Das Rally Feedback

[bvillek1600]

This was my first MOA Rally...I have been riding for over 30 years and saw the light last year and bought a BMW...I won't turn back...the rally was phenomenal...I have been to Americaid, Laconia, Daytona, and many other rallies, but this one was the best by far...the professionalism, the care and attention to detail for planning, the volunteers (My wife and I both volunteered), the vendors, and most importantly...the seminars...I learned a tremendous amount of things about the brand, the culture, and the lifestyle...I was most definitely impressed and hope to attend many more...I only had two points of observation...it would have been nice if soda was offered for the beer chips because my wife and I don't drink...minor point...and I think a drone video or pictures of the event would have been cool to see the whole area...I want to thank all the people that very graciously worked so hard to provide a wonderful event...we stayed in a B&B with coincidentally all Rally attendees and they were mostly veterans...they were all so nice and we loved hearing their stories and experiences with the brand...it went by so fast and we really enjoyed it...love you BMW MOA people!!!

 

[GeorgeR1200RT]

Excellent and positive comments!

 

[20774]

Welcome to the forum! After your experiences with other brand rallies, it's high praise to hear you comments...glad you enjoyed yourself!

 

[36654]

and I think a drone video or pictures of .......

Far too much reflection from those mature minds, I fear..................


Just teasing. I'm glad you enjoyed the experience.

 

[drew]

Far too much reflection from those mature minds, I fear..................

Short drone footage of the camping area (not my video):

 

[peterbonly]

Great Rally

In fact, one of the best in a long time. The Erie Co Fairgrounds were an awesome venue, and the layout was very conducive to seeing a lot and getting around easily.

Dutch and Kate Lammers, Rally Chairs, did a fantastic job of organizing and making this run smoothly. Thanks.

 

[John M]

Das Rally - one well run event - Thanks Kate and Dutch! (and all the volunteers)

This was my second national rally, and the venue was great. Things were very well organized and well run (my opinion of course). I had the pleasure of arriving Monday afternoon and helped with the gear store setup as well as registration. I found my fellow campers friendly, generous and helpful. Everyone pitched together to help reset tents after the storm Wednesday night that added a little adventure to the Rally. Once the portable showers were up and running there wasn't even a wait on Wednesday night or Thursday morning. Overall the various dept chairs were exceptional, and I had a great time just helping out wherever someone needed it.

I had to leave on Thursday - and felt I still got a lot from the rally. Frankly, by Thursday the group grows larger than I enjoy anyway. Had the pleasure of camping next door to RangerReese - Thanks for the tent posts! Also enjoyed meeting Voni and Paul Glaves, and a host of Canadians, who carried on my lifelong experience (having grown up in the U.P. of Michigan) of finding Canadians friendly, enjoyable company. The beer tent crew, led by Mad Dog, where the perfect mix of professional (weren't drinking while they were working) and fun, as their enthusiasm was ever present. Rox was everywhere with the gofer crew, and everyone from Security to the Bike Wash folks (thanks Milo!) were great.

Thanks to all the volunteers and participants - it was a very good event and what a deal. Just camping for 4-5 days for $50 is pretty great - not to mention all the training and information available. I need to get some of whatever drives Kate (rally chair) - she never stopped or even slowed down the whole week!

lastly - thanks to a great bike, my 2010 R1200GS - which ran perfectly start to finish and made me invisible to radar detectors, and to my moto-skiveez and Alaska sheepskin - which seem to make my stock seat feel like a much more expensive solution. My Redverz tent held up in 60+mph winds - purchased at the St. Paul rally and used many times since.

 

[bullet]

Does anyone know what happened with the final 50/50 draw that was supposed to be announced at the closing ceremony?

 

[snookers]

.............

I had to leave on Thursday - and felt I still got a lot from the rally. Frankly, by Thursday the group grows larger than I enjoy anyway. Had the pleasure of camping next door to RangerReese - Thanks for the tent posts! Also enjoyed meeting Voni and Paul Glaves, and a host of Canadians, who carried on my lifelong experience (having grown up in the U.P. of Michigan) of finding Canadians friendly, enjoyable company.........

Thanks to all the volunteers and participants - it was a very good event and what a deal. Just camping for 4-5 days for $50 is pretty great - not to mention all the training and information available. I need to get some of whatever drives Kate (rally chair) - she never stopped or even slowed down the whole week!

It was great meeting you as well John and thank you for the kind words, I was one of those Canucks across from you,(and beside you at registration)........sorry you had to leave early although I understand the reasoning. See you in Salt Lake !

 

[mvscorpio]

Two points of consideration:
1) There were limited choices for breakfast, and one was a $15 buffet. One poor food booth in the vendor building was shut off from eager customers until the building was unlocked at 9am.
2) ATM Availability. Yes the site had them. But the two that were closest to the food vendors were in buildings that were locked between 6pm until 8 or 9am. (MOA Country Store and the Vendor Building). I may have missed others in that area, so forgive any oversight on my part.

That being said, these are minor and easy to address. Overall this was a great rally. Nice location, some GREAT riding, and extracurricular activities to appeal to the broader audience. It is no small effort to run a small city for 6,000+ people, and I applaud the efforts of the rally chairs, committee chairs and the endless sea of volunteers who stepped up to make it a success. THANK YOU!

 

[shropdog]

More Positive Feedback!

My wife and I have attended maybe a dozen national rallys and this ranks up there with one of the best! We say this because of the location, rally grounds, weather (except Wednesday night...which had not arrived yet), vendors, volunteers and of course, all of the BMW people! We really liked the high school "steel drum" band...they were awesome! My only complaint, and it is entirely my fault, is we made hotel RSVPs at the last moment and had to stay 22 miles north in Amherst....hard to enjoy the beer garden! Like others have said, a BIG THANK YOU to all of the organizers, volunteers, the City of Hamburg, etc. for making such a great and memorable rally....great job! See you in Utah next year!

 

[36654]

I want a Das Rally hat! What they had at the country Store (that didn't have pink embroidery) was gone by the end of my Thursday morning volunteer shift.

Perhaps, if we had enough orders, the club would do a group purchase..........Hint, Hint!

 

[fauster]

I enjoyed this rally very much. The Committee Chairs did their homework, the volunteers (including myself) were enthusiastic and helpful, and the site in general was well organized. Well done!

Walked to the Pegasus Diner twice for breakfast - it was great to have an indoor sit-down meal option without having to cross a street, and indoor plumbing is always welcome when camping. There were even banks and a grocery store within walking distance, assuming you don't mind a little stroll.

Now... if only someone could invent a non-slamming privy door for those of us whose Chartered Club camping site was next to four porta-potties.

 

[Rod Sheridan]

Also enjoyed meeting Voni and Paul Glaves, and a host of Canadians, who carried on my lifelong experience (having grown up in the U.P. of Michigan) of finding Canadians friendly, enjoyable company.

.

John, Diann and I enjoyed your company as well ( we were in the redverz beside you with the orange F650 and red F700).

That was some wind storm Wednesday night. Glad to see you made it home safely...............Rod.

 

[R1100rtp]

Does anyone know what happened with the final 50/50 draw that was supposed to be announced at the closing ceremony?

The winner claimed it prior to the closing ceremony.

 

[rocketmanli]

After Bloomsburg in 2011 I swore I'd never go to another rally. Very glad I changed my mind. Saw lots of old friends, made tons of new ones. Very tiring walking around the entire parking lot, and around the side of the building to get into the rally. Why an entrance wasn't available in the rear of the registration building is beyond me. But if that's the worst of it, it was a major success in my mind. No killer heat, no dust bowl, plenty of pavement to park on and no flame-throwing jet cars. Life is good......

 

[AKsuited]

Two points of consideration:
1) There were limited choices for breakfast, and one was a $15 buffet.

But there was a McDonald's a quarter of a mile away, so I had no complaints...

Harry

 

[manicmechanic]

Why no soda at the biergarten? It has to do with the contract we had and the deals the facility has with the food vendors. We were the only beer sales on site, but there were vendors who were selling soda and water, so we were not to compete.

 

[glenfiddich]

I echo many of the kudos already made. It was Tulliver's first rally and he tells me he enjoyed it as well, especially having ice cream on site! Having the Pegasus within walking distance was a treat, doubly so with their very reasonable prices and friendly service. Water and power was scattered across the site and the vendors and seminars were centrally located so one didn't have to rush from one to the other. It was great seeing old friends and making so many new pals, as well as putting faces to folks I'd only known online. And imagine celebrating the lowly hamburger with fireworks and a city-wide festival!

Two suggestions for next time:
1 Offer repeats of some of the more popular seminars, or perhaps an option for encore presentations if one is filled to overflowing.
2 Establish clear passage lanes so earlier arrivals don't find their bikes penned in by later arrivals. One woman near me was unable to get her sidecar free for two days. That's also a safety issue as the first aid carts wouldn't have been able to reach all campers.

That said, the area, the fairgrounds, the town itself, and the trip there and back were pleasant surprises. We had a blast!

Pete and Tulliver

 

[The_Veg]

Two points of consideration:
1) There were limited choices for breakfast, and one was a $15 buffet. One poor food booth in the vendor building was shut off from eager customers until the building was unlocked at 9am.
2) ATM Availability. Yes the site had them. But the two that were closest to the food vendors were in buildings that were locked between 6pm until 8 or 9am. (MOA Country Store and the Vendor Building). I may have missed others in that area, so forgive any oversight on my part.

I know it doesn't help any to mention this now, but the food vendor in the black trailer accepted plastic and served breakfast. I got two slices of breakfast pizza -which was YUMMY!- for $8, and it stuck to my ribs well enough that I almost wished I'd only had one...and I'm a big fella who can EAT. The upshot is that it pays to investigate your options, and ask questions about them.

I also enjoyed getting offsite for food too, to discover the real local flavour. One great find was a hole-in-the-wall hot dog joint up Route 5 near the Ford plant. The look of the place made me wonder if I really should go inside, but the good people and good food I found there made me glad I that I did! I also got up to West Seneca for a visit to Schwabl's Roast Beef, who claim to be the inventor of the beef on weck. This place was only a ten or fifteen minute ride away and WOW! Was it good!