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.




The October meeting was held on the 5th at the Triumph Grill. We had well over 30
members crammed into a space originally set up for 20 or fewer people. At the time, the
officers were confident that the reason for such attendance was to meet us and become
more active in the club. We have since come to realize that the real reason for the great
attendance was the preview and opening of MotoEuropa, the new Ducati/Triumph
dealership in the Gateway area. Photos of the event will be posted on the site once
received from our official photographer, Robert Bullivant. Much was discussed at the
meeting, and the following are the items that were voted on and approved:


1 - In order to have the meetings at the same place and time each month, it was
decided that the meetings are going to be held at the Triumph Grill at 6:30PM
on the 1st Tuesday of every month.
2 - The holiday party for this year will be held at the Triumph Grill and
MotoEuropa at 6:30PM, the 1st Tuesday of December 7, 2010 in lieu of a club
meeting. We do need a count, so please RSVP ASAP to me.
3 - We are going to have a t-shirt with a logo. MotoEuropa has agreed to sponsor
the costs of the shirts. The logo is being prepared and will be posted on the
site for us to vote on.
4 - As the club is now over one year old, and has over 45 members on our
spreadsheet of members, it was voted on that our members become dues
payers. The dues are $20.00 per year, and start for calendar year 2011. Our
Webmaster will be arranging for a Paypal link and account so that members
can pay dues on line. Currently, we are accepting cash.


On Saturday, October 9, 2010, a Ducati Demo day was held at MotoEuropa. Twenty
members of the Gateway Ducati Owners Group were on hand to assist with the rides,
greeting the riders, and having a great time. The event was hosted by Jeff Brooks, the
Ducati, N.A. area represented, and was very well attended. Ducati riders who were
not members of our group were encouraged to join, and many did. The other members
and I believe we have identified 60%-80% of the Ducati riders in the area and that the
same percentage range are members of our club. We are doing all we can do to increase
the visibility of the club, community, and brand. After the demo day was concluded,
members assisted in loading the semi so they could proceed to Gateway Raceway for the
demo day on Sunday.


Sunday the 10th proved to be a somewhat dark day for members of our owners group.


Two of our members, Mark Schomacher and Bulent Elkat, decided to test the laws of
physics, and unfortunately crashed while at the MCRA- MotoEuropa sponsored track
day. Other members and riders did complete the day uninjured. Mark is healing, but
in pain. Bulent says he is doing well, and the next time he will make certain his tires
are adequately warmed up. We wish them continued healing and hope they are back
on 2-wheels soon. The demo rides were well attended as well. There were 400 paying
spectators at the track day- this is unheard of! Great job to all who assisted and organized
the event! Thanks to Vito and Fred for attending at the group’s tent.


The next meeting for the club will be held on November 2, 2010 at the Triumph Grille.
The meeting starts at 6:30PM. I will be unable to attend, so VP Mark Schomacher will
be leading the meeting. We will be having a presentation on winterizing the motorcycles
given by Kevin Haney, the chief technician of MotoEuropa. The complete agenda of the
meeting will be emailed prior to the meeting. We look forward to seeing you on the 2nd.


On a personal note, my Schuberth S1 helmet that I have worn for 5 years needs to be
retired. Pete and Steve from MotoEuropa had me try on several of the head shapes in
their store. We thought we found one that would fit my head, so I handed them my
credit card and we special ordered the correct size and desired color. I received a phone
call that the helmet was in, so I drove to the store and tried it on. After walking around
the store wearing the helmet, something seemed off. The helmet, which we had spent
a long time selecting, was squeezing my head from the sides. They insisted that taking
a helmet that caused me to have a migraine was wrong, so they said that would find
another helmet, ordering one in from another manufacturer if necessary. After measuring
my head to confirm size (smaller than most people think), we decided that we would
try to find a Shark helmet or a Schuberth helmet. This level of service, commitment to
customer welfare, and concern is new to the Ducati riders in this area. I am very grateful
to the people of MotoEuropa for insisting that we get the helmet to fit correctly, and that I
be comfortable with the helmet I purchase.


Let us be safe, enjoy the great weather, and ride as much as possible.


Thanks for your continued support and participation!


Gary Kwawer
Chief Contact Person and President