Posts by Ghost

Quote from rabtech

Wow. Sounds like you just put in your resume @Ghost ... lol. You are right here in my neighborhood. So we need to get together and hash out some ideas. Since my Slingshot is in South Carolina I may take this weekend to clean my garage up. If your around tomorrow or Sunday maybe you can come over.

I'm not sure that I would be much help to ya but I will be glad to come up some time this weekend and give you a little more insight on how we handle some of the things for our event.

Wish me luck, here in a few minutes we are going to put the wheels back on "The Ghost" and take her for her maiden voyage boosted!

Quote from rabtech

I mentioned this a while back about the factory tour and some sort of ride in.

I spoke to the plant manager last year and he said it would be fine to have people come and tour the facility. He didn't have any issues with that... He even said that when we narrowed down the dates he could arrange a more detailed floor level tour of the assembly line. The only thing I have to know is what days it will be and how many would want to tour the factory. So as he pointed out he can authorize that portion of the event and Polaris wouldnt even have to be involved.

But I would want Polaris to be involved.....so here is where I got sidetracked. He said that if we wanted Polaris to acknowledge it and provide things like swag and demo rides and basically show up I would need to present Polaris's media group a breakdown of what we would expect from them and what they need to have available.

That is when i started thinking....How do I know how many will attend.. And how do I keep all these people busy during the few days that the event last. I know that people would want vendors to be onsite and that would be easy to arrange. I'm sure all the vendors would love to be involved. Another thing is the group rides that we have at other events. I know many places to ride to around Huntsville. But I am not even sure there would be time for group rides... maybe one to Lynchburg TN to the jack Daniels distillery.

Then there is the issue of where to have this event. It can't be at the Polaris facrory. Or at least i wouldnt think it could be. But that isnt a real big issue. There are many many places around that area that could hold that many people for sure.

And there was the issue of "when" it should take place. I had people telling me as early as April and as late at Sept. And each person had a good reason for their suggestion.

I have not dropped the ball on this event. I just don't want to a poor job with it. I will get with my contact and see if I can get the ball rolling again. Spencer at Champion Power Sports in Athens was helping me work with the facility. And about that time last year he had a new baby born. So he had his plate full also. I'll get back with him and see if he will be able to help now.

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I am sure without a doubt that it will be a daunting task. There are so many things to be considered. One thing is for sure, you cannot do it all by yourself. I know you didn't ask me but I'm going to put in my .o2 anyway.

If I were taxed with the responsibility of being the "Chief Manager" of such an event the first thing I would do is put together a small group of people (5-9 but always an odd number) to be the executive committee to assist me. Each of these people should be in charge of certain aspects of the event ( tickets, media, food etc) and may invite other people as necessary to be a part of a larger group called the coordinators committee. The people on the coordinators committee will be the "boots on the ground" folks that are directly involved with each task.

The first thing on the agenda is the date. Accept from the beginning that you are not going to satisfy everyone with your choice of dates. There are many things to consider when choosing a date. First and foremost is the weather. Because it is primarily an outside event you want the weather to be warm enough that you are assured that there will not be extreme conditions. In Alabama that is next to impossible but you'll have to do the best you can. Next you want to stay as far away from other events as possible. I'm not just speaking of SS events but other events as well. You wouldn't want to have it the same weekend as the SEC Championship for instance. There are tons of other happenings that could derail your turnout but that was just one that I thought of. If this is going to be an annual event once you decide on your date stick with it year after year so there is never a question of when it's going to be. In example if you decide the event should be the first full weekend in Juvember then it is always the first full weekend in Juvember!

Location, Location, Location!! We understand that it will be billed as the "Annual SS Home Coming Factory Tour" or something like that but we can't spend the weekend at the factory. You could have the factory tours set up for groups of XXX people to go through at XX times. While those folks are touring the factory the rest of us need to be doing something else. This is where "location" is important. The "center" of operations needs to be set in a place that is as convenient as possible not only for lodging, food, etc but access to some good riding destinations also. It is going to be a balancing act to pick such a place. Also in consideration of the location is how many vendors do you expect to have present. They have to have room to set up as well. Another question that affects your consideration about the location of the "center" of operations is is this event open to the general public? If the public is invited you'll need more room for parking etc. The person/persons on the executive committee are the one's that should offer up all their advice and suggestions on all this and then see what is available on the weekend you plan to have your event and go from there.

Itinerary: There needs to be a published itinerary prior to or at least at the on sight registration of the event. People are much more comfortable when they feel like they know what is going on and when and where. It is almost inconceivable but some folks don't want to spend every minute with you and I and will pick and choose from the itinerary the parts of the event that they wish to participate in. The itinerary needs to include every "planned" part of the event including but not limited to :planned rides, planned meals, planned tours(be it at the factory or other locations), group pictures, door prizes,seminars etc.

Media: You will need media and LOTS of it. You cannot depend on FB or the forum to do all the advertising that will be needed for such an event. This is one area where Polaris themselves could really help out. You will need to take advantage of every possible avenue of advertising for this event. Keep in mind that you are not just doing a regional event you are doing a NATIONAL event that needs to be advertised in every state in the union. There are lots of regional rags like "full throttle" that can help with this but you'll need recommendations from all over the U.S.A. if you want national attention.

Early Registration: Early registration is a must. That is the only way of even coming close to having an idea of how many folks will be showing up. The choice is yours of when this can take place but it is definitely key in the decisions that will need to be made as the event takes shape. Most events like this give a discount for early registrants as well as giving them an event package that includes some free gifts etc. You may welcome folks to show up unannounced but they need to understand that the price will be higher and they will not receive the "event package" that the early registrants do.

I could go on and on but I suppose enough is enough! Good luck on the event and let me know when registration is open!

Most fun things are more enjoyable if your not in a hurry, even if your doing them fast! LOL

Roebling Road would be a pretty good haul for me.

I'm ready for some riding weather for sure. I am so sick of this cold and nasty crap!!

I am almost done with my SC install and looking forward to getting on the road with it.

Actually the SC install is done but now I'm working on installing the new windscreen. That isn't going so well at the moment.

My brackets should be here tomorrow to mount my gauges in. Get them done and get the issues with the wind screen taken care of and I'm ready to ride!

Sounds like you've got it going your way!

Hopefully the AFR is nothing to be concerned about. Mine is still sitting on the lift after my install and it too seems to be running high AFR at idle. Anxious to see what it does when I have an opportunity to actually take it out on the highway.

Ya'll have probably already thrown them all away by now but I'd really like to have a copy of all your time slips from this past weekend.

@rabtech
@StickerDick
@Dave@DDMWorks

I'd like to study them a little.

Quote from StickerDick

If nothing else.... I think we three proved that all of you who keep posting about how your Stock slingshot has gone 130, 140mph or higher.... You are full of B.S.! When three Slings as highly modified as these three are struggled for up to two days ( rabtech was there for two days), to get to 130+ mph..... it is seriously doubtful that a stock slingshot is ever gonna go 130mph. Now.... Mike DROP! I'm out! Again!

It's not impossible but they sure didn't do it in a half mile as you did and I'd even venture to say that they didn't do it on level ground. Hmmmmm,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,the term "terminal velocity" comes to mind!

On another note wouldn't you love to have the use of a wind tunnel for a day just to be able to try different wind screens, tops, etc and to add and subtract parts to see what really made a difference and what didn't. It would also be great to see just how the air travels over around and through each area of the SS. I would be interested to see what the air is doing under the hood, through the trans tunnel, in the cockpit, and behind the SS.

Quote from MACAWS

I have been so busy at work I have not had a chance to do anything for this event or the events I run in Clarksville.

I definitely can relate!

As I said "a man has to keep his priorities straight' and sometimes that means that we don't get to do the things that we want to do when we want to do them.

Hopefully things will settle down for you soon and you can enjoy some time doing things of your own choosing. Just know that all your efforts for the good of this forum and it's members are greatly appreciated!

As an ole ham would say "73"!

Is there any new news on the possibility of this event happening?

Since it is only two hours away it makes it easy for me to attend providing that work or racing doesn't get in the way.

You know a man has to keep his priorities straight!

Get well soon @Bill Martin!!

Sorry to hear of your misfortune but proud you are able to keep a positive attitude. Prayers to you and your family.

I don't have a dog in the race and probably should keep my opinions to myself but you know I won't.

That picture can be quiet deceiving. You see the goal for you and rab was to see who could run the fastest mph in the 1/2 mile. With that in mind it didn't appear that either of you were even trying to cut a light. There was no such thing as a "red light" start. The actual starting photocells were not even at the starting line. Those of you who were not there or don't already have experience with this type of event may not understand what I'm saying and I'm not sure you can really see it in any of the pictures. Any way add to that the fact that Dave was there testing a new product and I think you can see that the picture means very little.

I'll be the first to say that I'm not much of a driver or a racer and I'll never have the pleasure of owning a sling capable of the performance of either of the slings that were racing this weekend but I wouldn't want to claim a victory I didn't earn. I'm sure that Dave could be coaxed into a friendly competition in the future when he's in race mode instead of testing mode. jes my .o2

You have a beautiful daughter. Is that her little girl and two little boys there with ya'll?

Quote from Rob the Slob

Yeah but it has a hell of a lot of down force to be able to stay up there.

Would that be "down" force or would that be "up" force??????

Inquiring minds want to know! LOL

There's no way that Aerial ATOM is going to get any traction hanging from the roof!!!!!

• Not sure what Rab's fastest 1/4 time was but I know for sure one was 112+

Thanks for the heads up! That and the slingshade were to be my next purchase. Not now!

@Moondoggie

Yes they all whine some and some more than others but none whines worse than mine when she whines that she has no wine!!! Oh, wait! You were speaking about the SS!

Well, yes they all whine some and some more than others but none whines worse than I whine when mine whines and I'm not speaking of my wife I am speaking of the SS. It don't wine, it howls like a wolf in heat! NO offense @WOLF !! But others have drove it and said that it doesn't wine as bad as theirs. Go figure? Make sure that the belt is clean and aligned properly and there is the proper amount of fluid in the right angle drive and forget it. You may need to get you a good set of ear muffs to keep from hearing her but some good tunes on the radio should drown out the wine of the angle drive. jes my .o2

I won't even try to remember the names of all the guys and gals that we met over the weekend there in Ocala but we had a great time and we're glad we had the opportunity to meet you all.

As for the racing,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,well,,,,,,,,, it was/is a little different than they type of drag racing that we are accustomed to. That being said there were a ton of similarities. It was definitely a lot of fun and even though there were a ton of vehicles there they ran it efficiently enough that you were able to get in several runs. Unfortunately the surface of the air strip was not the best for traction but as was mentioned before, "it was the same for everyone" which is true but it is also precisely why you cannot compare this weekends numbers to numbers ran at a "real" race track or even another air strip as their surface could be drastically different. Bottom line, this weekends race was "this" weekends race. Will there be another in the future? You can bet on that and next time we could be very surprised who shows up to play! While it's too late for anyone but Mark to win "this" race there is plenty time for anyone to show up and win the next one.

One of the things that I was impressed with is the belt. In the past I have worried about my belt breaking. That is no longer a concern of mine. Yes I have seen pictures on the internet where they have broken but I have no idea how they accomplished it. Let's think about Rabtech's set up for a minute. Without question he is a "plus" size guy, without question his bike produces serious hp, add to that the fact that he has tons of subs, amps, and other electronics mounted rear of center that add weight to the rear tire, then add on the fact that he was running a M/T racing tire that was soft and sticky and he made several runs without breaking a belt. All of these facts have taken away any concern that I have of ever breaking a belt. Will it ever happen? Who knows but you can bet if it ever does I either did something stupid or I just had a bad belt!

I will throw in a disclaimer out on this subject. If someone were to take a bike like Rabs to a really prepped track like maybe Valdosta GA during the Manufactures Cup Motorcycle Race then you may find enough traction to break a belt. The spring race is being held April 6th, 7th and 8th. If there is anyone here who knows @Bill from Hahn RaceCraft. I believe that he has the leverage to get some slingshots into the "grudge racing" class that is held at every ManCup event. They are motorcycle only events but considering our slings are classified as motorcycles I really don't know why there would be a problem. They usually have a TNT session on Thursday and Friday that you could also participate in and they are run pretty much like this weekends race where you can hot lap your bike over and over if you like as long as the session lasts. I'm not sure about safety gear, that is something that Bill would have to comment on. I am sure they would require the helmet but not sure about anything past that.

I'm not sure what @rabtech best quarter mile time was today but what ever it was and what ever Marks was yesterday cannot be compared to the one done at the drag strip. The airport was not even close to being a decent drag strip launching area. Comparing the two would be like comparing apples and pecans. They both had a tree!