| Author | Message | ||
     Dynarider |
See now thats part of the problem. I didnt ask to be nominated for no social director deal. Everyone wants someone else to do the dirty work, but in my opinion its a thankless bullshit job. No matter how well you plan something & how much time you put into it, somebody is going to have a bitch about it. They dont like the gas station you picked, or the roads werent twisty enough or were too twisty, the lunch cost to much, the bowling balls are too damn heavy, etc  Its not a job for 1 person to come up with ideas, it should be a group effort where everyone contributes equally. Unfortunately it always seems like you have the same couple people who will volunteer their time & effort & then everyone else just sits back & does nothing. And the rides where people crash & have breakdowns do suck. Oh sure its great if you are out front & not playing the part of the cleanup man. Personally im not 1 for big group rides anyways, couple of friends is fine but anymore than that & its just a pain in the ass. You are never sure of the other riders abilities & spend half the time watching them to make sure they dont something stupid & take you out when they screw up. | ||
| Nevco1 |
Dyna...I understand what you are saying. However, I am having trouble relating it to Brew City. Brew City is a small club with a membership that is from all walks of life and the membership gets even smaller when you minus out the HD/BMC corporate types on the mailing list. The real members are young and are experiencing all the constraints of career, family, school, church, etc., that we did at one time or another. Give them time and let them grow naturally. If you can help them, do so. If you can't, well...don't be so hard on them. I am sure that once riding season returns attendance will be up and the issue of non-riding and/or off season activities will be addressed. However, I would not be surprised if many can't participate due to other obligations. That is sort of the nature of motorcycling. It is a wonderful stress relief that you can do whenever you can find time to be alone. If it works out that your time coincides with others and you can either ride together or meet at a destination, great. If not, no big deal, it is your personal release. I feel the success of BRAG Club activities(measured in participation) is proportionate to the number of members. For example: Hal's KMC HOG Chapter is huge but their closed events (with the exception of meetings) only represent a very small percentage of their membership. The inverse is their open events attract both Independent HOG and other HOG Chapter Members from all over. In conclusion, based on the numbers, the BRAG Clubs need to (read: must) work together to provide an equal opportunity riding environment. Especially for those with time constraints. At the moment, it looks like this is the direction the Club's sponsored by Hal's and Uke's are headed. Give it time and I am sure the results will be very positive. | ||
| Dullorb |
Ironically enough I think one of the greatest obstacles to getting a club going is the fact that sites like this make it so easy to contact other riders. The incentive to pony up a few bucks and leave your house to keep in touch with other similar people is even less when you can do it for free in your living room. Not that I don't think it is also great to have this site. | ||
| Nevco1 |
Tom...Interesting comment. The only bone of contention I had concerning communications with BCB is that too much emphasis was placed on the BWB and not enough on email or even snail mail. Of last years roster, even though there were email addresses listed, some key members did not have timely access to a computer and/or relied on others to get the messages for them. Not to mention many others really appreciated receiving email reminders and hype about the rides. This is the reason I was pushing for increase email and a monthly newsletter. Quite simply, the personal and career schedules of many members did not allow them to attend meetings and only allowed them to participate in a few rides. As a result many felt a little orphaned and drifted even further away. Take the lead and increase communications. The little time and dollars it takes will be worth it. The paper and envelopes are cheap for that small of a group. Perhaps you can get your new club coordinator to get Kirk to part with some postage money. If not, you may be able to swap the snacks and soda for it. Kindly take this as a helpful hint and not as a derogatory comment. None of my posts have ever been meant to belittle BCB although I can see where some of them may have been interpreted as such. Have a great day! | ||
| Mikej |
In the past it was suggested to include BCBRAG meeting schedules and ride info into the KMC-HOG publications. I don't know if the KMC group has a monthly mailing, but it might be something to look into. But doing so may open up another can of issues to deal with. Eyes wide open as you go forth into the forray lest you be blindsided and left by the side of the road. | ||
| Nevco1 |
Hal's KMC HOG Chapter indeed has a monthly newsletter that is available both online and via snail mail. | ||
| Nevco1 |
Incidentally, the newsletter format I was thinking of for BCB was the old Kiplinger Letter format. Just words, no graphics and pics. However, with the advent of the modern day computer, it can be as fancy as you wish. | ||
| Bomber |
cost of mailing must be considered, which can add up in a hurry if ya don't watch it (I like the format example sited) . . . . . the digital divide is real, and not all memebers have computer access all the time (I never check the board on weekends, for instance) . . .. . it's intertesting that we're still struggling with what folks want out of the club . . . Bill, you and I have ahd that conversation (several times) and I won't soak up bandwidth here, repeating those spirited discussions . . . bottm line is that BRAGH and HOG ain't so different -- for most folks, their missions, and how they carry them out, are nearly identical (Dyna's insistance that the club needs to be more than bikes, for instance, and the fact that he is, it would seem, right on target with that . . . .. ) my interests are a little different, but that's OK . . . . .I am capable of getting myself into situations I like, with people I enjoy, BRAG, HOG, or not . . . . | ||
| Nevco1 |
Bomber...organizationally, I agree that there is not much difference between Brag and Hog other than the influential weight of the number of members. I have been thinking quite a bit about Dyna's comments about non-biking activities and can only approach them from three experiences. The Ski Clubs, The Country Clubs and the Yacht Clubs I belonged to. As riding is a fair weather activity here, I ruled out the ski club activities, which unfortunately were the broadest in nature, as they conflicted with the riding season. Then thinking of the other two, the Hog Chapters seem to have those activities covered only on a much less formal scale. Therefore, I assume that the Brag chapters could follow in the Hog chapters footsteps concerning off season activities and not face any insurmountable obstacles. According to Brew Cities website, they are working in that direction and further unification with Uke's would only benefit them. Should they communicate to their membership the special events posted here on the BWB, they just may grow into a sizable organization as a result of the increased calendar of activities, etc. Like they say, there is power in numbers. | ||
| Koz5150 |
Not to put a damper on things, but I can't see the owners of Hals and Ukes really wanting both clubs to combine into one. Ultimately it is their club as the sponsering dealership. | ||
| Bads1 |
Thats not what I think Bill is talking about Koz.More get togethers and helping one another with events. | ||
| Nevco1 |
Koz...I must have said something wrong. I did not mean combining into one club. I was referring to being unified concerning riding and social activities. Would apply to any other Brag Club in the area as well. Is all a part of the reciprocal rights thing that Hog employs. | ||
| Bads1 |
Thanks Bill I tried to clarify that. | ||
| Nevco1 |
Yep, what Dana said. That's it. We all need to keep supporting our respective sponsoring dealers. If we don't, it is more than likely that their interest in Buell will subside and that is not a good thing. | ||
| Bads1 |
Well its after 11 pm I guess now that you and I have Koz straightened out on this I can go to bed tonight and sleep easier.......Good night all.  | ||
| Daves |
Bad, Give me a call, need to talk to ya! 1-800-342-7539 ext 14 Dave Iowa HD/Buell (Buell Cycle Center) | ||
| Daves |
Just thought I'd give everyone an early heads up. On Sept 18th 2004, Bubba Blackwell, the Buell American Daredevil, will be performing in Waterloo Iowa at the National Cattle Congress fairgrounds! Ride to the edge! Dave Iowa HD/Buell (Buell Cycle Center) | ||
| Mikej |
Please don't tell us he traded his Buell in on a Bull....  I've seen a bull do a stoppie, but have never seen one burn a smiley onto a patch of asphalt. | ||
| Bads1 |
I'd like to thank Brew City for coming down to Uke's this evening.Jerry it was a pleasure having you and the gang.Also hope we can get together as some group rides this riding season to make thing more interesting to new and old members......GROWTH!!!!! | ||
| Nevco1 |
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