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
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