Something Old, Something New

The store at www.bikes360.com is open has apparel items for riding the motorcycle this summer. We've included some new items and some great price reductions. Take advantage of these great offers while they last.

Bumps & Grinds

While the web site speeds toward completion, the fabrication process grinds to a halt. My welder has mysteriously (or not) ceased to return or initiate calls concerning the custom rotator used to photograph the 360-degree views of motorcycles. This is a speed bump in the process of creating a new business concept, but it is also a disappointment. So, now I am seeking a new welder to create our rotator. With plans in hand and patents pending, we still hope to move equipment to several offices during the current motorcycle season. We'll get it done.

Wilsons Leathers Now Available

We recently completed an affiliation agreement with Wilsons Leathers to provide our customers a link to alternative leather products. Now, you can shop our deeply cut discount prices or click the link for Wilsons Leathers to make the comparison. Wilsons offers many products we don't carry such as purses and other non-biker products. At 360Bikers we like to give you as many alternatives as possible.

Looking Good!

The new site is looking great and should be ready next week. Meanwhile, look at www.bikes360.com for the accessories and apparel section of 360Bikers. We just added some new items with great summer prices. As always, any order over $100 gets free shipping! I was recently doing market research and found the luggage set we offer $10 less. Now, I'll shop $10 like anyone else, but they were adding $44 for shipping and handling! You have to handle more than just luggage to make it cost $44 in my book. I'm a biker. I have a day job and make a living like anyone else. I think bikers should get a good deal. Our same 7-piece set is only $139.95 INCLUDING shipping. You'll also find some great new prices on chaps and masks. It still gets cold in the mountains and the mask comes in handy if you're forced to drive in cold weather. We'll be adding items every month, so check often and enjoy the low prices you get at the 360Bikers Store, www.bikes360.com.

Getting There

. Some things are acutally getting there. The site is looking like it will meet the April 30th deadline. There are many features and I think you're going to like this a lot. We'll be offering multilevel ads with features available such as 6 or 10 stills uploadable (60K limit each), slide show, and of course, the 360-Degree feature. We're anxious to get started and we hope you take a look at www.360Bikers.com to see the things we are offering.

NEW! Mobile Studio!

Now, your motorcycle can be photographed at any location in full 360-degree splendor using our mobile studio. While this facility is reserved for dealerships, clubs, dealer days, and special events, it provides an opportunity for us to come to you. Our mobile facility includes a full garage-size studio with black muslin backdrops, black muslin floor drops, and 3-point lighting system. The studio includes our cashier station and production center so you can walk away with your 8 x 10 photo, your high resolution 360-degree CD, and the access information for your 360-degree web site at www.360bikers.com. We even have our own generator to take to events where power can be a problem. It's time to setup your event for your club or dealership. Right now, we have Florida service plans from Key West to Jacksonville to Tallahassee to Tampa to Naples and all points in between. We hope to open in California, Colorado, Arizona, New York, and New Jersey in the near future. We'll also be traveling to some of the major shows. Look for the 360Bikers event near you.

Rotator News

Yesterday we had hoped to look at the final prototype for our motorcycle rotator. We have a few things left to weld, but the results are going to be great! We did complete final assembly of the motorized portion using a special electric motor with 230 lbs. of torque! This motor with transmission converts 5000 rpm down to only 4 with smooth rotation of any motorcycle. A speed control was added along with a footswitch for the photographer to control it. The innovation that was not quite complete was the division of the ramp to 3 pieces. This 9-foot long piece of steel weighs about 90 lbs. and was a bit unwieldy. The new sections will make it very easy to transport, even in a small SUV. The base is still somewhat large and heavy, but this is the source of stability. The 110 lb. "X" shaped foundation still fits in the back of a small SUV. The section has been cut and the connectors manufactured. Mike will be welding them into the ramp this week and final testing will take place. We are very excited by this new space and weight saving feature. The final decision to convert to aluminum for most parts was also made. This will reduce weight considerably both for transportation to shows and shipping to offices. The pitfall will be an increase in price as aluminum is selling quite high right now. The trade off is worth it. We are still evaluating the concept of powder-coating the primary structures. This will reduce paint touch-ups and scratches. It would add about $200 to the final cost, though. A short note on quality and price. While the final price of this unit is not yet determined, we are pretty sure it will be over $1,000... perhaps a lot over $1,000. All parts in this system are designed to last almost forever. We anticipate no part replacement for the life of the rotator. Both the welder-fabricator and the electrician have worked for Pratt-Witney on an array of projects ranging from jet engines to the space shuttle. While the initial investment in this device may seem high, the absence of wearable parts makes up for it. One of the goals was to create a device that is virtually maintenance free. This has been achieved. As the rotator stands now, the only item that would require maintenance would be the occasional paint touch-up.

Losing Wait

I received an email from an old colleague about a business I had to close awhile back due to support issues. He said, "I'll never hire again. Employees never have the energy level the owner has." While this is true, you would think the business owner building our rotator would be pushing to finalize the project. That's how one gets paid. We're waiting, though. We're trying to lose the wait time. We are still waiting for the final release of the "Rotator". Development has gone well up until the final phase. The product is fine, but it hasn't been on the front burner of our fabricator. Look for new action to take place if the lag time gets to be too great.