Ok, so I've been pushing the Motorcycle Parts and Accessories videos thing pretty hard, so my wife says to me today, "Why don't you just do videos and marketing for any and all businesses, it can't be that different." And she's right. Why have I been trying to stick just in the motorcycle industry, obviously there isn't much work there right now.
So, begins the next adventure. I'm brushing up on some of the latest trends in Digital Marketing and production distribution in order to position myself as a front runner or Leader in the local Digital Marketing arena. I'm not sure what the other ad agencies are doing right now, I guess I'll have to get back into the swing of things, do some more research to find out what they are doing locally and find out what I need to do to be better than them, more successful for my clients and keep ahead of the game.
In this ever changing market of new social medias, outlets and ways of getting your info to your customers quickly, efficently and with targeted results, it's getting harder and harder to grab peoples attention and get them to act on something.
The social media platforms offer soo many different ways to create results that it can make your head spin. But as I dig deeper into what works and doesn't work, it gets suprisingly simple. There are some tactics to use that can generate 10 times as many feedbacks, responses and clicks for customers as to others. Now what I'm trying to do is find that winning formula, when I find it, I'll build a package around that, allow for variances and room to play depending on the client and then run with it.
Don't be suprised if I make some announcements shortly as to some great things that are coming down the pipe.
Hope to see some of you as customers in the very near future.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Summer is gone and the winter has set in. Bummer, where did that time go?
I still have the feeling of the wind in my hair, bug splatter on my teeth and the rumbling vibration itch on my butt, however I just cannot get over the feeling that the long set in winter is going to be dismal and gloomy. I'm going to miss hanging out with my friends at my buddies garage, I'm gonna miss wing night at Scooters and the chicks in leather chaps and booty pants. The time spent polishing the bike, putting on those really cool new parts that I ordered online or from the catalog that sits in the bathroom and on the garage bench is all but gone, I won't see it again until the spring. I'm so miserable. But how can I get over these Winter Motorcycle Blues?
I've been in the same situation many times but now I've compiled a short list of ways that you can get over those Winter Motorcycle Blues and they are as follows. Remember, you don't have to take my word for it, but these are some suggestions that get me through those short days and long nights of winter.
1. Repair Manuals - Reading the complete repair manual for your motorcycle takes your mind and puts it right there with your motorcycle. You see every part thats on your bike, you find out new ways to maintain the bike, where things bolt on and how you can now upgrade your bike with parts and accessories. This gives you an opportunity to learn more about the bike that you ride.
2. 10 Point Maintenance - If you've got a motorcycle, you really need to take this down to time to do some real work on the bike. Check the following items on your motorcycle and take care of them. I'll elaborate more in another article. Fluids/Oil/Transmission/Brake - Chain/Belt - Tire Tread - Tire Pressure - Brakes - Battery - Electrical / Lights - Tighten Nuts and Bolts - Filters / Air / Oil etc. - Cables - Wheel Spokes and last but not least make sure your license and tags are up to date.
3. Wing Night - Your favorite watering hole still has specials going on in the winter time and you can still keep up with some of your buddies talking about bikes, rides and upcoming Poker Runs or talk about what happened over the past year. This also gives you an opportunity to hear what others are doing with their bikes over the winter to fight the Winter Motorcycle Blues, it's like a support group.
4. Put New Parts On - You may get some gift cards or extra cash for Christmas and now you can get that set of grips or some new floor boards to put on your bike. Pull out your favorite catalog or get online and find the stuff that you've always wanted and now have the money for and get a little dirt on your hands. Just like doing the maintenance, this gives you a chance to get to know your bike better, the more you have your hands on it, the more likely you are going to find something that could have become a disaster on the first ride of the year.
5. Watch motorcycle movies, pull out the Wild Hogs or Easy Riders DVD and put it in to get back in the zone of riding and having fun with friends.
6. Treat your Leathers - Nows also a good time to get some of your favorite brand of leather treatment and rub down your leather coat, chaps, gloves and vest. This keeps your gear in good condition and ready to go when the weather allows for that first 50 degree day to get things going again.
These are just some of the things that I do to get over those Winter Motorcycle Blues and keep my mind on the road, thinking about the good times with friends, straightening the curves and feeling that rush of throwing a leg over your steal stallion, hearing the squeak of leather as you toss the coat on your back and turning the key and pushing the start button on your motorcycle. Until the next article, Ride safe and we'll see you on the road.
Until the warm breezes start to blow again and the sun begins to shine at 6 am, keep your thoughts on the road, two wheels in your heart and the open road on your mind. One last point, get that new pair of boots that you wanted and start to break them in wearing them around the house.
Shannon Appleby has been in the motorcycle industry since 2005 and has had the opportunity to become friends with some of the most influential people in the world when it comes to the Two Wheel passion. Regularly attending Daytona Bike Week, Biketoberfest, Sturgis and many more, along with building his first bike by finding a basket case and completely rebuilding it just to understand the bike more. Shannon has created over 300 videos covering motorcycle parts and accessories, custom bike builds and motorcycle rallies and events. You can see more of Shannon and his passion for motorcycles at his website http://www.motorcyclepartsandaccessoriesvideos.com
I've been in the same situation many times but now I've compiled a short list of ways that you can get over those Winter Motorcycle Blues and they are as follows. Remember, you don't have to take my word for it, but these are some suggestions that get me through those short days and long nights of winter.
1. Repair Manuals - Reading the complete repair manual for your motorcycle takes your mind and puts it right there with your motorcycle. You see every part thats on your bike, you find out new ways to maintain the bike, where things bolt on and how you can now upgrade your bike with parts and accessories. This gives you an opportunity to learn more about the bike that you ride.
2. 10 Point Maintenance - If you've got a motorcycle, you really need to take this down to time to do some real work on the bike. Check the following items on your motorcycle and take care of them. I'll elaborate more in another article. Fluids/Oil/Transmission/Brake - Chain/Belt - Tire Tread - Tire Pressure - Brakes - Battery - Electrical / Lights - Tighten Nuts and Bolts - Filters / Air / Oil etc. - Cables - Wheel Spokes and last but not least make sure your license and tags are up to date.
3. Wing Night - Your favorite watering hole still has specials going on in the winter time and you can still keep up with some of your buddies talking about bikes, rides and upcoming Poker Runs or talk about what happened over the past year. This also gives you an opportunity to hear what others are doing with their bikes over the winter to fight the Winter Motorcycle Blues, it's like a support group.
4. Put New Parts On - You may get some gift cards or extra cash for Christmas and now you can get that set of grips or some new floor boards to put on your bike. Pull out your favorite catalog or get online and find the stuff that you've always wanted and now have the money for and get a little dirt on your hands. Just like doing the maintenance, this gives you a chance to get to know your bike better, the more you have your hands on it, the more likely you are going to find something that could have become a disaster on the first ride of the year.
5. Watch motorcycle movies, pull out the Wild Hogs or Easy Riders DVD and put it in to get back in the zone of riding and having fun with friends.
6. Treat your Leathers - Nows also a good time to get some of your favorite brand of leather treatment and rub down your leather coat, chaps, gloves and vest. This keeps your gear in good condition and ready to go when the weather allows for that first 50 degree day to get things going again.
These are just some of the things that I do to get over those Winter Motorcycle Blues and keep my mind on the road, thinking about the good times with friends, straightening the curves and feeling that rush of throwing a leg over your steal stallion, hearing the squeak of leather as you toss the coat on your back and turning the key and pushing the start button on your motorcycle. Until the next article, Ride safe and we'll see you on the road.
Until the warm breezes start to blow again and the sun begins to shine at 6 am, keep your thoughts on the road, two wheels in your heart and the open road on your mind. One last point, get that new pair of boots that you wanted and start to break them in wearing them around the house.
Shannon Appleby has been in the motorcycle industry since 2005 and has had the opportunity to become friends with some of the most influential people in the world when it comes to the Two Wheel passion. Regularly attending Daytona Bike Week, Biketoberfest, Sturgis and many more, along with building his first bike by finding a basket case and completely rebuilding it just to understand the bike more. Shannon has created over 300 videos covering motorcycle parts and accessories, custom bike builds and motorcycle rallies and events. You can see more of Shannon and his passion for motorcycles at his website http://www.motorcyclepartsandaccessoriesvideos.com
Motorcycle Safety and Riding Gear from the Ground Up
Most of us ride with some common sense after having several years of riding under our butt and can make good decisions on what to wear while riding. Others yet haven’t had the time on a bike to take a spill, lay the bike down or even see what can happen to someone else when the human body hits the pavement at 60 miles per hour. So, I’m going to give you some tips on what motorcycle riding apparel to wear and not to wear from the ground up, this is an article to help you save your hide, literally.
1. Footwear: First of all, let me get the stuff out of the way on not to wear either because it’s just stupid or you will look like a moron. Open toed anything, sandals, shoes, flipflops etc. They are just wrong. Next would be dress shoes, sneakers, loafers or crocs. These kinds of shoes don’t have any protection to speak of. What to wear: Proper riding boots should be your first choice. Good riding boots can run up to over $200 bucks but they provide the best protection, water proofing and support. Good boots can make the difference between a great ride and a not so great ride. When coming to a stop on a city street, there is oil, tranny fluid or even some soda that somebody dumped out of their window and this can make for a very slippery situation, having a boot with a good slip resistant sole can make the difference when putting your foot down for a red light. Waterproof boots will also keep you nice and dry and warm when on a ride and the weather changes or you have to go through some puddles after a rain has come through. Support in those same boots can reduce the possibility of a broken ankle or foot should you have an accident also. If you are on a budget, at least look into some good hiking or work boots, decent ankle support for the long ride, good traction and waterproofing as well. These can hold up for a long time and this is what I wore when I first started riding.
2. Legs: Denim is a good start as it is a rugged and durable fabric that can last a long time, but when you hit the pavement, that cotton will shred like toilet paper on a drum sander. Leather and new modern textiles designed for motorcycle riding are the best choice. Make sure to select something with re-enforced knees and a proper fit for your body type. There is nothing worse than chaps or pants that bind up on your knees, waist or crotch when you are on a long ride. Besides, if you do take that spill, you will at least keep the skin on your seat, literally. What Not to Wear: Shorts of any kind, it's not safe from the road, bugs or the heat of the engine at all and they simply look stupid while riding a motorcycle.
3. Jacket: Even in the desert, you may think wearing a nice cool T-Shirt from the local dealership will keep you nice and cool but you are sadly mistaken. As the wind runs past your skin on a hot day, two things are happening that will make for a very bad day. 1. Is a good ol’ fashion sun burn. I know you can slather on some good ol’ SPF 50 to keep the rays away but it’s still not safe against bugs, rocks, birds or anything else that may fly up, not to mention if you biff it. 2. Dehydration, as that glorious wind passes by, it’s evaporating any sweat that may be coming out very fast so you have to put out more. Unless you are drinking a gallon of water every 50 miles, you are going to get groggy, weak and start to have a nasty headache that the best over the counter pill can’t get rid of. When riding you should keep it all covered. A quality riding jacket, whether leather or new modern textiles will make things much more pleasurable. Be sure to select the right fit, something that has a removable liner to let you ride longer in the season or when the temps have dipped overnight and it has good re-enforced elbows and shoulders. Most of these will have zipper vents in them too, this keeps some airflow to keep you dry and cool in the hot summer sun, you won’t get a sunburn and the bugs won’t be like little missiles attacking you. There are several reputable manufacturers out there to buy from, just do some research on this and read some reviews before purchasing. Also, go and try it on in person, I know buying online is easy and compulsive, but make sure the size you pick fits you and what you’ll be wearing. Too loose will just flop in the wind and too tight will restrict your movement and reaction time, plus it can create pinch points on your skin at the elbows, shoulders and back.
4. Gloves: Protect your hands from the bugs, rocks and elements too. There’s nothing like riding with cramped up hands from the cold or just your knuckles getting blasted by flying things. I don’t mean the brown Jersey gloves for 99 cents either, I mean, shell out a few bucks for something that’s going to last you a few years. Padded palms, vents, knuckle blocks and other features go a long way to comfort while riding. I have two different pairs of gloves, one with a lower cut for the summer riding, they still go under my jacket sleeves and allow some breeze up the sleeve too, they have re-enforced knuckles and padded palms with a nice style in black leather, the other pair has the same features with the added bonus of insulation and a longer arm cut to go on the outside of my jacket and up about 4 inches to keep out the elements such as cold and rain.
5. Helmet: This is possibly the most important piece of safety gear you can buy besides an education at any Motorcycle Safety Foundation Training School. Do not purchase your helmets online. Every head size and shape is different. Select a helmet that meets your needs. I personally have a full face flip-up helmet. I like this because I can get it out of my way if I need to grab a quick drink of water or something. Full Face, open face or bucket is a personal preference and each has its own unique characteristics that offer more protection, style and comfort. One helmet that fits a person with a 24 ¼ inch head may not fit someone else with the same size head. Your cheeks, ears, forehead and even your hair style will make a difference. Go to a showroom and try on several different ones, make sure it’s going to fit properly and not be too loose or too tight. Too loose will flop around on your head and give you a pain in the neck and head, plus this will offer less protection in a crash, this could break your neck. Too tight will just make it uncomfortable to ride and discourage you from wearing it. If you choose a helmet without a face shield, always make sure to wear some sort of EYE PROTECTION. This is important, there are tons of manufacturers out there that make Sunglasses or goggles that even fit over your prescription glasses. A Bug or dust in the eye while riding can cause you to crash and your eyes can get very dried out too. This is important even on a short trip to the grocery store.
Remember, This is an investment into your own future and it only takes a fall a few feet from the ground to kill you or injure yourself, so don’t take the risk. Getting lazy with your safety gear just one time is all it takes to do some permanent damage. And make sure you research what you are going to get, it’ll save you time and money right from the start. As you ride more, you’ll figure out better solutions for what makes you comfortable too since the new stuff sometimes needs a little time to break it in.
So get out there, use your gear, ride until the rubber is gone and enjoy your time on two wheels.
Shannon Appleby has been in the motorcycle industry since 2005 and has had the opportunity to become friends with some of the most influential people in the world when it comes to the Two Wheel passion. Regularly attending Daytona Bike Week, Biketoberfest, Sturgis and many more, along with building his first bike by finding a basket case and completely rebuilding it just to understand the bike more. Shannon has created over 300 videos covering motorcycle parts and accessories, custom bike builds and motorcycle rallies and events. You can see more of Shannon and his passion for motorcycles at his website http://www.motorcyclepartsandaccessoriesvideos.com
1. Footwear: First of all, let me get the stuff out of the way on not to wear either because it’s just stupid or you will look like a moron. Open toed anything, sandals, shoes, flipflops etc. They are just wrong. Next would be dress shoes, sneakers, loafers or crocs. These kinds of shoes don’t have any protection to speak of. What to wear: Proper riding boots should be your first choice. Good riding boots can run up to over $200 bucks but they provide the best protection, water proofing and support. Good boots can make the difference between a great ride and a not so great ride. When coming to a stop on a city street, there is oil, tranny fluid or even some soda that somebody dumped out of their window and this can make for a very slippery situation, having a boot with a good slip resistant sole can make the difference when putting your foot down for a red light. Waterproof boots will also keep you nice and dry and warm when on a ride and the weather changes or you have to go through some puddles after a rain has come through. Support in those same boots can reduce the possibility of a broken ankle or foot should you have an accident also. If you are on a budget, at least look into some good hiking or work boots, decent ankle support for the long ride, good traction and waterproofing as well. These can hold up for a long time and this is what I wore when I first started riding.
2. Legs: Denim is a good start as it is a rugged and durable fabric that can last a long time, but when you hit the pavement, that cotton will shred like toilet paper on a drum sander. Leather and new modern textiles designed for motorcycle riding are the best choice. Make sure to select something with re-enforced knees and a proper fit for your body type. There is nothing worse than chaps or pants that bind up on your knees, waist or crotch when you are on a long ride. Besides, if you do take that spill, you will at least keep the skin on your seat, literally. What Not to Wear: Shorts of any kind, it's not safe from the road, bugs or the heat of the engine at all and they simply look stupid while riding a motorcycle.
3. Jacket: Even in the desert, you may think wearing a nice cool T-Shirt from the local dealership will keep you nice and cool but you are sadly mistaken. As the wind runs past your skin on a hot day, two things are happening that will make for a very bad day. 1. Is a good ol’ fashion sun burn. I know you can slather on some good ol’ SPF 50 to keep the rays away but it’s still not safe against bugs, rocks, birds or anything else that may fly up, not to mention if you biff it. 2. Dehydration, as that glorious wind passes by, it’s evaporating any sweat that may be coming out very fast so you have to put out more. Unless you are drinking a gallon of water every 50 miles, you are going to get groggy, weak and start to have a nasty headache that the best over the counter pill can’t get rid of. When riding you should keep it all covered. A quality riding jacket, whether leather or new modern textiles will make things much more pleasurable. Be sure to select the right fit, something that has a removable liner to let you ride longer in the season or when the temps have dipped overnight and it has good re-enforced elbows and shoulders. Most of these will have zipper vents in them too, this keeps some airflow to keep you dry and cool in the hot summer sun, you won’t get a sunburn and the bugs won’t be like little missiles attacking you. There are several reputable manufacturers out there to buy from, just do some research on this and read some reviews before purchasing. Also, go and try it on in person, I know buying online is easy and compulsive, but make sure the size you pick fits you and what you’ll be wearing. Too loose will just flop in the wind and too tight will restrict your movement and reaction time, plus it can create pinch points on your skin at the elbows, shoulders and back.
4. Gloves: Protect your hands from the bugs, rocks and elements too. There’s nothing like riding with cramped up hands from the cold or just your knuckles getting blasted by flying things. I don’t mean the brown Jersey gloves for 99 cents either, I mean, shell out a few bucks for something that’s going to last you a few years. Padded palms, vents, knuckle blocks and other features go a long way to comfort while riding. I have two different pairs of gloves, one with a lower cut for the summer riding, they still go under my jacket sleeves and allow some breeze up the sleeve too, they have re-enforced knuckles and padded palms with a nice style in black leather, the other pair has the same features with the added bonus of insulation and a longer arm cut to go on the outside of my jacket and up about 4 inches to keep out the elements such as cold and rain.
5. Helmet: This is possibly the most important piece of safety gear you can buy besides an education at any Motorcycle Safety Foundation Training School. Do not purchase your helmets online. Every head size and shape is different. Select a helmet that meets your needs. I personally have a full face flip-up helmet. I like this because I can get it out of my way if I need to grab a quick drink of water or something. Full Face, open face or bucket is a personal preference and each has its own unique characteristics that offer more protection, style and comfort. One helmet that fits a person with a 24 ¼ inch head may not fit someone else with the same size head. Your cheeks, ears, forehead and even your hair style will make a difference. Go to a showroom and try on several different ones, make sure it’s going to fit properly and not be too loose or too tight. Too loose will flop around on your head and give you a pain in the neck and head, plus this will offer less protection in a crash, this could break your neck. Too tight will just make it uncomfortable to ride and discourage you from wearing it. If you choose a helmet without a face shield, always make sure to wear some sort of EYE PROTECTION. This is important, there are tons of manufacturers out there that make Sunglasses or goggles that even fit over your prescription glasses. A Bug or dust in the eye while riding can cause you to crash and your eyes can get very dried out too. This is important even on a short trip to the grocery store.
Remember, This is an investment into your own future and it only takes a fall a few feet from the ground to kill you or injure yourself, so don’t take the risk. Getting lazy with your safety gear just one time is all it takes to do some permanent damage. And make sure you research what you are going to get, it’ll save you time and money right from the start. As you ride more, you’ll figure out better solutions for what makes you comfortable too since the new stuff sometimes needs a little time to break it in.
So get out there, use your gear, ride until the rubber is gone and enjoy your time on two wheels.
Shannon Appleby has been in the motorcycle industry since 2005 and has had the opportunity to become friends with some of the most influential people in the world when it comes to the Two Wheel passion. Regularly attending Daytona Bike Week, Biketoberfest, Sturgis and many more, along with building his first bike by finding a basket case and completely rebuilding it just to understand the bike more. Shannon has created over 300 videos covering motorcycle parts and accessories, custom bike builds and motorcycle rallies and events. You can see more of Shannon and his passion for motorcycles at his website http://www.motorcyclepartsandaccessoriesvideos.com
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Swapmeet
This weekend is going to be fun, I'm going to be setting up a booth for Strong Arm Brands of lubricant and penetrating oil. This stuff is awesome, I use it on my motorcycles, guns and everything else that needs to be squeek free and protected from water and moisture.
The motorcycle swapmeet is in Ottumwa by the Iowa ABATE District 14 crew. I hear it's a pretty good swapmeet and we should see quite a few customers. I've been using the product for a few years now and I truely live by it... I've treated my leather coat with it, cleaned the rust off of the chrome parts of a 1974 Yamaha RD250 bike and everything on my 82 KZ1100 motorcycle.
I hope to be able to do more of these shows in the future, it's a foot in the door for doing the video production for motorcycle parts and accessories.
My other website is http://www.motorcyclepartsandaccessoriesvideos.com/ and that is where I do the video production of Motorcycle Parts and Accessories, product videos, promotional videos and branding videos.
Check it out if you get a chance, also find it on Facebook and make sure to LIKE it so if you have any friends interested, they may hire me too. I'll have some samples up soon too.
The motorcycle swapmeet is in Ottumwa by the Iowa ABATE District 14 crew. I hear it's a pretty good swapmeet and we should see quite a few customers. I've been using the product for a few years now and I truely live by it... I've treated my leather coat with it, cleaned the rust off of the chrome parts of a 1974 Yamaha RD250 bike and everything on my 82 KZ1100 motorcycle.
I hope to be able to do more of these shows in the future, it's a foot in the door for doing the video production for motorcycle parts and accessories.
My other website is http://www.motorcyclepartsandaccessoriesvideos.com/ and that is where I do the video production of Motorcycle Parts and Accessories, product videos, promotional videos and branding videos.
Check it out if you get a chance, also find it on Facebook and make sure to LIKE it so if you have any friends interested, they may hire me too. I'll have some samples up soon too.
Shannon Appleby wants to stay in touch on LinkedIn
Blog Submission, I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn. - Shannon Appleby
© 2010, LinkedIn Corporation  |
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
AMA Awards Motorcyclist of the Year to its Most Harmful Opponent
Post By: Jeff Cobb on Thursday December 9 2010 As Motorcycle News,News
Taking notes from a liberal progressive organization, the ordinarily conservative American Motorcyclist Association has decided to export some good old passive aggression from its humble offices in Ohio back to California.
Specifically, the AMA has named Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as its Motorcyclist of the Year.
Why? Because he did more damage to the industry than any other person in 2010 by signing S.B. 435, an anti-noise law that is poorly crafted, discriminates against motorcyclists, will be difficult to enforce, and will hurt the already struggling industry.
Yes, he did damage, so he gets the annual prize. Makes sense, right?
AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman justified the award by saying, "the AMA Motorcyclist of the Year designation recognizes the person(s) who has had the most profound impact on the world of motorcycling, for better or worse, in the previous 12 months."
Strange criteria to bestow an ostensible honor you say?
The AMA says it modeled its award criteria on Time Magazine's Man of the Year, which at other times has awarded it to Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini.
Okay. We get that. Sort of.
But in Hitler's case, at least, when he was awarded MOTY in 1938, the U.S. was still trying to appease him, and we were not in open conflict with Germany. That same year, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain also issued his misbegotten prophecy that they will have "peace for our time."
But would Hitler have gotten the award in 1945 after he was seen for what he was?
Would the U.S now offer Osama bin Laden Man of the Year?
Any takers? Do any Americans want to nominate Osama bin Laden? After all, has anyone allegedly had more "profound impact" on our country?
How about we nominate the Taliban, and invite its leaders to a banquet dinner to present the award?
Actually, if this doesn't sound absurd enough, Time did consider making bin Laden its Person of the Year in 2001, but decided not to.
That his nomination could be taken seriously sounds pretty perverse to me.
Given that the AMA did cross that line and chose a man seen as most harmful to its cause makes me question the AMA's position, tactics, and forthrightness.
The AMA's award has only existed since 2008, so there's not a long case history of other villains getting the award. In fact Arnie is the first.
According to AMA rep Pete terHorst, "In 2008, the AMA recognized AMA Board Chairman Stan Simpson for helping turn the AMA around, and last year it was America's youth riders because they were/are the victims most impacted by the CPSIA or "lead law."
So clearly, the AMA understands the award can go to positive movers and shakers, and reserves the right to make political statements with its award. But last year it honored victims. This year it called attention to a perpetrator.
Very interesting.
Please don't take us wrong. We adamantly support the AMA, and its endorsement of the proposed SAE J2825 motorcycle sound test, of which terHorst says, "The SAE J2825 is the way to go (which the MIC underwrote) and AMA has been pushing it wherever we could, but it's an uphill struggle."
We do agree with the AMA that the Schwarzenegger has done a horrible disservice to the industry.
It's only noteworthy that Time Magazine's standard was seen as a model to emulate by the normally conservative AMA.
In the eyes of some, we fear this will be seen as an act of passive aggression of the highest order. It might even be seen as shrill.
There is little doubt, the AMA, which was over-ruled, and lost its battle at least for now, gave the award to shame Schwarzenegger.
Dingman ends his press release by saying, "We will continue to work with municipal governments and state legislatures to implement reasonable measures, such as the SAE J2825 standard, to address excessive motorcycle sound. But we now have the added burden of showing how California's new measure is not an effective solution, and we have Gov. Schwarzenegger to thank for that."
So they "thank" him by making him Motorcyclist of the Year.
But heh, what do we know? In today's climate the AMA's posturing may be effective.
But is it setting a solid example of taking the high road in this battle?
We are actually sorry to see the AMA in such a situation. According to Dingman in his editorial titled "Sitting on the sidelines is not an option," the AMA has only 245,000 members out of an estimated 20 million riders.
Is it any wonder it is having to resort to tactics like its latest MOTY award?
We would encourage more of you who've not joined already to do so and send donations to the AMA.
Clearly the motorcyclists of America have their proverbial back up against a political wall. The AMA is fighting as best it can. We understand that.
We think the AMA's ploy ought to serve not only as a wake-up call to politicians (who don't care), but to you who are motorcyclists who say you do care!
We all need to unite more than ever, because there are more politicians than the former Terminator who'd like to terminate your rights as a rider.
What do you think? Did the AMA make the right move with its MotY selection? Please leave a comment or discuss it at this forum thread.
Living the life of the UNEMPLOYED
Ok, so back in August, I was fired from my job. Of course, this came as no suprise to me, they had slowly been giving my job duties out to other people where I was down to just doing the video shooting and editing. Well, I went after unemployment... That was my first mistake. The company fought it and I won, the first time. Then they were given the chance to appeal it, and they won. But not until after I had gotten a few months of unemployment benefits. $4,087.00 to be exact. Since they won the battle, I now have to pay all of that back. Now, since I don't have a job, I have to pay back the UNEMPLOYMENT benefits that I did receive. THIS SUCKS!
Anyway, about living while unemployed. You might think, Great, plenty of time to go fishin, work in the garage, get stuff done around the house...... You would think that. But some people end up getting into a slump of depression, you don't feel like waking up, you feel like a loser, you aren't bringing any money into the house and above all that, if you do take some time to go fishing, after looking for a job that day, then your wife busts down on you for doing it. It's like "Your not working, you cannot be going fishing." I don't know how people can go for months or especially Years without having a job. I think it sucks. You sit around on the couch, get fat, lazy, out of shape and above all else, there is still a ton of stuff to do around the house but you just can't get your ass off the computer, facebook, youtube, tv, Xbox etc to go and do anything.
Well, I know this first hand. There are a million and one things around this house I planned on doing while I had the time off. I was going to clean the garage... Well. I did that but got into another project while doing that and it ended up even worse. I was going to really insulate the house by filling in some of the cracks in the basement, attic, seal the windows, doors etc. Never got around to that cause I had to update my status and see what everyone else was up to.
I did however take time to work on my website, updated my social status like every 15 minutes or so and I even did some voluteer work by building a new website for http://www.campwyoming.net/.
My wife said the other day, "I thought you were gonna take like a month off to find a job, it's been 5 months." I was shocked, where had the time gone? What had I done in all that time?
I looked back on it and really, I spent a majority of that time on the computer. I was on facebook, youtube and email most of my day. I didn't get jack diddly done. Even when it was really nice, I only went riding my bike a few times.. I could have gotten thousands of miles in on my bike, I could have done Temp work, I could have done that household work like laundry, dishes, vacuum and much more, but I didn't.
So, here's my resolution. Until I find a job, I'm going to set a timer and limit myself to 30 minutes online a day, give or take an hour for work stuff. I should be able to write a blog, update my status, see what is going on in the world, check the weather, look for a job and go over my schedule in that amount of time.
I resolve to help keep the house picked up, help with laundry and get some much needed things done. I'm going to start by picking up the house before the wife gets home today, then start going through things on the porch to get rid of for a garage sale in the spring. I've got really cool stuff and I don't know why anyone wouldn't give a few bucks for it.
So, off I go, on my new adventure of being a housewife.....
Until I get a job of course......
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