The semi-trailer took off for Daytona Bike Week this past Sunday, just missing our latest snow storm - loaded with accessories and new products. A new electric horn set for GL1800s, tubs of our new Salamander Snot Aluminum Polish, and the famous Bagger Budz saddlebag protector kit, among many others. Things were happening so fast this past Friday with items being added to the truck, that it's not absolutely clear who's on the crew for the event - but Daytona is a long rally, and we're sure they'll figure it out. Bike Week runs from March 8 through March 17, and the Leesburg Bike Fest is coming up April 26 to 28, so the rally season is on! If you're visiting Florida in the next week, specifically Bike Week, stop in and say hello to our folks. They will make you feel appreciated.

Many thanks and a shout-out to Tom Dorcey and his wife for lending us their 2012 Spyder RT for the winter. Rich and the design guys in our shop have a bunch of ideas for products and the Dorceys kindly handed over their keys for R&D. The Dorceys are are involved with many grass roots Spyder events here in Wisconsin, and nationally. You can follow some of their rallies and get-togethers on Facebook if you visit Spyder-Owners-and-Ryders (SOAR) or Google their activities, but we will also keep you up to date.

Here are a couple of shots of their pristine Spyder RT when it first rolled onto the shop floor.

Also, a recent addition to the cool motorcycle collection: A Triumph Bonneville 750.

It's trying really hard to winter-up, here in Wisconsin. Green Bay had a storm last night, and the Packers still won, but it's still pretty dry here in Burlington. We're not hibernating at the factory though. Yes, the design team has exciting ideas for new products. And some of them are Spyder...

If you didn't know, along with accessories for Harley, Honda, Victory and metric motorcycles, we also design and manufacture products for the Can-Am Spyder RS. Currently RIVCO is looking for a Spyder RT model to borrow through the winter for design, fitment, and photography of several new RT concepts. On the list of scheduled products for design are driver and passenger floorboards, passenger arm rests, a cup holder, hand brake (cable operated and under $400), articulating (sprung) trailer hitch, and a front bumper.

If you are in our area (Milwaukee, WI), are interested or know someone who would be interested in allowing us to use their Spyder, please contact rcolano@rivcoproducts.com. We will provide full insurance while the Spyder is in our care.

In exchange for the use of  the Spyder RT, the owner will receive their choice of RIVCO accessories for their Spyder. Thank you!

The First Snowflakes Last Night...

... were pretty much the clear reminder that the motorcycling season is about up, at least in Wisconsin. Last weekend was sunny and in the 50's, so there were a quite a few bundled up riders hitting the highways between here and Illinois. Harleys, Hondas, Spyders, BMWs and Yamahas were evident, but it would be interesting to see some of the new Victories out on the road. If just as a more complete snapshot of the local riding population before the white stuff hits and sticks. Things are quieter around the area, taking a breather now that Wisconsin's endless cycle of elections has come to a stop, at least for a awhile

In the shop, Peter is working on a limited run of the legendary Rune spinners, Teri and her crew are packaging the latest bunch of LED turn signal mirrors, and our new catalog is nearing completion. Lastly, the road gang reluctantly returned from the High Seas Rally, nicely tanned and semi-relaxed. If you have to go to a event at the end of the riding season, well... a week long tour of the Caribbean might be the right call. The Grimmes brought 4 or 5 cameras and came back with some terrific photos. Here are just a few.

The road crew is literally at sea, visiting the 10th Annual High Seas Rally. We got some photos back from their travels to the Blues, Bikes and Barbeque Rally and Thunder Beach. Here are some shots of the RIVCO booth at those rallies, and sights seen. Also included is a pic of the 1 1/2 lb. sandwich Jordan ate at one of our local restaurants.Thanks to John for providing all the photos. (1 is BBB, 2 & 3 are Thunder Beach, and 4 is clearly the sandwich, but missing the 1 1/2 lb. pile of french fries!)

It's pretty hectic at the RIVCO factory. Bodies are flying around the shop floor, assembling products and packing things up for customers, and machining aluminum like crazy. And a big dose of the High Seas Cruise Rally just adds to the excitement.

The High Seas rally is an annual event (this is the 10th) and comes together for a great cause, kidney dialysis research. The rally takes place on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, with up to 3000 bikers, and is truly a great way to socialize, party and meet the biker community at the end of the rally and riding season. A few select vendors get to make the trip too, and RIVCO has been making the trip for several years now. New products are shown, there are lots of free prizes and events, and some amazing parties, not to mention traveling in complete luxury to western Caribbean destinations like Grand Cayman and Cozumel. It's casual dress, so no pressure and the bikers can ride directly to Port Canaveral, Florida where the ship is docked. This year the rally takes place from October 28 to November 4.

Locally, since the weather has been warmer during the days, we are still getting riders at the factory, checking out the latest products. It's very gratifying that we get so many people from Wisconsin, Illinois and even Michigan taking the time to enjoy the ride to Burlington. If we could entice some of the hardy souls from Indiana and Iowa, that would be great too. The factory and outlet is open from 7:00am to 4:00.

Last week, our traveling outlet store/semi made the trip to the Thunder Beach Rally in Panama Beach, Florida. There are quite a few Florida rallies during the course of the hard core riding season here in the States, and one of the interesting things about them is how many people attend who aren't Florida residents. Bikers come from the surrounding states, Louisiana, Alabama and Texas but many come down from the east coast, and a surprising number of Canadian riders make the journey. Thunder Beach, which is a spring and fall event, has always been good to us, but the comment that came back about last week from John, our purchasing manager who attended the rally was "Maybe a bigger crowd than the spring show." Late season rallies just seem to be getting more and more popular, which makes a lot of sense. If you've got ten or twenty thousand or more invested in your bike and you love riding, then stretching the season and the roads just is too good to pass up.

So this week, starting today, the RIVCO semi-trailer is parked at the amazing Biketoberfest in sunny Daytona, Florida. The Fest goes from 10/18-10/21, and our people and accessories have a nice spot at Riverfront Park on Beach Street. If you want to see some innovative billet products, hang out with our road crew and visit the hot spots in Daytona with a bunch of free-spirited fellow bikers, well come on down.