| Author | Message | ||
     Gearhead |
Greetings All, I received a letter from BRAG today asking to attend in of three National BRAG Regional Meetings. Oct. 2 Southeast Buell, Bedford Heights, OH. Oct. 17 Walter Bros. Buell, Peoria, IL. Oct. 30 Sauk Prairie Buell, Sauk City, WI. These are one day meetings, noon to 3:30 and are free. Free food too!! Peggy Utphall is putting this together so I know it will be a worthwhile event. This is just one more reason I'm glad I ride a BUELL!! Does Yamaha, Kawasaki or any of the others care about their owners opinions this much? I feel warm and fuzzy all over...LOL | ||
| Daves |
I'll be at the Sauk one. You coming Ralph? Dave | ||
| Gearhead |
Heck, Yeah, Bro!! | ||
| 99buellx1 |
Hey, I didn't get one! Maybee it will be in tomorrows mail? Craig | ||
| BadS1 |
I'm planning Sauk,see ya guys there!!! | ||
| Evil_twin |
Guess I'm going to Peoria. Rich  | ||
| Iamike |
Dave/Ralph/Craig, I'll pencil in the one to Sauk Prairie. Hopefully I can make it. Mike | ||
| Doughnut |
I got that in the mail too. What is the point to the meetings? Do they want our opinion on the bikes? Trying to decide if I'm going. | ||
| BadS1 |
Doughnut what is the point???  | ||
| Darthane |
Where the hell is Bedford Heights, OH? | ||
| BadS1 |
Right next to Bedrock,Yaba daba doo. | ||
| Cj_xb |
Hey, I didn't get one! Then you weren't invited, probably too young !! CJ (justkiddingya) (Message edited by cj_xb on September 01, 2004) | ||
| Coolice |
Didn't get one either.  Guess I'll just show up as now I know its happenin. Besides the roads to Peoria along the Illiois river are fun! | ||
| Gearhead |
The focus of the meetings is to discuss BRAG club successes, challenges and resources. They also want to brainstorm on how to make BRAG better. I dought that any bike issues will be part of this. Heck, I just want to go for a ride and hook up with all the great people!! Free grub doesn't hurt either  . | ||
| Boomerm2 |
Ralph, I Saw that tonight when I got home. I'm thinking about Sauk. We'll see when it gets closer. | ||
| Court |
>>>They also want to brainstorm on how to make BRAG better and planning for the huge Buell-Jam '05 in Nashville, TN.  | ||
| Davefl |
I like the way you think Court Nashville would kick •••. | ||
| Daves |
I almost hate to open this can of worms but, Since I'm sure quite a few Badwebbers won't be able to make the meetings I'd like some of your ideas for making BRAG better that I can pass along to Peggy and Mary. Please, let's not turn this into a rant about the past or bitch session. I honestly want constructive ideas of how BRAG can better serve it's members. Please keep your posts to the topic, The future! Thank you for you help. (putting flame retardant suit on now) If you prefer, you can email me your thoughts at daves@h-dappleton.com Ride to the edge! Dave | ||
| Grndskpr |
This is just one more reason I'm glad I ride a BUELL!! Does Yamaha, Kawasaki or any of the others care about their owners opinions this much? This has little to do with Buell, and more to do with BRAG, you may not want to belive this, but the 2 are entirley different things, and the 2 shall not meet at any point in time, please be advised that this is or will be a meeting to improve BRAG, and how to make it better, it will have nothing to do with BUELL as BRAG and BUELL do not comunicate well together, so get your thinking caps on, and figure out what it will take to make BRAG better than ever before R Oh and yes, honda does a similar thing with its ride red, Kawai has done it in the past, but is no longer into the club thing in the US, Ducati does it all the time, they actually sent out pins and jakets to some of there club representation in the US, so its not just a BUELL/BRag thing | ||
| Lake_bueller |
Dave....Unfortunately, I think this is really just a big "lovefest". If BRAG really wants to get inside the head of their members, they should be doing smaller focus groups. As for ways to make BRAG better... 1) Announce events earlier or staggered. It's hard for some people to plan vacation time on anything less than 6 months notice. 2) I like their concept of the Adventures. They do a good job of having things in different parts of the country at the appropriate times of the year. 3) Go back to giving real dollar incentive for the Riders Edge. My wife & I are planning on taking the class next spring. Instead of giving a real reimbursement, now they give you a BRAG "credit". Not a great incentive (IMHO). 4) Better support for the local clubs. Provide incentives for things like club t-shirts, patches, etc. (i.e. have a preferred vendor with excellent pricing). Also provide things like the HOG Group Riding video to be shown at local club meetings. I think that video should be "manditory" for all clubs at least 1x per year. That should be about it for now. | ||
| Mikej |
#1. We ain't HOG, so don't treat us like HOG members. Note: this should not imply that I infer anything is wrong with HOG or with HOG members, it's just that there is somewhat of a general overall different mindset between the groups of HOG and BRAG attendees. To each their own, and there are also plenty of folks who party just fine in both camps as well. For an example as a general stereotype, a HOG run from Montana to Washington would go through Idaho via a general I-90 path, a BRAG run would take Lolo canyon/hwy-12. HOG does slow races and mustard dipped hotdog hanging on a string ride-by passenger mouth grab games, BRAG #2. HOG members generally buy the full ticket and camp out for the day and collect pins. BRAG members generally collect maps, hang out long enough to cool off and refuel, then save the evenings for bench racing and relaxing. General stereotypes, but maybe a little accurate. #3. A week includes weekends. If they want better participation then they have to include weekend activities. #4. There is no "us vs them". Regardless of what I put in #1 and #2, I do believe it is possible to successfully blend HOG and BRAG events as at HOG events I've seen Buell and other non-Harley riders in attendance who were fully enjoying themselves, and at BRAG events I've seen Harley and other non-Buell owners in attendance and fully enjoying themselves. But do not have a non-rider arrange the show - so to speak. #5. I am not currently a BRAG member, I let my membership lapse, partly with a warranty issue, party with one particular staff member at a local dealership, and partly or mainly as a result with a telephone call I had with the membership renewal representative. Some of the staff on the BRAG/Buell/Harley/HOG customer interraction staff are excellent, and some are total jerkoffs who have no clue either about what the actual facts and options are or about what a member is interested in since the representative chose to blindly decide for the customer what is best for the customer and decided that a HOG member should own a Harley and not a Buell and if the member wanted both a HOG and BRAG membership then they should own both a Buell and a Harley. #5a. Sorry for the rant, but if they want to fix the future they have to work on the present and try to correct the residual past. #6. Erik leading a ride would be a nice thing. Erik being in a ride and not necessarily leading allowing him to meander forward and back amongst the participants would be a nicer thing. The only time I've seen Erik ride a bike is before the XB's were fully released to the dealership and he rode one after the limited special tour from the front of the engineering building around to the back parking lot. I own a bike to ride, not to sit around looking at it, and seeing Erik actually ride would in my opinion be a great thing for everyone to witness. WillieG, despite my varying opinions of him, often states that he "rides with us". It should be mandatory that at any Buell/BRAG event that Erik put as many miles on a bike as the average person in attendance does during the same event. Make it a rule, and advertise it. I will admit that he does ride at some events, but the only BRAG events I've been at have been the local ones, where he hasn't rode much. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's fine if I am. #7. Hanging out is fine, but I get bored sitting around. I also personally don't care for the scavenger type poker run events where you have to go find someone's mailbox with a blue ribbon on it. Instead I've rather be told "here's some breakfast with us, here's a few maps and general directions and sites to see or experience along the way, and this is when and where lunch is, and here's more to see or do between lunch and dinner, and please join us for dinner when all is through". #8. A few years ago I found out too late so missed out on it, but there were actual Buell techs looking over people's bikes and fixing or adjusting things. Also a few years ago Cap and our departed friend Andy spent a major part of their time adjusting suspensions and tweaking peoples bikes. So here's probably good suggestion: set up a tech tent complete with free TPS resets and such. Invite someone like Traxion to work on people's forks and springs weights at a heavily discounted "event rate". I know for example that my S2's forks are probably coming up on a rebuild, as noted to me by one of the Buell employees at a Buell event while I was at the Buell factory. I would happily volunteer my bike for an on the spot fork rebuild demonstration if it were offered, and I think almost everyone here would thoroughly enjoy seeing that done. But they would need a few video screens set up so everyone could see what was actually going on. Tech inspections and training sessions are always welcome and only add to our collective knowledge and enjoyment of our bikes. #9. Food. I need to eat, but I don't live to eat, eating is something I do partly for enjoyment but also because I have to. When meeting up with friends the food becomes a secondary focus. So, offer food, but don't make it the main attraction, if you understand what I'm getting at. #10. Everybody is a little different from everybody else, and as was shown at the recent local event not everybody wants to do the same things, and not everybody has the time to to all the things. RoadAmerica was most likely great, but it could have been handled differently, either with a separate entrance pay-as-you-enter gate for registered participants with the appropriate colored wrist band or whatever. Allow us some freedom and a graduated scale of participation and payment. Yes it's complicated, but we're a complex bunch of people, one size does not fit all (#10a: not everybody fits a size Large t-shirt for example).  #11. Wrist bands. I work in an office environment, I also like to shower every morning, I do not like having to wear a wrist band when I'm not at an event so please do not give me a wrist band that is not removable without cutting or breaking it. At one event (or two or three) I broke the attachment snap/pin/rivet with a pair of pliers and then just used tape to attach the wrist band each time I went to an activity site. I'm not a slave nor subject nor prisoner, so please do not expect me to wear non-removable items of identification - if you do then you might as well attempt to barcode my forehead (if you get my drift). Thank you very much. And I personally don't give a flying crap that "someone may loan their wrist strap to someone else", as I personally believe that tickets should be transferrable if someone isn't able to attend an already paid for event. Liability schmiability, give me a removable wrist strap or pin on button or something, but do not permanently staple my admission ticket to me. Destinations, good highlighted route maps, sag support, tech support, all in a timeframe for the locals to participate as well. Is that too much to ask for? Discount this rant and input by 10%-90% due to my expired membership. Oh, and Is this the sort of thing you were looking for, or did I go overboard and am now floating down the creek heading for the falls?  (I get confused when I run out of fingers to count on and tend to just go binary after that point.) (Message edited by mikej on September 02, 2004) | ||
| Mikej |
"BRAG and BUELL do not comunicate well together," Perhaps that is something they should work on then as well. Eh? | ||
| Cj_xb |
#3. A week includes weekends. If they want better participation then they have to include weekend activities. 100% agree !!! I own a bike to ride, not to sit around looking at it, and seeing Erik actually ride would in my opinion be a great thing for everyone to witness. This one I disagree with, why should Erik riding have anything to do with anything ?! I ride with my friends or my group, people I know and like. Even group events I go with my buds and ride with the group, so long as I know someone and enjoy riding with them !! I own a Toyota Corolla, love it, but could care less if Mr. Toyota rides his with me or my friends when we go somewhere. Have never written a letter to "Dear Toyota, thank you so much for my car, I really love it!" !! I would love to ride with Erik if I know him and just want to ride with him, but not because he makes Buell's, he just can't be everyone's best friend because they ride a Buell, I'm sure he has a life of his own !! Just my 2 cents !! CJ | ||
| 99buellx1 |
Since this is seems to be kinda by invite, does it mention anything about needing the invite fo r the gathering? I wouldn't think so, but never hurts to ask. Craig (Yes, I'm ignoring Cj. Damn Mike, thats alot of words.) | ||
| Cj_xb |
Why are you ignoring me ?? | ||
| Daves |
Great ideas so far. Thanks Lake and Mike. Dave | ||
| Mikej |
CJ, CJ, CJ, The point is that Erik is a rider, and I like riding with riders. I enjoy seeing a good rider take a corner, I enjoy following their line through a corner or down a camel-hump road in a high cross wind to see how they handle the conditions, I watch, I observe, I learn, I enjoy. And if I still had a Toyota, and if Mr. Toyota was a well known driver and a driving enthusiast, and if he was as approachable as Erik was at some Toyota event, then yes Mr. Toyota should go on some drives as well. I've ridden with some people who were or are now fairly famous to some extent, even raced a few of them in the dirt at non-sanctioned venues a few times just for fun, not to brag (or BRAG), just to point out that it's fun and enjoyable to ride with like minded folks. And since Erik is a like minded folk I'd like to see him riding more at the local events. He's already there for the day, so let him get away from the autograph table once in awhile and let him ride. If he wants to that is, so with that I'll retract the part about making it mandatory, unless he wants to come test ride the funny handling of my S2 in which case he's welcome to anytime tomorrow afternoon. And I know he has a life of his own, I'm not asking for him to become a riding buddy, just asking for him to ride more at the events he's already in attendance at, like he already does for some of the regional events. But hey, maybe he doesn't want to, and that's okay too. Do you need any change back????? | ||
| Mikej |
(Craig, I get paid by the hour, and am currently running downloads, so it's either type or read or wander the halls.) | ||
| Mikej |
CJ, click here
See, Erik does get to ride with some of us sometimes, and somehow I think he enjoys doing so as well. | ||
| Daves |
Craig, You should've gotten an invite in the dealership mail. (I know, I know, anyway go look for it) If you can't find it, come anyway, I don't think you need it as a "pass" to get in. They do want you to RSVP so they know how much space and lunch they will need. Just email Peggy and tell her you're coming. See you there. By the way, where was Doug for the track day? You guys coming on the 4th? Dave |
