Friday, June 17, 2016
CANFIELD
Leora Greathouse of Girard, soon to be 82, says she is “mom to all of these guys.”
The “guys” are the men and women motorcycle riders of the Gold Wing Road Riders Ohio District attending a rally this weekend at Canfield Fairgrounds.
“These people have become my family,” especially, she said, since her husband, Joe, her former riding partner, died in 1999. “If I need anything, day or night, all I need to do is holler,” said Greathouse, who is a co-rider.
“Family” is a common theme among the riders at the rally, which runs through Saturday.
The motto of the riders association, named after Honda’s Gold Wing touring bike, is “Friends for fun, safety and knowledge.”
Seminars and activities focusing on riding skills and safety are a main ingredient of the rally, which had nearly 250 preregistered bikers.
While the rally officially started at noon Thursday, on Wednesday, a trike (three-wheel motorcycle) training course was offered.
“The trike classes are fairly new, but are becoming more popular as many of our riders age and switch over to trikes from two-wheel motorcycles,” said district ride educator Robert Williams, who is also in charge of Saturday’s light parade.
Riding classes in which riders practice maneuvers and defensive riding designed to make them better riders are a big part of GWRRA’s focus.
Other classes and events include distracted driving, running mountains, hills and curves, and co-rider instruction.
The GWRRA is a family-oriented organization, said Becky Jones, Northeast Ohio Assistant District director with her husband, Roy.
“That’s why we are here,” said trike rider Katie Wilson of Springfield Township, who attended with her husband, Bill, who rides a two-wheeler.
“We went on a dinner ride in 2000 and felt accepted, and we joined up,” Katie said.
Allen and Linda Dickens were longtime members of GWRRA in New York State before retiring to East Palestine.
The GWRRA offers a lot of classes and seminars, and “you also have other like-minded people to ride with,” Allen said.
“Like-minded people don’t drink and drive. Safety is a big issue,” said Melanie and Chuck Geggie of Oxford, who are the GWRRA Region D (Ohio, Indiana and Michigan) Couple of the Year.