Smoky Mountain Spyder Rally this past weekend.

[Chef G]

Hello everyone in Spyder world! I first want to say, I am new to riding and new to owning a Spyder. We purchased a used 2014 RT Limited 4 months ago and have put on 3500 miles and we are having a blast! We really love it.

This past weekend, we went to our first Spyder Rally at Fontana Dam in Western NC. The weather was perfect, the trees looked like a perfect Fall photograph and the resort was nice and the people working there did a good job and were very helpful. And we meet so many great new friends and Spyder owners. Spyder owners are a wonderful group.

On the surface, it was the perfect first rally and perfect weekend. Except for the fact that it was one of the worst organized and mis-managed events I have ever attended. Day after day and event after event, it was a complete let down. I am sorry to say, it gave me great concern that it was promoted as a BRP/Can-Am sanctioned event.

Here is a short list of things that happened: 1) The rides were very disorganized, 2) BRP didn't have a booth there as promised, 3) The fees were outrageous based on what we received, 4) There was no band Saturday night as promised and no refunds were given, 5) We were all charged "entertainment & entertainment" tickets that said $15 but were charged $20 on Paypal and we received NOTHING in exchange for them. I am out $80, 6) There were no gifts, 7) In speaking to several vendors, they were charged too much at $1200 per booth and didn't even have electrical hook ups, 8) The organizer used the event to push his own agenda and completely spoiled the mood. It was painful and disrespectful to the hundreds of adults having to sit through the speeches. The only thing missing was a table to sell his "snake oil". And he was down right rude and condescending speaking to us like we were children.

I am hoping to hear from others that attended the event and hear their feedback. If I have offended anyone on this Forum, please forgive me, but I feel like I have been ripped off and would like to get it corrected for future events sponsored by BRP/Can-Am.

Thanks for reading this,
Greg

[Roadster Renovations]

I am sorry you had such a terrible experience. That was why we set up as vendors down the mountain in Robbinsville at the Hub. I have it on very good authority that the event planner is done. He has a very nice young lady and her friend taking over and next year will be much different and according to her he will not be involved at all. Do not base this experience on how these Rallies are. This one is the exception. Try to put this experience behind you and move forward. I say good riddance. I posted a thread several months ago concerning this individual and his practices that has been closed. It still can be read though if you wish. Go into the search area and type in "Vendor Vampires" to read the whole thing if you wish.
Nice thing about things like that is that the Spyder Community is very close and will eventually self-correct....

[Carold571]

I was at the Sypder in the Smokies and I totally agree with everything Chef G wrote. It was the worst rally I have been to.

[SpyderAnn01]

Sorry that this was your first experience - I don't know of any other rally that is handled the way this one was. The promoter is in it to make money which is not normal for other Spyder events. Most hope to break even. I think you probably noticed that most of the folks didn't attend any of the scheduled events. They went last year and were disappointed and opted to do their own thing this year.

One thing that I know happened is that the promoter was involved in an accident on his way to the event and his wife was hospitalized. He continued on to the event and left her in the care of a family member.

As for BRP's involvement, they paid for a meal, which is exactly what they did at all the other "owner's events" this summer. I don't believe though that any of the other events required you to purchase an entertainment ticket so that you could attend the dinner. But I can understand that you would be required to pay to attend the overall event in order to be able to attend the sponsored dinner.

For most of the other rallies in the Spyder world you pay a registration fee and you know ahead of time what this fee gets you. Most include a meal or two, organized rides, a t-shirt or an event pin.

Don't let this event keep you from attending others.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I have mostly stopped POSTING....However - for this ...I ALMOST went to it....but after reading the " fine print " and remembering that this was the same person who Engineered the " MYRTLE BEACH " fiasco. I decided not to.. And I'm very glad I didn't because after what you and others have said .....my fears were verified I hope BRP gets the reviews on this failure " EVENT "..............Don't be turned off by this experience, it is definitely not the NORM...........and I hope in the future Lamont refuses all advertising of anything this individual promotes....... jmho ..Mike

[TommyBwell]

I attended and had a great time. The reason I had more fun than my new friend Greg is I didn't sign up. I wasn't sure I could make it so I reserved a room but didn't sign up for the rally. When I posted about why there wasn't more interest a month or so ago people complained about previous events this guy had done. I heard quite a few complaints including the refreshments running out thirty minutes into the meet and greet the first night. I hate it for all the folks that got bamboozled. It could have been such a great event. When you've been housebound for the best part of two years and didn't get ripped off by the promoter it was an outstanding time.

[blacklightning]

I attended the event, was there from 10/21-10/24, and enjoyed myself. No, I did not sign up, and did not do any of the rides with the large groups (I don't like riding with large groups anyway). I go for the riding, and a chance to meet other spyder owners. With that being my agenda, my expectations were met. I don't need to have someone to "organize" an event for me, I just need to find a time and a place with people enjoying the same recreation that I love, and I am happy. We do a "non official" M109 pre-meet in Maggie Valley every June. No sponsors, no vendors, no organized rides. Just friends getting together and doing what we love. We plan a few rides each day, but typically break into 2 groups. The site seers, and the run and gun guys.
If there is another gathering of spyders in the NC mountains, I will be there. Not for the vendors, not for the sponsors, not for the group dinners, but for the chance to meet and greet new and old spyder owners.

[SpyderAnn01]

I sort of feel bad for Larry, the promoter. He organized the event last year and many folks got there and decided not to participate in the "pay to play" events. Many voiced their displeasure but instead of organizing your own event you attend again and don't pay to play this time either. In fairness to Larry you all should pick a date and place and make your own event.

What makes a good rally is usually the volunteers.

DISCLAIMER: my use of the word "you" is not directed at any one of the folks who have posted on this thread.

[blacklightning]

I sort of feel bad for Larry, the promoter. He organized the event last year and many folks got there and decided not to participate in the "pay to play" events. Many voiced their displeasure but instead of organizing your own event you attend again and don't pay to play this time either. In fairness to Larry you all should pick a date and place and make your own event.

What makes a good rally is usually the volunteers.

I guess I see it differently. I go for the riding, and to meet other riders. As far as I am concerned, all I need is a general location to go to, and that is enough. If vendors come, great. If they have items to sell and make a few bucks, great. But, I will not pay to go to an area that has all the free entertainment that one could ask for. As for it being a BRP sponsored event, if they don't have a rep there with free giveaways, or a Demo truck, what good are they? I bought from them, I get my service done by them, that is all I will do. It is only to their advantage to do the above things to gather new owners and get more interest from new people.

[eagleeye299]

Come to SpyderQuest next year. You'll have a great time!

[SpyderAnn01]

I guess I see it differently. I go for the riding, and to meet other riders. As far as I am concerned, all I need is a general location to go to, and that is enough. If vendors come, great. If they have items to sell and make a few bucks, great. But, I will not pay to go to an area that has all the free entertainment that one could ask for. As for it being a BRP sponsored event, if they don't have a rep there with free giveaways, or a Demo truck, what good are they? I bought from them, I get my service done by them, that is all I will do. It is only to their advantage to do the above things to gather new owners and get more interest from new people.

If that is all you need then I am suggesting that you organize something just like that yourself.

[jtoro1]

I agree with the first post but it was very nice to meet other Spider Riders in the spider event I spent more time at the hub meeting other Spider Riders and had more fun there I did ride in the mountains and loved it

[rcflyrj]

I attended and agree with all of Greg's points. Except, I had a great time! Gorgeous weather, beautiful part of the country, nice folks and lots of Spyders. Most of my riding was solo, after Larry announced on Friday that none of his six ride leaders showed up! I actually laughed out loud when he announced the Saturday entertainment was a no-show. Glad to hear someone else is taking over for next year.

And having attended Spyderquest last month, I know that not all Spyder rallies are this disorganized.

John

[spyderwoman]

I usually try to stay out of all negative postings about people/events but I do have to chime in on this one. Chef you are spot on about the SITS events. I loved meeting all the people, loved the weather and great riding but the event organizer scammed a lot of people out of money. BRP gave this man $10000 to help out with this event and he probably made a good $7000 or more for the entertainment tickets he made us buy to get the "free meal" ticket from BRP. In case you were not there the 4 man band supposedly backed out at the last minute...yet he could not give us a refund because he is filing a lawsuit against the band. Slim Shady he is! All I can say is shame on him for claiming to be all God like and then steal money from good people such as the Spyder community. Don't let this one event keep you from others. I've been to a lot since 2008 and have never been disappointed with the organization until this one. There are good, hard working people out there, such as Lamont, that does events for the love of the product and the people who buy them. I would shoot an email to BRP and let them know how we were scammed and I even filed a dispute with Paypal. I doubt if I get my money back, but if enough of us bother Paypal, maybe they will at least remove his business from their services.

[SpyderAnn01]

I usually try to stay out of all negative postings about people/events but I do have to chime in on this one. Chef you are spot on about the SITS events. I loved meeting all the people, loved the weather and great riding but the event organizer scammed a lot of people out of money. BRP gave this man $10000 to help out with this event and he probably made a good $7000 or more for the entertainment tickets he made us buy to get the "free meal" ticket from BRP. In case you were not there the 4 man band supposedly backed out at the last minute...yet he could not give us a refund because he is filing a lawsuit against the band. Slim Shady he is! All I can say is shame on him for claiming to be all God like and then steal money from good people such as the Spyder community. Don't let this one event keep you from others. I've been to a lot since 2008 and have never been disappointed with the organization until this one. There are good, hard working people out there, such as Lamont, that does events for the love of the product and the people who buy them. I would shoot an email to BRP and let them know how we were scammed and I even filed a dispute with Paypal. I doubt if I get my money back, but if enough of us bother Paypal, maybe they will at least remove his business from their services.

I noticed that his website is no longer up. I hope you get somewhere with PayPal.

[ravseren]

I too agree, but I enjoyed the Hub in Robbinsville. Everyone went out of their way to get me in and done early and I appreciated it as I was still recovering from surgery and wasn't "supposed" to do much.... Got light, an alignment, gloves and other goodies. Plus a decent meal at a fair price.
Seth

[ravseren]

I have been to Americade, and I doubt that was as great as it now is at the beginning, but the fact that Larry won't be the host next year doesn't bother me. I didn't stay for the dinner that wa "free" but wasn't. But meeting a lot of other riders from all over, getting some goodies on my wishlist done and the ride were worth the "price of admission". I have wasted more for less in my lifetime and sometimes the cost of the education is still worth it. This one was. If I ever was invited to another "event" put on by the same person, I would know better, but so what. Thanks to the people I met and things I accomplished, it wasn't all bad. And as I said, I met great Spyder owners!
Seth

[currin20fan]

Finally, someone saw what I told many last year. Sorry some of you were scammed. If BRP paid him I'm sure he made more money than he deserved.

[Chupaca]

That's a shame. Some are better than others sadly the next one will be a tough sell....

[motoswami]

I, too, was (with my full-time second rider, Jackie) attending a Spyder rally for my (our) first time. Not a noob to m/c rallies by any means, I had a plan in advance to cruise the vendor alley (dropped $500 quicker than you can spell "cognac"), ride some great roads, intentionally meet a few others who appeared to be like-minded souls, and take in the Sat evening food and music.

Mostly because Jackie is unabashedly good at sticking out her hand to strangers, we met several really nice individuals and couples. Spent the better part of Saturday showing a delightful couple (Doug and Gloria, you know who you are) a favorite road or three and some other sights. Snapped a few photos of some tastefully modded Spyders (as well as a couple that were a little over the top!)(OK, they were a LOT over the top!), after brushing a few cobwebs out of our way.
We also rode some sweet roads in gorgeous autumn colors (avoided the silly Dragon's Tail spectacle and squid-fest), had a pretty darn good BBQ dinner and enjoyed a good fill-in guitarist.

However, were were looking forward to maybe shaggin' it up a little to a good rock and roll band, as promised, so that was disappointing. Fortunately, we had already been put off while on-line registering by the badly inflated prices of other event happenings (e.g. Friday night fish fry for some outrageous price), so we side-stepped adding to the promoters pockets in that manner. In retrospect, if BRP paid for the actual Saturday meal and the promoter skimmed off all the profits from his $20/person mandatory "evening entertainment" charge, that was indeed the doings of a true scumbag.

Conclusion. I'll definitely go to more Spyder rallies in the future, but if the promotional material has the smell of week-old fish like this one did, I'm forewarned. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

Pete

[maliamd]

I attended last year and was very disappointed with the lack of organization. I knew something was terribly wrong when he charged $35.00 a piece for tacos AND ran out of food!! After the event I warned people about Larry and his questionable business ethics. Some people chose to believe while others did not. I have zero tolerance for people who are dishonest. Good riddance Larry and don't let the door hit you in the rear on your way out.

[blacklightning]

If that is all you need then I am suggesting that you organize something just like that yourself.

No problem! If no one has anything scheduled in the area by mid July, I will definitely be organizing something for the fall. But just for the ones who like to ride and enjoy just being in the company of other spyder owners. Not for people who expected too much, got taken advantage of, and then whine about how they were not treated fair. I feel sorry for those who were taken advantage of, but when the inflated prices started flying after what was advertised as a "free rally", I would have pulled out. BTW, maybe I missed it, but I was never asked for any money for this event. We just booked our room and showed up. If anyone should be pissed, it should be the vendors that paid too much for their spot.

[JayBros]

Being new to the Spyder game and having had a fun time at Spyderfest where I met a bunch of real great folks, I saw the prices for all the options, except for fresh NC mountain air, I just chalked is off as too commercial for my liking. Yes, I missed meeting some other Spyder riders, particularly Tar Heels, but there will probably be other opportunities to do so.

[SpyderAnn01]

No problem! If no one has anything scheduled in the area by mid July, I will definitely be organizing something for the fall. But just for the ones who like to ride and enjoy just being in the company of other spyder owners. Not for people who expected too much, got taken advantage of, and then whine about how they were not treated fair. I feel sorry for those who were taken advantage of, but when the inflated prices started flying after what was advertised as a "free rally", I would have pulled out. BTW, maybe I missed it, but I was never asked for any money for this event. We just booked our room and showed up. If anyone should be pissed, it should be the vendors that paid too much for their spot.

Exactly, you were never asked for any money because you didn't attend his event, you attended the event that arose from other's experiences last year.

[Deer Slayer]

I would like to see a return to Robbinsville, NC. Robbinsville in the intersection of the greatest rides in the USA. There is room and a great visitors center in Robbinsville for assistance. I wish the new folks all the best. I hope the time is the same, as the Fall colors just knock ya boots off.