When we arrived, we were greeted by some of the staff from the Republican news paper (check out
www.masslive.com) before we even made it through the doors!
Now I'd never met Cathy before, we've only communicated via e-mail. When I walked in, I was immediately greeted by Cathy and she new who I was. Now maybe that's because I was the only male non-staff member invited!!!
It turns out some of our "cyber friends" were there! We had a chance to meet a few of the folks that are regulars on our site or on the Mass Live forums.
The crowd was greeted by Cathy and the rest of the staff and was then broken up into smaller groups. Each group was then assigned to a specific "station" where they would learn about some aspect of motorcycles or motorcycling.
The stations included stops at parts, clothing, service, and sales. The sales staff wasn't pushing their bikes on you, but assisting the ladies in selecting the best typ of bike for their riding style and size. They explained the differences between the bikes and pointing out things to look for when trying to select a comfortable one.
The parts department worked through various customizations and demonstrated how one might make their new bike their own. I'd not seen a removable sissy bar before. That's really cool!
One of the most instrucive stations was the service department. They spent some time instructing everyone on performing a pre-trip inspection. This has to be one of the more important things discussed as it can save your life! They even lay down a bike and instructed folks on how to properly pick one back up without hurting yourself. One of my favorite comments came during one of these sessions. The guys had shown everyone how to perform this task and then they had a couple of ladies give it a try. When trying to get another volunteer, they pointed to one lady and she said, "I've already done that three times this week! I think I'm all set..."
What a great presentation and a wonderful staff to work with. Everyone we met was extremely pleasant and helpful. Christine went with one of the groups from station to station and really enjoyed each and every presentation!
We also had the opportunity to meet Cindy from PV Riders, a cosponsor of the event. Again, I've talked with Cindy on-line but haven't had the chance to meet her in person. She's even nicer in person! Her and her husband John own and operate PV Riders, one of the premier rider training schools here in Western Massachusetts. They were handing out some goodies for the ladies in attendance last evening.
If you ever receive an invite to one of these in the future, we'd highly recommend you attend! Tibby's will be hosting another one in September so keep your eyes open or contact Tibby's directly to sign up.
To the left you'll find a slideshow with some photographs from last evening. We hope you enjoy!