Michigan  By  JR (Read 2,963 times)

With not much better to do today, I started poking around into areas of several forums/groups/sites that I don't normally visit... and find myself here. One of those places where I am a member is a Yahoo group called Michigan_Scooter_Club.
groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Michigan_Scooter_Club/info
As I noted in another thread, I am a member of a club in Ann Arbor and a club out of New York. (even have a pin too) Been with a Maxi scooter group out of St. Louis MO. and still with a motocamping group, but I let my membership in another motorcycle camping group lapse.

There is another guy I ride with not far from me in Auburn Hills and another from down in Tecumseh plus another near by in Huntington Woods. Not much of a club really, but we try to get together a few times a year at least and go to places like Frankenmuth, Woodward Dream Cruise, cider mills in the fall. Plus other rides even if only 2 or 3 of us. Some of us even spent a night in a cabin I rented once. Sometimes it is hard to get everybody together because of obligations and whatnot. I'm retired so I don't have too much holding me back. (except a fixed income)

This year at my place we had the 2nd annual "Spring Tune Up & BBQ" (a gathering of shiftless characters) and managed to get all together 5 riders. Didn't get a whole lot of "tune up" done, but we ate like kings and had a great time talking scooters and such. And fun as it has been for the gathering in these past 2 years, getting people to come is like pulling teeth; even with advance notice and planning. (and basically free food (which is usually a good enough incentive), though some did pitch in a little even though I didn't ask)

I ride Maxi scooters (Honda Reflex & Silverwing 600) but invited some guys in the area that I knew about that ride smaller scoots, but they couldn't make it. I'll still probably have a 3rd annual Tune Up & BBQ next May again and it sure would be nice if I could just get more people together.

2nd Annual Spring Tune Up & BBQ Participants. From left to right:
Brad "TheReaper!" - John "jdl50cc" - Craig "TheLenaweeTrekker" -
Bob "lorddarthvader1701" - and myself, Mike "bandito2"


Getting/making a club is one thing, getting physical participation is quite another. And without some participation a "Club" ends up mostly being more like an impersonal, shielded by online anonymity discussion group. I guess I'm just old school that way, but there is nothing quite like face to face meeting of fellow riders. I do find it encouraging though that there are still others that seek social contact. It is in our nature to want to be part of a group. (a primal urge for the mutual benefit of protection in numbers and gains in diversity of ideas and shared skills) Alas, much of that these days is by proxy. I'm not knocking the online thing... It's a great medium/tool for meeting others of a common persuasion, but very often that is as far as it goes and little face to face actually ever takes place. IMO, the virtual is a bit overrated... ain't nothing like the real thing baby.

OK... sorry for the rant, but I was on a roll.

It would be cool to get a whole bunch of us together at least once in a year as something of a cohesive group for possibly a ride, but at least in some face to face gathering to confirm the notion of being part of a group, club, association or whatever. In that vein, my offer of a "Spring Tune Up & BBQ" (a gathering of shiftless characters) next May 2016 (actual date TBD) at this point remains open.

Anyway, if anybody wants to ride with somebody from down here in southern Michigan, give a holler and a few days advance notice. And if I don't have anything much going on, we could meet and ride or have coffee or lunch...