I fully expected to sit here today and tell you all about giving away the Chrome World 2007 Win-A-Wing Gold Wing to Richard Califano. I expected to tell you about the excitement and laughter. I expected to tell you about watching Richard drive off into the sunset on his new GL1800. In fact, all of these things did happen and I do intend to tell you all about them. But something else happened. Something that made me remember why I love motorcycles. Or maybe, more to the point, why I love people who love motorcycles. This was to be a story about something I was giving away. Somehow it has become a story about what I came away with.

As you may recall, if you follow this blog, I recently surprised Richard Califano with a phone call to let him know he was Chrome World's 2007 Win-A-Wing winner. Richard was out to breakfast with a bunch of his friends when I reached him on his cell phone and gave him the good news. As I listened to Richard share the news of his good fortune with his friends I remember thinking that I was really going to like Richard and that his friends sounded like a lot of fun. Only now, after spending the weekend with them, have I realized how short of the truth my initial impression was on both points.

Richard and I spoke many times over the ensuing days making arrangements for delivery of his brand new, dark red, 2008 Gold Wing GL1800. During our conversations he told me much about himself and the Osceola Misfits, the group he rides with. I shared with you some of what Richard told me in my previous post. I was glad I was finally going to get to meet them.

Now I have to tell you I was pretty excited just to get to go to Florida considering there was snow in the forecast at our store in Selbyville, Delaware. I also didn't have to twist many arms to get people to go with me. So I headed south with my wife Beverly, Chrome World VP Jim Zervakos, and Jim's wife Lucia joining me.


We arrived at our hotel Friday night and were met by an Osceola Misfit welcoming party. Richard, Ruel Clifton, and Roy and Barb Seamans rolled out the welcome mat and made sure we were all settled in. Richard explained that after we presented him with his new Gold Wing that the Misfits were inviting us to join them for breakfast and a nice ride to Tarpon Springs on the Gulf Coast. I agreed with the plans and looked forward to riding in the gorgeous Florida weather. We swapped stories over iced tea and then, at Ruel's insistence, we retired for a good night's rest before Richard's big day. It wasn't until later that I came to fully appreciate Ruel's wisdom.



The big day was Saturday, February 9, 2008. At 8:30 in the morning I met Richard and a whole crew of Misfits at city hall in Saint Cloud, Florida. I wasn't sure if a collection of misfits were a gaggle, a pod, or something else. The answer presented itself in the form of Michael "Captain B" Bausman and his wife Robyn. Mike is the self proclaimed last true pirate in Florida. We were introduced after I was assaulted by the most foul (no pun intended) mouthed mechanical parrot I have ever seen or heard. Said parrot is owned by Mike and is proudly perched on the rear of his and Robyn's Valkyre Interstate. Needless to say Mike's crew, otherwise known as Misfits, got a big kick out of watching me blush. This kind of fun would prove to be the rule with Misfits.

Finally the big moment was at hand. We parked Richard's dark red 2008 Honda Gold Wing in front of city hall and we all lined up for pictures. I presented Richard with the keys to his gorgeous new GL1800 as Richard's wife Gloria, his daughter and her family, and the Misfits looked on. Richard's Gold Wing now had a total of four miles on it. That would change by the end of the day.





After all the photographs were taken we saddled up for our ride. Ruel graciously allowed Jim and Lucia to use his GL1800. Richard suggested that Beverly and I ride the Win-A-Wing Gold Wing while he and Gloria used his old bike. I argued that I really didn't want to be on his new bike during an encounter with an armadillo, but he insisted. So off we went to Fat Boys restaurant for breakfast.





At breakfast I sat with Bob and Sandy Kelly from New York. They are GWRRA members and former couple of the year. They spend a good deal of time traveling around the country, Gold Wing in tow of course. They met the misfits some years ago and have been riding with them whenever they are in the area. They called recently to see if there was anything going on and were able to join us for the day.


After breakfast we were off to Tarpon Springs located on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Not all of the misfits could join us so we said our goodbyes in the parking lot and off we went. The ride was led by Glenn Hanscom and his wife Pam. He rides one of the most beautiful burnt orange GL1800s you will ever see. He particularly likes the color matched add ons and has tastefully decked out his bike with a mix of amber lights and burnt orange accessories. I can honestly say I have never met anyone more excited about riding than Glenn. Pam was telling me that she can't keep him off his bike long enough to do the honey do's. We finally decided she should reward him with credits for accessories when he completes his chores. Glenn thought that was a great idea. I'm just proud to see another marriage saved by accessories.

The three hour ride to Tarpon Springs was incredible. Especially for us northern folk because it was all new to us. The air was warm and had that tropical smell and feel. There were palm trees and other tropical plants and wild life everywhere. We weaved our way west along a series of back roads and saw very little four wheel traffic until we neared the coast. I was fascinated by the number of cattle farms we passed. It seemed odd to see cattle grazing among palm trees. I was surprised to learn that Florida is among the largest cattle producing states.


Tarpon Springs has a harbor filled with shrimp boats and sponge boats. The harbor road is lined with Greek restaurants and shops. It didn't take us long to settle into Hellas, a local favorite. The lunch highlight was pickled and grilled octopus. It tasted like scallops only a little tougher. My fear that the little suckers on the tentacles would stick to the roof of my mouth went unrealized. Roy shared with me that he was a Marine sometime back and that he loved to hunt back where he lived in New York. Stuffed, fat, and happy, the fellas settled on the harbor front benches with a coffee, a good cigar, or in Roy's case a piece of venison jerky. The ladies hit the shops for some must have Greek merchandise. All in all this was a wonderful ride destination.



Late in the afternoon we mounted the bikes and headed east. This time our destination was Old Town just southwest of Orlando near Disney. Old Town is a collection of restaurants, bars, arcades, and shops all positioned along a street closed to vehicular traffic. It reminded me of the streets inside the Disney theme parks. We arrived at 8p.m. just in time to catch a parade of four hundred plus vintage cars. What an incredible show. After the parade we hit a local pizza shop for a light dinner and conversation.

Stuffed, fat, and happy once again, we set off for Richard's house in Saint Cloud. As each of the bikes riding with us turned off for their own homes we waved and promised to meet again the following day for dinner. We finally arrived at Richard's home around midnight. As we rolled his new Gold Wing into his garage I realized with a twinge of guilt that there was now nearly three hundred miles on the odometer. But I knew that that would never bother Richard. In fact, I would bet that Richard would say those three hundred miles were some of the best miles on that bike because he got to share them with a friend. That's the kind of guy Richard is.

What a full and wonderful day. Short of an iron butt I can't remember the last time I spent so much time on a bike. I sure am glad Ruel had the wisdom to suggest an early night when we first arrived.

We all met for dinner on Sunday night. We talked about motorcycles, our ride together, Richard's new Gold Wing, and the fun we all had. Even after dinner we stood outside and talked. It was obvious that none of us wanted this wonderful experience to end.

As my flight left Orlando on Monday I suddenly felt a little sad that I was leaving. As I thought about the last few days and the Misfits I realized why I was sad. I had been with a group of people of various ages, from various places, and with various backgrounds. They had two things in common. They loved motorcycles and they genuinely cared for each other. There was no political bickering. A wrong turn leading to a u-turn became something to laugh about, not gripe about. They accepted me the moment they met me. And they invited me to be one of them. I felt as at home with the misfits as I do with my own family. The Misfits embody all that I love about motorcycles and the people who ride them.

Just as suddenly as I felt sad I felt joy. Although I was leaving I knew I was taking with me a wonderful memory and the comfort provided only by lifelong friends. I knew that I would ride with the Misfits again.

We have a winner! Congratulations Richard Califano of Saint Cloud, Florida. Richard is now the proud owner of a dark red 2008 Honda Goldwing GL1800. Richard's winning entry was obtained on September 4, 2007, when he placed an order for five of our Emgo oil filters. It seems he and some of his friends were getting their bikes in top shape for the Florida winter riding season. Little did he know that that one order would put a brand new GL1800 Goldwing in his garage. I hope he saved one of those filters for his first oil change.

I called Richard in the morning and caught him out to breakfast with a bunch of his friends. On learning of his great luck Richard eloquently replied "you're kidding", followed by "you're kidding", and then "you're kidding", and, well, you get the picture. After recovering somewhat from the shock of the news, Richard announced to his friends "I just won a Goldwing!". After that things just got loud with laughter and congratulations all around. It sounded like great fun.

Richard tells me that he is originally from Cleveland. He lived in New York, Virginia, Arkansas, and California, before settling down in Saint Cloud, Florida thirty Five years ago. He is married with six children and nine grandchildren. Richard is a member of the GWRRA, Honda Riders Club, and a local group calling themselves the Osceola Misfits. Richard and his group try to ride evey weekend and attend many GWRRA functions, conventions, and rallies. It sounds like our 2007 Win-A Wing bike is going to see plenty of action.

I will be going to Florida in early February to visit with Richard and his friends. Richard has promissed to introduce me to some good ole southern bar-b-que and some southern hospitality. I promise to take lots of pictures and i will post them here on my return.

Congratulations again to Richard. To the rest of you, the dream of parking a new Goldwing in your garage is still alive. Chrome World's 2008 Win-A-Wing Sweepstakes has begun. Like the previous sweepstakes, every order you place with Chrome World earns you another entry in the sweepstakes. Maybe this time next year I will be writing this blog about you. It can happen. Just ask Richard.

Your 2008, Dark Red Metallic, Honda Goldwing GL1800 has arrived. That's right, it's here. Well, actually it is sitting in it's crate at Powersports East in Bear Delaware waiting for the lucky sweepstakes winner to claim it. The best part is that lucky winner could be you.

The fall Goldwing parts and accessories catalog from Chrome World is shipping this week. Forty four pages dedicated to the latest and greatest accessories for your Honda Goldwing should be in your mail box shortly. Those of you who subscribe to our free quarterly catalog will notice a change in the appearance and format of the catalog. We think you are going to like what we have done.

Most of the changes are in response to what you have been telling us you would like to see in our catalog. The most obvious change is that we have added color to our catalog. This allowed us to included hundreds of color product photographs. We think this will help with the color clothing and lights. We also increased the quality of the photographs to provide a sharper product image. Finally, we added more detailed product descriptions.

If you would like to subscribe to our Goldwing catalog you can do so at www.chromeworld.com or you can call and request a subscription at 800-872-9595. We do not buy, sell, or share personal information.

Don't forget that every order placed at Chrome World, Inc. earns you another entry into the 2007 Win A Wing Sweepstakes. This year is quickly winding down and we will be giving away that new GL1800 Goldwing right after the new year. Good Luck!

Chrome World Motorcycle Accessories will hold our annual open house on Saturday, May 26, 2007, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Participant's will be treated to free hot dogs, hamburgers, and soda. We will also be holding a drawing sponsored by Big Bike Parts. The first prize winner will receive a $200 gift certificate and the second prize winner will receive a $50 gift certificate good toward the purchase of any Big Bike product. The drawing will be held at 4:00 pm on the day of the open house. All entries in the drawing will be forwarded to Big Bike Parts and will be eligible to win one of five grand prizes of $1000 in Big Bike Parts product.

GWRRA Delaware B will be on hand assisting with the cooking. They will also be holding a 50/50 raffle to benefit the Lower Delaware Autism Foundation. You do have to be present to enter the Big Bike Parts drawing and the 50/50; however, you do not need to be present to win. No purchase from Chrome World, Inc. is necessary to enter, win, or eat.

Chrome World will also be giving away a number of door prizes from Big Bike Parts, Kuryakyn, and Add On Accessories. We will also be expanding our ding, dent, discontinued, and open box section where you will find huge price breaks. Don't forget, every purchase gives you another entry into the Chrome World Win A Wing Sweepstakes.

There will be plenty of food, drinks, and fun, so come hungry. If you need directions to our Selbyville Delaware location you will find a map on the back of our catalog or you can give us a call at 800-872-9595. Hope to see you there!

As promised, here is the update on the Goldwing tire situation. While at the trade show in Indianapolis I had the opportunity to spend some time with the folks from Dunlop. I'll bet you won't be surprised to learn that I was there with just about every other tire dealer in this great land of ours. We all listened while Dunlop painted a very nice picture of the future supply of tires and told us that all was well with the world. Well, call me a skeptic. But while the other dealers nodded their approval and walked off smiling at the thought of no more back orders, I set out to find someone in the know.

I ended up having a nice friendly chat with a fellow by the name of Ed. Ed billed himself as the production manager for motorcycle tires at the Tonawanda facility in Buffalo, New York so I felt like I would be able to get some good information. Once we got past the everything is fine and dandy corporate talking points, Ed and and I talked for a while about what was going on behind the scenes at Dunlop.

As you may recall from my earlier posts I have been concerned with Dunlop's ability to maintain aftermarket supply after taking on new OEM projects for Harley Davidson. Dunlop has made no secrete of their production priorities. In short, they are supplying OEM tires first, followed by OEM dealer replacement tires and, finally, aftermarket tires. According to Ed, Dunlop was able to fulfill OEM tire production during the strike by using management and replacement workers. Now that the stike is over Dunlop is working on filling the OEM replacement and the aftermarket orders. They are starting with the most popular tires which means they are making Qualifiers. While Elite IIIs are not at the very top of the list, they are by no means at the bottom either. One saving grace may be that they have to make the Elite III for the OEMs so they are likely to continue those production runs to pump out a few aftermarket tires while they are at it.

I asked Ed about the shortages that occurred last year prior to the strike. Ed acknowledged that new OEM contracts had pushed back production of aftermarket tires. As a means of addressing that problem as well as the back log caused by the strike, Dunlop has converted some capacity at the Tonawanda plant from automotive applications to motorcycle applications. They have also converted some overseas production to pick up some of the motorcycle back log.

I have to admit that I was pleased to hear what Ed was telling me. Dunlop appears to have taken the very corrective measures I suggested were necessary in my previous posts. If what Ed says is true, then Dunlop is making a serious effort to right the ship. And hopefully, once Dunlop catches up with demand, they will be beyond the shortages we have seen since early 2006. But there's the rub. Keeping up with demand is a lot easier than catching up with demand.

Around here the days are starting to turn warm and tires are selling like hot cakes. The riding season is here and Dunlop has had only about two months to play catch up since the strike ended. They've done a fairly good job as most of our back orders have been filled and we have seen quite a few truck loads of tires come in. We have been able to clear our customer's back orders on all Elite IIIs with the exception of the GL1500 rear tires. I'm expecting a load of them in mid March. But, and this is a big but, all of our suppliers are currently low or out of the Elite IIIs when, normally, they would be fully stocked at this time of year.

So here is the bottom line. Things are looking better but we have some catching up to do. I'm still advising my customers to order tires before they need them. That way you won't end up sitting out that ice cream ride or even worse, getting hurt on bad tires because you couldn't stand to keep your baby in the garage. The good news is that if Dunlop continues with their current production levels we shouldn't see any back orders exceeding thirty days. That is a heck of an improvement over last year. Additionaly, Metzler, Bridgestone, Avon, and Michelin are making great tires for the Goldwing. All of those manufacturers are aware of the Dunlop shortage and have taken measures to increase their production numbers to pick up the slack. All of these tires perform well and would make a great alternative to the Elite III.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., the manufacturer of Dunlop Elite tires for the Honda Goldwing, and the United Steel Workers union have tentatively agreed to a new contract. The union workers are expected back to work on January 2, 2007, and Goodyear Dunlop expects to be back up and running shortly thereafter. This is certainly good news for the entire motorcycle industry. The real question for Goldwing owners is how will this affect the aftermarket tire supply?

I have covered this issue at length in previous posts so I won't do so again here. The bottom line is that there was a substantial shortage of aftermarket Dunlop tires for the Honda Goldwing before the strike started. The strike only made matters worse. Now that the strike is over there is going to be a period time during which Dunlop plays catch up. After that we are right back where we started. Unless Dunlop commits additional resources to producing aftermarket tires for the Goldwing then the shortage is going to continue.

I continue to advise Chrome World customers to buy tires sooner rather than later. Spring is only three months away. Once the spring rush starts I believe we will again see extended back orders.

I will be meeting with all of the major tire manufacturers in February as we place our orders for the year. I should have a better handle on where we stand then and I will be sure to pass that information along to you.