UPCOMING RIDES for the Gold Coast Rider’s Club

Thursday, March 27, 2008      Rick Case Honda Powerhouse Bike Night and Autism Speaks Ride Kickoff Party, 6pm-9pm.  There will be free Hotdogs, Raffles, Giveaways, Live DJ and much more.   Purchase your tickets for the Autism Ride this Saturday (see below).  Don’t forget to register for the VTX 1300 to be given away on May 30th!

Saturday, March 29, 2008.    Check in at Rick Case Honda Powerhouse at 9am.  Kick Stands up at 10am for the ride to Pompano Park Race Track.  Please arrive with a full tank of gas.

Sunday, March 30, 2008.  Many people have requested we go back to Solomon’s Castle located in Ona, Florida.  This will be an all day ride.  Check out www.solomonscastle.com  The tour of the castle is only $10.00 for adults and children under 12 are only $4.00.  You will see some very unique art work.  More importantly is the lunch afterwards.  The almost famous Boat in the Moat has some great food.  Last time we dined under spectacular oaks.  The service was a little slow, but after the food arrived, it was worth the wait.  We will meet at Rick Case Honda Powerhouse at 7:00am for the safety briefing and a 7:15am departure.  Make sure you have some breakfast before leaving the house.  We will stop in Clewiston for gas and again in Arcadia.  The second stop will be a “gas & go”.  Our goal is to arrive as close to 11am as possible.

Sunday, March 30, 2008.  I have attached a flyer for you if you don’t want to spend all day riding with us above, there is a ride to benefit the Miami Metro Zoo Animals going on this Sunday also.

Sunday, April 6, 2008.  Cruisers for Critters Motorcycle Ride.  Here is another ride to benefit our local animals.  Donation is only $20.00.  Since pets will be up for adoption, my wife and son are prohibited from attending this ride.  Between a dog, two cats (both rescued), and two bearded dragons, we don’t need any more animals at the Mathes house.  Let me know if you are interested in leading this ride.  It may be a last minute go for me.  Wife just walked by and saw this:  guess I am going!  I will send out an email next week with meeting times.

Friday, April 11, 2008.  Friday Night Bike Night at Rick Case Honda Powerhouse.  You will have another opportunity to register for the free VTX 1300 the dealership is giving away.  Come meet some of your best future friends who also ride Hondas.  6:00-10:00pm.

Sunday, April 13, 2008.  Lunch ride over to Naples/Marco Island.  Last year someone from the club suggested a restaurant over in that area.  If that was you, please send me that information again.  Otherwise I will pick the restaurant.

Friday, April 25, 2008.  Friday Night Bike Night at Rick Case Honda Powerhouse.  Another chance to register for the VTX giveaway.  6:00-10:00pm.

Sunday, April 27, 2008.  Club Ride.  There are several options that I will discuss with you later. 

Friday, May 9, 2008.  Friday Night Bike Night at Rick Case Honda Powerhouse.  Another chance to register for the VTX giveaway.  6:00-10:00pm.

Sunday, May 11, 2008.  No ride, but don’t forget:  IT’S MOTHER’S DAY!!!!!!  Happy Mother’s Day to all those wonderful ladies who make our life so special.

Saturday, May 17, 2008.  Pet Ride 2008.  No, don’t bring your favorite pet, this is a ride to help raise money and awareness for the Broward Humane Society.  Cost is $65.00 per rider.  See attachment for information.  We will meet at Rick Case Honda Powerhouse at 7:15am for the safety briefing and depart at 7:30am sharp for the short ride to the Humane Society.  You can read the itinerary on the attachment for all the information.

Friday, May 30, 2008.  Friday Night Bike Night at Rick Case Honda Powerhouse.  Here is your last chance to register for the VTX 1300 giveaway!  You can’t win unless you attend the bike nights and register for the drawing.  You must be present to win!  Come enjoy the excitement as one lucky person will ride away with this great prize.  6:00-10:00pm.

Sunday, February 8, 2009.  Ok, it’s early, but this is our next Ride for Kids event here in South Florida.  Mark your calendars now.  Our club was the top fundraising club for 2008 in South Florida.  Already several other clubs are gunning for the top spot next year.  I would like to have a volunteer to lead the fundraising efforts for our club.  Any takers?  I can help you get started, but my work schedule and being a Task Force Leader on the South Florida RFK Team does not give me much free time.  We need to schedule a meeting for discuss this as a club.

On another note, I want to give a big THANK You to Ernesto Casas, Adrian and Ronnie Sue Goldfarb for all the hard work they have done on registering our club as a ‘not for profit” organization.  Without their tireless efforts, I would never have been able to complete this.  We will soon be opening a checking account and kicking off our new club organization and benefits I spoke of last year.

I am also working with Libations in Weston to host a Wine Tasting Night to benefit the Ride for Kids.  For all you wine drinkers out there, look for this to happen in early June on a Monday or Tuesday night.   More to come later.

There will probably be some more short notice rides upcoming.  Make sure you check the club website for ride reports and pictures.  Hope to see you Thursday night, March 27th at Rick Case Honda Powerhouse Bike Night.

Ride Safe,

Greg Mathes

Gold Coast Rider’s Club

www.goldcoastriders.com

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/

Members,

This past weekend’s ride had some very interesting moments.

16 members of the club joined my wife and I for the trip to the Navy Seal Museum at Ft. Pierce, Fl. The temperatures were a perfect low 70’s and the skies mostly clear. The only downside was the winds. Going north we wore down the right side of the tires while returning south we wore down the left side of the tires.

Our route took us north along the Sawgrass Expressway to the Florida Turnpike. The first stop was at the Palm Beach Toll Plaza where we all enjoyed a nice stretch and some much needed caffeine. Pulling into the rest stop, I chose to park in the truck-stop area, this allowed all of us to park together and not have to worry about pulling out in front of auto traffic. Those needing to top off their fuel tanks did so.

Soon we were heading north on the turnpike. I had programmed my GPS for the museum, not the restaurant we were trying to find first. Right after exiting the toll road, I saw the sign for Cracker Barrel indicating it was located behind a shopping plaza. Making the left turn, I continued past the shopping plaza into what looked like a rural subdivision. Just as I was about to make a u-turn, I noticed the Cracker Barrel sign off in the distance to my right. A quick right-turn and we were there. Later, Ron B. mentioned that he thought I was lost! Can you imagine that? Of course those who have ridden with us for any amount of time know that many times I like to make u-turns (this is done to keep you thinking and in practice for limited space maneuvers as taught in the MSF course).

The wait for breakfast was well worth it. The food was plentiful and good. Something I have come to expect from all Cracker Barrels. We ended up departing the restaurant a little after 1:00 p.m. Our final leg to the museum took us through Ft. Pierce over the inter-coastal onto A1A north and North Hutchinson Island. After turning north onto A1A, it only a half mile or so and the museum is on your right.

To view the entire establishment only takes an hour or so. There are several boats/submersible boats located in the field with a brief history about each. After entering the main building and paying our $6.00 entry fee, we reviewed the history of these brave heroes. The museum goes into detail on the physical conditioning, weapons, tactics, etc that these warriors use on a daily basis. I found the early dive gear to be of special interest to me. There was also a custom motorcycle on display which was built as a tribute to the SEALS.

Soon we were all heading outside. A short walk through the mangroves on the boardwalk and we were standing on a beautiful beach. The water was that deep blue that so many painters like to include in their work. I did not see anyone in the water; I assumed the temperatures were still too low for frolicking in the waves. BRrrrrrrrrr. Earlier inside we had seen pictures of this beach transformed into an enemy beachhead for training.

Soon it was time for our return. I am always in the mood for taking the less traveled road and enjoy a new direction whenever it presents itself and time allows. With that in mind I chose to travel a stretch of A1A that I had never been on. Basically we headed back the same route until we got to US1. Go south for one light, turn left and cross back over the intercoastal onto A1A again. The route at first was filled with some minor construction but soon opened up to fresh pavement. At some points the water came to within a few feet of the road.

Just when you think you have had the perfect day, something comes along to change it. I say something because for some reason a road engineer decided to place a “round-a-bout” on this portion of A1A. Traffic halted to a stop, then it was pick your feet up, place your feet down again. Unbeknownst to us, the backup caused by this round-a-bout would last for about 20 minutes or several miles. One advantage we had with the backup was the opportunity to view some incredible houses. If you ever have the opportunity to ride this portion of A1A, take a look at the mansion someone built right on the beach. It has to be close to 30,000 square feet if not more. You can’t miss it.

Once we got pass the traffic back we settled into a nice pace for the ride home. We made one more stop at the same toll plaza we visited on the way north earlier in the morning. Members started peeling off as we passed their exit. By the time my exit approached, there were only a few riders left.

Something to note: if the club is riding the interstate and something happens that requires you to pull off on the shoulder of the road, those bikes in front of you will continue to the next exit and wait to hear from you. The sweep rider will pull off to assist you if needed. Remember to pull as far off the shoulder as safely possible. If I direct the club to pull off the road, stay in single file (do not stager). This allows riders the most room from passing automobiles.

My wife and I returned my bike to its garage just as the sun was setting: about 230 miles (give or take a few), great friends, the wind in our faces for a large portion of the day. It was a wonderful way to spend the day.

Ride safe,

Greg Mathes
Club Coordinator
Gold Coast Honda Rider’s Club

Spent Sunday in Daytona. Its 2006 + 2 or 2007 + 1. Same stuff, same noise, same merchandise. I am attaching pictures of an interesting Goldwing and of a 350 Cubic Inch V8 lawn mower like transportation. Otherwise - David M., Randy V. and myself will be going to the Daytona 200 motorcycle races this coming Saturday. Still planning on Sun and Fun in Lakeland. Can you post and lets see if there is anyone else interested.

Regards,

Jeff Joffe