Dust Off That Powder Blue Tuxedo ..... It's Homecoming Time

    Hell.. I may be the odd one. I'm going so I can meet as many of you folks as possible and maybe get a chance to scream like a little girl riding shotgun in the panda beast. A catwalk tour is a bonus.

    Quote from Slingrazor

    The Panda will make you scream and Ill make you giggle like a little girl.

    this sounds wrong - very wrong :evil:

    Cage Free - 2016 Pearl Red SL

    DDM Short Shifter, Sway Bar Mounts Coolant tank Master Cylinder Brace & CAI

    Twist Dynamics Sway Bar, JRI GT Coilovers, Assault Hood Vent

    OEM Double Bubble windshields & various other goodies

    Quote from FunCycle

    Check your E-Mail for the new info on the Slingshot factory tours. Kind of looks like there will not be any free factory tours. 36 tickets for Friday @ $50 and 36 tickets for Sat. @ $25. I will not be going to this event.


    FunCycle ;

    Please do not cancel attending this event.


    For everyone else - my thoughts on this:


    There are SEVERAL things to consider here:

    1.) This is a NEW event for Polaris Inc, on company property

    2.) Being planned by a NEW group / organization

    3.) During the 6th month of the year - when new products are being ramped up on production floor.

    4.) Company property - Company will control the event and what is allowed.

    5.) If people start backing out - Vendors will back out also... this hurts not only those who want to attend, but also those who are working hard to pull off this first ever event.




    Those of you who are frustrated - please let us come together as a group and show the ONLY SLINGSHOT MANUFACTURING PLANT that this product is worth their continued commitment to produce the Slingshot. We are a family when we get together, we have fun, and they will SEE with their own eyes how much people enjoy this product.


    I am telling you all - Polaris needs to see the enthusiasm, and excitement we have. We as a group could reignite the employees excitement for the product being built... instead of it being just another bolt to torque, or VIN stamp. The employees - rarely see a slingshot on the road... more than half if asked claim they never have. hard to be excited about your product when you THINK nobody really cares about it, or buys it.


    AND - WE SHOULD SUPPORT Ross and SOG Board Members through this. The SOG group can only negotiate so far before having their hands tied. At the very LEAST - we should support the SOG group for presenting us with vendors, and another platform to gather as a family again.


    Just to note - Remington Outdoors Company is right up the street from Polaris. You don't get through the front gate without an FBI background check. This is not the festival grounds... this entails legalities, confidentiality, and liability issues that again - must be considered by the company.



    I have told everyone - how excited I was, how big of a group is coming, I have volunteered with my own personal time to assist this event.. because its kind of like expecting important company coming over to your house.... you want the windows washed, and the floor vacuumed and clothes put away...


    Please do not cancel. This is not what I would expect from this family... whenever there is a wrench day, or somebody needs something, SOMEONE in this family comes through... we all need to come through for this event, and MAYBE it becomes an annual event... MAYBE Polaris relaxes if we pull off a good show without injury or product leak. This first event will dictate if there will be a second event to Polaris is willing to negotiate on.


    I understand both sides of the argument... There are a lot of things going on inside the plant right now... and the competitors - they are searching for ways to get a foot in the door continuously. Ross , SOG's , they are doing their best to pull off an event that they are not allowed to call the shots on.



    Please do not cancel guys. Huntsville Polaris needs to see this family.

    All statements, posts, and general discussions made on this forum by me purposely reflect my opinions and personal experiences. 8)

    Edited once, last by Guardian_Angel ().

    OK, so it seems that the communication could have been a little better. Something like:


    GREAT NEWS....in addition to the normal catwalk tour that Polaris gives, they have agreed to allow an expansive factory floor tour for the first time. These will be limited to smaller groups and we will be selling these slots via tickets which 100% of proceeds will go to charity (full details below)


    Back to my original questions. Are the normal tours we signed for still a go? (looks like it, but no official word)

    Any chance of Thursday tours? More happy SOGgers and more money to a good cause.

    I have not brought up the SOG group on the forum since it was originally put together and presented to me. The main reason I have been quiet is because I wanted to see if everyone was ok with what the new group was bringing to the forum and the Slingshot community. Another reason for me being quiet was because I didnt know for sure how their group would actually tie in to our forum. Here is what I was told...I was told that the forum would be the outlet for their news and events. I was told that SOG would put together events for smaller vendors that wanted to show off their products. And I was told that they would be using media outlets like Facebook and Instagram to help spread the news about their events and they would link back to the forum so it would bring in new members and traffic.


    After looking back I can safely say that SOG has done exactly what they said. And they have bit off a big event for their first one... They have created a yearly homecoming event that was not easy to put together. I know it wasn't easy because I have personally sat in front of the plant managers and discussed this very thing. After hearing some of their requirements to put such an event together and have Polaris involved I can tell you that the forum is just not setup as a business that can work directly with Polaris on this type of thing. To have an extended group like SOG work beside the forum is the next best thing for all of us.


    So if your on the fence about coming or if you ever had a reservation about the group I can tell you that I will be helping them with there endeavors as long as they continue on the path they are taking. They are bringing more members into the forum and that is what I want to see. And that is what all the vendors on the forum want to see.


    WITH ALL THAT SAID.... If you can make it to event please do. Everyone needs to show Polaris that we do care about the company and that we want them to have success and keep the Slingshot line alive.


    RABTECH

    THE BIG PANDA! :thumbsup:

    The free tours will run hourly on Friday

    Now that all the info is on the table, I plan to put in for the floor tour. I'm not sure what the uproar is all about (my wife tells me TwitFace has it's panties in a bunch) except, I guess, the way this was introduced as Flybuddy pointed out above. Just think of it as a donation to a worthy cause with a bonus! Nothing else that has been presented to us by the Board has been changed and nothing has been taken away. They can't call all of the shots as it has been previously pointed out. Let's roll with it and make this a killer inaugural event for SOG! (Insert theme song here.)

    Remember folks - this isn't a rehearsal, this is The Show!8)

    Quote from SlingLow

    Now that all the info is on the table, I plan to put in for the floor tour. I'm not sure what the uproar is all about (my wife tells me TwitFace has it's panties in a bunch) except, I guess, the way this was introduced as Flybuddy pointed out above. Just think of it as a donation to a worthy cause with a bonus! Nothing else that has been presented to us by the Board has been changed and nothing has been taken away. They can't call all of the shots as it has been previously pointed out. Let's roll with it and make this a killer inaugural event for SOG! (Insert theme song here.)

    Doug most of us figure your going to be doing the 'walking' tour while Sara enjoys the company of one of the many Slingers riding thru the beautiful country side of Northern Alabama.

    Quote from EjFord

    Doug most of us figure your going to be doing the 'walking' tour while Sara enjoys the company of one of the many Slingers riding thru the beautiful country side of Northern Alabama.

    I'm not so sure EJ, she is saying she wants to do the tour too. Maybe it's just a soft spot for the kids. I'm sure we'll get a little seat time too. I'll throw in another fifty for a ride with you - or you can throw it in to take Sara. Driver's choice!


    Side note: Does anyone local have experience with Big Bob Gibson's BBQ in Decatur?

    Remember folks - this isn't a rehearsal, this is The Show!8)

    Quote from SlingLow

    I'm not so sure EJ, she is saying she wants to do the tour too. Maybe it's just a soft spot for the kids. I'm sure we'll get a little seat time too. I'll throw in another fifty for a ride with you - or you can throw it in to take Sara. Driver's choice!


    Side note: Does anyone local have experience with Big Bob Gibson's BBQ in Decatur?

    Several of us from Northern Indiana will be in early on Thur.

    As far as the helmet is concerned... I have never had an issue in my 4.5 years or nearly 40,000 miles were I was pulled over in Alabama for the helmet only. And that being said.....I have only been told by one trooper to make sure my seat belt was fastened.


    There is a bit of a loophole that you could use. I used to keep the loophole paperwork in my glovebox. I don't have this paperwork anymore because I just don't have any issues when driving the Slingshot without a helmet.

    "There are some gray areas in the law (three wheel enclosed cockpit vehicle clauses) (enclosed definition being that you can't put your feet on the ground when you come to a stop) that could be used to get past the helmet issue."


    Main thing is to always have a tiny crappy half helmet hidden somewhere and if they "for some reason" pull you over and ask you where your helmet is just tell them you have one with you for other states that require it. Tell them that you were told they just required you to have a seat belt on and that you don't even need a motorcycle license anymore in Alabama (which you don't). If they ask you to put it on.... PUT IT ON AND DRIVE OFF.. Be nice and make them happy. Then when you get to your next stop take the helmet off and put it back where it was before you got stopped and enjoy your day...


    And one final thought... If you want to go without a helmet then no amount of my typing is going to get you to put a helmet on. And if you want to wear a helmet then wear one. You can never be to safe... No one should ever take a helmet off just because their is a law that says you don't have to have a helmet. Just be safe and do what you feel is good for you...

    Quote from exharleyrider

    SlingLow , so you and Sara can ride together, I would be willing to ride in any open seat so you two can take my sling together for a morning or afternoon ride. Just offering.

    Dude! I don't have to take you up on that to know that you're awesome. We are going to play things by ear and if we end up in different rigs it just means we get to know someone else a little better. Thank you, thank you!


    I'm going to go practice my burnouts...

    Remember folks - this isn't a rehearsal, this is The Show!8)

    Thank you Guardian_Angel . Your support is appreciated.


    I am far from alone in the hours of daily work done to coordinate and promote the event for owners and vendors - the Board of Directors is where the thanks really should go.


    I am a tad disappointed with all the negative comments on social media - it weighs heavy on me. SOG continues to work with what SOG was allowed to offer by Polaris. Hopefully there are more people excited about this event than disappointed.


    I wish that Polaris could offer more floor tours, but they don't. Sounds like that in the past too many disrespectful people taking photos when they promised they wouldn't and sharing (and even mis-sharing) information they agreed not to disclose. We surely don't blame Polaris for taking these kinds of actions to protect their product and brand - we want the product to have increased success and to continue for years and years to come.


    We have more than 300 registered for the event (registration continues to grow each day) with nearly a dozen vendors and a couple of local food trucks.


    The SOG goal for this event is simple - bring owners together. We want owners to come first because their voice is so important. We want to make the experience for members to be as cost free as possible. We want to bring vendors into the event without having to charge them hundreds or even thousands of dollars. We want owners that come and don't want to purchase modifications from a vendor have memorable experiences.


    We met with Polaris and discussed several ideas and made several suggestions. They allotted just over 100 of the video tours. With the understanding and responsibility of SOG to make sure that there is no photography from the catwalk. Floor tours were approved as well thanks to some very hard work by Slingrazor. Thanks to him we were able to get 6 dozen floor tours spread over Friday and Saturday. Proceeds of the tours will allow SOG to be able to give more to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.


    Some are complaining on social media because they had a different idea of what is currently being offered by Polaris. I don't know what to say - we are working with what we were provided. Some are complaining about not allowing alcohol, tobacco, or firearms on the property. This event is being held at a place with flammable and explosive materials where the property owner has an obligation to protect employees as well as guests.


    For those on social media, I'm not sure I can do anything more other than say, I'm sorry. I know that won't be enough for some of them, but we are doing to best that we can to provide an awesome experience for everyone that attends. Truth is, if we charged owners and vendors the current average rate to attend an event, we would have had more than $30,000 in revenue. Even though that would be a great donation for a charity, that was not the sole purpose of this event. We wanted the event to be affordable for everyone and more importantly, a place to gather where the Polaris Slingshot was born.


    Looking forward to seeing everyone in Huntsville.