We are starting a new ride event which will be offered periodically throughout the year.  Club Director Adrian Goldfarb will be leading a series of rides aimed at getting new riders or people who are on our mailing list but have never ridden with the club before acquainted with GCRC.  These rides will tend to be more local and are suitable for smaller bikes.  This is a great way to get introduced to group riding and get to meet other new riders.

The first ride is scheduled for Saturday, April 25, 2009.  We will meet at the Coral Creek Shopping Center which is located at the intersection of 441/SR7 and Johnson Road at 9:15am (there is a Publix, Bank of America and gas station for those last minute requirements!).  After a short briefing and introduction/review of the group riding rules, we will depart at 9:30am for about an hour ride up to Dune’s Deck Cafe, located on A1A in Lantana. There is plenty of parking but bring $2 of quarters with you for the meters.  After a stop for Brunch we will return back to Coral Creek no later than 1PM.

You do not have to be a club member to ride but this ride has the following requirements:

1. Although anyone is welcome, this ride is aimed at new riders and/or smaller bikes.
2. You will be required to wear a helmet.   
3. Your bike must be  capable of speeds up to 55MPH.
4. You must have current M/C license and we prefer that you have taken the Basic Rider Course.
5. You will be asked to sign a waiver absolving the Club and its officers of liability.
   

If you are interested, or know someone else who would like to participate, please send a short email to Adrian (goldfara@me.com) indicating that you may join us.  I will be assisting and look forward to seeing you there.

Members,

Over the past couple of months (a year actually) we have been working with Rick Case Powerhouse on getting club members discounts for service and accessories. Rusty Johnson (General Manager) and I came to an agreement on this recently and now I want to forward it to you.

First of all, if you have been on any recent rides, you may have noticed I was wearing the new club t-shirt or the club patch on the back of my leather vest. Thanks to Ken Cimetta for designing this. He put a lot of work into an emblem that stands out.

Some members fronted the club money to purchase the patches and Rick Case fronted the club money for the purchase of the t-shirts. Both will be paid back with sales of each.

The dealership initially offered to sell the shirts at the dealership, but then I would not know who was a member of the club. Ken changed some features on the web site and you are now available to purchase the shirts and patches directly. Rather then mail the patches to you and incur another expense, I will drop off your shirt/patch to the dealership and you can pick it up there at the cashier window.

Before you can purchase a patch or t-shirt, you must be a registered member. Membership fees are only $25.00 a year for the entire family. This is very cheap considering what other clubs charge.

Now here is where the discount comes in. Rick Case Powerhouse will give you an additional 10% discount off your service/accessory purchase each Wednesday when you are wearing your club shirt or patch. Add that to your “Reward’s Points” and you get 20% off! With today’s economy, I need every coupon or discount I can get. If I were going to make a major purchase or service appointment, this 20% discount could pay for my membership fee and shirt the first time I used it.

There will be additional membership benefits. These will include the opportunity for free give-a-ways on club rides, ice-cream socials, members’ only events and more. The membership will decide what we do. Remember, this is your club, take action to make it better.

Questions and Answers:

1. Do I have to be a dues paying member to ride with the club? No, not for basic rides. But if there are special give-a-ways or free lunches, only dues paying members will have this opportunity. The easiest way for me to recognize you will be your wearing your club shirt or patch, but if you are not into patches or our club shirts, I will have a membership list in my cell phone.

2. Where does this money go? The club has some administrative expenses that we need to pay for. Adrian & Ronnie Sue Goldfarb have been offering their legal services to register the club as a “not for profit status” and there are federal fees to pay. HRCA charges the club a yearly registration and then there is the issue of insurance to consider. I would like to start having regular club meetings at local restaurants and the club could pick up part of the food bill. No club member can profit from any funds collected. The club would decide how funds are spent.

3. What is my place in the club? That is entirely up to you. How involved do you want to become? I would like more Ride Captains. Available positions are endless. Here are some samples: Welcome Committee, Ride Planner, Ride for Kids Task Force Member, Safety Officer, Training Specialist, etc. Or you can just be a member and ride with us and enjoy the great outdoors.

4. Will I still get all your wonderful emails? For the short term the answer is yes. But there will be special opportunity emails sent out to dues paying members only.

5. What privileges will I have using the club website? Working with the webmaster, you should have the ability to post comments about any given ride, pictures, make suggestions, etc. I would like to see a club bulletin board soon so you can post items for sale.

6. When does this start? What better time then now? I have the shirts in a wide selection of sizes, but only a limited number of patches left.

7. What if I already purchased a shirt/patch from you earlier? Thank you for your purchase, but you are requested to register as a dues paying member.

For registration, go to http://www.goldcoastriders.com On the right side you will see a tab for Register. This will allow you to choose a login and password. Next, log-in and go to the “Pages” tab to purchase your membership and shirts or patches. We are still trying to work out some of the bugs ( I should get an email that you registered and size shirt). I will send you an email regarding when you can pick up your shirt/patch at the dealership cashier. If you don’t hear from me within a couple of days, please send me an email so I can chase down the order.

Looking forward to riding with you.

DAYTON, Ohio: Honda Motor Co. plans to stop making motorcycles in the United States next year and transfer the work to Japan, pulling the plug on its first U.S. plant.

The 330,000-square-foot (30,657 sq. meter) Marysville, Ohio, plant, built in 1979, turns out large Gold Wing touring and VTX cruiser motorcycles. The work will be shifted to a plant in Japan that can produce bikes more efficiently.

The Ohio plant employs 450 workers. Honda said there will be no layoffs when production ends in spring 2009. The workers will remain with the company, helping produce cars, trucks, engines and parts and filling other jobs at Honda’s operations in west-central Ohio, the company said.

“There were a lot of people who felt disappointment,” said plant manager Jan Gansheimer, noting that many employees are motorcycle enthusiasts who have spent much of their careers at the plant. “There were some emotional considerations.”

But realizing it was a business decision and knowing they would not lose their jobs made it easier to accept, she said.

Last year, the plant produced about 44,000 Gold Wing touring and VTX cruiser bikes.

Gansheimer said production of 120 motorcycles a day will continue for now. A decision on whether to phase out production and transfer workers gradually or do it all at once has not been made.

Ray Riffle, of Pastaskala, east of Columbus, has been riding motorcycles for more than 30 years and bought his first Gold Wing motorcycle in May.

“I feel it’s a great product, and Americans have done a great job in putting them together,” said Riffle, 52. “I hate to see them leave.”

Honda said motorcycle production at the Marysville plant and at the Hamamatsu factory in Japan will be consolidated at an expanded motorcycle plant in Kumamoto, Japan, in 2009.

The larger motorcycles currently made at Marysville and the medium-sized ones produced at Hamamatsu will be manufactured together under one roof.

“This move allows us to improve the competitiveness and appeal of our products by applying the latest technologies and production systems at one efficient location,” said Akio Hamada, president and chief executive of Honda of America.

The Japanese plant will be capable of producing up to 600,000 motorcycles a year. Capacity at the Marysville plant is 75,000.

No decision has been made about what to do with the Marysville plant.

The Motorcycle Industry Council estimates that 1.11 million motorcycles were sold in the United States in 2007, down from 1.19 million in 2006.

Council spokesman Mike Mount said rising energy costs may be one reason for the sales dip, but noted that motorcycle sales steadily increased for 14 years leading up to 2006, which was the best year for sales in 30 years.

Honda spokesman Ed Miller said the company is confident that sales will increase as the economy strengthens.

Honda says it holds about 25 percent of the U.S. market in sales of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and scooters.

Honda currently employs about 13,000 workers at five plants in Ohio ? two in Marysville and one each in East Liberty, Anna and Russells Point. Besides motorcycles, the employees make the Accord, Civic, Element, CR-V, Acura TL and RDX sport utility vehicle.

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On the Net:

http://www.honda.com/