Wolf Rider #3 and 4

I posted the first and second of this series here.  Now I thought you might enjoy the third and forth episodes.  I'm not sure how often they are being released but once per week seems about right.

I'm not sure what to think  They are not "HA HA" funny but it's nice to see that Honda has got a good sense of humor and it's done in conjunction with the Onion.  So the production quality is pretty good.  It's also nice to see that they are promoting ATGATT as well.  I'll settle on "cute."

I enjoy the video's because they poke fun at a lot of  "biker culture."  Notice for example how the Sepia tones above for Episode 4 remind you some of Steve McQueen.

I'll be honest...your on your own for episodes # 5 and beyond.  It's called YouTube People!

This is also my last posting for the month of July.

Honda gets silly

...and creates a great new ad campaign (maybe?).  These were done in conjunction with the Onion, America's leading snarky news source.

So far there are only two in the series, but hopefully more to follow.

T

Honda undoubtedly gave its blessing, and even though it's done tongue in cheek, the "everyday guy" vibe hasn't been seen since Honda`s "You meet the nicest people on a Honda" campaign of 30 or so ago.  

Now I am left to wonder, is this the snarky beginning of a new ad campaign...or just a stupid comedy bit?  Personally I am hoping it's an ad campaign.  Not all motorcycle adverts have to be barely dressed girls and tight corners.  

I personally applaud something new now and again.  

Charity....a guest post

I enjoy writing.  I try to write something everyday even if it's just in my head.  In the past I've written articles for soccer websites and magazines.  Contributed an odd piece or two to alternative lifestyle magazines and websites; I've actually working on something now about my slow decent into the decadent life of growing my own vegetables (what did you think I meant you pervert?).

Calvin and Hobbs, all rights reserved.

Given the last month or so of personal and family issues that I've been dealing with however I've not had much time to do any sort of writing, so the good people of Motorcycle House offered to write this weeks column for me.  I've been thinking quite a bit about charity lately.  I been reading some heartbreaking story's and have dealt with some issues recently where the charity of others has been on display.

Since I am planning to ride on the Scooters for Hooters Charity ride in May, I asked the good people at Motorcycle House to jot down something about how they help charities.  After all bikers do a lot of work that is not often covered in the press...from the Patriot Guard Riders to your local Toys for Tot's run.  They were nice enough to send me the following, which I now present to you.

Here are a couple ways to raise money for Charities. No matter the charity you might have in mind, there’s several different ways to raise money and funds for them while taking part in your passion. There is no better feeling than knowing you’re making a difference while also doing something you love. Just think, there are so many different causes and problems out there that need addressing and funding. Riders from every types of background will be brought together to support a cause. For example, Sport bikes, Touring, Cruisers, and Scooters can band together to support a cause they all believe in. It’s up to you to see how you want to do it.

With so many different charities and equally important causes out there, you want to carefully pick the cause that is the most relatable to yourself. Choosing a good cause is important so you can stay passionate about the cause. That being said, choosing to help organize and raise funds for a charity requires commitment, it is time consuming and isn’t for everyone. Keep in mind that different methods will work better for different types of causes. A motorcycle fundraising event wouldn't be the best method to raise funds for PETA.  

There are several ways to help start a fundraiser for your charitable cause. Here are 3 of the most popular methods to raise funds.

1.       Organizing a charity event fundraiser. You set the date and send out the invitation for a bunch of riders to come to your chosen venue for an event fundraiser. You can raise funds this way many different ways. You can charge an entry fee, the fee will include a raffle ticket and the prizes can be donated. This is a very common and popular method of raising funds for your cause. The possibilities for your event are endless. There are many things you can do to attract attendees and people to come. You can ask for assistance from businesses and other companies to help sponsor the event in order to gain exposure. Since bikers are the once who’ll comprise the majority of the attendees, you’re going to want to contact companies that are in the motorcycle industry like, Motorcycle House. You can ask them to donate a couple of products like saddlebags, vests, or jackets. For example, you can ask companies to donate something that is relatively inexpensive, like their Angel Fire Motorcycle Jacket under Viking Cycle Brand. At only $59 dollars, this is probably one of the least expensive leather jackets you can get anywhere. The jacket’s classic styling will definitely garner a lot of attention from the bikers.  

2.       Organize a Motorcycle Run. This is a quite popular option that you’ll see all over the US. Motorcycle riders especially love to rider. It’s no surprise that the turn outs for these type of events are normally very good. You can even go as far as organizing a police escort to help participants stay together. You can do this type of event in collaboration with an event at the end, or just another destination. These types of events are done to bring exposure to a cause. The funds are raised by having riders register and pay a small fee. While the fees are usually small, you’ll be able to get a lot of money if you can get a lot of motorcycle clubs to join the event and spreading the word that way.

3.       Everyone loves a contest. Raising funds by holding a contest or raffle is a great way to gain exposure. With so much technology available nowadays, you can reach many more people. Attract all types of different motorcycle riders by partnering with big brands to offer things or gift cards that they would want. This is similar to a raffle because you’ll have to ask companies to sponsor the event but the slightly different because you’ll have to earn your way into winning the prize etc.

There are just the 3 most popular methods of raising funds for your cause. To stay creative, combine and mix multiple ways of raising funds for the best effect. 

A ball of yarn (the revolution continues)

Before I begin this little article I need to explain how I view life.  Right now as I sit and write this my two cats, Tipper and Sparky, are playing with a ball of yarn.  They are having the time of there lives chasing it about, getting tangled in the loose threads and unraveling the yarn.   Some strings come apart; others are frayed and tangled, so much so your not sure where they begin and end.

What is more important?  The individual threads or the ball of yarn?  The ball of yarn represents society, the threads are all the various pieces that make up this crazy world.  Deep huh?  I bring that up because of the revolution what is going on right now in the motorcycling world.  While, that may be to strong of a word.  The forces that are acting on the motorcycling manufacturers are varied.  They have reacted in various ways, and for someone like me that likes to connect the various threads into a whole...it's been a joy to watch.

The mid range motorcycle market heats up with the introduction of the Harley Davidson "Street" group of bikes.  A 500cc and 750cc model which - despite much bitching from more traditional Harley riders - was a move Harley had to make to stay relevant in the market place.
Kawasaki enters the maxi scoot market with their J300 model, although at this time no US distribution is planned although I think that will change soon enough.  Honda is making a grab for a major chunk of the young urban professional market with there Grom, Forza and (highly modifiable) Ruckus models.  BMW exceed there projected sales of their "Urban Mobility" scooters by over 70% although no one expects that to last.  The Suzuki Burgman may not be the leader it once was in the maxi-scooter market and that is something Suzuki will need to address, and the reviews of the Kymco MyRoad are promising.

Suddenly it seems, there is a demand for mid size bikes.  Scooters seem to be leading the charge.  The question is why?

For one thing the traditional motorcycle audience is growing older, that much is obvious to all involved.  Sales have been falling over the last several years and  the industry needed to attract new riders.  Obvious again right?  There are other forces of course.  Crippling student debt for those under 30...lack of public transportation in most cities...the high cost of owning a car...people having to work 2 jobs just to make a decent wage.  More people than ever before are living with their parents, sometimes into the late 20's.

You contact the first two pieces of yarn and start to add the other threads.  You have to take into account other issues like the existing American highway system - your going to need some power to get from point A to B.  Your going to have to take into account gas prices and American sensibilities...the "Bigger is always Better" thought process that seems to define who we are.  Suddenly you have a large ball of yarn that leads you to one conclusion.

Any businessman will tell you that the group you want to advertise to is the 18 - 35 year old.  This is the age where, in the past, most of the disposable money was.  This is also the age where you establish brand loyalty.  If you start using product A at this age your most likely to use product A the rest of your life.  If your going to get someone on a bike this is the time to do it.

Advertisers and marketers are still singing the praises of the "You meet the nicest people on a Honda" commercials from the late 60's and early 70's.  Those ads probably did more to introduce the idea of a Japanese motorcycle to the to the states; they created an image.  An image the average joe could see themselves part of.   Items today like the Grom are seen as hip, fun and at a little under $3,000...very affordable!

The problem however is that this age group just does not have the same resources as it did ten or twenty, thirty years ago.  They have more options for what little disposable income they have.  A lot of smaller scooter companies realized this and took advantage of it.  That's one of the reasons if you look around in any city today you see a lot of little Chinese 50cc scoots.  The major motorcycle companies are jumping in into a market they believe will grow in the future, the mid sized range.  A lot of scooters are already there.

What's next may cause a heart attack in many traditional bikers, but the manual transmission is a dinosaur.  Expect to see more automatic motorcycles in the next five years or so.  A lot of people have cut their teeth on the automatic scooters, I don't expect them to change gears so to speak.

Personally I think it's a good thing.  I still don't think we will see the streets full of scooters like you do in Asia, but I do think the motorcycling segment of our population will grow.  The ball of yarn doesn't lie.

This Blogging Life

I try to come up with a topic every week, it's sometimes a challenge.  After all, most of my riding is commuting over the same 35 miles every day with a little variation.  Sometimes it's fun to go off and do something different or take a group ride, these however are few and far between mostly due to my weird work schedule and secondary self-employed income.  So I don't feel weird telling you that this blog post is a little different, a little off topic but I think important enough to read and talk about.  This post was inspired by my second job in a way.

My little company supplies and stocks various magazines into the local grocery stores.  I don't deliver Ride Now, Full Throttle or Go Far magazines.  These are delivered by the publisher and each of these magazines in geared to the "Motorcycle Lifestyle" and are free publications.  I'll pick them up and often just browse through the pages.  With the exception of Go Far (the magazine withe the Map) most of these fine publications end up in my trash can.

They just don't apply to me.

Maybe if I had a Harley, maybe if I wore a lot of leather, maybe if I had a beard...OK, I do have a beard.

The blogger in his natural state.

Frankly there is no content in these magazines.  Nearly 50 to 75% of them are advertisements and what often passes for content is light or non-sensible.   One of them offers the ramblings of old man where he uses nicknames, slang and lingo.  Great if you're part of the inter circle but  horrible writing if you're actually looking for content.  Another offers safety tips but their lifted directly from the MSF website.

Go Far at least provides you with a map of a route (which is how I learned about the Green Swamp) which is great for riding, but even that magazine is mostly advertisements.  Still though, they offer content.  Perhaps not content directly related to me, but some content.

Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not knocking one magazine or another.  The point I'm trying to make is that if you want a review of a particular bike, a particular jacket or helmet...your not going to find it in the pages of a magazine anymore.  Your going to find it in the hands of a blogger.

Magazines and websites count on there advertising dollars to keep publishing.  In order not to upset this "gravy train" you often get reviews that rave about a product or gloss over the rough points. Don't believe me?  When was the last time Rolling Stone gave any piece of music a rating under 3 stars?  Go and look, you'll be shocked.

This lack of content is self feeding.  A publication needs to advertise to pay it's costs.  Advertisements then become the majority of the magazine, pushing original content into a smaller and smaller space.  No one buys the publication since it lacks content.  To pay for the magazine you have to have more advertisements.  What little content may be in the magazine is supplied by giant companies that often provide bland or superficial material that provides no in depth analysis.  I am looking at you Associated Press!

Self feeding circles

Is it any wonder that publishing is dying?

So here I am, a (relatively young) scooterist.  I want to learn about the newest bikes, the newest farkles and get a honest opinion on them.  The only place I can turn is the internet.  The only place I can read something honest is the internet.  One of the original goals, which I believe I've  failed in. is to answer questions I had about riding, about the products, about the farkles.  I've learned a lot, but have I passed that knowledge on to other new riders?

I've been considering adding advertising to this blog.  Not that I expect to make much, but as a business man it only makes sense.  I've used Amazon with little success and I've considered adding a link to Bike Bandit or similar site.  What I worry about is writing a good review of a product because I want to deliver you to one of the websites that advertise with me.  So they will pay me.

I enjoy writing, I like having you, the gentle reader, provide feedback and support and even a slap upside the head when it's deserved.  It's been said that a writers job is to write.  I disagree, a writers job is to get you to think. If I do that then this is successful.   I have written for soccer publications and websites.  I've written about relationships and politics.  One year, I actually made $3000 from my writing for a now defunct soccer site (and have not got paid for my writing since).  That writing stopped being fun because I was getting pressure from the editors to stop being critical of the (then) new MLS as well as a well established minor league.  Who ever tells you advertising dollars don't matter is lying to you.

So yea, this blog is going to take a slightly different tack and offer product reviews in the future.  I'm still not sure if I'll accept advertising.   Time will tell.