To MGNOC, or not to MGNOC, the threadfest

[Guzzistajohn]

Yes
I guess Luap's rally is a thing of the past :'(.  I think Dusty has hit the nail on the head.  The next incarnation of Guzzi events will be NARs.  The Oklahoma Campout  year before last, and Sickbay's Arkansas NAR were excellent.  I don't know how much planning went on behind the scenes, but all the bases were covered.  Everyone seemed to pitch in and things got done. 

We need to get the word out to the new riders.  There are a lot new guys on the V7s and some have been showing up at recent rallys. I know Beaver and Sickbay987 both kept sign in sheets.  Maybe we could use these to reach out and offer personal invite to some of the events. 

Not everyone knows of this forum.  How about posting the Web address at the dealerships? 

Next time you plan to attend a rally bring a buddy Guzzisti or otherwise.

Dave
Galveston

Dave,

GREAT! Luap's deal at Anderson was great, but this will put us closer to more twistys. I like that and I think others are too. More info as the days get longer again! Be glad to have you there!

John in Mo.

[Nick]

A question -- has there ever been consideration given to a designated section for a schedule of upcoming rallies on the WG website?  I realize there is normally some advance discussion about these events on the website and, as they get closer, they're elevated to the "sticky" category at the top of the page but I'm thinking further out than that so advance planning would be easier.

 

It all originates here http://www.mgnoc.com/rally_calendar.html anyway, why the duplication?

It appears as though the membership of the group is growing smaller and less active.

What group are you referring to? Most rallygoers I speak to don't post here, yet are MGNOC members, and judging by some of the posts above, most posters here are not MGNOC members

[oldbike54]

It all originates here http://www.mgnoc.com/rally_calendar.html anyway, why the duplication?

What group are you referring to? Most rallygoers I speak to don't post here, yet are MGNOC members, and judging by some of the posts above, most posters here are not MGNOC members

Nick , that list doesn't cover the NARs . The Okie camp out , Cedar vale ,the Arkansas camp out , none of those will make that list .

  Dusty

[Nick]

Nick , that list doesn't cover the NARs . The Okie camp out , Cedar vale ,the Arkansas camp out , none of those will make that list .

  Dusty

Good point on NARs and some camp outs, edited my post

[fotoguzzi]

I'm interested.  What is the new date and the new location?  Thanks.

Grand Marais in 2015!
We
’
re going to
head north
to the other end of the state
for the R
ally
.
We are looking at
June
26
-
28
.
Save the dates and more
information
to follow.

[LowRyter]

+1 to Grand Marais.  Beautiful place.  Decent roads, spectacular views.  Duluth is worth a visit too. 

[dilligaf]

OK, I give up.  What is a NAR?  :BEER:
Matt

[ChuckH]

....  What is a NAR?  Matt 

Matt, I think it stands for "Not A Rally".  Just show up at the designated place at the correct time and there might be others there also.  No food, no events, etc.  You're responsible for everything at that event.  I think Rocker 59 coined the expression for the gathering in SW CO last year.

[Wayne Orwig]

Why would anyone sign up to be a state rep?   So they can be accused of being part of a private moneymaking scheme, getting beat up because they're running a rally that conflicts with another rally 1500 miles away, and being told it's just for old farts anyway because there's no titty shows, burnout pits, or chugging contests?

Bugger that.  Thank God that some people step up and do it.   And I appreciate it enough to have signed up to be a life MGNOC member and to contribute a little $$ here at WG when I can .... if I'm not going to get out there and do the work, it's the least I can do.   Or I guess I could just piss and moan about it, but others have got that covered.

I 'signed up' as a state rep one month when I didn't make it to a monthly gathering. They voted me in since I wasn't there it say no.  ~;

Then there is this:

I am not holding myself up as the poster boy of activity, due to other commitments, I have not been able to go and do.

Pretty much where everybody is.

[rocker59]

OK, I give up.  What is a NAR?  :BEER:
Matt

"Not A Rally".

Kind of a hippified version of a rally.  Everyone just shows up, contributes something (food, firewood, music, booze, etc.), or doesn't.  It costs as little or as much as each person is willing/able to contribute, it's not structured, and is usually a damned good time.

No one is in charge, but everything seems to get done, and everyone leaves happy.

[Guzzistajohn]

Hippified------Far out man!  I dig it!     NAR's are great! no one has to work like a dog or worry about how many show. Just have a good time.

[rocker59]

Hippified------Far out man!  I dig it!     NAR's are great! no one has to work like a dog or worry about how many show. Just have a good time.

Yeah, man.  Thanks for the groovy tunes at Cedar Vale.  Nice acoustics in that old barn!   :BEER:

[davedel44]

Not A Rally.
Might mean not MGNOC affiliated.
Just show up. Camp out.  Ride.  No prizes.  No awards.

Dave
Galveston

[Orange Guzzi]

Wow, I was beginning to thing I was the only one making comments that pissed others off on this forum.  I feeling better already.  

The Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club does not share their magazine and web site with non members. Pay to play, nothing wrong with that rule.  I say if you don't have a dog in this fight, it should not matter what Frank or the State Reps do.  

[Guzzistajohn]

Yeah, man.  Thanks for the groovy tunes at Cedar Vale.  Nice acoustics in that old barn!   :BEER:

You know that little box does do a good job in that barn. I had a chance to pass through CV for work on the way to Winfield in the summer, I stopped in and listened to some Diana Krall ..........Swonderfu l.......Smarvelous. .....that you should care for me :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-*
                              She is hotter than donut greece!!!!

[Guzzistajohn]

Uh , well not quite true . We feed everyone that shows up at Cedar Vale and now the Okie camp out , and David made sure no one went hungry in Arkansas . Yeah , no organized events , unless you consider some good rides and a visit to a museum . Really , they work pretty much like a REAL rally .

  Dusty

The only diff. is you take up a collection THEN go to the grocery store, nobody's out a bunch of $$$$$

[Stormtruck2]

Matt, I think it stands for "Not A Rally".  Just show up at the designated place at the correct time and there might be others there also.  No food, no events, etc.  You're responsible for everything at that event.  I think Rocker 59 coined the expression for the gathering in SW CO last year.

Sometimes there is food, Cedar Vale I know had great food last year. The event was going to the clown museum in town, riding a bit, and shooting a whole herd of bull. ;)  There is no registration fee, and contributions were not even requested last year at CV, but some of us voluntarily threw in some cash to offset food cost.

Getting the younger ones into Guzzi is a nice idea, but several things work against us.  The general lack of visibility of the Guzzi marque, the lack of dealers, and the relative numbers of used Guzzis available.  When you walk into the average dealer, how many have a used Guzzi on the floor? Most youngsters first bikes are used and there are how many hundreds of Jap bikes available per each used Guzzi?? Earlier someone made the suggestion of recruiting riders, training them to ride, and providing the bike to learn on and ride.  I do this, but my training bike is 80 CB 650. I would like to get a Guzzi training bike, but what model should I buy to use? A new V7 is too expensive to use as a trainer, and an early V7 is too valuable.  I paid $900 for my CB 650 years ago, and the parts are cheap to repair what they break. The limited number of suitable used bikes to be used as trainers is the same problem new riders face when wanting to buy a Guzzi.

Most young people today also worry about image, so it is Harley or UJM so they "fit" the image of a "biker" they think they should.  Few if any Guzzi riders are image conscience. As the youngsters of today mature, the image concern recedes, and after a few years of riding, they have run across a Guzzi, and now it pops on their radar when they are thinking of buying a new bike.  They now have the time, money, and desire to buy a new bike.  Question is, where is the nearest dealer?  In Iowa, it is 5 hours to Woodstock or Omaha, 6 hours to Lakeville MN, or 7 hours to Robinson IL.  When I buy my new bike I am going to C&D in Robinson IL, buy I already know the other dealers.  If I  was looking to buy a new bike and wanted a Guzzi, and never had owned one before, I doubt that I would drive that many hours to try a bike I might not like.

Guzzi is a mature persons bike, a thinking mans bike. It's the bike for people who are after more than just an image, but who do recognize the intangibles that Guzzi brings to the ride.

[father guzzi obrian]

When Todd Egan quit being the So Cal rep, to start Todd Egan incorporated, life went on just fine. Folks hook up for NAR's, people ride together, and life goes on with Guzzi's  I did really enjoy the national at Malibu, 250 snoring guzzi fat guys at 1:00 vibrated my fillings loose when they hit a harmonic.... Great time though and got to spend time with the Seattle folks

[oldbike54]

Just so everyone knows , 'Truck and his lovely wife Lorraine did more than their share to make CV work this year . Talk about NAR spirit , dude , they bring it  ;-T These NARs are easy when you have so much cooperation and a couple or three secret weapons .

  Dusty

[Guzzistajohn]

Just so everyone knows , 'Truck and his lovely wife Lorraine did more than their share to make CV work this year . Talk about NAR spirit , dude , they bring it  ;-T These NARs are easy when you have so much cooperation and a couple or three secret weapons .

  Dusty

No kidding Dusty, Loraine's deli tray was Da Bomb. And who ever thought you would see a scotch buffett on the Kansas prairie? Matt and Chester would have tied up thier horses for awhile and made camp!

[rocker59]

Matt, I think it stands for "Not A Rally".  Just show up at the designated place at the correct time and there might be others there also.  No food, no events, etc.  You're responsible for everything at that event.  I think Rocker 59 coined the expression for the gathering in SW CO last year.

I didn't coin it.  The term showed up first out West a few years ago, as far as I recall.  Some NARs in Arizona and California.

The idea works pretty good, though.  For the "Wild Guzzi Western Adventure Not A Rally" last year in Ouray Colorado, all I did was call and negotiate a discounted rate at the KOA.  They have a restaurant on site, so no planning needed there.  One "planned ride" was on Sunday to Gateway.  About six bikes went along, I think.  Some peopled stayed in hotels in town.  There were things to see in nearby towns, so everyone just kind of did thier own thing.  We did have a get together at the restaurant on Saturday Night where I gave away Italian pilots wings to long distance rider, oldest bike, and newest rider.  Sunday Night some of us went down to Orvis hot springs for a dip.  

Not a lot of planning or cost on my part.  Just thirty Guzzisti from the four points converging on a cool place, and enjoying life for a couple days.  Then, just as they arrived, they disappeared into the horizon in all directions.

Good times.   :bike

[sturgeon]

I'm an official card-carrying member of Geezers Anonymous, and relatively new to the MG scene. But I've had motorcycles pretty much since I was 14. I also spent 42 years at a university, with lots of exposure to 'young people'. They're as varied a bunch as you might expect, and I have no more idea what they want than they do. But I can pretty much guarantee that what they DON'T want is to sit around until 9 PM listening to a bunch of old farts talk about the time they resurrected a barn find, and then listen to those old farts snore the night away. They're not as concerned with image and marque as you might think. I've spent more time at my MG dealer than I want, and I've observed that I'm by far the oldest customer there. 2 of the people working there, and doing a great job, are young enough to be my grandchildren. They're doing more to promote MG to their age group than any crowd of geezers ever could. Stop worrying about it, go for a ride.

Dyslexics untie!

[Bill Hagan]

I 'signed up' as a state rep one month when I didn't make it to a monthly gathering. They voted me in since I wasn't there it say no.  ~;

****

As your unappointed campaign manager for election to an office you did not seek, i view this as an example of how democracy is a beautiful thing.   ;D

Bill

[Guzzistajohn]

Yup , and Miss Kitty would have supplied the , er , um , ... well , the lap dancers  ;D Seriously , we need a few more of these "unorganized" events , what are we gonna call your's , and where do we sign up ?


  Dusty

Let's see. Hmmmmmm Missouri campout at possum paradise? There will be no sign up, wouldn't be very hippified would it?

                                             Rally or NAR Mascot

[bad Chad]

Elvis sang, "A little less conversation, a little more action."  

I don't have many good ideas, yet.  I hoping to come up with some.   Do any of you have any ideas that might make Guzzi rallies more attractive?


Maybe I do have one, now that I think of it.  Better advertising.  I used to subscribe to Motorcycle Consumer News, and they have a list of M/C events, clubs all across the country would list their happening, but not MGNOC.  The only Guzzi rally I ever saw listed in their list was WI, why?  Listing your event, I think was free, and reached thousands of M/C riders and enthusiast.  Why don't other rallies list there and else where, we need new blood, seems like a great way to reach out?

[rocker59]

and now...  for a musical interlude...

"A little less conversation":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvlxRvhCB_A

and for a more on topic tune, "clean up your own backyard".  I think this is going to be the new Wild Guzzi Western Adventure theme song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGHPku_XIu0

[dilligaf]

With the exception of the Poverty Riders most BMW events are very structured. Every thing goes from A to B to C with a volunteer in charge of A, someone else in charge of B and so on. BMW rallies have become huge. If you want to increase attendance you will need structure. You know exactly what is going to happen next. I prefer a rally to a camp-out. I do enjoy seeing you folks but I just prefer rallies and I'm willing to pay the fee. The BMW folks understand how capitalism works.

I also enjoy camp-outs or NARs. These events attract the same group of folks that enjoy each others company. Nothing wrong with that at all except I would not expect an NAR to attract new folks. I wouldn't ride all the way across country to attend one.

Swamp Scooters was a blast with many volunteers working at the direction of one person(Most of the folks running Swamp Scooters are MG riders). The biggest concern was that the rally would become to large. I don't think we need to worry about a NAR becoming to large. Same with Coon Bottom this weekend except CB is just sort of organized. You have to pay to camp but the food is paid from donations. They give awards. I'll throw some money in the pot Friday and again on Saturday. I expect Marion to do the same.

There is something about MG riders that just doesn't fit the mold. When we sold a BMW we expected that person to return  to the shop for nit picking crap. When we sold a MG we never saw then again except at our open house with free beer. However, the BMW folks also showed up.

Bottom line. If we started seeing MG at ever corner we find something else to ride. Be careful of what you wish for.

[Guzzistajohn]

If we had that chick in the 1st video dancing at a rally I bet we could stay up until 10:45 at LEAST!

Great how that dood in the 2nd vid. can make that archtop guitar sound just like a Dobro.

[rodekyll]

I remember seeing Matt at the Alaska NAR a couple summers ago.  He got the long distance award -- on a beemer!   8)

[rocker59]

Dilli , two things , the HUGE MOA AND RA rallies may be more of a reflection of how many beemers there are in America . Secondly , Kirby 1923 came all the way from Paris via Memphis and Rogers AR for CV last year , and all the way from CA this year , so some will , some won't .

  Dusty

Yeah.  No touching that distance award.  1420 miles from Tehachapi California to Cedar Vale Kansas in what?  36-hours?  

He's a hard charger on the CX-100.