Should we form a club

alistair59 · Post by **alistair59** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 7:19 pm

Whilst reading a post on another thread someone mentioned that they had discovered the fact that there is no VTR owners club anywhere. Should we therefore considering forming actual club from intersted members of this forum. Since my wife is disabled and I look after her I do have a fair bit of spare time so would be willing to put some effort into a new club. I'm interested to know other peoples feelings, thoughts, etc.

Girlie_Biker · Post by **Girlie_Biker** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 7:59 pm

well to my mind, this is a club - of sorts. Ok we might not physically meet up in the flesh that often if at all, but the basics - sharing our enthusiasm and ideas is still there.

I'm not really sure what else you mean by a "club" would offer.

Pete.L · Post by **Pete.L** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 9:05 pm

yeah Sorry Alli
I'm with Girlie B on this.
This is about as close as we can get "Club wise". We input as much as we want (or not) help each other out ,trade ideas and of course take the piss

Organised club inputs would mean a much higher level of dedication and a lot of us only have a few moments for a quick "log in" most of us have outside demands (work, family, ect) and this is all we can add.
Have I missed the point? or am I going off on a tangent? What exactly were you meaning by starting a club?
Pete.l

Sorry, didn't mean to sound down on your idea but just curious to what you have in mind

Seeker 77 · Post by **Seeker 77** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 9:18 pm

It was me who suggested it! I would be more than willing to help where necessary. Whilst my knowledge of websites and computer stuff is limited. I am sure that i can manage subscriptions or whatever else is needed to be done. Am in the Army and have to go away every so often but there is usually an internet link wherever we go so i am sure that i can continue to work wherever i end up.

I think that the "club" to which we already belong doesn't need too much to be done to it but it would be nice to call ourselves the UK VTR Owners' Club.

EGG · Post by **EGG** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 9:53 pm

mellis what Regt are you in?

EGG · Post by **EGG** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 9:55 pm

I think a club would be good i am sure we would get benefits like cheaper entrance to bike races/meets. Also we could go to show and show off our storms.
I am in.

Seeker 77 · Post by **Seeker 77** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 10:06 pm

EGG you have a PM

BarryH · Post by **BarryH** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 11:21 pm

Rather than going to a full blown club straight away. Maybe utilising the "runs" forum would be a step in the right direction.
We all seem to cross each others path's on a sort of regular basis but never organise a ride out.

Another forum I use regularly have rideouts going on. Its a good way to meet new people and ride new routes. As long as it doesn't turn into a full blown race with the back markers trying to play catch up all the time, its normally a good laugh.

Obviuosly geography plays a major part as the member seem to be spread around the country. So meeting in any great numbers would mean a properly organised event. The southport one would be a prime example where this could be a start.

Squiffythewombat · Post by **Squiffythewombat** » Fri Sep 02, 2005 1:33 am

i agree with whats been said already and we are pretty much a club to all intensive purposes but then again i would surport a full blown club! Aside from the obvious insurance benifits!

At some point in the near future after biggin hill i will be making some VTR.com style stickers or cards so we can promote the site to fellow storm riders who are still in the dark ages....

But if you would like help on website/printing/logistics etc then i would be willing to help no probs :-)

RAINMAKER · Post by **RAINMAKER** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 6:58 am

The idea of a club is good, but in reality were all too spread far apart, judging by the difficulty we all have now getting together is it really practical?

alistair59 · Post by **alistair59** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 5:52 pm

Persoally I like clubs and have made it a habit to join whatever club covers the bike I have at the time so I've been in a few. As a matter of fact I am still a member of the Kwaks owners club even though I havent owned a Kawasaki since my 750 Turbo died. The reason I am still a member of this particular club is that it has a distinct lack of formality. We are a diverse group with members all over the country, we usually meet up once a month at a venue chosen by the member who has volunteered to organize that months meeting in his or her area. Those of us who can travel to the meet, enjoy the company of friends old and new and usually go for a ride out on the best roads the locale has to offer. We also have a couple of weekend do's one in Wales and one in Scotland and a major piss up on the aniversary of the founding of the club. It is'nt very formal and the whole thing is organized by just four of us. Also as well as more frequent meetings being a club gives access to some worthwhile discounts, for instance Carole Nash give members a 10% discount on insurance premiums. It's worth considering. A

Seeker 77 · Post by **Seeker 77** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 7:10 pm

=Also as well as more frequent meetings being a club gives access to some worthwhile discounts, for instance Carole Nash give members a 10% discount on insurance premiums. It's worth considering..

Well i'm sold already! I know that some people are thinking that what is the point of joining a club when the chances of having a meet are quite small but there are enough people around the country to have small meets and maybe one big one a year.

I do think however that there is a really good vibe from the forum and that there are enough people with enough motivation to make it work. It is unlikely to require any funding as most of the work can be done by some of us when required. The reason that i suggested it in the first place was merely to lend us a sense of belonging. There are some real characters on the website and i thought that it might be nice to encapsulate that with a club ethos.

The T-shirt thing really runs hand in glove with this and as has been proven by some of the other threads, we are bumping into each other every now and then! As i said in an earlier post i can do some of the admin and aafter i have had a few stellas with my mate i may try and start some kind of website - his speciality - and this could become a point of reference. There would be no point trying to supercede this forum as it it should remain the primary focus for us Stormers but there would be no harm in running a subsidiary to highlight members' bikes and the fact that we the chosen are the VTR owners' club. This would then appear on google and direct new owners to this forum. VeeTROC ??

I think that as i write this post, i am going to go ahead and do it anyway and if people want to subscribe then that is cool. I will speak to my mate and try and get this website sorted as a start. Maybe it would make more sense to use this site as the start point. I will also try and speak to some insurers about discounts, will try Carole Nash first as a start point.

Feedback welcome on my essay and if somebody knows of a reason why this won't work then let me know.[/quote]

EGG · Post by **EGG** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 7:25 pm

DO IT mate i am in even if we have to do it in regions ie North and South. i have spoke to Stormers that don't do this place but all seam to be part of a club or group. The Cossie's owners club only started with 2 bods.
make it happen.

Ians98VTR · Post by **Ians98VTR** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 9:02 pm

I think we should all back this,sounds like a winner!,good on yer mate,count me in

Seeker 77 · Post by **Seeker 77** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 9:33 pm

Now i've had a Tikka Masala and 4 pints of Kingfisher it's all very clear to me. VeeTROC is going to happen. Watch this space............