October Meeting Minutes

PNC Thunder in the Valley                                                    Lee Evans - President

Officer Meeting Minutes                                                        Jim Pasinetti -Vice President

From October 13^th 2008                                                          Mark Niehaus - Secretary

                                                                                                Kim Dixon – Sergeant at Arms

Review minutes of our June 2^nd meeting, we had not met since due to scheduling conflicts.

Old business;

1.      Safe riding practices.

2.      Need for pre-ride briefings.

3.      Frequency of rest stops.

4.      Pre-departure ready signal from drag bike for each group before leaving a stop.

5.      Expanding the pool of experienced group leaders and drag bikes.

6.      Sale of PNC Thunder shirts, patches and pins.

7.      Trimming the email contact list of individuals that have never come to ride with us.

8.      An account was set-up through the church for PNC Thunder in the Valley to record and hold funds that we would collect to pay for the web site we use and pay monies collected for T-shirts patches and what have you. There was $100.00 donated by each current officer to cover such expenses. The church bookkeeper Joanne Mansfield maintains our account.

New business;

1. 2008 Reflection – The 1 and 2 second rule of staggered formation needs tightening up.

We tend to go down the freeway like a slinky at times because of large gaps in the formation.

On the Nampa ride Jim suggested adding some more space between the groups, which really seemed to control the Slinky Effect.

2. Caution reiterated when being around and/or passing trucks. It was noted that we tend to run out of steam when in the passing lane and actually going slower then what we’re passing – not a very safe situation. We need to accelerate far enough past the other vehicle and move over as a group. Tightening up those gaps can more easily attain this.

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3. If a rider or group misses an exit for fuel or rest go on to the next exit. Try to call the ride Captain to let him know where you are. Then stay put until the group catches up to you.

If the missed exit was a change of road, take the next exit and come back

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4.      We are trying to encourage new ride leaders and new day ride ideas from the members.

5.      Jim has a list of people wanting new shirts, but needs a minimum order of 12. Men’s shirts are $20 for short sleeve, $25 for long + $2 for XXL. Women’s are $30 and a nicer cut.

6.      We discussed having only day rides in 2009 because of the economy. Scheduling the 1^st and 3^rd Saturdays and adding afternoon rides (weather permitting) on the 4^th or 5^th Sundays.

7.      We are going to ask the group for donations to cover the cost of the web site and party food.

November Meeting Minutes

      PNC Thunder in the Valley General Meeting Minutes for November 1^st 2008

Lee Evans welcomed thirty members to the meeting and introduced five new members.

New Topics:

Jim Pasinetti: Orders are being taken for PNC Thunder shirts. Need a combined minimum order of 12 shirts before printing. Anyone desiring a shirt, contact Jim. Prices are $20 $25 and $30.

Pins and patches are also available.

Mark Niehaus: Donations are being accepted to renew the web site subscription and incidental food for group meetings. Joanne Mansfield is the church bookkeeper and handles any funds for the group in a separate account. Funds may be deposited into the offering marked. “PNC Thunder.”

Funds are used on an ‘as needed basis’ and require the consensus of the PNC Thunder officers.

Kim Dixon: Reminded us about winter riding safety. Watch out for ice, leafs, rain soaked painted lines. Always watch out for other vehicles. When we ride in formation keep the bikes tight and follow our 1 and 2 second spacing and space the groups out to an eighth mile.

Watching the “How We Ride” video on the web site is a good example of what it’s about.

Strongly recommend replacing the shifter rods on late model Harleys with the Heim-joint style.

It seems there are several members that have had defective failing shift rods recently.

Open Discussion Topics:

Maintain correct even speeds in the group. Gauge the group spacing by roadside reflectors if available. Safely protect group integrity and discourage other vehicles from entering the group by keeping the group spacing tighter. If an exit is missed by a group go to the next exit and pull into a gas station and call the road captain. Let them know where you are rather than try to dive off the freeway and risk an accident. We need to get an updated cell phone list for everyone

on the rides. We should start using a pre-ride checklist prior to the group departure and provide a map for those unfamiliar with the route. While out on the road we need to take rest breaks about every 75 minutes for those with Hummingbird bladders and or back injuries.

Don’t assume your lane is clear and never assume the other vehicles know what you’re planning to do, always look first and use your signals. The Nazarene Motorcycle Fellowship kickoff in Orlando this June will be about a 7000 mile ride. Plans are being made on the sights to see and where to stay. Mt Rushmore, Sturgis, The Badlands, The Gateway Arch, Tail of the Dragon, and the Royal Gorge Bridge are just a few of the planned sights.

The next scheduled PNC Thunder in the Valley General Meeting will be in April 2009. TBA