new friends

[hawkiii]

Ok, Debbie and I have almost recovered from our trip. Almost. We had an absolutely wonderful trip. We made some new friends, BumbleBee and Don, Firefly, Mark, Rando, Richard...geez we met a lot of new friends. We got to talk to people from all over the country and actually from all over the world. We got to see pictures of dol's Spyder back in Belgium. And from one of our stops on the road we met a couple from Canada with a 2009 Phantom package Spyder.

Now, let me state this up front, this is not a thread bashing anybody. This is about a couple who took off on a 5000 mile adventure. We hit some bumps along the way... literally, and it isn't like we were babying the Spyder on our way there. Next time you have some open road, roll your Spyder up to between 6300 and 6800 RPMs then check your speedometer. That is pretty much where our little miss ran on this journey. Did I mention we had a blast on this trip?

We ran into a little trouble with our Micron on the trip out. (see above paragragh) we blew the front gasket and we got pretty noisey. Then we got a little taste of what folks in the midwest call gasoline (who is this Ethan guy they stick in their gas?) Anyhow, the Spyder started running a little rough and with another 2500 or 3000 miles to go it wasn't looking too good for the away team.

We met a couple, Jim and Cat Potts. Just a sweet couple, like many we met on our trip. Jim happens to own a Spyder dealership about an hour from where we were staying. I talked with Jim and he was going to help us out with a good deal on a Hindle and ship our Micron to us and I was going to ship my 90 to bjt so he could play with it on his Spyder. Well, bjt gave me the money to ship the 90 to him and they left for home.

I ended up running into Evan in the parking lot as him and Patti and Jody and his family were getting ready to leave. Evan looked up a company he thought of that might still have some ribbed gaskets for the Micron. He gave me the info and when Jim and Cat were ready to leave we took off on a ride to their shop to put the Hindle on our Spyder. We saw some beautiful country and homes between the raindrops on the ride to Jim and Cat's place.

Jim and Cat have a really nice Spyder showroom at their shop. Jim was showing me around and he told me he was looking for something to show me. Well, we found the Hindle he was looking for on the display and then he stopped. He reached over and grabbed a stock muffler he had removed from one of his Spyders. He looks at me and says, "Why don't we just put this on your Spyder and you go ahead and finish your trip without spending a bunch of money on a Hindle?" Let me explain to you how long it took for me to say ok. NOT VERY LONG.

So, if you are in the Chicago area, make a run to Woodstock, IL. and see Jim and Cat if you need something for your Spyder. While you are there you will make some new friends and then they will tell you the secret that "Groundhog Day" and "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" were both filmed right there in town at the town square. And as soon as I find the picture of Debbie on the gazebo I will post it to show you.

When you guys recover from this story I'll tell you another one.

[bjt]

I'm waiting to read the part where someone might have thought you were bashing people...

[NancysToy]

The first guy I met when we pulled into Candlewood was Jim Potts. He came over, introduced himself, greeted us, and pointed us at the hospitality tent that they had set up for the SpyderLovers. Having a cool drink after a long ride really hit the spot! Having some name badges so we could figure out who everyone was, was a great idea. It helped make the Candlewood the event before the event. It was tremendously gracious of Jim and Cat and the gang to do that for the SpyderLovers group. Great people, who certainly deserved some recognition. Thanks Jim & Cat!

[Sny]

After visiting 5 different dealers in my area, I bought 2 spyders from Jim last year and I'm very happy with the decision. He's about an hour away and I have several closer choices but Jim was the only one who seemed to really like the spyder and owns and rydes one himself.

Jim called me a bit before the BRP event and said, "What can I do to make it better?"

I shared some ideas but when I got there I had no idea what to expect. He really added a lot to the event for everyone who wasn't satisfied with sitting in a hotel room or exploring the traffic. Think about it, who brings lawn chairs and citronella candles with them on their bike?

Being a dealer and an owner did cause some raised eyebrows I'm sure, and as we all know, no good deed goes unpunished. But I'm impressed with how smoothly it went.

I really want to speak up and say, Thanks Jim!

[retired1]

Kudos to Jim and Cat! The tent, chairs, conversation, hot dogs, Mikes Lemonade, sure did hit the spot. Thanks again, you two.

[BumbleBee]

Was great to meet the both of you, enjoyed our conversations

What a trip and adventure you had, duct tape and all
My ryde home (rain, hail, heat and high humidity)

I am glad to hear you made it home safely

[G-Man]

Great to have met you both. What an adventure. Glad it all worked out.

[canam9]

Great story! Like to hear more.