San Mateo Progressive International Motorcycle Show

Well, it's not the best show we've ever had but certainly not the worst. The crowds were really good, the promoters did a great job, but there were show layout circumstances beyond our control that made it a little tough for customers to find us. There were three buildings at this venue and we ended up in the littlest out building which was a little hard to find and not marked very well for the night time hours.

It also got really cold here and it rained the whole weekend. I'm sure that kept forlks from riding in for the show. Even so, I think a good crowd came and enjoyed the show. It was a 4 day drive for us out here and really probably not worth the drive though it beats our inventory sitting at the shop not selling. We like to go and enjoyed the travel and met some really nice folks here.

We've decided to help make it worth our while to stay out and go to Long Beach, CA for another show. This one is supposed to be the biggest show on the tour so we're excited about it. We are going to go visit friends and leave our trailer at their place after spending Thanksgiving with them and then fly home for a week to check on the house and the shop. Then we'll fly back and pick up our trailer and go to Long Beach for the show.

We'll sure miss our mama's cooking but know we'll enjoy the time with our friends. Hopefully the Thanksgiving sacrifice will pay off big at Long Beach!

We're staying onsite in our camper and boy has it been cold! Who knew CA could be so cold..it's a damp cold too. A cold that goes to your bones even though the temps are not below freezing.

Dallas International Motorcycle Show 2011

The economy is down according to all the media and jobless reports and other reports seem to verify it. It's certainly affected the amount of vendors that are on the road and setting up at the motorcycle shows. The Dallas show while good, was at least half the size of past events. We've seen many of our vendor friends come off the road due to high gas prices and we assume lack of sales. While we've had a few down shows this year, I guess we're lucky to be holding steady. It's not like 2006/2007 when you didn't even have to try to sell yet sold everything but sales are still good and it doesn't hurt to have to work hard for what you earn as it builds your character, at least that is what mama said.

We set up this year at the Dallas Convention Center. The motorcycle factory folks were here, Honda, Harley, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Suzuki and oh yeah Ducati and Ural. BMW was a no show but they pick choose their events anyway.

These shows have gotten kind of stale but this year they have set up interactive things for customers to participate in and it seem to liven things up. There were several motorcycle seminars throughout the weekend, a fashion show, a custom bikeshow that gave away big dollars, Jason Britton was there doing his biker boys stunts on his sportbike, and there was plenty of giveaways and places to shop for all kinds of neat motorcycle stuff. Also Progressive Insurance has become the sponsor and they have put a fresh look on things.

We stayed on site in the camper and while the lows were in the high 40's it was pretty comfortable. We had a slow start Friday night but had a great Saturday which made the trip worth our while. We met some great customers this weekend and got them all geared up, (pun intended).

We were headed home but got an offer we couldn't refuse to head to the second show tour stop in San Mateo, California. Sooo, we owe, we owe, it's off to work we go :) San Mateo isn't a very big show but we have a better chance at making money there than looking at it at the shop. It's 26 hours from here to make the drive and that means over 40 hours home...that should put us home and to mama's around Thanksgiving :) No more shows till mid December from there when the show hits Seattle, Washington and Long Beach, California.

You didn't go to Biketoberfest in Daytona?????

OMG! Any motorcyclist in the Southeast who could have but didn't go to Daytona's Biketoberfest sure missed out. This had to be the best fall Florida weather ever. High's of 78, breezy, and just the perfect motorcycle riding weather.

There are so many things to do here at the show. There are bike shows, motorcycle demo's from the likes of Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Spyder, you can tour the Daytona Speedway, take a historic ride down main street as they close it off to bikes only during the show, and of course, shop for all your favorite kinds of motorcycles and motorcycle accessories at many vendor spots. Should the opportunity ever arise, you should jump (ride) at the chance!

We set up at the Daytona Speedway and feel like we sold everybody there a helmet. There were people from the New England states, Europe, and even Brazil out riding here but most seemed to be from Florida themselves.

We are seeing a change in the motorcycles we usually see here. When we first set up here 7 years ago, most of the motorcyclists we saw were riding Harley Davidson's but as of late, I'd venture to say that it's more like half and half now.

No matter what they ride we'll sure fix them up and was really glad they all came out. Working in the motorcycle industry really is a fun job. Everyone is always happy to be there, we have something they want or need to make their ride better, and we get to meet some of the nicest people in the world, literally.

As a side note, we noticed they are working on the Daytona Race Track and repaving. They were offering tours but we didn't get a chance to go. It was be an historic thing to go see as folks were lined up just to get a chance to go. I haven't got to watch a car race there but sure enjoy watching the motorcycle races.

Can't wait to be back here in March for the spring Daytona Bikeweek...it's only five months away :)

Milwaukee Motorcycle Show

I'm late on posting, a lot of life going on lately. Gearuphelmets.com went to the Milwaukee Motorcycle Rally the first week of September for the Hog rally. It was an average show...sales off from last year but still good. Milwaukee is a beautiful city. Last year we went for the first time and saw Lake Michigan which I swear looked like an ocean. We also had the chance to visit their Museum which was an awesome experience.

We set up at the same place over by the Olympic training center and like our spot there. It's about a 9 hour drive for us. It's never a big show but it helps us turn product to cash to keep us afloat this time every year. Not sure we'll do this show again but if funds are low, it's off to work we go.

Round Up in Missouri

We just got back from the motorcycle Round Up in Columbia, Missouri. It wasn't the 2009 Round Up in Atlanta but it was a good show. We love the Round Up folks and in particular the Buffalo Soldiers we get to meet each year. They are a really good group of motorcyclists and so great to catch up with each year.

We got to try our new tent out and it worked really better than expected. We love it! It works so well on the "right" side of our trailer. We got to use our lights and radio which was really nice.

It was a long hot week. Temps were in the 100's and we got set up on a sand lot, and I really mean sand lot. The wind sand blasted us, all our products got covered in sand, and it will take us weeks to get ride of it all. We were sooo hot that just sitting outside felt like being in a sauna. Add a layer of sand on top of our skin and boy it was tough.

A tough part of the Round Up is the hours for vendors. Because it's so hot, folks don't even get about and about much before the late afternoon. However, you do have a few that do so you kinda have to open during normal business hours 9 to 7 but because the crowds only come out late, you end up staying opening up until 11pm or later which makes for a long day.

I'm thankful for our trailer, Optima sure makes a great living quarters trailer. As we go to shows, we park our trailer on site as part of our display. It costs us more for the space but it's really nice to be able to stay onsite with our stuff, be able to run in and out of "our house" and always have our kitchen with us which saves us a lot of out to eat money.

We sold alot of novelty helmets and not a whole lot of anything else. I think it was just too hot for anyone to be buying much.

Our last two shows have been slow compared to last year but Aunt Dee says it's just part of the "grind" that you have to do to get through. I'm already looking forward to spring and the good shows where the money is flowing and the cash register is ringing.

Carlisle Bikefest 2010

The Carlisle Bikefest 2010 is over and can't say I'm happy about it. The show staff and promoters sure did their part but mother nature stepped in to make it our toughest Carlisle ever. Heat index warnings were posted all over the televison and radio stations asking folks to stay inside if at all possible which kept alot of customers away from the show. With the crowds way down and the high humid heat, we took a beating as far as sales were concerned. I spoke with other vendors who said the same. There was one dealer who was going out of business and was giving away Tour Master, Scorpion, First Gear, and all kinds of name brand helmets and jackets for $30 a pop. That probably hurt us some too.

It's sure a long way to go not to make some money but as that old song says, "it's got to rain sometimes". We're still going strong and looking forward to our next show in St. Louis. Bet it will be another hot one but we're gonna give it our all.

Americade Motorcycle Rally in Lake George, NY

Another Americade is in the books and it didn't disapppoint. Despite rains and threats of storms, riders flocked to what we think is the best touring motorcycle rally in the US. Sportbikes, sport touring bikes, cruisers, and dual sports, packed the event and vendors with every kind of motorcycle accessory you could ever dream of were on hand.

The weather was pretty tough as it rained most the week but it wouldn't be Americade if it didn't rain at least one day. Our GearUpHelmets.com staff was prepared and we were lucky to have VEGA Helmets, Scorpion Sports, and NHJ were on hand to help customers.

There is so much for riders to do at Americade. Escorted and self directed rides are available every day, rider and motorcycle seminars of all kinds are put on daily, dinner rides, and plenty of shopping describe the Americade week.

It's a 16 hour drive to and from the event for us but well worth it. If you can only choose one motorcycle rally to attend next year and you've never been, make Americade your destination. You won't be disappointed.

Thunder Beach Motorcycle Rally in Panama City Beach, Florida

I can't help but wonder how much Myrtle Beach is missing out on after seeing how many motorcyclists showed up for Panama City's Thunder Beach. It seems to me that Thunder Beach just keeps growing and growing and that the city welcomes them each year with open arms. This year was bigger than I've ever seen it. The whole city echoed sounds of motorcycle thunder all weekend long.

We came over to PCB from Leesburg Bikefest and had a couple of days off before we opened for the show. For me, there is no more perfect beach than the crystal white sands of Panama City Beach. While it was so windy that you just about got sand blasted when you visited the beach, it was still worth the trip down just to stick your feet in the salty healing waters of the ocean. I enjoyed the experience and wondered at the same time if the oil spill was going to ruin things for the ocean shore and the wildlife nearby. I sure hope not, what a sad helpless thought that is to ponder.

We had a great show and met thousands of great motorcyclists. In spite of an afternoon heavy rainstorm, it was a really good weekend of sales. We like setting up at Frank Brown Park though there are other great venues like the Mariott, Edgewater, Sharkey's, and the Sandpiper...If you only get to go to one show during the year, I'd sure recommend this show to you next year. There is so much to do, the city caters to you, the promoter's do a wonderful job, and the weather is always just right this time of year. We'll for sure be back.

Leesburg Bikefest 2010

Leesburg Bikefest in Leesburg, Florida was awesome! There is nothing like a whole city inviting and welcoming folks to their square for an entire weekend of motorcycle events and fellowship. Tens of thousands of motorcyclists converged on the little town of Leesburg to enjoy motorcycle vendors, bikes shows, rides, music, and great food.

It's a tough show for us at Gearuphelmets.com because we don't get to unload and set up until generally 9PM Thursday night as that's when the town closes down for the three day bikefest. Then, we are up and ready to open at 8AM and begin selling and meeting with people at our tent until what's supposed to be 11PM at night...boy, it makes for a long day! Leesburg makes it worth it though and once again we had a great show.

Sales were off from last year but we didn't take the high dollar merchandise we normally do...so while our total dollars were down, our items sold were actually up.

We've arrived tonight at Panama City for Thunder Beach and will be setting up on Wednesday for the show at Frank Brown Park. We love coming to the beach here and are going to have a couple of days to go enjoy it before we have to set up and open.

We'll post later how Thunder Beach goes. It's generally spread out all over the city so never overwhelming but steady. Hope it holds true this year.

I tell you, seeing all these riders and having warmer weather finally sure makes me want to get my bike out and ride. When I get home next week, that's the first thing I'm going to do!

Daytona BikeWeek 2010

It's almost in the books as of today, Sunday. Daytona is everything everyone always says it is in the motorcycle world. It's probably the greatest motorcycle event in the US. In ten days, motorcyclists from around the world converge on Daytona Beach, Florida for motorcycle action, shopping, riding, adventure, and fun.

Some of the best motorcycle race events were held this week. Flat track, Superbike, Vintage, and Supercross. Crowds braved unusual cold temperatures to watch and the stands were full at every venue.

Vendors were out in force and if you wanted something for your motorcycle and couldnt' find it, it wasn't because it wasn't there under one tent or another. Vendor venures were to be found at every dealership, on every corner, and all over the Daytona Race Track.

Gearuphelmets.com enjoyed a good show and are sad to be leaving. Not sad cause we want to stay open, sad because we'll be leaving all the action and fun. Every year Daytona gets everyone in the mood to ride and if you are like us and have to work (and not ride) during Daytona, it stirs that strong passion to ride! We can't wait to get back home and fire up our own motorcycles.

We want to give special thanks to NHJ Powersports and Scorpion USA for coming to the show and working with us. For no pay and alot of hard work, they stood toe to toe with us and helped us have a great show. Randy, Tim, and Dave, thank you!!

Chicago International Motorcycle Show

I think everyone in Chicago that rides a motorcycle had a bad bad case of cabin fever because they all showed up to the show this weekend at the Stephens Center. I've not seen crowds like this at any of the IMS shows this year. Everyone was excited and getting geared up for this coming riding season. I don't think any vendor went home unhappy this weekend nor did the folks that showed up for the show.

This show makes me excited about the upcoming riding season and especially about Daytona Bike Week coming up. We'll be setting up at the race track where all the action happens. The races, the demo rides, the vendors, and just the Daytona Experience itself is packed in to ten days of "let's kick off the riding season" at Daytona Bikeweek.

Despite all the "sky is falling" economy reports, folks are still getting ready to ride and gearing up to do it right. It looks like 2010 is going to be another good year for motorcyclists and their motorcycles.

Minneapolis Cycle World Show

We've always wanted to go give the Minneapolis show a try but because of the threat of bad weather and fear of pulling our trailer through snow and ice, we've not went. This year the conditions were right and after we tore down in Cleveland and checked the weather, we decided to go on up and give her a try.

Instead of camping and freezing to death in 8 degree temps, we stayed in a downtown hotel close by the convention center. If you were savy enough, you could walk the skywalk to and from the convention center. Of course, I wasn't savy enough and for most of the time there, was lost in the maze like skywalk. They seriously need some SIGNAGE in that place...Then we finally figured it out and they closed the dang thing on the weekend when we needed it most. We just gave up and got cabs after that. By the way, we stayed in the downtown Raddison which was very nice if anyone ever needs accomodations in Minneapolis.

Having never been we weren't sure we had a good product mix. It generally takes doing a show to figure out what goes good and what doesn't. We ended up selling a little bit of everything and not much of any one thing.

The crowds were slow on Friday and Sunday but really really busy on Saturday. We might have sold more had we had more help but who knows. We took a smaller booth this time and because of that, we didn't have our regular retail floor set. I think that hurt us a bit but again, not ever having done this show we're not sure.

Advanstar did a good job marketing and selling the show. All season, they really have got the "butts in the seats". It's just been one of them seasons where you can almost bank on half of what you did last year. Sales ain't bad unless you know you did double that amount last year lol.

We got one more Cycle World Show to go and it's in Chicago. We'll be going back up there in the freezing cold and snow. It's always a great show though so we're looking forward to it.

Cleveland International Motorcycle Show by Cycle World

Those folks in Cleveland don't let a little snow, ice, and cold keep them away. The crowds were out and shopping at this years show. The IX Center is a great place to hold this event and there is plenty of parking and easy access.

We were glad to see folks looking forward to this coming riding season and they were sure gearing up for it. We're looking forward to it ourselves as working in this cold ain't alot of fun.

We didn't sell alot of any one thing but sold enough of everything to make it worth the drive. The show had an indoor stunt show that folks enjoyed and plenty of vendors on hand with everything you could want to make your ride more enjoyable and fun.

We'll be looking forward to coming back next year. We're headed to Minneapolis now for the next stop on the show tour.

New York International Motorcycle Show

Well, it looks like we may survive another season of retail. The Cycle World International Motorcycle Show is in the books and for the first time in a long time, it was a good show for us. It didn't come easy though as we had to deal with unions, subways, trains, tolls, tunnels, and traffic. I don't know how these New Yorkers do it every day. Just to get to the show each day was an hour and twenty minute ordeal and the show was only 12 miles away from our hotel. We couldn't walk as we'd had to cross the river and a taxi ride there was 150 dollars! We tried to stay in NJ hoping to save hotel money but like everything else, it turned out that you didn't save alot when you figure all the travel expense of back and forth. I think we'll stay at the hotel by the Javit Center next time.

Coming to NY is always fun though and worth all the trouble. The crowds are awesome and they definitely seem to have some money to spend. They are really nice folks too. Many times you hear how New Yorkers are this and that but we've found them to be some of the nicest folks to talk to and sell to. They do kinda of talk funny though ;) Just kidding, they wear us out over our southern accents so I had to get one in about theirs.

The load in and out was tough...it took five hours and we were fourth in line and that was just to get to the dock. Next year, we're showing up on Wednesday and moving in early. You only learn these things after doing it the hard way the first time.

The weather was cold but clear all week. We got to see Jersey Boys while here which was awesome and got to go to Time Square and enjoy ourselves. Now for the 16 hour drive home....We'll be back though, no doubt about it.

Next stop, Cleveland, Ohio as the Cycle World IMS show tour contines at the IX Center.

Greenville, SC Cycle World International Motorcycle Show

Gearuphelmets.com is headed home from the SC IMS show. We weathered a very cold weekend in our camper out in the parking lot and had a good show. It wasn't last years show but it was good. The crowds are out but folks are still holding tight to their wallets but not as tight as they have in the last few months.

I think Advanstar is doing a good job advertising and making a good show, it's just one of those economic times. I'd be upset if the people weren't there but as they were I can't blame Advanstar.

In spite of a snow storm up north of Greenville, people made the trip and seemed to be excited about spending the weekend at the show. Familes were there and we saw more motorcycles in the parking lot than we would have ever thought would have braved the cold. Real riders were here for sure.

We're headed to NY City for the next Cycle World Show. We hear it's their biggest! We sure hope so.