New Members wanted

I think you are mainly going to waste your time mate, most of the young are not that interested and I think Education has done a good job of side-lining interests in the ICE and ICE powered transport!

Trials, Rallys, Sprint events, setting up skills workshops so youngsters can learn skills, but then Local Councils even if they support initiatives will be sat on by District Councils, Health & Safety, Inclusion policies, Insurance it all conspires in the end to undermine anything practical you may want to do!

After all "individually" each one of us is killing the Planet, isn't this true?

You can thank the the politicians and the Greens 4 this! Just teasing Ian, maybe!

We R talking about a bygone era, why should the young b interested, when it costs a fortune for a machine, a Licence is now in stages and protective gear can b expensive, fuel costs, the conditions of the roads are crap and there's suicidal and irrational car and van and Lorry drivers*, (48% are now non-British*, Commercial Lorry Drivers, pay crash concept**). Danger zones, twice a day when Yummy Mummy picks up her offspring, there are pitfalls everywhere. Plus you can lose your Licence in the blink of an eye with a loss of concentration! You now have to b 24 to get an unrestricted Motorcycle licence!

This Forum won't even let adults have a discussion in OFF TOPIC so it will not be able to tolerate youngster chat, I am sure of that!

The Imp Forum died too, by putting up restrictive rules, though they have a better youth wing it has moved virtually "Lock, Stock and Barrel" to a FACEBOOK page!

ACID TEST:

Ride a few bikes to a McDonalds Drive Through where the youngsters congregate and park up, I can virtually guarantee very few youngsters will b interested if any, and if they R, it is usually through watching "Sons of Anarchy"!

My mate is 43 and at every meeting we have been to me and him are the youngest there, BSAOC, VMCC, also generally at Autojumbles, it was a similar story at the TT very few youngsters. The Authorities decided a long time ago that they would rather have the youngsters on drugs than ride motorcycles, otherwise they would have been harder on the drugs and softer on motorcycles, the Learner and road transport!

And on this note I am deadly serious, how else do the rich elite freely earn money these days.

I have seen this first hand for myself, Cocaine 45p a sachet till they get addicted! You see everybody has to stay at home and be good and the Treasury can save money. And when the Pit bike boom came the Police crushed it unmercifully, kids couldn't find anywhere to ride! I was putting an engine in one and a Copper came onto my Private driveway and asked where the bike had come from, when I went to get a spare part for it, when i came back i was furious and yet go into town and nothing is done about the cannabis smokers who gaily drift about!

It was almost too late 20 years ago and now I feel it is 2 minutes before midnight and Khan and all his cronies will soon start to nail the coffin lid down 4 good!

If there are only 680 members in the UK, it looks like the NOC have got something wrong, although i believe Phil Hannam is back, 681? Figures wrong way round 4,000 UK 800 abroad!

if there is anything I can do to help I will but look at the hard facts, its a "Dinosaur" era mate,running on Dyno' oil, we were just perhaps lucky to be born early enough, to catch the end of it!

Of note, some now claim we have been lied too and Hydro-carbons are being formed as we speak, but not had time to check this out!

Cheers

John H

Spot on John. However , perversely the total ban on sales of newpetrol and diesel engined vehicles in just 22 years time could work to stimulate interest in owners clubs ofICE powered bikesgenerally , gaining momentum as the 2040 D-Day gets closer and closer. Don't know - but my own little gesture to preserve the good old days of suck , squeeze , bang , blowhas beento order a V4RR !

I not being negative my mate, I am just stating things as they are, the Motorcycling organisations and most of the other vehicles have sat on their respective arses for far too long, when the RAC and AA were sold who was looking after the road going man or womans interests?

We have been sold down the river, by the proposal of future policies that will be unworkable!

They have preached in schools for years that oil petrol burning vehicles are anathema. Our children are being MORE brain washed than ever before, since Victorian times to conform! How many kids want to get dirty anymore? We are in the World of selfies and instagram, I was shocked late last years when i saw boys and men having their eyebrows threaded!

If they the young are all on "X" Boxes and cyberspace, the Politicians can do what they want and see fit to do!

We tried to do another Sprint in Ramsgate and Thanet district council stopped it, even though the 3 day event brought almost £400.000 of extra spending to the town in 2015!

Previously james_fanning wrote:

Spot on John. However , perversely the total ban on sales of newpetrol and diesel engined vehicles in just 22 years time could work to stimulate interest in owners clubs ofICE powered bikesgenerally , gaining momentum as the 2040 D-Day gets closer and closer. Don't know - but my own little gesture to preserve the good old days of suck , squeeze , bang , blowhas beento order a V4RR !

Lucky fellow, I saw the race bikes in action last year @ Practice week, but in the tent the Norton staff didn't seen to want to talk to the International crown gathered round, a bad move I thought at the time! I hope it lives up to your every dream, and further you can write and tell us all about it!

I think you will find Anna has got it the wrong way round; surely not? More like 4000 UK members and 700 overseas.....

As the song goes 'don't worry, be happy'

Where are the entry level bikes for the 'youngsters' to buy and work on. There are numerous examples of what are described as 'barn finds' selling for an increasingly absurd amount of money. Many NOC owners own multiple bikes (and I have no problem with that, just an observation) but it also limits availability. With restricted availability comes an increase in price, comes collectors that hoard machines til they can turn a profit. I don't see it turning around any time soon ie never.

I think the 680 mentioned above refers to the membership who actually attend the 29 branch meetings

As of the 1st May, the club had 4598 members, of which

3628 were in the UK

970 were overseas

768 were in a branch

That's 3629 members as I have just joined. .....

Governments now prefer to "nudge" rather than legislate. They don't want motorcycles on the road, but rather than ban them, they just make it increasingly difficult to get a licence. You see this in all areas of government policy. An actual ban on purely petrol or diesel cars from 2040 is an exception to this general rule..

Previously ian_cordes wrote:

I think you will find Anna has got it the wrong way round; surely not? More like 4000 UK members and 700 overseas.....

As the song goes 'don't worry, be happy'

Thank you Ian , but I an sure it was an honest mistake!