Used Bike Trend - For the month of April SR!
sponsoring dealers sold more used bikes they they took in.
Smells a little like the used bike shortage of the late 1990's.
A number of dealers are happy to take bikes on consignment.
Got one to sell? Check with the dealer near you.
Baja 1000 - A team of four riders in the Northwest has
begun preparation for this years Baja 1000 which will be held in
December. Sound RIDER! is outfitting the team with
hydration and core temp management gear. Look for more
details in the June issue.
Hurricane Ridge Re-do - Riders planning to
ascend Hurricane Ridge this summer should be aware there will be
road construction planned for all summer at which time up to
mile stretches will be nothing more than gravel.
Keystone Ferry Changes - Due to a rebuild on one of the
two Keystone ferries, there will only be one ferry in operation
this summer. Users are encouraged to buy reservations in
advance even if you ride a motorcycle. These changes may still
be in effect when the Oyster Run occurs in September. For more
information visit the
WSF site.
Get on board - The Washington State Motorcycle
Program is taking applications for 2 positions on the Motorcycle
Safety Education Advisory Board. The term runs from July 1, 2008
to June 30, 2010. Board members serve a 2-year term of office,
and receive no compensation for services, except reimbursement
for travel expenses while engaged in business of the board.
The board was created in accordance with RCW 46.20.520 "to
assist the director of licensing in the development of a
motorcycle operator training education program. The board shall
monitor this program following implementation and report to the
director of licensing as necessary with recommendations
including, but not limited to, administration, application, and
substance of the motorcycle operator training and education
program."
Applications are being accepted until Thursday, May 1, 2008,
which are available on our website at
http://www.dol.wa.gov/forms/560019.pdf
Please mail all applications to:
Motorcycle Safety Program
Attn: Steve Stewart
PO Box 9030
Olympia, WA 98507-9030
Is that new bike really new? - We recently came
across a dealer that was making serious upgrades/modifications
to new units that have yet not been sold. These included
modifications to the exhaust, body parts and steering that were
beyond the scope of OEM parts. If you are interested in such a
bike from a dealer know your rights. The bike may have
it's warranty voided from any of the modifications and may be
sold to you as a used unit, without a valid warranty. If
the dealer insists the bike has a valid warranty, contact the
manufacturer's warranty department directly and verify such
modifications keep the bike in warranty status before
you buy. One such bike we saw had $3,000 in modifications.
Might sound great, but if the power plant fails whose left
holding the bag?
The
Stelvio Cometh - We always wonder why Honda doesn't get
into the Adventure Bike market. It's been one of the
fastest growing markets since about 2000. Despite Honda's
lack of adventure bikes for the US, Moto Guzzi has decided to
get back in the game (their last adventure bike was the Quota).
Look for an August release of the new 1200cc Stelvio.
Here's a sneak peek.
Seattle Motorcycle Parking Forum - The city of
Seattle wants to know how you feel about parking your two
wheeler in the city and how they can become more friendly toward
riders.
Council members
Sally Clark and
Jan Drago ran a
decent discussion about how we can make Seattle more two wheel
friendly on Tuesday, March 11th at Seattle City
Hall (as reported here earlier). If you didn't
make it please write a respectable email to each of the council
women using the links above.
Back to Basics - Gervasi's Everett Motorsports
will no longer carry the Kawasaki line. The short term
plan is to stay in the current location and offer independent
service and a used bike selection while still being a franchise
OEM for Kymco and Hammerhead.
Keep Spokane Raceway Open - You have a chance
to help keep Spokane Raceway park open. heres how: Write the
enclosed 3 (thats all) people a email and expalin why you want
to keep Spokane Raceway Park open.
Heres an example: copy if you must, but its better if you use
your own words to Commisioners Bonnie Mager, Todd Mielke, Mark
Richard bmager@spokanecounty.org tmielke@spokanecounty.org
mrichard@spokanecounty.org
Dear Ms. Mager, I'm writing in support of keeping 'Spokane
Raceway Park' intact and as a working Motor sports park. The
Spokane area can benefit from the parks continued operation and
growth. With your help Spokane Raceway Park, can be a Premier
Motor sports and training facility for the greater Spokane area.
It will and is a tourist draw and will benefit the taxpayers of
Spokane county. Being form the TriCity area, we travel to and
stay in Spokane, when visiting Spokane Raceway Park. Rooms,
meals, entertainment and fuel are all purchased in the greater
Spokane area when we visit. I urge you to continue your efforts
to develop Spokane Raceway Park into the World Class facility it
should become.
Regards (your name and address here)
Sound
RIDER! on your PDA - If you own a PDA or smart
phone you know how wretched most websites look on them and
trying to navigate one can be a real bear. So we've come
up with Sound RIDER! lite for your PDA. Here you'll find
an easy-to-use dealer directory which comes in handy when you're
out on a ride and need some ...errr...support. What else would you like
to see on the PDA section of the site? Log onto
www.soundrider.com/PDA, have a look and let us know.
Looking for Twisties? - Take a spin on the Pendleton/Cold
Springs Highway near Umatilla, OR.
