The next best thing to being there

According to the song lyrics, it never rains in California. Well, almost never. But Southern California does have traffic jams. And smog. And you do have to go to work once in a while. In fact, there may be a dozen reasons why you can't jump on your bike and head for Ventura Harley-Davidson/Buell. But these days, you don't need to. Even if it's midnight on Sunday night, you can get your Harley fix.

Just fire up your computer, jump on line, and surf over to www.venturaharley.com. It's open seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

There you'll find a colorful, newly redesigned, easy-to-use web site complete with snappy graphics, photos and highlights of all you need to know about Ventura H-D.

"We want all our customers to know our web site is now up and running," says Ventura owner Tracey Warriner, "It will keep them current on our sales and events. Most of our customers live within 50 miles, so they can check out something on our web site and then come in to take advantage of it."

Is there a ride coming up this weekend? Log on and find out. The website contains information on all upcoming events and activities of interest to Ventura Harley-Davidson customers. You can also look at photos of you and your friends having fun at recent events.

There's a lot to check out on venturaharley.com. A new Ventura surfer might want to start by checking out the directions and map to the dealership, along with the operating hours. If you can't make it to the dealership, you can still do a lot of shopping without ever leaving your chair.

The General Merchandise page describes Ventura's giant selection of MotorClothes, gifts and nearly everything for the Harley enthusiast. Enlarge the photos and you'll get a good look at just a few of the many selections.

Let's say you're in the market for a used bike. Just click on the used bike listing, and you'll find photos, descriptions and prices of selected bikes. If you see one you like, click on the "I Want This Bike" button. You can then send an e-mail to the sales department, and a sales person will get back with you promptly. If you're researching a new bike, you'll find the entire line of H-D and Buells. You'll find that like potato chips, these images are so good it's hard to stop at just one. And like potato chips, these photos are best enjoyed with a cold beer.

On any page, if you have a question or comment, you can send an e-mail inquiry, and the folks at the dealership will get back with you.

For those looking for links to other related sites, you'll find a link to harley-davidson.com. You can also link to the Ventura H.O.G. page, with its listing of events and activities.

Make sure you bookmark this site and check it often. While the folks at Ventura H-D/Buell would rather have you stop by the dealership in person, you'll find the same friendly appeal, customer concern and useful information displayed when you visit their website.

So it really is the next best thing to being there.