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| September 2010 - Ride West BMW e-newsletter | |
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Greetings!
Technology - its a "love-hate" relationship!
I've created and edited e-newsletters many times while working remotely from home, on the road at a rally, or while on vacation.
Its why I love technology........
I've always been an early riser, and its those early morning hours free of any interruptions that I get a lot of work done, even if I am on vacation. So there I was vacationing in Sunriver Oregon last Monday with my cup of coffee, my laptop, and logging into GoToMyPC (a great remote viewer). Normally its a fairly simple process, login to Constant Contact (this email editor), login in to GoToMyPC to retrieve files from my desktop in my office at Ride West, send or drag any needed files to my laptop, add a bunch of content, a few pictures, a little editing and voila....September's newsletter.
This is where I hate technology........
Hmm...I'm not able to log into my desktop remotely...it says my PC is "offline". Oh well, sometimes this happens when there has been an automatic windows update. Tomorrow is Tuesday the 31st and I'll just call the store and have someone check up on my PC, reset it, and I will still be able to publish this newsletter on time...Tuesday I call and I'm told that there was a "weird" power surge last Saturday and since I was on vacation no one checked my PC.....
Can you guess what is coming next.....
I'm on hold while an employee goes to my office, picks up the call and then says "There's an error message when I tried to reboot your PC, something about the harddrive and it won't restart" "Ok, try it again" "Nope, no luck" Ok, I'm a little worried at this point but it is probably something simple. I ask them to call Mark our IT professional. Nothing I can do now so back to my vacation....that is until I get a call from Mark the next morning at 7am who says "I can't retrieve any data from your harddrive, its dead" OH @#*>?!
Ok this is the part where you all get to say "You do back it all up right?".......
Well yeah, sort of.....I've got nine years worth of data, files, pictures, forecasts, advertising, contracts, etc. and hey I did back it up at the end of May, but then I got kind of busy with rallys, events, and I was out of the office for a couple of weeks, and I......will I just sort of forgot. Ok, go ahead and say it...."always backup your data, always!"
So now you know why you didn't receive this months newsletter on the 1st of the month! I now have a new harddrive, and a lot more grey hair as I keep finding out what I don't have anymore!
Thanks for your patience and let my "oops - my bad" moment be a reminder to those who also "forget" to do a backup!
Let's ride!
David Swezey
General Manager - Ride West BMW
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Current Events
For all the details, check out our Events Calendar - Click Here
We're frequently asked about our upcoming events, so please check our events calendar. You're not going to believe how many events we have planned! - Note: We have limited seating and reservations are required for most of our events, so please call to reserve your spot.
Check out our new feature - the 'calenblog.' For each day that we do not have a special event we will be posting tidbits, trivia, bike evaluations, rants and raves - lots of stuff. If you place our events calendar on your "favorites" page, you will have moto-topics to ponder every day!
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BMW Promotions
More great ways to save on your next bike!
Our website is now linked to the latest BMW Promotions, although it still may take a couple of days after the first of each month for BMW to upload them, so be sure to check back.
For great ways to save on your next BMW CLICK HERE
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Team Ride West
News and Updates from Dave Preston
Rally Enthusiasm
As the new kid on the block (at least in terms of BMW) I have had such an exciting year! Several pages would be needed to describe all of the adventures, but last month featured my first trip to the BMW MOA Rally - this year in Redmond, OR, and also my first WSBMWR Rally in Menlo. For those of you who have not been to either - and those who have - my experiences might be interesting.
A few months ago at the Adventure Camp I attended I discovered - or rediscovered - that I really enjoy light camping. I'm not wild about preparing my own food, but there is something very satisfying about crawling into your snug tent at the end of the day and relaxing on an air mattress with a good sleeping bag. I was using a BMW K1200 S for the national rally, and with the expandable BMW saddlebags and a larger bag across the top I had ample room for everything I wanted to take.
At Menlo I was on a BMW K1300 GT, and with the hard bags my life was even easier. It was fun to come "home" to my little encampment in the evening and be surrounded by dozens of others who were sharing the experience. And of course, with either you can empty a saddlebag and then fill it with ice and a variety of beverages and presto - instant party central! I laid out a route to each event long in advance, using back roads as much as possible. Nothing wrong with I-405 or I-90, but coming from a background of decades of "touring" on mostly sport bikes - freeways are something I will gladly spend hours poring over a map book to avoid. At each event you're spoiled with activities, spoiled with good food and music, and spoiled with eye popping things to see - both mechanical and human. I really enjoyed the wide spectrum of both machines and people. The bikes (mostly BMWs of course) span several decades, show off wildly differing designs, and perhaps an even wider chasm of intended levels of appearance. Actually, such a description applies to the owners as well. At the end of the day, you have an event (particularly our home grown WSBMWR affair in Menlo) that is fun to get to, fun in action, and fun to return from. I sure hope to make the WSBMWR event a yearly tradition for myself - you should too! Ride safe, ride with enthusiasm, and ride often! Dave Preston Manager - Team Ride West www.ridewest.com
"Team Ride West" - 350 members and counting!
A riding club for everyone on any street bike and dual sport bike of any brand. Team Ride West - offers events, rides, dinners, friendly folks, and all sorts of fun. With over fifty events a year, twelve monthly newsletters, and instantaneous e-mail communication to keep members informed of what is happening (and no dues), Team Ride West is a group you should join!
To do so, stop by and chat with Dave Preston, or send him an e-mail at team@ridewest.com |
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8100 Lake City Wy NE
Seattle, Washington 98115
206.527.5511
888.527.RIDE
Hours:
Tue - Fri 9am to 6pm
Sat 9am to 5pm
Service opens at 8am
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Useful Quick Links
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MSF Training:
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New "Social Network" links
- Videos from BMW of North America
- Ride West is on Facebook
- The BMW EXPLOR Rider Community
- News from BMW of North America
- ADV Rider - Worldwide Adventure Rider Forum
- The NW's Ultimate Motorcycling Resource - Sound Rider
- BMW WebEPC onlin parts lookup Click Here
- GlobeRiders - Motorcycle Adventure Touring Company - Click Here
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- Free Service Loaners!
- Free Coffee!
- Free Doughnuts - every Saturday!
- Free Earplugs!
- Free Wireless!
- Free Trip Planning!
- Free Insurance Quotes - For your motorcycle, auto, RV, ATV, & home!
- Free Demo Rides - ask us about an extended demo ride!
- Free Used Bike Inspection - with every trade or consignment!
- Free 30 Point Inspection - with every service!
- Introducing FREE Seminars & Clinics
- Free "Club Room" for your events!
- Free Shower facilities for travelers!
- NEW - Free membership in Team Ride West!
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What's new in our Sales Department?
Who are these people?
One of the factors that we pride ourselves on at Ride West is that we have a stable employee group. That is most unusual in the motorsports business, which at times resembles a revolving door on a clothes dryer. In the past few months we have been making some changes in our sales staff - and now that things are back to a state of calm we want you to know who you are dealing with! Meet Roman Lemeshkov:  Everyone thinks they know Roman, even though most cannot pronounce his name correctly! It is "RO-maan," not "ra-MOAN," even though he will never mention it to you if you botch it. Roman has been a familiar face in the BMW community for years, and comes from an eclectic background - to put it mildly - that includes service in the Army (the Red Army) and the Soviet State Department, work as a wedding photographer, and sommelier at one of the finest restaurants in Seattle. He speaks four languages, and has an incredibly varied and complete education. Roman lives with his wife Laurie in Magnolia. Roman's wife also rides a BMW, and they enjoy long tours together as vacations. Roman is famous, and justifiably so, for his knowledge of BMW products, and his sales technique is founded on education, manners, and class, rather than pressure. He has a lot of experience with BMW street bikes and dual sport bikes, and he also rides his bicycle to work. If you have a question about a BMW that Roman cannot answer, we would all like to know what it is! Meet John Heale:  John has spent over a dozen years in motorsports sales, and came to use in 2009. His easy going and calm manner were an immediate hit, and his past spring he was named Sales Manager. David Lenton, the previous Sales Manager, has taken over our Finance and Insurance business, which has grown large enough to take up all of his time - and then some. John has a wide background of motorcycle enthusiasm, having ridden hundreds of bikes and enjoying several years of success in road racing. At a track school day earlier this year John spent some quality time on an S 1000 RR - trying to see how fast he could get it up to while slashing through the kink at the end of the front straight at Pacific Raceways. His task was made more difficult because we did not have the needed plug to be able to switch the RR to the "Slick," mode, so as he came on the straight he would try to accelerate hard enough to build a top speed, but not so hard as to trigger the traction control with a wheelie - which would kill the power. After several laps he got it figured out, and glanced down at 180mph through the kink! John is here to manage the sales department, so sell as many bikes as he can to hold up his end, and to answer any questions you may have. You will find his desk in the front of the store behind Dave Preston's. Meet Jake Crabtree:  Jake is the "new guy" at Ride West. He comes from a background of ten years as a project coordinator for a large cable installation company in Arizona. He and his wife decided they wanted to move closer to home (Jake grew up in Neah Bay) so they made some tough decisions based on priorities. They rented out their furnished house in Arizona and moved the clothes - and Jakes motorcycles - here. Now they are purchasing new furniture! It's all about priorities. Jake's bikes include a 1978 Goldwing in boxes (many of them), a 1980 Yamaha SR 500 single that is all stock and pretty much perfect, and a R 90/6 BMW with a few cosmetic and maintenance needs. You will enjoy Jake's easy going and calm nature, and the breadth and depth of his knowledge of BMW motorcycles and motorcycles in general. You will find his desk in the far showroom - back by the bathrooms. Hey - he IS the new guy!
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What's new in the Parts Department
Featured Products
Must Have Accessories for you BMW - Now in stock!
Jiffy Tite Fuel Quick Connects - If you've ever had to remove your fuel tank to get to the battery, or wire up some hot new accessory that required you to remove bodywork, you may have inadvertently become aware of the fuel connection fittings as gas flowed all over the ground. The fact is they can break if not handled with care. Jiffy Tite makes anodized machined aluminum fuel quick connects with permanent seals and check valves (no o-rings to replace) that virtually eliminate worries for years to come. For anyone doing their own work, or choose to have our Service Department do the job, there's no doubt these are one of the best (and safest) investments you can make for your late (or early) model BMW. Ilium Works Highway Pegs - Is there a bulletproof highway peg for my R1200 BMW that actually attaches to the frame, has a comfy rubber footrest that folds and rocks (back and forth that is), adjusts for your inseam and made of welded steel and billet aluminum? Of course there is. It's by Ilium Works (that's ILIUM) and it's simply the highest quality and comfort level in a highway peg available. Have engine protectors on your bike? You can buy just the pegs and bolt them up! Ztechnik Engine Prtection Bars - Speaking of late model oil heads, here's a great way to protect your investment from the established Ztechnik brand of BMW tuner parts. Hopefully none of us will ever need to find things out the hard way, but in the unforeseen event you bike decides to take a nap on its side, these bombproof crash bars will save your valve cover, perhaps your fairing and ultimately eliminate the possibility of debris entering your beloved oil head! Bolt up some foot pegs or auxiliary lights to them and they just paid for themselves again!
Thanks for reading!
What's on your mind? What can we do better? What do we really need to stock?
Your feedback is always appreciated!
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Tech Tip of the Month
Packing Tips
After fielding several questions recently in regard to packing and loading a motorcycle properly for a trip (or even just everyday travels to the grocery store), I decided to make this the focus of September's tech tip.
Improperly loaded luggage can shift with unwanted and sometimes disastrous results. You could lose your belongings, or even worse cause an accident. Fully loading your motorcycle and doing a couple "trial runs" should give you some ideas on how your luggage will shift and allow you to try some different techniques to secure it.
Try to plan to ride around on in areas with less traffic and without valuables aboard, so that the aforementioned tragedies can be avoided. It might take a few variations of securing all your necessities, but it should pay off in the end when everything makes it to your destination and back safe and in one piece. There are a lot of options as far as straps, bags and panniers to hold all your stuff, so pick some out and give them a shakedown run and stay safe and secure. Don't let this happen to you! | Mark Eddy Service Manager |
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A message from our owners: 
About BMW Motorrad
The make-up of BMW Motorrad (the motorcycle division of BMW of North America) is an interesting entity. They share space with the car division in one of the buildings that comprise the BMW campus in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, and yet they are very much removed from the car division's operations. Motorrad has its own staff (which is quite sparce) and gets very little help from the auto division, whether in terms of personnel or finance. As you can imagine, the motorcycle division is utterly dwarfed by the automotive side in just about every sense; people, money, marketing and advertising budget, etc. It can get a bit frustrating at times for the dealers, like Ride West, because we do not understand why we can not get some help from the auto side. For instance, we would like to see a BMW motorcycle in every BMW automotive advertisement that is produced, even if it just sits next to the car in the garage. But, alas, it ain't even going to happen. They put up with us, though, because we were here first (motorcycles 1923, cars 1927).
Another interesting thing about the organization is that they rotate many of their personnel every few years. We have been at this for fourteen years and are currently working with our fifth vice president (the head of Motorrad USA holds a vice president title). A couple of things happen. Even though it is a small division, it is an important position and it can be used as a stepping stone to move up the ladder. Or it may require a particular management strength, such as strong financial or operational credentials. Each time this happens (about every three years) the new guy brings in his own management team and we start all over again on a new sales and marketing approach. The new head of the US Motorrad division is often transfered from another country, and is here on a three year work permit, although these usually get extended. This makes it particularly interesting because it takes a substantial period of time for the new person to get up to speed with the business customs and marketing in this country. The physical size of this country can be a daunting challenge for someone used to working in a much smaller country, particularly when they realize that there are multiple marketing zones within the 50 state area.
Thankfully, many of the staff that support management have been with the division for many years and we have had an opportunity to develop strong relationships with them over the years. What continues to amaze us at the dealership level is that, although we have our challenges with "the office", they manage to get the job done pretty darn well for the size of the staff they have.
Ann and Keith Thye
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| $200.00
Referral
Coupon! |
Need a quick $200 bucks? Print out this coupon and bring it in with a friend, neighbor, co-worker, heck...even a total stranger, on their first visit, and if they purchase a new BMW, from Ride West BMW, then will give you a $200 Gift Card or $100 cash, which you can use in any department. You can use this coupon as many times as possible but you can only get one gift card per sale. So let all your friends know that BMW makes a motorcycle that meets everyones needs, style, and adventure, we even have a bike that gets 70 MPG, has heated grips and ABS standard, and that is only $8165* Did I mention.....we have a zero down option and you can get 90 days to first payment on approval of credit with BMWFS! (Lets see....ride all summer without payments...where do I sign!)
| | Offer Expires: Oct 31, 2010
*Includes freight but excludes dealer handling, tax, title, and licensing |
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