Day 8 – GO-AZ & SPOOKY FAST – A very warm WELCOME

January 21 2015 – Day 8

I am usually much more efficient with updates as I put day 8 together on Day 11.  This trip more than any other trip has not only been about a little bike issues but more importantly taking time to enjoy myself with detours and meeting so many virtual friends.  This trip riding SOLO has been for some reason my most enjoyable trip.  Go figure after I have been on about 130,000 KM’s of trips since 2010.I spent a night in a hotel not far from Scottsdale.  Could not make it to my hosts house, Terry and Heather.  I was just too tired to ride another hour.  So, had a decent night sleep and breakfast and headed to Go-AZ early as I love hanging out at dealers.  I am glad I did.

The weather in Arizona was great.  Not really Winter riding yet.  This entire trip has not been that bad at all-weather wise.  Thanks to so many updates online I have been able to so far miss the storms that hit the regions I am heading.

While at this state of the art BMW dealer I felt at times I should have been in flip flops and a bathing suit.  That sun even in the winter can tan you.  On most trips at the “halfway” point I like to get my professionally looked at.  I call it a once over.  Brett at GO-AZ got my bike in for a 2 pm service.  Thanks Brett.  I also got a tour of their facilities on site.  Yep facilities.

This dealer is owned by Bob Parsons, founder of Go-Daddy

Robert Parsons, better known as Bob Parsons, is an American entrepreneur. He is the founder of the Go Daddy group of companies, including domain name registrar GoDaddy.com, reseller registrar Wild West Domains and Blue Razor Domains. Other affiliated companies include Domains by Proxy, a domain privacy company, and Starfield Technologies, the business’s technology development arm. As of September 2013, he has an estimated worth of $1.9 billion.

Parsons is also the CEO and founder of YAM Worldwide, which is home to his entrepreneurial ventures in the fields of powersports, golf, real estate and marketing.

In 2012, Parsons and his wife Renee founded The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation.

On site there is a motorcycle simulator, a track, under the track storage, and a machine that breaks in bikes for those lazy folks that want their bikes in broken in shape before they pick them up.  Why would anyone do that?  Riding those first KM’s or miles on a new bike are precious.  LOL

When I arrived of course I walked around all the dealers on this property.  They have Honda, Yamaha, KTM, Triumph, BMW, Ducati, Kawasaki and probably some I have missed.  I also met Ale…what to say about this woman.  Cute, funny, smart and knows apparel.  She was my constant escort 👍 and showed me around too.  Ale was funny trying to get me to relax.  Everyone does and her sincere attempt to get me to go to the customer lounge and put my feet up was appreciated but I was at a dealer. I had to keep walking around.

I did often go to the customer area for free coffee and water.  Nice set up for sure.

I love seeing dealerships start treating their customers with more TLC.  Especially thru riders and folks waiting for their bikes to be serviced.  Lounges are key and the wave of the future.  I think all BMW dealers should have a hang out and I feel it needs to be a good space.  Just my 2 cents.

Curtis and the guys in back working on my bike

I want these next time I get new tires.

This is Tommy…such a funny guy who loves detailing.  My bike came out cleaner than when it was new lol

So, I hung out at the dealer all day long and met tons of staff.  Got the low down on Bob Parsons and when Ale introduced me to Candy, the VP’s assistant and communications gal, she told I have to visit SPOOKY FAST

If you are ever in the Scottdale area you have to visit this place and ask for Louie.  OMG…I have never seen anything like this and 40,000 sq feet?  Watch this video and meet Louie

I met Candy at this location.  Bob Parson’s owns this too as well as the Harley dealer.  Louie was very kind to take me on a tour of this shop.  When you walk in there is a Travertine foyer.  Looks like a museum when you enter.  Just gorgeous.  You have to see this place…really.  Right around the corner from GO-AZ.

They do everything here including making golf club heads, guns, anything.

This is better than a museum for me at least.  After my tours I got back on my bike and headed to a very nice couples house, Terry and Heather.  More about that in Day 9’s update.  I am trying to hard to catch up.  Great trip, great service, great people.  Leslie