This trip, I thought I'd shoot a few more pics of the showroom floor, to give you a better idea of what's inside. They do limit their local sales to Kansas, so as not to compete with their dealers - but they do have some sweet choices. Here's a view or two.
How about a nice Pitbull? :up:
(Gotta love that great big flag in front the window - great products, Made in AMERICA! :up
They had a nice line-up of K-9's, of course. That is currently the most popular model, though the Pitbull is coming on strong.
How 'bout a fat-azz Ridgeback, hmmm? A real nice line-up of stiffies:
Even the little Mutts were darn cute - the painted speedo buckets sorta grew on me. Don't forget they have the same full-size power train as the big'ns - I bet it'd be a trip to ride the nimble little rascals.
Here's an interesting paint job - I'm not sure what the deal was with this bike, as it had no tag on it - it was sitting in a row with their "museum" collection. I just liked the unique flames - don't know if I've ever seen one with the flames vertical like that.
Next to the sales floor is their accessories section - great place to spend some money.
Looking up at the balcony rail where they have the #1 Big Dog bike (see the "Name that Dawg" thread), they had draped a new Big Dog blanket - not in the catalog or on the web yet, so naturally I had to snag one of those. :up:
They have a great selection of clothing and accessories - some great chick clothes - Mrs. P8RIOT made out big time for valentines day, even though she didn't come along on the trip. Ka-ching, ka-ching
Raywood had me pick up a new jacket for him - here's hoping he'll have Glenda pose in it again, like she did on the calendar!
Moving past the clothes to the Parts and Apparel counter, there's a beautiful K-9 gracing their red lift, demonstrating their fender covers, tie-downs, and other items.
I wish you could see the paint better, but pics just never do them justice. The subtle face glowing through the red paint on the tank was awesome!
Gotta tell ya one more time, the people there are GREAT! Barbara showed me all around the apparel, and gave me a chick's perspective to help pick out the right stuff for Mrs. P8RIOT. Her compatriot Chris is a riot. Here they are (Chris on the left, Barbara on the right) doing the "Vanna White" thing to highlight some special tank paint they have on display. (I told 'em we wanted a pic of the "hot apparel chicks" - made 'em blush.)
The story is that some guy stopped in one day looking for a job in the paint department. When they asked him for examples of his work, he asked them if they had any old tanks lying around. He took this pair home as bare metal, and returned the NEXT DAY with this result. (Minus the clear coat, of course.)
This is Kansas, after all - in case you didn't get the Wizard of Oz connection. Needless to say, he got the job.
Unfortunately, he left not too long after - rumor is he got a job out west with Disney.
Next I brought up a few technical questions regarding clutch slippage, so they took me out to their Service Center (sorry for the boring pic, but you get the idea). This is where their real expert mechanics live. We kicked around the problem for awhile, and they gave me some ideas to check out. You'll see more about that in some of the tech threads.
By that time I was feeling a little bold, so I insisted they take into the back room where all the secret stuff happened, and I said I wanted to take my camera, too - well, I got what I asked for, but not what I wanted.
All right, all right - a marginal attempt at humor, there.
On a more serious note, though, I did connect up with Ohmster, and he was a great host. He showed me their new education center. As a professional technical trainer with Boeing, I could really appreciate their facility - lotsa room, big bench space, a bike for every student to work on, flat screen displays for the training materials, exhaust hoses so they could run the motors indoors - it was GREAT!
He said they have three levels of training - the first level is all on-line, and the mechanics have to complete that before they come to Wichita. Then they have two more levels of techical detail, broken down into sections like motor, chassis, electrical, etc. Wouldn't it be great to have access to the on-line training? (I think it is reserved for the professional mechanics.)
Next we went to the brand new Customer Service section, where I saw a few familiar faces - and left a calendar as a token of my appreciation - naturally, I had to point out December!
The BEST FUN was when I got to peek into the real INNER SANCTUM, and saw the new Wolf - yes, the same one that was at the v-twin show where RB(?) got the pics. It is still a work in progress - they had removed and crushed the previous tank, and already fabbed up and mounted a new one (unpainted). They insisted I sit on it (I was easy to convince), and let me tell you, that is one long, sleek ride! The X-Wedge engine sounds deep and sweet, at 121 inches. They wouldn't go so far as to let me ride it, but those who did say it has great handling - and they added that the X-Wedge generates huge torque compared to our 117's. They are going for a new style trend toward TALLER wheels, 20" rear, and 23" in front, I believe - it's a BIG bike. They confirmed it will be a bagger, with hard bags molded to the rear end. And, they also intend to reshape the rear fender.
Meanwhile, out in the parking lot they had their Big Red Truck parked and waiting to load up for the next open house. I got to chat with the driver a bit - another nice guy.
They had some smaller rigs lined up to load new Dogs from the warehouse - interesting that this one had a coupla Ridleys in the truck bed.
Naturally, I couldn't visit the Puppy Farm without twisting someone's arm to peek into the distribution warehouse - I bugged Brian, the guy who mans the sales floor and arranges the tours - and away we went.
Like Raywood says, all those tanks look like so many colorful M&M's all lined up.
If you think you know EXACTLY what model and paint you want, don't visit this place - you'll have to recover from sensory overload and rethink your choice. I really love going in there! :up:
Here's a long telephoto shot down one of the rows:
Yeah, it looks like demand for the new Pit Bulls is there - pick one - any one.
It was about this time Brian wandered off, and I saw a particular bike that caught my eye - just had to get a better look, so I carefully picked my way through the rows for a closeup.
I swear, every time I go there the paint gets better and better.
Here's the rear fender:
Brian about croaked when he saw me out there in the middle of the pack. He said they had someone tip over several bikes like dominoes in one of the rows, so they don't allow that anymore.
Gawd, I'd just die if I did that! Sorry, Brian!
Well, back to the main factory - I told Brian that one of our forum members had asked about painting pics of women onto the bikes, so I was curious when I saw that particular Hawaiian one - so the next stop was to meet the graphics artist who specializes in painting the babes! :up: Brian said that women paint the best female forms, by far - something about the men always overdoing certain anatomical dimensions.
This is Brian, standing beside Alicia, who painted the Hawaiian bike, as well as most of the other women. Whadda sweetheart, and such talent! :up:
Here's a closeup of her workstation, and some of her other projects - you should see the detail and the color blends - awesome.
I asked Brian if there were any limitations regarding what women they would paint on the bikes, and he replied with some clever phrase like, "As long as there is some semblance of moral restraint."
I suspect that most of us have seen bikes adorned with what is known as "WW II nose art," taken from the airplanes of that era.
Leaving the paint shop area, there was one last shot I took - check out the detail on this tank and fender - gorgeous!
Just a comment or two about the state of the business, since we disussed that occasionally. They are very aware of the AIM fiasco, and the rumors that Big Dog may follow. I don't believe they are in that kind of trouble, for several reasons - and I don't just mean the deep pockets of the Coleman family. Signs of business professionalism are everywhere - maybe I'll start a separate thread on that alone.
Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy the story and the pics.
P8RIOT - Big Dog Evangelist at Large, reporting from Wichita.
How about a nice Pitbull? :up:
(Gotta love that great big flag in front the window - great products, Made in AMERICA! :up
They had a nice line-up of K-9's, of course. That is currently the most popular model, though the Pitbull is coming on strong.
How 'bout a fat-azz Ridgeback, hmmm? A real nice line-up of stiffies:
Even the little Mutts were darn cute - the painted speedo buckets sorta grew on me. Don't forget they have the same full-size power train as the big'ns - I bet it'd be a trip to ride the nimble little rascals.
Here's an interesting paint job - I'm not sure what the deal was with this bike, as it had no tag on it - it was sitting in a row with their "museum" collection. I just liked the unique flames - don't know if I've ever seen one with the flames vertical like that.
Next to the sales floor is their accessories section - great place to spend some money.
Looking up at the balcony rail where they have the #1 Big Dog bike (see the "Name that Dawg" thread), they had draped a new Big Dog blanket - not in the catalog or on the web yet, so naturally I had to snag one of those. :up:
They have a great selection of clothing and accessories - some great chick clothes - Mrs. P8RIOT made out big time for valentines day, even though she didn't come along on the trip. Ka-ching, ka-ching
Raywood had me pick up a new jacket for him - here's hoping he'll have Glenda pose in it again, like she did on the calendar!
Moving past the clothes to the Parts and Apparel counter, there's a beautiful K-9 gracing their red lift, demonstrating their fender covers, tie-downs, and other items.
I wish you could see the paint better, but pics just never do them justice. The subtle face glowing through the red paint on the tank was awesome!
Gotta tell ya one more time, the people there are GREAT! Barbara showed me all around the apparel, and gave me a chick's perspective to help pick out the right stuff for Mrs. P8RIOT. Her compatriot Chris is a riot. Here they are (Chris on the left, Barbara on the right) doing the "Vanna White" thing to highlight some special tank paint they have on display. (I told 'em we wanted a pic of the "hot apparel chicks" - made 'em blush.
)
The story is that some guy stopped in one day looking for a job in the paint department. When they asked him for examples of his work, he asked them if they had any old tanks lying around. He took this pair home as bare metal, and returned the NEXT DAY with this result. (Minus the clear coat, of course.)
This is Kansas, after all - in case you didn't get the Wizard of Oz connection. Needless to say, he got the job.
Unfortunately, he left not too long after - rumor is he got a job out west with Disney.
Next I brought up a few technical questions regarding clutch slippage, so they took me out to their Service Center (sorry for the boring pic, but you get the idea). This is where their real expert mechanics live. We kicked around the problem for awhile, and they gave me some ideas to check out. You'll see more about that in some of the tech threads.
By that time I was feeling a little bold, so I insisted they take into the back room where all the secret stuff happened, and I said I wanted to take my camera, too - well, I got what I asked for, but not what I wanted.
All right, all right - a marginal attempt at humor, there.
On a more serious note, though, I did connect up with Ohmster, and he was a great host. He showed me their new education center. As a professional technical trainer with Boeing, I could really appreciate their facility - lotsa room, big bench space, a bike for every student to work on, flat screen displays for the training materials, exhaust hoses so they could run the motors indoors - it was GREAT!
He said they have three levels of training - the first level is all on-line, and the mechanics have to complete that before they come to Wichita. Then they have two more levels of techical detail, broken down into sections like motor, chassis, electrical, etc. Wouldn't it be great to have access to the on-line training? (I think it is reserved for the professional mechanics.)
Next we went to the brand new Customer Service section, where I saw a few familiar faces - and left a calendar as a token of my appreciation - naturally, I had to point out December!
The BEST FUN was when I got to peek into the real INNER SANCTUM, and saw the new Wolf - yes, the same one that was at the v-twin show where RB(?) got the pics. It is still a work in progress - they had removed and crushed the previous tank, and already fabbed up and mounted a new one (unpainted). They insisted I sit on it (I was easy to convince), and let me tell you, that is one long, sleek ride! The X-Wedge engine sounds deep and sweet, at 121 inches. They wouldn't go so far as to let me ride it, but those who did say it has great handling - and they added that the X-Wedge generates huge torque compared to our 117's. They are going for a new style trend toward TALLER wheels, 20" rear, and 23" in front, I believe - it's a BIG bike. They confirmed it will be a bagger, with hard bags molded to the rear end. And, they also intend to reshape the rear fender.
Meanwhile, out in the parking lot they had their Big Red Truck parked and waiting to load up for the next open house. I got to chat with the driver a bit - another nice guy.
They had some smaller rigs lined up to load new Dogs from the warehouse - interesting that this one had a coupla Ridleys in the truck bed.
Naturally, I couldn't visit the Puppy Farm without twisting someone's arm to peek into the distribution warehouse - I bugged Brian, the guy who mans the sales floor and arranges the tours - and away we went.
Like Raywood says, all those tanks look like so many colorful M&M's all lined up.
If you think you know EXACTLY what model and paint you want, don't visit this place - you'll have to recover from sensory overload and rethink your choice. I really love going in there! :up:
Here's a long telephoto shot down one of the rows:
Yeah, it looks like demand for the new Pit Bulls is there - pick one - any one.
It was about this time Brian wandered off, and I saw a particular bike that caught my eye - just had to get a better look, so I carefully picked my way through the rows for a closeup.
I swear, every time I go there the paint gets better and better.
Here's the rear fender:
Brian about croaked when he saw me out there in the middle of the pack. He said they had someone tip over several bikes like dominoes in one of the rows, so they don't allow that anymore.
Gawd, I'd just die if I did that! Sorry, Brian! Well, back to the main factory - I told Brian that one of our forum members had asked about painting pics of women onto the bikes, so I was curious when I saw that particular Hawaiian one - so the next stop was to meet the graphics artist who specializes in painting the babes! :up: Brian said that women paint the best female forms, by far - something about the men always overdoing certain anatomical dimensions.
This is Brian, standing beside Alicia, who painted the Hawaiian bike, as well as most of the other women. Whadda sweetheart, and such talent! :up:
Here's a closeup of her workstation, and some of her other projects - you should see the detail and the color blends - awesome.
I asked Brian if there were any limitations regarding what women they would paint on the bikes, and he replied with some clever phrase like, "As long as there is some semblance of moral restraint."
I suspect that most of us have seen bikes adorned with what is known as "WW II nose art," taken from the airplanes of that era.
Leaving the paint shop area, there was one last shot I took - check out the detail on this tank and fender - gorgeous!
Just a comment or two about the state of the business, since we disussed that occasionally. They are very aware of the AIM fiasco, and the rumors that Big Dog may follow. I don't believe they are in that kind of trouble, for several reasons - and I don't just mean the deep pockets of the Coleman family. Signs of business professionalism are everywhere - maybe I'll start a separate thread on that alone.
Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy the story and the pics.
P8RIOT - Big Dog Evangelist at Large, reporting from Wichita.
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cool pic's P8RIOT! 
excellent job. thanks for the pics, p8triot. :2thumbs: :2thumbs: :2thumbs:
