Bob's Rant

[HossZX14]

I have had this kicking in the back of my mind for years now. I love Street Vibrations. It's always a great thing. My only problem is the it's focus is on Choppers. I have a dream of creating something similar but putting the focus on Sportbikes. Our own "Bike Week" so to speak. I have a working name for it and I call it the "Reno Ride" A venue for our sector of riding. To promote our sport. Have all the manufactures and aftermarket companies there. Have a super track week at Reno Fernley and stunt exibitions. Maybe a SuperMoto race and of course a custom sportbike show and contest. Maybe someday even a superbike race. This is my dream and somehow I am going to make it happen. Anybody else share this dream? Wanna jump onboard and create a new event here in the Reno area?.. Get with me at bike night Tuesday. Lets make the sportbike world come to Reno. Hot August Nights and Street Vibrations both started with someones dream................

[KneeDragonBMW]

Cool....Make it Happen Bob !!!!

[A DRAGON]

That's one of the directions I hope to take the club. Remember there are quite a few bike things going on now. We can dove tail in on now. The up coming Super Cycle Weekend at Fernley on the 21st to the 23rd.
Keigwin as has a weekend Track Day the same weekend of Street Vibrations.  I thought I could talk with Randy from Road Shows. We could make it happen we just need some people to commit to help.  PR it's a big thing.

[Green Hornet]

I'm willing to help in any way. I think we should be trying to make street vibrations a two wheel event no matter what kind of bike. Bike week in Daytona is amazing all brands, all mods, all two wheels welcome. This is what we need to work towards. Even Sturgis the biggest Harley gathering in the country is becoming a mixed event. If they except us there then theres no reason we can't get involved with street vibrations and turn it into another Bike Week. It sure would be nice to see 5000 superbikes mixed in with all these Harley's. Thats my two cents on whole thing

[A DRAGON]

What kind of events could we offer sportbikes. I thought we could go on a ride north and one South every day. Incorporate a track day during the week would be cool. A race a RFR would be even better.
I was in contact with a rep from Street vibrations earlier in the year and it faded. Hopefully we can get something going soon. We have a lot on our agenda as a club. We need to build our club up as much as possible. We need people to show up on our Sunday rides and bring new people in as well as our bike night. Keep them posting on the forum and I think we can do something. If our bike night could attack 100 plus bikes every Tuesday that would be a Hugh base for us to draw from. It seems sometimes people just have their own lives they have to contend with. I  understand that. I wish we could just get more to participate in the functions of our club. The people we have now are just outstanding they are so helpful. We need people to commit to our events and show up. I know it can be expensive but it will be given back to you in so many ways.

[HossZX14]

During this winter when our bikes are hibernating in the garage we need to keep meeting. During these meetings we need to brainstorm and come up with the answers we are all asking in regards to getting this bike week going. Hooking up with street vibrations might work and give us a hand starting this event. We also need to get sponsors for our Bike Week,s events and figure out what events we can offer our sportbike brothers and sisters to come to Reno for. All I know is that after 50 years of riding and going to events around the country. (Laguna, Daytona, Laughlin, California Speedway, Sears Point, et. al.) The one thing that brought me back to those events was the fun I had. We have got to make this thing fun and affordable. I have a million ideas and I need to bounce these ideas off someone to seperate the wheat from the chaf so to speak. If us members of the SSA want to make the SSA a successful club like Scramp is for Laguna Seca we need to make a decision to just do it. Lets start the fire !!!!!!!

[SJ2477]

I have been a primary coordinator for a west coast car event for years (I've been out for two years) but did it for six.  It's time consuming and not overly rewarding. 

Here is what we offered for the price of registration ($65 was our average); event shirt, dash plaque, Friday night meet n greet w/ food, Saturday show and shine, bbq hosted by the members and our friends at Costco and a live band.  Sunday was a poker run or in this case a track day at Fernley.  Our club was primarily from Northern CA that included Northern NV.  Our first event had 19 vehicles and over 45 participants.  Our largest event was 98 vehicles and over 200 participants. 

This became the only money making venture for our club.  The paid for club pins and internet related stuff.   

A host hotel with a block of rooms, a band or dj or what every you want for music of you choose.  Band's aren't cheap.  Are you going to offer trophies or awards?   If you do a track day or poker run this will have to be arranged in advance.  Shirt designs have to be made and paid for as well as a run of shirts.  We had event shirt screen printed each event with a different picture that we designed with our graphics artist.  The shirts had a Reno flavor to them every year.  Someone will have to front some money for some items if the club has no funds readily available. 

Sponsors are getting hard to find and the economy isn't helping.  Luckily, this group, has a lot of business and they may participate.  Most sponsors in the auto industry only want to give out hats and their propaganda nothing worth value.  Most sponsors have a specific amount to give out each year.  Once that is met, they don't give any more.  You can get sponsors to donate money if you give them something in return.  One way we did it was offering their logo on the sleeve of our event shirt.  The last few years the club simply bought items our members would like.  We did a silent auction and held a raffle as well.  Silent auction and the raffle is where our club made money but the registration for the event paid for the event (food, awards and band etc). 

I'd be happy to help but not do all the work.  I'd be happy to sit down with you all and chat some more about this too sometime.

SJ

[Noleftturn]

Hmmm I like that idea.  And also have some to go with it as long I'll talk with some people more that interested about it.

[Adiggity]

This is a great idea. I agree with HossZX14 in that we should meet up in the off season to discuss and brainstorm the ideas. I'm sure everyone will have something valid to add and some of us might even be thinking the same thing. The SSA should be having meetings on a regular basis to discuss club business anyways imo. And I'm not talking about bike night. I am talking about a scheduled meeting on a regular basis just to discuss club issues, ideas and directions to go with those ideas. Everyone should be welcome but we should maybe leave the final decision to a few that are possibly voted in by the members. Kind of like AFM does it or um, I don't know, the USA. There is a reason why we have the most successful country in the world. Right? Just some of my thoughts.

[rrgurl]

Well I have been reading all of your post and I am new to your club. I say your club at the moment because I have only been to one bike night so far and haven't been able to make a group ride yet. However, I do intend to, many times over.

Anyway... to put my two cents worth into the mix... I have been a journalist for many years and also worked in the PR field, my formal training in PR and journalism was in the U.S. Army. I still have lots of contacts across the country and still know the PR world and how it works.
My thoughts on turning people on to Reno/Tahoe for a bike week type event, sport bike related is all in the PR and who you can get to not only perform at the event, but what other entertainment can you bring to those that cannot ride in the manner in which we pride ourselves. i.e. the wannabes, the back seaters, the I just bought a bike to look cool, and the Oh, ya I save gas and walk all winter because I can't afford a car or truck too.

We want to entertain them, or rather, take their money. How do you do that, with entertaining events and a pack-full-of-fun week. We don't want to leave room for anyone to be bored. This includes all types of age events.

Not only should we try to attempt a superbike race including several leveled events, from amateur to pro. At least as pro as we can get. Also drag races for the novice as well as the big dogs. If we play our cards right we can get several events happening. I am making the Sac to Bay ride on the 6th and am awaiting my confirmation to spend time with and interview Jason Britton from Superbikes for an article I am writing to submit to Sport Bike magazine. He and his crew would be great to have at an event here in Reno.

Since we are gearing this towards sport bikes and riders, we can have events all around the Reno/Tahoe area. This means perhaps a ride to Fallon to TOP GUN Raceway for a drag racing event. This event can be paid for in advance with the purchase to participate in the Bike Week. There is also Rattlesnake raceway, which my Uncle runs, however, not sure how we can come up with it to incorporate into a bike event. Although, I'm sure we can figure anything out.

We can include a ride up to Tahoe for a concert or a ride on the Tahoe Queen; included in the fee to participate in the ride. The concert should be of a top performer. I do have contacts with several PR people that maybe, no guarantees, but maybe I could work on something. In my experience, their PR people don't like to get caught up in maybe events though.

The bottom line is this, we have to find a nitch, a catch something that people want to come to, spend money on and support. One aspect that helps bring in people is knowing a percentage of the money goes to a charity, a local charity of some sort. Autism is a very well know disease and in need of more funding on a regular basis.

I headed up the PR side for several events when I was in the Army and when I got out, included was one done for Nevada's First Lady Dawn Gibbon's. Dawn is the chair for the Autism program here in Nevada. Anyway, it's just a thought.

The reality is this; if you want to make it happen, you can, it all depends on how hard people want it to happen. It takes time! A lot of time. A great event takes nearly a year to plan. Having venues, performers and events takes time. The way to make it happen is not only SSA having meeting throughout the year and having elected officials to perform certain duties, but assigning and having volunteers in a "Reno Bike Week" committee. The spokesperson for that committee attends the biweekly or monthly SSA Board members meetings, who then reports the status to the entire group on bike nights.

The only way to make an event continue from year to year is making the first one great and everyone after that greater.

Well that's my nonsense for now. Sorry if I seem a bit overwhelming and for rambling on a bit in a forum I'm not really a part of, at least not yet. 

Thank you all in advance for listening, I tend to go on a bit when I get an idea.

Viki
see you at the next bike night. 

[Adiggity]

Well that's my nonsense for now. Sorry if I seem a bit overwhelming and for rambling on a bit in a forum I'm not really a part of, at least not yet. 

Thank you all in advance for listening, I tend to go on a bit when I get an idea.

Viki
see you at the next bike night. 

Hardly nonsense! Sounds like you could add a lot of valuable input on this. Thanks for your thoughts Viki. 

[MotoPutz]

Well that's my nonsense for now. Sorry if I seem a bit overwhelming and for rambling on a bit in a forum I'm not really a part of, at least not yet. 

Thank you all in advance for listening, I tend to go on a bit when I get an idea.

Viki
see you at the next bike night. 

Hardly nonsense! Sounds like you could add a lot of valuable input on this. Thanks for your thoughts Viki. 

+1

[n10sive]

Well that's my nonsense for now. Sorry if I seem a bit overwhelming and for rambling on a bit in a forum I'm not really a part of, at least not yet. 

Thank you all in advance for listening, I tend to go on a bit when I get an idea.

Viki
see you at the next bike night. 

WOW! Lots of really nice input!!! Thank you!

Your not going to be able to get rid of Jerome now as he'll be talking to you ALL the time now 

[A DRAGON]

Thanks guys I was trying to be cool and calm.