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Tech Daze...What Fernando said.


Gleno

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Here's a few shots from one of the greats. 'Nando was ABSOLUTELY the glue that made this 3 day event the huge, bar raising sucess it was. Thanx always buddy. thumbsup.gif

 

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Oh yea, we worked on bikes too. grin.gif

 

The man(s) thumbsup.gif

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I brought my pencil....

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The End...or not.

 

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Gleno,

 

My very first BMWST.com event was a techdaze called Beer, Beemers and Brats two years ago hosted by Steve and Suz'anne Hebert. It was a total blast and I learned a lot of valuable things.

 

Fernando is right on the mark. This is a learn and then teach process. Techdaze have popped up all over the world because of the kindness and generosity of many of the members here. It's one of the things that makes this such a unique community.

 

HERE, HERE thumbsup.gif

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Gleno, thanks for the memories. That Tech Daze at your place was truly fantastic from so many perspective.

 

But I just want to make it clear that the suggestions don't come from just me. They are something the moderating team of this board collectively has put together to help improve things. For many people, their first Tech Daze is a great unknown: long ride, new people, new things to learn, who do I listen to, who do I trust, what do I bring, what's really gonna happen, etc. The moderators read about the successes along with the rest of you, but we personally hear about the failures, "Geez you won't believe what this guy showed up expecting us to do for him, no tools, no parts, didn't kick in a dime. . . . ."

 

A little clarification and some basic expectations can go a long way.

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russell_bynum

For many people, their first Tech Daze is a great unknown: long ride, new people, new things to learn, who do I listen to, who do I trust, what do I bring, what's really gonna happen, etc.

 

That was definitely me. Longest ride (~300 miles). First time I rode anywhere to stay overnight. Didn't know ANYONE. Didn't bring many tools (didn't have many tools). Did bring the appropriate oil and filters, though.

 

I'm not typically a social person so I was worried about feeling left out. I didn't even have my helmet off when Gleno came over and cracked some jokes, and Fernando (sitting on Glen's front porch) started cracking up. 15 minutes later, I was in the garage eating Pizza feeling like I had been best friends with everyone there my whole life. Tool used to ride a BSA. Rick bought his RT to replace a SuperHawk. Tom Roe came all the way from WHERE?!?! eek.gif

 

Saturday morning, my bike was one of the first rolled into the Garagemahal and our team of 4 started working on it. We were only doing a valve adjust, 0=0, TB sync, and oil change, but with my non-existant wrenching skills, my bike was one of the last out of the garage that afternoon. Gleno kept wandering by saying things like "Is that butt-ugly primer-colored Grey-phite pig still taking up space in my shop?" grin.gif Pilgrim offered advice on the valve adjustment. Dick Frantz helped set the TPS for 0=0. Big Mak and I messed with the TB sync for ever but couldn't quite get it. Sean Daly appeared out of the woodwork, gave the locknut a nudge and the mercury leveled out. Ford helped me change the oil.

 

Every once in a while, a bike would roll out of the garage and go off for a test ride. Someone would say "I hear a boxer" and we'd all grin. Jim Shoop's bike showed up on a trailer hardly able to idle, and left with the front wheel in the air.

 

Dick spent about an hour working with me showing me what is now known as the Master Yoda Riding Position, which solved pretty much every comfort problem I was having on the bike. Then he spent an extra hour cleaning all of my drool off of his brand new K1200RS. cool.gif

 

The food was beyond belief, and hands-down the best tri-tip and bacon-wrapped shrimp I've ever tasted.

 

The ride home with Brian, Denny, and Rick was my first group ride, too and set the stage for many great BMWST.COM rides.

 

Can you feel the love?

 

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"Geez you won't believe what this guy showed up expecting us to do for him, no tools, no parts, didn't kick in a dime. . . . ."

 

Yeah, but after seeing the pictures from Gleno's, I can just imagine what people would say if they came to a Tech Daze at my house. "Geez, you wouldn't believe this place, no lifts, no chairs, no whiteboard, no banners, no neatly arranged bottles of oil, no tri-tip, no banquet tables, no souvenir pens . . . " About the only thing I could supply would be the dog peeing on the bikes like in the first photo. grin.gif

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"Geez you won't believe what this guy showed up expecting us to do for him, no tools, no parts, didn't kick in a dime. . . . ."

 

Yeah, but after seeing the pictures from Gleno's, I can just imagine what people would say if they came to a Tech Daze at my house. "Geez, you wouldn't believe this place, no lifts, no chairs, no whiteboard, no banners, no neatly arranged bottles of oil, no tri-tip, no banquet tables, no souvenir pens . . . " About the only thing I could supply would be the dog peeing on the bikes like in the first photo. grin.gif

 

I have to chime in and agree, here. Yeah, that first tech daze was purportedly wonderful and certainly set a tone, but that's it. Since then there have been probably one hundred of them, and nearly every one has been just as valuable. You don't have to have large spaces, tons of tools, a lift, and places to sleep. All it takes is a simple willingness to make it happen. The one we had in my garage was only large enough for us to work on one bike, yet we had 32 people, and the neighbors still talk about all those bikes and the tents in the lawn! smile.gif

 

All this to say that you newer people should not feel left out because you didn't happen to be at that first one. I wasn't, either, but it doesn't matter. And just because you weren't, doesn't mean you can't do your own and have memories that are just as great.

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Joe Frickin' Friday
The one we had in my garage was only large enough for us to work on one bike...

 

Hey, there was plenty of space in the driveway! tongue.gif I wasn't even planning on working on my bike - just wanted to meet folks - but someone said I might be able to reduce the pinging a bit if I loosened up the valve clearances. Well shoot, gimme a wrench, sez I. cool.gif Didn't particularly solve my problem, but the point is you don't need a humungous garage if you've got decent weather... thumbsup.gif

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Sounds like Gleno is inviting us to his house for another Bash.

1st week in March is a great Idea Gleno..

I will help clean up the BBQ mess. clap.gif

 

Love Wurty clap.gif

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I have really enjoyed hosting Beer, Brats and Beemers for the past two years, and will continue to do so. Like many have mentioned here, it isn't about the facility (who can top the first one) thumbsup.gif, or the food (but that certainly helps), but more about the willingness for people to get together and be taught some basic maintenance procedures by those who are willing to teach.

 

At my BB&B II, we had several things going on, Uli working on a valve adjustment and synch, Chris K working on a fuel filter replacement, Steve Foote doing Brake bleed and I was doing an alternator belt change and auxilliary light wiring.

 

It's about the love, agreed.

 

Hop on your bike and head over to the next TD, wherever that may be.

 

Steve

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Didn't bring many tools (didn't have many tools).

Many of us are still in your debt. tongue.gif

 

 

Yeah, that first tech daze was purportedly wonderful and certainly set a tone, but that's it. Since then there have been probably one hundred of them, and nearly every one has been just as valuable. You don't have to have large spaces, tons of tools, a lift, and places to sleep. All it takes is a simple willingness to make it happen. The one we had in my garage was only large enough for us to work on one bike, yet we had 32 people, and the neighbors still talk about all those bikes and the tents in the lawn!

 

All this to say that you newer people should not feel left out because you didn't happen to be at that first one. I wasn't, either, but it doesn't matter. And just because you weren't, doesn't mean you can't do your own and have memories that are just as great.

 

Absolutely. Work on your own bike and learn or, watch others work on their own bikes and learn. The idea, as was stated in the other thread, is that Tech Daze are about LEARNING. If you haven't been to one, go. If you have, host one and spread the knowledge and the love. Even if 4 guys show up, that's 4 more ambassadors you will have created.

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Sounds like Gleno is inviting us to his house for another Bash.

1st week in March is a great Idea Gleno..

I will help clean up the BBQ mess. clap.gif

 

Love Wurty clap.gif

 

IN

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The only other thing I'd add is if you want to wrench, but there isn't a tech-daze timed right. Why wait? I'm sure I'm not the only one crazy enough to say "come on over".

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Boy, this thread should be kept forever. I tried searching for the original Ride Tales from this event but they are already gone. bncry.gif I remember reading about the "Mother of All Tech Daze's" when I first started lurking here, and it was part of what hooked me on this community. Seeing these pics again brings back more regrets that I missed it. frown.gif

 

I just wanted to add that every Tech Daze is different and each host or hosts bring their own flavor to the event, but I've never been to a bad one. I've been to, or hosted about a dozen now and they were each totally different--none as incredible as the first one--though Brink's have come as close as I could imagine. But I have always learned an INCREDIBLE amount of information at these events--even the small ones, or the ones I've hosted. The power of the pooling of information is amazing.

 

The upshot: don't think you have to be able to "put on the dog" to offer up your own Tech Daze. I have had a few non-events of just a few folks over to watch a brake bleed or change tires, and everyone came away enlightened and empowered--and that is the key! I did my first alternator belt on the side of the road in Oregon even though I had never seen the procedure before, instead of just calling for a tow--largely because Leslie and I had been to a few Tech Dazes and felt emboldened that we could figure it out--and we did! cool.gif

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russell_bynum

I did my first alternator belt on the side of the road in Oregon even though I had never seen the procedure before, instead of just calling for a tow--largely because Leslie and I had been to a few Tech Dazes and felt emboldened that we could figure it out--and we did!

 

Excatly! I decided to start wrenching on my bike for two reasons.

1. I'm cheap

2. To become familiar with the bike so a mechanical problem on a trip wouldn't end my vacation.

 

The 2nd reason was the biggie. Mostly, I was just curious.

 

Of course, then I discovered that I could make my bike run better than the dealership mechanics could. Mind you, I never had any complaints with the way the dealership tuned my bike, but I discovered that I can take the extra time to make things that much better. A dealership has to pay the bills, so they can't spend an extra hour chasing that last .001%.

 

When my throttle cable broke at DVD, I had been to Vegas Tech Daze, then I did the 24K service on my own. I had never seen the cable replacement procedure, but I knew some basics about how the bike went together, so I was comfortable digging into it....ESPECIALLY since I had Tool there with me. We fumbled and futzed, did some make-shift engineering, and had that baby replaced (with a spare that Fernando carried...thanks again, bro!) and the bike back together before bedtime.

 

Though there was definitely something magical about that first Tech Daze, they've ALL been great.

 

And...consider that all we did at Vegas Tech Daze was basic maintenance. I think the most complex thing we did was a fuel filter and a brake bleed.

 

At Laney's Tech Daze, Adam replaced a fork seal. (The look on Laney's face when Adam came wandering in with a fork tube wanting to put it in her oven was priceless.) At Brink's Tech Day, we did a spline lube on the Beav's bike. That was awesome...here's a job that most people are terrified to do...that costs a fortune in dealership labor...and people saw that there really wasn't anything to it. Yeah, there's a bunch of stuff to take off, but there's no rocket science. Just unbolt stuff until you get to the splines, smear on some grease, then bolt everything back together.

 

As an aside...my two favorite things about Tech Daze...

1. Showing a newby how to remove the mirrors. I just love that. Shiny new bike. They even took time to rub it down with Honda Spray Cheese before they rolled it into the shop. Show them how to carefully cradle the mirror...then whack the hell out of it. I just love their expressions. grin.gif

2. After things have started really rolling, I like to wander around to the various groups and just listen. "Oh...THAT'S all there is to that?? I thought you needed expensive special tools or somthing." "Are you sure that's right...it was so easy?" "So THAT'S how that part works."

 

Sometimes I swear I see the spirit of Tom Roe floating over the garage, smiling. cool.gif

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