Our Public Image, Good or Bad?

I was thinking about that over the weekend. People were asking me about it at red lights and such, and I was thinking it would be way easier to hand them a business card with an info website on it. I was originally thinking this site, but your idea for a separate faq site is a good one...or we could just make a nice "get all your beginner info here" section here or something.

Hey, it's just some thoughts to kick around. LOL There are loads of ways to
approach it. I just thought having a total beginners motorized bicycle 101 page
that would contain the essence of "types", scratch built, kit built, etc would
encourage them in the direction that they believe they could succeed at doing
given their experience and whatever tools they have.

I figure such a site would satisfy their curiosity and sell the idea to them that
they could do this and realize some substantial fuel savings too. And even enjoy riding it. Then the site could always have a link to this site......for further information.

But, like I said it's just some thoughts to kick around for now as a way to improve the image of those like ourselves when we're seen in public. And the jesture of offering an info resource card could be an inexpensive PR outreach.

The idea is sound. I am new to the site as well as to the community. Everyone here has been very informative and willing to share their ideas and views on a build. I think that by giving someone "training wheels" is a good start but it is almost a waste of talent. What drawed me to this site is the way everyoe challenges the conventional. Begginers like me tend to be more timid and would rather stay in the background and follow topics that are of interest. Rather than a separate fact site, why not incorporate it here. As a link or even a banner. Everyone here I think has been a great example of how a community should be....share for the benifit of all. If people are really interested as was I, they will look. If you think about it, first impressions are great but you still don't really understand until you communicate.

The only worry I have about having it here as a section or link or whatever...Some people aren't very computer or internet savvy, and would quickly get discouraged from reading a forum right off the bat. But I do think it would be a good idea to have it here.

Though I still do like the idea of a separate page that would basically be like "Here are a few examples of what you can do, here's how fast it'll go and it's gas mileage, and here's about how much it'll cost you. Now go to motorbicycling.com and get going"

Really a single page with some text, pictures and links shouldn't take up too much bandwidth. I'd be more than happy to donate some of my personal bandwidth for the cause. If it's own domain was wanted, I might have to wait a bit on that, I think I'm out of domain credits for right now...

Bikeguy,

I don't know about others, but I personally was thinking about something with a little more content...something that reads more like a magazine article.

What I had in mind when I brought it up was doing a page at Tripod (which is free and with plenty of band width for just passing business cards to interested individuals) Not publishing the link in magazines or on the net so the audience
will be recipients of these business cards established motorbikers pass out.

The site would be as I suggested above and showcase those ideas. There would be a section of links to UTube where various guys demonstrate their
motor bike while riding & wearing a helment cam. If they have high speed access then they are good to watch some short audio video links of the different types of the motor systems available.

If we take time to help every interested person we meet on the street, we'll be doing more standing and educating than riding. I see burn out coming. I've got several good UTube videos in mind that would be an education within themselves where anyone with the address of such a web site could go watch and enjoy a presentation. I know if I were a bystander and was "wowed" by
seeing my first motorbicycle and the rider was kind enough to talk to me for a minute and give me a card where I could ramp up my learning curve......I couldn't help have a favorable impression.

I've mentioned Honda's first marketing slogan in other threads here. It was,

"You meet the nicest people on a Honda". Well today it could be, "on a high fuel efficient motorbike....that even I could afford" !

I'll agree on the burnout thing. I think I talked to 5 people last Friday I think it was. I was already getting tired of saying the same spiel over and over again. It would be nice to be able to hand a card over pointing to somewhere with some general info about the hobby, with links to here and youtube and all that crap.

Man, and once again yesterday I totally could've used some type of card.

This older guy riding a 50cc scooter flagged me down on my way home. he was very interested in the bike. Said he'd like to put one together for a trike. He was explaining how he and a few people are trying to get a dealership together here in CO for this particular model of 50cc scooter (forget what exactly it was), but they wouldn't give them the permit till 12 were registered in the state. So they've been buying them in Kansas and registering them here. Says he's able to get that little 50cc up over 40mph. Seemed very knowledgeable about small motors like this.

He didn't have a computer of his own, so I didn't mention this site, since he wouldn't be able to visit often, but I did point him to thatsdax as a good place to get the motor kit. Hopefully he was able to remember the website. Didn't have a pen or paper or anything to write it down. A card totally would've helped.

jasonh said:

Didn't have a pen or paper or anything to write it down. A card totally would've helped.

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you know, someone (maybe eDJ?) mentioned that it might be a good idea to have a card or paper preprinted with information about motored bikes to carry around and give to those interested while you're out riding.

I wish I had had a card today myself. I got into a conversation with a guy who was passing thru here from Columbus Ohio. He was in a Mazda Miata club and the discussion came to fuel milage and I mentioned my project. This guy was in his late fifties and became all ears. (telling me when he was a boy......)

So, I indulged the conversation describing kits, home builts using string trimmer motors & chain saw, eBikes, and even the Cuban Riquimbili's just for contrast. He got a bang out of the Riquimbilis and hearing about Soviet equipment getting "redistributed" for creative solutions to poverty. I think it acutally made his day.

But it was worth the investment in time today for me as I found a kindred spiritwho whole heartedly agreed American kids need to own tools, have a work shop space, and get back in touch with the pride they can have showing something they designed, engineered, and built with their own hands opposed to buying something at WalMart with a credit card, or wait for the Politicians in Washington to do anything that will in any way make their lives BETTER.

But he found the idea of a string trimmer of 33 cc and one hp mounted to a bicycle delivering 150 to 200 mpg to be as captivating today as it would have been to him at 10 years of age.

When I get some chores caught up, I think I'm going to put that generic site together myself and then post the URL to it. I'll try to keep it to a page to print that yields business card size cards that can be cut up with scissors.
I've done that before and stapled about 10 or so of them together to carry
and tear one off to give someone.

thanks! good to think about..... keep smiling.(red green, keep your stick on the ice, were all in this together)

eDJ said:

But it was worth the investment in time today for me as I found a kindred spiritwho whole heartedly agreed American kids need to own tools, have a work shop space, and get back in touch with the pride they can have showing something they designed, engineered, and built with their own hands opposed to buying something at WalMart with a credit card, or wait for the Politicians in Washington to do anything that will in any way make their lives BETTER.

But he found the idea of a string trimmer of 33 cc and one hp mounted to a bicycle delivering 150 to 200 mpg to be as captivating today as it would have been to him at 10 years of age.

.

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That is a great thought eDJ. A good many societal ills could be fixed with instilling pride by presenting challenge. Have to thunk about this...

You can have 1000 business type cards with ANYTHING YOU WANT printed up at Office Depot and other places for a little over 20 dollars.