feet of elevation and spewed debris and ash 12 miles into the air. If you
ever get close, you’ve got to visit.
Cont’d on Next Page
Region H, Texas District, Chapter Tx-T2, Georgetown, Sept., 2015
Page 5
4 Corners Trip 2015, Part 2 (cont’d)
Unlike Madawaska where there is a great 4 corners park, Blaine is just a nice little Washington
town with a clear view of Canada right across the river. We took our obligatory pictures and
began our journey to the 4th corner in San Ysidro, California.
From Blaine to San Ysidro our travel days ranged from
250-400 miles. Along the coast the weather was great
but 100 miles inland the temps were in the upper 90s to
low 100s. One afternoon it hit 109. It was at this point
we decided to forgo camping and get a motel so we
could hit the road by 4:30am and stop as soon after
noon as we could. There were 5 more national park visits along the way but the most impressive was Crater
Lake. I’d been planning on visiting this park for the last 3
years but every year our travel plans changed just
enough that we had to postpone our visit. I’m glad we
final made it.
Along the Oregon Coast
All the corners are different and San Ysidro was especially different. Just about 20 miles
south of San Diego and right on the border of Mexico, it was a very crowded and busy place.
We struggled to find a nice picture spot and were on our way out of town when we found a
great welcome sign. After the picture, we were glad to get out of all the traffic.
After leaving San Ysidro the trip was all about getting home. We traveled the remaining 1388
miles in 3 days. It was hot,
very hot. We were up a
couple of hours before sunrise and stopped in the early afternoon. We arrived at
home Sunday afternoon
August 2nd. In total we
traveled 13,160 miles, visited 24 national parks/
monuments/historical sites
in 41 days. It was a great
trip and we’re already
thinking about where we
want to go next year. Judy
is leaning towards another
trip to Alaska and I’m thinking about Nova Scotia.
We’ll keep you posted.
The completion of a quest! Scott and Judy Finnell at the 4th corner of the United
States!
Page 6
Region H, Texas District, Chapter Tx-T2, Georgetown, Sept., 2015
Member Meeting & Motorcycle Night @ Sonic
Monday, September 7, 2015 6:30—8:00 pm
(and every 1st Monday of the month)
Sonic
3207 Williams Drive
Georgetown, TX 78628
Enjoy meal specials for $5.00:
#1 Burger Combo with medium drink and tots
#7 Foot Long Hot Dog with medium drink and tots
#10 3 pc. Chicken Strip Combo with med drink and tots
Enjoy a Summer Evening on your bike with lots of other motorcycle riders!
Region H, Texas District, Chapter Tx-T2, Georgetown, Sept,, 2015
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Region H, Texas District, Chapter Tx-T2, Georgetown, Sept,, 2015
Region H, Texas District, Chapter Tx-T2, Georgetown, Sept., 2015
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Region H, Texas District, Chapter Tx-T2, Georgetown, Sept., 2015
Region H, Texas District, Chapter Tx-T2, Georgetown, Sept., 2015
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Region H, Texas District, Chapter Tx-T2, Georgetown, Sept,, 2015
Page 12
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