Demo Rides

Twice a year, I volunteer my time to work the demo ride portion of the open house at my dealer, Morton's BMW. I and three other intrepid experienced riders, lead a group of 8-12 riders on a 25 mile, 45 minute loop as they demo ride the entire line of BMW motorcycles. F650's, F800's, GS's S1000RR's, GT's, K-Bikes; are all available for rides.

BMW is the only marque that I'm aware of that makes the complete line of machines available for rides to anyone with an M Endorsement on their license at anytime. Other marques offer some of their machines for rides during open house events, but unlike BMW, you can't simply walk into a dealer, point to a bike and take it for a ride.

I've walked into the other local dealers, Extreme Power Sports and Fredericksburg Motor Sports and asked to demo a bike. The folks at Extreme told me they "weren't sure" the SV650 I wanted to ride, would make it through a 30 minute demo. They were more than willing however to let me sit on any/all of the bikes though, in order that I could get a "good" feel for it. Really? How generous of them. FMS flat out said the only bikes they make available for demo's are a couple of the cruisers. No sport bikes, no dual sports, just the cruisers. I asked the salesman if he's ever bought a car without first test driving it? The vapid look on his face told me he hadn't missed the meaning of my question.

To a certain degree, I can understand why the UJM dealers don't do demo rides. Liability. The vast majority of bikes they produce are geared towards to 20 something squids (squirrley kids); who don't have the slightest idea how to do anything but ride in a straight line, and they can barely do that. To offer up these 150+ hp bikes to this demographic for demo purposes would be nothing short of insane. However, I'm not a 20 something squid. I'm recently into my 50's, an MSF Instructor/Rider Coach, and IronButt Rider, have more than 750,000 miles under my belt and am looking for a fun little machine.

I pushed the issue of a demo ride a bit harder, throwing out my creds and even offering up my GS as collateral. Nothing doing. Too bad, as I was really looking to add another ride to my stable and everything I've heard/read about the SV650 is that it's a great little platform.

I wandered around for a bit longer, closely inspecting the SV and sitting on a couple of dual sport machines. The dealership was primarily geared towards squids, so I decided I'd seen enough. As I was leaving, the salesman stopped and asked if I was going to buy a motorcycle. I said I was and his eyes lit up. I told him I'd be back in a couple of days and he gave me his card.

I did return; four days later. I was on a BMW 650 X-Challenge that I'd just picked up from Morton's, not a mile down the road. I wandered in, the salesman recognized me, walked up and started chatting. I told him I'd decided on a dual sport machine and he started walking towards the Suzuki's, chatting away. I stopped him and said, "Come with me for a sec." We walked to the front door. I pointed and said "I just wanted to show you my new dual sport. Bought it from Morton's, just up the way. It had 2 miles on it when they gave it to me to demo ride after I left here the other day. It now has 165 miles on it. They simply said to put her through her paces. I took and tested her out; returned and bought it. A really, high fun-factor bike." The expression on this poor bastard's face was priceless. He was slack jawed and I swear, looked like he'd been hit with a rock. "You boys really should offer demo rides. You mite actually sell some motorcycles. Thanks for your time." I opened the door, walked out, climbed on and rode off.

EDA, City Council and Three Card Monte

What’s Wrong With This Picture?

In 2008, Kalahari Resorts announced its intention to build one of their “Authentic African Themed Resorts” at Celebrate Virginia. The resort would include an 832 room hotel, four restaurants, a 100,000 sq ft convention center, a 200,000 sq ft. indoor waterpark, a full service spa, a 100,000 sq ft indoor theme park, and 10,000 sq ft of retail shopping. Fredericksburg City Council voted to return to Todd Nelson, owner of Kalahari Resorts, 47.5% of their annual local taxes, in order to snag this project. The buzz phrases used to incite uncontrolled salivation for Fredericksburg residents and their elected officials, then and now are “economic boom” and “major tourist destination.”

Although touted as “shovel ready, two years later, not one single spade of dirt has yet to be turned.

However, two years later, we find Mr. Nelson, back in front of the Economic Development Authority and Council with his hands out, asking for more concessions.

I have this nagging feeling of Déjà vu.

Mr. Nelson just announced (Que Shock!) that he would also like to do a taxable municipal bond issuance through the EDA for $200 million. Yet Mr. Nelson and his financial team have declined to reveal the specifics of the municipal structure regarding the bonds. Unashamedly (although it should come as no surprise), Mr. Nelson has the temerity to demand the EDA waive or reduce its fee for both the tax-exempt and taxable issues, calling the $25 million dollars the city would receive for the taxable portion of the bonds and ostensibly use for economic development; “ridiculous and unnecessary.” Let me repeat that; $25M dollars to the City of Fredericksburg is “ridiculous and unnecessary” per Mr. Nelson. All of this despite the fact that Mr. Nelson has access to $25 million in Recovery Zone Facility Bonds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the probability of another $10 million.

To top it all off, Mr. Nelson isn’t even sure he can sell all of the taxable bonds. However, it is his “hope” that this will happen by the end of 2010. Hell, I “hope” I win the lottery this year, but I don’t plan my financial future around it! Couple that with an evaluation of costs to decide whether or not the project is doable. Doable? A 47.5% rebate on local taxes and two years later and Mr. Nelson still hasn’t decided the project is doable? “DANGER WILL ROBINSON…DANGER!”

My only surprise is that Mr. Nelson didn’t use the sorry state of the “economy” for putting his hand out. Then again, how can he, when he himself touts his parks as “recession resistant.”

Fredericksburg has been in this position before. We saw it with the Silver Companies and Central Park; and with the now infamous Slavery Museum. City Council gave up concession after concession to these two entities. What did we end up with? The asphalt abomination that is Central (Hell) Park and former Gov. Wilder’s dead-on-arrival, Slavery Museum.

While there will be jobs associated with Kalahari, the vast majority will be in the service industry and of little "career" value. The city of Fredericksburg and the surrounding counties are rich with history; ranging from George Washington to the Civil War. The region can become a major tourist destination with more regional cooperation and savvy marketing. We do not need to give up the farm to another Three Card Monte artist, yet again. City Council and the EDA should blink two or three times in order to clear the vision of fleeting dollar signs from their eyes, remove their rose colored glasses and send Mr. Nelson and Kalahari packing.

Lesbian Panic (No...It's not the name of a Rock & Roll Band)

It would appear that the vast majority of the parents and their little snowflakes who attend the Itawamba Agricultural High School are bigots and homophobes. The Itawamba County School District decided to cancel the High School prom, rather than allow the attendance of lesbian student Constance McMillen and her date, after the ACLU sued on the students behalf Prom Canceled.

Or so it would seem.

No. There was a prom. Well, two of them actually. The families of the students decided to sponsor a private prom and the judge who heard the original case was left with the impression that Ms. McMillen would be invited. All was well. Problem is, when Constance tried to learn the particulars about the prom, she had trouble garnering any details. She was told there would be a prom at the local country club in Fulton and she, along with her date were invited to attend. What they didn't know was that it was a "fake" prom.

Yes, you read it right. A fake prom.

Unbeknownst to Constance, there was a well planned, well executed, highly coordinated end-run around the judges ruling contrived by the families of the schools students. While Constance and her date were at their prom the rest of her class partied at a secret location where the "real" prom had been organized.

When Constance arrived, it didn't take her long to figure out that something was amiss. There were a total of seven students at the fake prom. Two of whom had learning difficulties. Also in attendance at this swaray were the school's Principal and teachers, serving as chaperones; leading anyone with half a working brain cell, to conclude that these folks were complicit in the charade.

I am aghast at the lengths the "god-fearing, good, tolerant, understanding Christians" of Fulton went to, in order to pull this off. These pious, bigots and hypocrites have proven that no matter how hard Mississippi tries, they will never move out of the dark ages. One can not really be surprised. I posit the lives of the overwhelming majority of parents involved in this sham, peaked with their own High School prom. They now live, sadly and pathetically through their children, trying desperately (but futilely) to come up with some meaning and reason for their insignificant existence.

Through all of this, Constance McMillen has shown herself to be far more educated, tolerant and wise than any of her peers or their parents. McMillen said of the learning disabled students who attended the prom with her, "They had the time of their lives. "That's the one good thing that come out of this, [these kids] didn't have to worry about people making fun of them [at their prom]."

Run Constance! Run! As far away and as fast as you can from Itawamba county. Leave and never look back.

Energy Independence

President Obama has just proposed a major expansion of offshore oil and gas drilling. Sadly, the President either doesn't have a clue, or has succumbed to political pressure on how to make the United States truly energy independent.

Four words: It's Natural Gas, Stupid!

This country has practically unlimited, lifetime supplies of Natural Gas. Why then are America's efforts to achieve energy independence not concentrated on building the additional infrastructure to support this resource?

Five words: It's The Oil Companies, Stupid!

What is first required is an infrastructure to support a nation of CNG vehicles. Couple CNG with electric vehicles (the development of a 300+ mile, at highway speeds electric car remains in the distant future) and hybrids, and America could, in all likelihood, be on the brink of total energy independence in less than a generation.

In parallel, continue with the development of wind and solar energy and it is a slam dunk that this country would be energy independent across the board. Imagine if you will, the freedom to tell all of our Middle East "friends" to go pound sand (pun intended).

The belief that we, as a country, can drill our way to independence from foreign oil, is a fallacy that is wholeheartedly supported and pushed by the oil companies. The answer does not lie in a rapidly dwindling, finite resource. Sadly, far to many politicians buy into this belief for the short term gain of popularity and approval ratings.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who is just as clueless as the President, immediately released a statement in support of the decision, saying in part: "The President's decision to allow energy exploration off Virginia's coast will mean thousands of new jobs, hundreds of millions in new state revenue and tens of billions of dollars in economic impact for the Commonwealth. It will also help our nation take a further step towards energy independence."

Note to Gov. McDonnell - Expanding an infrastructure in support of natural gas would also mean thousands of new jobs and billions in new state revenue. However, unlike drilling for oil, it will not help America take "just a step" further towards energy independence, it would guarantee it.

The answer to long term energy independence is Natural Gas. Sadly, I do not see any politician stepping up to the plate to champion this cause. That would not only require Leadership, but the fortitude and courage to take on the oil companies, and frankly, when was the last time there was ANY politician with fortitude who we could really call a leader?

It has been two full generations since America first felt the noose of foreign oil dependency cinch tight around her neck. Sadly, we've learned nothing. Investment in America's energy independence will not be inexpensive, but to not invest, to not cut the bonds of dependency on foreign oil, will be priceless.