Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Monthly Message for December 2010

I am sorry for combining the two months in one message. November was a busy month
for me. This message is longer than usual, so please read to the end.


November was a busy month for the owners group as well. On the 2nd, not only were
the nation’s midterm elections held, but also the Gateway Ducati Owners Group held
a meeting at the Triumph Grille. As I was out of town, Mark Shomaker, VP, led the
meeting. The summary of the events have already been published on the website.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Photos from the 2010 Holiday Party

Photographs from this year's Holiday Party!


Paolo Pirozzi’s trip through Saint Louis

Photograph's from Paolo Pirozzi's trip though Saint Louis. For more information about his ride, see the upcoming December Monthly Message.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Club Logo Unveiling!

As seen at the last meeting, and alluded to to by Mark below, here is the new logo design for the Gateway Ducati Owners Group. More info after the cut:





Sunday, November 7, 2010

Winter Bike Prep Notes

For those of you who couldn't make it to the November meeting; below is a synopsis of the winter bike prep segment presented by Kevin from Moto Europa. Kevin is a level 2 certified Ducati Master mechanic.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Meeting Notes from the November 2nd Meeting

We had another great turnout for our monthly meeting at the Triumph Grill for our November meeting. It was nice to see some familiar faces and nicer to see a few more unfamiliar ones. I'm happy to see our club constantly growing and new people showing up to be a part of it.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Club Dues

During the last meeting, an annual club dues amount of $20 was unanimously approved by the attendees. Fred, our treasurer, asked us to remind everyone that he will be on hand at the next meeting to collect dues for 2011 and give receipts.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

RSVPs Needed for Holiday Party

Our Holiday Party is approaching quickly, and we need a hard number to give to our hosts at Triumph Grill.  Please RSVP as soon as possible to Gary.  One of the many ways to reach him is by email at president@gatewayducati.com, or by replying to this post.  Thanks, all!


Just to reiterate, the party is at the Triumph Grill on Tuesday, December 7th at 6:30 PM.   Your webmaster has a Streetfighter on his wish list if anyone is looking for ideas.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Monthly Message for October 2010

The month of October is upon us and with it great riding weather in the Gateway region.
Unfortunately, the group ride for the Gateway Ducati Owners Group was a washout as
three members, Raymond So, Fred Hecker, and Gary Kwawer met at the QT station
located at 94 and O’Fallon Road in Weldon Springs. We were game, but the weather
did not cooperate, despite waiting an extra 30 minutes. Instead of riding, we stood
around admiring Fred’s new Arai helmet, checked out the repairs on his motorcycle,
and attempting to convince Raymond that heated clothing extends the riding season by
several months. At 9:10AM we gave up on trying to ride, and headed home. All arrived
at their respective homes in one piece.



Friday, October 15, 2010

Even More Photos of Demo Day

Courtesy of Gary Kwawer.





More Photos of the Oct Meeting and Demo Day

Courtesy of Robert Bullivant.



Thursday, October 14, 2010

Photos from Demo Day at MotoEuropa

Here's a few photographs I took from Saturday.  Thanks to MotoEuropa and Ducati for hosting a fun event, providing food and drink, shade, and of course, a few bikes!  And thanks to all our member that came to show support.







Friday, October 8, 2010

Ducati Demo Days at MotoEuropa

Events begin tomorrow (10.8), 9AM, at the MotoEuropa Ducati dealership, and will continue on Sunday (10.9) at the Gateway track.  Stay tuned for site update and pictures from the field.


See everyone this weekend, and ride safe!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Monthly Message for September 2010

Gateway Ducati Owners Group September 2010 Message

The onset of September has provided welcome relief to the oppressive heat in this area and we are in the beginning of the best time for motorcycle riding in the Gateway area!

Our owners group held the September meeting at A'mis pizza on Tuesday, September 7, 2010.  New officers for the upcoming year were elected and are as follows:

President: Gary Kwawer
Vice President: Mark Schomaker
Treasurer: Fred Hecker
Ride Captain: Vito Sicola
Asst Ride Captains: Ray So, Andrew Quinn

Friday, August 27, 2010

Monthly Message for August 2010

Dear Members,

The summer heat continued into August this year.  Heat indices were above 100 and often above 105.  Riding all day long was brutal and dangerous.

Even with the heat, the Gateway Ducati Owners Group continued riding and meeting activities this month.  Our monthly meeting was held on August 3, 2010 at Nick and Elena's Pizzeria.  There were 12 people in attendance.  Joining us that evening were Pete Hall and Mark Oldham from Moto Europa, the new Ducati/Triumph dealer in St. Louis.  Pete emphasized that they are hoping to open the dealership in the middle of September.  They hope to build a European Motorsporting community in St. Louis that is as robust as the US motorcycle community.  They are looking forward to working with the club and believe they can assist us in obtaining factory recognition.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Monthly Message for July 2010

GDOG June 2010 Message


July has arrived in Missouri and with it the typical hot, humid weather that we have come 
to love at this time of year!

For those of you who are new to us, the group, as it is now organized, started with a 
meeting of 14 Ducatistas outside of my office in September 2009. We have a total of 48 
people signed up as members. This is a great success story as it stands, but it has only 
been for one year.  To prove to ourselves and others that we are the real deal, we need to 
continue finding new members, continue reaching out and supporting all of our area 
dealers and repair shops, continue supporting each other as we each try to improve as 
riders and people, continue to have monthly updates to the website, and continue the 
passion that is Ducati!  If we keep up the effort, greater success will occur!

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Photos from the BBQ

From last Saturday's BBQ at Motorrad:


Our youngest member Aiden Shomaker awaits his father Mark's
 arrival at the BBQ with his mother Tara.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

GDOG BBQ at Motorrad St Louis

The 1st ever Gateway Ducati Owners Group Barbeque on Saturday, June 19, 2010 at 12:30PM. It will be held at Motoradd St. Louis as George Saunders has graciously offered to host the event at his facility. Families are welcome, but we do need to have a headcount. Vito will lead a ride earlier in the day for those who are not assisting in the preparation.

Please post an RSVP, or any question/comments you have regarding this event. Hopefully we'll see everyone there!

Monday, June 7, 2010

Ride Announced


Saturday, June 12, 2010 (rain date is June 13).  Ride led by Gary Kwawer.

7:45AM Kickstands up at the QT on Tesson Ferry, East Southwest of  of I270, just past St. Anthony's hospital.  When exiting I270 at Tesson Ferry, go towards St. Anthony's, and continue past. The QT is on the same side of the street as the hospital in the direction of Jefferson County.


Monthly Message for June 2010


June has arrived in Missouri, and with it great riding weather!

I am writing this note after getting lost on Sunday morning, June 6, 2010 for 3.5 hours on my Multistrada and consequently I am in a great mood!  The weather this weekend has been cooler than the week before, and I hope all of our members are enjoying this weather.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

New Look!

If you guys haven't noticed, the website changes discussed in the forums have taken effect.  Hopefully everyone likes the new design and layout!

New features to check out (after break):

Monday, May 24, 2010

Monthly Message for May 2010

Greetings to all!  I apologize for the tardiness of this message.  Life got in the way.  For the same reason, this update will be brief.


The May 2010 GDOG meeting was held on May 3, 2010 at Pi Restaurant.  It was a Ducatis on Delmar event.  12 people attended.  Significant resolutions included the following:



Thursday, April 29, 2010

Meeting Announced - Ducatis on Delmar

Tuesday, May 4 at 6:30pm - Pi Restaurant on Delmar, just East of Skinker.

Ride Announced

Saturday, May 1, 2010 (rain date is May 8)  

Meet at 9:00AM at the Convenient Food Mart, 4089 Telegraph Road. Vito Sicola will be leading the ride. Lunch will be at the Wearhouse B'Bque and Catfish Company in Farmington at 729 Sunset Road. Please try to attend. We will follow a route heading down Bluff Road in Illinois. The ferry cost is $5.

Monthly Message for April 2010

Spring has arrived and with it the first organized ride of the Gateway Ducati Owners Group. On April 3, 9 riders met at 9:00AM and rode to Stone Hill Winery. We arrived at 11:30AM and were greeted by fellow group member Shaun Turnbull. We dined at the restaurant, and afterwards, Shaun, being an Assistant Winemaker, took us on a tour of the winery. As we were on two wheels, we opted out of the tasting session. All the riders returned to their homes safely. 

Monday, March 1, 2010

Monthly Message for March 2010

Spring is in the air, the weather is starting to warm up in the Gateway City, and the members of the Gateway Ducati Owners Group are starting to ride.

The first weekend of March had a timing belt workshop given by Fred Hecker at his house and was attended by Vito and Carlos.  Other members went riding over the weekend and started to be reacquainted with their Ducatis.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Monthly Message for February 2010

The February 2010 meeting for the Gateway Ducati Owners Group was held on the 9tth at Sugo's restaurant.  

Important business items are as follows: