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Dick Scott Classic Motorcycles Newsletter
Volume 4, Issue 2
| February, 2012 |
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Greetings!
Thank you for reading our Newsletter! We work hard to keep you informed about what is going on in the Motorcycle & Powersports Industries and what we are up to here at Dick Scott Classic Motorcycles. Let us know how you think we are doing! If there something you would like to see more of each month, let us know by emailing your comments or suggestions to News@DickScott.com. You can also stay up on the latest by following us on our blog, twitter and Facebook Fan Page. Become our fan today for Exclusive Savings Offers! We hope you will enjoy this month's edition! |
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The 2012 Progressive International Motorcycle Show brought the nation's largest and longest-running powersports show tour into the Suburban Collection Showplace on Friday, January 6, 2012. The show ran through Sunday, January 8. It featured hundreds of the latest bikes from leading manufacturers including Aprilia, Beta, BRP, Darwin, Ducati, Erik Buell Racing, Gas Gas, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Husqvarna, Indian, Kawasaki, KTM, Moto Guzzi, MV Agusta, Norton, Star, Suzuki, Triumph, Victory and Yamaha, as well as the latest aftermarket parts and accessories.
From newbie's to hard-core enthusiasts and female riders to fans who aspire-to-ride, the show was the destination for riders to immerse themselves in bike culture, talk to experts, learn new riding techniques and more. We had a Great time and the show and would like to thank all our great customers, newsletter readers and Facebook fans who came out to see us!! We even met some of you for the first time who have gotten to know us through our Newsletter, website and Facebook Page! While we were at the show we had a contest going for a $250 Dick Scott Classic Motorcycle Gift Card! We had lots of entries thanks to how busy we were all weekend, and our winners are Father and Son.... Rick and Matt S.!!
Congratulations Rick & Matt!! |
CHECK OUT OUR VICTORY ACCESSORIES!
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Stop in and check out our Great Selection of
Victory Accessories perfect for customizing your ride!
Riding Season is just around the corner and NOW is the time to get your
Victory Ready for the road!
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RIDING SEASON HOURS!
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It may not look like it right now but Riding Season is ALMOST HERE!!
And that means that so are Riding Season Hours!!
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We are featuring Two Stories this Month!! A Big "Thank You" to our valued Newsletter Readers who took the time to send us their GREAT Stories from the Road!! We had two readers who sent us their stories within minutes of each other shortly after our last Newsletter went out! So we would like to feature both of their stories this month, and we are awarding both of them with a Dick Scott Classic Motorcycles Gift Card!!
Congratulations to
Roger and Penny of Jackson, MI
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Greg and Regina of Livonia, MIPlease keep the stories coming!! We look forward to more submissions from our great readers to be featured in our future newsletters! We will also be adding both of these stories to our Stories from the Road page on our website and our Facebook Page! We would love to feature as many stories as we get! Each month we will feature a story in our Newsletter in our "Stories from the Road" section and ALL stories will be featured on our Website and Facebook Page! So Keep the Great Stories Coming!!! And thanks again to Roger and Greg for getting the ball rolling! Let's keep it going!!
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STORIES FROM THE ROAD
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Penny at the East Entrance to Yellowstone National Park
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After planning a trip all summer to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, Mother Nature changed our direction. The week that we were leaving changed our minds. A hurricane roared up and trashed the whole east coast. So, we headed west to a dryer and warmer climate. Leaving Jackson Michigan we headed towards Sturgis S.D. it was September so the rally was very much over. We stayed in Spearfish, exploring the canyon, Mount Rushmore, and Sturgis; we went to the Full Throttle Saloon and had run of the place, the bar tender, a few patrons and Emmit the donkey welcomed us. My wife Penny was entertained by Emmit until he tried to eat her boot.
We left Spearfish the next day heading west to the east entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Being mid-September I figured that reservations were not needed and we went on our merry way. We travelled through Cody Wyoming following the twisting canyon roads reaching the entrance to Yellowstone just before dark. I talked to the park ranger and inquired about a room in the park.
The ranger said there were no rooms available and we either had to return to Cody or stop at one of the guest ranches on the road outside the park.
We headed back toward Cody and found a vacancy sign about ten miles down the road so we pulled in. The road was a gravel and sand with a two track heading to the ranch. Not much fun on an overloaded touring bike, an old wooden bridge was near the ranch house and I could not see much except for the two boards on each side to place your wheels. I hit the board and the gas and luckily made it past. The ranch was antiquated but homey and beggars cannot be choosers so we stayed the night. We were told to empty the bike of any food items or the bears may empty it for us, we complied and went to bed.
We woke up the next morning to frost on our bike and a cool morning; we had a nice breakfast at the ranch restaurant and sat next to the wood stove trying to retain some heat before heading out. Off we rode through Yellowstone past buffalo, geysers and nice scenery, going by the lake we could see smoke on the water and found out later there was a forest fire somewhere in the park. The smoke was thick in areas and we finally rode out into fresh air. We did stop and see Old Faithful erupt; it is an awesome sight to behold.
We ended up at mammoth hot springs where a real nice hotel was waiting, unfortunately we did not have a reservation and there were no rooms available. The doorman told me to there may be a room available in Gardner Montana, just a few miles up the road. Off we went stopping at every motel in Gardner, they were also full. The clerk at one place called and said there was a room at a small place outside of town, we called and got the last room. We went and checked in, nice little place situated on the side of a mountain overlooking a river that ran through town. It was getting on into evening, we inquired about a good place to eat, the manager pointed us in the direction of a good steak place and off we went.
Dinner was good, dining room in the front, gambling hall in the back, very different atmosphere. After securing some souvenirs we headed back towards the motel. The road was dark, very dark and the speed limit was 70. With it being so dark I was doing about 50 when all of the sudden I seen multiple glowing eyes directly ahead in the road. I hit the brakes hard coming to a stop about six yards from a herd of elk. They are really big up close. I just sat there stopped in the road and the elk just kind of milled around for a minute then moved on off the road, we continued back to the motel with a new respect for wildlife. We hit the hot tub and retired for the night. We had to head back towards home the next morning so we returned to Spearfish for the night and headed east again the next morning. Other than a terrible side wind leaving Spearfish and rain and traffic in Chicago the trip was uneventful. We learned to be cautious at night and even though we thought it was the off season, reservations are recommended. That was our summer adventure. Motorcycling is the best way to explore the country!
~ Roger and Penny
Jackson, MI
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STORIES FROM THE ROAD
|  Anyone that has spent any time in our great state knows that just above us and over a beautiful bridge lies nirvana for the motorcycle rider. The U.P. of Michigan offers endless miles of some of the most beautiful country you have ever seen, great smooth and wide 55 mile an hour roads with sparse traffic and of course some of the friendliest people you can ever meet. I know I sound like an ambassador or the president of the tourist council but really I am just a guy that was lucky enough to live most of his life in the U.P. and learned the entire area very well. Now one of our favorite things to do is fire up the Indian's and head north from Livonia.
After a visit to the Eve of Destruction in Kaukana Wisconsin with all my Harley ridin buddies two years ago we decided, being as it was late September, that we should head the couple of hours north and visit he northern west end of the U.P. to see if we could catch the fall colors in the Porky Pine Mountains, Lake of the Clouds and while we were there cruise another two hours east and check out the view from Brockway Mountain in Copper Country on the Keweenew Peninsula. The Eve of Destruction is a crazy demolition show of figure 8 races with everything from buses to cars and trucks with trailers on them held at Kaukana raceway, a true blast and a great party, Abate of Wisconsin has a get together behind the Race Track bar next to the track this same weekend).
The ride from Northern Wisconsin just south of Green Bay is about 4 hours to the western U.P., from the bridge it is a good 6 hours. Once we got to the area we booked up a place at the Kontica Lodge in White Pine, this is a unique motel/town combination. By this I mean it is a motel with about 8 rooms that is attached to a small bowling alley, a bar, a nice supper club with what I think is excellent food, a tanning salon (U.P. style), a gift shop and a small store, and at the end of the motel is also a hot tub and a great sauna to relax the bones after a great day riding. Not a new place but clean, reasonable and run by very nice people. They also feed bear outside the window of the supper club so the chances are you can see a bear while you are eating dinner. Around the corner from White Pine is Silver City on the shores of Lake Superior, not much of town really just a motel (America Inn, a little pricey around $100, but right on the beach of Superior) and a small store that isn't open very often except the peak of tourist seasons, however Silver City is the gateway to Lake of the Clouds in the Porky Pine Mountains Wilderness State Park. The roads in the park are getting old and are very rutted in some area's but a slow cruise leads to a beautiful ride in one of Michigan's most unique areas. Lake of the Clouds is a must see any time of year. A beautiful vista of an untouched wilderness still left in our state, with great views of Lake Superior on the way up to the viewing area and the way back down. Beside Lake of the Clouds, over in Ironwood is a great little typical U.P. town which is also home to one of the highest ski jumps in the world Copper Peak, this hill is so high it's called a ski flying hill not a ski jump, if available a trip to the top is an unbelievable view of the surrounding country and Lake Superior. If you are so inclined the town of Hurley, Wisconsin right across the border from Ironwood is a former logging and mining town with more bars than you could frequent in day, well at least and remember it. Another thing to keep in mind is that Wisconsin has no helmet law and the county roads in this area are not only good roads but also are surrounded by beautiful lakes, rivers and woods. If you are the gambling type there is also a casino in Watersmeet about 50 miles south of White Pine and a great ride on 55 mph highways. Rooms there in the off seasons can run as little as $24.00, good thought for snowmobilers and U.P. casinos are very different from the big city ones, table's can run as low as $2.00 limit and the workers are very friendly in them.
After another great evening of too much good food, adult beverages and saunas a good night's sleep was had. The next morning we headed east through Houghton to Copper Country, a great relaxing and beautiful ride through the hill's and woods, typical U.P. beauty. We stopped for a good lunch at the Hillside Cafe in Houghton and continued on to Calumet and our next two nights at the American Inn. There are other small motels scattered throughout the area if you wish a little less expensive stay, but be careful during peak color season as this is a very popular area to view the colors. We took a quick cruise over to a little watering hole I knew from many years of snowmobiling the area called the Gay Bar, in Gay Michigan. I just had to have a picture of me on my Indian by the sign. We tossed back a couple of $1.25 cans of Miller Lite and headed back to safe keeping at the Inn. The next morning we headed out to explore Copper Countries many sights and beautiful vistas. Follow Hwy 26 east out of Calumet and veer right when it splits onto Hwy 41 and then stop at the little park and snow gauge that marks the snow fall of the area, the gauge is 35 feet tall as the record snowfall was in the winter of 1978/79 when they had 390.4 inches of snow that's 32.5 feet!
The top of Brockway Mountain is a view of the area's hills and Lake Superior that shouldn't be missed, lunch in Copper Harbor at the Mariner North Inn is fantastic. Take 26 out of Copper Harbor west which is a great ride on the shore of Lake Superior with a few nice little waterfalls thrown in. The ride from Gay, Michigan west on Gay road to Lac La Belle and Bete Grist is a great Lake Superior shoreline ride with a few more waterfalls. Copper Country is loaded with waterfalls, surrounded by Lake Superior, very hilly like the Porky Pine Mountains and also full of history from the early mining and logging days. There are small stores and Antique shops everywhere, it's the U.P. so adult beverages abound, there are beaches, lakes, and rivers, great friendly people greet you everywhere. The Portage Lake Professional Hockey team from here was the start of professional hockey in the United States in 1902. At this time in history the town of Calumet's population was larger than the city of Detroit. Calumet was in the running at one time to be the state's capitol. As a place to ride Copper Country has something for everyone, great roads, beautiful area, history galore and great food in the little restaurants and taverns along the way. I dint know of anywhere in Michigan that rides in the fall colors are as fun. Canopied roads and Michigan Mountains are great any time of year. We love and do it often, I know I ramble but I can tell you this, if you do this ride once, you won't be able to stand the wait until you can do it again. Take a week out of your life to do something you will never forget.
~ Greg and ReginaLivonia, MI
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MINNEAPOLIS (January 25, 2012) - Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) today reported record net income of $0.90 per diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2011, up 15 percent over the 2010 fourth quarter. Net income for the fourth quarter 2011 was a record $63.9 million, an increase of 17 percent over the same period in 2010. Record sales of $782.0 million for the fourth quarter 2011 increased 26 percent over 2010 fourth quarter sales of $618.4 million.
Full Year Results
For the full year ended December 31, 2011, Polaris reported record net income of $227.6 million, or a record $3.20 per diluted share, compared to $147.1 million, or $2.14 per diluted share for the year ended December 31, 2010. This represents a 50 percent increase on a diluted share basis and a 55 percent increase in net income. Sales for the full year 2011 totaled a record $2,656.9 million, an increase of 33 percent compared to sales of $1,991.1 million for the full year 2010.
"Our record fourth quarter results were a fitting ending to a year in which we generated record annual sales and earnings and significantly exceeded our initial expectations. Our top and bottom-line expansion, and the momentum we are sustaining throughout our business, directly results from our focus on driving innovation, enhancing our product offering, reducing costs, and growth through new global markets and adjacencies," stated Scott Wine, Polaris' Chief Executive Officer. "Specifically, during the year we furthered our leading market share position in off-road vehicles while continuing to gain market share in motorcycles and snowmobiles. Moreover, we introduced over 20 new vehicles, including award-winning products like the RANGER RZR 570 value recreational off-road vehicle, the 800 Pro-RMK snowmobile, and the Victory Cross Country Tour motorcycle. Our operations team managed to meet the increased demand for these vehicles while bringing our new Monterrey manufacturing facility online on time and on budget, driving initial 2011 savings on plan with future projections in line with stated expectations. Building on our surging core businesses, our military and Bobcat adjacencies continue to gain momentum, and we have made considerable progress in expanding our international presence with increased sales in Europe, China, and India. Lastly, we added to our small electric vehicle portfolio with the acquisition of Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) and Goupil Industrie SA, which expands our ability to compete in this fragmented, fast-growing $4 billion market."
As read on: http://www.polarisindustries.com/en-us/Company/News/Pages/News-Item.aspx?articleID=32
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Thank you again for being a valued Dick Scott customer and newsletter subscriber! We love getting to know our customers and this newsletter is just one more way we are able to connect with you. At Dick Scott we don't just want to help you find that perfect motorcycle or ORV, we want to form relationships with our valued customers. Be sure to "Like" us on Facebook and follow our tweets on Twitter! You can also check out our videos on YouTube and follow our blog to stay up on the latest news and information related to our local Communities and your favorite motorcycle brands!
Sincerely,
Dick Scott's Classic Motorcycles
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