spyderfred.com

First of all, I have lost the Lamonster. Due to a combination of technical difficulties and some personal business that came unexpectedly, Lamont had to cancel his trip out west and head home to Tennessee,so I am riding alone.

Secondly, I have been running in and out of rain the past two days, and had to take an extensive detour due to a road closure. Thankfully, I had the Spyder’s CB radio on channel 19, and heard the truckers ahead of me talking about a fatal accident that had just closed the highway, so I was able to get off before I hit the jam. If I hadn’t, I would have been stuck there for nearly four hours.

By the way, I will say again that the weather protection on the Spyder RT is phenomenal. I haven’t even bothered to use my rainsuit, as I only get wet when I stop.

I made it into Biloxi, Mississippi,late last night, but now it looks like I am going to have to stay here for an extra day. It isn’t often you hear the weather people talk in absolutes, but when they say “100% probability of severe thunderstorms,” it’s time to pay attention. Especially when your route is headed directly into the center of the storm, where there is a strong possibility of tornadoes. So, I am going to hole up here for an extra 24 hours and get some work done. The storm is supposed to pass over by tomorrow morning, and then I will head on into Texas.

For anyone interested, I expect to be at Wild West Honda on I-10, on the west side of Houston,this coming Saturday morning, to meet up and ride with some Texas Spyder owners.

Personal Note to Michael C:

Michael, I have received your messages and have been trying to reach you, but your email system has me blocked as SPAM. Change your settings to allow me through so I can send you the link you need.

Fred

Saturday dawned clear and cold in Daytona, but with a promise from the weather-liars that today would at least warm up into the sixties. All week long, temps have hovered around 20-25 degrees below normal for this time of year. Yesterday, my ride to the track was in 34-degree temps.

Luckily, this was one of the rare times when the forecast was correct, though, and the combination of the warming trend, coupled with the fact that this was the weekend, brought large crowds to the Speedway. Certainly still nothing like it was in years past, but impressive, nonetheless.

Lamont and I rode down to the Sunshine Mall for a meeting with the members of the GL1800 Riders Board, and were delighted to see not only dozens of vendors set up in the parking lot, but a crowd of around 150 riders. We had lunch with them, and then I headed back to the BRP display at the track.

Had a great day of talking with hundreds of people who came by to see the new Spyders, mostly just curious about the new machine they had only seen in photos in the bike magazines. Most seemed impressed, and many even seriously interested in someday owning an RS or an RT. One slight oddity I couldn’t help but notice, however, was an even higher interest level in the RT622 trailer than in the bikes themselves! At the risk of blowing my own horn too loudly, I had predicted to BRP that this would be the initial reaction among touring riders, since trailers were already a known and accepted part of their lifestyle – and the RT622 represents a quantum leap in both quality and price in this genre. Dozens must have asked me if the trailer could be purchased separately to use on their existing bikes. Personally, I think this bodes well for the Spyder, as once these riders see the quality and value of the trailer, it will eventually lead to a good reputation among touring riders, that will in turn attach itself to the bikes.

Anyway, tomorrow I am going down to South Florida to see Andy Pargh of IRyde.net, and Lamont heads north. We will hook back up in Tallahassee on Monday, and start our ride across the continent. Stay tuned.

Fred

PS

A shameless plug -- check out my all-new online magazine for touring and sport-touring riders at www.fredraumotorcycling.com (also available through www.fredrau.com). There's a free, sample issue you can get from the homepage, featuring the Spyder RT as the cover story!

FR

Every year at this time, we get together with some of our motorcycling friends for a ride up to Pasadena, to view the Rose Parade Floats. For two days after the annual Tournament Of Roses Parade, the floats are put on display around a park in Pasadena. It gives the public a chance to view these marvels up close and personal - something you just can't do during the parade. The attention to detail, the artistry and craftsmanship are simply amazing.
Thought some of you might like to come along...

Cherrie and I had friends from Canada visiting for the holidays (motorcyclists, of course), and thought we would take them out to see some Christmas lights in the area.
Home & Gardens Magazine and HGTV have an annual contest to find the "Best Decorated House In America" every Christmas season, and it just so happens that this year's top prize went to a house in Murrieta, California, just 10 miles from us, so we rode over to have a look at it. It was pretty amazing, so we thought we'd share a little five-minute video with you.
I know Christmas has come and gone already, but we hope you all had as nice a holiday as we did.
Fred & Cherrie

Today's video has absolutely nothing to do with the Spyder, or even with motorcycling -- but then again, it is only three minutes long.
We live in a retirement community, built around a golf course, and populated with crazy old people. Tonight, they paraded in front of our house in their golf carts, festooned with Christmas lights. We thought it was kind of cute, so I grabbed the video camera....

Merry Christmas everyone!
Fred & Cherrie

This week's entry really has nothing to do with the Spyder. However, it does concern a Spyder owner and rider, Mr. David L. Hough.
Considered by many to be the Father of Modern-Day Rider Education, David recently sold his sidecar rig and purchased a new Spyder RS. This past week, he was honored by the American Motorcyclist Association at a special ceremony in Las Vegas, where he was officially inducted into the AMA Hall Of Fame.
David flew out to Los Angeles first, from his home in Washington, and BRP was kind enough to arrange to have a Spyder waiting for him here, so that we could ride together across the Mojave to Vegas, for his induction. Following is a 10-minute video of the ceremonies. I hope you enjoy it.

This past week, we rode the Spyder down to Oceanside, California, to attend the annual Marine Corps Reserve Toys For Tots ride. This event is co-sponsored by the Marines, GWRRA Chapter N, and the Gold Angels Motorcycle Drill Team.
We rode from Oceanside to Casino Pauma, where the Angels put on a great show for everyone, and the casino treated us all to lunch. Fabulous weather and nearly 1,000 motorcyclists. Eat your hearts out New Englanders - it was nearly 80 degrees out here!
The video is about 12 minutes long, with most of that being the drill team, because I thought you might like to see them.