Sunday, February 17, 2013
February 2013 Monthly Message
Hi Folks,
Mother Nature has made it difficult to enjoy life on two
wheels for most of January and thus far in February. Regardless, we shall continue to do what we can to prepare
for the upcoming riding season as spring is around the corner!
I recently attended the International Motorcycle Show in the
Chicago area. Ducati unveiled the
Diavel Strada and the Hyper Strada.
These two motorcycles are designed to be commuter and traveling versions
of the Hypermotard and the Diavel.
Both add a small windshield and panniers. Once I learn how to post photos, I will show them on the
website. Ducati also put on a
fashion show at the event that I did not attend.
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.
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).
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
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Gateway Ducati Owners Group Monthly Message October 2012
Hi Folks,
Before we go much further, please note that there will be no
Bike Night on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 due to the presidential election. Also, the GDOG holiday party is being
held on Tuesday, December 4, 2012 at 6:30PM. Reservations are a must, so email me if you are
attending. This information is
repeated below as well.
The nice riding weather in September changed for the worst
as October arrived.
The Bike Night held on the 2nd at East Coast
Pizza in Chesterfield Valley was a rousing success as 19 people showed up with
a large number riding to the event.
14 Ducatis were lined up in the roped off area of the parking lot that
the restaurant reserved for our use.
This was a significant event in that we have completed three years in
our current incarnation as an owners’ group, and we are starting on our fourth
year. As is our custom, elections
for officers were held for the upcoming year. The results are as follows:
President: Gary Kwawer
Vice
President: Vito Sicola
Treasurer:
Bob Oesch
Ride
Captain: Joe Henderson
Assistant
Ride Captain: Nagendra “Jay” Jayanty
The event was a throwback to our beginnings of an owners’
group as our bike nights were held at pizza places around the area. The main factor in those days was for
the pizza to be good, parking lot to be visible, and the group to be welcomed
by the restaurant.
The monthly ride was held on Saturday, October 6. The weather had turned much colder in
the 4 days since the bike night. I
led the ride. Eric Nordstrom and
Giorgio Tortora were the brave soles joining me that day. We arrived at the rendezvous point at
8:30AM. Giorgio showed up in jeans
and summer riding gear. Eric
showed up in more layers. I showed
up in full winter gear along with my heated vest and gloves. It became apparent that a full ride in
inadequate gear would turn riders into popsicles, so we headed to my house and
I was able to outfit the guys in warmer gear for the ride. The ride that day turned out to
be a scavenger hunt ride, so we got photos of a minor league stadium, lake,
state park, and war memorial. The
sun broke through on the ride home and it was much warmer. The need for winter riding gear to
extend the season for all of us is something we can address in future bike nights.
Speaking of the 1st annual Scavenger Hunt. The results are in and are as follows:
Jon Short - 50
N. “Jay” Jayanty - 329
Giorgio
Tortora - 789
Eric
Nordstrom - 820
Joe
Henderson - 979
Gary Kwawer
- 1,113
Dave
Noelken - 1,588
Steven Davis - 1,588
Dave and
Steven had an epic ride where they collected many of their points. Joe swears he would have caught them,
but his motorcycle was not helpful.
I was planning on a ride on 11/3, but a broken big toe on my right foot
has kept me off the bike.
Congratulations to Dave and Steven for winning the event. Great job. Thanks to Joe Henderson for organizing and administering the
event. Photos for the event can be
found using the following link:
On to future events. There
will be no bike night in November as the national election takes priority. The 3rd annual Gateway
Ducati Owners Group Holiday Party is scheduled for Tuesday, December 4 at
6:30PM. We shall be in the Agusta Room at Triumph Grill. Reservations are required. This is an event for members and
guests. Cost will be $25.00 per
person, plus tip and alcoholic beverages.
The menu will offer many choices for those of us who have dietary
constraints. Please email me at president@gatewayducati.com if you
plan on attending.
The resumption of our bike nights will be on February 5, 2012. Plenty of reminders will hit your
email, websites, etc. We will keep
you informed. Also, as an
FYI- motorcycle shows are starting to crop up around the USA to keep the
interest up during the winter months.
Check the internet and make plans to travel to one if you are able.
I will shoot out another message at the end of November. Ride when weather permits and enjoy
your families.
Sincerely,
Gary Kwawer
Chief Contact Person and President
Gateway Ducati Owners Group
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
October 6 Monthly Group Ride
Hi Folks,
In keeping with the theme of changing some of our routine, the monthly group ride will leave from the QT on Highway 94 and Weldon Springs Road in St. Charles County at 8:30AM on Saturday, October 6, 2012. We will be making a run up to Hannibal, MO and bag some Scavenger Hunt points in the process. Depending on time, we may run over to Springfield, IL and take photos of the Illinois State Capital. So meet at 8:00AM and leave at 8:30AM. I look forward to seeing you there. The rain date is Sunday, October 7.
Also, kudos to Chris Ryan, our webmaster for his photos of our latest bike night. 19 members enjoyed our 3rd Anniversary meeting at East Coast Pizza. They were kind enough to block off parking spaces for the Ducatis.
See you on the road.
Gary Kwawer
Chief Contact Person and President
Gateway Ducati Owners Group
In keeping with the theme of changing some of our routine, the monthly group ride will leave from the QT on Highway 94 and Weldon Springs Road in St. Charles County at 8:30AM on Saturday, October 6, 2012. We will be making a run up to Hannibal, MO and bag some Scavenger Hunt points in the process. Depending on time, we may run over to Springfield, IL and take photos of the Illinois State Capital. So meet at 8:00AM and leave at 8:30AM. I look forward to seeing you there. The rain date is Sunday, October 7.
Also, kudos to Chris Ryan, our webmaster for his photos of our latest bike night. 19 members enjoyed our 3rd Anniversary meeting at East Coast Pizza. They were kind enough to block off parking spaces for the Ducatis.
See you on the road.
Gary Kwawer
Chief Contact Person and President
Gateway Ducati Owners Group
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