admission at Rhienbeck?

[exeric]

If Rhinebeck stays unique in the AMCA's list of national meets, then it will be what it will be. However, if this is the testbed for future AMCA meets and our board members are contemplating this as the new standard for the AMCA then it's time to get a new board. Personally, I hate big meets. I know there is good stuff to be found at Davenport and it draws old friends together every year but Davenpoert is unique and that's what makes it special. The small meets have been the backbone of the AMCA because our members are scattered all over the world and don't have the time or money to visit all of the meets, (unlike our board members). Basically, I think what we've got is pretty good, but instead of big meets I think there should be a few more smaller meets such as something in the mid-south, south west, and north west. There are a lot of members in these areas and in many cases they are too far away from the traditional meets. Participation at national meets breeds devoted club members. I think we need to see more national board member participation on this forum when it comes to issues like this. I give Pete Gagan credit because he does jump in here from time to time but the rest of the board is never heard from. How about it? What's the AMCA's position on this?

[koanes]

As the National meets become more about size and promotion, I find myself less inclined to participate. The focus should be on the club members and their machines. The Viking chapter meet formerly known as The Farmington Meet was well attended and enjoyed by the majority of members. Now it is trying to become another tourist attraction for the public in the big city. The meet costs increase dramatically in these large venues. Do the members really want to pay to attend our own function, in order to turn the meets into a public attraction?

[bikejunk]

I hate to be neg. about any antique event but I allways vended a the small meets but now I need a NY tax licence and 50 bucks to loose money selling parts. but it looks like thats the way things are going

[bmh]

Well now that it's been brought up, I too would like to see a copy of the by-laws. Any one Know how to get one? I'm suprised it isn't posted on this site. I have no idea how the board is elected or anything about the workings of the club, though I do read the minutes in the magazine. And it is my understanding that this is the prototype meet of the future. We will still attend this year and quietly pay addmission. I will give the thing a fair shot. Weather this will be the only one we ever attend or not remains to be seen. The one complaint I heard from my good friend about last year was the overwhelming amount of late model stuff that seemed to be for sale everywhere. I sincerly hope we don't travel all that way, spend all that money on lodging and "fee's" just to attend another "J&P SUPERSWAP". Isn't there a rule about that stuff? I notice on the web site that it doesn't say " parts or motorcycle related items 35 years old and older only" like it does for every other national meet. Maybe we're going to welcome the "billet boys" with open arms to help us make ends meet? If that is the case, I would like to know now.
Brian

[exeric]

Still no words of wisdom from Mt. Olympus. This forum would be a great place for members of the board to communicate with the club. It may seem like the same old windbags like me are the only people using this medium but I know a lot of people read this stuff. The board would be well served better informed if they spent some time here.

[INLINE4NUT]

exeric,same old windbags ???? I hope your not referring to us that choose to post our thoughts ???? HA!HA! Ive been called worst! as for the powers that govern our own goverment would do well by us to also listen .....but i really dont see it happpening either!!!

[silentgreyfello]

$10 sounds like a gift to me when you consider the cost of liability insurance on an event like this, not to mention the facility cost. (get rid of 90% of the lawers in this country and the insurance would drop).

One other thought comes to mind... why should the national fund pay for a meet anywhere? Sure the meet is accessable to all, but for the most part, I would bet that for most that attend any meet, they are within driving distance. The folks that get to enjoy the meet should be the ones that pay for the meet.

I would be grateful if someone was organizing an event near me. This year, the closest national swap meet is 1200 miles round-trip to Dixon, CA. I will spend at least $200 on gas! I would GLADLY pay that $200 just to get into a meet like Rhinbeck if it were in my backyard, thereby saving 2 days of driving.

To those that organize and work the meets, thank you.

[kval]

admission at Rhinebeck

I will try to address the questions listed
1: the National does NOT run the meets or road runs, the local chapters DO. the National supplies the insurance, the trophies and a small meet allowance. for this they get a piece of every vendor fee, the local chapter(6 in this case) get everything else(fairgrounds, banquet, garbage, bathrooms, parking and cleanup plus the tee shirts and pins etc.
2: "officers to go hob-nobin all over the place at members expense" this is NOT the case, when you see a board member at a meet or road run, they have paid for the trip themselves. WHY because we love this hobby just like all the other members, and we are on the board to help keep this club alive for future generations.
3: there never was a rule prohibiting an admission fee, most clubs just asked for a donation to help defray all the costs. but unfortunatly in this day and age that is not enough. last year at the Viking meet they charged everybody to get in. if anybody wants a copy of the policy and procedures just write the secretary and request one.
4: the tax issue has already been in force in Florida and Davenport for a while now, it is just a matter of time before the other states get to finding out about our meets, and they will start asking for their pound of flesh.
5: this will be an Antique Motorcycle Meet and the 35 year rule applies to all vendors, what you might have seen is all the British and Japanese parts that are now appearing at our meets as they reach the 35 year mark. see you at a meet soon
Kevin Valentine board member and chief judge

[bmh]

Kevin, Thanks for clearing up some things, for me at least. As I said , we still plan to attend. Hopefully to be pleasatly surprised. Sometimes someone has to play the devils advocate though. And often enough it seems to be me. I will get a copy of the policy and procedures, just to help me be a better informed member. As a note though, I can assure you my freind who attended the meet last year would not have confused Japanese or limey parts with Evolution Harley parts.
Brian

[Walter D]

I wonder how many of you "motorcycle people" that complain about paying an admission fee don't have a problem charging a million dollars for a knucklehead part. Let's try putting things into a proper perspective once.

[c.o.]

What a way to introduce yourself Walter.... I think it's the principal of the matter more than the cost. Kevin did (at least for me) clear quite a bit up. Although I tend to agree somewhat with silentgreyfellow. I'm quite far removed from the big meets(or any meets for that matter) and if I had one in my area I wouldn't be opposed to paying a fee to attend. As far as blaming folks here for charging too much for parts..........go through the archives. We've had that discussion before...........e-bay is a lot to blame and most of us here agree that prices are over inflated. Those that got in the game first or have the most bucks are holding the cards. That's life.........

[exeric]

Here's a fact of life; The rank and file of any organization will always suspect the administrators of some sort of conspiracy. The AMCA was a small esoteric club for many years but now our club has become huge by retrospective comparison. Speaking for myself, I'm a traditionalist and I like things to stay the same.
For crying out loud, I collect old motorcycles so I'm not going to be real progressive about changing something that's all about the past. I liked this club as a small friendly organization and things like Rhinebeck sound like big changes that will take that warm fuzzy feeling out of it. I want to thank Kevin Valentine for giving us an administrative view of things but I have to say that I don't think the board does enough to explain some of the things they do or plan to do.

[c.o.]

Well spoken Eric. I am still in wonder why the club has to constantly focus on recruitment and getting larger. People that fall in love with old bikes will come on their own regardless. It's the old bikes and people that ride them that matter. I do think that it's a little unfortunate that the club has turned into such a big machine that it needs to consume more and more members to keep rolling........

[bmh]

I would like to say that I am not in the parts biz, I do not sell parts. I buy them for my own personal use. And am more than willing to write off admission as just another part I need for a project. So long as I recieve fair value.Someone mentioned earlier that part of this was to attract the younger folks, to get them interested in our little obsession. While I think it a noble cause. Me and most of my close friends have been into bikes our entire lives. Looking back , we always liked and rode old motorcycles. But antique motorcycles were just a curiousity to look at every now and again. I think for the most part people can't appreciate them until much later in life and therefore don't start to play this game untill later in life. That is human nature and is not likely to change.
Brian

[Lonnie]

While I can appreciate the hard work involved in putting together such a "super meet" as Rhinebeck, speaking for myself, I go to a AMCA meet to look at the old bikes, meet old friends, make new ones and look for the part(s) I cannot live without. If I want to look at antique trucks I'll go to an AACA meet. If I want to look at old tractors and hit-and-miss engines I'll go to an event of that nature. Big is not necessarily better in my book!
I've watched motorcycle swap meets and rallies deteriorate into the mess they are now, T-shirts and leather and every other thing I can certainly live without! It is certainly frustrating to walk endlessly and have to deal with that junk while looking for motorcycle parts.
In addition, the club should serve the members - the members should not serve the club except for those individuals who feel the call to serve in a leadership capacity. It is not beyond reason that the AMCA will, perhaps already has, reached its maximum capacity for sustaining the membership of those persons interested in the old bikes. I do not believe that someone with no interest in motorcycles, new or old, would attend an AMCA meet and immediately be head-over-heels in lust for an old bike....unless that was within them to begin with.
If we want the club, either our local chapter or the national club, to grow we as individuals need to go out of our way to spread the word to those in our communities and get them involved. If some young guy or gal stops to admire your bike, take the time to sound that person out, engage in conversation and invite them to a local chapter event even if all they have is a sport bike. If the interest grows, you've got a new fellow enthusiast. If not, so be it!
Lastly, I firmly believe that as members of the AMCA our admittance to a National event should be free upon presentation of the current membership card. We've seen from the newstand sales of the National mag (policy since discontinued) that the $30 annual dues basically pay for the mag. The vendor fee for the National events is split between the sponsoring chapter(s) and the National (At Wauseon, the $50 dollar fee is split with $35 to the National and $15 to the local). If it is necessary for the local to recoup additional dollars to cover the expenses of renting the facility, let them charge the non-members for admittance!

Lonnie C.