Well, let me start out by saying AMF to 2010 & “YAHOO” to 2011.
I think it goes without saying that 2010 was a bad year for my beloved motorcycle industry. Bike sales are what drives the majority of our industry & bike sales are in the toilet & have been for the last 3 years. Even the mighty Harley Davidson Motor Company has been thrown for a loss. If you would have told me 5 years ago that the motorcycle industry would be in this shape today, I wouldn’t have believed it & I would have called you a dang liar!
I have seen many good, once solid motorcycle shops come & go over the last 15 years, but I have never seen anything like the “cleansing” of the industry that has been going on for the last few years. Some of these shops should never have opened for business in the first place. I understand how they feel & how bad they wanted to get into the motorcycle industry, but truthfully, you have to have more than your heart in it. You have to do your homework & anyone that has opened a new motorcycle shop in the last 3 years obviously did not do their due diligence! But still, it’s sad to see a business shut down.
My Dallas Cowboys stunk it up in the 2010 season; which is too bad since the Super Bowl is in DFW this year. Oh well, we’ll get after em again next year. That’s right, next year! I also lost some good friends in 2010 & my Grandma died at 99 years old. She was a wonderful woman from Sayre, Oklahoma & I will miss her dearly & I think about her & my Grandpa every single day!
I won’t look back fondly on 2010. As a matter of fact I don’t like 2010 & I don’t like anybody that does like 2010!
Although some good things did happen in 2010.
We had our own TV show called “Ma’s Roadhouse” on truTV. In 2010 we filmed 8 episodes with hopefully more to come in 2011. Also, my best pal Joe T & his lovely wife Cheryl are expecting their first child – Eli Bundy Moore. I am very excited about that. I look forward to helping Joe teach his kid to spit, cuss, ride a motorcycle & hit a golf ball!
In 2010, for the second year in a row, we were selected as a “TOP 100 DEALER” & we won awards for “Best Theme” & “Best Website!” This just in…we were also selected as a “TOP 100 DEALER” for 2011. So, I guess we are doing something right!
If you haven’t listened to my radio show please check it out. I do it almost every week with Joe T & it’s called “RICK & JOE T’s DUMASS CLUB.” It’s available in video & audio. You can see/listen to it on my website, or by downloading episodes on itunes. It’s kind of a boy’s clubhouse type of show. We talk about the Motorcycle Industry, Dallas Cowboys, White Women, Golf, Pam Anderson & whatever else comes to our simple minds! ATTENTION!! WARNING!! Before you decide to listen, you must know, we ARE NOT, I repeat, ARE NOT, politically correct! Sometimes, we even use cuss words & every once in a while Joe T says the F word. You have been warned! We also bring on guests to our show sometimes. Past guests include Jesse James, Paul Teutul Sr & Jr, Billy Lane, Dave Perewitz, my Ma & many others in the motorcycle/entertainment industry. We keep all past episodes of the show available, so if you miss one or want to catch up on some old ones, you can watch them anytime.
One of the new things I’m doing in 2011 is a video diary on YouTube. It’s like a “Look under the hood” here at Strokers Dallas & into my life. We’ll post some of the videos here on my website, but you can see all of them by going to YouTube and becoming a subscriber. Just visit my YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/strokersdallas and click on the “Subscribe” button. That way you can get emails whenever I upload a new video. There are already some on there with tours of my place & some of my random thoughts. It should be a cool place to post all sorts of videos.
In addition to YouTube, we are also really using Facebook & Twitter. If you’re on Facebook, please “Like” my fan page, the Strokers Dallas fan page & the Ma’s Roadhouse fan page. We post on there almost daily & we keep you up with what the heck is going on here at Strokers Dallas. If you use Twitter, you can find us at www.twitter.com/strokersdallas. We will post daily specials & deals there exclusively for our Twitter followers so check it out. We are really utilizing the electronic media to keep in touch with our friends. Hey, I’m into it, what can I say.
We have also expanded our blogs on our website. My personal blog is the “Rick Sez” section of my website. “Rick Sez” is a (almost) daily rambling from me about anything that comes to my mind. Some other blogs on our website include the Sales Blog, Parts Blog, Apparel Blog, & even my beautiful wife’s blog called “Susan’s Favorite Things.” In each blog we try to tell you about new products, special discounts or deals, & news from the industry. I enjoy writing. I also write a bi-monthly column for an industry rag called DEALERNEWS. I also post those articles on my website in the “In the Media” section. Check them out, will ya?
Besides working hard, I have also been playing some golf lately. My friend Joe T & I play as much as we can. I absolutely love the game of golf & it is the only thing that gets me out of the shop for a few hours. I don’t take any days off from work, so golf is my escape from reality. If you are a member of a cool/exclusive country club & you feel sorry for me, give me a holler (rick@strokersdallas.com) & I’ll be glad to come play a round of golf with you. I am always looking for new places to play. I’m not very good, but I have a good time playing.
In case you didn’t know it, I also do quite a bit of motivational speaking. I have talked to many high schools, trade schools, colleges & even companies about my life & my story. My message is about a motorcycle-crazy kid, from Dallas, Texas who had a dream of owning his own motorcycle shop & how he achieved that dream & more. A kid that has worked professionally for over 35 years & has never missed a day of work in his life (that’s right, I have never called in sick one time in my entire life). Basically I talk about the power of believing in yourself, making something of yourself & the sacrifices you must make to be successful! I have spoken at company meetings where I bring several of my crazy motorcycles to put on display & I enter the room roaring on a stretched out radical chopper. The place goes wild! I have been told by many people that my speeches are very moving & motivational. I speak straight from my heart & every word I say is true. If you would like me to speak to your company or school group please shoot me, or my Marketing/PR gal Lena, an email: rick@strokersdallas.com or lena@strokersdallas.com & let’s work it out! I truly enjoy motivational speaking. We can come to you or you can come to my empire here in Dallas. Either way, the message is the same…If I can make something of myself, then you can too!
For 2011, we are going to keep concentrating on being the best we can be. I have some of the best employees in the industry & we are doing some really good things. We have literally worked on tens of thousands of bikes & we are very, very good at it! All my technicians are Harley Davidson, Big Dog & Victory certified! Speaking of Victory, let me say this: I believe that Victory Motorcycles are the BEST motorcycle money can buy! PERIOD! I own several Harleys & several Victorys & I have noticed that over the last few years, my Harleys sit & my Victorys get ridden! Victory just flat ass builds a better motorcycle. That’s hard for me to say because I am a die-hard Harley man, but, I have now swung over to Victory! Victory has better brakes, better handling, better suspension, more horse power & they are less expensive than the comparable Harley! Don’t believe me? I dare you to come test ride one & tell me otherwise.
Anyway, I am very excited about 2011 & all that it brings. We are all another year older & hopefully another year wiser. So, that’s it. 2011 is here now & 2010 is just a bad memory. Let’s all work our butts off again this year & say our prayers at night. I’m just gonna do what I always do & tell people to “Get up early, work hard all day & good things will happen!”
Come see me,
RF
