Why you should join a motorcycle club
One thing about groups or clubs they all represent a section of society, you have the empire builders, king makers, the noisy minority, and the peasants that just let others tell them what they need, how and when, usually they only want to complain and do nothing anyway!
So how can I make such a statement, easy I’ve been in clubs or associations for over 50 years and I’ve seen it all, back in days of yore people were proud to hold a position of responsibility either in business or social groups even voluntarily using their own resources and time for the good of the organisation, that has changed over the last 30 odd years with nobody wanting to do anything because their time is more precious than anyone else’s. Interestingly though these people are only to eager to vocalise their opinions but won’t back it up by offering any further support if you ask them to consider a committee position they will give every excuse under the sun or even if you suggest a event or other activity they won’t attend but will tell you how it should happen and be run! This negatively leads to a slow rot which inevitably leads to a collapse of a group, yes I have held committee positions President, vice President, Secretary, rally coordinator, Treasurer, Membership secretary, Webmaster, etc etc and whatever support I have been offered is meager at the best of time, but always very gratefully received.
This all sounds bad but now let’s touch on the good points, most of the people in club have very similar interests to you, they love motorcycles and have a similar mindset as you, even if they are Harley riders, they have had interesting lives and challenges and like riding bikes or simply maintaining them and as such they can offer you interesting alternatives to you making a decision on everything from marriage, divorce, kids, clothing, buying another vehicle or even your health, men need this bonding and as you probably know “men’s sheds” are incredibly popular because your average Joe finds after retirement can be a sentence to waiting for death! The best thing is your mates at the bike club have had life choices that they may have made a bad decision on and with their experiences and advice may save you pain and anguish A friend told me many years ago “motorcycle clubs aren’t about motorcycles it’s about the people the motorcycle is the only a bond to show a similarly between mates”
I have had many customers that are now to old to even ride a motorcycle but they spend time maintaining or polishing their old war horse and the memories keep them young and give them a reason to get up in the morning, not a bad thing but if you’re been in a club and you can ring up an old mate and talk about a cherished ride you and they had years before the memories are even greater. Such bonds can be forged by joining a club so I encourage you to think about it, also take up a minor committee position and if you like it dive in deeper, don’t build an empire, you are only a small blip on the history of that club within two years nobody will even remember you or what you did, it’s all about mateship.
Phil Pilgrim 2025