What are your thoughts or ideas for XS650Fest & ChopOff 2017?

HAPPY DAN

HAPPY DAN

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Ok, Everyone this post is about what I have in the title.
I would like to hear what your thoughts and ideas are for XS650Fest & ChopOff 2017 are. Now PLEASE keep this reasonable!

First thing, This event is NOT just for Chopper or Bobber type XS650's This is for ALL XS650's We all love to see the stockers and to see one that someone has had since they were young or passed down. So Please let everyone know that this event is for ALL XS650's of all kinds!!!!
We don't do this event to make money of any kind we do it for the love of the XS650 and want to share with people the same thing. This year marked our 4th year we would really like to continue doing the event. We thank everyone for your support. Events like these take time and money as you all know, again we don't do this to make money..... If that were the case we wouldn't have been doing this for 4 years.

So here is an idea I would like to start off with.

What do you think of combining with the event an XS650 Swap Meet. WE all have parts laying around to get rid of!

All right so lets here your thoughts.......
 
well, if you did a swap meet, im sure there are more than plenty parts, but getting them there on the back of a scoot is a little cumbersome. either that or a chase vehicle or trailer queen.
 
I for one think an xs650-specific swap meet is a great idea. Having attended the last 3 years straight, driving up from Texas, I'd say that only about 25 percent of the attendees actually ride their bikes to the event. Most are coming from quite a distance.

So why not toss all those extra parts from your build or restoration (you know we all have tons of that stuff cluttering up our garages) in your vehicle and bring them along?

I think itwould be a draw for some of the guys doing restorations, resto-mods, or those who just need a part to keep their well-loved stock xs650 on the road.

I mentioned it before in other posts, but I think there's a misconception that this event is specific to choppers or bobbers. Knowing Dan, and every other enthusiast that comes out, I'll tell you right now that we all want to drool over your stocker, or cafe, or brat, or bobber, or chopper, or resto-mod, or restoration, or boardtracker... we want to see them all. The poweplant is what gets us, not the platform. The innovation of all you garage builders and greasy monkeys is what inspires the rest of us. The chopoff winner this year was basically a bicycle with an xs650 motor in it built by @gracer ... I got to ride that deathmachine and it was cool as hell!

@angus67 , I see you're in Washington. I think it would be awesome if you came out to the event in Ohio, but are you planning to? If so would your ride your xs? If that's the case, you're way more hardcore than I am, and the first beer when you get there is on me! If not, throw that bike in the truck along with all your spare parts and come out. If you sell some stuff, that's gas money for the way back!
 
I'm in not sure how many parts I have left after building "SPARE PARTS " lol but I'm in for the build off going to rebuild Jello Shot from the frame up it's way over due with about 60k miles on it, I'm building a new eng, new ten's and poss. new frame it's her turn she was my first xs650 build back in 08
 
The idea of a yearly gathering of anything xs650 sounds great to me. I have told myself I was going the last couple of years and let it slide because of our daughter needing to be given away by some "father of the bride" rule that seems to trump everything else except maybe the same daughter making her mother a grandma the following year! I had always thought it was open to anything 650 related. But, promoting the whole affair with the idea of stock to WTF is that? might be more inviting to a bigger crowd. Maybe rotate the theme of the show each year from café to stock to brat to unrideable custom. The build-off is still a good idea, but the deadline seems to wipe out a very large crowd. How about an under construction category for the folks that don't want to show up looking like a failure? Hell, mine's still under construction even with me riding it the last two years! Swap meet, sure. Vendors section, sure. Prepayed tickets by a certain date or doubled the day of the show? understandable. I am looking forward to meeting some of you knuckleheads, so I'm all for growing this thing to become a very big deal! How about a long distance award?
 
Is this close to Defiance? I'm less than one hour away. Camping? I like the swap meet idea. Parts should be open to what ever make, many of us have other bikes besides the Yamaha. Deals could be made and shipped for people that can't haul parts home.

Is there a date set yet?

Scott
 
If we do a swap meet I'll have to bring my truck because my car was too full to bring home any more parts. I like the idea.
 
OK, so to recap the ideas thus far:
A general motorcycle swap meet (because of the nature of the event, it would likely be heavy on xs650 stuff anyway).
Early bird pricing on tickets, to give folks an incentive to register early so event expenses can be better planned for.
An "unfinished" category in the chopoff. (I think this is a killer idea and maybe would give some of those folks that don't finish another reason to attend, although I would suggest the bikes at least be in "roller" form).
Long distance award (Riding, or traveling? We've had some folks come from pretty far away in a car, but not super far on a bike that I'm aware of)

Did I miss any of the ideas?

Oh yeah, @Iowa Mark needs to make sure there aren't any life-changing events happening that weekend :)
 
What do y'all think about the idea of doing an entry fee to the chopoff? Say the winner splits the pot with the event?

So if there is a regular chopoff category, and an unfinished chopoff category, the pot would get split 3 ways.

I'm thinking a $100 entry fee... might seem like alot, but the reward would be pretty sweet if there was enough buy-in, and it might give folks incentive to finish their bikes, or at least haul out there half-finished bikes if there were an "unfinished bike" category.
 
No, don't like that at all. $100 would definitely be a stopper for me entering the contest and probably others too.

That used to be one of the nicest Big Boys around here. Now it's like McDonalds, too bad that had to happen, still, gotta have my greasy food.

Scott
 
may be not $100 but something alot of people signed up and then didn't show up,it makes it hard on Daniel to put on a great event. Not knowing whos comming,makes it hard on try'n to have food and drinks and door prizes and every thing else thats needed to do an event like this,he looses money every year.He should at least break even,He puts on a great event I have been there 3 years in a row and will go every year I can...
 
mrtwowheel said:
No, don't like that at all. $100 would definitely be a stopper for me entering the contest and probably others too.
Click to expand...

I hear you, we're just spitballing here... Like @DIRTY DOG says, we just want to make sure our good hosts break even. Do I take this to mean you've got a build your planning that you might enter in the chopoff? Because that would be awesome, the more the merrier!

What would you suggest as an acceptable chopoff entry fee, if there were one? (again, we're spitballing... it's been a free contest thus far). The reason for me suggesting the fee was two-fold. Give something back to the event, and provide incentive for participants to finish... one, because you don't want your fee to be wasted, and two, because the idea of a winning pot sounds pretty good :)

But maybe doing an "unfinished build" category would take care of folks not showing...

And I'm not ragging on those folks. I didn't finish my build this year either. But I do love going every year and want the event to continue and to grow. I like seeing all my xs650 friends and what they've done with their bikes.
 
Pretty sure I'll have an entry, just don't feel like gambling when I really don't expect to win, just to show off some of the ideas that I used that I've never seen done before, nothing spectacular. Unfinished category would be great for more bikes to see and compare and get more advice and ideas from the other builders.

Scott
 
Dragbikedemon said:
I plan to attend. I havent even begun my build yet.lol
Click to expand...

Awesome man! Keep an eye on the forum, Daniel or Kerri will post details for next year's event as soon as they have it lined out. I just got back from the Greasy Dozen Run in Columbus, Ohio, with my little Honda Rebel build. I've got a few small things to dial in on it, then I'll be hitting the xs650 project pretty hard.
 

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