Why are you/ why am I a member?

[arthurdent]

The early, un-requited love affair began in 1986 in Cape Cod, MA. While at a bus garage getting our bus fixed, a 72 R75/2 was sitting for sale in the shop for $250. From that moment on I wanted a BMW. Sadly, my mother held the "never while living my house" mentality and I had no way of getting the thing home, though I did toy with the idea of having our group stop in Chicago on the way home so it could be unloaded at my Uncle's place for safekeeping.

Fast forward to 2002. Post 9-11 layoff and career change. I needed a vehicle to get back and forth to school. The best deal I could find was a 79 Honda CX500 on Fleabay. I had a permit and desire but zero actual experience. I forgot to turn on the fuel when I picked it up, dumped it at a stop sign (not sure how my helmet ended up on the grass median, though I was standing the whole time!). My wife followed me home from St. Paul to south Minneapolis and it was the most white knuckle terrifying event of my life to date. I eventually took the MSF course and flogged that silly little bike for the next three years.

Here's where the MOA comes in. I had continued looking for a BMW along the way and finally found one in Sioux City, though I wouldn't have the funds to finish paying for it for a couple of months. Between then I went to the IMS show in MPLS and saw the MOA booth. A friendly lady named Karol said you don't actually have to OWN a BMW to be a member. sold.

That 89 airhead took me down a lot of roads, cost a ton of repair (transmission, alternator x2, final drive) and my wife said it was like riding an anvil perched in a sequoia. When the rotor died the second time i had to sell it. Friends stepped in to keep us riding with them and gave us an 04 HD Electra Glide. While it was no carver, I continue to be amazed that a 900lb beast could handle the way that thing did.

Eventually we sold the EG to my BIL and bought my current 04 GS and wife's Star 650. I ride the GS to work as soon as the snow is mostly gone until it threatens to stay. I live in a very remote part of Fly-Over-Land and access to other club members, service and even tire changes are more than an hour away.

Why did I join? I was invited by someone who shared my passion for the brand.

Why have I stayed? Parkhouse, Glaves, Winkel, Vericella, Cwi, Riepe. I tend to skip most of the "ride the world reports" since we will never have the funds to do such rides. I do read the North America reports because they are possible to achieve. We have only been to one regional rally (won LD 2up award!) and I have wanted to make several of the National Rallies but time and funds have not permitted. We do plan to make the 14 National since it's in our home town and we will partake of the Sturgis experience after.

I am also a regular participant in ADV Rider and prefer the freer, broader feel of that site, though brand specific, focused discussion is good here.

Will I quit the MOA? Not likely. Enough value from the magazine and site makes it worth the membership. Of course, if my submissions to the Anonymous could actually get published it would be nice. (0/3 so far)

 

[Ridealot]

I really don't know why I am still a member of the MOA. If I still had to pay every year I would be long gone, but I bought a life membership many years ago. In 15 years or so I will finally be a geriatric old grouch and fit in here.

 

[8ninety8]

I joined specifically for information and the flea market. The support of others more knowledgable about what I was riding. If you take your scoot into a dealer for professional service, the work gets done, maybe correctly depending on the mechanic and their knowledge base, but the how and the niggling little secrets about why something is or should be done, remain a mystery. I still remember the first time I pulled the plug for my first oil change, oooooh the mystery! Will the oil come out? Is there any oil in there? Was it, perish the thought of an oil thread, the correct oil?

Enter, an owners club and all of the social interaction that leads to relationships, which leads to a certain richness of life in general. The alternative of grinding away by yerself is not a happy prospect. Humans are intrinsically social animals, thus clubs like This will always be around. And it's a good thing to learn from others' mistakes then having to make the same mistakes all by yerself. And, did mention parts?

 

[cjack]

I joined in the fall of 1971. In the spring, the club was divided into two clubs which resulted from a difference in opinion or some such. I've seen them come and go. They are still coming.
Anyway, I saw an ad in Road Rider magazine by Roger Hull ( http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=343 )and sent my $5 bucks in and got member #224.
BMW has come a long way since then and so has BMWMOA...and the ON. I am very interested in the why and what is better in replacing Vince.
As to the BMWs, they are the best in the world. When they are running.

 

[mika]

When I bought my first Roadster it was 150 miles to the dealer, 40 feet to the garage and they delivered the magazine with great information to my front door. Since then the reasons change every season.

 

[brewmeister]

I joined to find out about the local rallys,Lots of old friends were riding bmw's,wrenching help,partying with mother,dave maly,santa,pollach,free beer,ho-made beer,cheap camping,great folks indeed!,intelligent conversation,trying out other peoples sauce,way to much partying,watching people,vendors at rallys,good food well ,maybe not,great rides to at and after the rallys,more I can't recall,It's Decient! never enough thankyou's. THANK YOU!

 

[pglaves]

Why am I a member? Or is it worth it to be a member?

It all depends on how a person measures things. If I try to compute tangible benefits vs tangible costs, being an MOA member for 37 years has cost me far more than it has benefited me. Examples:

- time and expenses for the years I was Ambassador Liaison
- time and some expenses when I was on the Board
- time and some expenses when I was President
- time spent preparing and giving seminars at the national rally for 15 years
- time and expenses writing a somewhat regular column for 18 years
- time spent helping others fix their broken down bikes, brought to my door or hauled in off the road.

If BMW MOA had to pay me, they couldn't afford me. Nor could they ever afford the officers and directors who keep, and have kept the club running. Nor could they afford the other regular contributors to the magazine. Nor could they afford to put on a rally without the hundreds of hours of volunteer time.

So, if measured only in that plus/minus, balance sheet tangible kind of way, the club is led and served by fools. But there is more to life than tangible plus/minus balance sheets - despite the gibberish they teach in business school. MOA is a club. It is about travel, places seen and not yet seen, adventure, friendships built, friends not yet met, helping others enjoy their bikes or fix their bikes. It is as much about giving as it is getting, but for some there is always getting in the giving. The term "community" comes to mind. Some call it "family".

If these types of things are important to a person BMW MOA might be attractive. But for people whose lives are driven by cost-benefit analysis, BMW MOA probably is a mismatch.

 

[EMSimon]

.

If BMW MOA had to pay me, they couldn't afford me. Nor could they ever afford the officers and directors who keep, and have kept the club running.

MOA is a club. It is about travel, places seen and not yet seen, adventure, friendships built, friends not yet met, helping others enjoy their bikes or fix their bikes. It is as much about giving as it is getting, but for some there is always getting in the giving. The term "community" comes to mind. Some call it "family".

.

O.K., I will dare to say it:

My personal experience with the MOA is, it is run and controlled by a club within the club. This club within the club is largely a mutual admiration society which is more than evident in all the posts that are made here and in the other thread about the recent issue with the ON. That club within the club has lost (maybe never had) a real connection to the base. If someone from the base becomes inquisitive which may challenge one of their opinions about technical issues or achievements, he/she is clobbered by those in that club inside the club or the community that worships them. It happens in this forum here all the time. When a new Executive Director was needed, an outside search firm was given the task to find candidates. eventually the BOS appointed an insider.....like the Cardinals selecting a new Pope, while the Cardinals are appointed by the Pope.
New members are not being attracted by a group that is intimidating in their perceived knowledge about the bike and/or activities surrounding it, even it is touted as experience others can learn from. This is exactly the same problem I am familiar with in another model-specific motorcycle club, where members who run the club have been involved with the bike since it was introduced 35 years ago. And I am part of that senior group. Yes, a few newcomers appreciate the help they can get with problems they have by others that had these problems before and solved them, but many are being turned off and away by the know-it-alls and those who bask in the glory of achieving superhuman feats. If you think that becoming a member of the iron butt society or participating in a year-around mileage contest or reading about a motorcycle expedition to Siberia has any attraction for a buyer of S1000RR, think again.
Food for thought.

 

[SCBuckeye]

There are very few people who donate time/money who do so altruistically. Mother Theresa, Dr. Livingston and Eric Liddell are the only ones I can think of.

 

[motodan]

Why I'm a member?

Well, after retiring and never having been allowed to complain at home...I found this Club and site very therapeutic.

 

[36654]

O.K., I will dare to say it:

My personal experience with the MOA is, it is run and controlled by a club within the club. This club within the club is largely a mutual admiration society .........

You raise a valid point, just as any old fart must be forthcoming with the rational about past decisions, the young upstarts have to be accepting that nothing is really ever new and most stupid human tricks are repeated every few seasons. So, the old guys can't just ignore the questions of the young, but conversely the young have to accept that they don't deserve an answer to all their questions.

As such, beer and conversation is always a good thing. If you can't, at least, drink a beer together, it's unlikely that you'll be able to understand each others perspective.

 

[pglaves]

O.K., I will dare to say it:

My personal experience with the MOA is, it is run and controlled by a club within the club.

Good point! Sometimes, sort of. A snapshot at a point in time may show this. But a series over time somewhat displays the opposite.

My view is that the club is run by those who run for and get elected to the Board of Directors. And those people are not always part of the existing "club within a club". I have seen two revolutions in BMW MOA governance. In the first a group of upstarts ousted most of the existing officers and directors. Several years later there was another less dramatic revolution wherein the young turks ousted about half of the existing board. Back then I was one of the revolutionaries.

In quieter interims, some directors come, some go. Some come in loudly; others quietly. But change goes on. Purely from my personal perspective some of the change has been good; some has been horrible. And a lot of hoped-for hasn't happened. Yet!

 

[rangerreece]

I think this whole post should be lifted and included in a future ON! Very nicely put!

+1

 

[Bud]

Well, after retiring and never having been allowed to complain at home...I found this Club and site very therapeutic.

You owe me a new keyboard.

I spewed Coke all over mine when I read that. Love your sense of humor.

 

[Bud]

Good point! Sometimes, sort of. A snapshot at a point in time may show this. But a series over time somewhat displays the opposite.

My view is that the club is run by those who run for and get elected to the Board of Directors. And those people are not always part of the existing "club within a club". I have seen two revolutions in BMW MOA governance. In the first a group of upstarts ousted most of the existing officers and directors. Several years later there was another less dramatic revolution wherein the young turks ousted about half of the existing board. Back then I was one of the revolutionaries.

In quieter interims, some directors come, some go. Some come in loudly; others quietly. But change goes on. Purely from my personal perspective some of the change has been good; some has been horrible. And a lot of hoped-for hasn't happened. Yet!

+1

 

[osbornk]

My personal experience with the MOA is, it is run and controlled by a club within the club.

Counting the MOA, I am a member of 4 clubs. They are all run by a small group of people and they are all losing members. The small group of people are the ones willing to volunteer and do the work. The vast majority sit back and complain about what the volunteers do. Some people don't volunteer because they know they will be criticized regardless of what they do. Over the years, it has become harder and harder to find volunteers to help run a club and take responsibility for the results. Two of the clubs I belong to are charity clubs dedicated to helping children in need. They are both less than half the size they were 10 years ago and one will fold at any time. We can't attract new members regardless of our numerous attempts to attract them. They say they don't have the time due to many children's activities or taking care of older parents. I think it is more a lack of feeling socially responsible rather than a lack of time.

 

[SCBuckeye]

Counting the MOA, I am a member of 4 clubs. They are all run by a small group of people and they are all losing members. The small group of people are the ones willing to volunteer and do the work. The vast majority sit back and complain about what the volunteers do. Some people don't volunteer because they know they will be criticized regardless of what they do. Over the years, it has become harder and harder to find volunteers to help run a club and take responsibility for the results. Two of the clubs I belong to are charity clubs dedicated to helping children in need. They are both less than half the size they were 10 years ago and one will fold at any time. We can't attract new members regardless of our numerous attempts to attract them. They say they don't have the time due to many children's activities or taking care of older parents. I think it is more a lack of feeling socially responsible rather than a lack of time.

Hopefully, I can respond to this one positively.

I think that there has been a dramatic sociological change in the last 20 years. Most people now-a-days don't do much "donation" work for anything. It is every one for him/herself. Without getting too political I think some of it is because people think that there will always be somebody else to do it, and secondly, many think they have filled their obligations have been filled because they have paid their taxes, and government will do it. Some just don't want to get their own hands dirty, or they are just too busy.

There are some charities that collect well but it is because they really have learned to play the sympathy card. Some are religious in nature.

For myself, I will not donate time or money to any organization unless their books are completely transparent and open to the public. I know of some just a few miles away that help homeless people. I donate to them on a regular basis. Some churches or religious people (I could name some), people who should be ethically bound to be open, are some of the most closed in the world. Some of them are millionaires!

 

[sedanman]

You raise a valid point, just as any old fart must be forthcoming with the rational about past decisions, the young upstarts have to be accepting that nothing is really ever new and most stupid human tricks are repeated every few seasons. So, the old guys can't just ignore the questions of the young, but conversely the young have to accept that they don't deserve an answer to all their questions.

As such, beer and conversation is always a good thing. If you can't, at least, drink a beer together, it's unlikely that you'll be able to understand each others perspective.

I must strongly disagree with your position that the young don't deserve answers to all of their questions. Sure they do. You don't have to answer them all but at least point them in a direction where they can find the answer. You don't have to spoon feed them, but don't let them starve.

I am also of the opinion that the anonymous book should be online and available to the general public. How better to attract new members than to offer a helping hand to a stranded motorcyclist. People are free to decide if they would help a non member or GASP, a rider of an "other" brand.

 

[Ken F]

Good point! Sometimes, sort of. A snapshot at a point in time may show this. But a series over time somewhat displays the opposite.

My view is that the club is run by those who run for and get elected to the Board of Directors. And those people are not always part of the existing "club within a club". I have seen two revolutions in BMW MOA governance. In the first a group of upstarts ousted most of the existing officers and directors. Several years later there was another less dramatic revolution wherein the young turks ousted about half of the existing board. Back then I was one of the revolutionaries.

In quieter interims, some directors come, some go. Some come in loudly; others quietly. But change goes on. Purely from my personal perspective some of the change has been good; some has been horrible. And a lot of hoped-for hasn't happened. Yet!

Great Post Paul!

Ken

 

[Ken F]

As to organizations and changes there are significant social change occurring. Politics is polarized in America, there is a shrinking middle class so income differentiation is growing, millennials are abandoning vehicle ownership and urbanizing. I see lots of silly things written about 20 somethings (they're lazy, self obsessed, hippy scammers, or similar). I spend a a lot of time with millennials, they're the generation fighting our wars, they're wildly involved in a variety of social causes, and they've been given a really terrible deal by previous generations in the process. Getting to that youth generation means getting past previous practice. Lots and lots to discuss about that topic.

Selil, I think this would be a great topic of a separate thread should you be so inclined! It seems as though you have a good amount of insight and knowledge on this topic.
The MOA, and many local clubs are struggling with this problem, and I think some discussion related to this would be beneficial on a local and national level.
Thanks for your post!!
Ken