If you Own a Honda Gold Wing motorcycle or are simply interested in Gold Wings and are not already a member of the Gold Wing Road Riders Association (GWRRA), I urge you to check out the organization’s national website at www.gwrra.org. You can also visit the North Carolina District GWRRA site to find your closest North Carolina Chapter. North Carolina is the home of 29 GWRRA local chapters from as far west as Maggie Valley and as far east as Elizabeth City.
GWRRA was founded in 1977 in Arizona and has grown to more than 72,000 members throughout the United States, Canada, and 53 international countries. More than 800 active worldwide chapters are managed by an estimated 4,000 volunteer leaders. The GWRRA motto is “Friends for Fun, Safety and Knowledge.”
GWRRA is built on 4 simple ideals:
(1) “Promote Safety and Skill Enhancement,” so its members can continue to enjoy their hobby of riding.
(2) “Promote Friendship” among the entire biking public.
(3) “Promote the Positive Image of the Motorcycle Rider.”
(4) “Promote Fun.”
Wings Over the Smokies
The signature annual North Carolina District event is Wings Over the Smokies, which will be held September 22-24, 2016 in Cherokee, North Carolina. This year will be the 33rd year for the Wings Over the Smokies which allows fellow Gold Wing Riders to come together for rider education, vendors and socializing.
I have had the pleasure of getting to know the current North Carolina District Educator and Trainer, Susan Huttman. Her introduction to GWRRA is very interesting. She and her husband, George Huttman, moved to North Carolina in 2007 and brought with them their 2003 GL 1800 Gold Wing. While dining at the Golden Corral in Hickory one night, Susan saw a man wearing a GWRRA patch on his vest. This person was Tony White, the Chapter Director for the Catawba Valley Wings NC-O2. Susan introduced herself and Tony asked if her and her husband wanted to sit in on a meeting. Susan told me that right away she “loved the camaraderie, the family atmosphere, the focus on safety, and the overall message.” She and her husband soon joined the chapter. Their first position in the chapter was Chapter Couple. Susan then became a Newsletter Editor, then a Chapter Educator, an Assistant North Carolina District Educator and because of her love for GWRRA and passion for rider safety she is now the North Carolina District Educator and Trainer. What she likes most about her current position, is how she can positively impact the lives of members throughout North Carolina regarding how not only to make the members’ motorcycle riding safer and easier.
If you own or have an interest in a Honda Gold Wing check out your local chapter of the Gold Wing Road Riders Association. Ride Safe!
Gary Poole – North Carolina Motorcycle Accident Attorney “On the Side of Those Who Ride”