David Preston
Novice Class
Posts: 47
|
posted December 03, 2003 09:18 AM
TMS and the Seattle Show
Tomorrow afternoon on The Motorsports Show my guest will be Nick Nichols, who works for the poeple putting on the Seattle M/C Show. He evidently has racked up over one MILLION miles on two wheels.
KKNW 1150 AM 5 to 6pm. On the web at www.motorsportsshow.com
FREE tickets to the show for good questions! A $25 gift certificate to Cafe Veloce for the "best" question!
Phone # to call is (425) 373-5527
Cheers!
Dave Preston
The Motorsports Show
   
|
Megabyte
Pro
Posts: 1047
|
posted December 03, 2003 09:36 AM
quote:
Tomorrow afternoon on The Motorsports Show my guest will be Nick Nichols, who works for the poeple putting on the Seattle M/C Show. He evidently has racked up over one MILLION miles on two wheels.
KKNW 1150 AM 5 to 6pm. On the web at www.motorsportsshow.com
FREE tickets to the show for good questions! A $25 gift certificate to Cafe Veloce for the "best" question!
Phone # to call is (425) 373-5527
Cheers!
Dave Preston
The Motorsports Show
Hi Dave,
Here's a ? for Nick. Although I've enjoyed all of the M/C shows I've attended, I've often been frustrated when trying to get vendors to answer simple questions, such as:
When is Muzzys coming out with a street turbo for the
ZX-12?
Is Kawasaki coming out with a ZX-10?
Will the new Honda RR be a 5 cylinder?
Will there be a USB powercommander for the ZX-12?
etc. etc
I'm sure board members could add questions to this list.
Cheers
____________
We First make our habits and then our habits make us.
|
frEEk
Administrator
ummm... yeah
Posts: 9660
|
posted December 03, 2003 11:31 AM
way to forget the important question megabyte:
where's the booth babes?
|
Megabyte
Pro
Posts: 1047
|
posted December 03, 2003 01:03 PM
 Edited By: Megabyte on 3 Dec 2003 13:05
quote:
way to forget the important question megabyte:
where's the booth babes?
Great ?. Last year, there was a very scantily clothed babe in the loft of one of the vendors, but she didn't hang around long enough for me to check her out, probably heard I was looking for her  IMHO, all the babes are @ Cyclebarn, and they are actually friendly LOL....
____________
We First make our habits and then our habits make us.
|
frEEk
Administrator
ummm... yeah
Posts: 9660
|
posted December 03, 2003 03:47 PM
all i know is, i see WAY more, and cuter booth babes at computer shows. that's just not right.
|
David Preston
Novice Class
Posts: 47
|
posted December 03, 2003 04:24 PM
Am I missing something? Aren't these questions a little old?
Dave
|
Megabyte
Pro
Posts: 1047
|
posted December 04, 2003 07:33 AM
quote:
Am I missing something? Aren't these questions a little old?
Dave
You missed the point! The vendors don't come prepared to answer technical questions about their products, and I for one would like to know why?
____________
We First make our habits and then our habits make us.
|
swft
Needs a life
Full throttle!
Posts: One MEEEEEELLION
|
posted December 08, 2003 08:54 AM
Good point. The Kaw reps I talked to didn't know the following:
1. Bostrom was released and picked up by Austin Ducati
2. Tommy and Rodger Lee would be riding for Kawasaki
3. Attack Kawasaki would be racing in Superbike and Supersport.
|
swft
Needs a life
Full throttle!
Posts: One MEEEEEELLION
|
posted December 08, 2003 09:01 AM
They also couldn't answer why the KLX400 didn't make it over for 2004.
|
David Preston
Novice Class
Posts: 47
|
posted December 08, 2003 10:52 AM
That does not surprise me a great deal. In my experience, the people that all of the OEMs send to the show are not necessarily all that well-versed in the product lines they represent - and probably cannot be. I am not apologizing for any of the factories, but the show is the show, and the people who are really into what is what with the racing team are not going to be there, and many of the people who work in the business of putting on the show are less up on the details of a particular model than the customers who are extremely interested in that model. They are the people who travel to each of the 13 venues, and are usually not that high up in the manufacturer's "food chain."
Having said that, I own a ZRX and a ZX12R, and there are always people at the show who can come up with questions I have never thought of and do not know the answer to. When you are on the floor with no references handy and having conversations with 15 people an hour, it is common to be stumped once in awhile.
I asked the Honda rep if the CBR 1000 had a steel or plastic fuel tank, and he was stumped. The COVER is evidently plastic, and the tank is probably steel, but it is still so new even he did not know. I didn't think less of him as a result - there are just millions of potential questions that could be asked, and the intent of the show is to SHOW the products, not necessarily to be able to answer every question about a new model where the information may not be available.
As to road racing, that is still a very small niche within a niche within a niche (unfortunately) and most people who are in to motorcycles, including the people in the industry, do not follow it and are not up developments in recent weeks. I wish that were not the case, and if I could change it I would.
As we approach spring, everyone will want to know when the new models will be on the showroom floor as well. In my experience, the dealers are usually the last to know! When they get there, they get there, and customers who are knowledgeable and who cover many web sites usually know first. Seems odd, but that's the way it is.
Having said that, I thought it was a great show, and I would think they had the largest attendance ever. Some people complained that KTM was not there, but that is a decision by KTM, not the people who put on the show. Most of the people I talked to were very pleasant and having a great time, as was I.
Dave Preston
Cycle Barn The Motorsports Show
|
frEEk
Administrator
ummm... yeah
Posts: 9660
|
posted December 08, 2003 11:29 AM
i understand ur take on the rep's job at the show, but i for one don't feel it's excusable. to me "showing" the bike incldues answering questions. it aint an art fair. people go there in part to decide on their next bike. it's a great chance to see all teh bikes at once and talk to a rep who should know the bikes better than the often uninformed sales people at dealerships. i dont see why a rep (adn it seems they are often pretty high up, at least at teh Vancouver show), wouldnt know the models inside out. i mean, isnt that his/her job? maybe im wrong, but if i am, then they got their job descriptions all fucked up. i can see the reps may not know anything about racing, but they should bloody well be able to answer msot any question about the bieks themselves. not obscure things like what type of plastic is being used in teh bodywork or what the cc of the head is etc, but basics liek "is the tank plastic" or what the HP rating is (especially when it's written in their spec sheets 20 feet away). oh, and im nto suggesting they be able to answer questiosn about the ENTIRE line. but then have oen guy for offroad, one for cruisers and touring, and one for sportbikes or something. but hey, maybe i'm just insane in expecting people to know stuff.
|
David Preston
Novice Class
Posts: 47
|
posted December 08, 2003 12:58 PM
Well, I pretty much agree with you. It would be nice if the reps were more knowledgeable for sure. Having one as an expert on each part of the product line, as you suggest, would be a brilliant and simple idea. I don't know why it could not be done.
I was just trying to be fair, since I have been stumped by questions several times and I think I am more knowledgeable than the average bear - but maybe not!
That's including the fact that I do try to stand next to bikes I have a clue about - if asked about dirt bikes I would be lost for sure.
Dave Preston
|
frEEk
Administrator
ummm... yeah
Posts: 9660
|
posted December 08, 2003 03:43 PM
i imagine not having reps specialize in particular lines is probably jsut a cost decision. trying to keep their staff numbers down. but i also wonder about how smart they are being with job descriptions. i'll bet the reps are spending most fo their time doing paperwork and other stuff that shoudl be done by an assistant or secretary, so the rep never actually learns much about the product. perhaps they simply shouldnt be using reps at the shows? sounds to me like reps are really targetted more at the dealers than the consumers. all business. i'd prefer to see engineers/designers/technicians at the shows. they could answer the questiosn u always get about the bikes. and the 2 questions which are not their area (price and delivery date) are hardly difficult to learn. hell, those can be written directly on the tags anyway. seems to me the organization and management just sucks. granted that's an outside view so i could be missing much, but i bet i aint too far off.
|
redelk
Moderator
Please... speak to the hand.
Posts: 3212
|
posted December 08, 2003 05:32 PM
Nothing against drag racing, but I'd figure that many of the same reps could tell you all about Ricky and Chip, yet still be clueless on who Gary McCoy is.
The thing is, when you look at where KHI and their various KMCs (US, Canada, Europe, etc.) spend the lion's share of the corporate dollars and R&D time... it ain't in Prostar. I'm sure Mr. Muzzy would love to have a quarter of what KHI has spent in their GP efforts. Hell, I'm sure he'd settle for a fraction of what they used to give him (in "today's dollars") during his VERY SUCCESSFUL AMA Superbike endeavors.
On the other hand, KMC does occasionally send some knowledgeable folks to "baby sit" the often ignorant hoards representing their company in these booths. I know. I found out the "hard way" when I tried to put the "smack down" on this delightful lady and gentleman signing up people to the in the Kawasaki Good Times Owners Club at a Dallas show a few years back. The lady's name was "Kathy" and the "old guy" didn't have a name tag. They listened to me rant for over a half hour and though they offered little in the way of "answers", at least they did not call security (a "reasonable option" in light of my almost screaming). I later found out the "old guy without a name tag was some dude named "Steve". As in Steve Rice, Senior Media Relations for Kawasaki. I believe Kathy (can't remember her last name) is also rather "high up" in the "Marketing" or "PR" departments (extremelean - which was it?). The thing is, you might not get all the answers you'd want, but you won't get the "180+ AT THE REAR WHEEL" B.S. either.
____________
There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
|
|
|
|
|
HOME
NEW TOPIC