The latest AMCA Magazine

[LouieMCman]

No mag here in GA yet. Looking forward to seeing no format. I usually get to see it first on web page. Oh what the hay...I'll say it again...How about FIRST Class mailings?

[Chuck#1848]

I Second That Motion!!

No mag here in GA yet. Oh what the hay...I'll say it again...How about FIRST Class mailings?

Louie,

I'm with you on that one. I would also be curious to know from the time it is mailed till the time the last member on the globe reseives theirs.

[Duckrat]

Thanks from the editorial team

I find the magazine to actually flow much better now. The adds are located so as not to interrupt the articles. I especially like the new format of the want adds also. This magazine is top notch. Things are looking up!
RF.

To Red Fred and everybody who has written to express their opinions about the latest issue of the magazine, thanks for taking the time to write from the editorial team: Bill, Denny Bob and me. I have to tell you, producing the first issue was a real challenge, but thanks to the help of a lot of great contributors and people in the club, we all made it happen.
To answer a few of your questions, one of the things we tried to do with the ads was (as Red Fred said) try to make the editorial parts of the magazine flow better AND give a positive placement to the ads as well. Another emphasis was for more and larger photos in the stories, and yet another was (and will be) to focus not only on the motorcycle, but on the motorcyclist as well.
I think what struck Bill and me the most during our trips to the new museum or to Rhinebeck and Waseon was a couple of things. First was how friendly and open people were to us. We were made to feel welcome by everybody, and some of the folks we interviewed darned-near stood on their heads to help us by answering endless questions and moving bikes and posing for lots of photos in the heat and humidity.
The second thing was that with one or two exceptions, the story about how they acquired the bike (or restored it, or raced it or started it for the first time) was just as interesting as the bike itself---if not more so. You folks are both interesting and unique, and we want to share that with our readers.
Anyway, again thanks to all of you who have posted here on the website or written directly to us. Sorry I haven't posted earlier, but I just got back from a trip to Spain and Switzerland on some other business I'm involved with on the FIM (Federation Internationale de Motocyclsime).
We welcome your input, ideas and suggestions, and thanks for your support!--Greg Harrison

[portagepan]

Greg
Good to read your post, and the magazine is interesting. However, there are several excellent magazunes already out there that go beyond just the bikes to the people, indivdual stories, and lifestyle, etc. And that is well and good. I look mainly for two things in the AMCA magazine: Closeup examinations of the machines, including techniques for keeping them running, and restoration how to's, and accurate historic facts that are relevant to our obsession. The mag can also help the club to keep it's focus out front, and not get mixed up in too many sidelines. I don't know if we are going to need articles on bicycles and motorcycle engine powered machinery, unless it is just filler, after the real club interests have been covered. Thanks for a good first issue.
Mike

[bobdo]

I have to get in on this.
I was also a little apprehensive about what this issue would look like. I was very happy to see the result of what I'm sure was a lot of hard work. The mag had a big league kinda look to it. It was impressive & slick. Very well done. Although, I'm kinda partial to the earlier magazines. But, Mike brings up a very good point. I guess we need to ask ourselves if the target audience are AMCA members looking for information, or the general public wanting to learn about old bikes & the club, or both. I for one really appreciate & need the technical information. I'd also like to hear the stories behind the machines, their history. Thats the best part of the magazine. Every old bike I walk up to, I have to wonder what its been through.
Have a great Autumn, Bob

[exeric]

Mike and Bob present valid points. The AMCA did a very popular survey of the membership a few years back. As I recall the membership wanted the focus to be on American bikes and helpful features. Also, the magazine was available on the newstand until recently, and that was a failure. I think we discovered that this obsession with old bikes is very small by national publication standards and our magazine did not fly off the shelves. So I think that means that the editors only need to please about 10,000 members. I figure, the calendar is a success so why not have a lot of pictures of bikes. We have meets all over the country that are crawling with gorgeous motorcycles. Take a look at page 63 or our magazine. That's not my idea of meet coverage, I don't see a motorcycle anywhere and I was at that meet. There were plenty of fantastic bikes at Eustis. This is not a criticisim of the editors because they work with what they get and I think they did a great job with this issue. Maybe we need to do another survey to help our new editors.

[Ronnie Wilson]

Still no magazine in Sayville NY. I'm chomping on the bit over hear waiting for the mail.

[Hrdly-Dangrs]

I don't know, the new mag while it contains 'some' nice color photos didn't do much for me.
Best as I can make out it breaks down to this:

92 total pages (including front and rear cover)

Break down:

13 Full page Ads
25 Half page Ads
10 Club pages (related intros/Buy-Sell)

41 Pages of Articles...many are only Half pages due to other half pages are ads

7 Actual Stories or Articles...of those two Articles have 8 pages each and one has 4 pages and two have 5 pages and the rest are single page and another was 3 pages.

I count only one Tech article and that's Steve Blancard's Blood, Sweat & Gears.

I'm not taking away from the guy's that put the effort into putting out the mag, but come on man, I'm sorry, the Club mag is not worth my membership dues alone as some want to spout.

Sure the ads are fine because most are member's way of advertising to us their specialty, but lets get some more pages of tech in there and definitely lets get some better coverage of our Club Meets. Hell each Club meet should have at least 6-8 pages of photographs alone plus the written articles to them. Just check out the Sunshine Chapter's coverage on page 63 and 64. What the hell?? Not to mention the Fort Sutter Chapter's Meet coverage on page 67 and 68.

Oh and by the way...if you want to do a Memorial salute to a Member's passing...let's not include a commercial ad on the same page.

Let's get more 'Meat' in our Meet coverage, Road Run coverage and Tech articles first then add the ads around them for filler. Just my two cent's worth...Hrdly

[62Pan]

I belong to the AMCA, AACA and the HCCA. I have been a member of the AMCA since 1983 and seen alot of changes in our club magazine over the years and most have been good. BUT, I feel the club magazine should focus on the club. If any of you are also members of the HCCA (Horseless Carriage) then you understand what I mean. This is a club with only five thousand members yet they in my opinon put out an excellent club magazine that is about the club, cars and meet coverage that easily surpasses our own club magazine quality even before the last big change. They seem more focused on what their members are looking for. I enjoy our club, but that is what it is, a club not a business that worries about profit or loss. I wonder sometimes if we just lost sight of the direction were headed in.

[mmoore]

finally got mine today. I like the mag tho it would be nice to have a few hundred pages. we can all contribute to it. we have a lot of members that can put a story together and send it in. so if you want to put something together do so and share it. as a member of our newest chapter (twin rivers vmc) I have seen a large growth in chapters so I wonder how we will fit all the info in future mags. (might have to get bigger). I have spoke with past editors and I am sure the new ones will also listen to any suggestions. this mag has come a long way from my first ones 24 years ago. (they were good also)

[Ronnie Wilson]

I finally got the mag yesterday. 21 days after the first thread.

[pete reeves]

I got mine today.
Looks good,Congratulations to the new editorial staff.Keep up the good work.

Pete Reeves 860 England.

[Baytown]

Nothing in Australia yet.

Ken.

[exeric]

Baytown, that is not right. We can give 400G's to a museum but not get a magazine to a dues paying, upright memeber. That is just not right.

[c.o.]

Baytown, that is not right. We can give 400G's on a museum but not get a magazine to a dues paying, upright memeber. That is just not right.

I totally agree. Something should be done about the timing on magazine delivery. The classified ads certainly are not very current for people who have to wait for an extended time for their copy.