Tech Tip Of The Month

Service Schedule   

With March finally here and more sunny riding days heading our way, chances are good that the decision to take a ride will strike out of nowhere.  

Hoping the battery has enough juice to start your motorcycle shouldn't be the foremost thought in your head. Neither should wondering if the tires have enough air in them. A pre-season check, done now, before you are ready to head out on a ride, is a must if your motorcycle has been in the garage waiting for that first sign of the coming riding season.  

Coming from a year-'round rider, it's been quite a while since the last warm, sunny day. That winning combination along with some dry pavement gets me excited just writing about it. So while you're plugging in the battery charger, check your tires for cracking, make sure the pressures are safe, and take some time to inspect your brakes, fluids and the overall condition of your bike.  

You may also be due for that yearly oil change as well, so if you want us to do the checking for you, just give us a call and we'll get your motorcycle ready for the sunshine!  

Mark Eddy

Service Manager

Ride West Track Support
It's New & It's Cool! 

Ever wanted to ride on a race track with no speed limits, no tickets, and no oncoming traffic? Who hasn't?

Mark DeGross - 2Fast

We've worked together with Mark DeGross of 2Fast track days and track schools to create an exciting new program. I think some of you are going to be all over this!   The program consists of three parts:

1. A customer who purchases a new 2012 BMW of ANY model may select ANY 2Fast track day OR school event to be held at either Pacific Raceways or the new "The Ridge" track outside of Shelton.
2. We will support the customer by paying the entry fee for the track day OR the track school - customer choice. We'll attend the event with our events van, John Heale to ride our BMW S 1000RR demo, and me to oversee our "Friendship Station."
3. Once we have the date the customer selects, we'll put out the word to you so you can choose to take part with the assurance that there will be a van, table, chairs, cold water and such provided.

In this manner we may be attending one, five or 20 track days - depending on customer demand. Is this something you'd be interested in?

Mark DeGross of 2Fast will be in our booth at EuroMoto this Saturday and Sunday - come by and chat with him. He'll also be presenting a seminar on track schools and track days at Ride West on March 15th. Click Here to see the 2Fast Track Schedule. 

Here's the 2Fast schedule for PR and The Ridge for this year. More info is available at http://2-fast.org.

Parts Department
What's New in Parts and Apparel? 

Time to Ride - We're stocking up big for this years official riding season. There will be plenty of new additions to our growing lineup of great aftermarket accessories and riding gear, including new products from Schuberth, AltRider, Ortlieb, Heidenau Tires, Kriega, Touratech, Rev'it!, BMW Rider's Apparel, Wolfman, Giant Loop and many more!    

Featured Products

Ortlieb Dry Bags - Starting in mid-March, we'll be receiving our first shipment of the 2012 Orlieb Dry Bags and soft saddle bags, and backpacks from this amazing manufacturer from Germany. If you are looking for waterproof storage solutions, look no further in terms of quality and functionality. Taking your Adventure off road? Save your bags and bring these instead! They'll strap right on to your existing racks. Orlieb is simply "the way".

Schuberth S2 Full Face and C3 Modular Globe - The Schuberth C3 has been a runaway success and now offered in a unique Globe graphic, in very limited quantities I might add. But here's the bigger news: The next big thing on the way is the brand new S2 full face helmet, complete with some of the same big features as the C3, including the drop down sun visor, anti-fog face shield insert, and an optional Bluetooth neck roll, all in a super quiet sport touring / road racing lid.   Pre-order yours today!

Heidenau K60 Tires for your GS - We're so thrilled about these tires we had to tell you about them again. This could be the ultimate and most legitimate Dual Sport tire to hit the market yet, and best of all its made in sizes to fit your R1200GS, R1150GS, R1100GS, F800GS, F650GS and G650GS. Heidenau produces a well-crafted product with a high standard of quality that truly lives up to the phrase "Made in Germany." We also carry full off-road knobby tires from Kenda (Big Block), Continental (TKC-80) and Metzeler (Karoo).

Touratech Zega Pro Panniers - One of the nicest looking cases we've seen (especially in black), these super strong aluminum panniers compliment any R12GS, F800 GS or R1200R. When you need big storage and rugged protection, Touratech Zega Pro sets the pace for durability and style. Stop by and check them out middle of the month!

Did you know? We work on all brands of motorcycles!

New Rev'it! Gear on the way - Be seen! - Later in the month we'll be bringing you the exciting new 2012 Rev'it Riding Gear, including the all new and redesigned Ignition 2, the groundbreaking innovation of the Horizon Jacket (and pants), The new ladies Indigo Jacket, an Hi-Viz all around! Stay tuned...

Ask MotoAdventureGal NEW! 
Alisa Clickenger 

Dear MotoAdventureGal: I've had my motorcycle endorsement for a couple of years now, but I really don't do that much riding. How do I get more miles on my bike?
 
MotoAdventureGal Says:  I didn't do that much riding either my first couple of years. It was daunting to gear up and go riding alone, and in the beginning I wasn't that confident in my riding skills. For me, everything changed when I found some riding buddies. I gained confidence and mentors that helped me clock some serious miles.
 
First, I took the MSF Experienced RiderCourseSM (the follow-up to the introductory course) and began riding with a person I met there. That led me to attending rallies, where I met more motorcycle people, and adding more riding buddies. Soon I was going on short trips, and making yet more long-distance riding pals, and people to ride to and visit. Now I know people all over the country, and can make an excuse to ride almost anywhere!
 
Another suggestion I have is to join a club. Women Riders Now publishes a really great national listing of women's riding organizations, and the American Motorcyclist Foundation has a great list of non-gender-specific clubs. Here are links to each:
http://www.womenridersnow.com/pages/National_and_Regional_Riding_Clubs.aspx
http://www.americanmotorcyclist.com/clubsandpromoters
 
Also, don't underestimate the community you have at your local motorcycle dealer! Most dealerships host informative events, open houses, and have insights into national events. Many dealerships also have weekly ride groups or host rallies and charity rides. Get on their email list and be sure to check the dealership's bulletin board.
 
Here are a few more suggestions:

1. Attend Rallies
2. Commit to riding your motorcycle to dinner once a week-even if it is to meet non-riding pals
3. Pick a short weekend ride to a great destination
4. Talk a friend into getting their endorsement as well
5. Find a Motorcycle Mentor

 It's almost Spring, so now is the time to start looking for new riding partners.  Enjoy your new hobby!

About MotoAdventureGal:  

In 2006 Alisa Clickenger quit her job as Director of Operations for an IT company, sold her stuff, and decided to start living life outside the "box". This was when MotoAdventureGal was born.

In 2006-2008 she made several cross-Europe and USA touring trips, most of them solo. Summer of 2009 she rode 15,000 + dirt miles in the USA on the Trans America Trail and then the Continental Divide Trail (back to back).

After that, she rode solo through Mexico, Central and South America. She spent seven months alone on the road, and it was the trip of a lifetime.  

MotoAdventureGal is now a motorcycle tour guide, journalist, and motivational speaker; riding and writing and continuing to pursue her passion. MotoAdventureGal currently owns two motorcycles: A 2006 KTM 950 Adventure and the 2003 Suzuki DR650SE she rode to South America.  

A Message From Our Owners

Big Plans for Ride West BMW 

The latter part of 2011, and carrying on into 2012, has proven to be a little brighter for most dealerships throughout the country.  If you have been reading these missives over the past couple of years then you know that there has been a tremendous amount of consolidation within the motorsports industry.  Many dealerships have closed and many of them have been purchased or merged with others within their AOR's (Area Of Responsibility in industry speak).  Those that remain, then, may have a larger customer mail list because of shrinking dealership numbers with the same, or more, customers within the AOR.  This trend seems to be continuing and we expect that the industry will bump along the bottom, with the winners picking up the losers, and those remaining getting stronger by default as much as anything.

Another factor that may be helping is that the economy, although certainly not healthy, does seem to be showing a few signs of life.  The stock market is gaining, housing is not dropping as drastically as it once was, employment numbers are improving ever so slowly, and income is inching (don't know how to state that in millimeters) upward.  So at least we can state that, thanks to a few issues, the bottom is no longer falling out of our industry.

Many of the remaining dealerships have figured out something that we found out a long time ago:  used motorcycles are a big part of the answer to increasing revenue and staying in business.  A lot of dealerships are adverse to dealing with used bikes because they tie up capital.  For instance, the dealer sells a new bike for $15,000 and takes a $10,000 trade-in.  The OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) wants the $15,000 tomorrow, but the dealer has only $5,000 remaining after the trade in.  And it may take weeks, or months, to sell the trade-in.  Multiply this by the number of trades-ins in a given period and the shortfall can be troubling.  And if the dealer makes an error on valuing the trade (over allowance or an undetected problem with the trade-in) then it is difficult to catch up.  Further, the dealer can get caught big time if he/she has too many units passing from the selling season to the slack season.

Ann and Keith Thye

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