Forum

[Beezabryan]

No I am not

Peterf, you write - "REOC membership is not a prerequisite to attend a branch meeting."
That is not my understanding. When I enquired by email the whereabouts of a branch local to me the shitty response from the then national secretary was that I could not attend a branch meeting unless I was a member and would not tell me where the local branch met. OK so it was quite some time ago but at that time the branch details were not available on the REOC website. Whether they are or not now is immaterial for I have no interest in an organisation with such an elitist attitude.

[ric]

Depends on if you're an owner or a rider.

[Scalyback]

Quite right!?

Keep the riff-raff out!



(Sorry, only joking!)

[RoSy]

So for 18 quid you don't really get a lot, nothing that could be found elsewhere. The same money would buy a subscription to a good M/C glossy, and ride outs/pub meets could be organised via this site, also courtesy of our host this forum is almost like an online "REOC" and probably more informative with I expect more members and it comes free. I am not getting at the REOC I was purely wondering if it would give me more than this site. I think I will save the £18 to spend on my Enfield, A way of saying thanks to H's for a great site.

[Mark M]

I suppose it depends whether there is an active Branch near you. I have recently taken over the running of the Home Counties Branch (meet last Wednesday of the month at 8.00 at the Cross Keys, Pulloxhill near Bedford,) and we are actively recruiting more members and also looking to revive our regular weekend runs. Prospective members are welcome to a Club night, no membership required to talk old bikes! We have several very active VMCC sections near us and this suits many more "general" old bike enthusiasts but I think a one make club caters well for the dedicated interest especially if you're working on something unusual like our recently joined member Phil and his Model KX. As a volunteer myself I can tell you we put in a great deal of time and effort to arrange our recent Rally which was greatly enjoyed by those that attended so I guess my real message is not what can you get from a club but what can you do for other like minded enthusiasts. £18 to join is pretty cheap these days!

REgards, Mark

[Caboose]

Hi RoSy, I echo Mark's comments, I am a past long serving volunteer for the REOC. Having seen some other One Make motorcycle club magazines, I believe that "The Gun" is up there with the best of them, the Editor can only put in what the members send him! so please everybody, get writing! technical articles, tips, RE experiences or photos, all will be appreciated by the membership. I can claim credit for a good number of published photographs over the years! including some front cover shots. Regarding the subscription, the £18 includes a one off joining fee thereafter it is just £15 per year which can now be paid very simply and swiftly with Paypal, I wonder, how many other clubs offer this service? The Machine Dating service and Machine Specialist service are more than worth the sub and they all do it for Nothing! to benefit the membership. Logically, branches would be populated by REOC members. Not everyone has access to the internet but I agree that a digital only copy of the magazine for those who prefer it is a good idea, however this may push the subs up as the printed magazine cost per issue may increase as the print run quantity required decreases! Catch 22 ! As the Salvation Army says "Come and join us"! give it a try, attend some rallies, on two, three or even four wheels, camp, campervan or B&B, whatever is convenient for you, you will discover that Royal Enfielders really are "Nice People" as sung at many past rallies by REOC stalwart Les Carter, a true gentleman. REgards Dick REOC 3289.

[Crusader]

I agree entirely with the Mark M & Caboose comments.
Don't know who Beezabryan spoke to but I've never encountered any elitist attitudes from any branch or member in many years of membership.
£15 TOO MUCH! (renewal fee). Well how does £5 grab you 'cos that is what I pay as club membership gives me £10 discount from most classic insurers. So I suppose with my fiver I could instead buy a pint or 10 fags to last the year! Stop being such tight-arses, join the club & enjoy.

[RancidPolecat]

In my experience I found my local branch quite a strange bunch. They moaned about the noise that my Interceptor made but most of them turned up to club events and meetings on anything but a Royal Enfield. On one rideout occasion the Interceptor was the only Enfield in the car park surrounded by Moto Guzzis and Hardly Rideables.
Having said that there were one or two guys with Enfields who were genuinely friendly but like me they found the atmosphere disagreeable and all of us left both the section and the club.
I sent two articles to the Gun but neither was published even though the then editor was always asking for stuff for the magazine, he didn't even bother to reply to email when I asked why they were unsuitable.
So my two penn'orth would be , bikes good, club bad. I might add that I belong to several old bike and car clubs and have not had a similar experience elsewhere.

[Thunderdird 2]

Out of interest how old are the 'experiences'?
When I had my last Bullet 6 years ago I remember at least one thread about the REOC with much the same bad comments, surely its still not as bad or the old comments still sticking?
If so perhaps it's time 'head office'looked at some of the regional clubs if they are giving REOC a nationally bad name?
Just a thought, but a shame if all of REOC is tarred by the same brush!
Terry

[Mark M]

Perhaps it's the old story, bad news spreads but the satisfied keep quiet!

REgards, Mark