Randakk's 2006 Customer Appreciation
International GL1000 Rally Report
June 10 - 11, 2006
Mt. Airy, NC
If
you would like one the Randakk's Commemorative GL1000 T-Shirts
distributed at the Rally...click
here
Link
to Bill Shryock's Rally Photo Gallery:
click
here
Rally
Attendees, if you have pictures that you'd like to post
on Bill's site, you may send them to: bill@shryock.net
Too many GL1000s
to Count!
Beautiful GL1000s
Forever!
Nice Paint, Detail
and Pride of Ownership Abounded!
Ron Ayres (left)
and Randakk (right). Ron gave a great talk at the banquet on
Saturday night! Ron
is the founder and owner of Ayres Adventures -
which specializes in motorcycle tours to South America, Africa,
Europe, New Zealand and beyond. For details:
click
here
Ron Ayres
rides a very strange GL1000?
Who brought these
dogs to ride?
Don Jones of Perkasie,
PA completed an "Iron Butt" 1000 mile ride on the
way to the Rally on this stout bike! Don is the leading authority
on antique rototillers. Click
here for his neat web
page.
Howard Halasz and
Scott Austin provided expert Q&A
Scott
and Joanne Austin of WingWorks helped wiith registration
and other logistical details. See: www.wingworks1.com/
The Rally was a huge
success in my estimation! The weather was great and I had a
wonderful time meeting 60+ attendees.
I'm
told that 45+ GL1000s were in attendance...I was too busy to
count!
The
winner of the People's Choice Trophy was Greg
Smith of Denton, Maryland. He won with his fabulous '76 Yellow
"Tweety Bird." Greg is Classic Wing Club Member #882.
Greg Smith receiving
his Trophy
Greg's Beautiful
'76 GL1000
Thanks
to all who participated.
Special
thanks to:
-
The
large contingent of Canadien attendees. Norm and Sandy Hiebert
of Winnepeg won the award for the greatest distance travelled
by GL1000 to attend the Rally - 1,750+ miles (one way!)
-
Scott
and Joanne Austin of WingWorks for much valuable assistance
with registration and other logistical details. www.wingworks1.com/
-
Scott
Austin and Howard Halasz did a fabulous job fielding many
wide-ranging technical questions during the formal and informal
Q&A sessions.
- Ron
Ayres gave a wonderful talk at the banquet.
- Nick
of the Quality Inn delivered a superb venue.
If
you would like one the Randakk's Commemorative GL1000 T-Shirts
distributed at the Rally...click
here
2007
Rally recap
here
Details on the 2006 Event (as originally
posted)
I'm very
pleased to announce the First Annual Randakk's Cycle Shakk
Customer Appreciation International GL1000 Rally. Due
to the strong response to this event and the fact than non-US
participants have registered and plan to attend, I've upgraded
this to an International Rally! This should be one of the largest
gatherings of vintage Honda GL1000s in quite some time.
Date:
June 10-11, 2006
Location:
Mt. Airy, NC
Required Release
Form:
A signed release form will be collected
from each Rally participant. This form will be collected at
registration check-in. Click
here to download and print.
Note:
This event is sponsored solely by Randakk's Cycle Shakk.
I am a member of and support CWC, VJEMC, VJMC, COG and GWRRA.
Members of these and similar clubs are welcome to register
and attend.
Note:
This is not a public event. Registration is required to participate.
I've
been very blessed with the growth and success of my business.
However, having a web-based business with no retail presence
(for now!) means that I rarely get to meet and enjoy face-to-face
interaction with my customers. I hope this annual event will
allow me to meet many of the great friends I've made in cyber-space!
This will be a low-key,
2 day event for my customers. If you need help with the definition
of "customer," please check here: www.dictionary.com
Seriously, anyone
with a GL1000 would be welcome to register and attend. Registering
below via the PAYPAL button entitles you to a commemorative
T-shirt so that qualifies you as a "customer."
I want real running
bikes to attend, not "trailer queens." You have plenty of time
to finish your restorations and rejuventations, so get busy!
Important
Note added 5/8/2006:
Contrary
to earlier information - in a weak moment and fit of generosity,
I've decided to pick up the tab for dinner on Saturday night.
The meal will be catered by Ted's Famous Chicken and BBQ of
Mt. Airy. This will be a cholesterol-rich extravanganza...you
will like! If you have special dietary requirements, you will
need to make your own provisions. No alchohol will be served
at dinner.
Important
Note added 4/3/2006:
Noted
GoldWing expert Scott Austin will lead a Tech Q&A session
on Sunday morning. You won't want to miss this!
Important
Note added 3/3/2006:
I
am pleased to announce that one of the most accomplished motorcyclists
on the planet has agreed to speak at the banquet on Saturday
night!
Ron
Ayres plans to ride up from Plano, TX and be the featured speaker.
Many of you may know Ron as the founder and owner of Ayres
Adventures - which specializes in motorcycle tours to
South America, Africa, Europe, New Zealand and beyond. For details:
click
here
A
legend in BMW circles, Ron is also quite famous for his exploits
as a long distance, endurance rider. He's penned three great
books which you can locate here
A
few years back, Ron set the Iron Butt Association record for
traveling through all 49 states in only 7 days! This feat was
chronicled in his fabulous book Against the Clock.
I
am especially grateful that Ron has agreed to attend. Ron was
my first boss and mentor 25+ years ago when I landed my first
job in corporate America. To this day, I can say without question
that he was the best boss of my entire career. Ron is also a
very engaging speaker. I'm sure you will enjoy meeting Ron and
hearing his remarks.
Note:
Don't confuse Ron with the "other" Ron Ayers who is
a Honda dealer in Greenville, NC (another great guy!). Note
different spelling of their last names.
Planned Activities:
- Banquet keynote talk
by Ron Ayres of Ayres Adventures.
-
Tuning Clinic. I
might demonstrate the "split timing" technique or
something equally arcane.
Informal, scenic
rides on local roads which might include the Blue Ridge
Parkway (self-guided). I actually prefer some local
foothill twisty routes that are more engaging than the Parkway
such as an excursion to Hanging Rock State Park.
- Sneak
previews of new products I have under development.
-
No
formal bike show is planned, but there will be a "People's
Choice" trophy awarded. Each attendee will be asked to
vote for their favorite GL1000 in attendance (other than their
own) for this fabulous prize. Before you ask - yes I'm eligible
to win my own trophy, but this is not very likely
given some of the exceptional bikes that I already know are
coming! I will probably bring this bike to ride: click
here
- Small
prizes based on serial numbers, odometer readings, distance
traveled, rider's age, etc. will be awarded.
- One
lucky attendee will win an original limited edition print by
noted local artist Arvil
"Shep" Shepherd. This beautiful print has a motorcycle
theme and will be autographed by Shep.
- Banquet
on Saturday night - this meal is provided by Randakk for all
registered Rally attendees.
- Special
viewing of my GL1000 sculpture created by noted artist (and
friend) Bruce Acosta. Here are some early "work in progress"
photos:
Event Details:
-
Birthplace of
Andy Griffith and the real life inspiration for Mayberry in
his TV show
-
In the heart
of NC's burgeoning Yadkin River Valley wine region
-
Less than 15
miles to the Blue Ridge Parkway.
-
Hotbed for authentic
bluegrass music
-
Convenient to
Interstate I-77
-
Some of the
best backroads and twisties for motorcycle riding in the country
Quality Inn
- Mt. Airy, NC
2136 Rockford
St
Mt Airy, NC
27030
Main Phone:
(336) 789-2000
Toll Free: (800)
672-1667
Note: The Quality
Inn was renovated and re-branded as a Quality Inn
in late 2005. Previously, it was a Comfort Inn.
I have negotiated
and reserved a block of 50 rooms at the attractive rate of $70
per night for a 2 night stay (Friday June 9th and Saturday June
10th.) My "hold" on these rooms will expire on March
31, 2006 so make your plans as early as possible. You must call
the hotel yourself to register. Mention this code for the discount:
RANDAKKS.
Hotel expenses
are your responsibility. Ditto for cancellations and room guarantees.
Important: since
Mt. Airy is a "tourist" destination and June is "high
season," if you must cancel your reservation for any reason,
you must do so yourself by May 15, 2006 to avoid the hotel's
cancellation charge policy. To clarify: telling me that you're
not coming for any reason does not also cancel your hotel reservation.
You must do that yourself.
Directions:
click
here
Registration
Fee: $18.00 This small fee will help calibrate interest
and help with sizing the hotel room commitment. The fee will
include a commemorative Randakk's Cycle Shakk T-shirt for all
attendees. Lodging and meals will be the responsibility of the
attendee.
Other Important
Details:
Event
details will be documented on this page and updated as appropriate.
Thanks for your interest. I hope to see you in Mt. Airy!
Important
Note added 2/16/2006:
The
Rally is shaping up to be a huge success. Based on the paid
registrations received to date, the hotel block I've reserved
will probably not be large enough.
Suffice
it to say that the turnout is exceeding my expectations so far.
This may be the largest gathering of GL1000s in one place in
quite a long time!
Many
folks have stated publically that they plan to attend, but have
not registered yet. If and when I run out of hotel space and
if the hotel can't expand the "block," I may be forced to close
the event to additional registrations at that time.
Finally,
some are planning to skip the registration detail and just "drop
by." If that's your plan, be aware that some activities will
be inside. The hotel is securing a special area of their parking
lot for us to use for this event that will not be accessible
unless you've got credentials. Non-registrants will not be eligible
for the trophy or other prizes. Non-registrants won't receive
the swell T-shirt under development nor will there be "space
at the table" at the banquet on Saturday night.
I
hate to be a "heavy" enforcing these rules, but it would not
be fair to the many people who've registered if I didn't.
Questions:
email
me at: randakk@hotmail.com
Online Registration
is closed for the 2006 Rally.
2007
Rally recap
here
^top^
| 