By Michael Dapper
VRA Page Webmaster Save The Date: Rockies Rally June 20-22, 2008 Here’s an early event announcement: Save the dates of June 20-22, 2008, for the Rocky Mountain Victory Freedom Rally. The 2008 Western bash will be based in Moab, Utah, the site of incredible desert beauty.
Watch the Victory website for Rockies rally details as they are confirmed.
Plus, watch for the announcement soon of Victory’s 2008 event schedule. You’ll see the Victory 18-wheelers at events big and small across the country, and you’ll definitely see the big rigs at more Victory dealerships than ever before. Demo rides? Victory will offer more than ever in 2008.
As for a Victory 10th anniversary celebration: Dates are yet to be finalized and will be announced as soon as details can be confirmed.
The Great T-Shirt Debate We asked in an earlier Victory Blog for your nominees for the best Victory T-shirt ever and the worst.
Victory Rider Lee Heaton wrote in praise of a shirt that combined the Victory script logo with Western/Native American-themed artwork on a great rally shirt.
Lee wrote, “My favorite was the very first [Victory] Sturgis T-shirt. I have seen them but never got one. My not-so favorites include the Fantastic Four [Victory Challenge T-shirt of] (2 years ago), the Ness tribal (last year) and this year’s Victory Challenge shirt with the poker hand on the back. The reasons for these being my least favorite? Never could find one in a XXL. Called many dealers and have been watching online auctions and checking with my friends on the VMC to check their dealers.
“Another of my favorites is any Victory dealer shirt. I have nine so far. I think dealer shirts get people to stop by a dealership when they are out of town, whether on two wheels or four. Some people plan their motorcycle trips to stop by a dealer close to their trip route. I planned a stop by a dealer on my last trip, but no shirt. I think they have been asked before and might be doing it now.”
Victory Rider Blaine Thrasher checked in with this: “I don’t have many Victory tees but here’s my worst/best: Worst: The yellow tee with the map from last year’s Victory Power Tour (from Medina to Wyoming to Osceola). Nice event but I don’t wear the map in public. If it were a map of a thousand-mile jaunt, then maybe…
“Best: Again, I don’t have many, but I really like the T-shirt I bought from Rice Victory in Sturgis. It’s not the typical black or white. It’s sort of a green and they had other colors as well. It has a logo front and back and it’s dated. That means they design a new one each year. Good idea.
“Maybe you could issue a challenge to dealers and riders alike to design the ideal T-shirt. Mine is already in the works!”
Game on, as they say. I think Blaine just challenged all Victory Riders and dealer to come up with some great T-shirt designs, so let’s see some artwork. Draw it and scan it, or create the design electronically and send it to the
Victory Mailbag. Even if you’re not artistically inclined, let us know what you would like to see in a Victory event T-shirt:
• What color? Everybody who makes T-shirts for biker events feels black is the safest way to go.
• Would you like to see some colored shirts? What colors?
• Would you like white?
• Does white get too dirty?
And yes, the message comes through loud and clear that large sizes are required. How big? 3X? Or larger?
A Universal Victory T-Shirt? John and Dee Rollins weighed in with this note after reading a letter posted on the VRA Page of the Victory website:
“In response to Mike Limberg's request for a universal colored shirt. We will never get our Victory community to agree on a color as there are different needs depending on where you are. For example, Arizona needs a light color to reduce the heat on a summer day, while up here in Colorado we want a dark color to attract the heat.
“While we were in Europe, we ran into bikers of Brand X that had a universal logo known worldwide. Rather than a color scheme, it’s my belief what seems to be missing is a rider logo that the biker community as a whole can recognize and our community can truly wear with pride. You will find that the Twin Cities Victory Riders group, North Georgia and Arizona all use a logo like Colorado is currently using. All this is just my opinion, of course. However, I did want to challenge the Victory community to give their input and discussion points on what they are thinking in regards to T-shirts.”
To get a look at some local or regional Victory riding groups’ logos, check out these websites:
Twin Cities Victory Riders North Georgia Colorado VRA Arizona Hurricane Alley in Florida Pure Polishes Road Show If you attend the open house at Rocket City, the Victory dealership in Madison, Alabama, this weekend, please check on the mental health of one Larry Meservey, Sr., of Pure Victory Polishes. As noted in an earlier
VRA Page news item, Larry has spent an awful lot of time on the road lately in the big Pure Victory Polishes (PVP) motor coach.
Between stops at Victory dealerships, Bike Nights and rallies, Larry has provided the Victory Mailbag with updates on his whereabouts and activities. It’s been like receiving mail from (the late) Hunter S. Thompson, and Larry has been living up to the Gonzo master’s credo: “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”
Just prior to rolling into Rocket City to set up the PVP display for the open house, Larry parked the big coach in a rural campground.
“Where in the world am I?,” Larry wrote through the haze of endless travel. “I thought I was at Camp [redacted], but after the events of this morning I believe I have found the town of Mayberry. I was awakened by a knocking on my door and opened it to meet Andy and Barney, the local constables. They were here to greet me and let me know that they were going to provide me protection – and let me know that this was the biggest camper on wheels they have seen in their town. Oh, and while they were here, could they come in and see how many families it could house?
“I'm sure they were hinting that they wanted to bring their wives and friends by for dinner this evening. After about an hour they said they had to get back on patrol as
rush hour was about to begin. As long as they don't return with their banjos I'll feel fairly safe.”
But the master detailer was far from safe.
“As I walked to the campground office to send some mail, I heard the loudest explosion I have ever heard. Seconds later the ground shook, I was sure someone had blown up the Pure Victory Polishes rig. But the campground manager passed by and told me not to worry, ‘that was the local arsenal. You’ll get used to it after a couple of hours.’”
There was more danger afoot later in the day. In an afternoon e-mail – which Larry thought might be the last he would ever send – he reported: “Well, I was told moments ago by the campground manager to hide under the PVP rig as there are tornado warnings and a twister was sighted within a mile of us. If you don't hear from me after this e-mail, you’ll know it was a bad storm. However, you can rest assured the coach did not crush me because there is no way I'm going to crawl under it in this weather.
“First it was BOMBS now it's tornados. What’s next? As Lt. Dan said in Forrest Gump, ‘IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?’ Consider me ‘Shaken, Not Stirred. Larry, Out!”
If the storms don’t get him and if the creek don’t rise, as they say, look for Larry and the Pure Victory Polishes rig at Rocket City this weekend.