2928 South State Street, SLC, UT 84115 Phone:801-487-4647. Just received a nice glossy brochure from Joe Timmons, the owner. He invites me to join in the 2007 FALL RIDE.. O.K. fine, sounds great until you you read the fine FINE print. "Riders must pay in advance by Sept. 26 with release forms. Only Harley-Davidson, Buell or SuckerPunch Sallys motorcycles are invited, no other makes or models can register! Is this a way to bring bikers together as a solid group? I have bought 3 Harleys from Joe and this irritates me beyond words. I also own a Yamaha. My question is this. Is the way that Joe Timmons, the owner and operater of a LARGE Harley dealership network correct in restricting other riders from participating in any rides? What would happen if I pulled up on my Yammy during Timmons group ride? Just curious. Contact Joe @ www.utahharley.com
2007-09-12 05:18:41 · 9 answers · asked by kollector 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Motorcycles
I've owned 26 different bikes in the last 41 years, and these included just about every brand or model bike out there.. My last 5 have all been harleys. I enjoy rides that are for Harleys only, but I also enjoy rides for all bikes. Last weekend, I rode in an Air Force appreciation/POW parade here in Idaho. It was open for all types of bikes, and over 300 of us showed up. It was a fun day for all. I have also ridden in many rides limited to Harleys, in fact I belong to a harleys only club. I don't care for the constant screeching whine of a crotch rocket or the must go flat out while dressed in shorts and sandals atttitude most of the riders have. But that's just me, and not a reflection on you. There are a lot of people who do not like the rumble of a harley. (poor souls) LOL
As a dealership, of course he wants to sponsor the brand of bikes he sells, it gets him more business. I've stopped in at HD of SLC and found them to be a pretty good bunch of people. When riding Hondas or Yamahas etc, I found the dealerships for those bikes to be good people too. Yamaha used to sponsor me back in the day when I was racing dirt bikes.
As for the "fine print", that's standard for any sponsored ride, no matter what brand bike. It protects them from liability if some yahoo crashes and tries to sue them. Advance ticket sales are also common, it lets them know how many ride pins to order, how many road captains need to be on hand and how much food needs to be prepared. This benefits the riders by ensuring that the ride is fun, safe and enjoyable for all. And, like I said, it's not restricted to just Harley dealerships. I recently got a similar invite from Yamaha. You have the best of both worlds, you can cruise with the harley's or the yamaha's. Just means that you get in more riding time. Trust me bro, there are much more important things to deal with in life than getting upset over something this trivial.
It doesn't matter what you ride, just ride man. Life's too short to sweat the small stuff.
2007-09-12 07:56:21 · answer #1 · answered by randy 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
This fall ride is historically the only ride of the year that restricts entry and has been that way since I started coming on it in about '74 when it was still Chris Draayer Motors.
It's a customer appreciation ride and they lose money on it.
Quit whining like a pussy and go ride your Yamaha.
2007-09-12 17:14:15 · answer #2 · answered by machine_gunner 1 · 4⤊ 1⤋
i dont think it's a coincidence that those are the brands he sells. mightn't this be a customer appreciation ride? here's the sum total of my experience with the dealership: last week i was on the way back to spokane, wa from the bonneville salt flats. the starter died on my bro's dyna and the nearest big dealership to wendover, nv was salt lake city. they had the part and because we were on the road, right to the front of the line we went. remember, we're from out of town and wouldn't likely be spending money at that dealership in the future. they did it to get a couple of tired travlers back on the road. that's service.
2007-09-12 12:52:45 · answer #3 · answered by skullbikemike 3 · 4⤊ 1⤋
It's his party he can invite who he wants to I'd say. Unless I'm mistaken you still own some Harleys so what's the issue with riding one of them. Are you going there to ride or show your bike.
2007-09-12 18:57:12 · answer #4 · answered by vladoviking 5 · 4⤊ 1⤋
If it's a Harley dealer you won't be welcome unless you ride a brand new bike customized with officially licensed HD accessories and wear only official Harley Motorclothes. Bet thing is stay away from the dealers. Find a good independent shop to hang out in.
2007-09-12 13:19:31 · answer #5 · answered by jrrysimmons 5 · 2⤊ 5⤋
it is the only way to organize a run in my opinion..
the red wood run in northern Calif. is one such event..
there are only so many spots open..
the event is subsidized by HD..
it is a way to reward their customers..
not Yamaha's customers
besides if a bunch of imports show up it's just going to be a fight
2007-09-12 12:30:37 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
if he is sponsoring the ride he can do what he wants. It sounds like he is just trying to get his valued customers together. I dont see anything wrong with this.
2007-09-12 12:29:36 · answer #7 · answered by scorp964 3 · 6⤊ 2⤋
That is fairly tacky. Most rides I've seen at dealers don't even care if you bring a car. I don't think this is in the norm at all.
2007-09-12 16:08:53 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 4⤋
He might try to give you a big kick in the butt!
2007-09-12 12:28:44 · answer #9 · answered by Gin 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋