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Editorial

Hi Friends of RKA,

We want to say first off Kathy and I are so grateful to be ok and healthy. We also hope you are all safe and healthy.

The “The Report” was sent earlier via Constant Contact with a lot of new products you cannot do without.
If you are on our mailing list you have been getting “The Report” for the last two years.

With that said it’s been two years since the last Newsletter was posted on our website in December 2019. You should maybe go over that one more time, as it is long and loud (I have never been accused of talking to much or being opinionated) but it explains a lot about what RKA ..IS … DOES … THINKS, so just click on the link.

So I lied, I said that was our last Newsletter. I decided to do ONE MORE for January 2021. This Newsletter will go over 2020 and tell you all what the hell we have done while in this pandemic quarantine.

The difference from “The Report” and the “Newsletter” is this:

“The Newsletter” was based inside our website so you can go here: “RKA Newsletter Page” and go back to any Newsletter you want at any time.

“The Report” is sent to you from “Constant Contact” via email. So unless you save the email, “The Report” will go away after you read it and delete your email.

BUT the most important difference is I can do “The Report” any damn time I want to. So no pressure.

The January 2021 Newsletter

Last January Richard & Kathy moved from Windsor to Cloverdale about 23 miles north of Windsor. So, the commute was on.
Almost fifty miles a day.

Cloverdale is a small, beautiful community of 9,000 souls, closer to Lake Sonoma and Stewarts Point/Skaggs Springs road or Hwy 128 to the coast.

While in Windsor Kathy and hardly ever rode together we had the Sprinter, a little Honda fit, motorcycles, and bicycles …. The commute was 2 miles.

Now ..... I actually talked Kathy into riding with me on the R1200RT a few days a week  .. YES! Got my favorite passenger of all time back on the big bike.
Then we decided the Honda Fit was at the end of its life cycle so we sold it and purchased a little KIA NIRO Hybrid. My daughter and my sister had the KIA Niro, so that leaned us that way.

Here is the issue …. My RT gets 42 mpg and the Niro gets 48. 

Kathy's StoryBike	Richard's StoryBike
Kathy's Motobecane	Richard's Orbea GAIN

In the back of our mind the underlying thing was we wanted to move the business to Cloverdale also. BUT had logistical issues like our current lease, where would we put the business in this small community?

So, we had plans in motion to move the business to Cloverdale before the Pandemic hit.

Earlier I had visited my best bicycle friend in Bend Oregon, and he had purchased electric assist bicycles. You still must pedal! They are not a free ride.

So in order to keep up with the Jone’s we purchased two “Story Bike” electric assist bicycles.

Loved them!!, Kathy’s was just a little too large for her but she made do. One day about three miles from home she got a rear flat. I just rode home and came back with the car. We discovered Kathy would never be able to change a rear flat with a 350w motor on the wheel. About the same time Bill in Oregon purchased a Spanish Orbea GAIN electric assist.

We decided to sell the “Story bikes”.

Kathy ordered a Motobecane Mid motor drive bike
Richard ordered the Orbea GAIN.

So at this point you must be wondering when the sky fell on us.

We had JUST moved to Cloverdale and the Pandemic hit. RKA was forced to close its doors, lay off our employee of 15 years, go home and pout.

What were we to do? We had thousands of dollars invested in the shows and rallies we had planned to go to. Motels, Plane fares, Booth space, …. ALL canceled! Plus new tires and maintenance on the rig, And a full inventory of product for the summer tour.

So maybe a sappy phrase, but when you have lemons make lemonade. Windsor allowed us to reopen to manufacture “Face Masks”.

We sent out the message and surprisingly got orders for masks from our customers with large businesses including “The Town of Sebastopol and their police and fire depot” among a few. And we added our novilty logos for fun.

We were also able to sell the in-stock luggage. So, disaster was adverted for the time being.

Now we can switch between masks and luggage fairly easily.

You see, the material, thread, new elastic never used before, logo heat press, everything is different and had to be changed from one task to the other.

The masks we manufacture are like our luggage, the very best we can do.

Right materials, doubled with filter slot, washable and reusable, best features, even the nose guard is made from a laser cutting company owned by a customer in LA.

They will pay for themselves in a week or two over the throw away ones.

Here is the link to our “RKA Mask Page”




Kathy and I would like to make masks for YOU and your business.

We were sure we were saved, and the masks would hold us through the pandemic mess but unfortunately the sales of masks has dropped off.

So with the gears turning for the RKA move to Cloverdale we hooked up the Sprinter to the trailer and moved the WHOLE thing ourselves!!

LASTLY, we are reinventing ourselves and adding some related and even non- related products to our lineup.
Go to www.rka-luggage.com to see all these products

STILL GOT LUGGAGE GOING!
STILL GOT THE MASKS GOING.
STILL GOT SENA GOING

NEW:

A very nice drone at a very nice price point.
A 4K 60fps “Go-Pro type" camera at a fraction of the price.
A new dual moto camera system
Dash cam for your car.
Security cameras.
Wine country products. Canteens, Flasks, Wine bottle sealing system.

Check out “The Report” for more information or check them out at www.rka-luggage.com

Kathy and I hope you are ALL well and ok and have a very happy new year! It would be hard for 2021 to be worse then 2020.

If you are one of the people still able to work and are hanging in there
please spend some money with RKA.

Happy New Year