GWRRA
	"Friends for Fun, Safety and Knowledge"

Chapter B Omaha

Chapter Directors

Bill and Nancy James

Chapter B
January 2007 Newsletter
Chapter B meets the second Sunday of each month

Chapter Directors: Bill and Nancy James Chapter Treasurer: Sonya Crowl
Activity Director/Advisor: Willard Crowl Chapter Educators: Bob and Charlotte Lake

Director Ramblings:

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hope you all had a great Christmas and are ready for a great new year. This year is starting great with training at Norfolk in January and then March Madness at Lincoln in early March. Our December gather was lots of fun even if we had to move it across the street to the Subway. D&K was just packed. Seems like December flew by with gatherings, travel and Christmas cheer. Our gathering this month will be on New Years day at Ameristar Casino buffet. Hope you can make it.

If you do get a ride in remember: RIDE SAFE, HAVE FUN!
50/50 Winners
Larry Hladik, Cal & Sandy Lytle

Activities and Events: Meet at the gathering locations during the winter
1 January 2007 New Years Brunch – 10 AM–Ameristar Casino Buffet
Hope to see many of you there!

16 January La Mesa in Papillion across from Target – 6 PM [Tara Plaza]
84th Street and second block north of Cornhusker on East side

20-21 January District Combined Training – Norfolk, NE

3 March Nebraska District March Madness – Lincoln, NE

As always, adhoc telephone rides can be scheduled as weather allows. If you want to be part of the telephone list send an email to Bill and Nancy James, nbjames@netscape.com

Motorcycle Controls

Why is the throttle positioned where it is? Why can’t it be on the left handlebar if I’m left handed? Why is the neutral light always green? Why is the high beam indicator light blue? Why is the gearshift lever located on the left side of the motorcycle and the rear brake on the right side? Why indeed?

The answer to these questions and many more like them is for the purpose of standardization. If the controls are located in standardized locations and operate in the same manner, then you as the rider could hop off of your Gold Wing at the DQ and jump on little Johnny’s HD Sportster and speed away with nary a concern. No flames please! So where do we find out why? That’s’ an easy question, Grasshopper.

The last one, FMVSS 218, is the one most often quoted and the one most people have heard about because it discusses motorcycle helmet testing. This identifies what the “DOT” sticker really means. It does not dictate whether you must wear a helmet or not, just what it means to be DOT certified. Helmet regulations can be found in many places including the back of the Gold Book.

So if you are bored this winter and find yourself sitting at the computer surfing the web, go to your search engine (Google, Yahoo or one of the others) and search for Title 49 of the US CFR, Part 571 and read all about why your motorcycle has the controls it does and why they are placed so; or what type of testing your helmet is subjected to; not your personal helmet of course, since these are by their very nature destructive tests, but your make and model of helmet or anything else about motor vehicles