The Honda Owners Club

Shellshine wrote:except I wouldn't hold yer breath for a free beer from him! )

...........Thats pretty harsh!...you know me better than that 'J'..I hope!

I was just joshing... I do indeed know you better than that! , you're very generous... no offence meant ... 'onest injun!

Barry wrote:As the membership numbers are at best static, does that mean the greater number of newbies we get in the front door, the greater the number of more experienced members leave by the back door?

I look forward to hearing your report as membership secretary....... oh yes that's right your not
There is no correlation between people leaving and people joining - why should there be?

The HOC is on a very healthy steady increase in membership - both newbies and renewals.
Every club loses members (for whatever reason) which is unfortunate, but we still attract lots of new members who add to the HOC's diversity.
Stop being so negative Barry

I say bring it on
I look forward to meeting members old and new at events up and down the country

Ok, just read this thread for the first time since I am a newbie , too. I am , as some others ,not only a newbie but (at the moment) "only" a pillion.....but a very passionate one !!I will certainly get my proper license as soon as possible but despite that would like to comment:

1) All of us are or have been "newbies" somewhere at some point and were happy to be made welcome!

2)This is a Honda owners club and not a "my fantastic personality" fanclub...I´m not mentioning any names in particular of apparently over 70 year-old-bikers.....so we should be more than happy to share our experiences with everybody who classifies him-or-herself as one.

3) As for me it´s all about the fun and joy of riding..means co-riding- a bike and sharing this excitement with similarily interested people.

4) I feel like being amongst friends in this club ( with one little exception) but who cares about old sods who obviously have no joy in life but making things miserable for everybody else?

5) Oh come all ye newbies , experienced or not..oh come ye oh come ye to the Honda Club!! Have a rideout in south West Wales, and I´provide the flags ( you know..the ones with the red dragon..

As I am at present working to get a West Wales branch started .... If I were to Ignore "Newbies" then I might as well pack up now and spend my time doing something else.

Regards Witch

the sandwitch wrote: I feel like being amongst friends in this club

..............Yep!! Roger that and indeed you are!!

I am delighted that a dozen or so of forum members - out of 800+ - are pleased to voice the pleasure they get from their Branch of the HOC.

As we do not know how many of the 800+ forum members are members of the HOC, we do not know what percentage of the HOC members have expressed their pleasure. So come on you HOC members, give me some encouragement, let us hear it for the HOC.

With my membership due for renewal and with no Essex or Varadero Branch and with NESS on hold, give me a reason for renewing. I am not too interested in the thoughts of newbie riders, members of the Executive, or 'couples' who find togetherness at belonging to a club. Just ordinary members who mostly ride solo and who have been round the block a few times. Or is that too much to ask?

Barry wrote:I am delighted that a dozen or so of forum members - out of 800+ - are pleased to voice the pleasure they get from their Branch of the HOC.

....I dont have a local branch Barry!!..have to ride 60+ miles to Northants but I dont care about that!

Barry wrote:With my membership due for renewal and with no Essex or Varadero Branch and with NESS on hold, give me a reason for renewing. I am not too interested in the thoughts of newbie riders, members of the Executive, or 'couples' who find togetherness at belonging to a club. Just ordinary members who mostly ride solo and who have been round the block a few times. Or is that too much to ask?

..Flippin heck Barry, you sound like a regular 'Victor Meldrew' to me matey!! If you dont join the HOC, you cant come to the National for a start! and why oh why are you not interested in new members and/or the views of the executive? seems to me the best thing you can do is go and find a club which caters for angry old blokes with an axe to grind!!!.....

Barry wrote:With my membership due for renewal and with no Essex or Varadero Branch and with NESS on hold, give me a reason for renewing. I am not too interested in the thoughts of newbie riders, members of the Executive, or 'couples' who find togetherness at belonging to a club. Just ordinary members who mostly ride solo and who have been round the block a few times. Or is that too much to ask?

Fantastic advertisement for the HOC Barry

I am sorry to say that your idea of belonging to a club is so negative that to be quite honest I am glad you don't live in West Wales ..... and I find it sad that I am writing this

Hang on guys, 90% of all Barry's comments are tongue-in-cheek, he loves to cast a line to see what he can catch, I have met Barry and he is a very pleasant fellow who gets pleasure on the forum from making controversial statements, then, having lit the blue touch paper, he sits back, returning occasionally to toss some more fuel on the fire (must stop mixing my metaphor’s!).

I am sure he is just enjoying his sense of fun here as usual

Don’t lets get all bitter and twisted!

Regards, Al

Sorry but I don´t agree with you, al-n-di. Nothing wrong with having a bit of fun on the forum by throwing in controversial statements. But if Barry is alwaystaking the pi..out of other people I am not able to support this behaviour.
My kids went through similar phases in their adolescence ...psychologists call it a " way to gain people´s attention". As I´ve been told a similar phenomenon is seen in old people turning into kids again.
The comments he has made here make me feel uncomfortable and...if this is "tongue in cheek" I am sorry to say that obviously I got things wrong here and this forum isn´t right for me.
I am a newbie, I am only part of a "married couple" although on our bikes we have been more than "around a few blocks". but this makes me feel like I am not belonging to the Honda Club and should better save my breath .

Yes, Barry certainly seems to go out of his way to stir up trouble and upset people on here! No wonder there is no Essex or Varadero branch. If he was a member of either of those branches, it's hardly surprising they've all gone elsewhere.
What on earth is in in the HOC, and on this forum, if he 'not interested' in so many of the members interests or thoughts? That guy should be in a club by himself, with no-one else allowed to join. If he's just trying to wind people up, he doesn't do it in a pleasant manner, by raising a laugh, he just gets them p**d off.

Barry's as entitled to voice his opinions as anyone else - that's the beauty of freedom of speech

We should be looking at ways of helping him to see the benefits and the very positive nature of being a member of the club instead of vilifying and condemning him for his habitual derision, critcism and negativity.

I also think Al is spot on about the lighting the touch paper and retiring to a safe place to watch the fall out... not a particularly pleasant (for others) way to get your jollies but even so... it clearly works and there could be much chortling going on even as I type!

My mum used to say to me about people who used to make me feel bad or bullied or derided me or my sister.... 'they're more to be pitied than scolded' and I think that's a pretty good maxim in this life.

She also told me that we are only offended by others by choice.. we can choose to be offended or we can choose not to. (I have to admit, that's a tough one but I think she was right on that too!)

As for branch closures... they happen... and it would be very unlikely that one person would be the cause so I don't think we can lump that on his doorstep either.... bless 'im

Barry has been a member of the club now for some years so must get something from it even if only the pleasure of upsetting others.

Essex the great county full of bikers according to Barry could not agree to differ and get on with their own branch so hence it dissappeared up its own ---- Sorry

Varadero the mythical sorry I mean Virtual branch who seemed content to slag off the HOC then again dissappeared up their own----- Sorry thought it again.

If you know all the answers the do do something about it. If not let those of who try to do something get on with it then you can contribute to it in a fair and perhaps less pointed manner.

West Wales you will get a branch as some there are determined and will try to be positive.

I can't believe that anyone would argue that you should ignore new people....