Saturday, January 12, 2013

The January 12, 2013 Ride to Eat Pizza Report

The January 12, 2013 Ride to Eat Pizza has been completed.

The day started out with sunny skies and 50 degree temperatures as we set off on our own routes to PW Pizza.  Four riders showed:  Jeremy Kocher on his MV Agusta Brutale, Al Schwartz on his Diavel, Kevin Fitzgerald on his Monster, and Gary Kwawer on his battle scarred Multistrada.

The restaurant was happy we were there.  We had great conversation, good food, and a pleasant couple of hours.  After eating, there was Ducati and MV appreciation time, and as the skies clouded up, temperatures started cooling, we headed back.  One suggestion was to rotate the ad-hoc dining events to different types of food (Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, etc).  Broad agreement was reached among the four of us.  Kevin suggested we also include an exercise class before riding in order to burn calories in preparation for the meals.  Jeremy was nominated for the role of exercise leader, but he has not accepted the position as of yet.

We shall continue riding to eat, weather permitting, this winter.  Be safe and have fun.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

GDOG Schedule of Events 2013 (preliminary)

Hi Folks,

Here is the proposed schedule of events that will soon have its own place on the website.  Please review and email any improvements and suggestions to me (president@gatewayducati.com).


January
Ad hoc rides as weather permits

February
February 3- Group Ride?
February 5-Bike Night at Triumph Grill
February 16- 2nd Group Ride

March
March 3- Group Ride
March 5- Bike Night
March 16- 2nd Group Ride

April
April 2 Bike Night
April 7- Group Ride
April 20- 2nd Group Ride
April 21- MotoGP in Austin, TX

May
May 1- Scavenger Hunt Start
May 5- Group Ride
May 7- Bike Night
May 18- 2nd Group Ride

June
June 2- Group Ride
June 4 Bike Night
June 15- 2nd Group Ride

July
July 2- Bike Night
July-6 Group Ride
July 15- 2nd Group Ride
July 21- MotoGP at Laguna Seca

August
August 4- Group Ride
August 6 Bike Night
August 16-18 GDOG ride to MotoGP in Indy?
August 17- 2nd Group Ride

September
September 1 Group Ride
September 14 2nd Group Ride

October
October 1- Scavenger Hunt Ends
October 6 Group Ride
October 8 Bike Night
October 19 2nd Group Ride

November
November 3- Group Ride
November 5- Bike Night
November 16- 2nd Bike Nights

December
December 3   Holiday Party!  Triumph Grill

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Gateway Ducati Owners Group January 2013 Message


Happy New Year to all of our members!

I realize it has been awhile since our last update.  I apologize to the membership.  

We concluded 2012 with a stronger owner's group than we started the year, and we have more active members than ever.  Our relationship with our sponsoring dealer, MotoEuropa, continues to expand and improve as Eric Nordstrom has agreed to represent us to them.  Our elected officers now include a young man in his 20s, Nagendra (Jay) Jayanty.  On the corporate side, Ducati, NA has appointed a full time person to manage the relationship with the Desmo Owners Clubs in the USA.  Also, per new communications, and the new 39-page DOC agreement, new initiatives on the part of Ducati to support the DOC efforts are in the works.  This appears to be a worldwide effort on Ducati's part.

Our Holiday party, held on December 4th at the Triumph Grill, was a resounding success.  The staff at Triumph Grill outdid themselves and prepared a great menu for our enjoyment.  The serving staff was excellent.  The chocolate dessert was amazing.

Dues for 2013 will continue at the $20.00 level.  Mark Oldham, GM of MotorEuropa, informed us at the Holiday Party that 2013 active club member's benefits will remain the same in 2013 as they were in 2012.  Moreover, as the number of our official members increase, only those who are active (dues paying) members will be mailed the DOC kit from Ducati.  All others will need to pick it up at the events.  Dues can be paid to our treasurer (Bob Oesch) at events, or via Paypal on this website.  Any dues paid now are for 2013.  

We will continue our to have one Bike Night per month.  In general, it will be the first Tuesday of the month.  We have been having the Bike Nights at Triumph Grill for the past 2 years, exclusively.  We shall continue to meet at Triumph Grill in 2013, but we shall also be moving around and meeting at different restaurants.   Many of the members like the idea of riding their bikes to the Bike Nights and showcasing them at different locations around the area.  Advanced notice of the location of the Bike Nights will be given in the reminder emails and also on the website.

As of now, the schedule of our Bike Nights is as follows (please mark your calendars):

February 5 Triumph Grill
March 5
April 2
May 7
June 4
July 2
August 6
October 8
November 5
December 3   Holiday Party!

The location of the Bike Nights, especially during peak riding weather, will be announced on the website and via emails.  The Bike Nights will commence at 6:30PM.

During 2012, we held our monthly group rides on the first Saturday of each month, with the rain date the first dry weekend day afterwards.  I will be conferring with the other officers to determine if we wish to change the day.  Until then, ad hoc groups can form up using the email system, etc.  Also, do we wish to add a second ride?  While our ride captain, Joe Henderson, can lead the first ride, another member, who wishes to take a leadership role, can lead the second monthly ride.  Any member who wishes to lead rides should confer with Joe as he is in charge of the rides. 

I completed the paperwork for recertifying our owners group as an official DOC.  We will learn in the near future whether we make the grade. 

For those of you who wish to be more involved, please contact me by cell phone (314-368-4547) or email (president@gatewayducati.com) and I will be happy to discuss anything you wish.

On a personal note, I was getting ready to ride my motorcycle to MotoEuropa to have some maintenance done.  Despite being on a trickle charger, my 3-year-old battery went kaput.  I pulled out my AMA card and called their roadside service.  Bob from Sherman Towing arrived within 20 minutes and took the two of us to the dealership.  This was covered at my membership level.  For this reason, I recommend becoming an AMA member.   Now, once my work was done, Friday, December 28, I decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and took MotoEuropa up on their service to deliver my Ducati to my door, for a fee.  Considering that snow and ice were forecasted, the dollar amount was small for the comfort and safety. 

I wish all of you and yours a prosperous, safe, and healthy new year!  I look forward to visiting with each of you at the Bike Nights as well as on group rides.  Also, please telephone or email me with any questions and/or concerns.

Sincerely,
Gary Kwawer
Chief Contact Person and President
Gateway Ducati Owners Group