Well said David........
Welcome David,
I've been a member for a year this time around (was a young member with my father in the 1970's).
There are always strange folks in every club, but my experience of the last 12months has been mostly positive, I have met some very helpful and friendly people, some of whom have given freely of their time or resources to help me out as a novice, spanner wielding Vincent Owner.
I joined and left the Ducati Owners Group and the Harley Davidson Club - they really weren't for me, but here with the VOC I'm having fun and learning a lot.
There are those who are perhaps a little blunt, a little direct, an aquired taste through to some that I simply avoid being in the company of - but my experience is that you find that in many walks of life. In my view the positives far, far outweigh the negatives and I would recommend you come along to a section meet or a rally and sample us for yourself - best test?
You'll surely find your own groove, find those you like spending time with and those you'd prefer to avoid, and if you never go to a rally or an event cause it is not your thing then there's the Magazine and free reign on the Forum as value for money - but on the whole a friendly bunch of people who share a common passion for things Vincent - and the beauty is there is room for all, whether you own a bike that has not turned a wheel for several years, a box of bits under your workbench, a concours machine that gets trailered to events or a thoroughly used bike that has seen 100mph on the clock on a very regular basis.
Best piece of advice I've been given - "talk to 15 Vincent Owners, get 15 different opinions on the right thing to do to fix your problem with the bike, then make your own mind up and do it".
MPH the Club Magazine - well worth £28 a year in my view, why not buy a few backnumbers off ebay and have a read before you decide - you should be able to pick up a whole year for less than £10 if you go for more recent ones?
I've got some duplicates - let me have your address as a Private Message and I'll send you one to read.
I've never been a club joiner by nature, often prefer my own company and head off for a 200 mile ride on a Saturday alone, but the club for me has proved invaluable in getting access to hundreds of years of experience in fettling my bike.
Cheers and hopefully welcome to the Club.
Stuart
WELCOME TO THE CLUB. Wow!!! if your email is a representation, there seems to be serious issues afoot.
My circumstances you know nothing about and youir opinion matters little to me, when put in such an off hand way. Your comments I assume are in regard to yourself as you seem to have had bad experiences in the past and seem to put values on your bikes without being specific but that is not my problem and I dont have to comment as you seem to have said it all. I have though had several nice emails already that I am pusuing.
I disagree with you about a Brough completely. Its a matter of choice, otherwise we would all be riding or driving the same. I drive 20's/30's/50's and a new car and find them all delightful