AMA Women and Motorcycling Conference

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CC Ryder
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Real Name: Connie Severson
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AMA Conference

#41 Unread post by CC Ryder »

Well, I took the plunge, I registered for the AMA! My family thinks that I am in a mid-life crisis....I am looking forward to the ride down to Denver. Any of you have advice of how much to budget per day for food, gas and lodging? If I give myself one week down, one week there, one more to come home. That should allow for extra time for pit stops and picture taking. Now it's looking at my Route options from Surrey, Canada. :D

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Lion_Lady
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Re: AMA Conference

#42 Unread post by Lion_Lady »

CC Ryder wrote:Well, I took the plunge, I registered for the AMA! My family thinks that I am in a mid-life crisis....I am looking forward to the ride down to Denver. Any of you have advice of how much to budget per day for food, gas and lodging? If I give myself one week down, one week there, one more to come home. That should allow for extra time for pit stops and picture taking. Now it's looking at my Route options from Surrey, Canada. :D
Budgeting:
First you need to figure out (a rough estimate) how many miles you'll be traveling, and how far you're comfortable riding in a day. Keep in mind that if you start out mid-day, you'll need to stop sooner and may end up spending an extra night on the road (extra lodging expense). Starting out first thing, means you'll get farther before needing to stop for the night.

Food: How much do you "need" to eat? Is a yogurt and piece of fruit enough to keep you happy for a few hours, or a sit down, meat and potatoes feast, or something in between?

>You can walk into a grocery store and pick up a piece of fruit, a yogurt, some granola bars or nuts for a meal. A lot healthier and longer lasting on the road than fast food, and satisfying. Usually for around $5. A lot of grocery stores now have salad bars, and sandwiches. Fast food (burger and fries, etc) will leave you hungry again in an hour. I'd say that allowing $15-$30 per day for food on the road. You know how much you need to eat to stay happy and feeling fine. Some days you may spend more, others less. Pick an amount that seems reasonable and workable for you.

Gas:
What is your bike's typical "loaded" gas mileage per tankful? How far can you go between fill-ups? How many gallons/liters does your tank hold? How much does it cost to fill up each time? Do the math using your distance per day: # fill ups per day X cost per tank* = cost per day in gas. *Gas prices always rise during the summer, so don't be stingy with this number.



Lodging:
Check out orbitz, travelocity, etc. fir hotel rates along the route. pick some likely overnight stopping points and see what the best rate is for the type of lodging you're comfortable with.

>>My plan is to have the phone numbers of likely hotels with meso I can call before I get there. It seems that if you walk in, some hotels figure you're desperate and will take whatever rate they're pushing. If you CALL they know you're shopping and will often quote a better rate. Option 2 is to have hubby make my reservations via Orbitz as I travel.

I'm planning to get AAA Roadside RV - towing coverage for the trip. (Regular AAA doesn't cover motorcycle towing). Also got a SPOT tracker so hubby can keep tabs on me, and I can signal for help if I get stuck someplace without cell phone coverage.

P
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#43 Unread post by MZ33 »

I'm planning to get AAA Roadside RV - towing coverage for the trip.
I was going to do that also, but MoTow and ROK (Riders of Kawasaki) both have equal or better service for less money. Interestingly, ROK doesn't require that you have a Kawi. Just join for $25 and roadside service is included in your membership. If you have an AMA membership and sign up for automatic renewal, MoTow is included for free.
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#44 Unread post by Lion_Lady »

MZ33 wrote:
I'm planning to get AAA Roadside RV - towing coverage for the trip.
I was going to do that also, but MoTow and ROK (Riders of Kawasaki) both have equal or better service for less money. Interestingly, ROK doesn't require that you have a Kawi. Just join for $25 and roadside service is included in your membership. If you have an AMA membership and sign up for automatic renewal, MoTow is included for free.
Yeah. I am an AMA member and got their MoTow service. But AMA's towing services SUCK!! The earliest that a truck could get to us on Friday (I hit a piece of landscaping timber at 80 mph and bent my front wheel) was FOUR hours... and they'll tow a maximum of 25 miles. The guy at the Kawasaki dealer where my bike was gonna get towed to for the night came and got us with HIS personal vehicle/trailer.

The AAA RV coverage includes your vehicle and anyone you're travelling with... towing up to 100 miles.

P
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#45 Unread post by MZ33 »

Yeah, I knew MoTow had short mileage. Didn't know they took the scenic route to get to you, though. Per ROK premium package, for $40:
24-Hour Roadside Assistance
ROK has you covered when you’re touring through the U.S. (including Alaska, Hawaii and Canada). Call our toll-free number at 1-877-ROK-CLUB (1-877-765-2582) for assistance, available 24 hours per day/7 days per week. We’ll cover up to $250 of towing expenses automatically.
But I don't know how long it would take them, or how far you get for $250. Then again, would AAA be faster? I'm wondering if regular AAA would show up, or if there are special units for RV's and bikes.
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#46 Unread post by blues2cruise »

I have BCAA (same idea as AAA). I pay extra for the motorcycle towing service.....just be warned.....you have to have it in advance of needing it.....you can't sign up over the phone when you suddenly need it.
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#47 Unread post by Lion_Lady »

MZ33 wrote:Yeah, I knew MoTow had short mileage. Didn't know they took the scenic route to get to you, though. Per ROK premium package, for $40:
24-Hour Roadside Assistance
ROK has you covered when you’re touring through the U.S. (including Alaska, Hawaii and Canada). Call our toll-free number at 1-877-ROK-CLUB (1-877-765-2582) for assistance, available 24 hours per day/7 days per week. We’ll cover up to $250 of towing expenses automatically.
But I don't know how long it would take them, or how far you get for $250. Then again, would AAA be faster? I'm wondering if regular AAA would show up, or if there are special units for RV's and bikes.
Regular AAA won't tow/transport motorcycles, that's why you've got to have the RV coverage. As for MoTow "issues" a fellow rider had to have her Bandit "towed" by MoTow. Here's some of the damage caused:

Image

I'll attribute the delay partly to the fact that I broke down on Friday afternoon. But the rest... can't figure it out. I guess that AMA doesn't offer enough incentive for service providers to care.

P
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#48 Unread post by follow »

Ok I was at a MC funtion and they had the womans garage party. Two of the guest speakers were from the AMA and were promoting the Colorado gathering, they were really pumped about it and also fellow riders they said anyone from Canada gets a discount (I suppose they fiqured you would be spending alot already) they were really helpful...My friend will be there sewing patches on she will have a booth so if you need anything done I could talk her into giving some of you gals a good price.
HD was there promoting some of there new line of motorgear, I asked about riding pants and once again I was blown off, they said well we could order but we just don't stock now we have chaps :cry: I said no thanks but you might want to think about pant for real riders.
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#49 Unread post by coffee_brake »

I'm looking at the seminars offered at the conference. Honestly I'm not seeing much (except the adventure riding seminar) that I don't already know. Looks like they are tailored for new riders.

Has anybody got any info on the demo rides? Honda cancelled their Honda Hoot this year; will they pony up the $$$ for demo rides? About the only new bike that turns my head at all is the new VFR; if I can't ride one I'll be disappointed. At the last conference Suzuki wasn't offering rides either. Seriously, I hope Harley isn't the only one offereing demo rides....

There's a whole lot up in the air still on this conference. I've asked AMA twice to contact me regarding the lack of camping, but they haven't replied to me at all. I don't mean to be all down about it, but I'm not sure I want to sink all my trip money into a long ride to the exact same location as last year's ride, if the seminars are not for me and demo rides are iffy. Granted, I'm very anxious to meet and hang out with other ladies riding their own from all over the country...but the downs are mounting up.
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#50 Unread post by follow »

I talked to the AMA reps and they said they were going to have a few.They are suppose to call my friend (she will be a vendor) I will have her ask who the other Demo Dealers will be.
I got lucky on accomodations another friend of mine owns a condo there and he said i can stay for free, woohoo get to spend more on other stuff, he also said the conference is only a 2 minute ride from his condo.

Ok for those who do not have the schedule of events here it is. http://www.womenandmotorcycling.com/schedule/
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