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| Vol. 2 - Issue 7 | July 2011
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I. Sell What Ya' Brung, Ride What Ya' Bought
It's our 2nd bike swap event of 2011! You're invited to sell your own bike or pick up on the incredible deals available as we celebrate summer!
Lots of riders find just the bike they want and sellers are amazed at how easy it is to sell their bikes. No phone calls late at night and people wasting your time - we will sell the bike for you for a minimal 11% consignment fee. If your bike does not sell by Saturday afternoon you can simply pick it up, or in some cases Ride West may purchase it from you, or put in on a consignment sales basis.
From BMW to KTM, Honda, Suzuki, Aprilia, Harley, Guzzi, Ducati, Yamaha, and more...A huge selection of pre-owned motorcycles will be on hand. Stop by and check out all the great deals on all kinds of motorcycles.
If you have a bike to sell, give us a call. We will handle all the details for you.
Don't forget that Little Mama's BBQ will be available on Saturday!
Click here for easy online registrationClick here for Bike Swap Rules |
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II. A Great Opportunity!
As you know, we're big proponents of continuing rider education here at Ride West. We not only support various educational riding events with our events van
and Dave Swezey, myself, or both of us, we usually take part in the class. I can tell you this has made me a better rider in many ways.
We have come across a new offer that we're really excited about. The famous Reg Pridmore CLASS riding school will be held at the new Oregon Raceways track near Hood River, Oregon on August 29th and 30th - a Monday and Tuesday. What we want to do is get as many Team Ride West members to enroll as possible, and to add some support we plan to take our events van and either Dave Swezey or myself and possibly both. We can use the van to store camping or other gear for you, and to create a "home" at the track for our customers. [Read More]
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III. Team Ride West Adventures
Our Team Ride West sojourn to Whidbey Island on May 28th was too late to make it into the June issue, so here it is. It was a day of contrasts, irony, and great
good fun! Here's who went: Click Here
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IV. A Picture is Worth...
A lecture from the state patrol on wearing proper safety gear. If you will notice, as the officer did not, pretty much everyone in the picture IS wearing proper safety gear!
We did not get a ticket (as we were not doing anything wrong) but this is the 2nd time this has happened on Whidbey, with different officers, so you wonder if this is a "profiling" technique and practice that is illegal. Methinks so.
Compare to this picture of an officer during a training day at the WSP facility in Shelton. How many of you would ride a BMW S 1000RR at speed in a short sleeved shirt? To be fair, he is wearing body armor.
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VI. Mike Ritchey on Alaskan Travel
North to Alaska, the Yukon and BC
This a quick overview of the trip that Christine and I made through Alaska, the Yukon and British Columbia this spring. We traveled 6,400 miles from Renton to Renton in a 2007 Dodge Ram HD pickup with a Cummins Turbo Diesel. Now you are probably asking yourself what the Dodge has to do with motorcycles? I have ridden a bike for 10 plus years and own a 2007 Suzuki Bandit 1250S and the roads we traveled on could also be ridden with a bike.
If you are thinking about taking a road trip to Alaska and there are a few fundamental questions to consider. The big one is how are you going to get there and how much time do you have? [Read More]
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VII. TRW Events Calendar
- Tuesday 6/7 - RawHyde Workshop @ 7PM in Showroom #4
- Thursday 6/9 - PNWMS MSF Class @ 6PM in the Club Room
- Saturday 6/11 - PSS Maintenance 1 @ 9AM - Club Room
- Sunday 6/12 - Demo Ride #4 @ 10AM at Ride West BMW
- Saturday 6/18 - PSS Maintenance 2 @ 9AM - Club Room
- Monday 6/20 - National Ride to Work Day!
- Tuesday 6/20 - TRW Dinner @ 6:30PM at Cafe Veloce
- Wednesday 6/22 - A.S.S. with PSS @ Pacific Raceways
- Thurs-Sun 6/23 - 6/26 - RawHyde in Leavenworth, WA
- Saturday 6/25 - TRW Club Ride @ 10AM to Mt. Erie
- Saturday 7/7 - PNWMS MSF Class @ 6PM in the Club Room
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VIII. Motorcycle and Products Tests
And so it came to pass.... We had a 2011 BMW R 1200 RTP - the RT with extra equipment added for "authority" use. It belongs to BMW, and the intent was to take it to Shelton for a weekend training session put on by the WSP, where various and sundry cops and officers would be able to test and evaluate the bike.
As is the norm with these things, the bike was late in arriving, so the day before leaving for Shelton I was instructed to leave the office and just ride it - and put at least 100 miles on it before Friday. My job is not always a giggle, but there are days... [Read More]
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IX. You, Me, You-Tube, We..Etc.
We have our own Team Ride West web site page on the Ride West site. Go to www.ridewest.com and locate the Team Ride West page. There you'll find lots of information, links to ride videos and slide shows from past adventures.
Here's a really cool video from the May 28th Team Ride West Ride - with pics and video by Paul Fison, Gary Stebbins, and moi. Click Here
For fans of the BMW S 1000 RR - this is what it can do! This is Sales Manager John Heale at a Mike Sullivan Track Day and School at Pacific Raceways. You will not that John spends the first lap heating the tires, and then it is on! If you watch carefully you will notice occasions where he chooses not to pass where it could get dicey and simply waits for the main straight and allows the RR's power to do the work for him. He is also consistently faster through the "kink" on the main straight, and brakes much later for Turn 1. Talent will do that for you! Click Here
Last but not least - here's a video from the top of Mt. Erie riding down the narrow one and half lane road to the bottom, with me on a K 1300S "chasing" a BMW K 1600 GT and GTL. Click Here
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X. Dinner at Cafe Veloce
We enjoy a fine time and great food at Café Veloce for our club monthly dinners. "Our" night is the 3rd Tuesday of each month. We're in the "club" room in inclement weather and on the deck when the sun shines.
This month's Team Ride West Club Dinner will be Tuesday, June 21st.
Cafe Veloce is located in the Totem Lake mall area north of Kirkland and south of the Bothell/Woodinville I-405 exits.
Directions to Cafe Veloce:
Heading north on I-405 take exit 20B (NE 124th St) and then the ramp to Totem Lake Blvd. You will go through the traffic light to 120th Ave and Café Veloce is to the right just past the auto parts store.
Heading south on I-405 take exit 20 (NE 124th St) and turn left on NE 124th Street. You will go through two traffic lights and then take a left on Totem Lake Blvd. Into the right lane, and right at 120th Ave to the restaurant.
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XI. The Ride West Difference
Say you're chatting with friends about the varied events and rides you're enjoying with Team Ride West. Say further that these friends ask you, "What makes Ride West different?" When you find yourself in that situation, here are concepts we would thank you for putting across - the "Magnificent Seven."
1. With Team Ride West, more rides, dinners, and events than anyone else.
2. More in-store sales, swap meets, seminars, classes, etc. than anyone else.
3. Ability to purchase insurance for your bike, home, and auto - all in-house.
4. More demo bikes than anyone else.
5. Encouragement to take longer demo rides than any one else.
6. Service Department capable and happy to work on any brand.
7. Wide assortment of used bikes of all brands.
And always remember, when you send in a new customer who purchases a new BMW and mentions your name - BEFORE the deal is done - YOU get a $200 Ride West gift card!
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XII. TRW "Concept" Rides
Team Ride West rides are referred to as "concept rides" because route and destination changes may evolve during the day depending on the wishes of those on the ride, the weather, and events of interest we may find along the way. The initial route directions will be sent out by e-mail a few days prior to the ride, but it is not required that everyone on the ride follow the same route or reach the same destination!
Here are the guidelines that we follow:
- Arrive at the start of the ride (usually Ride West BMW) with a full tank of fuel and funds for fuel, food, and other expenses during the day.
- Sign in and receive the printed instructions if needed. (Pause - if you do not have both a motorcycle endorsement on your license and insurance on your motorcycle, we ask that you wait until you do to ride with us.)
- Be VERY careful as we turn out of the Ride West parking lot onto 16th. Cars can and sometimes do turn left from Lake City Way onto 16th - potentially at a lethal speed.
- Once on the ride, find a group to ride with of 3 to 5 bikes - based on friends, model, experience, style of riding, and/or desired pace.
- Allow LOTS of space around you - front, side, and rear. Do not "tailgate."
- At major intersections that involve a turn, make sure the person behind you (in your group) has seen the turn before you accelerate away.
- RIDE AT YOUR OWN PACE - always.
- Pass on the left - well over the centerline. Do not pass on the right - EVER, under any circumstances barring dire emergency.
- Use hand/foot signals as needed. There's no required guide to these.
- On the way home, once past the final group fuel stop, it's every person for him/her self. You may drop off at your exit or street without the need to let the entire group know - but mentioning your intent at the final stop is a nice gesture.
- Other groups of motorcycles? - pass them very carefully with lots of room.
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V. Pythy Words to Ride By...
"Go for a ride today. There may not be a tomorrow!"
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