Motorcycle Clubs

[socoguy78]

SO it's been a while sense I posted! School started and have been very busy, even to ride my PCX. So far only been riding it to and from school.

Have any one joined any motorcycle riding groups?

I'm wondering because my University has a new one, that started last semester called the MotoBears (https://www.facebook.com/motobears). They'll take anyone that rides anything with a lot of benefits like 40 bucks an hour at a local motorcycle dealership for labor and 15% off their products, group rides, and bi-weekly club meetings, club shirts, detailing and so forth. Here's the downside... I've heard this before from other motorcycle peeps that stop and talk to me about the PCX when I was able to ride around, when I had the free time. That the clubs wont be as warm or welcoming to me because of the PCX and if I don't ride their same ride. That came from their own experience.

So far the club has group rides late at night, when I'm sleeping, and 250 mile rides through the Ozark Mountains on the weekends. This weekend their having a 500 mile or so ride on Sunday. The original group are all friends who decided to form this club. I've noticed with myself and other new members they don't talk to you and if you talk to them they don't try to hold a conversation and seem uninterested. They all ride sport bikes like Ninjas and Honda CBRs. If you try to talk about a different type of bike they push you off. At bike night events when anyone in my town is invited, they don't socialize with them either. I get bad feelings from this club, and a member who's Iranian wont even get spoken to except by the Club Advisor.

Is this anyone else's experience if you've ever brought your PCX to any "clubs" or meet ups for rides and how was your experience as well? I'm thinking of not attending any longer and kissing my 15 dollar joining fee good bye. I've only been attending for a month now and membership at these meetings are dwindling down. Just seems like a fraternity/sorority type thing to me.

Oh, I'm at about 1,500 miles, and no probs with the PCX. Thinking of selling and upgrading to a Honda Shadow or a Harley Sportster

Safe Riding!

[gn2]

If the discount from he dealer is useful to you, join the club, you don't have to ever turn up to any meets if you don't feel like it.

[binje]

I was gonna say the same thing as gn2. If the discount will come in handy then keep the membership. If not, find a club that is more welcoming to you and the PCX.

[Kermit]

I'm pretty sure I would get laughed at if I tried to join a motorcycle club with my PCX. I agree with the others... join for the discount, but find others to actually ride with.

[wilbur]

Keep the discount, and look for other groups in the area. I seem to remember talk once of a scooter group in the Springfield area. Check on the standard scooter forums... http://modernvespa.com/forum/, http://www.modernbuddy.com/forum/index.html, http://burgmanusa.com/forums/, etc. Or check some of the motorcycle sites that have scooter sub-forums... http://advrider.com/forums/, etc. Also check sites like Meetup. I'll bet there are some around.

[Duggle]

Well, not a motorcycle club but I've been on 4 rides with the local scooter meetup group, one ride was over 100 miles and a ride with the Ruckus group. I've met quite a few really nice people on these rides.

Last weekend the Scooter Squadron rode to the San Diego Ride For Kids that supports the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, our meetup was just a ride to the ride. The Ride For Kids was about 45 miles long with a police escort the whole way which blocked all intersections. There were quite a few no-shows from the scooter group, only four of us showed up for the ride. At the event there were around 180 motorcycles including at least 30 Can-Am Spyders. About 42,000 dollars was raised by the ride at that time and they said fundraising would continue for the next month. They have these all around the US, if you see one in your area it's a lot of fun.

My friend Andy really liked this biker lady and wanted a picture of me with her. I felt out of place in the Honda shirt with so many Harleys and CanAms in attendance until I found out that Honda is a sponsor for the Ride For Kids.


There were about a dozen motorcycles with sidecars to give rides to some of the kids. Some were pretty interesting like this cool sidecar.


Some of the motorcycles lined up before the event. Our scooters looked so small in the lineup compared to the rest.


Here you can see some of the police cars racing ahead on the wrong side of the road and in the median to block intersections.


Scooter rider Dave stopping (and holding up the rest of the riders) to take a picture even though the intersection is already blocked for us and everyone is waiting. He does that sort of thing.

[socoguy78]

I was gonna say the same thing as gn2. If the discount will come in handy then keep the membership. If not, find a club that is more welcoming to you and the PCX.

I've been giving the benefit of the doubt thing. So... I have quit going to their bike nights at a local canam spyder dealership. I really think it's because I don't ride what they ride and their biased on it.

If and when I upgrade or downgrade, haha, to a manual shifting motorcycle... The membership would come in handy for saving money on any labor to get the bike in top notch shape.

[socoguy78]

I'm pretty sure I would get laughed at if I tried to join a motorcycle club with my PCX. I agree with the others... join for the discount, but find others to actually ride with.

There's a facebook group of about 300 for local riders in my college town. Got an idea to place a thread in it inviting anyone to ride with me in the mornings on the weekends.

[socoguy78]

Keep the discount, and look for other groups in the area. I seem to remember talk once of a scooter group in the Springfield area. Check on the standard scooter forums... http://modernvespa.com/forum/, http://www.modernbuddy.com/forum/index.html, http://burgmanusa.com/forums/, etc. Or check some of the motorcycle sites that have scooter sub-forums... http://advrider.com/forums/, etc. Also check sites like Meetup. I'll bet there are some around.

I'll take a look at these sites. Thanks!

[socoguy78]

Well, not a motorcycle club but I've been on 4 rides with the local scooter meetup group, one ride was over 100 miles and a ride with the Ruckus group. I've met quite a few really nice people on these rides.

I liked the pics. I remember back in the summer of '99, there was a Honda wingding group that did this through this town. There were thousands of them and police shut down all the streets for them on 4th of July. They through candy at all the kids lined up on the roads and raised money for charities. Haven't seen anything like that sense that day... except in St, Louis when hundreds of motorcycles got together and shut down the Highways as a joke, they were going to do the same thing recently, but decided not to because of the Ferguson Protests and Riots happening.

How'd you guys raise the money? An entrance fee to join the ride and donations from those that came and watched? Company/corporate pledges?
Thanks for the pics!

[Duggle]

This is the Ride For Kids website, they have rides all over.
http://www.curethekids.org/events/ride-for-kids/

Yes, the money raised is pretty much as you figured. We each paid an entrance fee to go on the ride (not required but really...), that all goes to charity. In addition, I was lucky enough to get a check for $500 from a business (without even asking, my wife's sister got it for me). I'm terrible at asking people for money but wanted to go on the ride especially since the cause is close to my heart, I was really looking forward to this one ever since it was posted. My wife's nephew died from Glioblastoma, one of the worst kinds of brain tumor (a nasty cancer). Since my wife has a scooter now (and better get her license soon) she says that she will go with me next year.

edit: I know what you are saying about feeling out of place among the motorcycles though. I wished that more scooters had gone and this was the first time that I felt kind of dorky about riding on my scooter. Nobody did anything to make me feel that way, everybody was there for a cause so it was all good feelings, but that was just me internalizing.

[socoguy78]

This is the Ride For Kids website, they have rides all over.
http://www.curethekids.org/events/ride-for-kids/

Yes, the money raised is pretty much as you figured. We each paid an entrance fee to go on the ride (not required but really...), that all goes to charity. In addition, I was lucky enough to get a check for $500 from a business (without even asking, my wife's sister got it for me). I'm terrible at asking people for money but wanted to go on the ride especially since the cause is close to my heart, I was really looking forward to this one ever since it was posted. My wife's nephew died from Glioblastoma, one of the worst kinds of brain tumor (a nasty cancer). Since my wife has a scooter now (and better get her license soon) she says that she will go with me next year.

edit: I know what you are saying about feeling out of place among the motorcycles though. I wished that more scooters had gone and this was the first time that I felt kind of dorky about riding on my scooter. Nobody did anything to make me feel that way, everybody was there for a cause so it was all good feelings, but that was just me internalizing.

The Motobears had planned on going to the 2014 Bikes Blues and BBQ in Fayetteville, Arkansas, not sure if they did or who went... I know there was an entrance fee to be part of it, but don't know if it went to charities or not. Should be over today and hope that money helps out in some way, like the point of doing your ride did.

I don't feel out of place with the other motorcycles just because mine is a 153cc and looks like a sport bike from the front and end. I feel more out of place around the 50cc scooters barely going 35mph. I do like the fact I can wrap my legs sorta around the scoot like with a motorcycle. The Iranian looking guy who broke his motorcycle (broke his frame), and a Harley guy in the group don't get spoken much to either... The Harley guy hangs out with other "Harley motorcycle groups" instead of ours. Figure it's prejudices for the reason they're not excepting other's who are not on Ninjas or CBRs when they try to get anyone to join including 50cc scoots. "Birds of a feather flock together." Each of the kids in the group who started riding a couple of months ago have dropped their sportbikes several times already and still swear it's the best to learn on *rolls eyes*. Oh well... I think the last reason to stay in this group is to just "use" them to check out a possible used motorcycle to buy... unless I'm willing to buy one on credit at the Honda Dealership (btw... they've been awesome to me with discounts and help. My first tune up only cost 110, I think the owner gave a big discount after talking with me for nearly an hour about bikes and knowing I wanted to learn on his PCX before upgrading to a larger machine. He tried to get me to ride some of the automatic bikes in the show room (still can't shift), but I said no. The for-profit have been more supportive than the non-profit in many ways besides financial.

Maybe Scoots, even hybrid types like the PCX, and motorcycles aren't meant to be ridden together in a social group context. And again only bikes of a similar model.

[katschamne]

My husband joined a motorcycle club called the Chicago Cruisers. He signed me up as well. I was really hesitant about going because I thought they would make fun of my little 153cc scooter. They're a great group of men and women who ride. They have everything in the club there is a Silver wing, two Can-Ams, all types of cruisers and sport touring bikes. The have monthly meetings and during the warmer months they have weekly rides. The ride always ends in a place to eat. They're not the bar hopping type of club. I have gone on two rides with them and been to 4 meetings. They have no problem with me riding my PCX although I am planning on getting a larger scooter still because the PCX is just a little to slow for some of the rides. Most of the guys are impressed that I can keep up most of the time. They aren't your tpical biker gang. Most wear helmets, gear and are excepting of anyone. The one guy that jokes around with me the most, rides a sport touring bike but he started out on a scooter.

I would say keep the membership as well and look for another group. They're out there.

[Valiant]

Eh, best not to ride in large groups IMO. Somebody inevitably gets the urge to try to impress somebody and pops a wheelie, which either attracts police, or he falls and wipes out half the group.

[katschamne]

I have to say these are a different class of people. No one there shows off. It might be the age of the group of riders too. They're all at least mid 30's and up. One of the rider is a motorcycle cop. They usually stay at the speed limit, maybe 5 over. Although falls can happen even if it is only 2 people riding. That's why there are hand signals to communicate with everyone and safe driving distances. I can honestly say that group rides are not for everyone. On the last ride I was on, there had to be about 20-25 bikes. I personally wouldn't go on some of the huge benefit runs or Sturges. The group rides are fun but I prefer to ride with just my husband.