REgenesis of the Royal Enfield Association.

[qgolden]

The REA is undergoing a RE-genesis. I have sat by and watched it set stagnate as long as I can stand to, and as Popeye used to say ""That's all I can stands, I can't stands no more!"

 I have been working with Kevin and some of the good folks at CMW and have come up with a plan to take over responsibilities for the REA.

At this point in time I have a newsletter under way. I plan to publish the first issue for January 2011. Details to follow. The format will be PDF and will likely be provided via a download link sent to current paid members. I have solicited commitments from some folks in the RE world who have agreed to submit articles of interest for the Newsletter. We are looking for a few more correspondents from around the US and abroad. If you are interested in submitting an item please PM me. I have several ideas for the newsletter but am always open to more suggestions. PM me and tell me what you think. Over the next several days I will post here looking for some specific talents. Today I am looking for any newsletters after issue 1 volume 1 that might exist out there. If you have any and can share them please PM me.

Regarding membership in the REA. When members signed up to join the association their membership was good for one year. There was however no mechanism to contact members to urge them to renew their membership when it expired. So most all memberships (Prior to 11/1/2009) have lapsed. In support of the REA, CMW has graciously offered to renew everyones membership by one year gratis. (you do not get a new patch with this gratis membership) If you have registered for membership between November 1 2009 and today, your free year will begin after your current membership expires. If you had a membership prior to November 1 2009, then all you need to do is re-register and your free year begins upon registration. However, if you are re-registering, do not register via the NField store. The association membership database needs to be maintained outside of the store. For now that lies with me. Within a few days I will post a link to one of my servers for you to renew your membership through. I will forward your membership information to CMW from the database I have created for this purpose. At this time I will not be taking your credit card info. If you have never registered before then you need to pay your 5 dollars and get your patch please do so at the Nfield Store. They will send me your membership info and I will take care of you from there. The free year offer for renewals will expire on 1 June 2011. So that will give 7 months for those who only log in to the forums occasionally to find this offer. I will also be sending an email to all members whose membership has expired notifying them of this offer. This offer is extended to existing members who have been issued membership numbers. (Number 1 through 150). Much thought has been put into making this as fair and logical a process as possible. We hope you think so too.

When you re-register there will be a field on the form for you to enter your old membership number. I have preserved the numbers of past members and if you have forgotten yours just send me a PM (with your name and the email address you used to register) prior to registering and I will send it to you. This will allow the early REA members who had low numbers the ability keep those numbers.

In further support from the folks at CMW, Kevin has authorized a 5 percent discount for REA Members. This offer begins November 2 2010. To take advantage of this discount you simply need to enter your REA membership number in the coupon code field when you place an order. This code will give you 5% off any order over $100; the coupon is good for one year starting from the issue date of your membership. The coupon can be used 12 times within that time period. The coupons are only valid with online orders. Registration numbers 139 to 150 have been entered and are active now, numbers 1  through 138 will need to re-register to receive this benefit.

So your cost of membership is covered with your first order from the NField Store, Sweet. Above that you can save additional  dollars all year.
 
So that is where we are at.

I have a few more ideas and options to grow this association, but I will hold off for now.  Some decisions will need to be made and I would like to have them approved by it members, so I will wait a bit for the membership to firm up.

I feel that it is necessary to do something to jump start this organization. My Grandfather used to say, "See a problem? Fix it. Just do something even if it ain't right, raise their ire and maybe someone smart enough will come along and fix it right". So I will get this started. I decided to do it pretty much autocratically so I knew it would get done and not to get bogged down with committees or boards.

I will commit to it for a year, create the database, set up the newsletter, (plans are to publish it every two months), and put together a process and a package that can be passed on to someone else. I cannot guarantee anything beyond that year. But we can plan a few events, a few meet and greets, some bike runs in coordination with other motorcycle events, (anyone go to Sturgis, Laconia or Daytona?), and maybe, just maybe plant the seeds to make this a great association.

REspecfully
-Quinn
Self-Proclaimed REA Administrator and Newsletter Editor in Chief.

[geichal]

Thanks in advance for your efforts!
geichal 

[Leonard]

I pm'd you the links for the past newsletters.  Thanks for taking on this responsibility.

[luoma]

I love the idea of REA. I joined in the beginning, but will have to renew now.

The problem I see with REA is that it needs a purpose. Newsletters are great, but we already have this web site and forum, best I have seen, and it provides most of the function of a newsletter.

The biggest problem I see with the RE community is that it is sparse and spread out. Difficult for like-minded people to get together. There are more Enfield riders out there than the ones we talk to on this forum. Even the ones on the forum don't usually have their locations pointed out. I could be within an hour's ride of several Enfield enthusiasts and neer know it.

I think one of the best purposes of this organization would be to identify RE riders and try to get state/regional get-togethers going. After all, a motorcycle organization should be about fostering a sense of community.

[GreenForce82]

Agreed ^^^^^^^^

We used to have a feature to show where you were but it didnt seem to work... a locator that everyone participated in would allow for efficient planning of meets and get-togethers... Just a "second" to the motion given above.

[prof_stack]

I'll sign up later this week.  Thanks!

[72westie]

I posted this on the Britbike forums Royal Enfield section. 

[Lahti35]

I'm not a member....yet.... but i was wondering has anybody thought of some posters or info for distribution at the dealer's showrooms? Might help for the new owners/current owners to get to know where they're at in relation to one another. Some folks need a had to find their way here.... I didn't discover it until months after I'd purchased my RE.

I've found more RE owners in MI through for sale ads than anything else, some within 10 minutes of my house! I'll bet there are alot more around in our areas than we think, they're just hiding

[qgolden]

I think one of the best purposes of this organization would be to identify RE riders and try to get state/regional get-togethers going. After all, a motorcycle organization should be about fostering a sense of community.

Yes you are absolutely correct!  Thank you for posting it. Those of us here are a representation of all 50 states.  We all have events in our areas, Sturgis, Laconia, Daytona, Myrtle Beach,  those are major events.  In addition we all have toy runs, poker runs, blood runs, benefit rides, bike shows, cruise nights.  The list is endless. 

The dealer network is growing and it will support us.  The opportunities are endless, all we need a a few people in a few locations to start spreading the word.  Do an Enfield only ride to Devils Tower during Sturgis. Advertise at a dealer about an upcoming Toy Run,  have all the Enfields meet a mile outside of town and all come in together.  Participate in a cruise night, get together somewheres and ride in together.  I gotta tell ya'  have 10 or 15 Enfields ride in to any event together and you will draw attention.

Any reason we cannot do this?

[qgolden]

We used to have a feature to show where you were but it didnt seem to work... a locator that everyone participated in would allow for efficient planning of meets and get-togethers... Just a "second" to the motion given above.

And we will have it again,  I cannot do it all in one day!   

We are working towards replacing the Map locator that does not work here,   There is a community calendar here as well, we have full use of it,  I discovered an issue with that yesterday.  So do not use it just yet,  I need to get work with CMW on the issue first.

Quinn

[qgolden]

I posted this on the Britbike forums Royal Enfield section. 

Way to spread the word!  Nice work,  A free Beer to 72westie if we ever get to make a run together!       Anyone else?

-Quinn

[qgolden]

I'm not a member....yet.... but i was wondering has anybody thought of some posters or info for distribution at the dealer's showrooms?

Get registered and I will promote you to official ambassador in your area!  Excellent suggestion.  Put some flyers in your dealers showroom window advertising an Enfield  Gathering. He will support it.  It brings in tire kickers at no expense to him.  It shows his potential Enfield customers that there is a network of fellow riders in the area. I gives credibility to the marque. 

I ask again, any reason we cannot do this? 

[Ice]

 Did you discuss any this matter with the membership body and the existing REgional instigators/ coordinators ?

Just curious.

[qgolden]

Hey Ice,

Currently the membership contains 14 persons.  We have lost 130 people.

I have posted here as you have posted here.  Many have posted that someone needs to do something.  No one has grabbed the bull by the gonads to pull this back together. 

You and I have had a PM conversation regarding the status of the organization as I have with a few others.  The general comments I received back were similar to "I like your style"  "I bet you could pull this off"   "let me know what you want me to do". 

So the short answer is yes I did with some, but not all, and like I did with you, I had some contact with ex members, and no I did not take the time to have an in-depth discussion with the 14 existing members,  I see no point in this getting buried in committee.   

I made posts in this forum and said outright that it was time for "a couple of us to do something"  I questioned issues at the NField store with Kevin and Partsman and that thread is posted here as well.

I am happy for the involvement of any of the members, I still have items of interest that I will not bring up until we have a bunch of members, first we need to do is to find them and get them re-registered.

I will post a new registration link in a day or so, please watch for it.

[Ice]

 My suggestion would have been to PM/EM everyone who voiced an opinion in the REA threads before this thread began.

Committee and consensus can be a powerful cohesion builder.

Please do double check the accuracy of the membership count, I suspect there are more than 14 members.

 I can vouch that as of my last phone conversation with CMW my membership was current so that positively accounts for at least one person.