KTM STREET DEMO DAYS!
Neither Snow nor Sleet nor Rain can stop….
Holy Smokes it was raining when I headed to Gulf Coast Motorcycles for the KTM Street Demo Day on Tuesday 10.27.2015
Pulling on the lot, the enormous tractor trailer was taking up the whole frontage road of the dealership…GREAT visibility north and south.
They had been pretty specific before the event that the rules would prohibit riding in the rain, so it was really touch & go most of the day.
None the less, we had a great turnout with lots of people experiencing their awesome bikes and getting a taste of orange!
They had a great array of KTM Motorcycles including the all new 1290 Super Adventure for people to try, as well as the 1190 Adventure & 1190 Adventure R. Many of our riders were eager to try the Dukes, we had the 390, 690 and 1290 here & the feedback was really impressive. The RC 390 and 690 Enduro R rounded out the fleet.
As the riders pulled out, 10 at a time, you could hear the roar from the powerful V Twins, as they accelerated down the street. A really impressive sight.
When the riders returned, all smiles, we had a chance to get the first hand reports from each of the riders. All the reviews were very positive, and as a whole, to a rider, the KTM’s are true contenders in the market place in each of the categories where they compete. As a dealership used to handling world class products, the entire KTM lineup doesn’t disappoint in any way, and truly there is something for everyone. That is what really was demo’ed in this ride event.
If you’re looking for a great beginning bike, and want a naked styled bike that’s small, and easy to handle without sacrificing the safety of ABS brakes, then either the 390 Duke or the 690 Duke will fit exactly what you’re after. No wonder that it’s picked as one of the 10 best naked bikes of the year! If you want to ride the Ultimate in Naked Bike Power & Performance, then you don’t need to look any further than the 1290 Super Duke R affectionately called the Beast. It’s the only bike I’ve ever heard of being traded in because a guys wife caught him doing wheelies down the street & told him he had to trade it for something a little more sedate…ah the things we do to maintain peace in our homes…
If you find a sport bike style to be more to your liking, then the RC 390 fits exactly. It has everything that you could possibly want and then some. The RC390 Cup bikes are enjoying a great following on and off the track. Utilizing the same drive train as the Duke 390, it’s got plenty of power for track days, and daily commuting if you like that style of bike.
I did a review on the Adventure bikes in our blog a couple weeks ago, so I’ll leave them out here…though everyone loved each of the bikes in the lineup. There’s one for every rider.
The 690 Enduro R is the one bike that defies a lot of descriptions.
We had some folks that had never experienced the bike before, that came back from their demo ride completely astonished. The bike just does everything. When you need a dirt swiss army knife, that bike is it! It’s a little lighter than the lightest GS, and has about a third more power than some of the other small offerings. In fact it blows most of the competition so completely out of the water, it’s not even a fair comparison. No wonder we can’t keep these bikes in stock. We did order a whole lot more than we did last year. We’re just waiting for them to start showing up.
If you didn’t have the chance to make the demo ride day, we’re sorry we missed you. If you want a chance to experience KTM’s 2016 Off Road Product, we do have a special demo day that will be in Okeechobee on November 20th. That is a special invitation only event, so contact us to let us know that you want to attend so we can get you set up.
Keep watching our website, or follow us on Facebook to stay up to date on all the great happenings at Gulf Coast Motorcycles, and we’ll see you here! Thanks again for reading!
BMW-Ducati-KTM & Select Pre-Owned
16090 S. Tamiami Trail
Ft. Myers, FL 33908
Office 239.481.8100
Fax 239.425.3100
webb@gcmotorcycles.com
http://www.gcmotorcycles.com
Cape Coral Bike Night 10.10.2015
Pulling up to Cape Coral Bike Night, it was pointed out repeatedly to me that I was a little early for Halloween. I don’t know about you but I am more than ready for fall to get here! Besides, I wanted to make sure that I was the most visible person to the throngs of people passing by our display!
Since we represent the very best brands the motorcycle world has to offer, we are the power squadron of Southwest Florida!
We had quite a few bikes there, and many that I talked to said they were curious about the all new 1290 Super Adventure from KTM. Likewise the new S1000XR was a hit of the show. As usual, the K1600GTL was an allstar, as was the S1000RR. It was really nice to see the crowds of people and great interaction with the KTM Off Road Products too. Lots of great bikes caught the attention of the people passing by, and we were answering questions, and meeting new people all night long!
We explained features on bikes, went over the sale specials from BMW, with the Free Nav V, on the S1000XR, the Zero Percent Financing with Zero Down for 60 Months on the Diavel from Ducati Financial Services, and Apparel Credits, Cash Back Offers, and all the benefits that our brands have to offer!
There was McGruff the Crime Dog, and the Police from the City of Cape Coral, out making sure that everyone was safe & had a good time.
Right across the way from us was a really neat looking Custom Chopper with a Trailer, just in time for Halloween!
Fred Shutrump even saw a few of the custom bikes he’s painted make an appearance at bike night. Here’s the video from his Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/fred.shutrump/videos/1644205045859403/
Fred, like the rest of us, had a great time hanging out & seeing old friends and making new ones.
I did get there a little too late to see the goat in person, but someone snapped a picture for me.
While the goat was pretty cool, and there were a lot of HOGS in attendance, the pot bellied pig on the leash stole the show.
There was a great turn out. Lot’s of live music and good food at lots of the venues, there was something to see and do for everyone. At the end of the evening, the Dixie Road House even had Quiet Riot in concert. Make sure you join us in December for the next Bike Night event in Cape Coral. Like us on Facebook and follow our online calendar for the coolest events on 2 wheels. We’ll see YOU at Gulf Coast Motorcycles.
A Ride to Remember!! (Shop Rides are BACK!)
As the sun started to poke it’s way over the horizon, like a neighbor checking out the yard next door, it was clear there was a lot going on. There were vertical rainbows hanging in the distance, and the beautiful pink glow was hanging like humidity in the air. As I threw my leg over my BMW R1200RT to make my way south to meet a group of eager riders having breakfast, I found myself getting more amped up about what the day had in store.
Pulling into the parking lot at Haney’s Cafe in South Fort Myers, where the riders all met up, I have to admit I was pretty surprised. Tim Lynch, one of our great customers, and member of the Big Cypress Riders BMW Club, had come all the way down from Venice to participate in our shop ride. It was going to be a fun day! Popping my head inside the cafe, I saw 2 more rider couples having breakfast & getting ready to enjoy the day.
Though the turn out wasn’t really large, (I did have a couple early morning we’re not coming texts) we had a spectacular time. We left the parking lot shortly after 8 am, and the 10 or so bikes made their way up to Alico Road. Traveling through the back side of RSW Airport, some of our riders got to see some local riding spots they hadn’t seen before. From RSW, out Gunnery Road by the Buckingham Airpark, home of the Lee County Mosquito Control, and up 31 towards Bermont Road, home of Florida Tracks & Trails.
Jeff Gallo, our General Manager, was doing an off road ride day at Croom, up in Brooksville, where Travis Pastrana was the day before, promising an exciting time for all our customers that joined him there.
We made the right hand turn at 74 and headed out for our own on road adventure
As we got on up the road, we saw a Caracara on the side of the road, fighting to get its snake dinner off the road before we got there… That is one really cool looking bird. It’s not exactly common to see them here, though we are in a small part of their range.
Most of the riders that we had with us hadn’t been the route we took, and it was a lot of fun.
Old State Road 8 has something for everyone, sweeping turns, bridges with beautiful views, hair pin turns with train tracks, whoops, and lots of challenges for each individual rider.
After a brief stop for fuel, and to stretch our legs, we headed out to tour the south side of Lake Josephine, one of the unique feature lakes of Central Florida, and some of the twistiest sections of road around, and all in all, a tremendous amount of fun to ride. The road follows the lakes shoreline, and every view is better than the last…
We rode through Crewsville, and down Sweetwater Road near Highland Hammock State Park, and one of the highlights of the day was on our trip back down 661. Cresting a little rise in the road, looking ahead I saw what I thought was a tree down or a limb in the road. I motioned for everyone to move to the other lane, and that’s when I saw it…
It wasn’t a tree at all!! It was a Gator taking up the whole lane on the road. He strutted off into the brush at the roadside as we rumbled past, but it was a real surprise to see that! When we got to our gas stop after that, everyone was just amazed at all that we’d seen and the great roads we got to experience. It was a really great time, made better by sharing it with the best people.
Collin from our Parts Department took the ride on the 1290 Super Duke, and Fred Shutrump from our Service Department took the ride on an all new Multistrada. They both could not stop talking about how surprised they were when they rode the bikes. Great comfort, superior performance, and that spectacular intangible feeling from riding a premium motorcycle. Tom just picked up his new 2015 R1200RTW this week before the ride, and he was loving the way that the bike handles the twisties, and provides ultimate comfort for all day riding! When one of our riders, Pat & Candice got home, in addition to some of the great pictures you’ve seen here, they sent me this…
242 Fun filled miles, and just a really great time was had by all!
Don’t miss the next shop ride! You never know what we’ll encounter, but one thing’s for SURE, we’ll encounter it with the best people! We had mostly new shop ride attendees with us on this trip, which made it a lot of fun with exciting discoveries for riders & passengers alike.
When you decide that you’re ready to join us for a shop ride, whether on road or off, just keep watching our website in the events section, or on our Facebook page the next one is on the schedule for October 25th, and promises something equally fun! We hope to see you there!
Don’t forget that coming up on October 10th you’ll be able to catch the crew at Cape Coral’s bike night. From what I’ve heard, being that close to Halloween, someone is bound to be in costume.
Thank you again for checking out our blog, and we’ll see YOU at Gulf Coast Motorcycles!
Best regards,
Webb Benninghoven
BMW-Ducati-KTM & Select Pre-Owned
16090 S. Tamiami Trail
Ft. Myers, FL 33908Office 239.481.8100
Fax 239.425.3100
webb@gcmotorcycles.com
http://www.gcmotorcycles.com
Follow Us
Gulf Coast Motorcycles 